A tearful Kerala on Saturday bid final farewell to veteran Congress leader K. Karunakaran, who was cremated near his wife’s resting place at his residence Murali Mandiram in Thrissur.
As crowds surged outside, close relations, senior Congress leaders and state ministers stood silently near the pyre. A police team sounded the last post and the departed leader’s son, K. Muraleedharan lit the pyre at 5.10 pm. Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived at the Thrissur town hall at 2.15 pm and paid his last respects. He also consoled Mr Muraleedharan and the senior leader’s daughter, Padmaja Venugopal. Karunakaran’s body reached Thrissur at 8 am, hours later than scheduled. People had waited on road from Kollam to Thrissur all through the night to pay homage to him.
Long queues had formed at the town hall by then and thousands were still waiting when his body was taken out at 2.30 pm to be moved to the district Congress committee office.
In the early 1940s, Karunakaran had come to Thrissur to learn painting. But he gave up the easel for politics and learnt the ropes of the game in the town by organising workers and taking part in the Quit India movement.
Though he was born in Kannur, Karunakaran always considered himself to be a native of Thrissur.