BLOG - Krishna Vattam

Anne Frank diary-keeper dies

2010-01-23T16:19:00.000-08:00

She would have died in the concentration camp like other six million Jews , unwept, unsung and unrecognized had not there been a guardian , a guardian of the diary, the 15 year girl left behind before she and her family were hounded out and sent to concentration camp.

The world as such , people with varied ethnic, cultural, national and linguistic backgrounds, would not have known that Fuehrer,the tyrant the like of whom the long human history has not known, had partly succeeded in exterminating lakhs of Jews in the countries he had occupied, but failed in his mission to destroy the bunch of papers,the diary Anne Frank had left behind. It is through the covers of a small red checkered cloth covered diary book, Anne Frank survives, recording a moving commentary on the war and its degeneration of the human spirit.

The diary's guardian, Miep Gies,to whom all those across the globe who cherish human values owe a deep sense of gratitude, for having guarded this extraordinary document and giving a new lease of life to this young girl, died at the age of 100 in Amsterdam on January 11, 2010. She was the last survivor of a group that helped Anne and her family hide from the Nazis in Amsterdam during World war II and kept her diary.

After Anne and her family were taken to concentration camps, separating her father Otto Frank, and mother and her sister Margot,(Anne died in the Camp in 1945, and Margot died earlier) Gies saved her diary . She handed over the diary to Otto, who survived the camp and published it in 1947.Anne became famous posthumously .Now translated in more than seventy languages, her diary remains one of the World’s best selling books, a poignant document of the ultimate shining nobility of her human spirit.

It was in this hide out, secret annexe, Anne spent her last twenty five months , living in constant fear, unconscious of the fact that she was going to make a great impact on human mind.

Miep Gies received several honours from several governments and institutions and last year had an asteroid named after her by the Astronomical Union, a well deserved recognition indeed. “There is nothing special about me “ a humble this Dutch non Jew lady wrote in a book first published in 1987.” I have never wanted a special attention .I was willing to do what was asked of me and what seemed necessary at that time” this noble lady said.

Those of you , who have not read “The Diary of Anne Frank” please do read and I have read and re-read her and experienced spasms of anguish and pain at the turn of events in her life with haunting thoughts that if a Dutch informer had not betrayed the family and had they stayed in the hide out just for eight more months Anne, her sister and mother would have been liberated as the War ended in May 1945.But God willed otherwise. But she lives in hearts of millions of those who have read her , heard about her or seen the cinemascope presentation “the Diary of Anne frank” by George Stevens.

Primary School Drop Out Honoured by Engineers

2009-08-29T11:42:00.001-07:00

Who is an educated person? In our common perception today one who is a graduate is educated and if he is a postgraduate or one with a Ph.d he is highly educated and accomplished. Four decades ago the bench mark for being considered as educated was a pass in SSLC. In other words, conversely , in our thinking one who had no schooling or had not studied in colleges is not educated person.

The Institution of Engineers ,Mysore Chapter, honoured one such “uneducated” person last year, breaking its old two and a half decade old convention. What are the special traits, attributes or qualities these engineers saw or considered in that uneducated person as to distance itself from its self- established norms as to bring this fifth standard drop out as to drape him with shawl, read citation and eulogizing him along with retired engineers on the same dais.

What they saw in this forty one year old Bogadi Sreenivas were the innate sterling qualities that “Vidya” ,education, that ingrains in a person , the qualities that many of the so called educated lack and the qualities Sreenivas is endowed with.

While many of us remember that Master Builder and Great Engineer Bharata Ratna Sir M Vivesvariah on his birth day, as a ritual, Sreenivas, a machanic with his little scooter garage in Vidyaranyapuram has deified him placing him on the same pedestal as he finds a place for Lord Venkateswara. Sreenivas The photo of the Lord is placed along with Sir M V and and lights oil lamps one before the God and another one whom he has deified, before he starts to his garage. You can find these two photos

in his garage along with Sri Raghavendra Swamji.

August 27 is an important day for Sreenivas for it is the birth day opf Sir M V .He distributes sweets to people in the neighbour hood of his garage. Senior Citizens who go for repairs enjoy privileges. If it is minor repairs he will not charge and if they are of major one needing replacement of parts he will ask them to get and will only collect nominal “labour charges”.When the Institution of Engineers honoured him they had given him Rs 1000,With thius corpus fund he added Rs 29,000 and with annual interest accrued on Rs 30,000 Sreenivas has adopted a girl and meets her school fees. (He is father of three daughters).While we the scribes tend to have the word “Press” painted on our vehicles with a sense of ego, Sreenivas had sports the name of the name of “Sir M.V.painted on his scooter.

How is it this scooter repairer was drawn to Sir M V and what is it that he found in this great engineer that others might not have noticed, or having noticed ignored them ? Sreenivas had been reading writings on the great sons of India. One such book was on the life and ideals of Sir M V . He felt it would not serve any purpose if one reads and forgets those ideals. If some of them are

practised in one’s life , there could be no better way of remembering him , he articulated within himself. He is a model “employer” also. There are four or five fellow workers in the garage and if in a day the earnings are more than the average he distributes the extra earnings among all of them.

Sreenivas, after obtaining permission from concerned officials, visited Krishnarajasagara Dam some years ago, to study the great marvels created by Sir M.V. He is working on a model of KRS and when it is completed he intends to present it to the Institution of Engineers.

Well, You call him educated or uneducated ; I leave it to you.

The greed that lands one in a state of misery

2009-07-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

People with varied interests, background and different strata of society come to my newspaper office daily. Some of them walk into my room and if I am free engage myself in conversation with them for a few minutes.
Recently, a person, known to me for a long time, well placed in society, who retired after serving as a senior officer in the Central Government ,had come to meet me. He is fond of cars and changes his automobile whenever a new brand comes into the market.
In the course of our casual talk he told me that his fellow-officer had bought a “luxury car” by paying Rs ten lakhs and drives around merrily .There was a feeling of jealousy, coupled with a sense of remorse. “ Well, You can also go in for a similar car”, I asked.
“Where can I get Rs ten lakhs”, he questioned me.
“You have a car, your family is blessed with good health and you are relatively financially sound. There are people who cannot afford to purchase a cycle. D’t you think you are blessed.”?
He got up from his seat and remarked sarcastically, trying to hide his sarcasm, by faking a smile “ Mr Krishna Vattam, it sounds philosophical, but philosophy is different from reality”

After he left, I began to ponder over the mental- make up and his attitude to life. Instantly Purandaradasa’s exposition, on the greed of men, in his beautiful composition “Binnahake Bayillavayya” flashed my mind.” “He has given him this much, but he desires some more. Even the desired one is given, he asks for more.He desires that he be spared from suffering , and a life of comfort.
He desires that the life he led in the past(youth) should come to him, Oh;Purandara Vittala”
I began to wonder as to why we do not realize that the state of happiness does not come from comforts he enjoys.The two are different. In a moving lorry , laden with sand, a helper sleeps on the heap of sand , where as sleep evades some although they lie down on a cosy bed and surrender to sedatives.. In their mad hunt of the mirage of happiness, they stray away from the path and land themselves in a state of self inflicted misery.
I do not mean that a man should not aspire to go up the ladder in one’s life. But the means chosen should be fair. When they see others being happy, they feel jealous of them.
Yet another bard, in his immortal, magnum opus, “Manku Thimmanna Kagga”, DVG (D.V.Gundappa ) says “If the flame of jealousy is burning in your being, where do you get water from (to extinguish)it .If this flame has made its home in you, where is the place for sleep? He cannot sleep , can any one free him from the state of agony.God only can save him.”
The words of wisdom of the enlightened do not appeal to them, much less influence them , for their chosen path is different, one of self inflicted pain, suffering , agony and state of being jealous.
I am reminded of a story relating to “Club 99 “ In short the story revolves round a maharaja and a lowly man. The King, inspite of the wealth, men and material, is unhappy, where as he finds that man going about his job, singing and dancing.The raja questions him the secret of being happy.That poor man answers, saying what he needs is a small shelter, and food to eat twice a day.I work and am blessed with them.
The king was not satisfied with the answer and narrates this incident to his minister.
“Your Highness” obviously that man is not a member of the Club 99.
The same night the minister went to the dwelling of that poor man, placed at the door steps a bag full of 99 gold coins. Next morning that poor man found the bag and was dancing with joy on finding the bag full of 99 gold coins. As he counted the coins again and again that sense of joy vanished.To earn that extra one coin, he slogged day and night , and the sweet strains of song he was rendering were no longer heard.

Sabu: Mysore's 'Slumdog', Hollywood millionaire

2009-02-26T16:54:00.000-08:00

If there is an Oscar for life-time achievement of an actor in real life, it should have gone to Selar Shaik Sabu. His was a rag-to-riches story, of a mahout boy from Mysore who made it to Hollywood in the 30s. The Sabu story has the potential for a film that deserves to be made with Hollywood collaboration. Sabu, brought up in poverty in Mysore, and discovered by a British film maker, made his million in California.

Britain’s documentary maker Robert Flaherty with his wife Frances, were in Mysore with a film crew , wanting to do a feature film based on Toomai of the Elephants, a story by Rudyard Kipling. They were looking for a native boy for the lead role in Elephant Boy. They spotted him at the elephants’ stable , where the Palace elephants were being maintained. It was lunch time and senior mahouts were away,leaving the young boy in charge of the stable. The boy, in a lungi and wearing a white turban , was excited on seeing the foreign visitors, and showed off the way he handled the gentle giants with much ease.

The Fleherty couple, ended their search, saying, “here's the boy we're looking for”
Writing about the couple’s encounter with this lad ,Robert’s biographer Paul Roather, recalled how they felt about the incident. “ My most treasured memory of this day is of Sabu. He made his appearance slowly astride on elephant, and there they stood in the middle of the very large compound for the world to see.---.The manner in which he handled the ponderous, lumbering elephant was enough to stir one’s confidence and trust in him”.

“I have found a gold mine” wired Flaherty to Mr Alexander Korda, producer of the Elephant Boy, who was in London. A good part of the film was shot in 1935 and 36 in the jungles around Mysore,with which Sabu was familiar. Since there was delay in completion of the Film , the team was asked to return to Britain, where rest of the film was shot, at the Denham studio in London.. The film was a box office hit and the performance of Sabu was universally praised; he became an instant star.

The New York Times review commented:"Sabu, the Indian boy is a sunny faced ,manly little youngster. His naturalness beneath the camera’s scrutiny should bring blushes to the faces of precocious wonder children of Hollywood”. Born in Karapura, the famous site of Khedda of yester-years in Heggadadevanakote taluk of Mysore District, on Jan 24,1924, Sabu was illiterate and an ophan, haaving lost his mother when he was in the cradle, and his mahout father, when he turned seven. He was the youngest stable boy in the Maharaja” ward.

Before his discovery by the British film maker Sabu who had not traveled beyond Mysore. After the success of The Elephant Boy Korda signed up Sabu on a long term contract. Sabu became the ward of the British Government and was given excellent schooling. His third film the The Thief of Bagdad was a smash hit . A grand fantasy with flying horses, magic carpets, the film was about a dashing youth helping out a deposed king to regain his throne and winning the hand of the prince.

When Kordas moved on to America, Sabu went with them ; became an American citizen in 1944 and embraced the Episcopalian faith. When Hollywood super stars like Gary Cooper and Ronald Reagan stepped out of the studio to fight against the Nazis in World War 11, Sabu also joined them as a gunner and was honoured for his courage and valour.

He married Actress Marilyn and had two children, Paul Sabu who established a Rock band Unit while Paul’s sister owned a stud farm in California. Sabu died young, at 39,of heart attack and his body was interred in the famous Forest Lawn Cemetery among other film personalities.

Earlier in life when Sabu returned to his home town, Mysore, in 1952 for a film shooting, his former mahout boy in the Palace elephant stable stayed as a guest of the Maharaja Sri Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar. That generation of people that grew up in Mysore with Sabu is no longer there. The Palace Elephant stable gave way,in 1960s, for a private hospital. But Sabu's memory and film legacy are kept alive, thanks to occasional screening of some of 22 films, in which he acted during his 28-film career,in some of the English film channels.

Memo to TV9: Don't give up

2008-12-16T21:08:00.000-08:00

“Home they brought the warrior dead, unsung and unwept”

I had read this poem as student of eighth standard in the Municipal High School in my native Bellary. I do not remember either the name of the poet, or the circumstances under which he wrote or to whom he was addressing. I reckon it reflects the manner in which we treat martyrs.

A soldier who dies in action or fighting terrorists is brought home and buried with state honours, only to be forgotten the day after. No memorial; nor a street named after him, like it is done in the case of even a minor politician. how many of us today can name even a handful of the hundreds who sacrificed their lives for the country ?

In the Indo-Pak war, 1971, among those who died in action was a Mysore lad, Major Mutgekar, son of a senior official in the Railway Workshop. The day we heard of his loss I called on his parents in the Railway quarters.In fact, his father wiped my tears saying “ we are proud of our son“. As Correspondent of the Deccan Herald and Prajavani I initiated a campaign and had the issue raised in the then Municipal Council. All the councillors with one voice agreed that a street should be named after Mutgekar.

When nothing happened for months I contacted the Municipal President. He feigned ignorance, saying a new Council was in place after the elections and he did not know about the decision taken earlier. He however went through the proceedings of the meeting wherein the subject was discussed and showed me the proceedings; a demand was made for naming a street after Mutgekar, but no resolution was adopted. The municipal president agreed to consider the mattter when the issue naming any new street came up. But I gave up in disgust. Must admit I failed as a journalist, by not following up my own campaign.

Recently TV 9, a popular Kannada channel carried on a campaign to name the recently constructed Hebbal fly-over in Bangalore after Major Unnikrishnan. His parents live close by and the area was a favorite haunt of the army major. In its two-hour live telecast ministers, leaders of opposition parties,and others were interviewed and TV9 anchor, Mr Ranganath Bhardwaj, spoke to representatives of various organisations

Film stars, who with one voice, backed the TV 9 channel in calling for Government action. I wish TV 9 doesn't leave this here; would like to see their campaign taken to its logical conclusion,lest we forget Unnikrishnan and his sacrifice.

Heegu Untoe

2008-07-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

Call it supernatural power or fear psychosis,Nature seems to be guarding itself against the plunder of vast granite rich boulders in Kadakannahalli in Channapatna taluk of Ramanagara district in Karnataka.

TV 9 Kannada Channel in its programme Heegu Untoe (Can it be so), featured a phenomenon which like Cassandra in Greek mythology prophesies about the evils that befall upon those who intend to mine in the area, or encroach the land around the boulders that lie scattered. Lured by this dollar-rich-spectacle one Mr Srinivasa Gowda, along with his friend, struck a deal with the village pradhan and gave him Rs 75,000, with assurance that he would be paid such amount monthly.

Learning of this deal a few years ago some villagers cautioned Mr Gowda about the curse, and narrated an incident where in, as the TV Channel reported it, a villager, who wanted to build a house in the area had to face a series of tragedies in the family.

Mr Gowda, paying no heed to the well-intentioned caution by the villagers, brought skilled workers from Tamilnadu to quarry the area. As they were on their job, the workers encountered reptiles chasing them.They fled the scene, never to return. Meanwhile the village temple priest, who had been approached by Mr Gowda to perform puja to rocks before commencing the quarrying, had his right hand "benumbed"; and, sometime later, Mr Gowda's father died. And Mr Gowda himself was killed in a road accident.

It is not just the boulders, even the open space around them appear to be so protected by 'devine intervention'. The TV9 reported that the S M Krishna government had sanctioned a marriage hall, which was built near the temple. However,when the first marriage was to take place there an ant-hill sprung up in front of the mantapa. The priest declared this was not a good omen and the marriage was not solemnised there. According to villagers , the efforts made to remove the ant-hills were of no avail.

This may sound cock and bull. But reality is that all attempts to exploit the natural resources in the area have been in vain. The villagers believe the local deity protects the area. Heegu Untoe

Media insensitivity

2008-04-30T00:30:00.000-07:00

We, journalists, some times, betray our darker side - insensitivity in our approach to news-gathering.
"What's the lead for the day, sir", Ms Gayithri asked;
"Still there is time to think of a lead," I said, "one more hour".
Soon after Gayithri left my chamber, Guruprasad came in to say, "Sir, ETV Showed Kumaraswamy campaign in Ramanagara".
"What else you expect from him, other than going round the constituency; how does it make news" I asked.
He left, only to return, after watching some more ETV - "Sir, 40 people have been admitted in hospital, following vomitting".
"We have a lead", I said. Gayithri nodded her head; promptly sent for Aruna and instructed him to get details from the hospital; and tell Yadav (our photographer) to get a picture - "Tell him we need it for the lead, the pictures must be in by noon".
Ganapathi took notes from Aruna and wrote the lead. And as we were about send the page for 'pasting' One PM news mentioned 80 as the number of those admitted in the hospital. We changed the headline, Higher figure raises news value of a story.

After the 'pastings' were sent for printing, I reflected the run of events ; on my attitude to human life, sufferings of others, accidents and deaths. Journalists are given to adopting such clinical attitude to human tragedy , in their eagerness to get a good lead. I wonder if we react the same way, if the victims included our kith and kin.
I hasten to add that I do not mean that we should not discharge our duty as newspersons. What I mean is, in our approach to news gathering, we ought to think beyond the number of casualities, to convey in our reporting a sense of fellow-feeling. So that readers do not get a wrong image of the media fraternity.

The burden of this post is that media has responsibility to conduct itself in a humane way while reporting human tragedy. Accidents happen and they cannot go unreported, but an enlightened media can refrain from hying it for a lead story, unmindful of its impact on the victims, their kin and others affected by the tragedy.

I remember having read about a western journalist who, seeing a vulture attacking an emaciated child, preferred to take pictures of the sight rather than shoe away the attacker. Had he intervened as normal humans do in such circumstances, the journalist would have missed a Page One picture.
We have a lesson to learn from this.The poet in Mr M Veerappa Moily, former Karnataka chief Minister, was so disturbed on reading the report on the vulture and the child that he poured out his anguish in a poem.

Rupee value of happiness

2008-04-26T22:22:00.000-07:00

It may be a coincidence that the post in Ms Indrani’s blog and an article in The New York Times dealt with the same theme - relationship between money and happiness - although the approach of both writers was different. Ms Indrani’s post is based on a statement made by Mr Andy Goh , Singapore’s happiest person , who says , that for achieving the status of happiness “ we need to train our mind a bit”. Mr David Leonhardt's NYT piece is based on two studies, done over a span of 34 years between them.
The study by Pennsylvania University economist, Richard Easterlin , which gained the status of a theory known as Easterlin Paradox, was published in 1974, in which he argued that the economic growth did not necessarily lead to greater satisfaction. This study as such was made on the opinion sought from Japanese, who in the aftermath of Second World War witnessed one of the greatest booms the world had even known. In the decades , from 1950 to 1970, the per capita output grew more than seven fold. Japan re-invented itself, from a war-torn country into one of the richest nations on earth. Yet, the economist argued the Japanese citizens did not seem to become any more satisfied with their lives.
In April this year , two young economists attached to Brookings Institution in Washington, rebutted the argument of Easterlin. They averred that money indeed tends to bring happiness, even if it does not guarantee it.. Citing the findings of the Gallop poll around the world they come to conclusion that life satisfaction is the highest in the richest country. Writer David Leonhardt held that the fact remains that economic growth does not just make countries richer in superficially materialistic ways . Having gone through the post of Ms Indrani and the NYT article , I am inclined to feel that the Westerners have a penchent for surveys and gallop poll, and consider these findings as the belief and conviction of the people at large.
The saints and seers of India had dealt with these questions centuries ago. Saint Composer Thyagaraja asks Nidhi Chala Sukamo, Devuni Sannidhi Chala Sukumo (Does wealth give one happiness and satisfaction or being in your presence gives happiness). The sense of hapiness was based on spiritual well being.
I remember what my friend and leading Mysore hotelier, Mr P V .Giri, once said observing the way in which construction workers lived and worked. In a moving lorry laden with “jalli” (gravel), Mr Giri observed, a coolie could have sound sleep, unmindful of the sharp edges of the gravel. Whereas the affluent in their cosy beds in AC Rooms, had to induce sleep with pills.

A Reddy Story

2008-04-16T03:49:00.000-07:00

Even in death it is politics of the day that governs the manner in which a political leader is remembered. He may have held an exalted position at the time of death, but his politics needs to be right, for him to get a fitting memorial. What mattered was the political lineage, the clan to which he belonged, or his relationship with the ruling clique of the day.

A leader whose loyalty was suspect got marginalized. This seems to have been the case with Mr Neelam Sanjiva Reddy. He was A P chief minister twice, AICC president, Lok Sabha Speaker, and the President. Yet Mr Reddy, in death, didn’t get the recognition he deserved from the ruling establishment of the day.

A report in the New Indian Express (Bangalore Edition dated April 12) speaks of a non-descript tomb at Kalapalli graveyard (about two kms from Fraser town Police Station , Bangalore) that carries a plastic signboard, reading ‘President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy’. The media report mentioned that Reddy's resting place had no maintenance budget and was being treated by the authorities as just another tomb.

Those familiar with politics in 1960s or 70s, can recall how Mr Reddy, the then AICC chief, had fallen out of grace with Mrs Indira Gandhi. The 1969 split in the Congress constituted a watershed in Indian Politics; it led to the rise of Mrs Gandhi in power on the strength of her garibi hatao slogan. Masses were mesmerized by her charisma. The Party split into Congress (Organisation), led by Mr S Nijalingappa, and the other Congress (Ruling) led by Prime Minister Mrs Gandhi. Mr Reddy became a suspect in the eyes of Mrs Gandhi, because of his leanings towards Congress(O).

Mrs Gandhi, who had, in fact, proposed his name for the post of President of India, went back on her word, and invoked, what she termed, a ”conscience vote”. She brought forward the then Vice President V V Giri and got him elected as the President. However, Mr Reddy became the sixth President with the support of Janata Party which came to power after Mrs Gandhi lost it in the wake of the Emergency.

On retirement Mr Reddy settled in Bangalore in a bungalow allotted by the State Government. He died at the age of 83 and was laid to rest in Kalpalli graveyard. Neither the State nor the Centre bothered to build any memorial till 2002. As JD(U) General Secretary N S Ravi put it, “it is ironic that the former President was wronged in death. JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda was the Prime Minister when Reddy died. We had to run from pillar to post to get sanction from S M Krishna Government to build a tomb.’

The IE reports says the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike had sanctioned Rs 10 lakhs for the tomb in 2002 and the officials took four years to set a stone slab and fence the area. “By no stretch of imagination could the work have cost Rs 10 lakhs” says Mr Ravi.

Speaking of raising a memorial I remember what Mr Devaraj Urs had said in this context. Devaraj Urs, who had served as Chief Minister of Karnataka for two terms, was down-to-earth in his comments; and, like Rajaji, his forte was a solid grounding in Ramayana and Mahabaratha . And unlike the former, Mr Urs relished his “Royal Salute” and was seen occasionally with a pipe in his mouth - an aristocrat with a philosophical bent of mind.

As a reporter of Deccan Herald, I had opportunity to observe Mr Urs from close quarters. Once on a visit to his native village in Periyapatna taluk of Mysore District, he was accorded a grand reception by members of the Urs community; they performed pada puja , in true Hindu tradition. He was served his favourite ragi mudde on a silver plate.

Mr D V Urs, the then Vice-chancellor of Mysore University, in a welcome address referred to Mr Devaraj Urs’ visit as historic and then spoke of a plan to install an edict at the venue, with an inscription describing the visit of Mr Devaraj Urs to the village.

The philosopher in Mr Urs responded by quoting Purandaradasa. This gem of a composition in effect speaks about the futility of such inscriptions. With the generations of rulers who haughtily claimed vast assets as their own, go with empty hands when once they are dead, and even their bodies are brought out of their dwellings they claimed as their own. Mr Urs wiping tears with a handkerchief said, what was remembered was one’s good work.

On a search mission in Karanji

2008-04-06T21:52:00.000-07:00

I went to the zoo the other day on a search mission; to locate a mango I had planted by the Karanji Lake some 22 years back. The occasion then was a tree-planting programme the Karnataka Zoo Authority had organized. And I was invited to plant a sapling, along with the then chairman and divisional commissioner Puranik and the zoo executive director C D Krishne Gowda.

While the others planted whatever sapling that was handed down to them by zoo officials, I was choosy about mango. It was in search of this mango that I made the recent trip to the zoo. It was a FORT-Mysore colleague GVK who talked me into looking for the tree I had planted so long ago. It would make a great post for our blog, he said. He even offered to come with me, and help me take a photo of my mango at the zoo. I chose to go on my own,just in case it turned out to be a dry run.

First I had to make sure if the tree was there.I informed my old friend, zoo manager Shivanna, about my desire to locate my ‘sapling’. He welcomed the idea, but he was not sure if it had survived. A pleasant surprise awaited us when we reached the spot. What I had planted has grown to be a big tree, conspicuous in the groove for its spread; its long branches overshadowed the other trees. I stood there gazing at my tree in sheer joy. As I shared my thoughts an accompanying Karanji official Nagaraj mentioned that the tree yielded delicious badami. He added that they do not pluck the mangoes,but leave them on the tree for birds and monkeys. A noble idea.

As I fixed my gaze on the tree, my thoughts went back to school days when I had read Rabindranth Tagore’s Kabuliwala. The trader in the story, from Kabul, spent months away from home travelling in India to sell dates. The Kabuliwala , on his visits to Calcutta came in contact with a “little girl”...after years of absence (in jail) he returned, to be overwhelmed with emotions on seeing his 'little one' grown up as a beautiful woman. She reminded Kabuliwala of his own daughter back home, in Kabul. Well, I some such feelings at Karanji. Seeing my ‘sapling’, after over two decades, reminded me of the grown up woman in the story.

I had not visited Karanji in a long while. Besides it had not occurred to me to look for my tree till now. Those days, when we held our monthly zoo authority meetings on the lakeside there was not as much of tree cover as we find today. We must thank the zoo authority and its employees for the transformation. The whole environ is serene. For book lovers and bird-watchers it is an ideal spot. What with well laid out granite benches facing the lake, and coffee available at kiosk, the setting is fantastic, simply.

As I stood in front of the mango tree I felt humble. Who am I to claim it as my tree, merely because I had planted it. The credit must truly go to the gardeners and others at the lake who looked after it.Above all it is the Mother Nature that nourished, with maternal care, the sapling as it grew into a tree. I couldn’t help folding my hands in gratitude to such Nature’s creation before heading home.

Cross-posted in FORT-Mysore, a tree-lovers blog.

Anne Frank’s ailing chestnut tree

2008-03-24T04:37:00.000-07:00

As I read Ms Geeta Balachandran’s article in the Deccan Herald, Saving Anne's tree , I experienced the same intensity of emotion as I had while reading Anne Frank’s diary, some decades back. Geetha’s article says viewing the chestnut tree from the window of her Amsterdam attic brought comfort to Anne Frank. For some years now, the 150-year old chestnut tree that brought such joy to Anne's soul, has been battling fungus and a moth infestation.

Deccan Herald photo

The City of Amsterdam, which had initially planned to chop it, has now reached an agreement with conservationists on the measures to be taken to preserve the tree.
The plan is to build, by May-end , a metal supporting structure around the tree, enabling it to remain standing, for five to ten years. The Anne Frank Tree Foundation is funding the conservation measures. The flexible support structure, designed by architects and engineers, will hold the trunk in place in case it were to give way and crack down , but it will not be in direct contact with the tree, so its growth will not be impeded. The status of the tree will continue to be monitored by a group of tree specialists.

Photo, published in Spiegel, shows ropes slung from the tree to the building where Anne Frank. with her family,was in hiding from the Nazis till 1944.

Like most others the world over, I was touched by the concern and commitment of the people and authorities in Holland to preserving all that is associated with Anne Frank. In a sense, they are responding to the Anne’s urge “to go on living after my death”. In a way, Holland seem to be comforting Anne Frank, whose infatuation with Nature is reflected in her writings. ”Go outside, to the fields, enjoy nature and the sunshine, go and go try to recapture happiness in yourself and in God. Think of all the beauty, that is still left in and around you and be happy (Tuesday, 7 March, 1944)…Is there anything more beautiful in the world than to sit before an open window and enjoy nature, to listen to the birds singing” -----(Wednesday,19 April, 1944)

Here was a Jewish teenager, recording her impressions so vividly, subsisting under extraordinary conditions, as Anne Frank did, - going into hiding, celebrating her thirteenth and fourteenth birthday, cloistered in an old building, cut off from outside world, facing hunger, boredom, and cruelties of living in confined quarters , with the ever present threat of being found out by Nazis. Anne died in the ghastly concentration camp in Bergen-Belsen in Germany, ( where the Frank Family was packed off from Holland ) in March 1945, two months after Holland was freed, and three months before what would have been her sixteenth birthday.

Anne Frank survives not only between the covers of a small red checkered cloth-covered classic - The Diary of Anne Frank -, but in the memorials that have come up in Holland, thanks to the Anne Frank Foundation and the people of Holland.
They are worthy of emulation by people all over the world. Here is a nation , transcending barriers of regionalism and racism, that endeavors to preserve the shining nobility of that great spirit, Anne Frank.

Visit to the Anne Frank museum and the house where she was hiding has been a moving experience, say the visitors who stand in front of Anne’s statue in hushed silence. The Montessori School in Amsterdam where she studied is now Anne Frank School. There are memorials in Germany and Israel also to atone for the unsung grave at Belsen.

In reflection in our Mahan Bharat, how many of those who sacrificed their lives for the cause of the Nation, or those whose writings enriched our lives have memorials built for them, leave alone their heritage, by way of a tree or lake with which their memories are associated, preserved ?

Cross-posted: FORT-Mysore

Vattam's encounter with the collector

2008-02-06T23:00:00.000-08:00

Fellow journalist Vicent D'Souza has a knack of presenting a commonplace incident with a sense of witticism. In a post in his blog Mr D'Souza speaks about conservancy inspectors, and refers to people, answering nature’s call behind EP box, under the avenue tree or at the wall. ”I shout at them so loudly they are forced to stop free flow midway and scamper. I am not sure it was bad for kidneys ------“

As I read this post my thoughts went back to my boyhood days. When I was 8- 10 years at native Bellary I used to go out for nature’s call. We didn't have proper toilet at home. One day as I was settling down behind some shrubs the district collector, returning home after morning stroll, along with his wife, spotted me . He stopped, picked up a stone, and flung it at me. He was left-handed; would have been a good bowler, had he taken to cricket, judging from his throw.

Cricket wasn't on my mind; my concern, then, was about dodging the collector's stone. Hurriedly , I got up, with buttock uncovered, holding my knicker with left hand, I ran towards home , leaving behind my chembu. After assuring myself that the collector was well out my sight, I went back to the shrubs to complete my unfinished business. From next day, I changed my timings so as to evade the passing collector.

Well, if you were travelling in Howrah Express from Madras, you would not have missed villagers in rows, smoking cheap cigars , squatting along the track, unmindful of passing trains.When I narrated this incident to my grand-daughter recently, she exclaimed 'thoo, thoo, shame, shame thata' . I thought that it was the best way to illustrate the change that has taken place during the last six decades, although several villages and slums in metros have dwellings that lack toilet facilities.

Some NGOs, with government help, are working to bring about changes in Karnataka. Yet, there are village old-timers who prefer the great outdoors. Old habits die hard.

Impulsive

2008-01-30T06:24:00.000-08:00

Viswanath Episode:We have been influenced by TV channels, act impulsively.
We seem to have developed an impulsive syndrome, having supressed the innate instincts of reasoning.We do not have patience to know the truth; and we tend to be influenced by what others or the media say.There was a time to think when till recently the important medium that was serving to convey news and information was the print medium, which generally had time to publish matter relating to a situation and was serving the need of the day .So much so, the readers used to get a fairly good briefing which helped them to form their own opinion on a given situation or an issue based on their thinking faculties and capacity to think and reason.

With the Electronic Media coming on the centre-stage as purveyors of information , equipped as it is , with the technology to break news , contact any person on earth and invite him to comment on the issue that this Electronic Media thinks it to take up , and the so called participants in the discussion , pleased with the invitation , which offers a far reach, hastily react to the questions, not fully comprehending the realties of the situatioin or the topic on which they are asked to comment.Thus some TV Channels, set on a mission to present an opinionated topic .Unfortunately the viewers are instantly swayed by comments on TV and react differently.Some take to streets, the motely of the agitators may be different, depending on the interest groups, interest , in the sense, those who are seeminly agitated over the issue.Ofcourse, if it is a political issue or a political figure, political colour given to the issue.

This is what exactly happened on the evening of Jan 28, when an autobiography of Senior Congress leader and Former Karnatka Minister H Viswanath was to be released by Jnanana Peeta Award Winner Dr U R Aanantha Murthy at a function at 5 pm.Naturally when a politician writes his autobiography one can expect copious references in the book about the contemporary characters that come and go on the political scene.
Among many political leaders who find a place in Mr Viswanath’s “Halli Hakkiya Hadu”, Former Karnatka Chief Minister and presently Maharastra Governor S M Krishna is one.An innocous reference made on a proposed marriage alliance of Mr Krishna with the multi-lingual actress of yesteryears Mrs B Saroja Devi, an alliance that was talked about four decades ago when Mr Krishna was young eligible bachelor, an alliance that did not come through, was picked up by a Kannada TV Channel.This Channel which came on the scene a year back with a big bang, adopting totally an unconventional approach to collect information and present before the readers , with live coverage, also coming up with issues , mostly on contemporary topics, chose to invite discussion on Mr Viswanath’s reference to the alliance just a few hours before the function was to start, went around seeking opinion of general public, who had not read the book or the context in which Mr Viswanath made this remark.For certain, those who offered comments or participated in the discussion had not read the book.Often, even as in the print medium , if the source of the news is questionable, the arguments or comments based on such premise also stand on quicksand.
As a Professional Journalist I can say with a sense of responsibility, some media persons who may not have attended a function or not able to access information do collect information from a journalist who might have attended the function .This information is shared by fellow journalists.There had been occasions when the journalist who had access to the information had taken notes, which were not true to the situation .When questioned we tend to justify our published version , arguing that “all papers have given the same version.One reporter may go wrong, but not all”, we argue.Thus if the source itself is not credible, information obtained by means of off- sourcing itself becomes unreliable.
Congress is a divided house, ofcourse, all of them swearing in the name of the High Command, euphemism for Mrs Sonia Gandhi, Fed on the discussion on TV, those claiming as supporters of Mr Krishna , angrily demonstrated , created ruckus,and saw to the cancellation of the function .Some of the prominent Congress leaders openly identified themselves in the demonstration .If only they had waited and gone through the book , they would have seen that their Leader, whom, they feel, was being pilloried by Mr Viswanath, was, in fact, glorified.Mr Viswanath read passages which speak in quite eulogising terms about the personality of Mr Krishna.
We act impulsively, not realising that all of us are endowed with thinking faculties.
The question whether Mr Viswanath was within his moral bounds to have commented on an incident that had taken place four decades ago is a matter for debate free from prejudices. Some argue whether such a reference , to which Mr Viswanath alludes, was required at all.I do not like to dwell on this.My thurst of this rather too longish blog is that we tend to formulate opinion based on meagre information, unauthenticated one.
Here is what the so called controversial reference to which Mr Viswsanath speaks about in his book.This relates to an incident when Mr Viswanath (who was the Education Minister in the Krishna Cabinet) and Mr Krishna were treavelling in a car .it was an election time for the Lok Sabha and a news paper found in the car speaks about actress Mrs Saroja Devi being tipped as a Congress Candidate to contest the election from Mandya Constituency.(The home district of Mr Krishna ).Mr Krishna exclaims “ what is this? And what do the people think’?In a lighter vein Mr Viswanath asks Mr Krishna “Sir,Shall I tell you the truth.But You should not feel bad”
“Oh, Oh, come on tell me, I will not feel bad, I will like to know the truth.”
Encouraged by this Mr Viswanath says ‘ People are talking about it.They say Krishna would not forget his old numbers.He would give ticket to that “ ammavaru” There is no doubt about it.”Mr Krishna laughed heartily.
“It appeared to me that he did not feel bad.I felt it took him down memory lane, which made him cheerful .
“In a playful mood , he said , Look Viswanath .We should not forget anyone.Is it not”?
“Yes,Yes Sir, I too have not forgtten anyone “ I remarked
Mr Krishna again burst into laughter.
You are free to arrive at conclusions

Animal torture

2008-01-27T05:30:00.000-08:00

As I was watching the gory details of the visuals of a Hindu ritual in the taluk headquarters town of Indi in Bijapur District in North Karnataka, in which bulls offered as sacrifice to “please” the deity are subjected to a torture of a kind, which has no parallel in the history of any ritual practised by any rerligion in the world.
The ritual begins with smearing of kumkum on the bull, and later the four legs and the mouth of the animal are all tied with strong ropes, and “devotees” forcibly lift it up and make it “stand’, a posture it finds it difficult to do.A deep cut is made with a sharp sickle on its neck.The first flush of blood as it oozes out is collected in both the hands of a person , who offers it to small images of gods and goddesses kept closeby.
Then begins an orgy, an unrestrained indulgence in the worst kind of cruelty, amidst wild scenes of celebration.As the blood oozes out , one after another “devotee”sucks the blood from his mouth.The crowd will not allow it to lie down , even as it is dying, unable to suffer the torture.But the devotees quench their thirst with blood.Finally the animal finds rest in death.As I know it is only the wild dogs, as they hunt their prey in a pack, go on take out flesh from their prey .Even the big cats, tigers or leopards are relatively kind towards their prey.
After one bull rests in peace, an another one is brought and this orgy of violence continues.Seven bulls were sacrificed in this most cruel manner.
Lakhs of people were witness to this barbaric ritual telecast by E TV Kannada On January 22 2008. This comes on the close heels of an another ritual of a differeent kind of torture of animals.While the controversy over jallikattu (bull fight) in some villages in Madurai District of Tamilnadu on Sankranthi Day(Jan 15) was hogging headlines in the national and international media, a far more shocking ritual that happened in Melapura village in Yadgir Taluk of Gulbarga District of Karnataka on the Sankranthi Day came to light.Over 6000 sheep and goats, all young one, were literally thrown from the top of the buildings and hillocks towards the village deity, which was being taken in a procession from the temple to a lake.These offerings were being made by “devotees who had “vowed” to do so.Many of these panick stricken animals got killed or were trampled upon by those in the procession.It was shocking the Governemnt was the indirect participant in this barbaric ritual, for after the event the Governmment in a bid to dispose of the animals auctioned them and the successful bidder “enriched “ the State Exchequer with Rs 2.6 lakhs.The Yadgir Tahasildar sought to playdown the ritual and claimed that only a few anilmals died
I want to ask the District Administration in Bijapur and Gulbarga as to what it was doing when the animals were being subjected to torture and whether it was not a serious dereliction of its duty on its part.They owe an explanation to the public.

a worst kind of torture to animals
A worst kind of torture to animals
As I was watching the gory details of the visuals of a Hindu ritual in the taluk headquarters town of Indi in Bijapur District in North Karnataka, in which bulls offered as sacrifice to “please” the deity are subjected to a torture of a kind, which has no parallel in the history of any ritual practised by any rerligion in the world.
The ritual begins with smearing of kumkum on the bull, and later the four legs and the mouth of the animal are all tied with strong ropes, and “devotees” forcibly lift it up and make it “stand’, a posture it finds it difficult to do.A deep cut is made with a sharp sickle on its neck.The first flush of blood as it oozes out is collected in both the hands of a person , who offers it to small images of gods and goddesses kept closeby.
Then begins an orgy, an unrestrained indulgence in the worst kind of cruelty, amidst wild scenes of celebration.As the blood oozes out , one after another “devotee”sucks the blood from his mouth.The crowd will not allow it to lie down , even as it is dying, unable to suffer the torture.But the devotees quench their thirst with blood.Finally the animal finds rest in death.As I know it is only the wild dogs, as they hunt their prey in a pack, go on take out flesh from their prey .Even the big cats, tigers or leopards are relatively kind towards their prey.
After one bull rests in peace, an another one is brought and this orgy of violence continues.Seven bulls were sacrificed in this most cruel manner.
Lakhs of people were witness to this barbaric ritual telecast by E TV Kannada On January 22 2008. This comes on the close heels of an another ritual of a differeent kind of torture of animals.While the controversy over jallikattu (bull fight) in some villages in Madurai District of Tamilnadu on Sankranthi Day(Jan 15) was hogging headlines in the national and international media, a far more shocking ritual that happened in Melapura village in Yadgir Taluk of Gulbarga District of Karnataka on the Sankranthi Day came to light.Over 6000 sheep and goats, all young one, were literally thrown from the top of the buildings and hillocks towards the village deity, which was being taken in a procession from the temple to a lake.These offerings were being made by “devotees who had “vowed” to do so.Many of these panick stricken animals got killed or were trampled upon by those in the procession.It was shocking the Governemnt was the indirect participant in this barbaric ritual, for after the event the Governmment in a bid to dispose of the animals auctioned them and the successful bidder “enriched “ the State Exchequer with Rs 2.6 lakhs.The Yadgir Tahasildar sought to playdown the ritual and claimed that only a few anilmals died
I want to ask the District Administration in Bijapur and Gulbarga as to what it was doing when the animals were being subjected to torture and whether it was not a serious dereliction of its duty on its part.They owe an explanation to the public.

The Emergency thoughts

2008-01-03T17:31:00.000-08:00

I got lost going through the interim report of the Shah Commission when the New Year ticked by, Indian Standard Time. Not the best way to bid 'bye, bye' to 2007, but it wasn't my conscious decision to spend this moment refreshing myself about our days during the Emergency (1975-77).

I stumbled on the Shah Commission report (1978) while rummaging my attic in search of newspaper clippings of my Deccan Herald pieces on the Mysore campus unrest in the 70s. The search was prompted by the on-going controversy over the alleged irregularities in the Mysore University. Some of these clippings were pasted on oblong books (printed for annual Mysore University convocation and distributed to the media) And many more , wrapped in newspapers, were stacked on the attic, and on shelves above the kitchen; which explains why many of my archive bundles have acquired a black tinge on the cover.

It isn't easy to lay hands on the exact clippings you look for at any given time. Left to my wife, the bundles would have found their way to raddiwala long back, depriving resident cockroaches a safe haven from human interference. To me their value is incalculable (the bundles, not the coakroaches). It was during my search at the attic, standing on a ladder, a thick book whose colour was once green, slipped from my hand and fell down to the floor. It was the first interim report of the Shah Commission.

Excited by this discovery I gave up my search for the university clippings and got engrossed in the commission report. As 2007 ticked by , my thoughts traveled back in time, to that Black Day in June , 1975, when President Fakruddin Ali Ahmed was woken up in the middle of the night to sign on some papers, that paved the way for suspending the fundamental rights, initiating state sponsored excesses, gags on the media, and for jailing the critics of Mrs Indira Gandhi.

Reading about it, again, strengthend my conviction to educate, in my limited way, our young journalists about what it means to be free. Much water has flown down the Yamuna since the dark days of the Emergency. Prolific growth of TV channels; the coalition of politics having come to stay; the absence of a leader of the stature of Mrs Gandhi, in whose name the Congress men, from the grass-roots worker to chief ministers , central ministers and even the Presidents of India swore their implicit loyalty; and unseen pressure from US against such misadventure, would all combine to ensure that India does not experience ever again the Emergency of the kind the country witnessed in the 70s .

Such were the thoughts that occurred as I re-read the Shah Commission report, utterly oblivious of the New Year revellery out on the midnight streets. A related item in GVK’s blog : The Emergency:The Indian Media’s shameful era

Of the judiciary and its activism

2007-12-18T18:56:00.000-08:00

Can a verdict of a two-judge bench of the Apex Court bind the full bench?

I know how you feel, but I was confused , and surprised. Confused, as to what people at large would feel if a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court could comment on the conduct of the brother- judges of the same court, blaming them for their judgement. I am a layman, a journalist, but I do read interesting court verdicts, published in six or seven dailes I subscribe to. Some of these judgements are literary pieces and I am impressed with the free flow of the observations, lucidity of thought and language. Justice V S Krishna Iyer has cultivated a unique style that gives readers a sense of joy. But unless one is well versed in English it is not easy to understand what this great Jurist wants to convey.

Sorry for the digression. As I was saying, I have observed the Apex Court commenting adversely on the conduct of High Courts and the subordinate courts and this holds true in respect of the High Courts commenting on the verdict of district or subordinate courts. But I have not heard or read about a bench of the Supreme Court passing remarks on fellow judges of the same court. This act of the two-judge bench caused me concern for more than one reason.

First, how do the public that still has confidence in the judiciary (not withstanding corruption at some level as publicly commented by the some senior judges also) react to this development?

Secondly, wouldn't the comments by these two judges deter others in the same court or in the High Courts from entertaining PILs ? In case the Apex Court were to think of putting a full stop to PILs, the avenue that is now available for some who are genuinely interested in espousing the public causes would get closed , and they may as well dash their heads against wall.

The the two –judge bench of the Apex Court, Justice Mr Markendy Katju and Justice MrA.K.Mathur, while setting aside the judgement of the Punjab and Harayana High Court directing the creation of the posts in golf course called for judicial restraint. They observed, ” We are compelled to make these observations because we repeatedly come across cases where judges are unjustifiably trying to perform executive or legislative functions. This is clearly unconstitutional. In the name of judicial activisim , judges cannot cross their limits and try to overtake functions, which belong to another organ of the state. The judges must know their limits and must not try to run the goverenment .They must have modesty and humility and not behave like emperors.”

So far so good. True, these two learned judges have raised the issue of judicial activisim, which is being debated from various platforms over last few years, with votaries and opponents holding on to their respective views steadfastly. They not only denounced actions on some cases by the Delhi High Court, but also denounced that of the larger bench of the Supreme Court itself. The moot point is whether they could speak on behalf of the full bench of the SC itself. The irony is that Justice Katju, according to Deccan Herald, was himself a votary of judicial activism.

It must be remembered that doors of the courts at higher level were thrown open to public, to whom these courts were beyond their reach, thanks to Justice P N Bhagwati, who is hailed as the “pitamaha”of public interst litigation. This was indeed a boon for the underdogs whose cry for attention towards their burning problems was not being heard by authorities that betrayed a sense of supreme indifference towards them .The question that may cause concern is: If the two judges were to comment on settled issues, where is the finality ?

The huttu habba mania

2007-12-16T17:46:00.000-08:00

Except their family members, outsiders hardly knew the dates of birth of our great leaders like Rajaji, Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Vallabhai Patel or Kamaraj, with the honourable exception of the Father of the Nation. However, since the birthdays of leaders like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan were sought to be associated with certain events like Children’s day and Teachers’ day, the people knew their birthdays.

Bet how many of us know the birthday of Bhagat Singh, Pandit Motilal Nehru, Tilak. Subhas Chandra Bose, Lala Lajpat Rai, Even Lal Bahadur Sastry would have fallen the wayside, but for the fact that his birth day falls on the birth day of the Mahatma Gandhi and our leaders make a pretence of remembering him on that day and garland the photo in some cities, while in many centres Sastry is ignored.

But in the recent years we are reminded of huttu habba of second line or third line leaders at district and taluk levels, not to speak of current or former ministers, what with sponsored ads , in colour, are published in regional Kannada dailies, with pictures of not only their “beloved leaders” but with those of who want to greet, often associating those of their perceived important leaders of the party they represent or in.The inclusion or exclusion of the photos of such perceived important leaders, depend on the likes and dislikes of these sponsors,some in their estimation fall or prop up.The space they buy for ads depends on the position of their leaders. Maximum number of names and photos are ‘huddled in” the ads .I have seen over fifty photos were published along with the hutu habba of one minister, who was in district in charge, and a minister that matterd in according favours.

These ads are not confined to birthday only.Even the visit of their minister or ministers to their city is a fit occasion for greeting .While the readers of news papers are least interested in these ads, the news papers welcome for they bring in much needed revenue for cash crunched local papers. The DTP opertors have a hell of time arranging these photos in an order these sponsors insist and mention their names correctly, without mixing one name with the other.

As far as I remember this tendency to build up the ‘personality’ cult began with the days of Mrs Indira Gandhi. Well, atleast she had certain adorable qualities , not withstanding her imposition of the Emergency and her authoritarian rule. Progressively, this cult has degenrated to such an extent that today even the huttu habba of our taluk level leaders is worthy of advertising(or do these leaders themselves finance to buy space in papers?). It is not mere ads in papers but huge hoardings and banners are put up to tell us about these huttu habba.It is a different matter whether thay know the birthday of their parents.

But rememeber these sponsored ads are promoted as long their leaders are in ‘currency’ or ‘useful to them. Some who do not find their names or photos take to another novel method to humour their leaders.They go to one or two hospitals with two or three basket of fruits and distribute them to the patients, taking care to see that press photographers accompany them . Thanks to technology the prints are readily available almost immediately, and unlike in our days when there was no colour photos, the black and white film rolls are to be washed in studio, dried and often by hanging the rolls in sun, before prints are taken.

These followers of their leaders get publicity without spending much , for the regional papers looking for local news or do not find enough news to fill space, readily publish these photos. Well, I have given you some tips to get good free publicity in local dailies, which do command good circulation .If you want your name telecast associating your name with your ‘beloved leader” go in TV channels. Of course it may pinch your purse. As long as there are others to sponsor these ads don’t bother.

Good luck.

2007-10-23T07:59:00.007-07:00

gandhiji
Our present day netas would say if “ he(Gandhji)wants to die, let him die”

As the drama associated with the transfer of power by Janatadal(Secular) to BJP in Karnataka was being enacted with the patriarch of JD(S), Mr H D Deve Gowda “discovering”, after sharing power with and enjoying the company of Yediyurappa and Company for 20 months, on the appointed day of handing over power that BJP was a “communal party”,with absolutely no qualms about the trust and values, and with even those who oppose the ideology of what the media calls as a ‘saffron party’, condemning Mr Gowda’s stance as one of betrayal, I was re-reading Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre’s “Freedom at Midnight”, and by sheer coincidence, got stuck up with a passage, which relates to the cherished values of Truth and Trust, as lived upto by Mahatma Gandhi.I thought that for the benefit of those who are not aware about the cause for which the Mahatma went on fast, the last fast in his life in the second week of January 1948, before bullets pumped in his frail body by Nathuram Godse two weeks later, I could refer to about the great soul force and moral courage he displayed for the Cause of Truth and honouring the commitment.

This incident relates to India’s strong opposition to give the balance of share of Rs 500 million to Pakistan as per the agreement arrived at between India and Pak on the division of assets and liabilities on the eve of partition. Ofcourse India, with Nehru and Sardar Patel, not to speak of the general mood of the people in the country, rightly argued that if India gave this amount, it would be used by Pak to purchase arms to kill Indian troops who had been fighting against the ‘tribal invasion” of Kashmir, with Pak troops actually involved in it .But to Gandhiji honouring the agreement was more important than the purpose for which the amount will be used by Pakistan.India could have justifiably exploited the situation in Pakistan in the name of the ‘honour of the Country ‘, for Jinnah was in a desparate situation with his new nation was almost bankrupt, with only only Rs 20 of the Rs 200 million given earlier as advance by India remaining and when even a cheque issued by his Government to the British Overseas Airways had bounced.Jinnah s suffered a crushing humiliation.India could not have had a better opportunity to teach Pak and Jinnah a lesson for their misadventure.
But Gandhiji viewed the situation from the prism of Truth , which he equated it to God.He believed India’s decision had no moral basis, money belonged to Pak, and refusing to pay it was almost an act of international embezzlement.When he failed to convince even Nehru and Patel , he undertook fast, which was greeted by people of India with consternation and even condemnation, a feeling inflamed with the overflowing refugees crying their hatred of Moslems.
Gandhiji might have been forgotten man today , with our netas on Oct 2 annually mouthing their shibboleths about the relevance of Gandhism even today, but by undertaking the fast, as the great authors of the book,’ Freedom at Midnight “he reminded all India who he was and what he stood for .For the last time he was forcing his countrymen to ponder the meaning of his life and the message he had sought to deliver them”
Today when an avowed commitment to an even insiginificant issue like sharing power, after enjoying the company of partner, is not honoured ,legitimising their action, one would be inclined to ponder over the great drift of our politicians from Gandhism, ofcourse , comforting from the fact thateven then there was a segment of society which cried “Let Gandhi Die”.Here the question is not whether sharing power with a “communal party” , but living upto Truth and Trust.If the general feeling in Karnataka is that JD(S) is a grerat betrayer, and a feeling that may be mellowed down as days pass on, it is not an issue concerning BJP or Lingayats to which community Mr Yediyuruppa belongs.It is one of values of Trust and commitment.

Lakshmana's bombshell

2007-08-20T06:57:00.000-07:00

Waves of shiver are bound to strike those engaged in real estate business in Mysore as Association of Concerned and Informed Citizens(ACICM), a NGO, dropped a bombshell hinting that Infosys Mentor Mr Narayana Murthy may think of shifting the Global Training Centre on the sprawling campus in Mysore, if he is convinced that the Thermal Power Plant , which the Government wants to have in the Chamalapura Village, 30 kms from the City, in the face of opposition from the public, will have an adverse environmental impact on the campus.

ACICM Convenor M Lakshmana informed a meeting , convened on Aug 19 to discuss the future course of action to see that this "disastrous project" is dropped by the Government , as it was forced to do in the case of the Ghatprabha Thermal Plant , that Mr Narayana Murthy will be in Mysore on Aug 22 to have the first knowledge about the impact of the Chamalapura Power Plant Project..Any hint that ITs may be disinclined to start their units in Mysore or may shift the one established in Mysore will scare the real estate business houses who have in the recent past gone on investing money on the purchase of land by offering huge sums of money to farmers in and around Mysore, anticipating that Mysore is the most favoured destination for IT Units.Consequently the value of the vacant land sites has gone up by ten folds during the last 18 months.Similarly the house rent has registered a steep rise.

Cross-posted in Praja-Mysore

A wildlife phenomenon

2007-08-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

Wildlife history was being made the other day in African Savannah, as in one of the rarest of rare events, a herd of buffalo chased a pride of lions , and even gored the one and tossed it into air.

History was also made when the very lucky amateur-photographer -American tourist David Budzinski shot near a water hole in his video camera this remarkable, incredible spectacle, which, The Guardian reported from London , has taken the internet by storm.

The eight-and a half minute footage, dubbed By The Guardian as “Battle at Kruger” is packed with the most dramatic and astonishing events , what with the the pride charging the herd, even as the buffalos run in a great panic, in the process the small buffalo calf is caught, wrestled into water, a crocodile trying to snatch it, the crocodile ultimately gives up in the tug of war between them, the calf is drawn ashore and as hungry lions surround the hapless calf and are ready to feast on it, the herd returns and furiously takes on the lions, literally- chase them.

According to The Guardin over ten million people have watched (click to access the story and watch the unmissable video clip) the “epic scrap since he put it in May, and one of the Web-site founders, has proclaimed as his favourite clip of all time..It has become a phenomenon on You Tube (tinyurl.com/9jdop)”

Christian conversions: My take on Abraham's post

2007-08-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Your article on “History of conversions to Christianity in Kerala-an overview” makes an interesting reading .After all, we all Indians are made of the same stock, and, not withstanding our affiliations to different religions , our attitude towards life is dependent on the manner in which we are brought up , the environment in which we are living. We are born with religious distinctions and castes, we grow with them and die with them, a journey from cradle; to grave , whose route is determined by our caste affiliations.
It is a paradox that we as a caste group stand up to “defend” our entity even when there is a perceived notion of slight on our religion and threat from the other entity, but when it comes to ourselves, within our fold, we stand by notions of high and low and end up in adhering to a sense of aloofness among ourselves.
I hold the view( my article in my blog “mere conversion will not improve lot of Dalits )that with mere conversion there will be no automatic change in the attitude of those in the “upper class” towards those who are being treated as untouchables by a cruel society.
Just as Hindus are classified as one religious entity, Christians are also constituted in a similar fashion. But in reality there are divisions and subdivisions, with sects and sub-sects clinging to their moorings. I can make out from your article a similar hierarchical distinctions in Christianity.
If Lord Krishna had said that it was “gunas” which determine the “Varna” of an individual, classifying as Brahamana, Ksthriya, Vysya and Sudra.We end up as narrow caste groups based on illogical principles of hierarchy , high and low , We deceive ourselves when we conveniently indulge in selective approaches towards the Teachings of the Lord , glossing over the fact that a Sudra by dint of his varna can become a Brahmin and a Brahmin can fall down to a status of sudra. Haridasas( the serv ants of God), right from the 15 the century have in their message embedded in their compositions been conveying this quintessence of Bhagavad Geeta. But the caste distinctions are deep rooted and what was conceived as one aimed at to ensure social justice, reservations among the Hindus between layers and layers, have made even students at primary stage conscious of their”caste”identity.
It is true in respect of Christians . I remember a senior Catholic priest, who was also a principal of an educational institution , telling me that he was a Brahmin Convert from Mangalore and was proud of hisr background .Okay. He added that even in his converted stage he would not like his catholic Christians to have any matrimonial alliances with Dalit- Christians .
As one hailing from Bellary which had formed part of the British Governed Madras Province( many districts of the present day Andhra Pradesh , some portions of existing Karnataka, and Travancore-Cochin, besides the entire Tamilnadu were part of Madras), where the conversion by Christians to their community fold went on unchecked.It had not evoked strong and even violent protests as we find today, even where there are conversions on t heir volition, I remember some Christian teachers in my primary school speaking lowly and calling Krishna by names, and extolling Jesus. As an young boy of 8 years , I had developed a sense of total disregard, and even contempt towards Jesus. As I matured and exposed to liberal thinking and as true devout Hindu I mocked at myself and deeply resented myself for my thinking vis a vis Jesus at primary stage, which was borne out of a campaign of deriding Hindu gods.Who is devout Hindu ? Our Philosopher= Statesman Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan answers.A devout Hindu bows before a church and a mosque with the same sense of reverence as he does before a temple.
Recently some people approached me to buy some Christian literature. I showed them the Christian literature I have in my shelf. I offered tea to them and shared my personal feelings saying that I see Jesus in Krishna and Krishna in Jesus. But they protested saying how that could be. There is only one Jesus. I felt that there was no use in speaking with such bigots.
I some times feel thinking as to why the Christians went on their evangelical mission , the purpose it served, when the Christian world, as it was, large and big enough, A Dalit Christian remains as a Dalit, whether he is in Hindu-fold or Christian fold .The need of the our , therefore, is that one should look inwardly and live upto the ideals of humanism.
I must thank you for your comments on my blog and the article thereof, an article which is illuminating and educative> I keep on reading your articles.

Nixonadm

2007-07-07T05:08:00.000-07:00

Krishna Vattam
Nixon Unmasked
As I was reading a news item relating to the Nixon Administration’s plea to China to “menace” India during the 1971 India-Pakistan war, I remembered an an incident wherein a senior Superintendent of Police in Mysore was instructing his deputies to “ harass”those truck drivers who had scant respect for traffic regulations and drove the vehicles recklessly resulting in a number of fatal road accidents.
What has the then American President’s plea to do with Police Superintendent’s instructions ? You may ask. Well, both Nixon Administration and SP perceived the targets of those to be harassed are those who did not fall in line with the dictates of the day. While the SP stood on well established legal and moral grounds, having had the best of interests of those who got knocked down by careless truck drivers, Nixon Administration’s concern was more of negative and vindictive in nature in as much as US wanted to teach a lesson to Mrs Indira Gandhi for not falling in line with US, vis a vis India’s foreign policy.
The report based on well known American Author and Historian Robert Dallek ‘s just published book “ Nixon and Kissinger Partners in Power’ throws much light on the deep-seated hatred Nixon had developed towards Indians whom he described as ‘slippery, treacherous people “, while his National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger described them as “insufferably arrogant”
In the backdrop of cold war Nixon was keen to ensure rapprochement with China , buoy up Yahoo, so that Pakistan served as gate way to China and in the process could diplomatically strike at both Moscow and New Delhi. His thinking was based on fallacious and atrocious premises that if India attacked East Pakistan(a conflict which resulted in the formation of Bangladesh), China might intervene on Pak’s behalf, which would move Moscow to “teach Peking a lesson”.The book quotes Nixon saying that Indians were eager for a conflict that would allow to overwhelm Pak and take on China .”Everything we have done will then go down the drains.”
The well researched book based on thousands of pages of national security files and telephone transcripts of Kissinger and 2800 hours of Nixon tapes the anger and frustration that seized Nixon and his intentions to prevail on China to “ menace” India by moving troops to the Indian border.

Conversion wouldn't improve Dalits' lot

2007-07-03T06:22:00.000-07:00

I have been truant in posting , although there have been a plethora of events in political and social spheres across the globe that exercised my mind . However, I have been inventing petty excuses for not giving vent to my feelings here. True, I have commented on some of these developments through my weekly column in the Kannada daily I edit.

The reports that some of Mysore City Dalit leaders , notably, former union minister Mr V Srinivasa Prasad and reputed writer Mr Devanur Mahadev, embraced Buddhism at a recent function in Bangalore disturbed me. Not because such conversions will affect Hinduism . I was concerned, because such demeaning practices , sought to be associated with the Hindu religion as such , are still followed by sections within the Hindu fold. In my opinion no person with a sense of self respect will stay attached to a religion or a caste that discriminates against and treats as 'untouchable' someone within its own fold.

A few months ago when a section of Dalits embraced Buddhism at a function organized in Gulbarga in connection with the golden jubilee celebration of Dr Ambedkar’s conversion to Buddhism , I commented at some public functions that this event should serve to wake up the Hindu religious heads, those Hindu zealots, and organisations who swear in the name of Hinduism These conversions were reflection of the righteous indignation of the oppressed, who may feel that they would be better served by switching their religious faith.

I strongly feel that if such conversions serve to bring about a change in the outlook of tormentors in the name of caste , I wholeheartedly welcome the action of Dalit Leaders. If I were a Dalit, I would have done the same and abdicated a faith that does not respect me. I would have advocated all Dalits to embrace Buddhism. But it is naive for one to believe that with mere change of religion the demeaning practices vis a vis treatment of Dalits can be ended overnight. A person who changes his shirt will remain the same self, A Dalit who changes his religion will remain a dalit till he asserts his being in the same religious- fold.

True, in urban areas, we do not see this pernicious practice. It may be due to fear of being prosecuted or it may due to a feeling that such practices are inhuman. Or, maybe due to cosmopolitan environment of the city. The rural scene is different . Some elites among Dalits, English-speaking and well placed, embrace Buddhism, leaving a sea of the vast , preponderant, illiterate section of the Dalits behind. Aren't they being escapist? Real role models are those who choose to remain within one's fold to fight it out.

Dalits would do well to shed their inferiority complex and take pride in being what they are. We see this awakening in Andhra Pradesh where Dalits affix their caste identity along with their names, like Krishna Madiga and Rama Mala. The elite among the Dalits who have climbed up the ladder should turn towards those who have remained outside the purview of reservation.

I am referring to creamy layer concept. Why should children of IPS, IAS, KAS officers, MLAs, Judges, MPs, amongt the Dalits, continue to enjoy benefits of reservation? They can set an example by foregoing their entitlement as Dalits, to enable their lesser brethern to maximise social benifits extended to their caste members under the quota system.

However, I see some good tidings sweeping in parts of the Country. Sri Pejawar Swamji has been saying on a number of pub lic platforms that it was high time the Hindus, who still believed in discrimination, looked inwards. Introspection is the operative word.

TV9 telecast that unified Karnataka

2007-04-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

The fifty-six hour battle to save the nine-year old Sandeep, who had slipped into a farm bore-well at Manvi in Raichur District on April 24 proved futile .But this tragic incident brought out the exemplary unifying factor, binding all those who watched the live telecast of rescue operations.

Criminal negligence was there for all to see, what with wide open bore wells, left abandoned by those finding the wells barren. This is not the first incident of its kind in Karnataka or in India, insensitive as we are to the sufferings of fellow beings. I am referring not just to the sufferings of humans, but also of animals and trees exploited by man.

There are such death- traps, even in residential areas of Bangalore, waiting to claim the lives of unsuspecting passersby. Something that can be averted with concerted efforts of civic conscious residents, responsive municipal body and a vigilant media.

Round-the-clock telecast of the Manvi rescue efforts by TV9, watched by lakhs of Karnataka viewers (I do not know if this channel can be viewed elsewhere), had awakened the conscience of viewers, who, feeling as if they were physically present on the spot, involuntarily forgot, at least for some hours, their differences by way of caste, class and creed and were seen bound together to pray for the safety of the lad trapped in the bore-well. It was a moving spectacle to see this tragedy bringing the people together for a common purpose.

Successful rescue of another boy, Prince, under similar circumstances in Punjab a few months ago, had greater impact. The live telecast by national TV channels, with a wider reach had crores of people across the world praying for the safety of Prince. The point here is that TV channels in some instances have been acting as a great unifying force .Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha’s despicable nocturnal operation to arrest Karunanidhi, and to carry him by force amidst his intense growling, widely telecast by Sun TV, had sent waves of strong protest and even Jayalalith’s fans had joined in criticizing her for such strong-arm tactics.

Ratandeep

2007-03-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

Bhowal Sanyasi
Two years ago I had read review of a book dealing with the Bhowal Sanyasi Case, published in the India Today and the Outlook Mag.

I d’t remember the title or name of the publisher or of the author. I missplaced both the periodicals. I am keen to read it , but disinclined to step into a book shop without knowing these details. If any of you know of this book, please let me know.

Some of you may not be familiar with the Bhowal Sanyasi case. I was in my early twenties when I saw a Hindi movie based on this story in Bellary. Released in 1954, it was a beautiful film in which Abhi Bhatcharya acts as the hero. My journalist colleague Mr Tekur Krishna Murthy, representing The Hindu in Bellary used to tell me that that details of the Bhowal Sanyasi case, related to an incident in the British Governed State of Calcutta, were being serialized in the Modern Review a reputed weekly published from Calcutta in English.

It was about an impostor. A young Asst. Station Master in a small station one morning had an unpleasant assignment of getting removed the body of an unidentified sanyasi from a Railway Compartment in this way side station. After panchayanama, the body will be disposed of. The Asst Station Master(Abhi Bhattacharya) finds a diary in the sanyasi's pocket, and comes to know that he was married, as was the custom then, to a tiny tot belonging to a rich Jamindar family in Calcutta. After marriage he goes to the Himalays and becomes an ascetic. In between the wedlock and the subsequent death there was a considerable time lag and Abhi impersonates as one who had gone on wandering and says he had come for a reunion. The Jamindar family takes him for his word , but the conscience in him pricks constantly and he could not stand its drilling, so much so he reveals the truth. The girl dies and Dewan wants to shoot him , but girl’s mother(Durga Khote) asks Dewan not to embark on a vengeful venture saying “Kyanahi karsakthata, leken kutch nayi kiya(What he could have done he did not to do anything, meaning that he could have lived as her husband without the world knowing, but he did not do so) .He does not even touch her.

In the end in the film Abhi lits the pyre on which the body of the girl he wanted to marry by fraud lies. But the Editor of the Film India, Baburao Patel, who was all praise for the deft handling of a sensitive subject by the director (whose name I cannot recall, is it Debiki Bose ?)objects to Abhi lighting the pyre saying he had no right to do so. I remember, the director recalled the prints and cut that sequence.

Surely this case (1925) would have been published in the Law Journal. My request is if any one of you know about the recent book please let me know by way of comment or e-mail : krishnavattam@yahoo.co.in , krishnavattam@gmail.com.

Derby: Don’t expect your kids to become race horses

2007-03-10T08:28:00.001-08:00

Race goers must be familiar with Derby, a prestigious event for three-year-old horses run annually towards the end of the racing season.It attracts the attention of the racing world at large and a winning horse is a toast of this world.After the race, when the winner is brought in the paddock with a garland of green ribbon hung around its neck, covering its body with a cloth , letters “winner of the Derby--- year” done as a needle work design , the punters greet the winner with wide applause,with even those punters who had bet on a non-winner and lost, joining in the chorus. Months before the scheduled day for Derby the horses are groomed in which the owners, trainers and jockeys take lively interest, and these expensive horses, are normally flown from one racing centre to the other

As I was reading a front page story in Deccan Hedrald, relating to suicide of a IX standard student of Oxford English School, Church Road, New Thippasandra, Bangalore, my thoughts went back to the days I used to cover Mysore Races for Deccan Herald.What has Derby to do with this tragic teenager’s death,you may ask. For a good part, these two have similar traits. Since 1980s we have been witnessing a sea change in the educational scenario in the country.

Just as owners, trainers and jockeys groom their horses, with great expectations that their animal would win the Derby, the parents expect their children to score very high percentage, the teachers want their students to fare in the examinations in an exemplary manner so that their stock may go up with the parents standing in big queues for admitting their children in their school, unmindful of the donations they insist on. The third actor in this play,the employers who recruit students through campus interviews becoming the norm, are keen to have only the cream of the students. So much so, as in the Derby race, the parents, schools/ colleges and the employers expect all students to be Derby horses.

“Shi! 90 percent, see Ravi, Chandru, they have scored 96 percent.You end up being a glorified clerk, if at all you are lucky to get a Government job.Our dreams of seeing you as a doctor or engineer are shattered”,parents scorn.This discouragement , which starts from the house is carried on to school/colleges and to
campuses where interviews are conducted . It is natural that some young students tend to be disoriented, and with their natural instincts of play and creative abilities killed they become distraught and disillusioned and tend to take extreme steps.There are no grandparents to tell the children bed time stories and they are not exposed to classics, be it literature, or music. Sense of negativism sets in both parents and children, of course for different reasons.

This, I feel , was what happened to S Dinesh , who ended his life,leaving a suicide note, which explains the mental agony the young boy suffered. The Deccan Herald report says: “Darshan’s father Shekhar spoke reluctantly to Deccan Herald as he waited for the body at the Bowring Hospital mortuary.Darshan was obsessed with the school diary. Every day , the teacher used to pin-point only mistakes and never highlighted his plus points..Quite often , parents were called to meet the principal.On Wednesday too, when I asked about the diary , he said” don’t worry papa, I will put an end to this diary business.”.

Seeing Krishna in Jesus

2006-11-28T04:36:00.000-08:00

As I was going through a Washington datelined report Deccan Herald - Hindu Senator told to find soul in Jesus - I was sad that a few Americans have not bothered to understand or feel the spirit of India, her concept of God and of the Ultimate. However, a majority of them are conscious of the Quintessence of Indian Dharma and Culture as was amply demonstrated by them in the election of the first ever Hindu to the Minnesota State Legislature, who contested as a Democratic Candidate defeating the Republican opponent by netting 63 percent of votes.
Obviously frustrated over her defeat Rae Hart Anderson in an email message to Senator Satveer Chaudary congratulating him said ‘It is my sincere wish that you will get to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Reacting to this, as the newspaper report said Chaudary said, ‘ when I read it I just shook my head. This just sums up the type of campaign voters were rejecting ‘ Later in the afternoon , Andersons’s former campaign Manager Barbara Black said in a statement to the media that Anderson wrote to the Senator because ‘ Chaudary is not Christian and he needs to find his soul

As I was reading this report my thoughts went back to my participation three decades ago in a function in which President of India, renowned Philosopher and Statesman Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan pleasantly surprised the gathering of teachers and students in the Demonstration School by quoting a three-line passage he had written as an extension to the verse of a 11th century Indian Philosopher Uddanachar who speaks about the essence of Hinduism and concept of God..The students sang this a the School prayer, and as soon as they had stopped , Dr Radhakrishnan quoted his passage and said if this 11th century Philosopher had been alive he would have included Islam and Christianity, Allah and Jesus.

Again in one of his speeches Dr Radhakrishnan said a devout Hindu bows before the church and a mosque with all devotion as he does while standing in front of a temple. Recently a Christian preacher had come to me with some Christian literature and was asking me to purchase the same literature.I showed him the same literature I had bought some time ago. In the conversation that followed I explained to him that I could see my Krishna through Jesus and Jesus through Krishna. But the preacher who was obviously a fundamentalist began questioning me as ‘ how that could be , there is only one Jesus’ . Well I excused myself and said good bye to him.

Quiz: Who was Dr Kotnis ? Why was Advani jailed ?

2006-09-18T09:51:00.000-07:00

Chinese stamp commemorating Dr Kotnis.
The Readers’ Editor’s Office in The Hindu , perhaps, had thought Indians in general, especially the educated lot, of even this generation, would be familiar with our national heroes associated with recent events, needing no editorial padding to dress the report. But its assumption proved wrong, when a reader wrote on the same day (Aug 31,2006) on which a report had appeared in the paper

“Hu Jintao to visit India in November”, a reference made by Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Yuxion, on the occasion of the release of the book “My Life with Kotnis”(Dr D.S.Kotnis). A reader asked ( as the paper in its “corrections and clarifications” published in its report dated Sept 1) as who Dr D. S.Kotnis was .

Well, the Readers’ Editor did well in educating readers about Dr Kotnis, the biographies that have been published, the movies that were produced both in India and China, the commemorative stamps that were released by China on the 40th and 50th anniversaries of Kotnis in 1982 and 92, respectively, and the pride of place this doctor from the Southern Maharastra city of Solapur, finds in the Martyrs’ Memorial Park in a Chinese Province and he rightly remarks that no single Indian did more to bridge Indo-Chinese relations than Dr Dwarkanath Shantaram Kotnis

Besides these details The Hindu gave, I know biographies have also been published in Indian regional languages and the visits of Guo Quniglan (wife of Dr Kotnis ) to Solapur were prominently being featured in newspapers and I believe that a statue of Dr Kotnis has also been unveiled in his home town of Solapur.

Three years ago during the NDA Government at the Centre the then Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, in the course of his speech at a religious convention arranged by the JSS Mahavidya Peeta in Mysore, referred to his being interned in Bangalore Jail during Emergency and Mr Advani thanked the people of Karnataka for their hospitality. After the function, as I was coming out of the Maidan, I noticed a fellow-journalist coming to meet me. My young friend , born on the eve of the lifting of the Emergency had a doubt . He asked me as to why Mr Advani had been detained in Jail and what crime did he commit. Like the journalist who filed his report on the President Hu Jintao’s visit, without mentioning as to who Dr Kotnis was, Mr Advani, in his speech, had not thought it necessary to explain as to how he came to be interned.
Well, it is for you to ponder over the two similar issues.

When Rajaji got held up by a rail gateman

2006-08-27T17:38:00.000-07:00

Rajaji, as the Governor-General Of India, was on his way to attend a function on the outskirts of New Delhi. There were no security guards as we see today provided for VVIPs, much less ,the carcade. President Sarvepalli Radhkrishnan, during his Mysore visits, used to mix freely with us, journalists. Smt Indira Gandhi used to crack jokes with us and no visit of Smt Gandhi was complete without having a group photo with scribes.

On one occasion at Mandakalli air-strip we had the group photo and it so happened that I was partially obstructing her from facing the camera directly. Quick came the remark from Smt Gandhi “ It is always the problem we face with six footers”. “Is it wrong to be born as a six-footer, Madam ?” I turned back and asked, “ Some times” , she quipped amidst allround laughter.

Well, coming back to the Rajaji incident, it so happened that at a railway crossing on the way the gate was found closed as a train was about to pass through. On learning that the train would take some time in coming, a senior official accompanying Rajaji approached the gateman and told him that it was the Governor General who was in the car. If the railway gates could be opened for a few moments, the country’s first citizen could reach the venue on time. It was reported that the gate man politely replied that there could not be two sets of rules, one for the “ big men and another for the rest of us”. As it turned out, Rajaji had to wait for the train to pass through before he could proceed for his function.

Rajaji ,who came to know all that was going on at the gate, asked the official to find out the name of the gateman.The very next day Rajaji wrote a letter to the Home Ministry commending the gateman’s devotion to duty and recommended to honour him with a suitable reward.

My thoughts went back to 1950s , as I was going through a recent media report (Aug 19), which referred to the shifting of a conscientious Karnataka's IAS officer V P Baligar from the post of principal secretary, Department of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development. The news as such did not come as a surprise to me, for there were reports earlier that Mr Baligar had refused to bend rules as some BJP MLAs wanted him to so as to accommodate their interests. These legislators and the officer were at logger heads and they were bringing pressure on Chief Minister to replace him. Mr Baligar had to pay the price, with his transfer, for retruning a file sent to him for action by Mr Udasi, Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development. Mr Udasi is no Rajaji.

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