KOTTAYAM: The Karingozhakkal house in Pala, the private residence of K M Mani, Kerala Congress(M) chairman, is a beehive of activity. The premises of the house, situated nearly 500 metres away from the busy Kottaramattom Junction, are thronged by party workers and vehicles. However, for a poise ‘Mani Sir’ routines are a ritual that he adheres to religiously, come rain or shine. His daily chores begin with the scouring of newspapers from 6.30 am to 7.30 am.
After breakfast, around 8.30 am he meets people who call on him with various petitions and requests.
Perhaps, one of these meetings might have moved Mani, thus prodding him to envisage and execute a programme like ‘Karunya’ and to set up the Karunya Benevolent Fund, which provides treatment assistance for the poor. Mani refuses to allow rigours of election campaigning to interrupt his regular meeting with the public. Fighting the 13th election on the trot in Pala, Mani’s campaign chugs on like a well-oiled machine. At the same time, he also finds time to campaign for other candidates of his fold as well as the UDF. The 84-year-old stalwart, who has been in the Assembly for the past 51 years, seems hardly affected by the vicious summer that has gripped the state. What keeps him going in the face of the wrath of blazing heat on the stumps is no magic potion but a simple maxim: ‘Ushnam Ushnena Shanthi’. He drains down as much hot water as possible and drinks coffee or tea during his campaigning trail. Juice or cold water is strict no-no.
According to his close aides, though Mani doesn’t insist on having any particular dish for meals, he has recently turned a vegan. Mani is very particular that he has lunch from his house if he is in the district. Another strategy adopted by Mani to escape from the simmering heat is to have occasional baths. He is a stickler when it comes to his attire. He changes his customary white shirt and dhothi twice or thrice when campaigning stretches deadlines.