Death, ritual and deification

This chapter analyses the transformative power of public mourning in Kerala politics through the lens of the late Oommen Chandy’s commemorative procession. Chandy, a two-time chief minister, recipient of the United Nations global award for public service and a towering figure in Kerala politics, enjoyed immense public adulation in his commemorative death procession. The 36-hour, 160-km journey from Kerala’s capital, Trivandrum, to his hometown, Puthupally, carrying his mortal remains in an open bus, attracted an unprecedented crowd and media attention. The procession’s emotional impact and relentless media coverage served to filter Chandy’s life history, constructing an idealised public persona. This chapter explores the death ceremonies, particularly processions and their ability to evoke strong emotions in admirers and how the burial space assumes significance posthumously. It further explores the potential of death rituals in contemporary society to deify political figures and transcend their complex political identities and how an exhibition of the body creates a collective memory and a cult of the person. In doing so, this chapter demonstrates how commemorative processions can be utilised to craft unifying narratives for deceased leaders, irrespective of past controversies, thereby arguing how funeral spectacles transcend funerals to platforms for creating cult figures.