Meeting Sri.V.M.Sudheeran

 

There are only a few - literally countable on my fingers - politicians, I respect.

I got to spent 1 hour with ex-MLA, ex-MP, ex-health minister (Kerala), ex-Speaker (Kerala) Sri.V.M.Sudheeran. Yippee!

Let me start from the beginning.

My daughter and I were travelling to Thrissur on May 3, 2023 on the newly flagged off Vande Bharat express. As it was fully booked, we did not get seats together - she sat in the front and I moved further down the compartment to seat 30.

And seated on seat:29 was a person in crisp white shirt and mundu, whom I recognised immediately but forgot the name. (I am very poor in remembering names. Harish helped me with the same.)But I knew he was part of the few select good politicians.

I just could not stop smiling. 

And I think seeing my excitement must have made him worried! Have you heard of 1000W smiles? I was sporting that. 

“Would anyone of your cadres want this seat?”, was my first question.

He said he was traveling alone. It was hard to believe as usually all politicians travel with platoons!

“I could not take the first ride of Vande Bharat with our Prime Minister Sri.Modi, but this ride is in no way any less blessed.” I gushed!

I could not lean back and relax on the cushioned chair, as I thought it would be so disrespectful towards such a senior respected people’s representative.

He asked my name and what I did.

Hearing that I do Seva for Ernakulathappan, he said that he usually stays at BTH when he visits Ernakulam and has been to Ernakulathappan temple multiple times.

I called up our temple Samithy President Sri.Rajendra Prasad on video call as both the men belong to the same political party. 

Sri.Sudheeran entered politics during his pre-degree days and after 25 years of service (in 2009), he wrote to the Congress party headquarters that his name need not be considered for future elections!!

Which politician would do that?

And to boot, both his children have not entered this field, unlike the usual hereditary style followed by most (even his own party leaders.

His daughter is psychologist at Ámala hospital and son is in a bank in Cleveland. His wife (Latha) was working in Catholic Syrian Bank and after retirement is now running a nursery in Thiruvananthapuram.

I asked how my fellow Thrissur native ( he is from Anthikad) shifted from up north to the capital city situated due south?

It seems he had suffered a heart attack in 2003 and the Congress upper echelons had sent him for treatment to Mayo clinic (USA)  and all his files had been transferred to Trivandrum Medical College after that.

He took his bag and opened a pouch filled with an array of medicines. He is also a diabetic.

Our talk shifted to Covid & it’s after effects. It seems he too got Covid recently & post covid, he lost all appetite and had had a tough recovery.

His mobile rang. He answered it the way, my dad does - not with great pleasure. The conversation lasted hardly 1 minute. 

“Don’t you like mobile phones?” I asked.

He smiled, “New age, new gadget. A necessary evil. Trunk calls were so expensive back then...” 

He seemed very worried about the present generation trapped in the virtual world. “They have stunted growth - both mentally and physically. My physiotherapist told me that most of his clients were young people… even teenagers. They suffer pain in their shoulders and poor eye sight and what I do not understand is how mis-informed or ill-informed they are in spite of being surrounded by information!”

He remembered his early political days when buses were the mode of travel and they used to travel up and down the state through bumpy roads on nearly “shock-absorber-less” buses. He was amused that his spine was still intact. (Was there a pun intended?)

“We used to write letters announcing our arrival. And sometimes arrive before the letter!”, he said in an amused tone.

I showed him a photo of Prof. Lalithamma & her family. He  recognised her husband Sri. Sivadasan (ex-MLA) immediately and talked about their political careers together.

He fondly remembered the brotherhood all the politicians of yesteryears had shared.  

“Nowadays everyone is selfish.”

I asked about the liquor policy stand he had taken (which many say had been a pivotal reason for his removal as chief of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee).

He strongly believes that liquor is the cause of all evil. He had fought the case against the present government’s liquor policy for 5 years, but the judgement by the court has been moved 47 times and is still awaited.

He showed me his legal files (on his phone) and read out loud “30 million deaths per year across the world is directly or indirectly linked to alcohol consumption.”

The train was speeding towards Thrissur. And I had not experienced the famous swivel seat in Vande Bharat express. He asked a co-passenger to press some levers. The seat went whirr and both of us faced the window!! Another whirr and both of us faced forward again.

Vande Bharat is touted as a feather in BJP’s hat. I had to know his feelings about this particular train journey experience! 

He was traveling to Kozhikode to meet the family of the recently deceased actor Sri.Mamukoya to offer his condolences and was taking the same train back in the evening.

He graciously agreed that “good infrastructure is very necessary for growth.”

I asked about the greatest achievement of his political career.

He thought long and hard and talked about his term as Speaker in the Kerala assembly during Sri.Karunakaran’s chief ministership. There had been an agitation by the opposition led by Smt.Gowriamma, who started a satyagraha. Her health and age made this a very precarious situation. It had been Sri. Sudheeran’s resolve to not allow the law enforcement agency into the assembly well. He pleaded to all members to maintain decorum. And his will prevailed. He was appreciated by everyone (incl. the then CM Sri.Karunakaran) for having handled the volatile situation well. 

I reminded him of the many antics in the assembly well (throwing of speaker’s chair, destruction of mics and manhandling of voted representatives) after his term and he smirked. 

We had reached Pudukad. I apologised to him for having been such a chatterbox and having made full use of him being seated at the window and I at the aisle (I had literally cornered him!).  I said that I hoped his next co-passenger would be someone like my husband, Harish (a very quiet person).

He asked me jovially, “Is your husband the art film type?”

I had to tell him our newest nicknames. “Well, the temple priests call him Vande Bharat and me a passenger train!”

As we neared Thrissur, I introduced my Ananya to him, made her touch his feet before saying goodbye.

He is a politician who shows that the adjective clean can be used without the words becoming an oxymoron.

A clean politician.

A good man. 

😄

A very happy birthday to you sir.

Regards -

Anuradha Harish,

Ernakulam.

26/05/2023

Clipping from today’s Manorama paper.

(Not my article!!😅)