Of Patriots and Pomegranates

When I was on trail to meet the Minister who normally comes to his native place whenever there is work here or whenever the assembly not in session at Bangalore, I was told he was away at a place called Kaladgi to quell some agitation by farmers in that area. When I reached that place, the whole area was full of agitating farmers with the usual pandal and the Minister was at the mike obviously with an effort to assuage their feelings. From the tone and tenor of the speech, I reasonably felt it is going to be quite sometime before it tapers down to the end of the speech the crowd to disperse and thereafter for me to make efforts at meeting the Minister.

In the meanwhile, therefore, I got to the nearby petty shop which is typical of the village where everything from pan to cool drinks are stored. I went to the shop keeper and started a harangue of what all he has and where he was from, how much he is making etc. Then it suddenly struck to me that he was not having in his shop the thing which Kaladgi is famous for – pomegranates. I asked him why? The shop keeper was fairly an elderly person and had a wry smile bordering on sarcasm and said that this place perhaps should be better known for the famous patriot – Sindhoor Laxman, a terror to the Britishers, who was a native of this place. Also this was the previous capital of Bijapur District in British Times. It is therefore an irony that such important person and events are forgotten and it is now associated with mere pomegranates which perhaps must have come much later in the day. This was quite a sermon from him.

This set me a thinking when my mind went 30 years back when I was a member of Govt. of India Committee at Delhi. Members were drawn from different states. I remember in the first meeting which was a general introductory one, when everybody mentioned where he was from. It was easy for them to recognize me as a Madrasi because that was the period when anybody from south of vindhias was called by that generic name but then when it came to more details like what community etc. it was rather difficult for me to explain to them by my jatawalas Rajgopalchari (Rajaji), Ramanujam, the mathematics genesis, TT Krishnamachari, the administrator, C.R. Rangachary one of the few bowlers to have clean bowled Don Bradman etc. All these were ‘no go’ with them and were befuddled. Then I had to make use of Vyjayantimala and Hemamalini by way of giving them an idea about the community to which I belong. (Jayalalitha was not in reckoning then). They were enlightened like Siddarth being transferred into Buddha!!

What an irony for identity to be established with reference to flimsy and frivolous – men and matter.