ANDHRA PRADESH
I COULD SEE the large gate. It was only a stone’s throw away. But, getting close to it was another matter. My first attempt was futile—I was pushed back by the crowd thronging the gate. On the other side of the gate was Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy—the compound where he had camped overnight, to be precise.
Reddy had embarked on a 21-day bus tour ahead of the general and assembly polls in the state on May 13. Titled Memantha Sidhham (We are Ready), the bus campaign will cover the state from end to end. This day, April 13, would be day 13. He was starting from Namburu, just off National Highway 16, on the outskirts of Vijayawada.
My second attempt to get to the gate also failed. As I glanced around in desperation, I saw two former ministers forcing their way through, helped by their aides. I had no such help, but fortunately, after a few more minutes of braving the jostling, members of the chief minister’s team spotted me and helped me get through.
In the compound were tents in the colours of the YSRCP flag—blue, green and white. Candidates and senior leaders gathered for the morning briefing at around 9am. By then, Reddy had completed almost a quarter of his day. The 51-year-old is usually up by around 4:30am. The next one and a half hours are allocated for yoga and resistance exercises after which he relaxes with tea and sits down to read Telugu and English newspapers for about an hour. Post 7am, he calls up party leaders and has breakfast at around 7:30am. For years, his frugal meals have been a topic of much discussion. Breakfast is usually a glass of vegetable or fruit juice.
Esta historia es de la edición April 28, 2024 de THE WEEK India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición April 28, 2024 de THE WEEK India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
