MYSORE: Thousands may have observed the death anniversary of Dr Vishnuvardhan, the Kannada matinee idol who enjoyed irrepressible popularity among the masses, however, for the employees of Kings Kourt Hotel in Mysore, where the 'Sahasasimha' had spent his last days, business commenced after lighting a lamp in front of his portrait and observing silence for aminute. Dr Vishnuvardhan had spent the last twoandhalf months of his life here.
The employees of the hotel recollected their experiences with Dr Vishnuvardhan, all of which were pleasant.
"Vishnu sir always
referred to everyone as Raja irrespective of their names. Once, I was on leave for about six days, Vishnu sir enquired about my absence (sister's marriage) when I explained the reason, he sincerely wished the newlywed couple," recollects Manohar (24), a room steward.
The profound impact that the actor has had is not difficult to fathom. Such has been the impact of his goodwill gestures and acts of philanthropy that these people would not hesitate to deify him. Mahalingegowda, who works in the Chamarajnagar district court, is a case in point.
A former steward at the Kings Kourt Hotel, the actor had helped him get a job in the court. "He never spoke about to it to anyone. Only I disclosed it to others," he says.
Manohar savours his interaction with the actor on the night of December 29, 2009, when he had served milk to him. He says that these were his last words: " My relationship with this hotel ends tonight," as he was planning to check out the next day. Tragically, his final words came true. Vishnuvardhan passed away at around 2:30 am the same night when he was being transported to Vikram Hospital from the hotel.