The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Raj Bahadur Gour given Yudhvir Memorial Award

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Raj Bahadur Gour given Yudhvir Memorial Award

Staff Reporter

Veteran communist leader walks down memory lane

FOND MEMORIES OF HYDERABAD: Raj Bahadur Gour being honoured with the award by Finance Minister K. Rosaiah in Hyderabad. At right is Narendra Luther. PHOTO: P.V. Sivakumar

HYDERABAD: It was a walk down memory lane for the Yudhvir Memorial Award function here on Sunday. Veteran communist leader and former MP Raj Bahadur Gour who was presented the award gave a brief account of Hyderabad of yesteryear. He recalled how it was not possible to form trade unions or hold meetings. There were no civil liberties those days.

The movement against the Nizam started on cultural issues and then anti-imperialism and anti-landlordism factor played a key role. Land to the tiller became the slogan. "But there was no anti-Muslim or anti-Urdu feeling," Dr. Gour said.

Wit and humour

The 88-year-old leader regaled the audience with his ready wit and humour. Which language should he speak, he wondered. And then remarked that Urdu was his mother tongue and English his step-mother tongue.

Dr. Gour had everyone in splits by stating that he had learnt many things about himself today. Some of the things Narendra Luther, Yudhvir Foundation Chairman, told about him was news to him, Dr. Gour quipped.

Finance Minister K. Rosaiah who presented the Yudhvir Award described Dr. Gour as a true symbol of secularism. He requested the veteran leader to preserve the immense information he had of old Hyderabad for posterity. "You can dictate it to someone," Mr. Rosaiah said.

He said Hyderabad was now growing by leaps and bounds necessitating flyovers and metro rail project.

It had become a good destination for investors. Earlier, Mr. Luther welcomed the gathering.

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