THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Ever since the results were out, K Muraleedharan has been on a victory lap of his constituency; waving at people on the way, visiting houses, addressing street corner meetings. So caught up is he in this thanksgiving ritual that he has even failed to notice that the brass plate on top of the door to his office at the curve along the PMG junction still reads: K Muraleedharan, Ex-MP.
More embarrassingly for Muraleedharan, he has not been able to keep an eye on the studies of his elder son, Arun Narayanan, who is now with him at his house in Kowdiar, undergoing Civil Service coaching. ‘’His mother frequently calls me from Kozhikode asking what the boy is up to. I tell her he is a big boy and that he is doing fine. But, to be honest, it has been days since I enquired about his studies. The mother feels the boy needs constant encouragement. But the boy has done extremely well for his MBA, so I think he can do well for the civil services as well,’’ Muraleedharan said.
His younger son Sabarinath, who has just completed B Com, is doing a course in animation. ‘’He too
likes to take an MBA degree like his elder brother,’’ he said.
City Express, too, found it difficult to track down a Murali flitting all over the Vattiyoorkavu constituency. First, we were told to reach Thampuranmukku by 1.30 pm, later it was revised to 1.45 pm at Mulavana, then 2.30 pm at Goureeshapattom. Finally, we managed to get hold of him by the tip of his shirt wings at 3.50 pm at his office in PMG, just as he was about to leave for his post-noon constituency visit. ‘’I need to thank all my voters. It is very important. All this going around, however, will conclude by tomorrow,’’ he said.
Once settled, there are two things Muraleedharan would like to revive; watch movies and play shuttle badminton. ‘’Now that my sons will come to stay with me, I think we can put up a net and start playing badminton,’’ Muraleedharan said. But movies are his passion. ‘’My sons don’t watch even a fraction of the movies I had seen in my younger days. I used to see at least one film a week. I seem to have lost the habit. It has been such a long time since I had seen a film that I have even forgotten the film I had seen last,’’ Muraleedharan said.
In the absence of cinema, television was entertainment for him. ‘’Apart from news, I watch comedy programmes where they mimic politicians like me. Contrary to the generally held belief, I have never been offended by the way I have been caricatured. In fact, I enjoy watching them. I have heard that artistes who do these programmes are afraid to approach me thinking that I will be angry with them,’’ Muraleedharan said.
He remembers a train journey with Kottayam Nazeer. ‘’He was in a nearby compartment but was reluctant to meet me fearing that I would be angry. When I knew of this, I went and talked to him. I told him that he was doing a fine job. He looked relieved,’’ Murali said.
Vattiyoorkavu, Murali said, is more special to him than the other constituencies from where he had sought a mandate. ‘’My school, St Joseph’s School, and Law Academy, where I studied three years, both come within my constituency. This is a very special feeling. When I was studying, I had never dreamt of becoming an MLA,’’ Muraleedharan said.