A final journey through people's hearts

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Durbar Hall at the Secretariat, where legendary footprints remain etched in history, witnessed a sea of emotion as the mortal remains of V.S. Achuthanandan were taken out after public viewing. As his body was moved, the sun hid behind dark clouds, and the crowd burst into wails of grief. “Kanne Karale V.S.,” they cried with clenched fists. Then, the clouds cleared and sunlight returned, as if to salute the revolutionary.

The police found it very hard to take V.S., draped in the red flag, to the specially prepared flower-decorated bus. “We will make your slogans eternal on this soil,” promised the people in a collective voice of sorrow and determination.

Public viewing began at 9 AM in Durbar Hall and concluded by 2:30 PM when the mortal remains were moved into the bus specially arranged for the final journey. Many who couldn’t yet pay their last respects clung to the bus in tears. All night long, the public stood guard over V.S.'s body, grieving silently.

Heavy rains lashed the city in the morning as the body was brought from Velikkakam House in Thampuranmukku to the Secretariat.

Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar laid a floral wreath, and in the presence of Chief Secretary Dr. A. Jayathilak, the body was draped in the national flag by the police. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other ministers offered floral tributes, followed by political leaders and prominent personalities. The public was allowed entry through both the north and south gates, and the queues extended all the way to Punnen Road.

People in tears
The crowd that gathered wasn't just party workers. Admirers of V.S., those who drew strength from his words, labourers, government employees, elderly people, and children—all came. Some wept, beating their chests. "Will Kerala ever see such a guardian again?" they cried, recalling V.S.’s relentless fight against corruption. A young man in a wheelchair, who came to bid a final farewell, said, “There will never be another leader who stood so firm. It was my duty to come.”

CPM General Secretary M.A. Baby, senior leaders Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat, CPI General Secretary D. Raja, CPI leader Annie Raja, BJP State President Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and former Union Minister V. Muraleedharan were among those who paid their last respects.

Queue doubled, time ran out
By 1:30 PM, it was announced that the public viewing would be expedited. The two queues were expanded to four. At 1:55 PM, the doors of Durbar Hall were closed. Many who ran in hope were left disappointed. The Secretariat compound soon filled with people. Attempts to bring the KSRTC bus to the Durbar Hall entrance failed multiple times. Finally, around 2:30 PM, the bus was brought in front of the main block, and the body was placed inside with the help of the police. V.S.’s son V.A. Arun Kumar, Minister K.N. Balagopal, and district secretary V. Joy accompanied the body in the bus.

Crowds waited along the streets with red flowers in hand. Voices rang out: “He is not dead. Comrade V.S. lives on, flowing through our blood.”

“Comrade, Lal Salaam!”

Final resting place near T.V. Thomas
Today, the revolutionary sun named V.S. Achuthanandan will be laid to rest at Punnapra Valiyachudukadu, a land steeped in the memories of the Punnapra-Vayalar martyrs and the legacy of Kerala’s working-class struggles.

V.S. will be buried near the martyr’s memorial at this historic site, close to where comrades like P.A. George and T.V. Thomas rest. All three were once workers at the Travancore Coir Factory and were comrades in the undivided Communist Party. After the party split, George and Thomas remained with the CPI, while V.S. became a stalwart of the CPI(M).

P.A. George, once Secretary of the Coir Factory Workers’ Union, also served as an Alappuzha municipal councillor from Chathanad ward. He was the son of the famed freedom fighter Andrews Muppan.

The burial ground, where V.S. will join a long line of communist leaders—including P. Krishnapillai, M.N. Govindan Nair, S. Kumaran, C.K. Chandrappan, R. Sugathan, T.V. Thomas, P.T. Punnus, George Chadayamangalam, P.K. Chandranandan, K.R. Gouri Amma, P. Padmanabhan, T.V. Ramesh Chandran, M.K. Sukumaran, C.G. Sadashivan, N. Sreedharan, V. Saiman Ashan, V.K. Vishwanathan, and many others—is a hallowed land of revolutionary history.