BENGALURU: As a child growing up in Doddalahalli, a village about 80 km from Bengaluru, Shivakumar refused to head home until he won the game he was playing with his friends.
Decades later, that same unwavering spirit has propelled ‘Kanakapura Bande’ or ‘DKShi’, as he is fondly called, from Doddalahalli to the pinnacle of Karnataka politics, as he sets out to take oath as chief minister on Wednesday.
In Doddalahalli, 85-year-old Shivashankaraiah, sitting under the tile-roofed verandah of his house, remembered that boy playing around on the same village streets. He called Shivakumar a ‘chalavadi’ (a resolute go-getter), the trait that elevated him to the chief minister’s post.
“I have seen Shivakumar since his childhood. He used to roam around the village, playing ‘gilli danda’, ‘kabadi’, ‘goli’, ‘mara koti aata’ and others. Winning and losing are part of a game. But when Shivakumar lost a game, he would play again and again till he won. He would head home only after winning. I feel he has done the same here by becoming chief minister,” he said.
Shivakumar’s childhood friends, NB Basavaraju, who is doing sericulture along with dairy farming, and Chikka Swamy, a farmer, said Shivakumar, even after shifting to Bengaluru, would visit twice a month and spend the entire summer vacation with them.
From student neta to CM: Doddalahalli remembers its huduga
The games we played needed physical strength and calculated aiming, which Shivakumar had mastered. In many ways, he brought in the same blend of skills and calculated moves to scale up his political career,” Shivakumar’s childhood friends said. They recalled their summer holidays, where they jumped into and swam in multiple open wells that were there then. “The idea of entering politics came only after Shivakumar stepped into college.
Student elections were allowed in colleges then, and that was his initiation,” his friends said. Though his friends had an inkling that he would achieve something big in politics, they had never thought that he would become a chief minister one day.
Nagesh S, who has a tailoring shop in the village, said Shivakumar’s elevation to state’s top post has brought him immense joy. “If we are not proud of our son of soil, who else will be? While HD Deve Gowda, born in Haradanahalli in Hassan district, becoming Prime Minister was an achievement, Shivakumar’s ascent from Dodahalahalli to the chief minister’s office is no mean achievement.”
Residents of Kanakakapura said Shivakumar’s hard work paid off. “In 2008, Shivakumar contested from Kanakapura constituency and won. Till then, the constituency had many problems. But once he got elected, he transformed it, with developmental works. We have good roads and parks that are no less than those in Bengaluru. He has done extensive work in irrigation to help farmers,” villagers said. They were confident that the entire state would witness similar development work with Shivakumar at the helm. He would be keen to leave a lasting legacy, they predicted.
A firm believer in God, his prayers were answered
Those who grew up with Shivakumar said he visited temples regularly and had a firm faith in God from his childhood. From the Pataladamma Temple, which is the ‘grama devata’ (village deity) of Doddahalahalli, to Maramma Temple, Shivakumar visited them all. His favourite was the Shivaladappana Temple located on a hilltop. Shivakumar’s relatives said he has abstained from non-vegetarian food for years, as part of a personal vow to become CM. His friends said his constant prayers, accompanied by hard work, paid off.
Fashion-conscious from the beginning
The chief minister-designate, known to flaunt luxury international brands, has cultivated a signature look and he was known to be fashionable even in his younger days. Shivashankaraiah said Shivakumar was always conscious of what he wore and had a swagger while visiting the village in his crisp attire. After entering college, he got himself a Yezdi Roadking bike, which was a luxury then, and visited the village riding it.
‘Couldn’t have got CM post without bro’
It would not have been easy for Chief Minister-designate DK Shivakumar to climb the political ladder without his brother DK Suresh, former MP, who heads Bangalore Milk Union Limited. Doddahalahalli residents call them Rama and Lakshmana.
Though Suresh worked in Shivakumar’s shadow, not a single decision was taken without him. Suresh strived day and night to see his brother become chief minister. Even during family gatherings, brothers would be busy discussing what they should achieve next.