"I have spent most of my time with Appa, travelling with him in cars. Now, as I accompany him on his last journey, it lasts hours; my eyes well up with tears when I see the love of the people who line up along the roads. Appa received a lot of honours when he was alive, but the farewell that Kerala gives him now is greater than all of them."
"It appears to me as if this is just another of the usual journeys that Appa used to make. There are many people accompanying him in this vehicle, and there are thousands waiting outside to catch a glimpse of Appa. Irrespective of their age, people wait outside for hours."
"When Appa was brought to the Durbar Hall in Thiruvananthapuram yesterday, what came to mind was an old accident that took place. Appa was the Minister for Finance at the time and was on his way to present the Budget. A scooter hit me as I was crossing the road near the Durbar Hall. Appa, who witnessed the accident, immediately took me into his car."
"I told him that I only had a minor problem with my leg. He repeatedly asked me if I was sure of it. He instructed the driver to take me to the medical college after dropping him off at the Secretariat. Appa, who got out of the car in front of the Secretariat, walked all the way to the Assembly and presented the Budget. When he used to take the highway instead of MC Road, he used to drop me off at Kesavadasapuram. I used to feel a sense of loss when I had to walk alone to the Ivanios College at Nalanchira all at once after travelling with Appa till then.
I see students trying to catch a glimpse of Appa by peering through the windows of the classroom, squeezing themselves for lack of space. When I see this, memories of Appa’s car come to mind. Usually, when his car starts from Puthupally, there are 10 or 12 people in it. Appa would think nothing of having to sit hunched up among them."
"When we used to travel together, Appa used to take us to Potty’s Hotel at Kottarakkara. I guess that hotel does not exist anymore. There are a host of memories like these.
Once, due to some reason, I got delayed in getting ready to travel with Appa. He then gave me a piece of advice" 'Suppose I reach a place one minute late. If there were 100 people gathered at the place, I would have wasted 100 minutes of their time. Now, imagine that I am delayed by half an hour. Consider how much of their time would be wasted'."
"Appa has given me only a few such pieces of advice and guidance. I treasure all these in my mind."
