A gripping sense of loss has engulfed the state that has sent an entire state into mourning. YSR is no more ! What a great loss ! The popular leader that he was, it is difficult to come to terms with his death. A life that promised so much was cut short by the cruel hands of fate. A man who dedicated himself for the cause of others deserved better. That a life, that strived to make the lives of others better came to such an abrupt end is indeed sad and heartbreaking !
To simply say that Dr. Rajshekhar Reddy was adored and admired by masses and classes alike would be an understatement. His popularity as a politician and as a leader was unparalled. To many he was not merely a political figure, but a father figure. Though actually belonging to the Rayalseema region, through his welfare schemes and projects he endeared himself to people accross the state. He was truely a common man's man in the sense that he found acceptability cutting accross region, religion, caste and lineage. A rarity in modern day politics. A true leader indeed !
Dr. Rajshekhar Reddy as a politician belonged to the rare breed of earnest leaders. How often do we see leaders making promises before elections and then doing the vanishing act afterwards. Always the one to keep his word, Dr. Reddy was different in the sense that he always delivered more than what he promised. All his schemes are testemonial to his unwavering desire for the upliftment of the downtrodden. The state will always remain indebted to him for schemes like Free Power, Jalayagnam, Indiramma Houses, Rajiv Arogyasri, Oldage Pension, Subsidised Rice, Student Scholarship, Student Fee Reimbursement and many other simillar schemes that have brought smiles on many a faces. Even the Rachhabanda program that he was undertaking at the time of the crash was supposed to make the state delivery mechanism more effective so that no deserving person is deprived of what is rightfully his. He was the only CM who did anything worth mentioning for the minorities for which the minority community will hold him dear for years to come.
His demise has created a void in the state politics that would be difficult to fill if not impossible. Great leaders are not born overnight. Leaders like YSR come once in a lifetime and the loss of such leaders is always difficult to comprehend. There will always be people who will try to run him down by saying all kinds of things about him. He was afterall human and he had his flaws, but his virtues far outweigh his vice if any. And it is by the worth of his virtues that he bacame what he was till his last breath : an extraordinarily gifted politician and an extremely popular leader. The fact remains that even his most bitter adversaries would vouch for his commitment towards public welfare and admit that he championed the cause of the poor and the needy like none other. And at the end of the day that is what matters.
In his death Andhra Pradesh has lost a visionary. As a Chief Minister he was a cut above everyone else, a CM par excellence. Andhra Pradesh will probably never ever see another leader of his ilk and stature. He was destined for greatness in life and this untimely death has made him immortal in that he will always remain in the hearts of his people whom he loved so much and who in turn loved him so much. The rest of the world will remember him as the messiah of the poor and the needy. Long live YSR, long live Raja !
Friday, September 4, 2009
Accidental Blog
My first experience with blogging was something accidental. My first blog was not meant to be a blog. I had written a letter to the editor of the Deccan Chronicle in response to an article. Part of the letter got published the next day and to my surprise the complete letter ended up on the newspaper's blog generating so much response (136 comments) that it flattered me. That's why I call it an accidental blog. Here is the permanent link of the aforesaid blog on DC's web page;
Check it out and feel free to comment.
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