IDUKKI (KERALA), JUNE 7: A true Gandhian in spirit, social worker by vocation and a cartoonist by passion, K K Ramachandran is a misfit in khaki.Better known as ``Rekha Vellathooval'', Ramachandran created for himself an image entirely alien to some lathi-wielding, trigger-happy and bad-mouthed policemen as he treaded his way with a motto ``to be with the people'' and launched social ventures one after another.A native of the distant hamlet of Vellathooval in the hilly district of Idukki, Ramachandran, head constable attached to the Kanjikuzhy police station in the district, always had a feeling that he was a misfit in the uniform.Unable to resist the need for a job, he donned the khaki way back in 1973. But, equally powerful was the urge for his pet passions - a commitment to his conscience and cause for social justice.He chose cartoon as a powerful means to fight for justice as he took it as the `best media to react to social evils.' Then came a series of ticking works with a message. On theway, he organised as many as 20 exhibitions and won accolades from far and wide.Recognition came in plenty - in the form of an award by the Kerala Cartoon Academy, first place in a national cartoon competition organised by the Hindustan Times, honour by the art-loving colleagues and many more less known prizes.Ask Rekha whether the police department - perhaps one of the oft-villainised characters of cartoons - has ever come in as a theme for his works. The answer is a shrinking yes. He tried a hand but only to draw flak from his colleagues. ``Nobody likes self-criticism,'' he says. ``Don't insult your livelihood'' was the loving advice from most of his friends and seniors.Rekha, a staunch supporter of Gandhian values, however, is better known for his social works, with the help of his organisation called, `Samskriti.'The best among his achievements is the `swasraya gramam' (self-reliant village) which is an attempt to `check the flow of resources from villages to towns and fight againstgrowing urbanisation at the cost of values and culture of the villages.'``It is a check-dam,'' Rekha describes the programme which aims at developing Venmani village, without electricity and bus service, into a self-sufficient one where enough food materials are produced to cater to the local requirements with minimum dependence on towns.The thrust is on education, hydel projects and agriculture. A constant conscientisation programme has been going on to create awareness about the novel concept among the villagers. A few years after, the village folk are at ease now with the idea and giving their best for the dream which, Rekha feels, would be possible only after decades of constant efforts.
