Just as all roads led to Avvai Shanmugam Salai in Chennai, a bare-chested visually-challenged man stood outside a partially deserted AIADMK party office here with his sole possessions in life — an earthen pot, a plastic cover with four sturdy iron rings, his old age pension (OAP) card, two crumbled petition papers seeking a differently-abled identity card, and a ration card. The cause for his celebration was the news of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s acquittal by the Karnataka High Court in the disproportionate assets case. “They were bursting crackers everywhere, and when I asked the people, they said ‘Amma’ has been released,” says the 60 year old destitute, who believed his only tribute to the AIADMK leader was to sing her songs.
This ardent fan of MGR and Jayalalithaa, lost his eyesight at the age of seven.
‘Amma’s’ songs
On Monday, having travelled from Nagampatti panchayat in Madrahalli here, he stood on the cracker littered street overlooking the local AIADMK office, crooning away ‘Amma’s’ songs
Even as he revelled in the celebrations he could not see, for Venugopal, a differently-abled identity card and a ration card will clear his woes. “I hope Amma’s release will fetch me these two."
