KOTTAYAM: All roads seemed to lead to Puthuppally, with the tiny village on Thursday resembling a macrocosm of Malayalidom. None of the residents would have foreseen such a gathering — massive in size, yet solemn in emotion. A mass leader who had touched the lives of multitudes, with an unwavering spirit and an irresistible smile, bid adieu.
Neither Puthuppally nor Kottayam had witnessed the kind of crowds that thronged it all day and night. The hearts of thousands pouring into Kottayam from Wednesday night beat as one when the mortal remains of former chief minister Oommen Chandy finally arrived in town around 11.15 AM.
As people rushed to catch a final glimpse of their beloved leader, crowd management was thrown into disarray. Yet police and Seva Dal volunteers were on their toes. Many of the grievers could not control their emotions and broke down. A few others collapsed while waiting their turn under the blazing sun.
As the sea of humanity slowly but surely flowed to Puthuppally, the mortal remains were taken from Thirunakkara to Chandy’s house in Puthuppally around 2.40 PM. It took nearly three and half hours for the procession to cover the 8km to Puthuppally. Even as Puthuppally natives waited to pay their last respects to their beloved ‘Kunjunju’, their village was overrun by the mass of mourners, unsettling all the arrangements.
The first leg of the funeral service was held at Karottu Vallakalil, Chandy’s ancestral house in Puthuppally, at 6.45 PM. Then the body was taken to Chandy’s under-construction house, near Puthuppally junction. After the second service, the procession moved to St George Orthodox Church around 8.30 PM. The rush of people continued even at the church, delaying the final rites.
Pall of gloom over Puthuppally
Even as Puthuppally natives waited to pay their last respects to their beloved ‘Kunjunju’, their village was overrun by the mass of mourners, unsettling all the arrangements.