Oommen Chandy funeral | Kottayam pays last respects to Congress veteran

The veteran Congress leader, known for striking an unparalleled chord with those at the grass roots, bid a lengthy adieu to the State as the funeral cortege carrying his coffin took a day and another couple of hours to cover a distance of roughly 150 kilometres between Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam, his home town.

Kerala might have witnessed political blockbusters before, but never a show quite like this.

The final journey of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy that concluded in Kottayam on July 20 turned out to be the biggest farewell bestowed on a public personality by the masses in the State till now. The veteran Congress leader, known for striking an unparalleled chord with those at the grass roots, bid a lengthy adieu to the State as the funeral cortege carrying his coffin took a day and another couple of hours to cover a distance of roughly 150 kilometres between Thiruvananthapuram and Kottayam, his home town.

Also read: Former Kerala CM Oommen Chandy passes away at 79

En route, the entire road was jammed with crowds, who lined up on both sides of the Main Central road to pay their last respects to their favourite leader. Meanwhile, a far bigger audience was watching the procession live on the television while the event was also trending top in news websites.

With the crowd ready to forsake their sleep overnight and brave the occasional down pour to catch a glimpse of their departed leader, the cortege had to be slowed down to walking pace on most points.

The hearse entered Kottayam district around 5.30 a.m. on Thursday and continued to move through a vast sea of humanity along the Changanassery Town. Mourners in the street, including women and children, locked arms and bowed their heads in a moment of silence while a few others raised slogans.

Many tossed flowers to show their respect for the beloved leader, such that the driver of the bus carrying the coffin had to sweep them away with the wind shield wipers. Among those who turned up to bid good bye to Chandy also included several community heads such as G. Sukamaran Nair, General Secretary of the Nair Service Society, Severios Kuriakose, Archbishop of the Kananaya Jacobite Archdiocese and an array of catholic priests and nuns.