Kerala bids tearful farewell to V.S. Achuthanandan

As the sun dipped over the Alappuzha coastline on Wednesday evening, the air grew heavy — not just with the weight of monsoon clouds, but with the silent grief of thousands bidding farewell to a leader who had become the conscience of Kerala’s Left politics.

V.S. Achuthanandan, the unyielding comrade, was cremated with full State honours at the Punnapra-Vayalar Martyrs’ Memorial at Valiya Chudukkad at 9.15 p.m., on the very soil that shaped his life and struggles.

It is also the final resting place of legendary communist leaders, including P. Krishna Pillai, T.V. Thomas, P.K. Chandranandan, and K.R. Gouri.

Achuthanandan’s cortege entered the district at Oachira, where Ministers Saji Cherian and P. Prasad received the body. His mortal remains reached his home at Paravur around 12.15 p.m., more than 22 hours after the funeral procession began in Thiruvananthapuram.

The massive turnout along the route, with people lining the roads from Thiruvananthapuram to Alappuzha, reflected both their deep admiration for his political legacy and a heartfelt farewell to a leader they considered one of their own.

After entering the district, the cortege passed through Kareelakulangara, Nagiarkulangara, Haripad, Thottappally and T.D. Medical College Junction before reaching his home. A sea of people had gathered at his house, some waiting since Tuesday evening, to catch a glimpse of him.

From there, his body was taken to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Alappuzha district committee office and then to Recreation Ground, before being moved to Valiya Chudukkad.

The funeral, originally scheduled for 3 p.m., was delayed due to the overwhelming crowd. Despite the heavy downpour in the evening, thousands continued to pour in at both Recreation Ground and the cremation site.

Achuthanandan’s wife, Vasumathi, along with other family members, was present at Valiya Chudukkad to bid him a final farewell. His son, V.A. Arunkumar, lit Achuthanandan’s funeral pyre.

Those who paid their last respects, included Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby, CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan, Speaker A.N. Shamseer, Ministers M.B. Rajesh, R. Bindu, Veena George, P. Rajeeve, K. Krishnankutty, P.A. Mohamed Riyas, V.N. Vasavan, K. Rajan and K.N. Balagopal, CPI(M) leaders S. Ramachandran Pillai, G. Sudhakaran, T.M. Thomas Isaac, CPI State secretary Binoy Viswam, IUML leaders Panakkad Sadiqali Shihab Thangal and P.K. Kunhalikutty, K.C. Venugopal, MP, and BJP leaders K. Suredran and Shobha Surendran, among others.