'A Political Biography of NTR' by veteran journalist K Ramachandra Murthy, takes stock of the indomitable force that was NTR.
Published May 28, 2023 | 9:15 AM ⚊ Updated May 28, 2023 | 4:19 PM
NT Rama Rao, whose birth centenary falls on 28 May, 2023. (Wikimedia Commons)
Senior Journalist K Ramachandra Murthy, who has been editor of top print and electronic media, has come out with a biography of Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, popularly known as NTR, on the occasion of his centenary celebrations on 28 May, which, unlike others, captures the quintessence of the actor-turned-politician’s personality.
He authored the book in two languages. In English, it is A Political Biography of NTR brought out by Harper Collins, and in Telugu it is NTR: Rajakiya Jivita Chitram, Asalu Katha. It is a rare feat.
The books were released at a packed event at the Daspalla hotel in Hyderabad by former Supreme Court Justices Jasti Chelameswar and B Sudarshan Reddy.
Author K Ramachandra Murthy
Ramachandra Murthy is a down-to-earth journalist, but when the occasion comes, his pen is very incisive. He is known for calling a spade a spade. His two books on NTR, though they are biographies, capture the towering actor-politician’s personality in all its facets, positive and negative alike.
In a free-wheeling interview with the South First, Ramachandra Murthy explained what had prompted him to write the book, the new angles in NTR’s personality that remained less probed, including his demi-god personality that always fascinated people. Here are edited excerpts:
Q. What prompted you to write the book on NTR?
A. He was a great personality. He was an extraordinary actor and politician. Nothing more is necessary for anyone to write a biography. His acting prowess was unparalleled, particularly the characters in mythological films. He won elections big and lost them big. He was never daunted. He belonged to a different class of politicians. He was not the average politician that you come across — the scheming and manipulative type. He was very straightforward.
Q. What has attracted you most in his personality?
NTR – A Political Biography book covers.
A. He was a man with an indomitable spirit. His courage always astounded me. He never minced words about what he thought was right. He was dogged and persistent in pursuit of his objectives. For instance, within nine months of founding the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), he won the 1983 elections with 202 of the 294 seats in the Assembly.
In September same year, he fell victim to the machinations of his own minister Nadendla Bhaskara Rao, backed by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi. The coup was pulled off when NTR was abroad for heart surgery. After his return to India, he launched an agitation for the restoration of democracy in which even the BJP and the Communists took part. Finally, Indira Gandhi capitulated and NTR became the chief minister once again.
A month later, when general elections were held following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the Congress swept the Lok Sabha polls all over the country, but NTR led his TDP to a landslide victory.
Whimsical as he was, NTR dissolved the Assembly after the Lok Sabha elections and sought a fresh mandate from the people in 1985. The TDP won the polls again hands down. Thus he became a leader who won elections for the second consecutive year and the one who was sworn in as the chief minister four times.
But he lost the elections in 1989 and became the Opposition leader in the Assembly. He won again in 1994, but was overthrown by his son-in-law N Chandrababu Naidu. He saw so many ups and down in such a short span of time, but never lost heart.
Q. Why did people treat him as a demi-god?
A. Unlike any other actor, NTR fitted into all mythological characters with remarkable ease. He fitted as easily into Lord Rama’s character as he did into Krishna’s or Shiva’s. People saw God in him. When he came out of films and contested, they thought it was God who came before them and voted him to power. This image of his, aided by his diction and intonation of voice during his public meetings, had mesmerised the people. They never thought twice.
Q. How do you rate his performance in administration?
Justices Chelameswar and Sudarshan Reddy with the author at the book launch event.
A. He always wanted to serve people. He had that calling. He came out with welfare schemes that had become precursors for several such schemes that followed later. His ₹2 a kg rice scheme, though adopted from Tamil Nadu’s ₹1 a kg rice scheme, caught on with the people in Andhra Pradesh, particularly the poor, who had never seen such generosity from the earlier Congress regimes.
NTR also carved a niche for himself in the hearts of farmers by subsidising power to agriculture pump sets which made them feel that they were in debt to him. He removed the Patel-Patwari system in the state, which was a great relief. Even today, people remember it was the time when they were emancipated from exploitation. He also brought in a Mandal System that ushered in a new decentralised administration as it is three-tier governance — village, mandal and zilla parishad.
Q. Where did NTR fail then?
A. Rama Rao always had a bloated ego. No one to could surpass him in this aspect. He never treated his MLAs with respect. In fact, after his victory in 1985, he never even bothered to remember the names of his MLAs. He never met MLAs and depended on his son-in-law Chandrababu Naidu. He used to think that the MLAs were there because of him. In 1989, NTR sacked his entire 31-member Cabinet for leaking budget proposals to the media.
Q. Do you think NTR’s name still has some magical power?
A. Undoubtedly. The legacy lives on. The younger generation connects to NTR through Jr NTR, who takes after him. The older generation still remembers him as though he had cast a spell on them.
That is why Chandrababu Naidu is trying to benefit from NTR’s legacy even now, like Sharmila and Jagan Mohan Reddy who are using their father YS Rajasekahr’s Reddy’s name for their political longevity.
