Once upon a time in Andher Nagari ....

I debated long, dear reader, on what the first few words of this story should be. And then I knew. Though this is not a fairy tale, I still will begin it like one.

Once upon a time, though not very long ago, there was, in South Asia a small province named Andher Nagari. Like all kingdoms, Andher Nagari also had a ruler - a man named Choupat Raja, who was chosen by the poorer natives of Andher Nagari to rule them after he promised them free electricity in return. Little did they realise that what Choupat Raja meant by free electricity was 'enough electricity to light a single bulb'.

The Raja had also hinted that he would support the cause for reorganisation of Andher Nagari. The natives of Telgni Nagar, one of the three key provinces that made up Andher Nagari, were overjoyed and pledged their support to him. They could see their dream of an independant kingdom for themselves finally taking shape. 'Long live Chupat Raja', they screamed. The kids of the natives of Telgni Nagar hopped from one leg to another and screamed 'Choupat Raja ki Jai ho!'. The happiest of them all was their cheiftan, a natural rabble rouser named Chomu Raja, who, swathed in effiminate looking pink mufflers had continually delivered fiery hate speeches (peppered with the choicest of abuses) against anyone opposing his idea of an independent Telgni Nagar.

That was five years ago. Alas, even today, an independent Telgni Nagar remains an unrealised dream. Chomu Raja still delivers angry tirades puntuating each sentence with his favourite expletive - Bad-Cow (Thats my best translation of this popular Andher Nagari expletive). The target of his harangue is erstwhile friend, Choupat Raja.

'That Bad-Cow has let us down'

'Any self respecting native of Telgni Nagar will not support that Bad-Cow again'

The Bad-Cow, in case you havent yet figured it out, is the hapless Choupat Raja, present ruler of Andher Nagari.Despite the rhetoric against him, the Raja did not respond to the pink brigade. He had far more weighty matters on his mind. He had promises to keep but had run out of his miles. With his tenure fast coming to an end, how did he stack up against the promises he had made to the natives?

If he couldn't convince them he must try and confuse them. The numbers came thick and fast.

'I've increased food grain production from 13.5 million tonnes, five years ago, to 19.7 million tonnes last year', he thundered.

'I've brought 1.5 million acres of land under cultivation and will add 1.7 million acres by the third month of next year'.

'I gave you loans at chaar anna interest'

The natives heard in shocked silence. It couldnt be possible, they thought. If what Choupat Raja said was true then why did 2859 farmers from Andher Nagari commit suicide in the last five years?

The natives spoke in hushed whispers now.

Choupat Raja had promised that he would protect them. They recalled how he had told them, 'Chathur Raja is only interested in the welfare of the townies. You don't exist for him'.

Isn't that why they collectively decided to replace Chathur Raja, their erstwhile ruler, with the promising Choupat?

Pangs of guilt tugged their heartstrings as they recalled Chathur Raja's reign. Hadn't he set up Rythu Bazaars for them so that they could cut out the middlemen and sell their harvest directly to the townies? Hadn't he inspired them to work as a community with the Janmabhoomi programme? Had he not been able to reduce their dependence on the babus with his e-seva initiative? There was a palpable energy in Andher Nagari during his reign. Maybe it was because, for once, they had a ruler who worked 18 hours a day. His energy was infectious. They remembered fondly his passion for technology. They did not understand it then. They still did not understand technology. But they understood that whatever it was. Chathur Raja was passionate about it. The natives nodded quitely to themselves. His reign was not without its flaws. But isn't it true that even a diamond gets measured by its flaws?

Its time once again for the natives of Andher Nagari to choose a new ruler.

All fairy tales have a happy ending. I am not so sure about this one though.


On May 11, 2004, Chandrababu Naidu stepped down as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh after his party, the TDP, was trounced in the state elections. He was the longest serving Chief Minsiter of the state until then. The TRS, lead by K Chandrasekhar Rao, made an impactful debut, bagging 26 out of the 42 seats it contested from Telengana. The Congress and its allies bagged 226 seats in the 294 member assembly reducing the TDP tally to an abysmal 49. The stock market crashed by 230 points, its worst loss in four years, after the tech savvy chief minister's defeat. I viewed the election result as a Victory for Democracy but a Defeat for Development.

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