MYSURU: A peanut seller on a train in Karnataka has taken it upon himself to educate public about the Cauvery water dispute. He distributes informative handbills that detail the history of standoff between the states.
Keeping a bunch of handbills in his peanut basket, Venkatesh has been distributing the leaflets to commuters on the Mysuru-Bengaluru train for the past two weeks. This native of Mukanahalli village in Chamarajanagar district wants people to do their bit to resolve the Cauvery issue.
Venkatesh, who has studied till Class 4, earns `300 to `500 a day. This hard-earned money goes into the printing of about 3,000 handbills. People who are happy after reading them contribute small amounts towards his efforts, to help him make photocopies and distribute among more passengers.
He is not just educating the general public, his efforts have even caught the attention of elected representatives who commute by trains. If a passenger does not know how to read, he takes two to three minutes to read out the matter on the booklet. In his four-page booklet, he asks Kannadigas to come together and contribute their mite to resolving the water dispute. He urges Prime Minister Narendra Modi to link rivers Ganga and Cauvery to solve the water issues of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Speaking to Express, 35-year-old Venkatesh says, “I see the Cauvery river several times a day, while commuting between Bengaluru and Mysuru. For the last 15 years, I have been selling peanuts on trains and see this river day in and out. I care deeply about it.”
His love for the river led him to read the Constitution and the Cauvery committee reports, meet a judge and do extensive research.“The state government must ensure that farmers in the five districts in the Cauvery catchment area get water,” he says. “If the same situation continues for the next couple of years, farmers in the region will migrate to urban areas in search of jobs and villages will disappear... I come from a poor family and know the ups and downs in agriculture, and the importance of water.”