The family members of late Rajkumar on Thursday announced the setting up of a trust to “fulfill the dreams of lakhs of fans” even as Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said the government was committed to constructing the Raj Memorial.

“We will have our own family trust. All members of the family will be its members and we will try to fulfill the dreams of lakhs of fans,” Raghavendra Rajkumar told reporters in Bangalore after paying tribute to his father and Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar at the samadhi.

He said he was “worried” and “concerned” over the delay on the State government’s part to begin the process of constructing a memorial. “Nothing has been fixed so far...I am also waiting for the government’s response,” he added.

He also said the family is planning to set up a hospital in the name of Rajkumar.



Loggerheads

The family members and the government are at loggerheads over the setting up of a trust. While the former wants the five-acre land at Kanteerava Studio to be handed over to the proposed trust, the latter wants to keep the ownership and give only maintenance responsibility to the trust.

The Chief Minister said there is no controversy on the issue and he has given a free hand to Kannada and Culture Department to take any decision. “As the project is very prestigious, the government is taking every step carefully...We are committed to constructing the memorial, the blueprint for which has been prepared,” he added.



No connection

Parvathamma Rajkumar earlier said the trust proposed by the family and that proposed by the government are different.

On the delay in constructing the memorial, she said she has sent a seven-point programme for setting up the same.

These are: A statue of Rajkumar, an auditorium, a yoga centre, an information centre, a garden, and toilet and drinking water facility.

“It is up to the government to reply,” she added.



Controversy

On the controversy over transferring of Kanteerava Studio land for the memorial, Raghavendra Rajkumar said: “We have told the government the memorial proposal should never become an issue. If there is any problem, let the government tell the people directly. We want the government to set up a trust for Rajkumar on the lines of Kuvempu Prathistana Trust.”



QUOTE HANGER

“All my father’s films had some message for society. I will follow in his footsteps and act in only such movies in future.”

Shivrajkumar



“He was a role model for everyone. Fans should behave properly to uphold his dignity. I have never felt he has departed from us.”

Parvathamma



“An artist never dies. Rajkumar will always be with us.”

Bharathi Vishnuvardhan



“Rajkumar is there in everybody’s soul and he is with us.”

Jayanthi



SIDELIGHTS



‘Bedara Kannappa’ act

The ardent fans did a Bedara Kannappa at the Raj Samadi by donating a record 3,000 eyes. The eye donation camp was organised by Shivrajkumar Fans’ Association at Kanteerava Studio. Even before actor Shivrajkumar inaugurated the camp, 200 Raj fans had registered to donate their eyes.



CM pays tribute

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who could not attend the funeral of Rajkumar last year due to violence, paid homage to the samadhi on the actor’s first death anniversary on Thursday.

Though he could not arrive in the morning as he was pre-occupied with the Legislature session, he visited Raj Vana around 6 pm.

With the first anniversary being held peacefully, the bitter memories of last year’s funeral ceremony, which resulted in the death of seven persons, should fade away.



KFCC pays homage

Members of Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce and the many cine actors and actresses paid tribute to Rajkumar at the KFCC office by observing a minute’s silence. They also garlanded the statue of Rajkumar in front of KFCC.



The ‘mark’ of Rajkumar

Being a fan of Rajkumar is not just about humming his popular numbers and watching his films. K Manjunath, a diehard fan of the actor, wanted to pay a ‘golden tribute’ to his actor. He got two golden rings done with Rajkumar’s picture on them. The rings cost him Rs 49,000.

He said he has a pooja room exclusively for worshipping Rajkumar at his Rajajinagar house. Incidentally, he lives on the Rajkumar Road.



Flowering business

With thousands of fans thronging the Raj samadhi to pay their homage, flower sellers made brisk business, with many fans offering floral tributes to their beloved Rajanna.



A fitting tribute

Among the fans who paid tribute to Raj were the visually-challenged from Indian Disabled League. IDL members were a centre of attraction at the venue when they started playing popular numbers of Rajkumar. They also offered pooja at the samadhi.



Hosting Raj guests

Thespian Rajkumar’s bungalow in Sadashivanagar was buzzing with activity on his first death anniversary. A huge pandal was erected in the garden for serving lunch, while cooks were busy preparing dishes behind the bungalow.The actor’s family members were seen receiving messages from visitors, relatives and friends alike. A serpentine queue of fans were seen outside.

While songs sung by the late thespian were played, a sumptuous lunch was served to all visitors. The dishes included sweets such as ‘badusha’ and ‘shyavige payasa’. Among those who visited the bungalow included former minister Motamma, Kagodu Thimmappa and Union Minister of State for Planning M V Rajashekharan, actor-politician Ambareesh, Vishnuvardhan and Jayanthi.