Two days and one night; VS's mourning procession an unforgettable experience, says bus drivers who held steering wheel

ALAPPUZHA: The duty that started at 6 am on Tuesday when the buses were received from the Pappanamcode Central Workshop ended when they reached the Martyrs' Memorial in Valiya Chudukadu late last night. However, the bus drivers of VS's mourning procession did not get tired. The crowd waiting along the way also gave them energy.

Driver TP Praveenkumar of Thiruvananthapuram Central Depot, K Sivakumar of Vikas Bhavan Depot, Sreejesh of Peroorkada Depot, and H Nawas of Parasala Depot accompanied VS on his last journey. The journey was in KSRTC's JN AC 363 low-floor bus. JN 439, a bus of the Central Depot, also accompanied them as a spare. The loss of their beloved leader deeply saddens the four, but they are elated to witness the place VS held in the hearts of the people of Kerala.

From the Secretariat Durbar Hall, VS's body was shifted to the specially equipped mobile morgue in JN 363. The journey lasted two days and one night. Except for stopping briefly at major junctions for people to pay their last respects, they were unable to get out of the bus and were able to carry out even the basic tasks only after reaching VS's house in Alappuzha. The four of them drove two buses in turns. Praveen Kumar and Sivakumar are drivers of KSRTC inter-state services. Navas and Sreejesh are on duty in ordinary services at Parasala and Peroorkada depots. Driving a bus carrying the Chief Minister, ministers and passengers from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram for 38 days as part of Nava Kerala Sadas was another unique experience for TP Praveen in his decade-long service.