The people's leaders

The people who make up the organisation are of various types. First, there is a small group based in the capital city. These are English-speaking, western-educated men and women of independent means of livelihood. They have the metro style and attend to the problems of people in the districts in an official way. They have to keep track of political developments and manouevre things in the crafty ways required by realpolitik.

There are also the leaders who grew under Ayya's benign patronage and tutelage. They have roughed it out and are seasoned, but not polished, by years of struggle. They are simple, speak workable English and do not possess style. They are selected for government posts on the strength of their grass-root support. They are the old guard, who swear by Ayya's legacy and don't mind calling a spade a spade with the present leader. Thambi respects them but has no patience with their long-winded expositions which smack of self-importance to the young generation.

The third are the leaders from the districts. They are either MP's in the national parliament or MLA's in the provincial assemblies. They are middle aged, again have independent sources of income in most cases, speak English and the mothertongue, preferring the latter for mass appeal. They belong to second or third generation of plantation labour. Their forefathers survived misery, injustice and despair all around guided by the light of Ayya's determined leadership. The present group lives amidst comfort, living down the dreadful past with greater zest. This group exudes energy and is willing to exercise its newfound muscle in an assertive way at the command of thambigaru.