A faded photograph and her resolve to fulfil her father's dying wish helped Navanethem Navi Pillay, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, reconnect with her ancestral roots in Tamil Nadu nearly two decades ago.
As the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the 2026 Peace Prize for Pillay, her relatives in Batlagundu celebrated the recognition and said they were eagerly awaiting her return. The committee said she had been 'instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted'.
Pillay first visited her ancestral village in 1970. She returned in 2007 to fulfil the final wishes of her father, who had died in South Africa that year.
'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 close relative M Venkatesh Kumar 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 passer-by 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 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.
News of Pillay's recognition for her lifelong work in international law, human rights and peace prompted celebrations in the region. On Monday, Kumar and his family marked the occasion by cutting a cake.
'She is more than a celebrated jurist; she is my aunt, and we are related by blood,' Kumar said, adding that the entire village shared the family's pride.
'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.
Born in Durban on September 23, 1941, to Indian parents of Tamil descent, Pillay grew up under apartheid. She went on to challenge racial discrimination, defend anti-apartheid activists and work for 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 before the International Court of Justice in which The Gambia has accused Myanmar of violating the Genocide Convention.
The award has brought renewed attention to Pillay's work in international law and human rights, while her relatives in Tamil Nadu remember how a photograph and her father's final wishes reunited her with her ancestral family.
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With PTI inputs