Rajaram Kisan, now 98 years old, was a legislator in the first elected Assembly in Uttar Pradesh in 1952. He lives in his Kisan Ashram in Pratapgarh district, does not have a bank balance or a car and spends his time tending to his cows and a small farm.
On Sunday, he was so overwhelmed at being honoured by the UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav during the 125th year celebrations of the state legislature that he kept shouting “Mukhya Mantri zindabad” in between the three-hour programme.
“I had never even imagined that these people would remember me and bring me here. I am deeply touched and it seems I have got a new lease of life,” he told this correspondent on the sidelines of the function. Kamal Ahmad Rizvi, 95, was also a member of the first elected legislature in the state and shared the dais with Rajaram Kisan on Sunday. He was also felicitated by the chief minister. The veteran leader sat pensively throughout the function, did not utter a word but watched the proceedings with rapt attention. Occasionally, he looked up at the dome of the Vidhan Sabha and peered at the peacocks painted on it — that was something that had not changed since 1952.
“The whole world seems to have changed in politics. Leaders are no longer what they used to be. There is no sense of dedication and sincerity towards the people. Each one is keen to fill the coffers,” he said.
Former UP and Uttarakhand chief minister Narain Dutt Tiwari, at 88, was the third veteran MLA to be felicitated on the occasion. He was also the chief guest at the “quasquicentennial celebrations”.
Mr Tiwari, in his speech, quoted from the Bhagwad Gita, recalled his experiences of the freedom struggle and sang several patriotic songs.