Friday, Jan 21, 2005
Friday, Jan 21, 2005 |
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Bangalore
By Our Staff Reporter
BANGALORE, JAN. 20. There was politics, there were sports, and of course, journalists, as the Press Club of Bangalore celebrated a new milestone of achieving "self-reliance" and even donated a purse of Rs. 25,900 to the Chief Minister's Fund for tsunami relief, it created another one in instituting "Person of the Year Award". The Lokayukta, N. Venkatachala, cricketer Anil Kumble, the Editor of Vijaya Karnataka, Vishweshwar Bhat, and veteran cartoonist Chandranath Acharya became the first quartet to be honoured with awards after they were selected in a poll amongst the journalist fraternity. Mr. Venkatachala said in giving these awards, the media had enhanced the significance of the honour, and in an obvious reference to the large number of eminent persons who had been given the Rajyotsava award in November this year, said when an award is given, it must mean something to the giver, the recipient and the award itself. Mr. Venkatachala gave vent to the frustration that his onerous job of being ombudsman of corruption. Although the former Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, had promised to empower Lokayukta, it was yet to become a reality. At this rate, he said soon the political set-up will become the handmaiden of the bureaucracy, he said. It is sad to see the erosion of all values in the political system, and corruption has seeped so deep into the people's psyche that elected representatives are virtually forgetting their job of making policy, and legislating laws to make the lives of people who elected them better, he said. Mr. Venkatachala said he is hopeful of being given suo motu powers to act against corrupt officials, and make good governance a way of life. The Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, who gave away the awards, admitted to being a cricket buff, and remembered how he avidly followed the match even in the midst of the by-elections on Humnabad Assembly constituency, and had kept Mr. Krishna, and his colleague and friend, Mallikarjun Kharge, updated on the score virtually ball by ball. Mr. Dharam Singh created history by losing to Mr. Venkatachala and Mr. Kumble by a mere three votes in the poll to choose Press Club's Person of the Year. "But this time, I am happy to lose, and to these titans in their own fields," he said. Mr. Dharam Singh, who was attending a function at the Press Club for the third time in four months, said he had not forgotten his promise to the fraternity — to set up a Rs. 1 crore welfare fund for journalists, and a pension scheme. Litterateur U.R. Ananthamurthy, who presided, has already gone to the Press urging the Chief Minister to refrain from attending the American evangelist Benny Hinn's prayer meeting, which begins here tomorrow. "Instead, call the leaders of all religions and hold a prayer meeting for the tsunami victims, who must have thought that even God has abandoned them. Don't be a party to the claims of a self-styled evangelist who offers miracle cures", he said. The Press Club president, A. Jayaram, urged the Government to consider giving the 1.2 acre area around the club premises to it for maintenance, just as it has been done for Century Club. Mr. Singh released the new diary, and received the cheque of Rs. 25,900 for tsunami relief from Mr. Jayaram.
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