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Chennai, Nov 6 (IANS) Neliat Kurundadath Shyamalan, 88, eminent cardiologist and father of internationally acclaimed Hollywood filmmaker Manoj Night Shyamalan, died in the US on November 4.
A native of Mahe with ancestral roots in Kannur, Dr. Shyamalan, known professionally as Neliat C. Shyamalan, was widely respected for his long and dedicated medical career in Philadelphia.
Apart from his contributions to cardiology, he was deeply engaged in personal research on the origins of the Thiya community of Malabar.
Through DNA studies, he advanced the theory that Thiyas trace their ancestry to Indo-Aryan groups who migrated from Central Asia – specifically the present-day region of Kyrgyzstan – through Pakistan and Rajasthan before settling in northern Malabar, Coorg and the Nilgiris.
Dr. Shyamalan also had a close association with cinema, serving as a cameo producer on his son’s first feature film, Praying with Anger (1992).
He was the son of late Krishnan and Panangatta Kurundadath Maithili of Kannur.
He is survived by his wife Jaya Lakshmi (USA), daughter Veena Loftus (USA) and siblings Venugopal (Chennai) and Daya Jayaram (Calicut).
His brothers Gangadharan, Sadhanandhan, and Raveendran died before him.
The funeral will take place on November 7 in America.
–IANS
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