"Brave Comrade VS": Kerala bids farewell to Achuthanandan at Valiya Chudukadu

Alappuzha (Kerala) | The mortal remains of former Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan were consigned to flames on Wednesday at Valiya Chudukadu -- the final resting place that holds the memories of the Communist Party and the ashes of those martyred in the 1946 Punnapra-Vayalar uprising in this coastal district.

With the police and red volunteers giving the final salute and flames engulfing the veteran's body, an overwhelmed crowd chanted in unison, 'Brave Comrade VS, you live on through us,' their voices echoing across the soil that witnessed the uprising which helped shape the rise of the Communist movement in the state.

Valiya Chudukadu is also the resting place of Communist leaders such as the legendary P Krishna Pillai and others who were part of the uprising and the movement that followed.

His body was cremated with full state honours, with the police rendering a

CPIM General Secretary M A Baby, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, CPIM State Secretary M V Gvindan and other leaders pay homage to former Kerala chief minister and CPI (M) leader VS Achuthanandan during a tribute ceremony at Municipal Recreation Ground, in Alappuzha, Wednesday, July 23, 2025.

gun salute and sounding a bugle. His face was covered with a red flag. Amidst slogans being raised by party workers, his son V A Arun Kumar lit the pyre at 9:16 pm.

And thus, Achuthanandan -- one of the most popular Chief Ministers of the state -- has become part of history. The stalwart, one of India's most respected Communist figures, died on Monday, drawing the curtain on a fierce, eight-decade-long struggle for the proletariat that the southern state had witnessed.

The 22-hour-long final procession from the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram, which began on Tuesday and ended in his hometown Alappuzha, stood as proof of the deep emotional and ideological bond the 101-year-old shared with the working class of Kerala.

The journey of around 150 kilometres, which normally takes just over four hours, was significantly delayed due to the massive turnout of ordinary people and staunch admirers of Achuthanandan, who lined the waysides to catch a final glimpse of him.

The sheer size of the crowd that flooded the roads was striking, especially for a leader who had remained silent and absent from public life for more than five years.

It showed that, even though Comrade VS was no longer active in public life, his tireless struggles, agitations, and unwavering stands for the poor, the marginalised, women, and the underprivileged remained deeply etched in the minds of the people of Kerala -- cutting across political lines.

While many people expressed satisfaction that they were at least able to catch a glimpse of their beloved leader after waiting for hours in the rain, others broke down in tears, having missed the chance due to the heavy crowds.

"I was waiting here for so long… but I couldn't see my Comrade one last

People arrived to pay lhomage during a tribute ceremony for V S Achuthanandan at Municipal Recreation Ground, in Alappuzha, Wednesday, July 23, 2025.

time. I couldn’t get through the crowd and reach the bus," said an elderly woman, crying aloud in dismay.

In another part of Alappuzha, a group of Congress workers were seen raising thundering slogans in honour of Achuthanandan.

When asked, they said there was no politics or prejudice involved in Comrade VS's case -- he was a true Communist who lived and died as one, and every slogan they raised was a token of their respect.

In Haripad, in the district, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala also paid his last respects to the veteran before the procession moved on to his ancestral home, Velikkakath.

When his mortal remains were brought to his home, the crowd hailed him as the "beloved son of Punnapra" and paid their final respects.

Ministers Saji Cheriyan and P Prasad, along with other party workers, coordinated the arrangements for the public homage at the house.

From senior leaders of various political parties to local workers in the area, thousands of people converged at the house to see their “revolutionary sun" one last time.

Later, the veteran's body was taken to the party's district committee office in Alappuzha, which is named after Krishna Pillai -- the revolutionary leader, who handpicked and mentored Achuthanandan in the Communist movement.

Senior party leaders, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and party veteran S Ramachandra Pillai, had been present since morning at the district committee office but the massive crowd lining the roads threw all prior plans into disarray.

When the mortal remains were brought to the recreation ground for the scheduled public homage, the flow of mourners and their emotions became uncontrollable.

Even as the rain lashed and trains chugged by in the distance, the Alappuzha Recreation Ground echoed on Wednesday with chants saluting Achuthanandan.

Undeterred by the relentless downpour, people kept arriving in waves,

Police gun salute to former Kerala chief minister and CPI (M) leader VS Achuthanandan during a tribute ceremony at Municipal Recreation Ground, in Alappuzha, Wednesday, July 23, 2025.

turning the coastal town into a sea of memories and slogans.

The crowd surged towards the Alappuzha coast to catch a final glimpse of Achuthanandan.

His funeral procession reached the Recreation Ground around 6 pm, where police officials draped the national flag over his body and presented a guard of honour. Leaders from various political, social, and cultural spheres paid their last respects.

Arrangements were made for the public to pay homage in four lines, and even after waiting for more than eight hours, people from across Kerala stood patiently to see him one last time.

Later, as heavy rain continued to pour, Achuthanandan's body was taken to Valiya Chudukadu, the resting place of many Communist leaders and martyrs. Thousands braved the weather to follow the final journey of the veteran leader.