Karnataka - Bangalore   

Reporter's Diary

Lurking danger

IS OUR thriving, vibrant hi-tech city also a soft target for terrorists? While the average Bangalorean is going about his daily life with the characteristic carefree attitude, TV channels and some newspapers seem to feel we are almost inviting terrorists to visit us. Hoax bomb calls are the latest bane of our overworked, harassed police personnel. It is not enough to dismiss them as youthful pranks or even as a malicious mischief. Many feel it necessary to give exemplary punishment to those found guilty of making such calls and wasting the precious time of law enforcement agencies and giving unnecessary anxiety to people. The danger lurking here is that the weary police may ignore genuine calls of alarm.

A flash in the pan

SCORES OF campaigns are launched in the city regularly. Most are for laudable causes. But ever wondered why these campaigns do not seem to make much of an impact, in fact fade into oblivion sometimes? The other day one possible answer came to the fore at a campaign held against privatisation of water supply in areas in and around Bangalore, the turnout in terms of numbers was impressive. And so was the fact that the crowd consisted of mostly women. But when the women were asked about why they had all gathered there, not one had the right answer. Some muttered something about water not being given, while others said that they had come only because the women's organisation they worked for had asked them to do so. If stakeholders in issues do not know about the cause they are fighting for, it is anyone's guess how long the fervour of the campaign would last.

Eschewing ego

ON SUNDAY, Pt. Vinayak Torvi left no one in doubt that he will not let ego ride him. The occasion was solemn. It was Gurupoornima. The Hindustani vocalist's disciples wanted to thank him. After exhibiting their talent at a hall in Malleswaram, they made him sit on a chair in the centre of dais. They offered him a bouquet and a gift. "A few words," disciples urged. He recalled the tough training under his teachers, Pt. Gururao Deshpande and Pt. Bhimsen Joshi. He spoke of the need to practice hard, of total devotion to the master, of shift from one-way communication with teachers to two-way interaction and so on. Then came the momentous occasion. He said he had been making sincere efforts to train his disciples. He said he would take his disciples to task if they made mistakes. His voice began to choke as he said he was able to do so because of his masters. He said he was not egoistic while saying so. He vowed not to become egoistic ever. Given the kind of masters he had had, he couldn't be egoistic. As he inserted his finger under his spectacles and wiped his tears he said he surrendered all his achievements to his masters. His disciples stood still.

Passports to heaven!

ENTRY INTO the in-patient rooms of any hospital is often restricted. Hospitals usually issue a couple of passes to patients and their attendants at the time of admission. These passes are considered sacred by the security staff and usually are looked upon with deference. But in times of crisis, when a patient requires the attention of more than a single attendant, problems crop up. The restricted entry and the often, stubborn security staff become insurmountable for the hapless relatives. They are rudely asked to wait till the visiting time. And that would mean craning one's neck to watch some mundane television programme in the hospital lobby, and waiting for hours. For the harried attendants, the hospital security personnel sometimes appear like the tough looking personnel at the airports, always on the lookout for terrorists. These security men verify the passes as if they are "passports to heaven". Of course, for some patients they do literally become passports to heaven.

Swathi Shivanand,

Govind D. Belgaumkar

and Rasheed Kappan

K. Satyamurty,
Swathi Shivanand,
Govind D. Belgaumkar
and Rasheed Kappan

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