Dr. B.R.Ambedkar has now become part of the pantheon. More people than you can shake a stick at have claimed him for their own. The latest entry into the Telegu world of politics is the film actor Chiranjeevi (him of the 20,000 odd fan clubs) and in his pantheon of heroes that he adorns the back drop of his Prajya Rajam (People’s Rule) party posters – Ambedkar takes pride of place. Interestingly enough, Mother Theresa shows up too.
So wherever you go, there is an Ambedkar statue to be found. A few posts ago we saw Ambedkar at Christmas. This is a more standard version. Note the amazingly pink skin he is painted with. Though he did prefer suits to Gandhi’s khadi, and did have a foreign wife, he certainly did not undergo the kind of treatment that our dear friend Michael Jackson did. It is interesting, though, to see the colour that he has been given. What does it tell us of the place that the “Englishman” still holds in our colour-conscious society.Then there is Gandhi. We don’t see so much of him
these days. For some reason, the Gandhi statue at Tungalam (the village Amma and Appa live in) is golden. The garland around him has withered away to a dark crust. Could it be from his birthday celebrations on Oct. 2nd? We hear very little about Gandhi these days. For all intents and purposes, nobody seems to take him seriously at all. I have yet to hear anything about him brought up in the context of the Mumbai terror attacks.
And then there are various local notables. This gentleman blowing what seems to be a shennai was seen in Palakollu near a prominent intersection. I don’t know Telegu – and he doesn’t seem to be NT Rama Rao. Any gentle reader with Telegu skills who can help me out?
More Ambedkar. This time a golden Ambedkar bust – with a Jagjivan Ram bust to go with it. Spotted at Tungalam. Maybe they like their statues in a golden hue here? This twosome was outside a small school which we pass when we take a short cut to Amma and Appa's home. I had to ask Appa who they were as I could not recognise these distinguished gentlemen. Maybe I need Ambedkar's blue suit after all to clue me in!
What is a Communist to do with all this false consciousness floating about? Well, we are not deep in Kerala, so no Karl Marx or Lenins around. But the humble flag post outside the local Marxist trade union deserves something substantial - hence this concrete reminder of the CITU - complete with local loafer smoking a bidi and Bible verses written on a wall nearby!
Finally, the whole pantheon. Obviously a staunchly Congress pantheon, with Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru on the left, next a very muscley looking Gandhiji, and then various other leaders overlooking a main traffic circle in Palakollu town. Subash Chandra Bose makes a saluting appearance – and I think I recognize Andhra’s own prime minister PV Narasimiah Rao (3rd from left – holding what looks like a cane in his hand). Below these giants of yesteryear – are the film posters of the giants of today's Telegu heartland. There are a bewildering number of he-men and she-ladies (usually half the age of their male counter parts and always wearing far less clothing – the recession perhaps?) that make up Telegu cinema.
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