The Rediff Special/Shobha Warrier

Al Seshan!

On Monday, T N Seshan takes on K R Narayanan in the election for the President of India. Shobha Warrier, who met him recently for an interview for Rediff On The NeT, recalls his encounter with the fiery mandarin-turned-Messiah.

It is only an hour's drive from Madras to Sriperumbudur, but the National Highway is in bad shape. Last year's north-east monsoon had created havoc on almost every road in the east coast area. More than six months have passed, but the roads still look patched up. It was not exactly a pleasure to drive along the bumpy road in our jalopy.

Also, we encountered umpteen cyclists, overcrowded buses driving menacingly and, of course, speeding taxis. Everybody was in a hurry to reach their offices, schools and factories. We, too, were in a hurry; our appointment was at nine in the morning.

Once inside the village, though, the transformation was dramatic. We could not see anyone walking or moving around hastily. All of them were rather indolent and seemed to enjoy the leisurely pace of life. Even the cows, buffaloes and goats looked serene and peaceful. Men crowded in front of tea shops, perhaps gossiping about Rajnikanth's latest film or the inevitable friction between the TMC and the DMK.

The moment our car stopped, they got up from their cozy seats and came near us enquiringly. Yes, they were more willing than to guide us to the place where former chief election commissioner T N Seshan lived.

"You take a left turn, go straight, then take a right and soon you can see an Amman Koil. Don't turn there, go ahead, straight ahead. No, you will not miss the route. After all, it is a small village, Amma. If Seshan is there, you will be can see the police cars from afar itself," our good samaritan told us enthusiastically.

"No, he is not there. Yesterday, I passed by the ashram but didn't see any police cars there. He is not here, Madam," another person butted in.

Naturally, this infuriated the first person, "Who told you he is not there? Today morning, when I came cycling, I saw several police cars parked in front. Yes, he is there. Amma, you following my instructions and you will reach the ashram without any problem."

"No, I didn't see any cars yesterday."

"That was yesterday, not today."

We left them fighting over Seshan's presence.

The first person who had come cycling to the tea shop in the morning was right. We could see a number of cars parked in a row on one side of the road. As we reached nearer, the black cat commandos seated inside the cars glared at us as if we were there to bomb the place.

We were stopped near the gate. Explanations to the fact that we were here to see T N Seshan had no effect; we were politely asked to wait. "We came to see Krishna Kumar (the managing director of the Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, Coimbatore, who runs the ashram)," I said. The transformation was unbelievable. We were ushered in royally.

Gokul Dham does not look like a conventional ashram, especially with the gun-toting soldiers standing outside, but it was tranquil and there were flowers and greenery all around.

We were early for our appointment, but were taken to Seshan's room immediately. Seshan looked at us with a grim expression, but his wife, a very sweet lady, smiled at us. The introductions were promptly performed and a formal "Good Morning" indicated that he was ready for the interview.

His countenance and appearance were intimidating but, in reality, he was not as fearsome as perceived. He has mellowed down a lot. Though he was very serious and withdrawn with me, he was very informal and friendly with my son (who bunked school and came with me to Sriperumbudur to see Seshan) and constantly cracked jokes and quizzed him.

Once the interview started, Seshan was quite open and spoke without any inhibition. Though I was supposed to be asking him questions, he reversed the role several times, much to my discomfort.

Contrary to the general belief, Seshan has not shifted his base to the ashram. He shuttles between Delhi, Madras, Sriperumbudur and many others places. "I don't consider any place as an absolute base or camp. Life itself is a big camp. Sometimes I am in the Delhi camp, sometimes I am in the Madras camp, sometimes I am in the Sriperumbudur camp. I find this ashram a much better place to reflect in than Delhi."

The Kshethropasan Trust, of which Seshan is a member, also runs old age homes, schools, an Ayurveda hospital, and a mobile dispensary. It has even adopted a village and is in the process of rebuilding the thatched huts and providing a regular source of water.

Before we commenced the interview, Seshan said, "We are going to the village at 10.30. The first house is ready. So, there is a function there." He was going to hand over the keys of the house to the young owner.

At ten thirty, he left. Naturally, so did we. The first car sped away with the Seshans, followed by several cars, all full of armed commandos. What amused me was the way the commandos jumped into the moving car. They would wait outside till the car started moving before jumping into the car, clutching onto the door first, then sliding in like some reptiles.

Our first stop was at another small ashram with temples, lots of trees, greenery and flowers all around. As soon as the first car carrying Seshan stopped, the other vehicles also screeched to a halt. The commandos jumped out even before the vehicles even stopped. To tell you the truth, their magnificent feat was my highlight of the trip.

Seshan, his wife and Krishna Kumar walked fast, so did the commandos. Some of them had to follow him to the temple too, so they removed their shoes in a hurry. The acrobatics were repeated as the cars fled to their next destination. We found it difficult to keep pace with them in our jalopy. There were no pucca roads to the village, the few that were there were laid by the Trust. The convoy of vehicles moved fast, raising a lot of red dust. Finally, we decided to slow down.

A huge crowd was waiting for Seshan near the village. They knew who he was and what he did during his tenure as the chief election commissioner. "Ayya is helping us now," they said. After the usual rituals like breaking the coconut, performing an arti and blessing everyone, the Seshans went inside the house to hand over the key to the bewildered young man.

A special pandal had been built for the next function. Men and women of all ages and sizes had assembled there to receive bed sheets, bed covers and blankets, donated by some kind-hearted north Indian. Seshan's wife distributed the sheets, asking kind things of everyone. Meanwhile, Seshan enlightened them, "Do you know where north India is? Somebody from there has sent you all this."

Function over, all of them scrambled back to the cars. It was like watching a movie on fast forward. But Seshan was an energetic man in a hurry. Ensconced once again in his room at Gokul Dham, he continue with the interview. Only to issue a stern warning at five minutes to 12.30. "I give you five minutes to finish the interview."

Krishna Kumar had selected cooks from Kerala for the ashram's kitchen. As a result, we were served a delicious Keralite meal. Seshan and his wife had lunch on plantain leaves, we used steel plates. Seshan was silent as he ate. After he had finished his lunch, Krishna Kumar commented, "You can photograph Seshanji's plantain leaf. It will look as if it was not used before. Nothing will be left on the leaf except drum sticks."

"He always says that if somebody offered him millions of rupees, he would eat them too," his wife joked. Everyone laughed except, of course, Seshan. We left the ashram with Seshan's "God bless you" ringing in our ears.

Photographs: Sanjay Ghosh

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