Star destination

Gone are the days when people used to make a beeline to star homes in Chennai or Hyderabad. It used to be a part of tourist specials to Chennai when people used to wait for hours for a glimpse of legends like NTR or ANR. It was a real feast for people when NTR had launched a political party and went on a whirlwind tour of the State. Ditto was the case when films were shot in picturesque locations along the Godavari and in the city. But stars are now down to earth. With endorsement commitments, promotion visits to malls and shooting sprees, the city has become a preferred destination to film stars. The other day, current rage Mahesh Babu was on a flying visit for a Thums Up commitment. Tamanna Bhatia, Happy Days fame, came for Vaibhav’s programme. It’s the age of consumer who’s calling the shots. And the stars.

Looks like burglars are having a free run in the city. In just three days, they committed as many housebreakings at different places. Late on Thursday night, two houses were burgled at Akkayyapalem and 13 tolas of gold and eight tolas of silver ornaments were stolen. On the following night, they broke into a couple of houses at Appayya Nagar, under V Town limits. On Saturday, they burgled three houses at Pendurthy and decamped with whatever they could lay their hands on. The policedo not seem to be much bothered about the burglaries. Going by their ‘yardstick’ nothing much has been lost. The police should understand that monetary loss apart, such incidents give sleepless nights to ordinary folk. They should remember the maxim: ‘A spark neglected burns the house’.

Ever heard of a holding a meeting or a press conference in instalments? Strange it may sound, but the other day media corps were amused when two MLCs and leaders of PRTU from Hyderabad requested them to attend a press meet in small batches.

The reason: They were under the impression that the budget hotel they finalised as the venue did not have a conference hall. As an alternative, the State leaders who blamed the local organisers for not doing their homework properly, continued the briefing in separate batches in a congested room patiently.

(G.V.Prasada Sarma, B. Madhu Gopal and Santosh Patnaik)

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