The photograph of a man from Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, Chandrashekar Gowda (56), should have been ideally placed outside of houses and offices of politicians and parties and such individuals who out of political reasons and ignorance misguide people against the Covid-19 vaccine.
For the past 17 years, Chandrashekar Gowda has been leading a solitary life in the dense forest area adjoining Adtale and Nekkare village near Aranthodu of Sullia taluk, Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka.
Since he has hardly any human contact, he is very much safe from Covid 19 pandemic. But, when health workers of Aranthod Gram Panchayath visited him to administer a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, he readily took the dose. Like myriads of motivated and ignorant quibblers, he did not refuse to take it saying that he no more required vaccination.
He doesn’t have an Aadhaar Card, but even dp, after health workers visited him to ensure that he got the jab.
This not so ‘upmarket’ story is rather a success story of how an arduous Covid 19 vaccination drive has been undertaken by the Narendra Modi government. Karnataka has a population around 6.41 crore. According to the Karnataka government’s website till October 6 as many as 5,75,15,292 doses were administered.
This also sets a picture in contrast where a man who renounced the world decades back, cooperates with the government trying to vaccinate the entire population in order to save the lives of people.
And this is at a time when the Left-Congress dominated opposition parties and liberal media are still distorting facts and running misinformation campaigns to create confusion among people. In August, India achieved a momentous milestone in its Covid-19 vaccination drive after over 1 crore doses in a single day, its highest single-day count until then, instead of celebrating this collective success of India, Rahul Gandhi was busy spreading misinformation. And his supported followed their master in spreading lies.
And this is at a time when the Left-Congress dominated opposition parties and liberal media are still distorting facts and running misinformation campaigns to create confusion among people. In August, India achieved a momentous milestone in its Covid-19 vaccination drive after over 1 crore doses in a single day, its highest single-day count until then, instead of celebrating this collective success of India, Rahul Gandhi was busy spreading misinformation.
When the Yogi Adityanath government was busy arranging logistics for Mega Vaccination Drive and even successfully administered 10.02 crore doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, Congress-Left journalist Ajit Anjum was rather trolling the chief minister. Former Uttar Pradesh CM and Samajwadi party leader Akhilesh Yadav tried to derail the vaccination drive in Uttar Pradesh as well.
All you need to know about the ‘jungle man’
In the forest, there is a small plastic sheet tied to bamboo poles where Chandrashekar Gowda lives. There stands his favourite, a white colour ambassador car. The car, now worth scraps, and a functional radio are the companions of his self imposed solitary life. He keeps a radio, and according to media reports he is a regular listener of Akashvani Mangaluru.
Once in a while he visits the local market at Sullia to sell the baskets he weaves and takes rice, sugar and other groceries in return. During the lockdown period he survived on wild fruits and water.
The background of his jungle retreat is a moving story that can inspire many Bollywood scripts. He was a happy farmer who once owned 1.5 acres of land in Nekral Kemraje village.
His misery started when he took a short-term loan and two crop loans worth Rs. 50,400 from Nelluru Kemraje Cooperative Society in 1999. His land was auctioned for Rs 1.2 lakh in October 2002 as he failed to repay the loan.
The family too left him further disillusioned. He drove his car to his sister’s residence to stay with her. But he was discarded here too after which he retired in the forest.
His only wish or the mission of the life is to get back his land, which looks nearly impossible. But even though he is leading a tough life in a jungle, he has taken the vaccine.
