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Lalita Iyer
Lalita Iyer

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38-Venkaiah-Naidu Right move: Venkaiah Naidu playing badminton at his house in New Delhi | Sanjay Ahlawat

Naidu will change the way vice presidents function, says his childhood friend

  • Naidu is a gracious host who always welcomes everyone to eat at his house, where the table will be full of vegetarian and non-vegetarian delights, but no alcohol.

When he was sounded out to be the BJP’s vice presidential candidate, M. Venkaiah Naidu was initially reluctant. However, being the quintessential partyman, he yielded, and agreed to contest.

“He will find a lot of work, contribute both to the state and to the nation and, of course, to Nellore [his hometown in Andhra Pradesh],” said Dr Kancherla Ravindranath, Naidu’s childhood friend. “He will change the way vice presidents function.”

Naidu was born on July 1, 1949, at Chavatapalem in Nellore district to Ramanamma and Rangaiah Naidu. He studied at the DLNR government high school in Bucchireddypalem, a small village near Nellore. “In 1996, Naidu, me and some others were felicitated during the golden jubilee celebrations of the school. He spoke about his school days and said how most students were from a rural background,” said R.A. Padmanabha Rao, a schoolmate of Naidu, who retired as additional director general of Doordarshan.

Naidu graduated in politics and diplomatic studies from V.R. College, Nellore. He was influenced by Durga Prasad, a local RSS pracharak, who became his guide, philosopher and mentor. During this time, he also got a chance to meet RSS chief M.S. Golwalkar, when he visited Nellore.

Padmanabha Rao recalled an incident that happened when Naidu was an undergraduate. “There was a movie hall in Nellore called Kanakamahal, owned by a person called Kantha Rao. He was the terror of the town. Once, he beat up a student. This made Naidu angry, and he did not hesitate to challenge Kantha Rao.”

After his graduation from V.R. College, Naidu took his LLB, with specialisation in international law, from Andhra University, Visakhapatnam. He was at the forefront of the Jai Andhra movement [in response to the Telangana movement] at the time,” said Tapovardhan Vasireddy, who was his senior at the university. Vasireddy had invited Naidu to share a house with him and two others, Ashok Atluri and Damodar Prasad. “We were all involved in student activities, and those days it meant organising programmes and tournaments. There used to be an opposition group, but it was never like what it is today. There was no violence because better sense prevailed then,” said Vasireddy.

The four friends still keep in touch. They normally catch up for lunch at Atluri’s house in Visakhapatnam. “The last thing we discuss is politics,” said Vasireddy. “We talk about the good old days and share other such memories.”

Ravindranath, too, spoke about Naidu’s leadership during the Jai Andhra movement. “Those days there were no microphones, but he and a Communist friend Jana Venkaiah were loud, bold speakers and did not need microphones. We would listen to his fantastic voice and remain spellbound,” he said. Ravindranath was Naidu’s junior by eight years. His father, Seshaiya Naidu, often spoke very fondly of Venkaiah Naidu. “He used to say, ‘veedu mogadu, pedda leader aytadu (He will become a big leader),’” said Ravindranath.

Naidu’s oratorical skills and political acumen saw him rise rapidly in Andhra politics. The Jai Andhra movement and the anti-Emergency protests kept him in the limelight. He was elected to the assembly from Udayagiri in Nellore district in 1978 and in 1983. “Friends got together and financed his election the first time he contested,” said Vasireddy.

Naidu is known for his unbridled energy. He could cover three to four states in a day. Once, Maoists targeted his helicopter, but he managed to escape unhurt. And, there have been nearly a dozen occasions when his aircraft developed technical snags and had to make emergency landings. His friend Mandava Prabhakar Rao, chairman of Nuziveedu Seeds Ltd, said Naidu was a man of tireless energy, with an absolute focus on his goal. “His day starts very early. If time permits, he plays a game of badminton or takes a brisk walk. His punctuality is something that all leaders should follow. He is always five minutes ahead of his appointed time,” said Prabhakar Rao.

His friends say Naidu is a gracious host who always welcomes everyone to eat at his house, where the table will be full of vegetarian and non-vegetarian delights, but no alcohol. “He is extremely fond of pickles, chutneys and fish, but since he became diabetic, we have prevailed upon him to control his eating habits,” said Ravindranath.

His fondness for non-vegetarian food is legendary. Many years ago, a Congress leader told him that the Jana Sangh was a party of vegetarians, which worried him a lot. He could relax only after senior Jana Sangh leaders assured him that he could eat whatever he liked. Naidu once broke a longstanding convention by offering non-vegetarian food at a state executive meeting of the BJP. The delegates, however, heartily enjoyed the meal.

Naidu is also known for his philanthropic activities. “His passion for service to society made him encourage his children and friends to start the Swarnabharat Trust, which has now got three chapters in Nellore, Vijayawada and Hyderabad,” said Prabhakar Rao. Naidu’s daughter Dipa heads the trust. It provides education to the poor, orphans and differently-abled children, and employment training to women and the youth. Naidu’s son Harshvardhan lives in Hyderabad, looking after his Toyota dealership. Prabhakar Rao said Naidu mentored his children to focus on the trust to serve people. “He has set a high standard for other politicians by not encouraging his children to enter politics.”

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Topics : #Venkaiah Naidu | #BJP

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