Kerala's eating champion is dead

Thrisur: Theetta Rappai, famed for his huge appetite, is dead. He was 65 years old.

Rappai is known to have eaten 250 idlis, 15 kg of pudding and halwa in one go. He had a reputation of winning eating competitions across Kerala. Rappai developed diabetes at 64 and retired from eating competitions earlier this year.

He weighed 120 kg when he died and his family had to build a special coffin for his last rite.

Some hormones in his brain made Rappai a food maniac, opine doctors.

Rappai had a very simple breakfast – just 75 idlis and as many number of tea as possible. Again at 10 am he ate any number of Dosas and a sumptuous meal for lunch.

Again Dosas, Parathas and sufficient tea at 3.30 pm and Puttu, idli, dosa, rice… anything for supper. Challenge him at a competition – he took 250 idlis, 15-litre pudding, 15 kg Halva and what not?

But he never took any thing non-vegetarian. In his prime it would have been an under-statement to describe Rappai's appetite as voracious.

His friends, especially police friends, advised him to eat more carefully. At 65, he had all the diseases and his end came on Saturday morning.

“For the last one month he was bedridden. Under Doctors direction he took less food. He was hospitalised for the last ten days. He died at 5 am on Saturday morning,” said Rappai's brother Devassy.

Rappai had hypothalamus. His satiating point never reached the satisfying point. He was diabetic and had pain in the joints, all caused because of obesity. His hands and legs were weak during the last days.

Rappai was God fearing and he never failed to attend the Sunday mass for God never failed to fill his stomach. But old age ailments forced him to take rest and he was thankful to god for he had a delicious life.