I’m back in Ooty after a week with
Cyril and Gita. As part of the ongoing biography project, Cyril organized
interviews with people who had known George, and family members on his father’s
side; and Gita interviewed them. It takes time to dredge out half-buried memories.
I listened to the mp3 file of my own interview, and am surprised I could ramble
so long and say so little. But after 1967, when I joined the IAS, I had little
contact with my mother and siblings in Hyderabad. There were no mobile phones,
for one thing – not that my mother would have been caught dead with one.
That brings me to the purpose of this
blog: to let people ‘out there’ know what we and like-minded others are doing:
to make sure George does not remain unsung, if not unwept and unhonoured. I am
sure there are a lot of people who knew George, knew what made him tick, and want
to talk about it. Others may have an insight into how Razakar-dominated
Hyderabad turned into today’s property developers’ paradise; and put Osmania
University in the forefront of both revolutionary and reactionary politics.
We don’t know your present location, you
may not even know us, but your contribution will be invaluable. Feel free to make
posts on this blog, but if you prefer the personal touch, call up Cyril at
08413232043 or Gita at 094411559721. Don't worry if your memory is not what it used to be: your account may trigger someone else's.
Karl Reddy.
