Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar's house in Dodda Alahalli village in Bengaluru South. (Express Photo by Kiran Parashar)“Sahebru (D K Shivakumar) has told me to perform pooja at the temple soon after the oath-taking and to distribute prasadam,” said Srinivas, a priest at Dodda Alahalli, while rushing to the temple on his two-wheeler minutes before Karnataka’s new chief minister was sworn in on Wednesday.As Shivakumar took the oath as the chief minister in Bengaluru, streets in his home village in Bengaluru South district, 66 km away, were deserted. Many had headed to the capital city to witness the event, with special buses arriving by 11 am to transport them.Dodda Alahalli, a gram panchayat with a population of 5,000 people and two government and as many private schools, cut short school hours to see the boy from their village taking over as the chief minister.Unlike other villages in the state, it also has a solar plant, commercial establishments, properly laid roads, and footpaths. It also houses a government hospital, two private hospitals, two diagnostic centres, and a primary health centre.Nineteen kilometres from Kanakapura, Dodda Alahalli is nestled in the middle of rocky and green hills. This explains the moniker of “Kanakapurada Bande (Kanakapura rock) Shivakumar has earned.Starting from Bengaluru to his village, Shivakumar’s life-size hoardings and cutouts can be seen on both sides of the roads.While some youngsters burst crackers as Shivakumar took the oath, many others were seen glued to the television. His mother Gowramma was in Bengaluru to see him taking over as the chief minister. Many houses in the village were found locked, while only women were present in some others, with the male members having left for the state capital.Story continues below this ad Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s childhood friend Nagaraj in Dodda Alahalli village. (Express Photo by Kiran Parashar)Nagaraj, 60, watched his childhood friend take the oath while working at his salon. He recalled that Shivakumar and he played marbles in the village. “He lived in a small house, and we shared a wall. At a young age, he was sent to Bengaluru for education. Though we lost touch, he used to come and play with us during summer holidays,” he said.The last time Nagaraj met Shivakumar was during the Meke Datu padayatra. “He not only remembered my name but also introduced me to his friends and the media as a friend. We had a conversation. Then I told him that my son was a graduate and requested him to find him a job. But nothing happened later,” he added.’‘An excellent sportsperson’Many villagers remember Shivakumar as an excellent sportsperson. B N Madhukar, treasurer of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), said the new chief minister was his childhood friend. “He looks very tough outside, but with us, he remains unchanged. We are happy he became the chief minister of Karnataka. He deserves it. There is a friends’ group, and we often meet. We never speak politics with him, nor does he. We speak about our school and college days,” he said.Madhukar, who studied with Shivakumar from primary school to college, said his friends had expected the Congress leader to become a sportsperson. He was a good athlete and started taking a keen interest in politics only during his college days, according to Madhukar.Story continues below this ad“We call him many names in private, but generally we call him Gowda. But in public, we don’t use that language,” he said.However, Kannada actor, producer, and director Sihi Kahi Chandru, who attended the oath-taking ceremony, said Shivakumar had started having political ambitions after he was barred from contesting the school leader election in high school. Shivakumar was barred from the election at Vidhyavardhaka School owing to his reputation for “mischief”.Shivakumar then came up with a plan to field his friend and deliver campaign speeches for the candidate.“He decided to get into politics then and had since worked towards it. He is a determined person,” Chandru said.