Life goes on...

TWO AND a half months have gone by since the kidnap of Karnataka's matinee idol, Rajkumar. An enlarged negotiating team is now trying to secure his release, along with two of his relatives held hostage by Veerappan and his Tamil extremist friends in the jungles.

The forests have suddenly become the cynosure of media attention, because of the hostage drama. But the daily life of the other inhabitants of Veerappan's stamping grounds has not been affected much, though there is some tension in the air.

Thalavadi and its environs - Rajkumar was kidnapped from his ancestral home in the area - can perhaps boast of being one of the most fertile areas. ``Anything you plant here, grows,'' says a farmer who owns about 300 acres. ``You name it, we have it. From the exquisite Alphonso mangoes and juicy oranges, to a whole range of vegetables and fruits, to turmeric, sugarcane and even coffee.''

Though most farmers are from the neighbouring districts of Tamil Nadu and those who fled Karnataka during the 1991 Cauvery riots, many Keralites have also settled down in these forests. The farm workers are mostly Kannadigas.

Except for the routine combing operations, they speak of no disturbances or disruption of their work. ``Our main problems are the movement of wild animals - elephants and bison - at the time of harvest, and the lack of communications. But we are now very conscious of the presence of extremists with alleged connections to the LTTE. That can be dangerous,'' says a middle level executive in a coffee plantation.

He says the farmers in the Thalavadi area collected Rs. 2.50 lakhs and deposited it with the Telecommunications Department for the setting up of a telephone exchange. ``Inspections were carried out, a suitable place identified, but the process has been disrupted because of the kidnap drama. All official work in the area has come to a halt. We badly need better communications.''

Most of the produce from the hills goes to Karnataka. The sugarcane is sent to the mills in the Bannari-Sathyamangalam area. The links with Karnataka are very strong, which is why there was an initial demand to club Thalavadi with Karnataka during the reorganisation of States.

The farmers recently staged a unique demonstration - asking the Centre and the States to scrap all subsidies to farmers. The reason? ``We are not getting any of these benefits. They are siphoned off. There are one hundred good schemes for agriculture, but nothing reaches the real farmers.''

On the current drama, the farmers and villagers speak in one voice: ``People in the higher reaches are very supportive of Veerappan. He has been kind and generous. But we are worried about the influx of extremists. If human rights activists want the release of TADA detenus who face no charges, people who have committed crimes and are storing weapons and explosives here must be brought to justice.''

Except for daily rumours on the movements of Rajkumar or from which house food is being sent, they have not seen either the hostages or the captors. But they feel the filmstar is sheltered quite close to the Thalavadi area, though Veerappan is elsewhere.

They are afraid that even an accidental explosion could spoil the atmosphere and their future. They hope that at least after Rajkumar's release, the Governments will gather the courage to strike and cleanse the forests once and for all.

- V. J.

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Section  : Opinion
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