The biggest farewell
While Diana’s may be the most widely televised, the funeral of former chief minister of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, C.N. Annadurai, on Feb 3, 1969, still holds the Guinness World Records for the “most attended funeral” with an estimated 15 million. The throng forming the procession in the state capital Chennai can be seen in photos stretching far into the horizon, following Annadurai’s casket in a reverence usually accorded to deities. In many ways the leader, who died of cancer aged 59, was god-like: unassuming in life, and humble among his people, this champion of Tamil rights and culture in India truly deserved his farewell to end all farewells.
The Star
16 December 2013
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