A man of the masses made for public service

Former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who died on Tuesday, stood with the people throughout his career

- SHASHI THAROOR

THE passing of Oommen Chandy on 18 July 2023 at the age of 79 marks the end of an era.

A tireless public servant and man of the people, Oommen Chandy served as the chief minister of Kerala twice and once as leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly.

As a senior leader of the Indian National Congress, he held various ministerial portfolios in the state government. The last time I saw him, in Bengaluru a few months ago, he seemed to be wasting away in his hospital bed. It was a painful contrast to the usual experience of witnessing him always surrounded by a throng of admirers, petitioners, party workers and voters. It is that way that I will always remember him.

Oommen Chandy was made for public service. From his student days, he had no doubt about his calling, being elected from the Puthuppally constituency in Kottayam district in his 20s and representing it in the state Assembly for more than 51 years. In the process, he not only established a record as Kerala’s longest-serving legislator ever, eclipsing the earlier mark set by KM Mani, but also did so faultlessly, winning 11 consecutive elections since 1970 and serving over 19,000 days as an MLA.