Kerala’s Kunjeerumma: World’s Oldest Living Person at 120
Kunjeerumma, a resident of Malappuram in Kerala, holds the title of the world’s oldest living person at the age of 120, as indicated on her Aadhar card, which she celebrated in June. Interestingly, she surpasses the Guinness Book of World Records holder, Maria Branyas of Spain, who is 116 years old.
Remarkably, Kunjeerumma maintains good hearing and eyesight and is free from common lifestyle ailments like high blood pressure and diabetes. She resides at the Kalamban house in Pookattiri near Valanchery, and despite her age, she possesses a youthful spirit that remains undiminished even after crossing a century. In recent years, she has been using a wheelchair due to a fall.
Kunjeerumma is a mother of 13 children and has had the privilege of witnessing five generations of her descendants. Reflecting on her youth, she mentioned that she did not attend regular school but received basic Islamic education at an Othupalli. She also vividly recalls the anti-British uprisings she experienced during her childhood, including instances of hiding from armed revolutionaries and gunshots while tending to cattle in the fields. Furthermore, she shared a memory of her grandfather’s capture during the Khilafat movement, which lasted for four months before his release.
Kunjeerumma was married to Kalamban Seithali at the age of seventeen, and sadly, she has endured the loss of her husband along with seven of her 13 children.
