Sree bowls a patient line in his opening spell as a neta

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In his transits through disparate terrains — pitch, prison and politics — Sreesanth seems to have worked on his patience. He listens attentively as he attends a mahila yogam (gathering of women) in a Palkunlangara house. The women tell him their concerns. What follows the introductory remarks is silence, occasionally broken by a gentle murmur.
The candidate leans forward, surveys his audience, smiles. It’s evening and he has been out since morning. He prods the women to talk, smiling all along. Corruption, education loan, the women suddenly open up.
S Sreesanth, BJP candidate for Thiruvananthapuram, isn’t ruffled. His replies are mostly personal. “You reminded me of how my parents took a loan for my coaching and I was still in debt when I flew for my first series in England,” he replies glancing at his mother, Savithridevi. She nods affectionately.
As he speaks, a mother chides her child to stay quiet. Sreesanth intervenes. “Let him talk. My baby is like this, she goes on and on. When he grows up remind him how he had kept talking at an MLA meeting.” The interjection wins him a round of applause.
“He does this so well. He gets personal and we let him be because people relate to it,” says a BJP functionary. The party hasn’t even asked for a sartorial makeover. Turned out in red slip-ons, loose cotton shirt and jeans, Sreesanth has broken the monotony of white outfits.
Party minders let him go during house visits, keeping a distance. Everything engages him. He’s excited over an old Contessa Classic parked in a house. “Wow, it has a great engine. My uncle had one of these, superb car,” he gushes. An Alsatian in the next house barks at the crowd. Sreesanth apologises: “Sorry brother”.
“He has left behind his bad days and is strong,” says Fateh Singh, his brother-inlaw. During family conventions organised as part of the campaign, his entire family assembles.
“Unlike in other states, in Kerala women think independently. Men think with their brains, women do it with their hearts. They feel Sree is like their son,” says Hirendra Singh Shekawat, father-in-law.
As he walks, he’s told of jibes trending on social media and he responds calmly. Steadiness has overshadowed his brashness. “He’s been advised not to respond to provocation. He should not react to slights,” a party worker says.
His campaign days are more sapping than his training schedule. Training spans from 7am to 3pm and Sreesanth fully switches on from 5pm to 12 midnight. About 1,000 family meetings are lined up. “I don’t feel tired. I am ready for this,” he says.