Bukkapuram, Sathya Nadella's village, yet to cheer his elevation

Anantapur: While the world is celebrating the elevation of Sathya Nadella as chairman of the IT giant Microsoft company, the insignificant drought-stricken village of Bukkapuram village in Yellanur mandal from where Sathya and his father B N Yugandhar hailed, has no reason to celebrate the event as the people of mandal feel that they had forgotten their roots and humble beginnings. Of course, Sathya had little attachment with his native village when compared to his father late B N Yugandhar, a seasoned IAS officer, who worked with Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and P V Narasimha Rao and also with the then Chief Minister N T Rama Rao.

Yugandhar's father migrated from Nadella village in Guntur to Bukkapuram in Yellanur mandal in the district and Yugandhar did his primary school education in the local panchayat school but whereas Sathya had his schooling in Hyderabad Public School. Although for all practical purposes Sathya was a Hyderabadi, the people's grouse against Sathya and his father Yugandhar is understandable as the more than 300 million dollar man did nothing to his humble native village which is reeling under severe drought for decades and the farmers in indebtedness while he gave millions of dollars to Microsoft charity projects.

The story of Bukkapuram is heart rending as stark poverty is ruling the roost and the long cherished dream of Yellanur mandal for supply of water to Subbirami Sagar village tank and other village tanks is yet to be materialised.

Local farmer Mallikarjun Naidu told The Hans India that had Sathya given Rs 2 crore for the Subbirami Sagar village tank for renovation, desiltation works and construction of canals connecting scores of villages in the mandal including Boppepalle, Kuchipalle, Rangarajukunta and Poochivadepalle villages, the farmers in the region with more than 10,000 acres of farm lands, would have turned fertile but now their lands with no water have turned futile, he adds. Asked whether they are proud of Sathya or their father Yugandhar, who shot to worldwide and national fame, he retorted what is there to feel proud when he and his father had forgotten their 'Janma Bhoomi'

Naidu observed that Father Vincent Ferror of Spain and RDT had done an unforgettable humane service to the poor of district than the so-called sons of the soil.

RDT, he added is still the savior of poor and downtrodden, reaching out with love and humanity to the under-privileged. He hoped that Sathya would reach out to the village soon understanding the sentiments of people.

Madhava Reddy of the neighbouring Vasapuram village interacting with The Hans India said that even Yugandhar as an influential officer in the Centre and state government could have done something for his native village but he too had left us to our fate and today all our second generation farmers, who were supposed to pursue farming, gave up the same in search of greener pastures.

Today the farmers, who are in indebtedness, are poverty stricken and are surviving courtesy, the government welfare. "Our village and mandal villages are in shambles and reeling under severe drought. We tried in vain to self-finance the water supply to irrigation tanks collecting Rs 20 lakh donations from among the farmers but could not complete them as the local village tanks revival needed Rs 2 crore. This amount is a pittance for Sathya but he had forgotten his father's native village and that of his," he muttered.

There is hardly any enthusiasm in the village and among the people when asked to comment on the success of son of the soil. "We don't remember him coming to our village during the past two decades. He comes to Hyderabad and leaves nor does he proudly refer to the name of Bukkapuram when talking to the media," the people lamented.