Veteran Communist Leader V.S. Achuthanandan Passes Away at 100 After Decades of Political Legacy
V.S. Achuthanandan, the indomitable communist and former chief minister of Kerala who died on Monday aged 101, completed his journey on Wednesday (July 23) from a fiery revolutionary to an immortal legend.
His body was cremated at Valiya Chudukad in Alappuzha – a hallowed ground for Kerala’s Left movement – near the martyrs of the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising, which he was part of as a young activist.
His final journey from his Thiruvananthapuram residence to his hometown of Alappuzha was an overwhelming display of affection. Despite heavy and relentless rain, thousands lined the route, their silent tears mixing with the rain.
The convoy, scheduled to arrive by afternoon, could barely inch forward for hours, delayed by waves of mourners – workers, elderly women, students with their fists raised and hands folded. Some of them, elderly and disabled, had to be lifted to pay their tributes.
At every junction, the scene repeated; crowds surging forward in grief to see him for one last time. For them Achuthanandan wasn’t just a leader; he was their shield against injustice – a voice that never wavered, whether confronting the land mafia, exposing corruption or demanding justice for those who were sexually harassed.
Alappuzha town was completely jammed and many mourners couldn’t see him. By the time his body reached Valiya Chudukad, emotions reached their peak.
Valiya Chudukad is the burial ground of the martyrs of the Punnapra uprising of October 1946.
He was once called “Kerala’s Fidel Castro” by the then-Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who had a special bond with him.
The comparison was apt. Like Castro, Achuthanandan wielded ideology as a weapon. His critiques of neoliberalism and communalism cutting through the fog of political doublespeak will always be remembered.
Even as chief minister, he rejected the trappings of power, lived a modest life while taking on the powerful. His battles were not just political; they were moral too.
In Alappuzha his body was kept for public viewing in three places: his home, the CPI(M) district committee office and the Recreation Ground near the beach.
Final chants began in Valiya Chudukad as his body was taken to its final resting place: “Kanney karaley V.S. e!” (‘V.S., you are our eyes and heart’).
In an era where principles are often auctioned for power, Achuthanandan’s life stands as a rebuke – a challenge to keep the flame of conviction alive.
As flowers piled high, one truth stands above the tributes: Achuthanandan will live forever in the hearts of millions.
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