THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the funeral procession of veteran communist leader V S Achuthanandan reached his home town on Wednesday, more than the chanting of slogans by seasoned party workers, it was the unexpected voice of a five-year-old that touched hearts.
Within hours, video clips of Aira’s spirited sloganeering spread on social media, drawing widespread praise and admiration.
Standing on the terrace of a house, little Aira B Hameed began repeating the slogans being shouted by the crowd below. Her high-pitched chants of “Brave martyrs, thousands red salute” drew the attention of the large crowd who had gathered to catch a final glimpse of their beloved leader. For a moment, all eyes turned away from the procession and looked up, to the spirited child who continued to raise slogans for nearly two hours.
At that moment, Aira unknowingly became a part of history – a young voice echoing the legacy of a leader whose final journey continued to inspire.
When TNIE contacted Aira, she excitedly responded with ‘Lal Salam!’ Asked who V S Achuthanandan was, the five-year-old confidently said: “V for Velikkakathu and S for Sankaran, and VS Achuthanandan was our former chief and great leader. I love him so much.”
Her heartfelt words and spirited presence captured the emotion of the day: a child’s tribute to a leader whose influence reached even the youngest hearts.
Aira had come to Punnapara with her mother’s friend, S Sindhu, a government LP school teacher in Alappuzha. “Her mother is a close friend and ex-colleague. She is working in a high school in Pathanamthitta,” said Sindhu, adding, “Aira is very close to me and was with me that day, so I brought her along to see VS one last time.”
At Punnapara, one of Sindhu’s students invited them to their house. As they waited on the terrace for a glimpse of the procession, Aira, a Class I student, began repeating the slogans. Her innocent energy resonated with the crowd, who soon began repeating after her.
“Though she didn’t know much about VS, she kept shouting the slogans with great excitement. People around filmed her and cheered her on,” Sindhu said.
Star pride
Standing on the terrace of a house, Aira began repeating the slogans being shouted by the crowd below. Her high-pitched chants of “Brave martyrs, thousands red salute” drew the attention of the large crowd