Madurai (Tamil Nadu), Oct 14 A faded photograph and a daughter’s resolve to honour her father’s dying wish reconnected Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, with her ancestral roots in Tamil Nadu nearly two decades ago.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee, in announcing the 2026 Peace Prize for Pillay, said she had been “instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted.”
In Batlagundu, her relatives are celebrating the global recognition and eagerly awaiting her return.
The emotional connection dates back to 1970, when Pillay first visited her ancestral village. She returned in 2007 to fulfill her late father’s final wishes.
“Her father passed away in South Africa in 2007. Before his death, he had expressed his wish that his ashes be immersed in Rameswaram and that the family visit their ancestral deity’s temple,” Pillay’s relative, M Venkatesh Kumar, an automobile marketing executive, told PTI on Wednesday.
Kumar said Pillay’s father had left her a photograph and a vague address to help her trace their relatives.
“She arrived in Dindigul with a few officials and stayed at a travellers’ bungalow for about ten days to track us down,” he said.
The breakthrough came unexpectedly at a local tea shop, where a passerby recognised Pillay’s grandfather in the photograph.
With the help of the then district collector, revenue officials and local residents, the man guided Pillay to her ancestral home, where she finally met Kumar and his family.
“She was very happy to discover that she had family here. She and her officials learnt everything about the place, called it our ancestral home and took photographs. She told us, ‘Whenever you are free, send word; we will help with any assistance you need,'” Kumar said.
The news of Pillay’s recognition for her lifelong dedication to international law, human rights and peace was met with jubilation in the region.
On Monday, Kumar and his family celebrated the occasion by cutting a cake.
“She is more than a celebrated jurist; she is my aunt, and we are related by blood,” an elated Kumar said.
“We are planning to invite her when she visits India. This is an honour for our village, and this time, no photograph will be needed to find us,” he said.
“After returning, she sent a letter by post enclosing the photographs taken with us. We replied once or twice, but over the years, we lost touch,” he said.
Kumar added that the extended family in the hamlet now comprises around 20 households belonging to two branches of the family.
The family is preparing to write to her. “We haven’t sent our congratulations yet, but we are drafting a letter to post to her address in Durban,” Kumar said, adding that the entire family was eager to invite her back to the village and hoped she would visit them again.
Born in Durban on September 23, 1941, to Indian parents of Tamil descent, Pillay grew up under apartheid and went on to build a career challenging racial discrimination, defending anti-apartheid activists and advancing human rights and equality.
“No matter what other obligation you have morally, you have a legal obligation to protect human rights and refrain from war,” Pillay said, hours after she was announced as the winner of the Peace Prize.
Pillay dedicated the award to survivors of international crimes and those defending international justice, saying their “compassion and courage continue to ensure that impunity will not be allowed to reign.”
She is also serving as a judge in a case at the International Court of Justice in which The Gambia has accused Myanmar of violating the Genocide Convention.
(PTI News)
