Thiruvananthapuram: The curtain has fallen on a legendary chapter of Kerala’s political theatre. Former Chief Minister, senior Communist leader, and the last living sentinel of the state's original red wave, V.S. Achuthanandan, passed away at 3:20 p.m. today. The medical board at SUT Hospital confirmed the news, which has cast a long shadow of mourning across Kerala and beyond.
In reverence to the towering leader who shaped generations of political thought and action, the government and the CPI(M) have laid out a state-honored farewell that befits a revolutionary of his stature.
This evening, Comrade VS’s mortal remains will be placed at the AKG Study and Research Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, where senior party leaders, political allies, cultural figures, and the public can pay their first tributes. The solemn mood at the Centre was evident as the CPI(M) flag was lowered and a black flag hoisted a traditional Communist symbol of mourning. A similar gesture was observed at the AKG Bhavan in Delhi and the party’s state headquarters.
By nightfall, his body will be taken to his official residence for family and close comrades to offer their final respects in private.
On Tuesday at 9:00 a.m., the public viewing will shift to the Secretariat’s Durbar Hall, one of the most symbolic administrative venues in Kerala’s capital. It is here that the common citizen those for whom VS marched through paddy fields and legislative corridors alike can come to say goodbye to the man who never stopped speaking for them.
Officials have confirmed tight security and ceremonial protocols for the viewing. Senior government functionaries, leaders across parties, cultural activists, and student and workers’ organizations are expected to arrive in large numbers. A sea of red flags and tearful tributes is anticipated.
After the public homage in Thiruvananthapuram, the body will be transported to Alappuzha, the district of his birth and political awakening. By Tuesday afternoon, the journey toward the heartland of the Communist movement will begin retracing, in spirit, the path VS himself took from humble beginnings to national prominence.
On Wednesday morning, his body will lie in state at the CPI(M) Alappuzha District Committee Office, where local comrades and residents will gather to honor their native son. For the people of Alappuzha especially the workers and peasants who remember VS as their fearless organizer and agitator this moment is bound to be intimate and emotionally overwhelming.
The final rites will be held on Wednesday at the Valiya Chudukat in Alappuzha, a place that has seen the farewells of many stalwarts but none quite like this. The cremation will be conducted with full state honors, likely attended by the Chief Minister, cabinet ministers, top CPI(M) leadership, and other national figures. The red flag under which he fought for decades will now drape him one last time.
Even in death, VS Achuthanandan remains a powerful presence. The meticulous arrangements, spanning two cities and touching countless lives, are testament to his reach and relevance. The symbolism of the AKG Centre, the Secretariat Durbar Hall, and the final return to Alappuzha mirrors the arc of his life a seamless blend of party, people, and place.
As the sun sets on this lifelong revolutionary’s mortal journey, Kerala prepares to salute him not in silence, but with the raised fists and red salutes that defined his legacy.