SOUTHSIDE STORY
THE SECOND INDIA TODAY CONCLAVE SOUTH SHOWCASED THE RISE OF THE SIX SOUTHERN STATES ACROSS SECTORS
There was drama. There was humour. There was intense debate. The second edition of the india today Conclave South held at Hyderabad on January 18 and 19 had several iconic moments: Telangana Chief Minister Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao had a rare public interaction after taking charge of the country’s youngest state. Puducherry CM V. Narayanasamy explained why a smiling photo op with Prime Minister Narendra Modi yields no results. Healthcare doyen Prathap C. Reddy and daughter Sangita spoke about the future of public health in India. Telugu superstar Mohan Babu offered a glimpse of his evolution as a father—once a conservative parent, he is today proud of his daughter Lakshmi Manchu’s achievements. Tamil actor Vishal revealed his political plans. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi dared BJP president Amit Shah to contest against him in Hyderabad. Former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar inspired the audience with the space organisation’s feats. A mother moved everyone to tears while narrating the poignant tale of her daughter converting to Islam and joining the ISIS. And actor Prakash Raj silenced a BJP spokesperson saying that he was not anti-Hindu, but anti-Modi and anti-Shah.
STATES VERSUS THE CENTRE
Underscoring the fact that India’s innate strength lies in its states, KCR emphasised how cooperative federalism can usher
“Curtailing the growth of any state is curtailing the growth of the country because a state’s wealth is the nation’s wealth.” K. CHANDRASHEKAR RAO Telangana chief minister
Yourself Count’, actor Prakash Raj, a close friend of the assassinated journalist Gauri Lankesh, held the Centre responsible for curbing freedom of expression and unleashing an aggressive Hindutva. When a BJP spokesperson objected to Raj’s criticism of Modi for following on Twitter people who celebrated Lankesh’s murder, the actor said: “I’m not anti-Hindu, I’m antiModi, anti-Amit Shah.”
ON A DIFFERENT NOTE
The cultural sessions saw performances by popular artistes. Kuchipudi dancers Yamini and Bhavana Reddy performed with Praveen Sparsh, a fusion musician who plays the mridangam. The conclave turned into a musical treat for the audience when singers Nikhita Gandhi and Karthik performed The New Tune: Singing a Fresh Song. “To survive in this industry, you need to be relevant. You need to reinvent yourself,” said Karthik.
OF FATHERS & DAUGHTERS
The DNA of acting had Telugu actor M. Mohan Babu, a veteran of 560 films, and daughter Lakshmi discuss how the house of Manchus has evolved with time. He deplored politicians for not keeping their promises, though he was a Rajya Sabha member himself. “Almost 95 per cent of the politicians are rascals. Had politicians fulfilled their promises, India would have been a better place,” he said.
Sharing similar experiences, Dr Prathap C. Reddy, the founder-chairman of the Apollo Hospitals group, and the youngest of his four daughters Sangita, a joint managing director of the group, spelt out the prescription for improving healthcare as the owner-promoters of the largest private hospital network in the country. While Dr Reddy recalled as to how he developed the first hospital and then the chain, Sangita explained that though the Indian healthcare procedures are only a tenth of the global prices, there is a need for a universal healthcare facility in India as it is expensive for people to pay from their pockets in the absence of a health insurance cover.
At the session ‘Sexism in Cinema: Time’s Up’, Kannada actor Sruthi Hariharan spoke about the casting couch and shared her traumatic experiences. “The meeting for my first Kannada film left me scared and petrified. I was only 18 then,” she said, adding that finally, she didn’t act in that film. The experience made her wiser and tougher and she learnt how to tackle such situations. Her co-panelists Pranitha Subhash and Bina Paul stressed on the need to slam sexism and end patriarchy in cinema.
Comedienne Sumukhi Suresh enthralled everyone in an exclusive stand-up show. “Always book railway tickets when you go to meet god in a temple,” she quipped talking of passengers predicaments.
POLITICS OF SOUTHERN FLAVOUR
Politicians used the platform to take pot shots at each other—as in the session on ‘Saffron and the South’. The
issues discussed ranged from the BJP’s prospects in the South to the blame game between the RSS, the Left and the Congress in the violence-hit north Kerala, the imposition of Hindi in the garb of nationalism and whether Rajinikanth will eclipse the Amma legacy in Tamil Nadu.
Telangana Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury was seen applauding Tamil Nadu farmers’ leader P. Ayyakannu while recalling the protests of the anguished growers.
Suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar foreclosed the prospects of Rajinikanth or Kamal Haasan becoming great politicians. Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar accused the ruling CPI (M) government of Pinarayi Vijayan of propagating the cult of violence in Kannur and other areas in Kerala.
“The idea of Hindi imposition and to conflate it with nationalism is entirely bogus,” said Kannada actoractivist Prakash Belwadi. Former Union minister M.M. Pallam Raju said that any political intention behind pushing a language could lead to a perception of imposition, and that would then backfire as people would resist it.
THE OTHER VOICES
In an illuminating session, A.S. Kiran Kumar, who demitted office as the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), revealed as to how we need to double our capacity to build satellites and launch them to meet the demand. Asked if the ISRO could have helped in warning fishermen before the cyclone Ockhi hit Kerala, he said that the ISRO had sent out advance information regarding the cyclone but agencies involved in disaster management operations did not pay heed to such warnings.
Fashion designers Anavila Misra, Gaurang Shah and Shravan Kumar shared thoughts on the growing demand for saris made in India. In the session, ‘Reimagining Fashion’, Lavanya Nalli of the renowned retailer Nalli’s outlined as to how trends have changed from the time women wore saris out of compulsion to the present time when they wear it out of choice. “The sari is the best canvas to experiment with. It’s a very forgiving garment. That makes it wonderful to work with artisans,” said Lavanya Nalli. To this, Anavila Misra said that innovation is also coming in a big way in saris. Shravan Kumar added, “Handlooms have a heart while power looms don’t.”
During a discussion on the ISIS and love jihad in Kerala, Bindu Sampath, whose daughter has joined the Islamic extremists in Afghanistan, held her daughter’s burqa clad photograph and said, “I am asking for my daughter, not the burqa.” To the chagrin of the furious mother the top cops with her on the panel played down the threat.
The last session saw actors Gautami, Kushbu Sundar, Taapsee Pannu and Kajal Agarwal share their experiences of being a woman in public life. Agarwal argued, “There is need for equality, empowerment and empathy,” Pannu narrated her experience of handling abusive trolls.
What stunned everyone was Kushboo’s story of walking out of home as a teenager with her mother and brother, rebelling against an abusive father. “I have never seen him after that nor do I wish to,” she said.
Showcasing such stories of grit and determination, the conclave became an exercise in solidarity.