It is 16 years since he died and I try hard to remember that day through the haze, the blur, the caliginous atmosphere that descended on our surroundings, a deep loss that obnubilated and obfuscated the lives of my boys and I for several years to come.
But just 16 years earlier than that fateful day in 2004, it was like H. Shipman said-
Across the gateway of my heart
I wrote: ‘No thoroughfare.’
But love came laughing and cried:
‘I enter everywhere.’
I was in my parent’s house, my home then, doing something just about normal, like reading a book, when the phone rang. My brother answered and called out to me and said, “ Call for you. This person says Mr. Ramakrishna Hegde wants to speak to you.” I remember screaming, “Yes, sure and I am Indira Gandhi.” My mother quickly hushed us, got up and went to the phone. She turned to me and signalled that it was true, it was indeed Chief Minister Mr. R.K Hegde who wanted to speak to me.
That was how it began. Mr. Hegde had watched my performance on television and liked the piece I performed- JagadhoDaarana, the popular Purandaradasa pada. He got to know that I was from Bangalore and wanted to congratulate me and convey his appreciation of my dance to me. Can you believe this? Can you for a moment imagine something like this happening in today’s times? A Chief Minister phoning a young, unknown classical dancer to convey his appreciation? I can still recall the feeling of elation that consumed me, that absolute sense of gratitude I felt for the entire Universe after this phone conversation.
For a couple of years after that, I used to be an invitee to get-togethers, parties at his home, whenever he had artistes, cricketers, actors, journalists over, which were pretty regular, at least once a month. My father would drop me off at his residence and come back an hour later to take me home. I always sat on one particular chair, barely spoke to anyone unless spoken to and never had anything except Coca-Cola or juice. At the appointed time, I would run out without saying any goodbyes to meet my father outside, who I was certain would be annoyed if I made him wait.
Many moons later, Hegde teased me often about those dinners, my special chair and my Cinderella-like sudden disappearances.
The word ‘joy’ summed up my life then; of daring and caring despite the odds. Mr. Hegde was relentless in his pursuit. He was the most genuine, kind-hearted, charming person I had ever met in my life. He was thirty-five years older than I.
There was no logic, no reason to our relationship. We just connected as two souls meant to be together. No one understood our relationship. We did not either, nor did we try to. So, the obvious name- calling me began. Flower girl, middle-class, social climber, political aspirant, ambitious etc. If ever I felt hurt and anguished by these comments, Mr. Hegde would tell me that these were small people with small minds and that I was meant for bigger things, with new and fresh grounds to break.
A lot was going on politically for him then. He resigned as Chief Minister because
of his own sense of who he was, his honesty and public probity and gave way to Mr. Bommai to become CM. Hegde then became one of the founders of the Janata Dal Party. He was willing to put his own political future in the back burner to ensure that a strong Opposition was formed at the national level. He was like a man possessed. He was convinced that ‘coalition politics’ was the only way forward. He said way back in 1987-88, and I quote, “unless a miracle happens, a coalition Government at the Centre comprising like -minded parties appears inevitable in the present political situation.”
Determined to find a credible national alternative, he approached V.P Singh, then Defence Minister in Rajiv Gandhi cabinet, when the controversies regarding Bofors, Quattrocchi & HDW submarines’ kickbacks started making news.
It fell upon Hegde’s shoulders to convince big leaders like Lok Dal’s Devi Lal, Janata Party stalwarts Chandrashekar, Madhu Dandawate, Biju Patnaik, I.K Gujral, Lalu Prasad Yadav, George Fernandes & others to come together under the united leadership of V.P Singh to fight the general elections. In addition to all of these, he had to take along leaders from his own State -S.R Bommai, then Chief Minister and H.D DeveGowda.
Hegde went about convincing each one of them with missionary zeal to merge to form the Janata Dal and organised a massive rally in Bangalore Palace grounds on 11th October,1988. I, with my obvious political naiveté and complete trust in the wisdom of Hegde, was witness to how dedicatedly he worked towards the making of the National Front government with V. P Singh as the Prime Minister. He was offered the Deputy Chairmanship of the Planning Commission by PM V. P Singh, which he gracefully accepted as he was not one given to lobbying for ministerial berths or positions.
They say politics is fickle; I say politics is fluid and politicians are fickle. PM V.P Singh, who the media projected as the saviour of Indian Democracy, wanted to go down in history as the champion of the backward castes and classes. Without calling for a cabinet meeting on the report submitted by the Mandal Commission, as per procedure towards ‘collective responsibility and consensus’, especially in a coalition government, V.P Singh announced the Government’s acceptance of the Mandal Commission report at a public rally. And in true ‘Caesar’s wife has to be above suspicion style,’ but primarily to clip the wings of the popular R. K Hegde, his cabinet accepted the report of a one- man Commission of a sitting judge Kuldip Singh that went into the alleged omissions and commissions of the Hegde Government, that was submitted on 22nd June, 1990. The Kuldip Singh report itself was baseless, had no evidence to back its charges and everything was based on “probable possibility,” according to legal luminaries. But, V. P Singh, thought it fit to rid Hegde even of the Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission post, even though he owed his Prime Ministership to the perseverance and commitment of R.K Hegde.
A deeply pained Hegde, came home one day and handed over to me a handwritten note to the Prime Minister offering his resignation as the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission to ensure that the Government had a free hand in dealing with the matter. As strange as strange could be, Prime Minister V. P Singh accepted this handwritten resignation. Many intellectuals, politicians, legal experts, journalists, and others who believed in the deep integrity and honesty of R. K Hegde & knew of his commitment to rid politics of corruption were shocked.
Seeking a legal opinion on the findings of this one -man Commission from former Chief Justice of India, Mr. Y.V Chandrachud, an editorial in Indian Express dated August 13,1990 said under a very telling headline – ‘IF SHAME HAD SURVIVED’, and I quote , “ ...nothing in the report survives it as ‘evidence’.....indictments framed on ‘probable possibility’, theories invented to read meanings into documents and the manifest, straightforward explanation ignored; the Commission itself as well as the energetic prosecutor himself declaring one day that neither has a shred of evidence which cast a doubt on Hegde...ignoring entirely the fact that the land was never transferred and that it was not transferred solely because of the then Chief Minister’s insistence that rules be framed under which all such cases would be dealt with.....” It continues with this very definitive stand and I quote –“if there had been any sense of honour or shame, a Judge would never have done any of this. If there were any residual sense of honour or shame, the Judge having done any of it and having been found doing it, would have vacated his seat. But this is India. Of 1990, the Commissioner Kuldip Singh having perpetrated such perversities will continue to sit in judgement on the fortunes and reputations of countless citizens.....”.
What an irony that the Supreme Court in a five-bench judgement said in 2014 that a commission of enquiry set up under 1952 law is a fact -finding body whose recommendations are not binding on the Government. ‘Dismissing the contempt petition filed by Subramaniam Swamy against the editor at that time, Arun Shourie, the five-member bench of the SC said that a Supreme Court judge doesn’t carry the powers and functions of a judge when he heads a commission of enquiry. At that time, he performs only statutory functions.’
Why did Prime Minister V. P Singh not take legal advice on this ‘Report’ before accepting Mr. Hegde’s resignation? This was the beginning of the end of his Government. His Government sure enough fell soon, when BJP withdrew support and Chandrashekar became the PM with outside support of the Congress Party.
In 1991, the Chandrashekar experiment failed and the Country was up for General Elections. This was especially significant because Hegde stood for parliamentary elections from Bagalkot constituency. There was huge excitement and he was hugely popular. His opponent was a relatively unknown person from the Congress Party Sidduname Gouda. Hegde insisted that I should campaign for him. I refused initially, said I could not, would not do it but he would not take no for an answer.
For one month, I camped in Bagalkot at Ajay Kumar Sarnaik’s farm, from where I would go to different legislative constituencies and do door to door campaigning. No one knew who I was and nor did I care. I was there for Hegde, and only for him. Whether people thought I was the daughter, or a party worker or whatever hardly mattered to me.
Soon, the local party workers started liking me and would request me to be present to campaign. My daily itinerary was filled up and I started enjoying meeting people and asking for votes for Hegde. I even went to Sidduname Gouda’s house and met his mother and had buttermilk with her. A simple, straight-forward woman, she said she admired R.K Hegde and had advised her son not to accept the Congress ticket against him. But, destiny played its tricks and Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated right the middle of the campaign and after the first phase of the elections. The campaign was called off and elections postponed. When they did take place, R.K Hegde lost to a relatively unknown youngster because of the huge sympathy wave for Rajiv Gandhi.
A political lull set in for Hegde. He seemed happier though. He seemed carefree and would insist on my playing golf with him & HGV Reddy every morning at the Airforce Golf Club or at KGA later whenever we were both in Bangalore. He had more time for reading, writing, music, and cultural programmes which he loved so much. Our relationship grew stronger. My career as a professional danseuse was on the rise. I was traveling a lot, in India and overseas. Through the Prasiddha Foundation, which we registered in 1990, I began organising huge dance -music festivals and all the famous artistes of India would come to perform at Sharad Vaibhava and Eka Aneka festivals. I was riding the crest of the wave. And all on my own steam. R.K Hegde respected me for it. And his was the valuable presence in my life ,which dwarfed everything else, and made everything seem so easy and enjoyable.
It is impossible to be free from the humanness of experience, a life led, ineliminable memories, intangible bonding. How can I be objective about what to me is ‘personal’ or ‘emotional?’
Life is like a ‘jewelled cup’- but unless there is the wine of love in it, it is lonely and lost. I had it all - love, freedom, free-will and the sheer joy of doing what I desired.
I want our 22-year-old boys to know the ‘Ramakrishna Hegde- Prathibha Prahlad’ story from me in first person. And I want them to know that “it is love, not reason, that is stronger than death”.
Prathibha Prahlad is a pre-eminent danseuse, guru, choreographer, author, and cultural visionary. A distinguished speaker, socio-political activist, feminist, and culture multiplier add to her multi-faceted profile. She is the recipient Padmashri and Sangeet Nataka Akademi awards. She was a long-term companion of Ramakrishna Hegde and lives in Delhi with their two sons.
