Chennai, Nov 6 (IANS) Nelliat Curundadath Shyamalan (88), a distinguished cardiologist and father of internationally acclaimed Hollywood filmmaker Manoj Night Shyamalan, passed away in the US on November 4.

A native of Mahe with ancestral roots in Kannur, Dr. Shyamalan, known professionally as Nelliat C. Shyamalan, was widely respected for his long and dedicated medical career in Philadelphia.

Beyond his contributions to cardiology, he was deeply engaged in personal research on the origins of the Thiyya community of Malabar.

Through DNA studies, he advanced the theory that the Thiyyas trace their lineage to Indo-Aryan groups who migrated from Central Asia — specifically from the present-day region of Kyrgyzstan — through Pakistan and Rajasthan, before settling in North Malabar, Coorg, a

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