Friday, September 4, 2009

REMEMBERING YSR

In May of 2003, the Times of India carried a very poignant photograph. It showed a bare-chested man, by the side of a highway in Andhra Pradesh, taking a shower from a government water pipeline. The photo would’ve been nondescript, if not for its subject. The man in the picture was YS Rajasekhara Reddy. YSR was then criss-crossing the most backward districts of his state, in what’s now being called his famous padayatra. But back then, it was called a gimmick by the state’s second most powerful politician.

Hundreds of miles away, in Hyderabad, the state’s most powerful politician, the self-proclaimed CEO of Andhra, Chandrababu Naidu was rubbing shoulders with corporate czars and chairmen of global banks. The state was going through one of the worst droughts ever. But Naidu’s worldview was restricted only to the swank IT super-structures of Cyberabad. Poverty, hunger and disease were unknown aliens. Who has time for the starving millions when there are millions to count in Swiss banks?

Well ten months later, the starving millions punished Naidu in the only way they knew. With the power of their vote. Back then too, no one in the media (both national and regional) gave YSR a chance. Naidu was after all the model Chief Minister. Who could dare predict his defeat?

Now as the country comes to terms with the shocking and sudden death of the Tiger of Cudappah, my mind goes back to that one image. It, in many ways defined YSR. The man, the politician and all that he stood for. He was a people’s politician. Always there to lend a ear or a shoulder. It’s this incredible people’s connect that made YSR what he was. In his native village of Pulivendula, people will tell you that YS knew the head of every family by his first name. In contrast, Naidu appeared aloof and distant.

I’ve had the good fortune of meeting YS on a couple of occasions in Delhi during his various trips to meet the high command. The first thing that strikes you about the man is his body language. He was so supremely confident. He would always look you in the eye, even if you asked the most uncomfortable question. And not to forget, the YS smile. He had the most endearing and warm smile you’ll find in any of our netas. It immediately drew you to the man. In the cut-throat world of our politics, it’s difficult to find a politician who smiles from the inside. Chandrababu would pay a million bucks to smile like that.

Unfortunately in our politics, there are no headlines for good governance. All the headlines are reserved for bad governance. What YS managed to prove with the 2009 victory is that people will vote for you purely on the basis of good work. It was incredible, during the campaign you’d run into these extremely poor people, ordinary folk who didn’t know where their next meal would come from, but they’d still be able to name atleast one scheme that YS had started. Arogyasri was very popular. So was the Indiramma housing scheme. The point is that these poor people may not even have been direct beneficiaries of these schemes, but to them, atleast here was a man who appeared to care for them. And that’s all the starving millions in this country ask for. Some compassion. A bit of empathy.

At a time when politicians are taking management lessons to run their constituencies, YS was a misfit. Straight out of the old school. A classical, old-world politician who’s politics was all about caring for the poor and the weak. There was no great rocket science to his politics. Just basic human compassion.

Mass hysteria is not something alien in the melodramatic world of South India. We’ve seen it when MGR died. Then when NTR passed away. And most recently when Annavaru, Dr. Rajkumar bid adieu. But mass hysteria was always reserved for filmstars or for matinee idols turned politicians. Never for an out and out politician. YSR changed that. And that gives you an indication of his greatness. Johar Rajanna. Johar.

5 comments:

CHANDRU said...

Nice. If i remember right, Annadurai's funeral procession was in the record books for the biggest congregation ever till MGR passed away. Of course, you can say that Anna was also involved with cinema. But he wasn't identified with it.
The only thing I am not sure of is whether the 'starving millions expect only empathy and compassion' anymore! I believe, this is exactly what distances journalists from the reality. Tangible results are what they want, and they must be quantifiable too!

HRV said...

Come to think of it, he was the only truly grassroots state leader that the Congress had at this point!

I remember being struck down by that 1000 watt smile too - on counting day four months back.
he was tremendously happy, and made time for everyone. In fact, I went back for 'seconds' - my first interview with him was a tic-tac, but since we wanted him to do a live link with the studio as well, I pleaded and pleaded, finally saying, "Sir, I will never again in my life ask you for an interview". He had to give in after that, but how could I have known my words would come true in such a twisted way?

A massive loss to AP, but the funny thing is - with Naidu around, they still have a good administrator who has learnt, hopefully, a lesson from his 2004 defeat.

How many other states have even one good leader?

THAT GUY ON TV said...

you're right about annadurai. but then again cinema was such an intrinsic part of his life and the dravidian movement itself. it's so difficult to say if so many ppl turned up for anna's funeral because of political reasons or cinematic ones. as for the poor people, i think i've made that point in the post itself. not everyone i met benefitted from these schemes, yet the impression was that here was a man who appeared to care for them. thats all they needed.

Mrids said...

Though I am supposed to be objective, I just could not when it finally sunk in that he is dead. I was writing a script today and everytime I wrote the words Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, the name that automatically followed this was Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. I will no longer write that name. And that is sad. I will no longer call my route from home to office as via "YS CAMP OFFICE". I will no longer get frustrated when all he will give you when you ask for a byte is an infuriatingly indulgent smile. When he came out after voting in Pulivendula this year and we were firing questions after questions, all he would do was smile at me. I even said, Sir, you have a great smile, but please answer my question! I did not think it was audacious then. And he did not correct me. I will be open again, I cried for him and am proud of it. Johaar indeed!

Unknown said...

Very true

"YSR is the people politicians."

And this is reason why we found many shocking news after his sudden death.

Mass Hysteria is very common to India and especially to South India.

But IMO, we should all be practical & show our condolence & not life to our beloveds.

Mass Hysteria - beyond human control