T’puram: Daksha, 12, clutched a red shoeflower as she stood beside her father, waiting for the special bus carrying the hearse of CPM veteran and former chief minister V S Achuthanandan to approach Kesavadasapuram in the state capital. She wanted to dedicate the flower to the favourite leader of the state, who is an emotion for many.Daksha was not alone. Several people — women and children, young and old — lined up on pavements clutching flowers all along the route taken by the funeral procession from Thiruvananthapuram to his hometown of Alappuzha. Unlike planned, the procession stopped at junctions where people had assembled, which was more or less at every turn.It was an incredible groundswell of emotions that welcomed the special bus. Many ran alongside the illuminated bus while others showered flower petals and struggled to crane their necks to grab a glimpse of their favourite leader as it drove by. People, including children, waited with drawings, paintings, flowers and wreaths.Each person held their own memories of the stalwart who played a very crucial role in making Kerala what it is now. They included the watch-and-ward of the assembly complex who saw him in action from close quarters, Kudumbashree workers, people who worked in the Secretariat during his days, SFI members from Karyavattom and the regular citizens who were in awe of the man whose life shaped the state’s socio-political scene throughout his life.The fact that a crippling stroke took him off public life for more than five years did not dim the people’s enthusiasm. They remembered him and missed him — not only for the fiery revolt at Punnapra but also for bulldozing corruption and mafia nexus when he was the CM and opposition leader.There were many poignant scenes en route. The police raised children upwards so that they could see VS lying in the hearse while many others from different walks of life threw roses into the bus. Women who waited for hours at Kazhakkoottam said they wanted to try to see him because “It’ll not be possible to see him again. I love him so much. We all do,” said a woman who waited for close to three hours by the roadside.The progress of the procession was sluggish because the crowd wanted to pay tribute. It took around one-and-a-half hours to cover the Secretariat- Pattom stretch. Though the number of people was less at Palayam and other parts of the city, it was a sea of people who were seen waiting at Karyavattom and Kazhakkoottam past 7pm when the procession reached there.People swamped the bus carrying red flags, shouting the favourite slogan “Kanne Karale VSae…” at Kazhakkoottam under the flyover while a huge number of people continued to wait at Attingal and Kollam, which is a Leftist fortress. People joined the motorcade in their cars and motorcycles flying red flags.What was striking was that many, irrespective of age groups, raised slogans reminiscing about the Punnapra-Vayalar revolt as if it was yesterday, though Achuthanandan took part in it a year before Independence.
