E.R. RAMACHANDRAN writes: Ajji was reading the Mahabharatha and closed the book just as I entered.
“Hegitthu, Ajji? How was your Bharatha vaachana?”
“Alvo! Karna’s extraordinary character is so inspiring. He gave off even the Vajra Kundala to Krishna masquerading as the old Brahmin, fully knowing it was life-threatening for him. He donated every bit of what belonged to him. Truly he was a Dani, the eternal donor.”
“Adikke alva ajji, he was called ‘Dana Shura Karna.”
“I know but compare him to our present-day leaders. Even the money collected for victims of natural disasters are gobbled up. How can our leaders buy plane tickets from that money, kano? Paapa alva?“
“Papa? Punya? You think they can even distinguish one from the other. They keep saying, ‘I have been serving people for the last 50 years. Janaseveye janardhana seve and all that’.”
“The poltishans made t-shirts out of the money collected for rehabilitation of victims of floods who have nothing to wear. Naachike, maana maryade ne ilva? Don’t they have a sense of shame?”
Ajji’s sense of outrage was the same as the collective outrage of the nation against politicians who connived to spirit Warren Anderson out of the country.
Ajji continued: “Also people who were afflicted with floods, uprooted from their houses in North Karnataka are still living under zinc sheets in hot summer temperatures. It is worse than sudugadu. Is it not callousness that our government that is patting itself on its back about the success of the global investors’ meet cannot rehabilitate the victims even after a year after the tragedy? It is like rubbing salt on the wounds. They are treating people like cattle.”
“Yes, Ajji.”
“We are hypocrites—all of us, each one of us. We talk of pooje, puraskara, dharma etc. We don’t hesitate to loot the hundis or steal the sarees and ornaments that devotees donate to the deity. We even collect money from the poor and very poor for disaster victims and gobble ‘em up.”
“Eega ‘Nanna seveye Janardhana seve antha aagide‘. ‘Let me look after my interests by hook or crook,’ that is the dictum.”
“We had such great selfless people serving the State. I have heard Sir M. Visvesvaraya gave away his entire profitend fund of Rs 2 lakh to start a polytechnic institute in Bangalore. When the Maharaja asked him to name it as Visveshvaraya Institute, he refused and called it Sri Jayachamarajendra Polytechnic Institute.”
“Very true Ajji, except it is provident fund not profitend fund. Eega adu ‘Profittu nanna Fund’ aagide!”
“Former chief minister S. Nijalingappa did not even have a house of his own, despite being a chief minister and president of the Indian National Congress Party. Our maharanis pawned their jewelry to raise funds for the construction of Krishnaraja Sagar dam.”
“Nija Ajji. Even the royalty were selfless as against some of our present day leaders who behave as if they are royalty but go about making money by illegal means.”
“Howdappa howdu. Each poltishan thinks he is Maharaja and probably has more money than what Maharajas ever had.”
“Ajji, you mentioned Vishvesvaraya. I was reading of a small incident concerning him and his mother Akkachamma. Visvevaraya was very strict about not using official facilities for his personal matter. That included the car, even pencils and candles. Let me read out from his biography*:
“Once, Visvesvaraya’s mother Akkachamma returned from their village Muddenahalli with him in the government car. She was not keeping good health and was not able to get down from the car.
“Visvesvaraya directed the driver to drop her at her house in Chamarajapet.
“Aware of the rectitude of her son she said, ‘No’, got out of the car with some effort, rested for a while and left for her house in her son’s personal car.
“He exclaimed, ‘Mother. You are proud of your son being a Dewan, but I am much more happy and proud at your refusing to use the government car for personal use’.”
“We had such great and selfless people to lead us our State. Now, all we have is a bunch of hoodlums trying to line their pockets at every opportunity,” sighed Ajji.
***
*From ‘Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya’ by V.S. Narayana Rao, National Book Trust Publications, 1988, page 133
***
Also read: Why the queen sold her diamonds and jewels
Sir MV: The world’s 7th most famous Mysorean?
One question I’m dying to ask R.V. Deshpande
Tags: Churumuri, Dewan of Mysore, Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, Karna, Krishna, M. Visvesvaraya, National Book trust, NBT, Sans Serif, Warren Anderson
20 June 2010 at 7:43 pm
As a thought provoker, ajji and you are doing a good job. The only gap is that you are not providing a suggestion of a strategic or tactical action that your readers can take easily and within their means of action. So let me make an attempt at that –
Dear readers, could you please consciously take the following action in your day-to-day life
1) Every week tell 3 un-schooled people you know to listen to the news on radio/tv everyday (nothing can be easier than this – dont preach- just say pl listen to news) (very tactical)
2) Every election, vote for who ever you think will be the runner up in the election (strategy – whoever wins, it will be a ‘close’ contest and so hopefully the winner will not take you for granted).
I have no problem if you think the above two suggestions are bullshit… but atleast it is an plan of action.
The ‘educated Indian’ are failing India, in not showing any individual thought leadership and action.
(PS – BTW Churmuri – I do like you).
20 June 2010 at 8:26 pm
If politicians have to spend 10 crore to win an election, they will *SURELY* try to make up for it when they are in power. So, what is needed is that elections should be fought on “ethically” raised money, accounted to last penny. This is viciousness cycle. If you don’t spend enough money in elections, you are sure to loose (although spending alone won’t ensure victory). So, once you spend that kind of money on elections, you end up making up for it by all these crooked means.
Is anybody even talking about stopping voter inducement in elections? To my knowledge, loksatta party is the only party which spent moeny within the stipulated limits, accounted to last paise.
20 June 2010 at 8:39 pm
Very nice story of Vishweshwariah’s biography, truly remarkable kannadiga.
One small correction in your article , it was Indra in disguise of brahmin who took away Karna’s kavacha kundala and not Krishna
20 June 2010 at 9:11 pm
@shailesh who said “Every election, vote for who ever you think will be the runner up in the election”
I think this won’t solve the problems, people should vote for the best candidates. For a very thorough analysis on what ails our parliamentary democracy, watch these videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QcXzDNPoqg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk3hpk55Hos&feature=related
20 June 2010 at 10:00 pm
I like these ajji kathes.
I also made one using government car, mombatti(candle) and pencils.
Modern day viswesharayya (govt officer in any government dept in India) will send his mother to Disneyland, America in his government car with tons of government candles so that she can burn candles in fireplace at night to keep herself warm.. All the expense report will be written in pencil so that they can be fudged anytime!!!
21 June 2010 at 12:36 am
@div
I am not trying to get into an intellectual debate about what ails our democracy or what is ‘the’ right solution (I doubt that there one silver bullet.
All I am saying is there is too much talking, too much analyzing, too much intellectualizing and zero, just zero action. There is not even talk of action, forget action itself
Even you have not said, – let’s do this or let’s do that or I will do that or I will do this… all you have done is told me why something wont work… Not cool and this is what ails us.
(Sorry, not personal)
21 June 2010 at 1:10 pm
@div:
I voted for a good independent candidate in the last Lok Sabha elections. He was standing in the elections for last15-2o yrs I think. He lost.
There was no LokSatta candidate in my constituency. Anyway, I think LokSatta party has a good chance of being the party which can be a good alternative to Cong and BJP in the next 15-25 yrs.
But, it needs to get more mainstream media coverage.
21 June 2010 at 3:31 pm
Keep writng about injustice,bribes,lethargetic conduct of govt and politicians metted to poor citizen of this nation
21 June 2010 at 4:46 pm
ERR sir, your post made my eyes moist.
21 June 2010 at 5:40 pm
@shailesh
The reason why I posted those videos is that, for the first time in India, a politician has shown that there is another way of doing politics (he is an MLA and a very experienced IAS officer too). I felt that your comment saying one should vote for the person who you think would come second seemed rather naive (sorry to use this word, but not personal). There is no dearth of competition in Indian politics, ask any politician, he is not sure what is going to happen tomorrow.
Of course, I did not say I will do this or I will do that. However, I have tried to take JPs message to you. It should be amply clear by now that I am not going to vote for any party that uses liquor or money as inducements. That is my action if you really want one. I will also financially contribute to Lok Satta as long as they stick to what they promise. The reason I have hope on them is that he is the first politician who says that coming to power is not his aim (although is is very distant dream) but to transform the nature of politics. Honestly tell me, which other politician would say this in India?
22 June 2010 at 12:02 am
About the title of this post. Is Munde Makkalu, really a derogatory term? Maharashtrians have surnames like Munde (Gopinath Munde) and Sule (Supriya Sule). I wonder what the kids of these people will be referred to as and whether it is derogatory?
22 June 2010 at 11:01 pm
Just to put a fact right,
>> arna’s extraordinary character is so inspiring. He gave off even the Vajra Kundala to Krishna
It was Indra & not Krishna who snatched away the Vajra Kundala
19 July 2010 at 9:37 pm
The article made a very interesting reading.I sincerely hope and praythis reaches to all politicians and their like and drive the message. Even if 10% of them make an effort to change or implement such principles it would be great. Most important it should be widely circulated at younger generation levels, who would be the future citizens.A widespread movement should begin and revamp the whole system.
12 September 2012 at 10:20 pm
Too good… Great guidelines fa youths…
27 September 2012 at 12:35 pm
Following Sir MV in todays world is no body..