People rushed to bid their last good bye to the leader who served the state wholeheartedly as the chief minister as well as opposition leader. No matter whether they were Congress or any other party, the common man wanted to express gratitude and grief
This year’s monsoon saw the Kerala state go into mourning as they lost a leader, Oomen Chandy, who had made a difference through his tenure as Chief Minister of Kerala during two terms 2004 to 2006 and 2011 to 2016.
People rushed to bid their last good bye to the leader who served the state wholeheartedly as the chief minister as well as opposition leader. No matter whether they were Congress or any other party, the common man wanted to express gratitude and grief.
RC Menon, who has retired from his service in Kuwait has fond memories of Oomen Chandy.
“Oomen Chandy was a leader whose compassion went far beyond political lines. The most important quality of Oomen Chandy was his phenomenal presence amongst the people.
The incident in which he forgave CPM workers who pelted stones at him is typical example of his persistent commitment and calm response against violent politics,” Menon said.
He added, “Oomen Chandy belongs to rare breed of politicians for whom there were no enemies, but only adversaries.”
“Oomen Chandy is a popular leader who will never die in people’s hearts. He was a leader who led with love. One of the rare leaders who won the love of the people. A hardworking leader.”
— Dr J Retnakumar, National President Indian Overseas Congress and Global President World Malayalee Federation Oman
People have been expressing their gratitude and grief through social media and in person and many have been narrating their life changing experiences. He was a leader who will forever be remembered for being accessible.
Dr J Retnakumar, National President Indian Overseas Congress and Global President World Malayalee Federation Oman said, “Oomen Chandy is a popular leader who will never die in people’s hearts. He was a leader who led with love. One of the rare leaders who won the love of the people. A hardworking leader.”
“He was always a leader among the people. A leader who sincerely listened, faced and solved people’s problems. Beloved leader of the people of Puthupally who represented a constituency in the Legislative Assembly for 53 years,” he said expressing deep sorrow for the loss faced by the family members, the Congress movement and the people of Kerala.
“We pray for the eternal peace of the departed soul,” he noted.
The public’s display of affection depicted how much the senior Congress leader was loved and admired. If they were not able to reach in time for the last rites in Kottayam, Kerala, on July 20, 2023 then they sat glued to the televisions and mobile phones.
Winning hearts maybe easy to achieve, but to sustain that flow of affection from others for decades until the last breath takes not just commitment, but dedication to lifelong public service.
For the common man what Oomen Chandy stood for was hope.
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