Pooja at temple for VS

Marxists are known to be materialists and atheists, in principle. But when the times are bad and everything goes kaput, even gods need not be class enemies for communists. That is how a special Pooja was held in the name of octogenarian communist leader VS Achuthanandan, Chief Minister of Kerala, at a temple in his native place in Alappuzha district.

The special ritual, known as Rajyabhisheka Pooja, was held in his name at the Devi Temple at Aravukad, Punnapra, Achuthanandan’s own native village on Friday at a time when he was going through the most painful phase of his political life with the party demoting him from the Politburo to the central committee for “severe violation” of discipline.

The cost of the Pooja was shared by five devotees of the goddess, who were also the fans of the veteran leader who had given seven decades of his life for the communist movement, just to be humiliating at the age of 86. The Pooja was held in his name and birth star.

The communist leader was not the only celebrity in whose name this Pooja was held on the occasion of the Bhagavatha Saptaham (one-week reading of the holy book) at the temple. Rajyabhisheka Poojas were also held in the name of former Marxist firebrand and former minister KR Gowri, an opponent of Achuthanandan, and cricketer S Sreesanth.

Rajyabhisheka Pooja had been held at the same temple in the name of Prime Minister Manmhan Singh in July last year as the then UPA government was to meet a trust vote.