Unmindful of the scorching kathiri heat, one man cycles to Chennai all the way from Vellore, one pierces badges on his body and another wears a shirt made of banners. All of them have one thing in common – they did this to >celebrate the victory of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in the Lok Sabha elections.
They were among cadres who were rejoicing at the AIADMK headquarters in Royapettah. Many were dancing to songs that starred M.G. Ramachandran, some were distributing sweets, while some others were distributing AIADMK merchandise to people.
Though their efforts in the election campaign may go unnoticed, they seem undeterred. “We are ‘Amma’s’ children. She has dedicated herself to Tamil Nadu and we in turn will sacrifice our lives for her. She will never meet defeat in future too,” says ‘Namakkal Cycle’ Govindan, a party worker.
However, there are few who stand out from the rest. Meet 58-year-old K. Sarangapani, an AIADMK member from Vellore who cycled all the way to Chennai. “I have been a member since 1972. I knew my party will emerge victorious. So I wanted to celebrate by doing something different. I started from Vellore at 7 a.m. on Thursday and reached the city at 7 p.m. on the same day. There was a cap weighing five kg on my head too,” he says.
Another man is R. Lokeshwaran from Madurai, who pierced 66 badges of AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa on the body. “I did not feel the pain as I am doing it for ‘Amma’ and the party I am so fond of. We even pulled a chariot from M.G.R Memorial to T. Nagar,” he said. P. A. Jalal, a sixty-year-old party member was found in the headquarters with the two leaves’’ symbol painted on his body. “I lost my wife three months ago. So despite my personal grief, I campaigned for AIADMK and now I am celebrating,” he said.
K. M. Gunasekaran was wearing a shirt with 66 photos of Jayalalithaa. “This is a small dedication to a person who has dedicated her life for the State’s benefit,” he said.
