Unparallelled farewell

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The people of Kerala, who remained for two days and one night with a prayerful mind, without having food or proper sleep, gave former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy an unparalleled farewell.

People from all walks of life waited in agony on the streets from Thiruvananthapuram to Puthuppally in Kottayam. Every moment marked the enormous stature of the leader Oommen Chandy in Kerala politics. Even though the funeral ceremonies came to an end around midnight, the people remained at Puthupally without leaving their dear leader. The tributes that Oommen Chandy received call out that Oommen Chandy is a rare genus in Kerala politics. The ripples that will be created in Kerala politics by the vacuum caused by Oommen Chandy's demise are sure to become history.

The funeral procession of Oommen Chandy was one of the biggest that Kerala has ever seen. Only the funeral processions of AK Gopalan and later former Chief Minister EK Nayanar come close to the funeral procession of Oommen Chandy. No leader has passed through Kerala with so much respect in recent times. Congress workers had poured in for the funeral procession of leader K Karunakaran, the Bhishmacharya in Congress politics. However, the sight of an entire state drenched in tears and flowing naturally turned into a literal offering of flowers to Oommen Chandy.

The funeral procession carrying the mortal remains of Oommen Chandy took more than 28 hours to reach Kottayam, which is only 146 km from Thiruvananthapuram. Oommen Chandy, who could only walk through the crowd whenever he was the Chief Minister, Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and MLA, could not change that 'habit' even after his death.