THOUSANDS of people lined the streets of Kannur at 3.30 pm in the afternoon on October 3 when the body of Comrade Kodiyeri Balakrishnan was taken in a procession from the CPI(M) Kannur district committee office to Payyambalam Beach. The three kilometre-long distance saw thousands of people in the funeral procession which was headed by Pinarayi Vijayan, other Polit Bureau members and senior leaders.

When the procession reached the Payyambalam Beach, the bier containing the body of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan was carried by Sitaram Yechury, Pinarayi Vijayan and other Polit Bureau and Central Committee members to the pyre. 

The Payyambalam Beach contains the cremation ground where the great Communist leaders like E K Nayanar, former chief minister, Chadayan Govindan, former state secretary, and martyr Azheekkodan Raghavan were cremated and their memorial columns exist.  The funeral pyre of Kodiyeri was between the memorial columns of E K Nayanar and Chadayan Govindan.

The cremation was followed by a condolence meeting addressed by leaders of all parties.  Sitaram Yechury, Pinarayi Vijayan, Prakash Karat, G Ramakrishnan and S Ramachandran Pillai spoke on behalf of the CPI(M).  M V Govindan Master, state secretary, conducted the meeting.

This concluded the two-day outpouring of grief and emotions of lakhs of people who lined up in long queues and assembled at various points to see the cortege of Comrade Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

On October 2, the body of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan arrived in Kannur airport from Chennai. Thousands of people gathered on both sides of the road from Mattannur to Thalassery Town Hall, where the body was kept for public viewing. Thalassery was the home town of Kodiyeri and also his assembly constituency. People from all walks of life queued up for hours to view the body. Political leaders, cultural personalities and religious personalities were among those who paid homage. It was an unprecedented sight and all the TV channels of the state showed live continuous coverage. 

The body was then taken to his ancestral house at Madappeedika around midnight.  There too, a large number of people went to pay homage.

The body was taken to the CPI(M) Kannur district committee office, Azheekkodan Smaraka Mandiram, at 11 am on October 3.  Sitaram Yechury, general secretary, and Prakash Karat, Polit Bureau member, arrived to pay their last respects.  Here too, the governor of Kerala, Arif Mohammad Khan, leader of the opposition, V D Satheesan, ministers and leaders of various political parties and religious personalities arrived to pay tributes.

The immense love and affection for Kodiyeri Balakrishnan among the people cutting across all political affiliations was shown by this remarkable outpouring of grief.  Everywhere the people raised the slogan ‘You have not died, you will live within us’.