The mortal remains of Kerala’s two-time Chief Minister Oommen Chandy who died in Bengaluru on Tuesday will be laid to rest in a special tomb which is being built in an exclusive area reserved for departed priests of his village church on Thursday.
Preparations are in full swing for the funeral after a decision has been taken to lay Chandy’s body to rest in the exclusive priests’ burial area on the church premises instead of his family vault in the cemetery. As a mark of respect for Chandy, the authorities of St George Orthodox Church at Puthuppally decided to change their decades-old practice of burying deceased non-priest church members in the cemetery or in their family vaults.
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Church vicar Father Varghese Varghese said: “The decision has been taken to lay him to rest on the church ground where the remains of the late priests were buried, considering his virtues and the contributions he made to the parish and the Church.”
“The general feeling of the parish is that his tomb will remain a permanent memorial on the church premises,” he added.
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Recalling Chandy’s contributions to the parish, he said the former Chief Minister is one of the persons who have contributed the most to its modernisation and development.
Since his younger days, Chandy was very much active in the youth movement, Sunday School activities and prayer meetings in the church, and it had paved the way for his growth as a public activist, MLA, Minister, and the Chief Minister of the State, the vicar added.
