The mortal remains of Dr Y S Rajashekara Reddy arrived at his hometown at Idupulapaya in an IAF helicopter. The women members of YSR's family including his wife went into the chopper to pay their last respects, even as thousands converged at the family's estate..
The crowd is all the eye can see and unimaginable crowds have been pouring in since the morning to the place where the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister will be laid to rest.
The police estimates that over 5,000 vehicles have already reached Idupulapaya and more are expected over the next couple of hours.
The scenes are tragic at the Pulivendula village where YSR was born. "We miss our Reddygaru who has done so much for us," weeps 70-year-old Papamma. "I am still in a state of shock and can't believe that he has left us for good."
YSR's funeral will be held in a few hours at Idupulapaya, where YSR's family owns an estate which is considered to be his favourite spot. Locals say he has never missed visiting the estate whenever he was in this part of town.
Ramakrishna Reddy, a 40-year-old man from YSR's village, says the state will never find a leader like him. Recalling an interaction with the departed chief minister he said YSR was an optimist to the core. "Before the elections we were narrating our drinking water problems to him. In true YSR style he laughed waved his hand and asked, What am I here for? He truly was a lion and with his death we have lost our greatest leader."
The respect for the deceased leader is such that all through the highways of Andhra Pradesh people have put up his photographs and are offering prayers. In some places the scenes are emotional, with people in a deep state of shock. Reports state that several people have died of shock on hearing of YSR's death.
Meanwhile, preparations are on in full swing at YSR's final resting place. His wife and daughter have already reached the estate and are overseeing the preparations, while son Jaganmohan Reddy will fly in with the body from Hyderabad.
A policeman at the spot said that never has he seen such a crowd. "The people don't seem to stop coming in. We have been here on duty since last night and I am sure we still have a lot many hours to go. The state administration has asked us to be soft on the people and let them pay their respects to the departed leader."
Apart from private vehicles, many crammed buses too have brought in the crowds. Plus, many have come by private taxis. Large stickers of YSR and a Congress flag are a common sight on the vehicles. Naturally, the surge of humanity means that traffic crawls around the venue, but really, no one is in a mood to mind.
