People's Democracy

P Balakrishnan

AS one correspondent of a national daily put it aptly, Comrade E K Nayanar even in his death was doing what he always did best – communicating with the masses, although this time it was a silent communication. Unprecedented number of people gathered to catch a glimpse of Comrade Nayanar as his last journey wound its way from Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur through the national highway via Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kozhikkode. The old, the young, the women and kids, people irrespective of religion, political affiliations… they were all there to pay their respects to the leader they loved the most. They stood for hours braving rains and inclement weather to see their beloved leader.

Comrade Nayanar breathed his last on May 19, 2004 at 5 pm. The death occurred at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, where he was undergoing treatment for diabetic ailments and kidney problem. He is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters. His wife, son and long time personal secretary Warrier were by his side at the time of his death. The body of Comrade Nayanar after being taken to A K Gopalan Bhavan and Kerala House in New Delhi for enabling Party comrades and people to pay their respects, was flown to Thiruvananthapuram the next day morning in a special IAF plane. Comrade Nayanar’s wife Sarada Teacher, children Krishnakumar, Vinod, Usha and Sudha and CPI(M) Polit Bureau members E Balanandan, Prakash Karat and S Ramchandran Pillai accompanied the body.

The body was received at Thiruvananthapuram airport by Polit Bureau members V S Achuthanandan and Pinarayi Vijayan along with hundreds of Party leaders and others. Several Kerala government ministers and UDF convener Oommen Chandy were also present at the airport to receive Comrade Nayanar’s mortal remains. After a guard of honour by the Police, minister Sankaranarayanan placed a wreath on the body of Comrade Nayanar on behalf of the chief minister A K Antony. N Chadrasekharan Nair, chief secretary also placed wreath on behalf of the state government.

Comrade Nayanar’s body was taken to AKG Centre, the state committee headquarters, and was kept there for sometime to enable the public and Party comrades to have a last glimpse of their beloved leader. All the roads leading to the AKG Centre were flooded with thousands of Party workers and sympathisers as well as people from all walks of life who loved Comrade Nayanar. There was near stampede as the people tried to make their way into the centre. The heavy rains lashing the city since the previous night was not at all a hindrance for the people in their urge to have a look at the body of the leader who loved them and strove till his last breath for betterment of their life. After about an hour, the body was taken to the state secretariat building and was placed in the Durbar Hall to enable the public to pay homage. State ministers, MLAs, top officers, leaders of all political parties, leaders of trade unions, mass organisations, poets, men of letters, film artists, journalists, lined up to pay their respects to Comrade Nayanar. Many placed wreaths on the body of Nayanar. Thousands of people, peasants, youth, workers, including large number of women, some crying loud, some with tears running and with choked voices waited in queue to have a last look of their leader. The crowd outside the hall drenched in heavy downpour was shouting slogans "Comrade Nayanar Zindabad" "Nayanar lives in our hearts" etc.

Then began Comrade Nayanar’s last journey. The body was taken in a large state transport vehicle, escorted by several other vehicles, to Kannur. In spite of the torrential rains, which continued throughout the journey, people in thousands waited on the roadside to pay homage to Comrade Nayanar. At many places, they waited the whole night shouting slogans. The yatra reached Kannur five and half hours behind schedule in view of this massive turnout of people. R Surendran, KSRTC driver who drove the funeral cortege, said he had never in his life witnessed such crowds. He said the masses that thronged the route of funeral procession in Kollam, Alappuzha and Thalassery were overwhelming. The body was placed at the Town Halls in Kozhikode and Kannur as largest ever crowds gathered to pay their homage.

At Kannur Town Hall, CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan placed the first wreath on on the body of Comrade Nayanar amidst the raising of slogans by Party workers. Polit Bureau members S Ramchandran Pillai, Prakash Karat, E Balanandan and V S Achutanandan followed. State secretaries of CPI(M) from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka B V Raghavulu, N Varadarajan and Nagaraj respectively represented the neighbouring states in paying homage to Comrade Nayanar. The state Governor T N Chathurvedi also paid homage to Comrade Nayanar at Kannur Town Hall.

After keeping it in state at the Town Hall till 10.15 p m, the body draped in the Party flag was taken to Payyambalam beach where bodies of Communist leaders A K Gopalan, Azhikkodan Raghavan, Chadyan Govindan and others were cremated. At 10.45 p.m., Nayanar’s eldest son, Krishnakumar, lit the funeral pyre as thousands of people watched with misty eyes. The police force as well as red volunteers of the Party paid guard of honour when the bugle sounded. The funeral of the communist leader was irreligious. The great mass leader had become even greater after his death.