Dad's Statue Reinstated and Unveiled on his 100th Birthday

Dad would have turned 100 on April 1, 2024. I did not realise it. But someone did, from his village Polamuru in West Godavari district. For someone who came from a small village and a family with meagre means, he had risen to great heights - studied civil engineering at Guindy and retired as a Chief Engineer in the Roads and Buildings department in Andhra Pradesh. He gave all six kids a good education, all the comforts, a love for music and books before he passed away in 1984 - when he was just sixty.

Cousin Kishore, Dad's favorite, garlanding Dad's bust

Dad, Shri Paruvu Venkanna, was a kind-hearted man who apparently helped many. I have heard stories from others about how he got people jobs etc which is a great way to help a family. Thanks to all his good deeds a couple of decades ago a relative of ours initiated and got his statue erected in that tiny, blink-and-miss village Polamuru. Probably the most well known son of that village perhaps. Over time that bust fell off and people forgot about it. So did we. The one time I saw it I was not too happy about it but obviously realised that I could not ask for the moon - someone did something I had not.

Unveiling the bust

The plaque

Until the other day when I heard that one Mr Ramakrishna garu had, at his personal cost erected a new bust of Dad and got it inaugurated at Polamuru on February 2, 2024. Being deeply grateful to Ramakrishna garu for his initiative at keeping Dad's memory alive I called him the other day. He took time to tell me the entire story.

Ramakrishna garu, a native of Polamuru, studied in Veeravasaram until his Xth class and then completed his Intermediate at Narsapur. He married in 1974 and was desperate for a job to. Someone suggested that he meet Dad who was then working at Bhadrachalam, and he did. Dad got him a job as a Works Inspector - a job that he says saved him from a life and death situation. It was tough work he said, carrying telephone pillars and stuff. Being a temporary job his pay was 300 bucks.

Looks like Ramakrishna garu left the job or whatever but he met Dad again in Polamuru when Dad had gone to condole a relative's death. Dad asked him to meet him at Warangal where he was posted (and even gave him 100 bucks for transport etc). When Ramkarishna garu did arrive, Dad sent him to the Executive Engineer in Khammam, Mr Raghavaswamy. (Ramakrishna garu had an amazing memory for names and dates). 

Now Dad went to Khamman on a camp and personally saw that Ramkrishna garu cleared his interview with the District Employment Officer and had him appointed as a proper works inspector in 1978 (4/3/978 was the date as Ramakrishna garu told me). In this job he worked for 33 years until he retired in February 2010.

Back in Polamuru as a happy retiree, Ramakrishna garu was aware that Dad's cousin Prabhakar had erected his statue on a private property. The statue and the place went to seed after a while. The statue was kept inside someplace. Prabakhar himself passed away.

 

It was during that time that Ramakrishna garu's wife Smt Vedamani told him that Dad was like a god to them and to all the 100-150 people who got jobs thanks to him and that they should personally take up the project of reerecting that bust. Spurred on by support from her, Ramakrishna garu collected 50 signatures, went to the panchayat and got the approval to erect the bust in a public area. He started work and spent a lakh of rupees on the project. Once it was completed he invited only engineers as guests (and not politicians) to unveil the statue which I think was a thoughtful gesture - 4 Executive Engineers, 6 Divisional Engineers and 10 Junior engineers graced the occasion. Bhaskara Rao garu, Superintending Engineer, QC, from Vijayawada presided over the function along with John Moses garu from Eluru Circle. Ramakrishna garu took care of all arrangements - shawls, flowers, garlands, snacks for about a 100 people etc. My cousins Kishore and Ruthkala attended the function.

I am amazed at Dad's good work because it is not easy for someone to be remembered forty years after he passed away (Dad died in 1984). There is something that he did right that people cannot forget him, want to remember him, are moved to act in such selfless ways.

The Stage

Dad would have been embarrassed by all this attention. But suffice to say - amazed and proud of you Dad. I don't think I will ever be able to achieve what you did. But hopefully I will at least do enough to be worthy of a small part of what you represented, what you achieved and what you were.

Thanks once again Ramakrishna garu.