Hyderabad:
A week after YSR died in a chopper crash, all efforts are on to see that he lives on in the hearts and minds of the people of Andhra Pradesh.
A film in which YSR acted will release soon, statues of the former chief minister will be installed in almost every town of the state and a temple is being dedicated to him in Guntur.
Y S Rajasekhara Reddy was not just a politician. He was an actor as well -- he played himself in a silent film that will release later this year. His co-star Brahmanandam, a veteran of over 800 films, had told NDTV that YSR was a natural before the camera.
"He need not act. He behaves like himself, that is enough. There is no need for me to give him any tips,'' he had said.
In Hyderabad, it seems like election time. YSR smiles at you virtually everywhere. And statues will also come up in towns and villages across Andhra Pradesh.
Rajkumar, a sculptor, says: "I never thought I will have to make his statue. I was close to him as I made his parents' statues.''
There's more public memorabilia. YSR's admirers are on a naming spree - from municipal corporations, agricultural market committees to the usual parks and roads. Kadapa district has already been renamed Rajasekhara Reddy Kadapa district. And now the state Congress wants the NREGA scheme to be named after YSR since the project was formally launched here and is a huge success in Andhra Pradesh.
And YSR's elevation from demigod to God will happen with a temple dedicated to him in Guntur. That will be called 'Rajasekharalayam'.
A film in which YSR acted will release soon, statues of the former chief minister will be installed in almost every town of the state and a temple is being dedicated to him in Guntur.
Y S Rajasekhara Reddy was not just a politician. He was an actor as well -- he played himself in a silent film that will release later this year. His co-star Brahmanandam, a veteran of over 800 films, had told NDTV that YSR was a natural before the camera.
"He need not act. He behaves like himself, that is enough. There is no need for me to give him any tips,'' he had said.
In Hyderabad, it seems like election time. YSR smiles at you virtually everywhere. And statues will also come up in towns and villages across Andhra Pradesh.
Rajkumar, a sculptor, says: "I never thought I will have to make his statue. I was close to him as I made his parents' statues.''
There's more public memorabilia. YSR's admirers are on a naming spree - from municipal corporations, agricultural market committees to the usual parks and roads. Kadapa district has already been renamed Rajasekhara Reddy Kadapa district. And now the state Congress wants the NREGA scheme to be named after YSR since the project was formally launched here and is a huge success in Andhra Pradesh.
And YSR's elevation from demigod to God will happen with a temple dedicated to him in Guntur. That will be called 'Rajasekharalayam'.
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