Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur   

Paritala Ravi's fan following unabated

By Our Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR, FEB. 23. Even about a month after the murder of Paritala Ravindra the flow of visitors from different parts of the State and the country to his memorial at his native Venkatapuram, a tiny hamlet of Nasanakota panchayat, in Ramagiri mandal, 75 km from here, is continuing.

An estimated 300 to 400 people have been visiting the place every day. Surprisingly, a majority of the visitors are women coming different parts of the district as well as far-off places in coastal Andhra, according to villagers.

Says Madanna, an elderly villager: "People are coming from far-off places everyday. They come, visit the memorial, pay their tributes and leave. Only after his killing could we come to know about our leader's fan following even in far-off places''.

Though life has returned to normal in this secluded village on the hilly terrain, villagers are yet to come to terms with the loss of their icon. It is a common feature that people are still discussing Ravi and his deeds, whatsoever, under tree shades.

Visitors still welcome

Visitors have been arranged facilities like drinking water and food even now. "We may have lost our leader but we are committed to seeing to it that the visitors should not feel like there would have been better reception to them had their leader been alive,'' a servant of the Ravindra family said.

Asked why he had come to Venkatapuram, the 70-year-old Narayanappa from Kanaganapalli said: "We were benefited by him a lot. I am visiting the village now as I don't know whether my age permits me another visit or not''.

Visitors are coming even from Krishna, Guntur, East Godavari, West Godavari and other districts, says Muthyalappa, another villager.

A 30-member group of JD(U) from Karnataka led by Michael Fernandes, brother of George Fernandes, Somasekhar and Swamy also visited Venkatapuram on Wednesday. They paid tributes to Ravi at his memorial and consoled his family members.

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Paritala Ravi's fan following unabated

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