Kottakkal: The world’s oldest living person is in Kerala’s own Kottakkal. As per Kunjeerumma’s Aadhar card, she turned 120 last June. In terms of age, Kunjeerumma also surpasses Spain’s 116-year-old Maria Branyas who is listed as the World’s oldest person in the Guinness Book of World Records. 

Kunjeerumma still has good hearing and eyesight and does not suffer from any lifestyle diseases like high blood pressure or diabetes. In Kalamban house, Pookattiri near Valanchery, the oldest person with a young mind whose jolly spirit has not faded even after completing a century can be found. 

Kunjeerumma now needs a wheelchair to get around which she started using after a fall a few years ago. She is blessed with 13 children and has witnessed five generation of her descendants. 

Reminiscing about her younger years, Kunjeerumma said that she had not been to school, only to a Othupalli (Maktab- basic Islamic education). She also vividly remembers the anti-British riots she witnessed in her childhood. Kujeerumma remembers hiding from spear-wielding revolutionaries and gunshots while grazing cattle in the field. She also said that her Uppuppa (grandfather) was captured during the Khilafat movement and let go after four months. 

Kunjeerumma was married to Kalamban Seithali when she was seventeen years old. He passed away along with seven of her 13 children.