THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the day waned, VS, the leader of the masses, got ready for his final rest. Thousands swarmed the AKG Centre to pay respects, and as they entered the hall where his body was placed, they cried out, with moist eyes and clenched fists: “Kanne karale VS-ey, njangade nenjile nethave.” (which roughly translates to ‘beloved VS, the leader in our hearts’).
The comrade, the last link to CPM’s founding generation, breathed his last on Monday after nearly a month of hospitalisation in Thiruvananthapuram. Public emotions were equally charged at the SUT hospital as party workers, amid light showers, gathered raising the slogan “Illa illa marikkunnilla!” (no, no, he does not die) when VS’ body was being moved out.
The mourners, both at the hospital and the AKG centre, included senior communist leaders, the veteran’s peers, political leaders from other parties, and the public. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, CPM general secretary M A Baby, ministers, and Mayor Arya Rajendran offered tributes.
Pinarayi and CPM state secretary M V Govindan rushed to the hospital as soon as VS was declared dead. Soon, almost all the ministers and senior communist leaders arrived, visibly moved at the loss of their beloved comrade. Many were found struggling to hold back tears.
Wreaths, red flags, and hoardings flooded the AKG Centre as senior leaders brought in VS’ mortal remains. Shouts of “Red Salute” pierced the air when the body was showered with red roses. The crowd at the centre swelled by the minute, as many old-timers waited with tear-streaked faces and memories of decades spent with VS. The centre in itself seemed to relive the moments the communist stalwart spent there, bearing a silent witness to the outpouring of grief.
“VS was a source of energy for all leaders irrespective of political parties,” Industries Minister P Rajeeve said.
“This isn’t just the farewell of a leader but the closing of a chapter in Kerala’s political history,” said Local Self-Government Minister M B Rajesh.
The crowd, too had much to say about VS, with one heard saying, “He was a rebel inside and outside the party, he was both voice and witness to a century-old rebellion. Without him, the state’s history stands incomplete.”
As the night grew deeper, the crowd was still strong. What actually brought forth VS’ persona as the ‘people’s leader’ was the cross-section who gathered to bid adieu--from pensioners to professionals and from 80-year-olds to 20-year-olds. Some had left their work mid-way to see him one last time.
Overwhelmed by the sight of the masses, a 10-year-old boy was heard asking his father, “Why is the place so crowded?” His father replied, seemingly determined to keep alive the legacy of Kerala’s beloved comrade in his small way.