Thursday, December 4, 2008

మిత్రులు తుమ్మల శేషగిరిరావుగారి మృతి పట్ల సంతాపసందేశం

మిత్రులు శ్రీ తుమ్మల శేషగిరిరావు గారి మరణం మమ్మల్ని ఎంతో వ్యాకులపరుస్తున్నది. ఆయన ఎంతో నిరాడంబరుడు, నిజాయితీపరుడు, కార్యదీక్షావేత్త. సోషలిస్టు ఆశయాలపట్ల ఎంతో అభిమానం వున్న మంచి మనిషి. ఆయన శ్రీమతి జగదాంబ గారికి, వారి పిల్లలకు, బంధు మిత్రులందరికీ మా ప్రగాఢ సంతాపం తెలుపుతున్నాము.
My Homage to Seshagiri Rao Master
I think it was in the early 1980s that I got acquainted with Sri Seshagiri Rao Master. My good friend and REC classmate, Chigurupati Chandrasekhar Rao, was the introducer and the very first impression I got was of a lean, modest and soft spoken gentleman full of affection and warmth. You know first impression is generally a best impression and nothing what transpired afterwards would change this reading of the Master in my mind. In those days Master's house was almost an adda for me in Vijayawada and every time I found him inviting me with open arms. I had the fortune of acquaintance with his generous and affectionate father as also of friendship with his beloved sister Swarajyam too. I had visited his house to condole the death of his father but I am shocked to learn that Swarajyam is also no more, having predeceased her brother.
Seshagiri Rao master was a gentle soul and had his own way of devotion to the cause of socialism. He not only appreciated my efforts to popularize Marxism among the Telugu public but also tried to mobilize support for publications of our Marxist Study Forum too. I vividly remember how he used to take me to different bookshops in Governorpet and try to introduce our books to the respective managers whom he knew very well. I remember how he used his persuasive skills with the manager of Jayanti Publications to get some of my works on Indian revolutionaries published in Telugu but of course ultimately the effort did not succeed.

Masterji, I think many people know or call him like that [in Telugu idiom as 'maeshtaaru'], was also hooked to homeopathy. Though even I do have belief in and occasionally rely on that therapeutic system, I have no aversion to either homeopathy or allopathy as such, and support recourse to alternative therapies of all sorts in case of necessity. But I was surprised, even a little amused, to find Masterji as if addicted to homeopathy. I used to argue a lot with him of the necessity to have a balanced view in that regard but he would hear nothing; he was quite adamant in his adherence to one and only therapy – homeopathy.
After my marriage I remember to have visited him along with my wife and he was so happy at that and quite warm towards us. After his marriage I visited him twice or thrice, especially once when his little son was ailing and I saw how much care he took of that boy – but invariably administering homeopathic medicines alone. I am sure he was a loving and helpful husband to his wife and an enlightening instructor to his son. I heard people highly speak of his devotion to his profession – teaching, and the absolute honesty and truthfulness in his conduct towards fellow humans. He never thought of money making and was content with what he received out of his modest and honest efforts. He was an unostentatious, gentle and humane socialist. My sincere homage to his illustrious personality.
- I. Mallikarjuna Sharma, Convener, Marxist Study Forum;
Advocate and Editor, Law Animated World.

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