In Baramati, it’s still Pawar and glory

Behind the bluster, Baramati is cautious, watching its words. After all it owes Pawar just so much, he is not merely legislator here; he is social mentor. At the sprawling complex of the Vidya Pratishthan — Pawar’s educational complex — as much as the cheese-making Dynamix Dairy or the dusty premises of the NCP’s local headquarters, Pawar is omni-important.

‘‘Why should he (Pawar) stand at the doors of those who never thought twice before hitting him below the belt?’’ asks Chandarrao Taware, a local Pawar associate. ‘‘Munde, (Pramod) Mahajan and Thackeray have abused Pawar in the past … It is always good to be a servant of a wise man than being master of a fool.’’

Another acolyte of Pawar’s in Baramati is S.S. Hiremath. This sugar management expert says joining the BJP would cause problems within the NCP. Indeed, some had even warned of a split.

Pawar and Baramati share a mutual symbiosis. Baramati nurtured Pawar in his early years and has not stopped reaping the benefit. Its fortunes closely resemble Pawar’s career graph. As Pawar’s political career blossomed, Baramati’s prosperity multiplied. Education, cooperatives, industries, agro-processing — in so many areas, it owes just so much to the man.

A world class milk and fruit processing unit, Dynamix — it has sourcing orders from Britannia, Tropicana and Nestle — is housed here. The latest addition is a biotech centre, now awaiting a formal inauguration.

Italian auto major Piaggio has its Indian manufacturing base here, looking to evolve it into an export hub for Asia, Africa and even Latin America. Baramati is also a centre of the nascent Indian wine industry.

Last but not the least, when it comes to flexing muscle or show of political strength, the farmers of Baramati and nearby regions are Pawar’s loyal footsoldiers.

Known for its sugarcane and grape orchards, Baramati taluka — a cluster of 117 villages — now hosts an annual information and communication technology and development do. E-commerce and e-governance are Pawar’s new baby.

The recently launched Baramati wired village initiative is based on the CorDect wireless in local loop (WLL) technology developed by IIT Chennai’s Ashok Jhunjhunwala. The plan is to network 75-odd villages in a 25-km radius and introduce e-governance, e-commerce facilities over the next six months.

By then, Pawar would have figured whether he’s pro-Sonia or anti-Sonia, pro-NDA or anti-NDA. Or would he?