It is said that N. T. Rama Rao takes decisions or acts on impulse or whim. Not many know this episode about his wish to stay overnight at a tribal hamlet right in the naxalite stronghold. Ten policemen were killed in a landmine blast set off by the Naxalites in the Alampalli forests of Adilabad district the day before.
He rushed to the site and spent time talking to the people. Those were the days when the tribals were harassed by the police on one hand and threatened by the extremists on the other. Men, women and kids were overjoyed to have NTR in their midst. The warm welcome by the children of forests kindled in NTR dormant memories of his cinema days. He recalled how he had enjoyed shooting in Mudumalai forests for Adavi Ramudu. In the unrestricted flow of nostalgia that followed, he recalled his Pathala Bhairavi, Maya Bazar , Jagadeka Veerudu and Vetagadu days.
Only two persons among the audience, consisting of officials and villagers, failed to enjoy the gripping narration – the Chief Secretary (Shravan Kumar) and the DGP (P. Rammohan Rao). Their thoughts were elsewhere. It was time to pack up. The village was a known naxalite stronghold. They could strike again. What if they did? How to protect their ‘hottest property’ in the eventuality? As if these concerns were not serious enough, the Chief Minister insisted he would stay overnight ‘among my people.’
Logistics constituted another big problem. It was not easy to reach the safety of Utnoor town, given the inhospitable terrain and the distinct possibility of flash floods in the hill streams.The CS and the DGP felt relieved when NTR reluctantly agreed to return to Utnoor. Dr. VNVK Sastry, my long time friend and assistant project officer, ITDA, gave me firsthand account of the episode at Utnoor.
A spin-off benefit of NTR’s visit was his decision, triggered again by an impulse, to pump in huge funds to transform the backward district into ‘adarsa zilla’. It was not unusual for collectors to go to the Secretariat to pursue even routine files. Appointment with the Chief Secretary was even more difficult.
Back at the forest camp, the CM was free and relaxed, having done with the officials and the villagers. Collector CVSK Sarma sensed a golden opportunity to brief the Chief Minister in detail about the various problems the district faced and how the concerns of the people could be addressed. Impressed by Sarma’s presentation, NT Rama Rao announced plans to give the backward district a big push and make it a model (adarsa) district. Sincerely implemented, the plan proved to be a big step forward for the tribals and the backward district.
