Memories associated with ‘Ramudu-Bheemudu’ and Nehru

Memory is the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information, events and something drawn from the past, recalling incidents that become part of one’s life. Events like birthdays and marriage anniversaries are celebrated because it gives us a way to feel good about ourselves and our accomplishments. If the day is more solemn we ‘observe’ it. I don’t know to which category my memory of events fits in.

Every May 27 takes me back to an event associated with the death of Pandit Nehru in 1964. I was barely 12 years old when I and my best friend went to see the matinee show of Ramudu-Bheemudu, in Zamrud theatre, one of the oldest and grandest in terms of its location, bang in the middle of Abids. But it sadly vanished without a trace in the race for survival. Zamrud was the granddaddy of all theatres as far as Hindi movies were concerned. But sometimes it screened Telugu movies where there was a guarantee of a huge hit. I still can’t figure out how my parents permitted me to go to the theatre, which was far from my house, not easy for girls of those days.

Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, NTR, the hero, played a double role, his first, as Ramudu and Bheemudu. Mostly twins were depicted as two peas in a pod sharing an unbreakable bond and always confusion occurred due to mistaken identity. Invariably one was always shown as street- smart and the other naive.

There was a time in Bollywood and regional films when losing one of the twins at Kumbh Mela was all the rage and a recurrent theme. But sadly, in these modern times such themes don’t work because technology comes to the rescue of the separated. Let me come back to the incident etched in my memory. The maroon curtains in front of the screen rose slowly and the movie began at 2.30 pm with adrenaline rushing through all. The actual movie started with the villain inaugurating a rice mill and addressing the workers. The hero, scared of the villain, timidly makes his entry to watch the entertainment program that follows and the whole hall erupted into loud applause and whistling. As the movie continued further his double, the street-smart guy, enters and rescues a damsel in distress.

And obviously the next thing that happened was total confusion and the heroine fell in love with the mistaken twin and the twins’ places were interchanged accidentally. When all were engrossed in the confusion, suddenly the screening stopped and the theatre manager appeared on the stage and with folded hands he appealed to all to maintain silence and hear him. He chokingly announced “Pandit ji is no more”. He requested everybody to be calm and move to the ticket window and collect the money that would be refunded. Those were the days when honesty prevailed and everyone followed the instructions. We patiently waited and collected our two rupees. The amount was great value then because gold itself cost rupees Rs 65 a tola. Pandit Nehru commanded such respect that people waited patiently for their turn and dispersed silently with a heavy heart.

Nehru was Prime Minister for 17 long years, a long tenure for a Prime Minister, but a short episode in a country’s history. Looking back in time, there was not a single sphere of economic activity which Nehru did not cover. Some were successful and some failed. Nehru’s life and work had a profound influence on the mental makeup and social structure, especially on those born 6 to 7 decades ago.

When you talk of IITs, the world class institutions, you will be immediately reminded of Nehru. You will be surprised to know that the land on which IIT Bombay has been built was donated by a freedom fighter Chandrabhan Sharma to the government of India at the behest of Nehru for just one rupee!

“The evil that men do lives after them; the good is often interred with their bones”, says Mark Antony in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. It means that people are often remembered for their wrong doings while the memories of everything good they did are often buried along with the corpse. The memory of goodness fades from the world far sooner than the effects of evil.

A wise person learns from his mistakes (Once bitten twice shy). A wise one learns from other’s mistakes. But the wisest learns from the successes and the mistakes of others.