VS through the Lens
R. PRASANTH
The air hung thick and heavy in the small room at the AKG Centre when I reached there soon after I heard the sad demise of the legendary political maestro, the last of 32 founding leaders of CPM and former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan. The premises were full, humid and no space to move one’s feet. Very little interactive experience I have had with him than my lenses, which is more passionate and emotional about him. How many occasions my camera lenses ran after him! Slowly, the room turned snowy due to evaporating sweat that was bursting out drops little by little.
VS had his last journey escorted by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI (M) General Secretary M.A. Baby, CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan among others. The mortal remains reached the Durbar Hall at the Secretariat in the capital city of Kerala at 9am on 22nd July to lie in state for the public to pay homage.
While, sitting on one side in the low-floor AC bus KL 15 A 407 that carried the mortal remains to Alappuzha, his home town, which took 24 hours to reach; I saw at a glance an ocean of people, a ten thousand human lenses filling the final memory scene in their eyes.
I have explored VS through my lenses many a times. He posed only for us when he was the chief minister that I clicked along with KG Santhosh Kumar who is the Additional Director of I&PRD now. Another special memory was that of a group photo of all MLAs along with him when he was the opposition leader. VS through the Lens Most of the MLAs despite their political party were busy clicking individual photo with VS who was patient until the last person left.
When the bus reached the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram City, among the crowd my lenses struck the sight of an old lady with bandage on one eye and canola in hand coming out of an eye hospital with the support of a bystander. People lined up on the street to watch the procession, several hailing the departed leader by raising revolutionary slogans. The cortege stopped at several points, at least 26 designated locations along the route. It was raining; after Attingal it was dark in the evening. The world was muted, except the slogan Illa, illa marichittilla, jeevikkunnu njangalilude (He lives through us). Many were running after the bus weeping.
At Kollam, Chavara and Karunagappally, the bus struggled hard to move ahead. A grandmother was hurrying near to the bus; her eyes were sparkling with the reflection of light on bursting tears. Many were standing on the roof tops of buses stopped side by for the procession to move. In some points, groups of nuns who otherwise prefer to a cloister were awaiting the procession. Another lady with a plastered, broken arm threw her other fist on the air and shouted slogans.
On a few biscuits and some bottles of water but feeling no fatigue I survived more than 48 hours with his mortal remains especially 24 hours within the bus. I clicked 7000 photos among which 100 were spot released to media.
VS received the guard of honour at Valiya Chuducadu Burial Ground in Punnapra of Alappuzha District. The legend who has seen the history and who himself made the history. A leader and his people; the bonding they cherish and the soul they shared. A pensive mood engulfed everyone. No slogans. I closed my camera lenses.
The author is the Photographer at I&PRD, Govt of Kerala and the only photographer who accompanied the mortal remains of late V.S. Achuthanandan in his last journey.