By Michael Rodrigues from Malpe
Team Mangalorean - Udupi

Udupi: The mortal remains of Malpe Prasad Raj, son of former BJP MP Manorama Madhwaraj and the late Madhwaraj and elder brother of Congress leader Pramod Madhwaraj, were consigned to flames in a garden adjacent to the Madhwaraj residence 'Swagatam' located at the Kodavoor road junction in Malpe on Sunday, June 24. Thousands of his friends, admirers and family's well-wishers took part in the final rites.

Prasad, who had been ailing from kidney failure, was undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Manipal over the past few months. He passed away on late evening on Saturday. The mortal remains were brought to 'Swagatam', the house that his father and founder of Coronet Canning Company, the seafood processing and export unit, had built decades ago. As the body lay for public homage, MLA Raghupathi Bhat, former MLA U R Sabhapathi, entrepreneur Bhuvanendra Kidiyoor and a large number of people paid their respects.

Around 1 pm, the body was carried to the garden adjacent to the parental home and cremated after completing formal rites.

Prasad is survived by mother Manorama, brother Pramod and five sisters. Prasad, after his Engineering studies in Bangalore, was at the helm of Coronet Canning Company in Malpe for 20 years from 1982 to 2002.

After settling down in Mangalore, he had married a foreign airhostess, Monika. She ended her life with her son by jumping off the Presidium Apartments in Attavar a few years ago. Thereafter he had married starlet Durga Shetty. She too separated from him after some time. Since then, he lived alone.

When Prasad had been ailing the past months, Pramod looked after him. In spite of all medical attention, he passed away on Saturday evening.