The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Silent fans queue up at thespian's house

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 13, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Silent fans queue up at thespian's house

Staff Reporter

Who's who of the Kannada film industry turned up at the residence

BANGALORE: "It has been a passion for me to visit Rajkumar's house every year. Although he is no more, I still come here. There is nothing that can replace the experience of visiting this house," P. Ramu, a diehard fan of Rajkumar from Mysore said, waiting for nearly an hour in a long queue. "I will just go inside, offer my tributes and go away. I want to relive the experience of meeting my hero."

Likewise, B. Laxmesh and two of his friends who had come all the way from Belgaum, said: "We feel our hero's presence here. You cannot substitute this by watching him in movies."

Hundreds of emotional fans were among those jostling with actors, directors and film technicians at Rajkumar's residence in Sadashivanagar on Thursday, the first anniversary of his death.

The gates were kept open allowing people easy access to the house. Songs of Rajkumar created a soothing atmosphere. Inside, the room on the left had a huge portrait of Rajkumar alongside a statue of a goddess. Eatables such as "chakkali" "happalla" "vada" and other items that the thespian liked were among the offerings. Along with the portrait there were musical instruments that the thespian used.

In the hall, Parvathamma Rajkumar was sitting next to another portrait of Rajkumar and greeting the visitors. The who's who of Kannada film industry, including the actor couple Vishuvardhan and Bharati, Jayanti, Ravichandran, producer and director Bhagawan, visited the house.

A huge tent was placed in the lawn where visitors were offered lunch in plantain leaves. The menu included puliyogare, vada and chutney, two varieties of payasam and halwa. These were served in the background of another portrait of Rajkumar. "My father loved offering food to visitors," Raghavendra Rajkumar said. In an informal chat with reporters, Mr. Raghavendra and his mother Parvathamma Rajkumar expressed their helplessness over the time taken by the Government in establishing a memorial at Sri Kanteerava Studio.

"It's the work of the Government. We have given the plan to the committee formed for this purpose. Till now we have not received any response," Mr. Raghavendra Rajkumar said.

Whether it will take three years like what happened in the case of N.T. Rama Rao and M.G. Ramachandran memorials, Parvathamma Rajkumar said, "I don't know. I believe in my husband's words that if something is destined to come it will definitely come. It may be now or some time later."

Puneet Rajkumar said he and writer Prakruti Banawasi were in the process of writing a biography on his father. "This is basically our impression. We are collecting rare photographs and relationship of people with my father," he said.

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