The Hindu : Karnataka News : Latecomers had it easy

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Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Latecomers had it easy

Not just nose for news and good writing skills. But one should have a high degree of physical fitness to be a reporter. This was what many journalists learnt the hard way when they had been to the State Police headquarters on Nrupathunga Road recently to cover the annual senior police officers’ conference.

When the reporters were about to take the lift to reach the conference hall on the seventh floor of the State Police headquarters, staff from the public relations section told them to take the stairs as the two lifts were reserved for the VVIP: Governor Rameshwar Thakur who was scheduled to inaugurate the conference.

Hapless reporters, wheezing and gasping for breath, trudged up the stairs. The only solace was that, on reaching the seventh floor, they were served some fruit juice and tea. But the latecomers, who arrived after the Governor had reached the conference hall, were lucky as they could take the elevator.

Food for thought

Sometimes it is interesting to watch how the other half works. This reporter had an assignment in Devanahalli for which transport was arranged along with other reporters. Reaching the pick-up point well ahead of time, she was surprised that no one had turned up yet. Finally the vehicle arrived a good 20 minutes late along with a government official.

“So you are late,” the official told this reporter.

Strangely, there was no hurry. After a pit-stop at an eatery where the lady official had a hearty brunch of idlis, we reached Devanahalli well past the deadline. The reporter, pretty tense by now, aired her anxiety, only to be told: “No Government, so no problem.”

The return journey was eerily familiar. More talk of punctuality and another pit-stop for another plate of idlis. But this time the repast came in a parcel. The explanation: “No time. Besides, I had some gobi Manchurian at the hotel.”

Numbers don’t add up

“Are you from a newspaper?” chorused a group of youngsters. When this photojournalist confessed he was, he was greeted by hoots of laughter with the comment that they were all curious to a brainless wonder.

Why so? Said one of them: “What, sir? The Corporation people said they would build a bridge in 72 hours and you people believed and wrote about it. Is there any instance where they have finished their work on time? To get even a signature they take 72 hours; how can they finish this kind of work in that time?”

This journo then saved some of his pride by telling them a joke: “An education inspector visited the village school and he asked a boy: How much is three plus four? The boy said 72. The inspector shouted at the teacher asking why his student could not answer even a simple question. The teacher said: ‘No, sir. He has shown tremendous improvement. All these days he use to say 3+4=500. now he has come down to 72.”

K.V. SUBRAMANYA,

BIBI KHADEJA REEMA, BHAGYA PRAKASH K.

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