The Hindu : National : Their `Dora' gone, the residents of Vangara are inconsolable

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Friday, Dec 24, 2004

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Their `Dora' gone, the residents of Vangara are inconsolable

By Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao

With former Prime Ministers H.D. Deve Gowda, V.P. Singh, I.K. Gujral and Chandra Shekhar in New Delhi in August 2003. — Photo: V. Sudershan

VANGARA (KARIMNAGAR DISTRICT), DEC. 23. For the folk in this remote village of Bheemdevarpalli mandal, life came to a standstill today. The aged left their household chores and the young gave up their avocations for a while. They all gathered at the ancestral home of Narasimha Rao and wept inconsolably.

There is none to console them and share their grief. The elderly men and women tried to console one another relating the best of their time spent with the `Dora' (an endearing term to describe an elder) and his children. They recalled how friendly and generous their `Dora' was.

A septuagenarian, Venuka Venkatayya said ``whenever he came to the village he used to ask me to accompany him to the farm and I happily used to join him.'' For Venkatayya and scores of people of his age, Mr. Rao was just `Dora' who brought laurels to the village.

`Practised what he taught'

Virtually every facility in the village came up on the land donated by Mr. Rao — be it hospital, school, sub-station or temple. ``He was a man who practised what he taught. He himself implemented the land reforms first,'' said one of his childhood friends Cholleti Bhadraiah.

A former sarpanch, R. Venkat Reddy, said whenever they went to another place they used to proudly claim they were from PV's Vangara village.

"What can we say now. The elderly man has gone,'' he told The Hindu.

While the elderly related their experiences, the youth recalled the time when Mr. Rao visited the village after becoming the Prime Minister.

``He never promised anything. He said work hard and get things done,'' said 34-year-old teacher Mujib Ahmed.

Beeline to `Gadi'

Everybody in the village looked grim and made a beeline to `Gadi,' Rao's palatial house, where the late Prime Minister spent his childhood. The villagers had one demand — the body of their `Dora' be brought to the village enabling them to have a last glimpse.

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