I first met Mr. Korutla Ravi / Ravinder when he visited my house at the Nookapalli village near Jagtial to cut my hair. He is the village barber. He is professional in his work and knows the nuances of his trade well. He wore a dirty worn-out jean and a soiled shirt. His feet were covered with dust, sporting plastic red color slippers.
I did not know that this ordinary looking village barber is an epitome of devotion and single mindedness. He was one of those few men who did his might for the formation of the state of Telangana…shall I say the way a squirrel did in the Ramayana for the construction of a bridge. He swore not to wear footwear till the state of Telangana is formed. In other words, he had walked bare footed for over five years!
Renouncing something dear is an acceptable tradition in India till a certain task is accomplished / completed. Mr. Ravi, bare footed toured the entire Telangana State, thus bringing the much-needed awareness among the public regarding the benefits that the people may get once formed. Thus, he created awareness among the public. He knew well that the 50 years of sacrifice & struggle his illustrious predecessors (like Marri Channa Reddy, P.V Narasimha Rao to name a few) cannot go waste. While walking bare footed on the sacred land of Telangana he tried his best to trace the foot prints of his predecessors. He became thus an unsung forgotten illustrious son of the land.
He is the greatest fan of BRS party… for it worked tirelessly for the development of Telangana. He is contended with his present life and his profession, for his life’s dream of Telangana & it’s developmental are being fulfilled. He has no political or social aspirations. He wears the Telangana colors even today. His better half tells him to concentrate on his profession while encouraging him to continue his good work for Telangana. Seeing all this in him, I realized that he is the personification of a grass-root worker!
People call him crazy… a mad man. But he excels in his hair-styling profession. His trade perfection can only be compared to some of the greatest in this field in India like Jawed-Habib. Every person is mad in some way or the other; to continue to work at the grass-root level against the gods & odds is his passion, his madness; and it is that passion which defines a man. Yes. He is that man!
He has a small shop – where he is busy earning his livelihood. Ravi is married & has two children. He is educated till secondary school. When he was too young, like all others in the region, he went to Muscat, did odd jobs for 4 years before returning. He did not become rich…in money; but he became rich in his experience and understanding.
Thank you Korutla Ravi for bestowing me the honor of being your customer. Yes sir…every time I visit my village, nay, our village, I will be your loyal customer. Thank you for what all you have done for us. We are, indeed reaping the benefits of your sacrifice.
About the Author
Dr. K. Raja Gopal Reddy is a seasoned internationally qualified Insurance professional.
What you are reading here, may not answer all the questions we have, but has the absolute power of asking unsettling questions which increase the interest in the strange world, and show the contradictory wonders lying just below the surface of the commonest things of life. Look at this disturbing but beautiful thought of Friedrich Nietzsche “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him”.
Dr. Reddy can be reached at: raja66gopal@gmail.com
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