He left without waiting for our birthday…: VS Achuthanandan's son

Thiruvananthapuram: VA Arun Kumar, son of veteran leader VS Achuthanandan, shared an emotional note on social media, expressing the deep void left by his father’s absence on his birthday. Arun, who shares his July 25 birthday with his sister Asha, recalled how his father’s presence made their special day truly memorable each year, especially after the family moved to the state capital.

"Ever since we moved to Thiruvananthapuram, birthdays had become special moments spent with Father. But this time, without waiting for the day to arrive, he left us forever,” Arun wrote.

The former Kerala chief minister passed away on July 21 at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. He was 101. Admitted after suffering a heart attack on June 23, the veteran leader had been under intensive care, supported by critical medications until his demise.

Arun also reminisced about simpler days from his childhood in Punnapra, where birthday traditions were modest but meaningful.

“Mother would always gift sweets for our birthdays. Father would usually be caught up with party responsibilities. But the occasional phone call from him on our birthdays was more than enough to fill our hearts with joy,” he recalled.

The mortal remains of the iconic Left leader were taken to Alappuzha on Tuesday. His last rites were performed on Wednesday with state honours.

VS Achuthanandan, who had withdrawn from active political life in 2019, leaves behind a legacy that spanned nearly five decades in Kerala’s political landscape. He served as chief minister from 2006 to 2011 and held the position of Leader of the Opposition three times. He was widely regarded as one of the state’s most influential political figures and the oldest person to ever serve as Kerala’s chief minister.