|
STATES: ANDHRA PRADESH
Much Bigger Than Life
Naidu's plans to present NTR as a greater contributor
to politics and cinema than he actually was leaves family members and
ecoactivists resentful
By Amarnath K. Menon
 At
first, it only appeared to be a family drama. When Nandamuri Harikrishna,
the belligerent fourth son of N.T. Rama Rao, accused N. Chandrababu Naidu
of doing everything he could to wipe out the memory of his father, the
Andhra Pradesh chief minister announced that a sprawling complex in the
memory of his father-in-law would be ready in two years. That was on January
18, 1999, the third death anniversary of the founder of the Telugu Desam
Party. Two years later, the showpiece is far from ready but hectic efforts
are on to complete it in time for NTR's birth anniversary on May 27.
The complex, spread over 42.5 acres, is bigger
than any other in Hyderabad, including the one built in the memory of
the city's founder, Quli Qutb Shah, or that of the seventh and last Nizam,
Osman Ali Khan, who was once believed to be the richest man in the world.
No politician in an Indian state-not even filmstar-turned-chief minister
M.G. Ramachandran in Tamil Nadu-has had the honour of having such a huge
commemorative complex constructed on state expense.
 |
| TELUGU PRIDE: Critics say the extravagant memorial
contravenes guidelines regarding construction along the Hussain Sagar
lakeside |
The idea is obviously to present NTR as a greater
contributor-to both politics and cinema in Andhra Pradesh-than he actually
was. But there is little at the complex to depict the role that NTR role
in the development of the state as a charismatic chief minister. Neither
is there anything to testify to his place in Telugu cinema. Besides, for
all his shrewd moves, Naidu has been unable to bring the squabbling family
together on the selection of NTR memorabilia (including a vintage Packard
car) for display in a proposed museum. Lakshmi Parvathi, NTR's widow,
and his children are locked in a bitter battle for custody of the gifts
and souvenirs that the TDP patriarch received and collected for the museum.
The memorial overlooks the shimmering waters
of the Hussain Sagar lake and comprises the 2.5 acre plot on which NTR
had been cremated. It also includes a colourful garden that covers an
expanse of another 40 acres. When ready, the project is expected to cost
the exchequer Rs 26 crore, including Rs 4 crore for the memorial.
The state Government had initially hired the
National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) for the project in 1996.
But ad-hoc planning and sloppy work stymied the project. Moreover, the
cash-strapped Government could not ensure a steady cash flow. When NBCC
withdrew less than a year after it began work, Naidu expedited proceedings-in
a knee-jerk reaction to counter the tirade of his brother-in-law-by handing
over the responsibility for the completion of the project to the Hyderabad
Urban Development Authority (HUDA). The agency hired artist Nitish Roy,
known for his creative ideas and use of bright colours in designing the
Ramoji Film City on the outskirts of Hyderabad, to conceptualise the memorial
and the garden.
|
METRO TODAY
Web
Exclusives
