716 Excessive Reliance on Role MODELS can be risky. प्रेरणा पुरुषों पर अधिक आधार (भरोसा) रखना रपटीला और फिसलाऊ हेतु बन सकता है। మార్గ దర్శకులు, ఆదర్శపురుషులు, ఆరాధ్య దైవాలపై ఆధారపడటం జారుడు మెట్ల వంటివి

This is in continuation of blogpost No. 715 (Click to go to 715) , which dealt with the review of Mr. Pranab Mukherjee's book "The Tumultous Years" by Senior Journalist and Former Indian Hich Commissioner in London, Shri Kuldip Nayar. A learned friend of mine has sent me an email, containing his esteemed comment, which I am reproducing below.

Mr. Kuldip Nayar has forgotten the fact that this bourgeoisie country cannot produce giants in honesty and virtuosity. The essence of Indian politics is a person will have to stick himself on to his chair inseparably with "glue".

అయ్యా, నృపేన్ చక్రవర్తి, నంబూద్రిపాద్, అచ్యుతానందన్; మాణిక్ సర్కార్, సుందరయ్య, దేవులపల్లి సీతారామయ్య, లాంటివారికి ఈ గుణాలు లేవా?

ENGLISH Gist FOR THE TELUGU LANGUAGE OBSERVATION ABOVE:Sir,
Nripen Chakravarti, Nambudripad, Achyutanandan; Manik Circar, Sundaraiah, Devulapalli Sitaramaiah, ____ persons like these won't they have these qualities? (these qualities = Qualities of honesty and virtuosity).

First: My apologies to my Readers. When I wrote that "this bourgeoisie country cannot produce giants in honesty and virtuosity", I have slipped, and made a sweeping statement, for a country, ignoring the fact that there can always be exceptions. What I wrote about is about bulk, and not about exceptions.

Besides, I am too small a fry, and too incompetent to comment about, or pass value judgements about those who made significant contributions to the Society.

Yet, I am tempted to make the following observations.

1. We can't get perfect white or black scenarios, particularly with regard to qualities of celebrities, leaders, individuals, common persons. There are always gray areas, which need careful studies.

In Sanskrit language, there is a maxim, "pramAdO dhImatApi" (English: Even courageous virtuous minded persons can slip.). For example, the Mahabharata Hero Arjuna appears to be a person of great self-control, when Urvasi approached him to love her, during his visit to Heaven (Of course, this is a story, heaven may not exist). The same Arjuna, when he taught dances to Princess Uttara in Virata's employment, sold "old sarees" in the dance hall (nartana SAla) and gave the money to Sairandhri (their wife) and his brothers. In the same way when Arjuna claimed himself to be DHANANJAYA (one among his ten names), and gave explanation for his name as one "who conquered countries, pooled all the treasures brought from there, and stood on that heap or hill", only gullible persons can take Arjuna as a Hero.

This is because, globally, historically, plunderers and marauders who declared themselves as conquerers and Emperors were considered as Heros (Example: Alexander the Great). Besides, perspectives also change, according to National Aspirations. For example, Ghazni Mohammed is viewed as a Hero in Pakisthan, whereas he is regarded as an invader in India.

Then, studying in depth, requires lot of effort and time, for which nobody compensates either in terms of money, or in terms of due recognition. In the meantime, we become old and die. Yet, this "study in depth (sometimes it may even extend to a suspicious investigation)" becomes an imperative inevitable need for our lives, because we have to stay afloat as sensible individuals.

For example, some years back, a friend of mine approached me with a proposal that I should become an AgriGold Agent (2016: A case is going on in Andhra Pradesh against Agrigold, for swindling thousands of investors. It is like the Sharadha Chits Scam of Bengal.). As a Retired Banker, I had from my experiences and observations developed a suspicious mind, and I declined his offer. Instead, I tried to dissuade him from going into the untested waters of Agrigold. Necessity and Hope make people to enter into adventures. Occasionally, we used to come across on Roads, and he used to say, "you have mistakenly distrusted AgriGold which is flourishing".

Though I am not supposed to make value judgements on Great Leaders like Puchalapalli Sundaraiah, who used to, as an MP, go to Lok Sabha Sessions, on his bicycle, when everybody else went on cars, -- yet I am tempted to make one minor preliminary observation, which I may revise after further studies.

It is a historical fact that the Combined CPI got divided into CPI, and CPI(M) after the Chinese Invasion of India of 1962. Shri Sundaraiah sided with CPM, who regarded themselves as more leftist when compared to the CPI led by Dange. For the new CPI, Russia and Indira Gandhi were dearer. For the CPIM, Mao-tse-Tung, the Dictator of China became the Supreme God, notwithstanding the territorial ambitions of China, and its "without-notice" occupation of Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh.

SOME PERSONAL EXPERIENCE of ybrao-a-donkey

Time frame was between 1963 to 1967 March. They were the post-split years of CPI into CPI and CPIM. All the three summers of the years were blisteringly and terribly hot. In those days, Guntur, a City of about 300,000 inhabitants, used to have a large number of thatched huts. I as a boy studying IX to XII, used to live with my parents, in a palmyrah hut measuring 10' x 12' or 12' x 13'. It was raised on a rented vacant house site @ Rs.3 per month. We can't, now a get a plate of idlis for Rs. 3/-. During those summers, there used to be frequent burning of huts in Krishna and Guntur Districts, and particularly in Guntur. People used to attribute those hut-fires to the rivalries between the two factions of the Communists. There also used to be a rumor that miscreants carrying cloth squibs drenched with 'phosphorous' and wetted with water, were throwing the squibs on huts. These wet phosphorus squibs after landing on the thatched roofs of huts, were said to be getting ignited owing to evaporation of water and sun's heat, resulting in fires. Hence, people living in huts in vulnerable areas used to be careful during middays and afternoons to guard against eventualities of fires. Whenever huts caught fire in neighboring localities, other hut-dwellers used to climb to the thatched roofs and pour water on palmyra leaves, using buckets. I too, a few times climbed our hut and poured water on our roof. At that time, we used to live beside the 'owned' house of a famous Telugu poet. While pouring water on the roof, I for relaxation, used to mutter on my lips, the heart-rending verses of that Telugu poet. On one such midday, the Telugu poet came to our hut, and advised us that we should with our hut move to somewhere else. I was astonished and stupefied to hear his words. He had his own genuine worry. If our huts catch fire, his adjacent house, though made of bricks and lime, may catch fire. After all, every human has to worry about himself , before worrying about others, whether he is a poet or film star. I didn't reply him. After giving his advice, the Poet went back into his home.

Amidst this environment, when my mind was agitated and hurt, an elderly gentleman who, as far as I can recollect, used to work in District Police Office, advised me to study Communism and Marxism in depth, if I have to mature as an individual, and understand the environment.

As per his advice I started studying Communism and Marxism. During my studies, one inner conflict which had irked and pinched me constantly and incessantly, were the facts of Chinese invasion of Tibet, and India, when Mao-tse-Tung was such a Great Champion of the Underdogs. Though I studied about the so called "Long March", in my early years believed in its "Greatness" , I became sceptical about itin the subsequent years, after studying about it in depth. The same is the case with Lenin's compromises with Adolph Hitler.

Thus, I could never appreciate Sarvashri Shri Sundaraiah, Ran Dhave, Jyothi Basu, Nambudripad, Harkishan Singh Surjeet, et al, siding with China, notwithstanding its IMPERIALISTIC TENDENCIES. In respect of imperialistic tendencies, I could never find any difference among 1) the Colonial European and North American Powers, 2) the USSR-East European allies, 3) and the Chinese Communism.

During the later-period splits of CPIM, its off-springs such as Naxals, CPIML various groups, have openly declared themselves as MAOISTS, without thinking much into the failures of Mao.

Today, if we see the events which are taking place in South Chinese Sea, we can understand the greedy ambitions of China. Vietnam was a former ally of China. But today, China is not sparing Vietnam. The funniest thing is, both China and Vietnam have drifted far away Communism, though both LABEL themselves Communist countries. A few months back, a Convention was held in New Delhi, the occasion was 90th Anniversary of CPI, in which Vietnamese Communist Party leaders participated. Our Great Shri D. Raja hailed Vietnam. (Pl. see Post NO.619 Click if you wish to see 619. Leaving aside its external territorial ambitions, and its Financial Wars with United States, is China really Communist within its own territory? Definitely NOT.

Hence, beware of Role-Models !

Question: How does, what you wrote about your personal experience with the famous Telugu poet, relate itself to Indian History, or to the History of Andhra Pradesh?

Ans: This type of personal experiences with celebrities and famous persons are not unique only to me. I do not hold any monopoly on such experiences. The purpose of my writing my personal experience is to explain how different classes view differently, irrespective of their castes, religions, regions, and cultures. For example, as a hut dweller, my fears were different from the perceptions and apprehensions of the famous Telugu poet who lived in an adjacent stronger terraced house, which is relatively fire-resistant.

My readers can refer to Deccan Chronicle English Daily dated 25th June 2016, the archive item "50 years ago in Deccan Chronicle". In other words, the recall of the news pertains to 25th June 1966. At that time Mrs. Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister. Place: Vijayavada - Guntur area.

PROOF OF THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC-POLITICAL SITUATION PREVAILING AT THAT TIME.

Mrs. Gandhi distressed over fires.

(By our Special Correspodnent, Vijayawada).
June 25, 1966.
The Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi expressed deep distress at the fire accidents in this town and villages around.

Laying the foundation stone of the Jawahar Auto Nagar here, the Prime Minister said that many steps would have to be taken to prevent such fires from occurring again.

She said that for prevention of fires, fireproof material would have to be used in house construction, roads widened to check spread of fires, and better fire-fighting services have to be established.


Addressing a Public Meeting, the Prime Minister, declared that top priority would be given to agriculture and irrigation.

This piece of article is incomplete.

To continue. सशेष. ఇంకా ఉంది.