It is finally over. Everyone connected with the Clinton visit, never mind how remotely, is heaving a huge sigh of relief. Security forces perhaps more than the others, that nothing 'untoward' (that is the politically correct word, you see) happened. Hacks are busy comparing the stories they may have missed. As for politicians, they are quite caught up with discussing as to who shook hands the longest with William Jefferson Clinton. The paranoia about security was most visible on the faces of the thousands and thousands of cops who had their leave cancelled. At Cyberabad, outside Hyderabad where Clinton addressed a gathering of business heads, immediately after his cavalcade left, cops were seen sitting under trees, catching their breath and looking most relieved. Others were busy trying to hitch a ride to the nearest bus stand to return home. Because, in typical babu style, the state government arranged vehicles to bring them to their posts, but none to take them back! These cops had been on duty for 72 hours non-stop. The few lucky ones were inside buildings, but the bulk were on the roads, braving the midday heat. And now that it was over, they relaxed while their Bombay counterparts went into overdrive. The Hyderabad cops did have a reason for worry. The Naxalites had just a few weeks earlier killed a state minister. "We only wanted to ensure that nothing happened to him while he was in Hyderabad. After that, what difference does it make to us?" asked one cop. This was the dominant attitude: "Nothing should happen where I am posted, if something is to happen, let it be the other guy's headache!" Luckily for India, nothing happened and Clinton is now safe and sound in Washington DC. That Clinton was actually visiting Hyderabad was a matter of pride for the Andhraites. Outside Cyber Towers where business heads in fancy suits and ties sweated in the sun for the gates to be opened (an hour later), a crowd had gathered opposite, watching the tamasha. "It is good to see these bada sahibs [big bosses], who always sit in air-conditioned halls, standing in the heat," sniggered Sreedhar, part of the crowd. But while the business guys had come to hear Clinton speak, why were they standing outside, albeit in the shade of a tree? "Oh! we have come to see Clinton," replied Lokeshwar Rao. Why? "He is a great leader and he is coming to Hyderabad. That is a great honour for us." And did he think highly of N Chandrababu Naidu for bringing Clinton to Hyderabad? "Of course!" Rao said. "He is a great leader who has done a lot for the state!" Even as Andhraites were impressed by Naidu, clearly the reigning deity is still N T Rama Rao, Naidu's predecessor and, incidentally, father-in-law. The aforementioned Rao is certain about this. "NTR made India realise that there is a state called Andhra Pradesh and a city called Hyderabad. Before that all the northerners called us Madrasis. Now, everyone knows who we are and Naidu is making us even more famous," he said. What about the fact that Naidu was the one who threw NTR out of power? Do they hold responsible? No, they don't. A few years ago, Naidu had to desperately fight the label of traitor, but today the people understand his view. "We also realise that just before he died, NTR did some wrong things, leaving Naidu no choice," said Rao's wife in Telugu, which Rao willingly translated. NTR's widow, Lakshmi Parvati, is still in Hyderabad. But no one seems to know where. No one really cares either. She is history. On a personal note, I must add that Hyderabad was the city of my summer vacations. With an aunt who lives there (in Secunderabad, actually), it was a city I'd spend quite a few vacations in. Summer vacations were lazy times. Secunderabad's terrible summer, made worse by power-cuts, meant that outings were restricted to the evenings, life moved at a leisurely pace compared to Bombay (it was Bombay then!), and my cousins (proud Hyderabadis) would visit Bombay or Bangalore to have a great time. Today, the city has changed. Flyovers are being constructed all over and traffic jams, which were unheard of a decade ago, are quite the norm. That's the price of growth, I guess. My aunt lives off a busy commercial street, the ubiquitous MG Road, and though that road has always been bustling, earlier by 2100 hours it would be dead. No longer! At 2200 hours it was alive, the crowds were larger, more active, and all the brand names were there. But for the statue of Mahatma, I would not have recognised the street! But above all was the attitude that was different. I confess I was there for only a short while, but in the decade since I had been to Hyderabad, there appeared to be a confidence. People there (as mentioned above) were no longer just South Indians, they were Andhraites. There was pride and a goal was being achieved. And my cousins no longer go anywhere else to freak out. Hyderabad is where the action is. It would be interesting to work out how much Clinton's visit cost India. Certainly our leaders will talk of the diplomatic gains -- his tough talk in Islamabad was music to the ears of South Block, which did the Bharath Natyam in joy -- but the bill for sure was whopping. The cost in cleaning up is fine, and cleaned and painted the cities sure were. The buildings and road dividers on all of Clinton's routes were painted, the roads re-laid, trees planted, lawns mowed, etc, etc... name anything even remotely linked to the visit, and it had been touched up. For instance, in New Delhi, the ministry of external affairs' rather rundown publicity division (for some sinister reason James Bond might understand, it is called XP division... like X files?) was thoroughly revamped and a Media Centre created in one of the rooms. The dark corridor had a new coat of paint, Indian paintings were on display, potted plants appeared out of nowhere, and all because some foreign media guys just "might" use the Centre. If these new facilities are permanent, it is of some good. And if a US president's visit can actually clean up our cities, one can only hope he visits more often. But there is a negative side. While parts of Hyderabad does not have sufficient water, precious water was wasted watering the entire stretch of Clinton's route to ensure that dust did not fly. It was a 25-kilometre route from the airport to Cyberabad. That is a lot of water gone to, ah, waste. Amberish K Diwanji plans to vacation in Hyderabad in the near future.
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