Mysuru: Shivanna’s struggle is like that of Tabara Shetty, the retired government servant in the movie ‘Tabarana Kathe’ who gets pension only after the death of his ailing wife. Like Tabara Shetty, Shivanna waged a lone and long battle. But his story has a happier ending: he has convinced officialdom to release money for basic facilities in his neighbourhood.
Shivanna’s letters to bureaucrats, legislators, ministers, chief ministers, Prime Ministers and Presidents have borne fruit after a decade. The state government recently released Rs 23 lakh for the construction of roads and drains in Janatha Nagara in Kundanahalli, a village in Periyatpatna taluk, 75 km from Mysuru. Tenders have been floated for the works.
Shivanna didn’t lose hope when bureaucrats and politicians didn’t fulfill their promises. He continued writing letters though his fellow residents of Janatha Nagara told him nothing would change. Their advice was: “We will have to grin and bear it.”
Roads in the locality, formed 20 years ago, had never been asphalted. The neighbourhood lacked proper drainage. The 35 families living there would have a harrowing time when water entered their houses during monsoon. The untarred roads would be unusable after rain.
Most residents of Janatha Nagara are agricultural labourers; some do menial jobs.
Shivanna, 67, says he wrote nearly 800 letters to politicians and bureaucrats. He spent a chunk of his savings to travel to Mysuru and Bengaluru to meet politicians and bureaucrats, and to send registered letters. He never missed an opportunity to air the residents’ grievances at phone-ins, Janatha Darshans and Spandana programmes. He says he even attended grievances meetings called by the Lokayukta and the Human Rights Commission.
All he got from politicians was acknowledgements and false assurances. He says he approached chief ministers HD Kumaraswamy, BS Yeddyurappa, DV Sadananda Gowda and Siddaramaiah. He wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh too. The only time something positive happened was when the PMO directed the Karnataka chief secretary to take action on his wife’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Shivanna says he intensified his fight after meeting Lokayukta Santosh Hegde in early 2009. Inspired by Hegde, Shivanna wrote to the Prime Minister and the President but got no response.
Mysuru zilla panchayat CEO P A Gopal confirmed the state government sanctioned Rs 23 lakh for the construction of roads and drainage two weeks ago. “Work will commence soon,” he said.
Shivanna studied up to SSLC. He and his wife Jayamma, both agricultural labourers, lead a hard life. He earns about Rs 250 daily and his wife Rs 200.
“I have spent most of my earning fighting for a cause,” Shivanna says proudly.
Sweet success
Shivanna wrote to: Bureaucrats, legislators, ministers, CMs, PMs and Presidents
His demands: Asphalted roads and proper drainage in Janatha Nagara
A fortune spent on: Travelling to Mysuru and Bengaluru; sending registered letters
His inspiration: A meeting with Lokayukta Santosh Hegde
Politicians care for people only during elections and forget them when they are in difficulty. Even officials don’t care for the poor unless they are get orders from the top.
— Shivanna, the folk hero from Janatha Nagara