Vajpayee’s patient hearing changed their lives

Nalgonda fluoride victims recollect former PM’s gesture

Kothapalli Narsimha, now 27, with Dusarla Satyanarayana of Jala Sadhana Samithi and another victim Lakshmamma at an interaction with The Hindu in Nalgonda on Friday.

On March 12, 2003, two days after 500-odd people from Nalgonda reached Jantar Mantar in New Delhi for anti-fluoride protests, three had got an appointment with the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

It was not easy, as the House was in session. Then Union Minister of State for Railways Bandaru Dattatreya’s word helped fix a two-minute interaction.

“They said it will be just two minutes — submit representation and a photograph. But Mr. Vajpayee, who started listening to us stood there for more than 30 minutes,” recollects Dusarla Satyanarana, leader of Jala Sadhana Samithi, a two-decade old people’s organisation fighting for water and rights.

The photograph of this interaction, Mr. Vajpayee in his favourite blue Nehru jacket on one side flanked by Mr. Dattatreya and Mr. Satyanarayana on the opposite, became iconic.

The reason: Two important subjects in the photograph — 21-year-old Amsula Swami, deformed by fluorosis, was laid on the Prime Minister’s table and another victim 12-year-old Kothapally Narsimha, with crippling skeletal fluorosis, was standing.

Mr. Vajpayee’s two questions are fresh in memory, says Mr. Satyanarayana. “

Y

eh pani

( water with fluoride concentration as high as 10 mg per litre

)

garam kare tho na

hi jaata kya? Kuch chemical mila

ya

tho ?”

Although my Hindi and English was broken and mixed, he gave a patient hearing and was visibly moved by the plight of the victims, Satyanarayana recalls. And within a fortnight, ₹ 350 crore was sanctioned to set up the river Musi water treatment plant, and other related works. There was another surprise in store from the protesters from Andhra Pradesh. All senior citizens and fluoride victims were given a free ride back in reserved compartments of the Dakshin Express and the A.P. Express by the Indian Railways.

Kothapally Narsimha, standing in the photograph was studying in sixth class then, is 27 now and Amsula Swami is 36. They draw a monthly pension of ₹ 1500 from the Telangana State government. Owing to their physical deformities, Narsimha and Swami cannot work, and always need help.

“I don’t know English or Hindi, so I could not understand what he said then. But only after that meeting, we were in the media,” Narsimha says.