Kottayam: “The masses were literally flowing on to the streets to pay obeisance to the great leader. We were in the midst of crowds, who lined up on both sides of the MC Road to have a glimpse of the leader for one final time, for over 34 hours. The funeral cortege had to be slowed down to a walking pace at most points,” said B Shyam and C V Babu, drivers of the specially decorated KSRTC low-floor bus that carried Oommen Chandy’s mortal remains from Thiruvananthapuram to Puthupally in Kottayam district, roughly over 150 km.
It was an unforgettable experience for the drivers of Pappanamcode depot of the KSRTC. They were deeply moved by the love and respect commanded by the departed leader as ordinary citizens were ready to forsake their sleep overnight and wait for hours altogether, albeit the blazing sun and the occasional downpour.
The hearse finally reached Thirunakkara Ground in Kottayam district at 11.05 am on Thursday, a good 28 hours after the funeral procession got off from the state capital. And from there to Puthupally, the native place of Oommen Chandy, where his body was laid to rest around midnight at the cemetery of the St George Orthodox Church.
“The crowds lined up on both sides of the MC Road. It was very difficult to ride the bus amidst the weeping citizens, who desperately wanted to have a final look at their leader and bid him adieu. Often the bus could be driven at a speed below 20 kmph. The situation in Kottarakkara and Tirunakkara was such that we couldn’t take the bus forward for hours. We won’t forget this journey in our lifetime,” said Shyam, even as his eyes got welled up in tears.
“We took turns to be behind the wheel. We only had water and bananas in between. Some rushed to hand over juice packets and other eatables. Someone from the crowd would lend us their scooter or bike for us to go to the lavatory, mostly the one in the nearest petrol pump or a house,” added Babu.
While Shyam hails from Karakkamoodu in Thiruvananthapuram, Babu is a native of Puthenkurishu in Ernakulam district. The latter had also driven the funeral cortege that carried the body of former minister T M Jacob.
There were six KSRTC staff, including the two drivers, on the specially decorated bus. While Sreekandeshwaran, Aloshi, and Ranjith belonged to the technical depot, Akhil was entrusted with overseeing the functioning of the freezer.
“It might be our fate that his last journey was on the bus that we drove. There were many occasions earlier when a white car (with Oommen Chandy) used to breeze past the buses that we drove. But then there was no such weeping and sloganeering that filled the atmosphere like the other day,” reflected Shyam and Babu.
