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Editor: Sandeep Suman
Cameraperson: TK Smitha
The sun was blazing, sending sweat trickling down our foreheads. But that didn’t dampen the high spirits in Pandavapura, a remote village in Karnataka. Men, women, grandmothers and kids were on the streets to see this prodigal son. Dhols echoed, green shawls were twirled in the air, old women sat around the banyan tree sharing stories of ‘back then...’ when the senior Puttannaiah was around.
I was on the campaign trail with Darshan Puttannaiah, son of the veteran leader KS Puttannaiah who recently passed away. The excitement for him was palpable, built on the foundations of his father’s legacy.
Clad in jeans and a shirt with a green shawl over his shoulder, Darshan Puttannaiah has left behind the last 15 years of his life in the US to make a mark in his hometown.
KS Puttannaiah was the lone farmers’ leader in the Legislative Assembly. His demise was seen as a big blow to Karnataka’s farmer movement.
Whether it was the issue of loans, fixing the procurement price for sugarcane, the Cauvery water-sharing arrangement, drought, drinking water, farmers’ suicides and harassment by private financiers, he was always at the forefront, raising his voice for the farmers.
It’s not for no reason that the villagers in the Pandavapura district call him the ‘son of the soil.’
Mamta, a resident of Pandavapura, told The Quint:
After being away for 15 years, his father’s untimely death has brought the junior Puttannaiah to the stage. His aim? To take his father’s work forward.
Having completed his engineering from Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering in Mysuru, he then went to the US, where he became Chief Executive Officer of Qwinix Technologies Inc, a software design company founded in 2012. Now, he wants to bring new technology to farmers who still practice traditional farming in Mandya, he wants to educate farmers about alternate farming methods, and he wants to build infrastructure.
Mandya is located at the heart of the Cauvery water-sharing dispute – a very sensitive district. For years, there has been a raging battle between the JD(S) and Congress to win elections and gain farmers’ trust. And this time, Congress has chosen not to field any candidate from Melukote, and back the young Puttannaiah instead.
Darshan says that although he has lived away for 15 years, he has always been connected to his roots. The farmers of this land believe in him too – a trust that was evident in the thousands that marched with him the day he filed his nomination.
So what is on Puttannaiah’s agenda that has earned their trust?
For the voters here, the Cauvery water-sharing issue is the deciding factor. KS Puttannaiah had urged the constitution of a committee to study rainfall and determine how much water reaches both states. Mutual talks were key, he believed. Darshan echoes the same sentiments.
Puttannaiah is gaining the trust of youngsters by tapping into their mood – they believe the need of the hour is a leader for whom farmer issues are a priority, and for whom technology is a modern solution to age-old problems.
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