Uzhavoor celebrates the Indian dream

In the 300-plus homes in Uzhavoor, the swearing in of Kocheril Raman Narayan as President of the Indian Republic on Friday morning was marked by the lighting of candles and prayers for his well-being.

Uzhavoor, of course, is Narayanan's birthplace and, for the natives, the day was special.

The small village dressed up in its best for the event, and immediately after the swearing in ceremony was concluded in far away New Delhi, the residents of Narayanan's birthplace spilled onto the streets in spectacular, colourful celebrations that spilled over from the schools and market place into the bus stand and taxicab ranks... in fact, all over.

No visitor could be in any doubt about the reason for the villagers making whoppee -- the entire stretch of road that links Uzhavoor to the nearly Palai town and other adjoining villages like Ramapuram, Kowipally, Kudappalam Peruvanthanam and Kuruvilangad were decorated with Narayanan's posters, as were the walls, telephone posts, and even the trees of Uzhavoor itself.

The celebrations cut across religious lines. Thus, Narayanan's health and well-being formed the focus of Friday prayers in the local church, ditto in the local Sri Krishna temple.

At Narayanan's modest home in Uzhavoor, his 80-year-old sister K R Gowri and 69-year-old younger brother K R Bhaskaran were up before dawn, to pray at both the church and temple.

On their return, they found a delegation of 50 of the prominent citizens, led by Uzhavoor panchayat president Jose Cherukara, waiting to take them in procession to the town hall, where a television set had been installed so that all villagers could watch Narayanan take the oath that would elevate him to the highest office in the land.

"I am overwhelmed by the villagers' love towards my brother," said Gowri.

Immediately after the swearing in, Gowri and Bhaskaran distributed sweets, before the congregation moved to the Kurichithanam lower primary school, where Narayanan was a student way back in 1927.

The students celebrated with song and dance, before they joined Gowri, Bhaskaran and the rest of the villagers in a candle-light procession, singing paeans to Uzhavoor's favourite son.

Of course, Uzhavoor was merely the focus -- the celebrations spanned all of Kerala. The government sponsored distribution of sweets in all schools in its bailiwick, while the Kottayam and Paras municipal councils decided to adopt 21 poor families in the district and offer them a K R Narayanan award of Rs 25,000 apiece this coming year.

And all this, we are told, is just the beginning -- at least for Uzhavoor. A village committee headed by local legislator K H Mani has invited India's President for a public felicitation sometime in August, the exact date to be decided in consultation with Rashtrapati Bhavan.

"We want Narayanan's first public programme to be held in Uzhavoor," said Mani.

For Uzhavoor, that is the moment to wait for. When he left, he was that Kocheril boy, Raman Naryananan. When he returns, he will be His Excellency, the President of India.

And when they see him, they will realise that there is, for every single one of them, reason to hope, to believe in the Indian dream.

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