Volume 1 | Issue 13 | November 8, 2012 | Rs 10
talk the intelligent bangalorean’s must-read weekly
With the Lokayukta, Karnataka’s corruption watchdog, functioning without a chief for over a year, you would think the big fish were getting away easily. Thankfully, a pro-active Lokayukta court has stepped in and taken up cases against powerful netas, reports PRASHANTH G N 10-14
ACCUSED RAMESH HUNSUR
Former chief ministers in the dock (clockwise from top left): B S Yeddyurappa, H D Kumaraswamy, Dharam Singh and S M Krishna
BIRD FLU How the panic is driving down poultry prices 7
HURRICANE A first-person account of ‘Sandy’ 16
MOVIES Epic biopic about warrior hero Sangolli Rayanna 19
CELEBRITY Clubbing with actor-turned-singer Priyanka Chopra 20
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rajyotsava special
talk|8 nov 2012|talkmag.in
Bangalore and the Kannada identity With its Babel of tongues, the city is at a loss when it comes to the language question he geographical location of Bangalore is such that it is in a corner of Karnataka. Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are just a short drive away. For a long time, people from other south Indian states have been coming here to work and live. This is a multi-lingual city. Chennai is also similarly located. It is closer to Andhra Pradesh than to many cities in Tamil Nadu. In the 1980s, people from north India migrated to Bangalore in huge numbers. In fact, people from the northern states have been living here for a long time. But towards the end of the last century, the city witnessed a sudden influx. Thanks to the IT boom, people from all over the country live here. In such a situation, we can’t expect Bangalore to be dominated by Kannadigas. So what about the ‘Kannada identity’ of Bangalore? The cantonment and city area have always been distinct from each other. NonKannadigas are in a majority in the cantonment area. They should have made an effort to learn Kannada. I wouldn’t insist on reading skills, but they should at least know how to communicate in Kannada. English and Hindi are the languages of communication at IT companies and such other workplaces. We can’t put forth the argument that one neighbourhood is Kannada, another Tamil, and a third Hindi. People commute to different parts of the city. NonKannadigas can speak some Kannada when they interact with Kannadigas. Bangalore being metropolitan does not mean only English should be spoken. Kolkata is bigger than Bangalore. They don’t use English as their only language. Bangla is still their main language. In Delhi, Hindi is the universal language. Why can’t Bangalore develop Kannada as its universal language? I
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H S Raghavendra Rao Professor of Kannada and noted literary critic. He has just been conferred the Rajyotsava Award.
editor talk All through this month, Karnataka celebrates Rajyotsava to mark the formation of the state. With formidable accomplishments in literature and the arts, the Kannadigas are known for their gentle ways. In Bangalore, businesses have largely been run by non-Kannadigas. But many Kannadiga entrepreneurship stories have emerged in the last two decades. N R Narayana Murthy and Capt Gopinath, for example, have done such pioneering work that they now define entire business sectors. Narayana Murthy gave the IT and software sector a sensational success story with a human face, while Gopinath made flying affordable for the middle class. But they are no showmen, but serious people with conventional good taste. When they did interact with the public, it was in the realm of 'high art', at book readings or classical music concerts. Vijay Mallya, on the other hand, carried out his business flamboyantly. His airline was 'five-star': the cuisine was gourmet, and the staff goodlooking and courteous. His idea of entertainment was pop (he plays 1980s style Richard Clayderman music on his flights). He wanted to create a plush airline, but got his business model all wrong. What people remember today is his extravagance and insensitivity. We have a little note about how his tweets brought him more public scorn than sympathy. Our artist Satish Acharya is away on holiday, so Ayyotoons takes a twoweek break. Sanchita Sen, our health correspondent, has filed a story about Hurricane Sandy from New Jersey. Happy reading!
NATIVE PRIDE Kannada Rajyotsava celebrations at Bosch, a German company
would equate Bangalore’s condition to Mumbai’s. In that city, it is not Marathi but Hindi which is the lingua franca. Education in the English medium has brought in its own problems. Indeed, we have to learn English as a language, but as medium of instruction it has pushed Kannada to a corner. In many cases, even those with Kannada as their mother tongue speak English at home. Many parents think speaking in English helps children in their studies. This attitude will reduce Kannada to a kitchen language. Those in power should give prominence to Kannada. I do not mean to say Kannada should replace English everywhere. At least in places like courts and universities, it should be possible for one to speak in Kannada. That takes polit-
ical will. There are two ways of looking at English. The first way is to learn it to enrich Kannada. The second is to learn English to replace Kannada. The choice is between enriching one’s mother tongue and giving up one’s mother tongue. Our academic system is narrow. No emphasis is given to culture. Reading habits are not inculcated. Earlier, even when we studied in village schools, we read Dickens and Russell. Now, almost everyone in Bangalore speaks English, but few read books. For some, reading is confined to Harry Potter. They don’t progress beyond fads. We are orphaned both by Kannada and English. We live in a vacuum. (As told to Savie Karnel)
S R Ramakrishna ram@talkmag.in
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team talk
Accurate reporting on Indian dogs abroad Thank you so much for the lovely article and photos of Indian dogs abroad (NRI dogs, Issue 12). I had become a bit wary of the media as sometimes information reported is not checked carefully. The information that you have reported is accurate and I appreciate the quality of your research and writing. Barbara Gard, by email Excellent edition The issue with dogs on the cover was attractive. The layout was good, and the stories were distinct. The headlines were catchy, especially the hilarious NRI dogs. Ayyotoons with Gadkari has been the best so far. Nataraj Huliyar Rajarajeshwari Nagar Dogs on the highway Desi dogs suffer in our country, though organisations like Blue Cross are doing good service by rescuing them. Could you publish some ideas
on how we could save the many dogs that get killed on the highways? As for the ‘NRI dogs’, I am sure they will come back with an accent! Pavithra Chandramowlishwaran via Facebook Why Americans adopt It is hard for me to imagine that Indians believe the life of a street dog is healthy and safe. America did eliminate the pariah population, which is a good thing. That said, I am taking a street dog home. She was lying paralysed under a car for at least 24 hours when I found her in Delhi. I am told she would not have been adopted locally as a majority of dog lovers here want pedigrees. If India would take care of its dog population by neutering them and have an extensive adoption campaign, Americans (not the only ones) would not feel compelled to
adopt Indian pariah dogs. Susan Blakeney, via Facebook Indians dogs are the best! It’s good to see Indian dogs in the spotlight. I have two indian dogs and they are absolutely the sweetest boys ever! I highly recommend adopting them. Neha Girish, via Facebook Story gave me a career option Let me congratulate Talk. The magazine is fresh and different. I liked your article on virtual assistants; it showed me the career option I was searching for. . I am a creative consultant by choice, and took a sabbatical for a year because I wanted to spend more time with my kids. This ‘virtual assistant’ thing is new to me, but I plan to learn more about it. It sounds like something that would make me available to my kids, my elderly mum and my dog, while I earn. Sarayu Perumal, by email What do you think of this edition? Write to letters@talkmag.in
EDITORIAL
EXECUTIVE TEAM
S R Ramakrishna Editor Sridhar Chari Consulting Editor Prashanth G N Senior Editor Sajai Jose Chief Copy Editor Savie Karnel Principal Correspondent Basu Megalkeri Principal Correspondent Bhanu Prakash E S Senior Reporter Prachi Sibal Senior Features Writer Sandra Fernandes and Maria Laveena Reporters and Copy Editors Anand Kumar K Chief of Design Shridhar G Kulkarni Graphic Designer Ramesh Hunsur Senior Photographer Vivek Arun Graphics Artist
Sumith Kombra Founder, CEO and Publisher Ralph Fernandez Manager - Marketing Aaron Jones Asst Manager - Marketing Abhay Sebastian Asst Manager - Sales Aman Preet Singh Asst Manager - Sales Mithun Sudhakar Asst Manager - Sales Kishore Kumar N Head - Circulation Vinayadathan K V Area Manager - Trade Mahesh Javvadi Asst Mgr - Corporate Sales Yadhu Kalyani Sr Executive - Corporate Sales Lokesh K N Sr Executive - Subscriptions Prabhavathi Executive - Circulation Sowmya Kombra Asst Process Manager
Printed and published by Sumith Kombra on behalf of Shakthi Media Ventures India Pvt Ltd - FF70, Gold Towers, Residency Road, Bangalore -560025 and printed at Lavanya Mudranalaya, Chamarajpet, Bangalore-560018. Editor: SR Ramakrishna. Editorial Office: FF70, Gold Towers, Residency Road, Bangalore -560025 Email: info@talkmag.in Phone: 08049332100, 08040926658. © All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is prohibited.
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political diary
talk|8 nov 2012|talkmag.in
Too old for Delhi, but not for state? BASU MEGALKERI basavaraju@talkmag.in
M Krishna, who was the Foreign Minister, resigned “to make way for youngsters” in the recent union cabinet reshuffle. Karnataka politics beckons. State leaders like KPCC president G Parameshwar, D K Shivakumar, B L Shankar, R V Deshpande, and Devaraj, not to mention party workers, are all smiles. Cut-outs of Krishna are ready. But the party has its share of Krishna’snon-fans: Shamanur Shivashankarappa, representing the Lingayat community, Siddaramaiah, representing the Kuruba community, Mallikarjuna Kharge, representing the Dalits, and veteran Jaffer Sharief, representing the Muslims. All ‘seniors’ in their own way, it won’t be much of a surprise if they create obstacles in Krishna’s path. If Krishna wants to play a leader’s role, he has some serious hard work ahead. G Parameshwar’s supporters feel compelled to join Krishna’s league because of Krishna’s Vokkaliga
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caste base, influence and seniority. Regions where the Vokkaliga community dominates, like Mandya, Mysore, Ramanagar, Bangalore, Hassan, Chikmagalur, Tumkur and Kolar, are likely to root for Krishna and the Congress. Then there are chances that a few jilted members of the BJP and JD (S) may join Krishna for alternative political careers. In any case, none of this resolves a basic contradiction—Krishna is too old for Delhi, but not for Karnataka? Are there no worthy youngsters here?
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Cut-outs of S M Krishna are waiting to welcome him back to Karnataka politics, but the senior Congress leader has more enemies than friends in his own party RAMESH HUNSUR
BSR party and the Congress. The aim is to protect his mentor Janardhana Reddy from the clutches of the CBI. Looks like the Congress is effectively using the CBI as a political weapon to recruit Yeddyurappa and the Reddy brothers to help the Congress wrest power in the state.
Strange bedfellows
Among Yeddyurappa’s detractors you can count MP and former union minister Ananth Kumar and state party chief K S Eshwarappa in the BJP, and H D Deve Gowda and his family in the JD (S). Though the BJP and the JD (S) Beware, we have the CBI are at opposite ends of the political Former chief minister Yeddyurappa wants to teach the BJP a lesson by spectrum, they have been together leaving and starting a new party. Or before—and ever since it was announced that so he says. But there Yeddyurappa would is also the small ‘Senior’ Congress leave the BJP, his matter of the CBI. enemies are making Being in the good leaders in the common cause books of the state could put again. Congress—after all, obstacles in S M It may be that party is in Krishna’s path recalled that Talk power at the Centre had written about a at least till 2014— meeting between Deve Gowda and will help matters. And for Yeddyurappa, the BJP patriarch L K Advani in Delhi. prospect of spending the rest of his Now it transpires that Ananth Kumar life being loyal to the Congress is not and former chief minister H D an unappealing option. He is aware Kumaraswamy of the JD (S), Deve that Karnataka politics doesn’t have Gowda’s son, have met last week in that much room for him anymore. He Bangalore. There’s no doubt that at least may pull off a victory of sorts in the elections by winning, say, 15 seats. some loyal followers of Yeddyurappa Or he may take himself and the BJP will follow him into a new party. Ananth Kumar, who has chief minisdown. When Yeddyurappa was raided terial ambitions, has no problem with by the CBI, not a single leader from the migration of Yeddyurappa loyalthe BJP high command went to his ists. To make his own dream come rescue. It was Pranab Mukherjee of true, he is hobnobbing with the Deve the Congress who reportedly lent him Gowda family. In the 2013 state elections, both a helping hand. During the presidential elections, in the name of asking the BJP and JD (S) will fight indepenfor votes, Mukherjee reportedly dently and try to increase their seats. told him: “You help us and we Whoever gets the larger share will get the chief minister’s gaddi, and the will help you.” So we now have runner-up will be given the deputy Yeddyurappa destabilising the chief minister’s post. One of Deve Gowda’s unfulfilled state government. He is creating some confusion in the Lingayat dreams is to make son Revanna the community. And the Congress is chief minister. He must be aware that this could be the last chance to trying to benefit from all this. Similar deals have been realise that dream, and Revanna’s made between Sriramulu’s elder brother Kumaraswamy has
MAKING FRIENDS B S Yeddyurappa (top) has opponents like Ananth Kumar (middle) within the BJP, but has found unexpected supporters in Congress leaders like C M Ibrahim
reportedly given his consent.
Wise counsel
Congressman C M Ibrahim, we are told, has become a persona non grata in the Congress. Top leaders like Jaffer Sharief, Roshan Baig, Rehman Khan, Tanveer Sait, Hindasgeri, and Yasin have apparently shut him out. Ibrahim is now playing the role of a political advisor to Yeddyurappa’s new party, tentatively called the Karnataka Janata Party. When his close associates asked him about it, he quipped, ‘KJP and Congress are all the same,’ clearly referring to the buzz that Yeddyurappa is moving close to the Congress to ensure that the Damocles’ sword of the CBI does not descend on his neck.
mallya’s tweets
KING FISSURE Twitterati are among those furious with Vijay Mallya and his son Sidhartha for their arrogant tweets PRASHANTH G N prashanthgn@talkmag.in he world of Twitter is mad at Vijay Mallya, chairman of the UB Group and Kingfisher Airlines. One question they were asking through the last two weeks was: Where was he when more than 4,000 employees of Kingfisher Airlines were waiting for their salaries, overdue for seven months? Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh came on a private TV channel and spoke about an employee’s wife committing suicide, as also about
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RAMESH HUNSUR
At the Buddh International F1 circuit. Sahara Force India qualifying prospects are secondary. Even sports journos focus only on Kingfisher. Kingfisher is probably the most written about Airline in the World thanks to Indian media. Top of mind brand recall must be at its highest.
Thanks to the Almighty that Forbes has removed me from the so called Billionaires list. Less jealousy, less
why people hated him. Two immediate responses on Twitter: Did the calendar girls get their pay on time? And if Sidhartha Mallya stopped taking holidays, wouldn’t Kingfisher be able to pay salaries? Mallya had not yet made contact with his employees, and he was finally tracked to an F1 pit stop. Shrill calls
how many weren’t able to pay their monthly loan instalments or even use credit cards. Media reports indicated Mallya had not even made a call to find out what was going on in India in his absence, having deputed CEO Sanjay Agarwal to handle the crisis. As the outrage was rising, Mallya’s son Sidhartha tweeted about how he found London’s pub life post-5 ‘o’ clock the best in the world. Earlier, he’d tweeted how he just finished playing beach volleyball with bikini-clad girls, and could understand
TWEETS BY VIJAY MALLYA @thevijaymallya
I have learnt the hard way that in India wealth should not be displayed. Better to be a multi-billionaire politician dressed in Khadi
talk|8 nov 2012|talkmag.in
PLAYING VICTIM Vijay Mallya’s Twitter complaints about how he’s a target of envy could not have been timed worse
rang out asking him to return. Kingfisher employees said they would protest at the Delhi F1 circuit where Vijay Mallya was expected. Clearly, Mallya didn’t want to deal with that embarrassment. His CEO Agarwal hammered out a settlement. After much dithering, Kingfisher Airlines agreed to pay four months’ salary to its employees.
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Mallya flew into Delhi in a luxurious private jet. People called for the impounding of his plane: he was travelling in a private jet when his employees couldn’t pay their EMIs. Then he let loose a barrage of tweets, one of which expressed relief that he was no longer on Forbes’ billionaire list and so would be abused less.
poultry panic
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RAMESH HUNSUR
RAMESH HUNSUR
The news about the outbreak of the deadly virus at Hesaraghatta has people turning away from chicken, bringing prices down
Bird flu infects sales, prices SANDRA M FERNANDES
Saleem Pasha, department manager of the non-vegetarian section in sandramarina.fernandes@talkmag.in Food Hall, at the 1 M G Road Mall, says he has stopped stocking turkey, fter the culling of thou- but continues with chicken as his sands of chicken and supplies are sourced from Tamil turkeys infected by bird Nadu. Over 3,600 turkeys in the CPDO flu at CPDO (Central Poultry Development farm died of the flu, confirmed by a Organisation) in Hesaraghatta earlier government hospital in Bhopal. It this week, sales have dipped and was this that led to the culling of nearly 20,000 chicken, 14,000 ducks prices fallen in the city’s markets. Doctors have been saying that and 400 emus. Pasha said, “We have stopped there is no need for panic as the bird flu virus H5N1 does not spread to the supply of turkey for a few days as a precaution.” humans, unlike Talk spoke to H1N1, the swine flu A Viveknagar many retail stores variant. They are also and shops selling talking about the shop offers four poultry products, importance of proper eggs free with and some attributed cleaning and cook1 kg of chicken the dip in sales to ing. But that hasn’t the recently conassuaged fears. cluded festivals. Anil Harris, pro“During festivals like Bakrid the prietor, New Frosty’s, which has outlets in Indiranagar and Whitefield, sale of mutton goes up. During says sales have dipped. “Though we Navaratri, the sale of chicken dips sell dressed chicken, which is safer because many people avoid non-vegethan live chicken, but still, many cus- tarian food during the season,” said a tomers think hard about buying any representative of Auchan supermarket. chicken product,” he said. A spokesperson at retail outlet From Rs 150 a kilo for skinless, the rate at New Frosty’s dropped to Rs chain Life Line’s Tender Chicken, 130. Chicken with skin dropped from said, “The changes in the rate of chicken has nothing to do with bird Rs 140 from Rs 110.
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BAD TIMING The flu scare has come at a time when chicken sales are already low because of the festive season
flu. Rates keep changing every second day.” Tender Chicken has reduced the price from Rs 140 a kilo to Rs 135 (skinless). Still, “offers” are rolling out. Auchan, for example, is selling currycut chicken for Rs 139 a kilo, while the regular rate is Rs 230. S R Chicken shop in Viveknagar was selling chicken at Rs 140, the “pre-flu’ rate, but was tossing in four free eggs. Others are looking for ways to push out more chicken. Reliance Delight was offering 5 kg at Rs 115 a kg—it would have otherwise cost Rs 150. Brite Poultry on Mysore Road, a wholesaler, reduced prices first to Rs 70 a kilo, from Rs 90 (skinless) and then to Rs 60 by the middle of the week. Officials are trying to contain the outbreak. Aravind Jannu, principal secretary, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, told Talk that the turkey unit at CPDO has been fully cleaned, and culling was on. A ban was imposed on sale and supply of poultry in nearby areas. Emu farms too are taking precautions. Pradeeep Reddy, proprietor, SLV Emu Products, Hyderabad, who supplies emu meat to Bangalore, said for one week visitors had not been allowed in his emu farm. “Even though we are far from Bangalore, we don’t want to take a
chance,” he said. Emu prices have stayed stable at Rs 450 a kilo, he added. Many people are opting for alternatives, such as mutton, beef and sea food. “Ever since the news of the bird flu surfaced, we have stopped buying chicken. We eat mutton and beef instead,” said Reena Rebecca, a lecturer. Saleem Pasha at Food Hall agrees fish and mutton are selling better. Restaurants such as Kentucky Fried Chicken at Cunningham Road and Nandos on Church Street claimed there was no impact on sales. “People are scared about bird flu but it hasn’t affected our business drastically. We procure our chicken from Coimbatore. We have nothing to worry about,” said a representative at Nandos. Saleem Pasha, owner, Kissan Poultry, Johnson Market, said the price of live chicken in his shop has come down to Rs 80 a kilo from Rs 95. “These rates keep changing any way,” he declared. Dr T Devaki Umesh, Chief Health Officer, BBMP, says, “It is an airborne viral infection. If the bird is cooked at a high temperature, the chances of a human getting infected are low. There’s no need to panic.” But she did add a word of caution: “Try to avoid poultry products for a while.”
film tribute
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SELF-MADE DON In Nayagan, Kamal Hasan plays the role of a homeless Tamil migrant who rises in the Mumbai crime world. Mani Ratnam borrowed heavily from the experiences of real-life don Varadaraja Mudaliar
The Godfather’s Indian kin Mani Ratnam’s Nayagan— released 25 years ago—is a singular work in all of Indian cinema, even when it borrows heavily from the Hollywood classic The Godfather
M K Raghavendra is the author of Seduced by the Familiar: Narration and Meaning in Indian Popular Cinema (Oxford, 2008), 50 Indian Film Classics (HarperCollins, 2009) and Bipolar Identity: Region, Nation and the Kannada Language Film (Oxford, 2011).
his October 21st was the Silver Jubilee of Mani Ratnam’s Nayagan (1987), a film which has a huge following in India. Apart from being nominated India’s official entry for the 60th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Film category, Time magazine included it in its list of 100 all-time greatest films in the history of cinema. One may disagree with the choice of a film which owes so much to a Hollywood blockbuster for such an honour—because Nayagan borrows too heavily from Coppola’s The Godfather (1972). But films kindred to
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it and The Godfather—from Deewar (1975) to Raajneeti (2010) have excited the public imagination in India although, as these examples suggest, they may themselves be dissimilar. About two years ago, I tried to teach Indian cinema to a group of undergraduates from New Jersey and looked for American films they might relate to—which I could draw upon. I was shocked to find that, out of a class of over 20 students, only one knew The Godfather. In India, on the other hand, virtually everyone their age who is familiar with Hollywood may be expected to have seen
The Godfather’s valorisation of Coppola’s film and there must be reasons for why The Godfather is such a ‘lineage’ is an exception in American favourite here. Apart from this being cinema in which the nuclear family an examination of Nayagan, there- has always dominated narrative. fore, I look at the two motifs in The Lineage is, on the other hand, more at Godfather which the Indian films home in mainstream Hindi cinema in draw upon—the rise of an ordinary which the joint family—with a patriarch as its head— man through crime to was long an ideal. a position of The focus is on Alongside is also the immense power—and the brutality of sense of hierarchical the issue of his family loyalty which once and the passing of his the police, not informed Hindi cinmantle to his progethe lawless ways ema. Hum Aapke ny. The third motif of of the hero Hain Koun…! (1994) importance in The Velunayagan is the archetypal Godfather (parts I & II) film from the past pertains to a peaceable person being drawn unwittingly two decades in which these notions— into crime, becoming more ruthless broadly characterised as ‘feudal’ by than the criminals around him as he film scholars—play an important acquires power, and his moral part. When, at the end of The descent. This last motif is not as pop- Godfather (Part II), Tom Hagen comular in Indian cinema as the other pares the Corleone family to the Roman Empire, he is suggesting that two.
film tribute
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that gives the sequence an intensity not loyalty to the family and hierarchy is recip- the father’s role/responsibility is attended often seen in Indian cinema. The reason, I rocated from the top downwards—and this to in another way when the retarded son of believe, is that it layers the action into foreInspector Kelkar once killed by sense is also present in HAHK. ground and background with the paan Coming to the two key motifs in The Velunayakan—whom he looked after as his chewing becoming ‘background’. At the Godfather, the first one pertains to the poor own child—discovers the true circumcrucial moment, the anger cuts through person who rises in the underworld. The stances of his actual father’s death, dresses the paan chewing and this imparts the motif became popular in Hindi cinema up in his police uniform and shoots down explosive emotion to the climax. On the only after Coppola’s film and is not even in Velunayakan. One way of interpreting this negative side, it is not the character but the evidence in its first Indian adaptation, motif is that lineage and the carrying foractor who is ‘feeling’; we are not able to Feroz Khan’s Dharmatma (1975), which ward of family responsibility is a key Indian understand much of what Velunayakan is drew directly from Mario Puzo’s novel. notion which is not of much significance experiencing emotionally in the film and Still, it may owe less to The Godfather than in America, which respects the ‘self-made’ the performance is imprecise. De Niro, in to the political scenario in the 1970s. My individual. The Indian epics are replete my view, is himself extremely imprecise own understanding of the motif depends with people (like Bhishma) who fulfill their and succeeds only in small roles like the on the fact that it foregrounds the law as fathers’ promises or (like Janamejaya) set one in Tarantino’s Jackie Brown (1997). the protagonist’s primary enemy - which is about avenging their fathers’ death. The Godfather tries to deal with indiNayagan has many features in comnot the sense in Coppola’s film. This viduals and not types and most performon with other films which deal with the importance of the law in the mances in it from Brando’s to Pacino’s same notions, more comstory becomes much work towards this end. It derives from a mon to Indian cinema stronger in Nayagan in Kamal Haasan is novel—a literary form dealing with indithan Hollywood. It, howwhich the police is tagged as perhaps India’s BREAK THROUGH Nayagan gave its young director viduals. Indian cinema, however, has ever, has a feature not Mani Ratnam his first big success Velunayakan’s adversaries. only ‘method adapted The Godfather as an archetypal shared by the other films Apart from his personally actor’—he plays which is the portrayal of normally not employed by Indian actors. story from mythology and Indian cinema, killing two brutal servants the central figure As an instance, Kamal Haasan’s best because it derives from mythology, hardly of the law, his key conflict is individuals and Velunayakan (by Kamal moment in Nayagan is the one in which he has a place for individuals. Unlike an archewith his own son-in-law— not types Haasan). Kamal Haasan is has an altercation with his daughter who type, an individual has more existential his nemesis—who is an a different kind of actor objects to his ways. When Velunayakan’s freedom. In Nayagan itself, Kamal Haasan’s implacable police officer. Also, in Deewar, which owes nothing to The from anyone else in Indian cinema— trusted aide goes to her father’s defense, performance can be demarcated from Godfather, the criminal older brother is although I hesitate to laud him unequivo- she slaps him. This scene has immense every other performance—including shot down by the policeman younger cally for this. He is best described as the intensity and leads to Velunayakan slap- Nassar’s as the Assistant Police Indian Robert De Niro and exhibits both ping his daughter—although he immedi- Commissioner, Velunayakan’s son-inbrother. The last film to celebrate the rise of an the same strengths and the same deficien- ately regrets doing it. The discourse here is law—in which actors play types. Nayagan is ordinary person through criminal means in cies. Kamal Haasan is perhaps India’s only Velunayakan’s respect of those loyal to him therefore a singularity in Indian cinema in Hindi cinema was perhaps Agneepath ‘method actor’—someone who plays indi- and one sees the moral sense in his slap- as much as the central performance means (1990). This motif does not find favour viduals rather than types and tries to ping his daughter, although she is the law- something different from the rest of the thereafter, not even in Agneepath’s remake inhabit every character he plays by drawing ful one and not he. Throughout this very film. One could say that this makes the (2012), and we may surmise that a key on his own emotional reserves. This effective sequence, Kamal Haasan is chew- film equidistant from two literary forms— development rendered it irrelevant, this involves the use of objects and gestures ing paan but, instead of diluting its import, the novel and the epic. apparently being the economic liberalisation of 1991-92. Considering that enterprise is celebrated in these films and also that the police have long been an emblem of the state, the motif can be read as a protest against state authority stifling enterprise in India, most oppressively in the Indira Gandhi era. In Nayagan the unlawful ways of the protagonist gets less attention than the highhandedness and brutality of the police and this evidently reflects public disenchantment with state authority. Between Deewar, in which the police still act morally, and Nayagan, in which even an honorable police officer opens fire on unarmed people, the disenchantment had obviously come a long way. The other important motif pertains to the passing down of the patriarch’s mantle —which is a motif restricted to The Godfather’s progeny and not to the other films like Deewar and Agneepath. If the passing down of the mantle does not happen in Nayagan, the issue remains a crucial one and it is that Velunayagan’s life ends in tragedy—when he loses his son and daughter in different ways and has no heir. Just as a person who fulfils this ‘dharma’ is a heroic figure, a man who has no heir to fulfill his responsibilities after his death is a tragic one. But the issue of carrying forwards FAMILY STORY The Godfather series tells the story of a mafia clan, and is ranked among the greatest Hollywood movies ever made
corruption watch
talk|8 nov 2012|talkmag.in
A HEADLESS WATCHDOG Karnataka has had no chief for its Lokayukta since September 2011. The new chief, even if appointed today, will have to wade through 4,400-plus cases. In the absence of an eagle-eyed Lokayukta, powerful politicians get off the hook. But, emboldened by the anti-corruption wave in the country, citizens are approaching the Lokayukta court, which is ordering more investigations than ever before
BACKLOG This year, the Lokayukta’s office near Vidhana Soudha has cleared only 19 cases. In the normal course, it would have cleared about a thousand
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corruption watch
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PRASHANTH G N
average, the number should have been more than 1,000 during the period. prashanth.gn@talkmag.in Crucially, some cases pending before the Lokayukta can only be arnataka is in urgent investigated by him (it has only had need of a head for the male chiefs so far) and not by his Lokayukta, the state’s deputies. For one, only the Lokayukta can corruption watchdog. The deputy Lokayukta’s recommend action against ministers position, one of two, is also lying and Class 1 officers, from the deputy vacant. The organisation has been commissioner (senior-most in a disheadless after Justice Shivraj Patil trict) all the way up to the chief secreresigned over a year ago. As a conse- tary (senior-most in the state). Upa quence, at least two important cases Lokayuktas can recommend action against powerful politicians (former only if they are authorised to do so in chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and certain circumstances. Overall, the minister V Somanna) have been Lokayukta has more wide-ranging powers, including the power to recclosed. The anti-corruption body is cur- ommend action against serving minisrently investigating, among others, ters and the chief minister. Sources told Talk that among a politician ‘Layout’ Krishnappa for his wealth, former chief ministers S M host of cases before the Lokayukta, Krishna, Dharam Singh and H D proceedings in two high profile Kumaraswamy for their role in illegal cases—involving an IFS official and an mining, and minister Murugesh IPS official—have come to a halt Nirani for land grab. Also under inves- because the institution has no chief. tigation in other cases are a clutch of These cases have not been taken to the Lokayukta court, and so risk being senior bureaucrats. closed for good. While a staggerThe Lokayukta ing 4,400-plus cases Two high profile court can initiate await the Lokayukta cases involving proceedings against chief, a pro-active Class 1 officers and Lokayukta court is senior officials only if a keeping citizens’ have been halted ministers complaint is filed hopes alive. Last before it. Justice week, the court ordered an investigation into the Santosh Hegde, former Lokayukta, Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure told Talk: “It is true that the big fish Corridor (BMIC) land scam case, in are getting away.” which three former chief ministers— Krishna, Deve Gowda and B S The role of a head Yeddyurappa—were named. The situation now: No Lokayukta, Others being investigated, and only one Upa Lokayukta, Justice S thanks to the Lokayukta court, are B Majage, who handles high-profile Nandi Infrastructure Corridor corruption cases. “The Lokayukta is Enterprises (NICE) managing director usually headed by a Supreme Court Ashok Kheny, former ministers R V judge, and such a status carries Deshpande and D K Shivakumar, impact. It won’t be easy not to listen to Public Works Minister C M Udasi, the Lokayukta,” Hegde said. ICICI Bank, and expressway investor In other words, the Lokayukta’s Baba Kalyani. William Weld, former power comes as much from his posiGovernor of Massachusetts, USA, and tion as from his status as a former Richard Hangan, another US national member of the higher judiciary. A who was part of the consortium the Supreme Court judge instils fear in state had signed an MoU with, are also the watchdog system and in the govin the dock. ernment. Which is why even if an Upa Lokayukta is made acting Lokayukta, his power would be considerably Just 19 instead of 1,000 But these are exceptions. A staggering diminished, and his recommenda13,893 cases await scrutiny by the tions easily ignored by the governbody since September 2011, of which ment. The Lokayukta, basically, is a 4,417 cases are pending before the recommendatory body with no puni(currently non-existent) Lokayukta, tive powers. Without a head, the body’s police and 9,476 before his two deputies, of and administrative wing tend to takes whom only one is in charge. Only 19 cases appearing before things easy. The Lokayukta cracks the the Lokayukta have been disposed of whip, and sets things in motion. from September 2011 to October 2012 Everybody is cautious in the presence (thanks to the short tenure of Justice of a head—no one wants to risk being Shivaraj Patil), while, going by the punished for dereliction of duty.
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Why the Lokayukta cops aren’t doing a thing They say they are waiting for a court order to go ‘fearlessly’ after S M Krishna, Dharam Singh and H D Kumaraswamy, but social activist T J Abraham says they are scared even to file a memo in the case f the Lokayukta police are to be believed, the only thing that stands between them and corruptionaccused former chief ministers is a court stay.
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SC HEARING SOON
In December 2011, the special Lokayukta court ordered investigation of S M Krishna, Dharam Singh and H D Kumaraswamy connected with illegal mining in the state. The case is in progress at the High Court, even as the Supreme Court is hearing other aspects related to mining in the state.
Abraham who was the first to file a complaint before the Special Lokayukta court against the three former chief ministers, has requested the Supreme Court Central Empowered Committee on illegal mining to order a CBI probe against the three former chief ministers.
The court had ordered the probe following a complaint by social activist T J Abraham, who has listed specific allegations against each of them. A top Lokayukta police official told Talk: “We are confident about the evidence. Our assessment is that the stay will be vacated. In case investigation is not restored to us, it may be assigned to the CBI, which will make things more difficult for the accused.”
Between 1999 and 2004, then chief minister Krishna allowed de-reservation of 6,832 hectares of prime iron ore-bearing forest land and paved the way for largescale illegal mining, according to Abraham’s petition.
Meanwhile, Abraham, who had filed a private complaint against the former chief ministers with the special Lokayukta court, is convinced the Lokayukta police are just dilly-dallying. “Ask them to file just a memo in the Supreme Court. Just a memo is enough. They haven’t filed even a memo, forget a full-fledged petition in the case. What are they talking about?” he said. He alleges the Lokayukta police “don't have the guts”. He told Talk: “They are weak in the knees and shiver at the sight of the former chief ministers. This is not the way to approach any case.” In response, the Lokayukta police say they have constituted a special team to investigate the charges. “We have no fear and we haven’t received any threat calls. In court-monitored cases, the Lokayukta police have no choice but to proceed with the investigation. We had begun investigation but the accused got a stay at the High Court.”
WHAT ARE THE CHARGES?
Another Congress leader, Dharam Singh, allegedly ordered issue of temporary transport permits to move iron and manganese ore from agricultural lands, resulting in a loss of Rs 23.22 crore to the government. H D Kumaraswamy allegedly issued a mining lease in 550 acres to Shree Sai Venkateshwara Minerals, and committed illegalities to favour Jantkal Mining Company.
BMIC CASE Abraham is also the peititoner in the case against the controversial Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project. Acting on his complaint, on October 25, the Lokayukta court ordered a probe against former chief ministers Deve Gowda, S M Krishna and B S Yeddyurappa, apart from 26 others, including Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) managing director Ashok Kheny. It also ordered that Rs 72 crore collected by NICE as road toll be frozen and 5,600 acres granted to the firm be attached.
PRASHANTH G N
corruption watch
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Powerful names in the dock B S Yeddyurappa, H D Kumaraswamy S M Krishna, R V Deshpande, D K Shivakumar, Katta Subramanya Naidu, C M Udasi, Ashok Kheny, ICICI Bank the court said. The state government has since taken the case to the Supreme Court, where it is pending review. A senior Lokayukta official said: “The government took a step that led to unnecessary litigation. The alignment of the state government with the High Court should have been 100 per cent.” Hegde agrees, asking, “Why was no discussion arranged between the chief justice and the chief minister? The Supreme Court won’t mind it if the chief minister and chief justice come to a consensus.” Another factor delaying the Lokayukta’s appointment is the plain fact that it is a hot seat that most judges prefer to avoid. A source explained: “Most judges eligible for the post are scared to take up the job. They are afraid of CLEAN HAND? Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa with Justices Shivaraj Patil, Venkatachala and Santosh Hegde, all of whom have served as Lokayuktas being dragged into controversy, especially over While no head was in charge, the property they have acquired through judicial Lokayukta police have quietly filed ‘B’ reports co-operative housing societies now accused of in cases where former chief minister B S land grab. Secondly, the government hasn’t The Lokayukta is an anti-corruption not entertain it. On the other hand, Yeddyurappa and minister Somanna were created the right atmosphere for judges. the nature and weight of evidence ombudsman that consists of the charged. The cases related to land denotifica- Whatever is said by the Lokayukta becomes need not necessarily be criminal in Lokayukta head (who actually tion. “If a Lokayukata had been monitoring the controversial, so no one wants to be there.” the complaint produced before the bears the title of Lokayaukta), two The new Lokayukta, even if he is appointcase, the outcome might have been different,” Upa Lokayuktas and the Lokayukta Lokayukta. In other words, said Hegde, who, towards the end of his tenure, ed immediately, will have to wade through preliminary evidence is enough for police. In addition, there is a had recommended dismissal of two ministers 4,000-odd cases that are pending before him the Lokayukta to begin an inquiry. special Lokayukta court, which who had not filed their assets and liabilities alone. Hegde believes the delay works for operates independently. The The importance of the Lokayukta everyone in politics. “All parstatements in time. Lokayukta is the recommendatory rests in the fact that the Lokayukta ties face charges, so no one “The government thought body, the Lokayukta police the ‘All parties face head can act suo motu, taking up wants a Lokayukta in a it was harsh. But the truth is, investigating agency, and the cases for inquiry while the charges, so no hurry,” he said. the Lokayukta can write to the Lokayukata court the adjudicating Lokayukta court has to wait for a government and recommend body. one wants a complaint. The Lokayukta can also such serious action against The court’s long arm Lokayukta,’ says conduct raids and order The Lokayukta court has been set erring ministers. Alternatively, What is reassuring though, is investigations, which the court up under the Prevention of Santosh Hegde the Lokayukta can write to the that at least when it comes to Corruption Act, while the Lokayukta does not. Presence of the governor. Such high-level repcomplaints about lower level Lokayukta head also ensures that is set up under the Lokayukta Act. resentations can be made only by the officials, the anti-corruption body has perthe Lokayukta police function in a All cases taken before the Lokayukta, none else,” he explained. formed well. Purely in terms of numbers, it has fair, transparent manner. While the Lokayukta court can be taken to managed to clear more cases than the previous Lokayukta police act on their own, the Lokayukta head too, but all year, even with just one Upa Lokayukta runStalling the Lokayukta as well as on orders of the cases coming before the head The watchdog system has not had a chief in ning the show. Also, while the Lokayukta’s Lokayukta court, administratively need not be entertained by the Karnataka since September 2011, when Justice police arm seems to be lagging for want of a they come under the control of the court. For instance, a pension Shivaraj Patil resigned as Lokayukta after being head (see box), the Lokayukta court is taking a Lokayukta, who is empowered to grievance which is not criminal in in charge for just 40 days. He put in his papers more active role, creating a surge of confidence monitor its functioning. nature may be rejected by the after he and his wife were accused of owning a among common citizens. court, while the head could take it The Lokayukta is empowered to The court is monitoring the highest numsite illegally. up and examine whether there has inquire all Class 1 officials, while ber of complaints this year. Compared to 18 In April 2012, Justice Chandrashekaraiah, been dereliction of duty. the Upa Lokayuktas investigate one of the two Upa Lokayuktas appointed last year, it has ordered investigations in 76 those lower in rank. In the absence While the Lokayukyta's inquiry is three months earlier, was sent packing by the cases this year. Among those facing Lokayukta of the Lokayukta, and when Upa civil and administrative in nature High Court, which said he had been given the police investigations are two legislators, a minLokayuktas lack special and can lead to criminal job without the consent of the chief justice, a ister and three former chief ministers. authorisation, cases against Class investigation, the court entertains Two weeks ago, the court registered a constitutional prerequisite for filling up the 1 officials can’t be taken up for complaints that are criminal in complaint against Health Minister Aravind Lokayukta’s as well as his deputys’ posts. “The inquiry. Depending on the nature of nature. Another crucial difference Limbavali and 10 others, and ordered a probe chief justice had suggested the name of Justice the complaint, a private citizen is between the Lokayukta court and against three former Karnataka chief minisRangavittalacharya, a retired High Court empowered to approach the Lokayukta is that strong evidence ters—Deve Gowda, Krishna and judge, for the post of Upa Lokayukta. But the Lokayukta police or court, as also criminal in nature has to be Yeddyurappa—in response to a complaint chief minister did not circulate the name of the Lokayukta and the Upa produced in the complaint to the Rangavittalacharya and did not inform the alleging irregularities in the Bangalore-Mysore court, failing which the court would Lokayuktas. chief justice that his name was not accepted,” Infrastructure Corridor project.
Lokayukta: structure and powers
corruption watch How to complain Citizens harassed by corrupt government employees and politicians can approach the Lokayukta police, the Lokayukta court or even the Lokayukta himself. When you go to the Lokayukta police, fill up a form. At the Lokayukta court, file an affidavit. The Lokayukta chief's office offers specific forms for your complaints. Here’s where they work from: MS Building, Dr BR Ambedkar Veedhi, Near Vidhana Soudha, Bangalore 500001 Phone: 2225 1394 The Anna Hazare-led movement seems to have emboldened more and more people to approach the special Lokayukta court. Cases are on the rise. Look at the numbers: 9 in 2009, 15 in 2009, 10 in 2010, 18 in 2011, but then spiking sharply to 76 in 2012. The most high-profile case the court has taken up has been that of the land scam surrounding the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project, which was awarded to Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) and its sister companies. On October 25, Lokayukta judge N K Sudhindra Rao directed additional DGP (Lokayukta) H N Sathyanarayana Rao to investigate three former chief ministers and 27 others in connection with illegalities in the project. The complaint was filed by social activist T J Abraham, who had named 105 people in his complaint, alleging grabbing of farmers’ land. However, the judge has ordered an investigation only against 30. The court, in its nearly 500-page order, directed that a wing be constituted with not less than four Deputy Superintendents of Police (DySP) to probe the charges against the 30.
Trust in the judiciary Hegde explained to Talk why courtmonitored investigations are increasing. “Over the last one and a half years, the Anna Hazare movement has created a climate of confidence. The courts have become pro-active. The special Lokayukta court in Bangalore has delivered serious indictments—of Yeddyurappa in a mining-related case and former minister Katta Subramanya Naidu in a land grab case.” In Karnataka, people are approaching the special Lokayukta
court because the court has demonstrated seriousness and credibility in tackling powerful people. Hegde believes this is a good development. Lokayukta courts were not that active at the turn of the century or even in the middle of the first decade-not many raids were conducted, nor were any ministers indicted. But in just two years, the number of scams that came to national attention is high, with the 2G telecom, Commonwealth Games, Coalgate and Tatra cases being the biggest. More recently, Robert Vadra, Salman Khurshid and Nitin Gadkari are in the public glare. A top Lokayukta official concurred with Hegde: “Activists and public-spirited individuals feel the courts mean business.” Why are people by-passing the Lokayukta police though? “I wouldn’t say there is breakdown or complete lack of trust, but there is definitely apprehension that the police may not act, or that they may even scuttle complaints. Citizens know courts wouldn’t refuse complaints if they are credible,” said a Lokayukta official. The police are known to sidestep cases against powerful politicians and bureaucrats. But the court is independent and can pass strictures against heads of government and ministers. People see that the courts do not protect vested interests. When courts order an investigation, the police are duty bound to obey. Officials who ignore court orders are shunted out or punished. Interestingly, the police are not entirely unhappy with the court ordering investigations. “The court offers protection to the police, who can then take on powerful people.
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What the politicians say or the record, all three major parties assert Karnataka needs a Lokayukta. While the ruling BJP cites a court case as the reason for not appointing one, the Congress and the JD(S) say they aren’t putting any pressure on the government because it is already ‘caving in’
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Here’s their take:
Sadananda Gowda Former chief minister (BJP)
KEEPING FAITH Lokayukta judge N K Sudhindra Rao (top) and Upa Lokayukta S B Majage have played a pro-active role
The offenders know they can’t play around with investigating officers because the officers are monitored by the court. A typical political response is to transfer inconvenient investigators out. This can’t be done when court has stepped in,” said a top source in the police section of the Lokayukta. “Investigation against former chief ministers in the BMIC case would not have been easy without court orders. The investigation is timebound. There is no dithering as the court is monitoring us. It is an advantage as we get protection,” said a top Lokayukta police officer.
‘Absence of Lokayukta affects honest officers’ Nitin R, the lawyer who has taken up the case against former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa in connection with denotification of land in Bangalore, tells Talk no one can substitute the Lokayukta How exactly does the absence of a Lokayukta affect the body? The Lokayukta is usually a retired judge of the Supreme Court or a retired chief justice of a High Court. If a person of integrity such as Justice Santosh Hegde holds that position, it will certainly have an impact on the lower levels of the bureaucracy in the Lokayukta office, besides the Lokayukta police. It is because of this alone that 'big fish' like Yeddyurappa could be exposed. The absence of the Lokayukta weakens administration and
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reduces motivation among honest officers, which is already happening. Most of all, those truly neck deep in corruption at the top benefit from this situation. But isn't the Lokayukta court very active? Lokayukta Court cannot be a substitute for the Lokayukta. Only those cases against public servants that have criminality apparent in them would be entertained by the Lokayukta court. The other grievances against the public servants which may not be criminal in nature would still have to be addressed by the Lokayukta. More than that, Lokayukta has a broader mandate as an ombudsman investigating agency and recommendatory body.
“We are 100 per cent keen on having a Lokayukta. We are only waiting for the Supreme Court to deliver its verdict. The court is hearing a case on the procedure to appoint the Lokayukta and Upa Lokayukta. The High Court had struck down the state government’s appointment of Upa Lokayukta Chandrashekaraiah on the grounds that we had not consulted the chief justice. I had written letters to him when I was chief minister. But the definition of ‘consultation’ is not clear. Writing a letter may not be enough, and that question the court will clear soon. Immediately after the verdict, we will appoint a Lokayukta. Let no one doubt that the government or the BJP is shirking from appointing a Lokayukta. That is not true.”
D K Shivakumar Former minister (Congress) “We have been demanding a Lokayukta for many months. But the government keeps telling us it is waiting for a court verdict. The Congress is clear that the Lokayukta has to be appointed as soon as possible, but does the BJP government have any commitment? Giving an excuse that the court is hearing the matter is not good.”
YSV Datta JD(S) spokesperson “The state government is caving in. It may last one, two or three months. There is no administration, no vision, no cohesion among the ruling party’s leaders. The government is paralysed. No one is in action mode. Putting pressure on a failing, inactive government makes no difference. That’s why we have kept quiet. But we are the only party to have taken a large number of complaints to the Lokayukta. I have personally filed 15 to 20 complaints before the then Lokayukta Santosh Hegde. There may be leaders who are not keen on having a Lokayukta, but we are not among them. Our leaders Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy have exposed various misdeeds, so they are keen the Lokayukta be appointed fast.”
question of probity
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Promoting corruption The Lokayukta sent senior bureaucrat Mrutyunjaya Swamy to jail for corruption, but the state government has reinstated him, and even given him what in effect is a promotion
PROTECTED Mrutuyunjaya Swamy (top left) was reinstated by Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, and his decision is defended by C M Udasi, Public Works Minister. Udasi himself is being investigated by the Lokayukta in the Bangalore-Mysore expressway case.
BASU MEGALKERI basavaraju@talkmag.in
hen the Lokayukta raids an official on suspicion of amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income, discovers assets totalling Rs 6 crore, produces him in court, and has the man sent to jail, what would you expect the state government to do? At the very least, suspend him and keep him out of office pending a full investigation and trial. But governments are run by politicians, and the state government has done the unthinkable. Reinstated the Karnataka Engineering Service (KES) officer back in government, and for good measure, in a position that one would expect an IAS officer to fill. This is the story of C Mrutyunjaya Swamy, secretary of the Karnataka Public Works Department. The department has a plan and nonplan budget every year of around Rs 5,000 crore. Swamy’s properties and office were raided by two investigative teams headed by Deputy Superintendents of Police S Girish and H S Manjunath on July 21 and 22, 2011. They seized Rs 54.59 lakh from his house at Kadirenahalli and Rs 5 lakh from a house under construction in Banashankari II Stage. They also found gold weighing 450 gm and 300 dollars there. These two houses and a commercial complex in Jayanagar’s South
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End were valued at Rs 3.16 crore. He duced before the City Civil and owned another commercial complex Sessions Court and when the court in Chamarajpet worth Rs 1.07 crore. declined bail, it also clearly stated He owns an apartment at the posh that he must be kept under judicial custody for two days in Parappana Brigade Gateway in Yeshwanthpur. Mruthyunjaya Swamy had three Agrahara jail. After spending a couple of days accounts in Canara Bank and two in Vijaya Bank, holding more than Rs 15 in judicial custody, under very comlakh. A post office account had Rs fortable conditions (if sources are to 4.50 lakh. And the investigative team be believed), Swamy got bail. The very next day he was back in office. also seized 80 kg of sandalwood. State service rules aver that if a Swamy started his career in government as an assistant engineer in government employee spends 48 the Karnataka State Road hours in jail then he must be susTransportation Corporation (KSRTC) pended from the job. When the employees of the in 1986. In 1992, he obtained a transfer to the Public Works Department department brought this to the notice of the govern(PWD) as the assisment, the state govtant executive engiSwamy was back ernment, under neer. He eventually chief minister became chief engiin office the Sadananda Gowda, neer, South Zone, very next day issued an order to and then secretary after he got bail suspend Swamy. of the department, The 2010 rule responsible for the entire functioning of the state’s pub- book of the state government says any officer who has undergone a raid lic works. The raids and the seizure made by the Lokayukta must be removed big news, and the credibility of the from the job. It adds that when he is reinstated he should not take imporLokayukta soared. The then Lokayukta Santosh tant decisions. Then comes the twist to the Hegde said, “C Mrutyunjaya Swamy’s father had four acres of land. He had story. On August 15, the government, four siblings. Probably he inherited under the leadership of chief minister one acre. Including the earnings of Jagadish Shettar this time, posted him his wife, his total assets should come in a newly created post as Chief to around Rs 95 lakh. But his assets Planning Officer for the Karnataka State Highway Development Project. total almost Rs 6 crore. Considering that he is holding “He has been booked under the Anti-corruption Act and a case has independent charge, this kind of role been registered. The Lokayukta has is usually discharged by an IAS recommended that he be suspended officer. Currently, the State Highway from the Karnataka Administration Development has plans to improve Service,” he said. Mrutyunjaya Swamy was pro- more than 3,710 km in the state, at a
cost of about Rs 3,600 crore. Government officials told Talk that about Rs 2,400 crore worth of projects would be handed out before the end of this financial year. Talk approached Swamy for his views. “We’ll see what happens after the investigation,” he declared. “I am following all rules. I am not participating in any major decision-making and I am only doing a monitoring job. If further information is needed, only the government can answer.” Swamy is a devotee of Yediyuru Siddalingeshwara Swamy, a Lingayat pontiff. He is also supported by ministers in the state cabinet. More than anything else, we are told, he is also supported by former chief minister and Lingayat community leader B S Yeddyurappa. C M Udasi, Public Works Minister, defended the government’s action. “There is an initial period of suspension. Once that is over, the official can be reinstated. In Mrutyunjaya Swamy’s case, the state government took a decision after legal consultation. Investigation is on. Once the report is submitted, we will take further action.” So much for upholding probity in public life. “This truly hurts me a lot,” said Santosh Hegde to Talk. “Now the officials and the government have become one. Even society is mum. I don’t know how much of the Rs 3,600 crore budget (in the highways project) will reach the beneficiaries. That you can guess. There was a time when those who went to jail were ostracised. But now they are being greeted with garlands,” a saddened Hegde said.
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The storm shaped like a coiled snake
Cyclone SAVIE KARNEL savie.karnel@talkmag.in ll of this week, it seemed the world was not controlled by humans, but by the winds. The devastating storms that lashed various parts of the world are called by various names; cyclone, hurricane and typhoon. The words confuse us. Are they different words for the same thing? About a century W and a half ago, Henry Piddington had the same doubt. He was then captain of a ship, and later joined the British East India Company. As the president of the company’s Marine Court of Enquiry in Calcutta, he studied the The Talk s t o r m y column on weather of word origins
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the Indian Ocean. His focus was the tropical storm of December 1789, which killed 20,000 people and inundated Coringa, a coastal town in Andhra Pradesh. During this study in the 1840s, Piddington coined the term cyclone, as a common term for all kind of storms. In a presentation to the Asiatic Society of Bengal around 1840, Piddington described the 1789 storm as a ‘cyclone.’ He said he had derived the term from the Greek word kyklon which means moving in a circle, like the “coil of the snake.” He introduced the word to mariners and the world in 1848, in his book The Sailor’s Horn-book For the Law of Storms. In the book he hoped the new word would help clear any confusion among mariners. He wrote about the “confounding names which may express either straight or circular winds—such as “gale, storm, hurricane. Now if we used a single word… we shall get rid of all this
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ambiguity, and use the same word to express the same thing in all cases.” The term slowly gained currency, and by 1856, was being used in many parts of the world for any kind of a storm. In 1875, the international meteorological community adopted the term to describe a low pressure system with a counterclockwise wind field. The cyclones whirl anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere. It was actually L Frank Baum’s fantasy book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that introduced the term among lay people. In the book, a cyclone carries the main character Dorothy into the magical land of Oz. In 1939, a movie was made on the basis of the book, and it further popularised the term. However, the word remained restricted to storms in the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean. The word cyclone is used mainly in South-East Asia and Australia. Storms over the Atlantic Ocean
Satellite picture of Cyclone Thane, which killed about 50 people in 2011
continue to be called hurricanes and those over the Pacific Ocean are referred to as typhoons. The cyclones that made news this week—Sandy in the United States and Nilam in India—however, did relatively less
damage. Others have caused some of the biggest catastrophes in history, like cyclone Nargis, which killed 1.38 lakh people and caused widespread destruction in Myanmar (Burma), the worst ever natural disaster in that country.
hurricane diary
talk|8 nov 2012|talkmag.in
When Sandy came calling on our laptops, since we had heard such outages could continue for days, even weeks. I woke up the next morning to a calm day. The winds had died down and there was little or no rain. I thought to myself that the worst of Sandy was over, but that was when I realised there was still no power, which meant centralised heating was not working. Temperatures seemed to have dipped by about 10 degrees and no amount of winter-wear felt warm enough. There was no charge in our cell phones and e were prepared for howling the landline connection was gone, too. We could winds and incessant rain and not step out because the roads were blocked all snow, but nobody told us about around by fallen trees. After spending 16 hours without power in an earthquake. terribly cold conditions, it was as if by divine I was tucked in warmly on Tuesday, during intervention that power supply was restored. the peak hours of Hurricane Sandy, when I sud- The first thing we did was switch on the centralised heating and then the TV. When we saw denly felt my apartment shaking. For a second, I thought the Mayan predic- the damage caused by Sandy, we suddenly tions about the world coming to an end in 2012 realised we were actually fortunate compared to were coming true. Then I realised the tremors so many others. About 25 lakh people in New Jersey alone had passed, though the winds were getting were left without power. The authorities gustier. We stepped out on to the balcony to find a declared it would take them more than eight huge branch, ripped away from a giant tree, rest- days to restore supply. But with the electricity back in our home and our phones back to life we ing on our railing. A sleepless night followed, in the grip of started connecting with other friends. While there were some like us who had fear that a tree might plough into our home. been fortunate to get away Wind speeds were reaching 80with a few hours of power out90 miles an hour, and we saw age, there were others who had television reports about a sleepI thought of the already spent more than 24 ing man who had died in Mayan prophecy hours in complete, chill darkQueens, New York, when a tree about the world ness. We checked on them to crashed on his bedroom. see if we could help in any way. On TV were images of the coming to an One friend was lucky to famed Jersey shore beaches end in 2012 find a route from his house to being devoured by the ocean. ours so he drove down to our We had enjoyed a visit to the shore just a few days earlier. Watching vanishing place and on our insistence moved in to stay beaches and flooded streets of Atlantic City, with us till power supply was restored at his Point Pleasant and Sandy Hook, we were men- place. That could be a week from now. I have learnt a lesson in preparedness. tally preparing to witness similar sights in our In India I had never experienced this level own neighbourhood. Especially since those places are at a driving distance of one to two of advance preparation in the face of an impendhours from our place-not far for 80 mph winds, ing natural calamity. Here everyone was talking about the superstorm as early as five to six days I thought. The experience was a grim reminder of the before it struck. It never occurred to us until late Saturday 2004 tsunami when, sitting in Bangalore, I watched huge waves of the Indian Ocean lashing evening that we too need to stock up on stuff. the coastal villages of Tamil Nadu. Except that On Sunday, just a day before Sandy was expectthen, I knew there was no way the waves could ed, we went ‘Sandy shopping,’ which meant buying all essentials for days or weeks of power outreach Bangalore. Here in New Jersey, the power went out, age, and disrupted water and cooking gas supply. After visiting three to four big supermarket and our entire neighbourhood was plunged in darkness. We sat searching the Net for emer- chains within a radius of four miles from our gency numbers—911 was sure to be congested, house, we realised we were awfully late. Bread and we wanted local numbers. We did find some and packed food were sold out, as were flashaddresses of evacuation shelters set up in our lights (torches), and disposable plates and tisneighbourhood, and strangely that brought a sues; there were limited candle supplies. Indian stores had suddenly made candles available in slight sense of relief. With the power outage shutting us out their stores and these were priced at double the from the world, we decided to save some battery rates at which they were available in other
A Bangalorean now in New Jersey learns a lesson in preparedness as the storm batters the US east coast
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Sanchita Sen Journalist covering health. Now in storm-swept Piscataway, New Jersey
LETHAL WIND Hurricane Sandy has claimed nearly 60 lives and caused long power outages
American stores. Bottled water was all gone and we heard from a few friends that these were available at some wholesale outlets, but that there was a huge queue to buy them. We picked up whatever we could and went back home to make some arrangement for storing water. I managed to find used soda (as soft drinks are called here) bottles and milk jars in my house and quickly washed all of them and saved up drinking water as much as I could. I realised that it all added up to about 17 litres of drinking water, which meant that we were prepared for three to four days of disrupted water supply. Unlike India, buckets and water drums are unheard of, so I made the most by storing water in the bathtub for all non-drinking purposes. I was feeling very unprepared for Sandy so when the howling winds actually struck I was probably feeling even more scared than others LATERAL DAMAGE Havoc wreaked by the hurricane in the writer’s neighbourhood because I knew I wasn’t prepared for it. While this time my unpreparedness was lies in India. The lucky few who have power in flights. One friend was all set to fly to Hyderabad pardoned, I have learnt my lesson. their houses are serving as charging stations. to celebrate Diwali for the first time in a decade, And even my limited stock of candles is turning with her husband, seven-year-old son and twoyear-old daughter. Finally, the kids would get a out to be useful to others. Coda Some friends are considering shifting to feel for Diwali. But it was not to be. But instead The roads are gradually clearing. Two more friends have touched base with us. They will ‘extended stay’ flats, which are like serviced of the festival of lights, sound and colour, they had to make do with wind, rain, darkness and come over to charge their cell phones and lap- apartments in India. But few are vacant. Many have suffered because of cancelled freezing cold. tops. They cannot even reach out to their fami-
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concert review
talk|8 nov 2012|talkmag.in
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RAMESH HUNSUR
Santana’s performance last week raised the bar for rock artistes visiting the city. It also brought out a middle-aged, affluent generation of fans that showed up in force to greet its musical icon
Smooth star, smoother fans PRACHI SIBAL prachi.sibal@talkmag.in
ock legend—while many rock stars who visit India are described thus, few actually merit the description. Carlos Santana though, is an exception. The winner of 10 Grammy Awards and widespread international acclaim lasting over 40 years, when Carlos Santana came to town for Vladivar Rock ‘n’ India last Friday with his band Santana, he left thousands of fans in a tizzy. As one of the most awaited concerts of the year, we did expect the show to be somewhat different from the rest, but we had a pleasant surprise in store for us. Compared to most recent performances in town, which would last barely over an hour and would rely on the artiste’s star power and onstage gimmickry for their success, Santana gave an unforgettable show that was a true music lover’s delight. In the performance that lasted over two hours, not once did we see the 65-year-old star leave the stage or the guitar for a break. He did go easy
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BLACK MAGIC WOMAN Santana and his wife Cynthia at a press conference before the Bangalore concert. Cynthia played a superb solo at the concert
on the vocals, singing occasionally, in between the show, when Santana but that was hardly a disappoint- promised that this wouldn’t be his ment. The show opened with the last show in the country, over ten hugely popular Black magic woman thousand heads nodded in exciteand followed it up with one hit after ment. The show reaffirmed the other, embellished with some heavy duty work with the guitar. Bangalore’s status as India’s rock capClearly. Santana wasn’t going away ital, but it also did something more. It without giving his first Indian show broke with the typical concert setting, which was also reflected in the profile his best. He belted out popular numbers of the audience. Missing were the airlike Maria Maria but kept away from guitar strumming, headbanging 20year somethings over-the-top audiand star struck, ence interaction and swooning teenagers. on-stage improvisaMissing were tions. The artist’s the headbanging Instead, there were middle-aged men longest interaction 20-somethings next door who had with the audience and the shown up in large was in the form of a numbers, swaying message of peace and swooning to the music with a tribute to some of teenagers water bottle and his contemporaries. snacks in hand. A The 60s hit A love supreme followed, played against the 40-something man steered his wife visual of a white dove flying on the towards the stage, easily navigating through the crowd. A friend’s mother screen behind. Next came his wife Cynthia was spotted shouting out “Santana!,” Blackman-Santana’s 15-minute while swaying to the music with a drums solo, which had the audience bunch of friends her age. There were break into applause. His latter-day hit fathers with children, long separated Smooth came near the end of the friends and entire families who gathshow and had a visible effect on the ered and made it all the way to the concert venue in youngsters in the crowd. Somewhere far-flung
Thanisandra. For a change, it was the rock show as family outing rather than youngsters’ craze. The unofficial dress code, typical of rock shows, too was missing. There weren’t any black, band-patronising t-shirts in sight, except the stray Beatles’ one. The clothing was relaxed, in line with the mood of the concert. What really characterised the show was the air of affluence, both on-stage and off. Rather than the stench of mosh pits and sweaty bodies pressed together, a whiff of expensive perfume wafted around. Even the stray joint that was passed around smelt expensive. Carefully creased shirts and trousers, and the unnaturally large number of cars blocking the exit, added to the feel. It was an evening full of delights, especially for many of the older generation who had driven far to watch a legend of their times strum songs that marked their memories. Santana easily gave everyone, regardless of their age, a show that had raised the bar for performers across genres. The band left just as it came, almost wordless. But then, one hardly misses that when Santana ends his show with the strumming of While my guitar gently weeps.
now showing
talk|8 nov 2012|talkmag.in
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War movie from a colonial era A lavish Kannada production recreates the life and times of Sangolli Rayanna, hailed by historians as the pioneer of guerilla resistance in India
Rayanna and modern India Sangolli Rayanna was Rani Channamma's trusted lieutenant. He lived in the Gokak region, near Belgaum, in northern Karnataka. Born on August 15, 1778, he was hanged on January 26, 1831. These dates coincide with modern India's Independence Day and Republic Day. Before Rayanna was hanged, he said: "I want to be reborn to drive the British out of my sacred land." This is recorded in the pages of history. Many Kannada ballads of the region sing his praise.
BASU MEGALKERI basavaraju@talkmag.in
he most expensive Kannada film ever made (at Rs 29 crore) is releasing this week. Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna, a historical extravaganza, tells the story of a feisty revolutionary hanged by the British in the 19th century. Sangolli Rayanna, in real life, was seven feet tall, and is considered by many historians the pioneer of guerilla warfare in India. When the British put forward the Doctrine of Lapse and annexed the princely state of Kittur saying its ruler Channamma had no children, she fought them on the battlefield with the help of Rayanna and other soldiers. Born in a village called Sangolli, Rayanna resisted the mighty British in unconventional ways. When they confiscated his land, he attacked their property, burnt land records, and extracted money from rich landlords. The British then got his father-inlaw Lakshmana on their side. Always on guard, Rayanna one day handed Lakshmana his sword and got into a stream to bathe. The British suddenly surrounded him. When Rayanna asked Lakshmana for his sword, the story goes, the older man handed it to the British soldiers. The colonial rulers hanged Rayanna from a banyan tree, turning him into a folk hero. To this day, ballads (some called gee gee padas) are sung in northern Karnataka in praise of
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Generous businessman
ACTION DRAMA Jayaprada plays Channamma, queen of Kittur, while Darshan is Rayanna
Rayanna and Channamma. Darshan plays Sangolli Rayanna. Jayaprada, heroine of several southern hits and former Samajwadi Party MP, essays the role of Channamma, the queen of Kittur. Nikita Thukral, a Punjabi actress who has already starred in several Kannada films, plays the role of Rayanna’s wife Mallamma. Producer Anand Appugol, who describes himself as an admirer of Rayanna, isn’t worried about the extravagant production costs. He told Talk: “We are releasing the film not just in Karnataka, but in Mumbai, Pune and Goa, and in some cities abroad as well.” The story offers much scope for adventure, and suits a big cinematic canvas. Shot in the caves of Murugodu, Kittur (near Belgaum), Mysore and Bangalore, the producer hasn’t skimped on the costs. Its cast and crew went to Jaipur and shot consecutively for 60 days. Some 400 junior artistes took part in the battle scenes. The production is ambitious in other ways, too. The shooting called for 100 horses and 10 elephants. A matter of vanity for the team is that
the white horse used by Rayanna was paid a fee of Rs 17 lakh. For the battle scenes, the director used seven cameras, and over 50 camera assistants. Jayaprada told Talk: “I have worked in more than a hundred movies, many of them in the south Indian languages. Sangolli Rayanna has been the most expensive movie of all.” It’s a saga that runs into three hours. Says director Naganna: “We initially thought audiences wouldn’t sit that long. We cut the length by half an hour, but at the editing table, we again decided to return to the full length.” The Censor Board has given it a U/A certificate, which means children can’t view it unless they are accompanied by an adult. “It we look at the artistic elements, the film deserves a U certificate. But it also features some graphic violence, like heads getting chopped off,” a member of the board said. Appugol said, “The censor board applauded the patriotism, but asked us to mute the dialogue in two places.”
Producer Anand Appugol is the son of a poor farmer. His parents continue to be agriculturists. He is a die-hard admirer of Sangolli Rayanna, and has named all his businesses after the folk hero. He founded the Shri Krantiveer Sangolli Rayanna Credit Cooperative Bank, which now has four branches in Belgaum district. G5 is the name of a BPO he set up in Belgaum. Known for his generosity, Appugol made his debut as a producer with Dharmadevate, a film about a north Karnataka goddess. Arjun Sarja was earlier selected to play the lead role. Priyamani had been named the female lead, and Ilaiyaraja was to score the music, but those plans changed by the time the film went on the floors. Darshan has a big following in the B and C centres. Though he has delivered a series of flops, Saarathi, his last release, was a blockbuster hit. He reportedly took a fee of Rs 2 crore for Sangolli Rayanna. In the past, producers of Kannada films have earned profits from television rights. But Zee TV has agreed to pay just Rs 4 crore for the TV rights, a pittance considering the money the producer has invested in the film. This is the calculation: If the movie releases in 200 theatres and runs at least four weeks, the producer will breathe easy.
celebrity trail
talk|8 nov 2012|talkmag.in
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Club crawl with Piggy Chops Hopping from one club to another with a Bollywood celeb sounds like a lot of fun. If only!
SANDRA M FERNANDES sandramarina.fernandes@talkmag.in
must admit: when I was told that I had to go club-crawling with Priyanka Chopra, I couldn’t conceal my excitement. Piggy Chops, as the media has taken to calling her, was in town to promote her single In my city, released in India and the US simultaneously. I was told she would play DJ at four of Bangalore’s well-known clubs, and was all geared up for a night of fun. So, at 8 pm sharp, I landed at my first destination, The Biere Club on Lavelle Road, and found myself a comfortable place near the stage. The MC kept announcing that Priyanka Chopra would be in any moment. After a suspenseful five minutes when the guests watched the main door in eager anticipation, she ‘surprised’ everyone by making a backdoor entry. In the clamour that followed, I found myself displaced from my seat, but didn’t mind it at all. Priyanka went up on stage and spoke about how she has never partied in this city. As the DJ played a hit number, Priyanka tried out her party moves in an attempt to get the crowd going. I was looking forward to a display of her musical talent, and was surprised to find that her ‘DJing’ actually meant occasionally touching the console with her manicured fingers, and little else. She then spoke about her single, which also features American rapper Will.i.am, and played it for the audience. She could not sing the song
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NEW AVATAR Priyanka Chopra, who has taken to singing, was in Bangalore to promote her single In my city
because her contract does not allow it until there is an official live performance, she had explained at the press meet earlier. I had been subjected to it an ear-numbing 15 times at the meet, and here I was, bracing myself for more. The crowd seemed to enjoy the song, although it could very well have been her moves that drew all eyes. And just when things were getting better, she threw some copies of her CD all around, like a winner at a Wimbledon match. She then politely said a thank you and left. Her socalled performance had lasted all of 15 minutes. But none of this would put off the true PC fan, it turned out. Outside, I saw a boy and a girl, both teenagers, running behind her car, carrying parcels in their hands. After they had run a short distance, the car stopped. They had brought along some gifts, which she accepted through the window. As the car moved and they turned back, I noticed the girls eye’s were moist. I was witness to a scene she would someday recall as A Fond Memory. pleased with the goings-on, others But I had to did not hesitate to stand on the sofas rush; the star was with their high heels on. Here at least already on her way to the next venue. I thought I would be able to see At my second destination, the 13th Priyanka do some actual DJing. Floor Club in Barton Centre, MG Instead, I was treated to an exact imiRoad, I was refused entry. The door- tation of the routine at The Biere. It was as if she had memorised man wouldn’t budge, and told me he would let me in the script and was acting it out. She even played the only if the event same number I’m organiser told him to. It was as if she’d sexy and I know it as Imagine my surprise memorised the part of her DJ act. I a little later to see the decided not to wait event organiser himscript and was for that last CDself arguing with the acting it out, throwing act, and doorman to be let in! just like on a rushed to the next Much coaxing and movie set stop, Ice at Taj pleading later, I got Vivanta. in, and found that This place looked more promistwo others had gatecrashed along ing: it was a proper discotheque and with me. Inside, it was a sight. There was- there was ample space for people to n’t any standing room in the small move around. I also had the added restaurant. While some customers, satisfaction that I was perhaps the who clearly hadn’t expected celebrity only one among the guests who knew mania to descend on them, were dis- that Priyanka would make a ‘surprise’
entry through the back door. And as if on cue, she did. That was followed by the same lines, the same track on the console, and finally, the same CDthrowing antic. At the last stop for the night, Toit in Indiranagar, the stage routine was repeated as expected. Even there some were annoyed at the din, while others jostled to get close to the star. A woman expressed her irritation loudly when someone tried to climb on to the stool she was sitting on. Once Priyanka left, everything seemed to return to normal, though some star-struck sorts were still recovering from the experience. Lookign back, I was astonished at how the movie star almost seemed to have enthusiasm on tap: she could turn it on and off at will. As for myself, I had learnt what a club-crawl with a star was like. Priyanka’s single, In my city is available on CDs in music stores and for download on iTunes and Nokia.
talk|8 nov 2012|talkmag.in
Rewind
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Forward
The week that was
The week ahead
Hurricane Sandy: Dubbed a superstorm, Sandy lashed the US northeast coast, killing more than 40 people and leaving many cities with extended power outages. The New York and New Jersey areas were the worst hit.
Distress sale: London’s Metropolitan Police Service, the territorial police force responsible for policing the city, is considering selling off Scotland Yard, its historic headquarters in Victoria Street to raise funds, and could soon erase it from the city’s tourist map.
Publishing merger: Leading international publishing houses Penguin and Random House have merged to form Penguin Random House, which now controls nearly 25 per cent of the world’s publishing market. Mission complete: The Dragon spacecraft, operated by SpaceX, became the first commercial rocket to fly to the International Space Station with cargo and return to earth successfully. Visa for Modi?: Robert Blake, US assistant secretary of state has said that Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi is free to apply for a visa. The US had earlier denied a visa to Modi citing the 2002 Gujarat riots. Cyclone in east coast: Nearly 1,50,000 people were evacuated in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in preparation for cyclone Nilam, which left two people dead. Gadkari probe: The Income Tax department launched a probe into BJP president Nitin Gadkari’s Purti group of companies following allegations of impropriety. Kingfisher compromise: Crisis-ridden Kingfisher Airlines has agreed to pay four months’ outstanding salary to striking employees. Formula 1: Sebastian Vettel won in New Delhi. Bird flu: Thousands of birds were culled after bird flu struck in Hesaraghatta near Bangalore. Water relief: Cauvery 4th stage connections to 14,000 homes in Bangalore. Garbage crisis: BBMP council approved 80 proposals for waste disposal.
An ‘audio film’ for techies A bunch of techies have come out with Reboot, a Kannada ‘audio film,’ which they say blends the audio album with a narrative story line. Conceived by Sameer Kulkarni, sung by Sunil Koshy, and featuring leading musical talents, Reboot tells the tale of software engineer SuKo, whose life needs, well, a reboot. The story, which follows SuKo through his engineering college days, his career at an MNC, and his first love and heartbreak, is told through a set of catchy songs interspersed with radio-style dialogue. Koshy, a techie who has worked with many big companies, is also a classically trained musician. Kulkarni, music director and sound designer, is known for
his Urban Lads Explosion series of albums. The lyrics are by well-known poet Jayant Kaikini and others. The ‘audio film’ also features such wellknown names as Ustad Faiyaz Khan on saarangi and vocals, Keith Peters on bass guitar, and Prasanna SJ on harmonica. Reboot took shape when Koshy quit his job two years ago to make music. A bunch of his music-loving techie friends pitched in (they say they have so far spent Rs 10 lakh). The album is being released under the banner of Vibhinna Creations, their music label, and is their first production. For more, log onto www.suko.in
Need a publisher for your novel? Literary agency Tibor Jones has announced its 2013 South Asia prize for the best unpublished novel by a South Asian writer unrepresented by a literary agent. The winner of the prize, given in association with the Charles Pick Fellowship and the University of East Anglia (UEA), will receive Rs 1 lakh and literary representation by Tibor Jones & Associates, one of the UK’s leading literary agencies. The shortlist will be announced on December 15, 2012, and the prize presented during the Kolkata Literary Festival (9- 13 January 2013). Entry is open to any South Asian writer with a completed manuscript. The jury is headed by Urvashi Butalia, author and publisher of the Delhi-based Zubaan Books. The inaugural prize, announced earlier this year, was shared by Srikumar Sen and
Last year’s Tibor Jones prize winners Rohit Manchanda and Srikumar Sen
Rohit Manchanda. Sen’s debut novel, The Skinning Tree, will be published by Picador India as one of their lead literary fiction titles in December 2012. Entries can be submitted until November 12, 2012. For more, log on to facebook.com/TJSAprize
Calling women IT entrepreneurs Bangalore-based Anita Borg Institute has announced the second edition of Women Entrepreneur Quest (WEQ). This is a unique contest that aims to bridge women entrepreneurs with venture capitalists, angel investors, and mentors. Women who are in the founding or leadership teams of independent entities can participate in WEQ. The winner gets Rs 5 lakh. Six finalists will be shortlisted by a committee of eminent VCs, angel investors and serial entrepreneurs, who will then
choose a winner. The finalists get mentored by well known business coach Manish Singhal of Saarthi Consulting. Manish will help the finalists shape their business plans and pitch presentations for the Grand Finale on 14 December 2012, in Bangalore. Last year’s Grace Hopper conference had over 1,000 women participants from all over India. Sangeeta Banerjee from Apartment Adda took the top honours. Registration is open till 20 November. To register, visit: http://tinyurl.com/weq2012
Spam menace: The ‘malicious spam’ that has hit the audio-video communicator Skype, is expected to disrupt communication for a few days. Windows phone: The Windows Phone 8, the OS Microsoft hopes will create a viable and successful thirdalternative to Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, will be officially launched in India. Oil not well: ONGC expected to plug a leak—so far, attempts have failed— in one of its wells off the Andhra coast, which has been described by the media as a ‘ticking envrionmental timebomb.’ Rainy week: According to the Met department, a trough of low pressure over eastern parts of the Bay of Bengal has developed into a ‘well-marked depression’ signalling a wet week ahead. Ranji trophy: The country’s premier domestic first-class tournament will witness star cricketers, including team India players, battling it out at various grounds across the country. Yeddy’s party: Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa is expected to formally announce his exit from the BJP as well as the formation of his new party. It has been reported that his new party will be called Karnataka Janatha Party (KJP). Cauvery dispute: Following a directive from the Supreme Court, the Cauvery Monitoring Committee (CMC) is expected to take stock of the dispute on sharing of river waters between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
back stage
talk|8 nov 2012|talkmag.in
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Birthday party with Shakespeare As Ranga Shankara completes eight years, Talk speaks to actor/director Atul Kumar, who has been associated with it since its inception, and was back to open its theatre festival with his adaptation of Twelfth Night PRACHI SIBAL prachi.sibal@talkmag.in
hen Ranga Shankara was conceived, that is, much before its physical structure came up in JP Nagar, theatre lovers in Bangalore knew this venture was going to change the face of theatre in the city. Eight years later, it has delivered on that promise, thanks to the tireless efforts of Arundhati Nag and a host of well wishers, many of whom were present at the theatre’s anniversary celebrations on October 27. It was only appropriate then, that Arundhati decided to come on stage on its eigth birthday to reflect on the journey of Ranga Shankara and thank the many patrons who stood by her, and also to declare Ranga Shankara’s ninth theatre festival open. An opening performance directed by Chennai-theatre group Evam was chaotic, but set the mood
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DESI DRAMA Amitosh Nagpal, who translated Twelfth Night (Piya Behroopiya), also acts in it. Seen here with Mansi Multani.
for the start of a festival. Sweets were offered to everybody in the audience on their way out, with a reminder, ‘It is Ranga Shankara’s birthday’. There was one name in Nag’s speech which stood out and was evidently linked to the journey. It was that of actor and director Atul Kumar of Mumbai’s The Company Theatre, who in Nag’s own words, “gave Ranga Shankara the most precious gift, of his time, six months during the final phase of its construction.” Atul, who also curated the gala festival that marked the opening of the theatre, returned this year to open the Shakespeare Festival with his acclaimed version of Twelfth Night, Piya Behroopiya. Kumar, who has worked on several works and adaptations of the bard, including King Lear, Hamlet The Clown Prince and now Piya Behroopiya, was commissioned to direct a translated version of Twelfth Night for the prestigious Globe to Globe Festival, held in London annually. The play premiered successfully with a full house and roaring applause at the end. Atul was called on stage and accompanied the cast for repeated curtain calls until the applause died down. “I was scared when I was called on-stage as I expected I would have to introduce my actors and I have memory issues. But, jokes apart, it was a very endearing and emotional moment. The
applause was overwhelming,” he says. Excerpts from Talk’s telephonic interview with Atul, who spoke from Kamshet near Pune, Atul Kumar where he now lives and runs an artists’ residency theatre.
form here even though she has performed at Ranga Shankara before. Sometimes I feel like I am indulging in child labour: she is only six. How has Ranga Shankara changed over the years? Is it the sort of change you imagined for the space? It has changed and it needs to change even further. I have certain problems with the space and its administration, and I hope the loopholes are plugged soon. It is a dynamic space. I had imagined it to be nothing more, as I have always seen it as performance space. The people running it have matured, I can see, and Arundhati is already talking about a succession policy which is a good thing.
How did you first meet Arundhati Nag? We met as friends first. She contacted me to help her for the soft finishing of the space. I spent six months and supervised things like stage and lighting construction. She asked me if I would stay back and curate the open- How according to you has Ranga Shankara helped theatre in the city? ing festival and I did that. It does theatre every single day of the Was opening their ninth festival part of year, which is a fabulous thing. It is great for the local community as it is a plan? What did it feel like, returning an intimate space and gives lots of to a festival you had once curated? Festival director Gayathri Krishna scope for experimentation. It has put and I spoke on the phone and that is Bangalore theatre on the global map. how the idea of bringing plays fea- It is as good as Prithvi as it is a theatre tured at the Globe Festival came made by theatre people and hence about. It was a very emotional experi- has got a lot of things right. Above all, ence to be performing as part of the it is affordable for both performers and the audience. festival. Your daughter Noor performed at the fest on a stage that you had helped build. How did that feel? It was very beautiful to see her per-
What is it about Ranga Shankara that doesn’t work for you? What would you like to see changed immediately? The audience angle of the space is
back stage
talk|8 nov 2012|talkmag.in
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VARIED THEMES Scenes from Black Coffee, Dancing On Glass and Khel, among the plays performed during Ranga Shankara’s first theatre festival in 2004
something that doesn’t really work. Besides, it’s yet to become a cultural hub the way Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai has, where you see everybody from artists to musicians hanging out. The place needs to ease out on rules immediately. The ‘don’t sit here’ and ‘what are you doing there?’ type of rules. In the café at Prithvi theatre there are about 25 couples who sit around every day, though only half of them go for the plays. But the Prithvi management doesn’t find it necessary to say anything to them.
What changes would you like to see at Ranga Shankara in the long term? There is something about the vibe of the festival. The festival feeling was missing. I wish it was possible for artistes to stay over during festivals. I understand it becomes difficult and expensive but I would like to know what happens with the energy we left behind. Another thing I feel the space must have is a cultural policy, spanning five to 10 years, devised by patrons and officials. How do you describe the style of
Piya Behroopiya? It has been referred to as Shakespeare in nautanki style. What is your take? It is not really nautanki style. In fact, I don’t quite know what nautanki style really is. It is a big khichdi of all kinds of experiences. Yes, it has song and dance but I can hardly put labels on it. What were your rules for adapting Shakespeare work? I have no rules. I hate making rules. I have done King Lear, Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet in the past. This has been no different and I have no specific way of
your residency theatre in Kamshet? We lived together for a month, so I was a taskmaster with a whip. Going by the levels of But it helped, because the actors improvisations in the production, were available at all times and we did every show turn out to be could work whenever we wanted different on stage? I keep my actors free to improvise. and had no jobs to go to. The It was a lot of work. We had about month spent there easily equated 80 songs which we had to cut three months of work in the city. down to 15-18. That was the real work, the acts took only 15 days. Are ‘residency programs’ viable for Amitosh Nagpal’s translation was actors? brilliant. There was very little Atul The Company Theatre is perhaps one of the best paying theatre in the play. companies around, but even that is hardly enough for an actor to What was the advantage of producing Piya Behroopiya out of live on. seeing a Shakespeare play.
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retail therapy Designer Diwali: Latha Puttanna, will be showcasing her latest collection which includes woven silk sarees. You can choose apparel such as blouses, ghagras, lehengas, churidars and salwar kameez, in deep rich jewel tones perfect for Diwali. Raintree, # 4, Sankey Road High Grounds, Opposite Windsor Sheraton, November 2 and 3 26567349 Glitter away: This festive season choose from a wide range of jewellery like bangles, necklaces, pendants, rings and Odiyanams. You can also select from brands such as Anokhi, Antara, Hira, Sakshi, Amore, White Mistry and Sinor. Kalyan Jewellers, #17, Dickenson Road, Near Anand Sweets, Shivaji Nagar, till
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food November 5 25550533 Sweet somethings: Present your friends and relatives chocolates blended in with Indian spices like gulkand (rose), saunf (anise), sweet lemon pickle, kewra (screwpine), candied ginger, coconut and curry leaf. You can also pick chocolates filled with nougat, mocha, butterscotch, passion fruit, blue berry and cherry. Caperberry Restaurant and Tapas Lounge, 48/1, Ground Floor, The Estate, No 121, Dickenson Road, till mid November 9008028294 Annual crafts bazaar: Inspired by the textiles and jewellery from the heart of rural India, at this craft bazaar you can choose from clothes, jewellery, art and more. For every product purchased at this bazaar, you will be making a contribution to HIV+ mothers in the country. Soulbath Peace Foundation Saheal Centre, 126, 2nd floor, 1st Main Road, Domlur 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, November 3 and 4 9591000090
halloween
and biscuits. Continental breakfast for owners is priced at Rs 250, while the doggie platter costs Rs 100. Under the Mango Tree, # 3, Laurel Lane,Richmond Town, November 4, 9 am to 11 am 9686601021
From the sea to the city: Enjoy a spread of seafood at the Great Grill Loot this weekend. Choose from dishes like baby shark steak, red snapper with green curry sauce, lemon grass rubbed wasabi prawn and more. Available at all Barbeque Nation outlets, till November 4 Feast like a Nawab: Sink your teeth in dishes like nalli ki nihari (lamb shanks), paya ki nihari (roasted lamb trotters) cooked in nihari masala, shahi nihari (prime cuts of
lamb), lamb dumplings and more. Dum Pukht Jolly Nabobs, Golf Course Road, till November 4 22269898 Weekend breakfast in style: Jumpstart your weekend with muffins, croissants, cereal, sausages, creamy scrambled eggs and other brunch specials. You can also have some baked goodies with your friends and family. Breadworks at Kormangala and Kalyan Nagar, November 3 and 4, 8088920701
music PommelHorse
Halloween special: You can enjoy a 5-course pumpkin menu this Halloween weekend. While the vegetarians can enjoy pumpkin mascarpone bruschetta and fresh salad with pumpkin, prunes and lettuce, pumpkin soup, pumpkin and ricotta capellacci, the non-vegetarians can relish devilled roast chicken and end your meal with pumpkin pie. Chianti, 12, 5th A Block, Kormangala, till November 4 30412940 Halloween grips the city: Be a part of the Halloween celebrations as you wear your spookiest outfit and head along with your friends for an evening filled with fun and food. Enjoy the Halloween week special cuisine and cocktails such as Dracula's Kiss, Bloodshed, Green Ghoul, Ghost Tequila and more. Cover charge at Rs 500. Plan B, #13, Rhenius Street, Richmond Town, November 3, 8 pm onwards 9986371023
Platter for your pets: All pet lovers can treat their pets to a nice platter as they enjoy a lazy Sunday breakfast. The doggie platter consists of chicken dim sums, ragi balls, mince meat balls
Flavours of Karnataka: Savour the traditional flavours of Karnataka at The Karnataka Food Festival this weekend. Relish typical specialities from the region and feast on some dishes like dosas, vadas and other non- vegetarians offerings. St Marks Hotel, 4/1, St. Marks Road, till November 4 9901911818
Saxophone magic: Watch saxophonist George Brooks perform with Asima, a male choir and percussion ensemble and Samatma. George Brooks’ music is a mix of jazz and Indian classical music. Asima draws inspiration from chants of vedic scriptures, Hindustani and Carnatic music. Counter Culture, 2D2, 4th Cross Dyavasandra Industrial Area, Whitefield, Novenber 3, 7.30 pm 41400793
Tribute to Rajesh Khanna: Singer Srinivas along with musician Naresh Iyer, Madhushree and Saptaparna will pay tribute to Rajesh Khanna by crooning songs like Roop tera mastaana and O mere dil ke chain and more. This multi lingual concert is sure to bring back old memories. Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Gayathri Devi Park Extension, 16th Cross, Malleswaram, November 3, 7.30 pm 23443956
Make way for the young: Runner up of Voice of India, Chote Ustaad, Anwesha will be in city to perform along with Nachiketa, lead singer of Band Parosh Pathor and Shahar, Anindya and Aurko this weekend. Watch her perform some Bollywood hits. Tickets priced at Rs 200. Phoenix Market City, 40/41, K R Puram, Mahadevpura, November 3 and 4, 8 pm 9986984878
Get your dose of jazz and rock: Get a taste of some Switzerland tines as PommelHorse performs in city this week. Their music is a mix of rock and jazz. Watch this fivemember band play some of the tunes like The Grotto, Porcelain and more. bFlat, 100 Feet Road, Above ING Bank, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, November 3, 8.30 pm 41739250
Classical retreat: If rock, jazz and reggae aren’t your idea of a musical retreat and classical music is your calling head to this show called ‘wind songs’. Classical musicians Bombay Jayashri and Ronu Majumdar will perform live together for an unforgettable experience. Chowdiah Memorial Hall, 16th Cross, Malleswaram, Vyalikaval23445810 Bombay Jayashri
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theatre Valley Song Much Ado... After a series of performance across languages at Ranga Shankara’s Shakespeare Theatre festival, Bangalore’s own theatre community will pay the bard a tribute too. Managed by Dramanon Theatre Company, the production of Much Ado... will bring together actors from various groups and genres on-stage to create an evening of fun. Ranga Shankara, 4th Phase, JP Nagar, November 2, 7.30 pm 26493982
Temperatures shall soar: Watch She doesn’t mind singer Sean Paul making his first appearance in the country as he performs live. The Grammy award winner is here to set you crooning to some of his popular hits like Temperature, Gimme the light and more. This Jamaican Reggae artist has teamed up with other artists like Ludacris, T Pain, Alexis Jordan among many others. Also, look out for Summer Paradise, the latest sensation the star has produced in collaboration with popular band Simple Plan. Manpho Convention Ground, next to Manyata Tech Park, Hebbal, November 4, 4.30 pm
Rogorts Genebot: This Georgian play which was featured at the Globe Theatre festival in London is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Presented by Marjanishvili Theatre, a popular Georgian group, the play follows the pattern of a play within a play offering interesting insight into the script. The performance is known to be an energetic version of bard’s original work. Ranga Shankara, 4th
music from the region and more. Ranga Shankara, 4th Phase, JP Nagar, November 8 and 9, 7.30 pm 26493982
Phase, JP Nagar, November 3, 7.30 pm and November 4, 11 am and 7.30 pm 26493982 Cymbeline: Cymbeline, which was also a part of the Globe Theatre festival in London is the South Sudan Theatre Company’s first entry in the Shakespeare festival. While the script takes off
from the bard’s original writing, the play is high on native influences including some live African music. Known to have brought tears to the audience at the London festival with its cry of peace, this one is to watch out for. Ranga Shankara, 4th Phase, JP Nagar, November 6 and 7, 7.30 pm 26493982
The Tempest: Directed by Nasir Uddin Yusuff, this play comes from the neighbouring country of Bangladesh. Presented by Dhaka Theater Production, the play not only takes you through one of Shakespeare’s most interesting works but also gives you a peek into post colonial traditions of the particular era, Bengali
Valley Song: Directed by Arundhati Raja, this classic by Athol Fugard is set in postapartheid South Africa. Featuring original music by Sankarshan Kini, the play tells the beautiful story of a grandfather’s love for her grandchild and his desire to make her live with him. The grandchild on the other hand wants to leave the valley to sing songs of a different kind in the city. The playwright Fugard breaks away from his writings with a political background into a simple and sensitive story. Jagdish Raja and Rebecca Spurgeon play the two characters with a minimal background and stage setup. Jagriti Theatre, Varthur Road, Ramagondanahalli, Whitefield, till November 2 and 3, 8 pm and November 4, 3 pm and 6.30 pm 41242879
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film 1920 Evil Returns Hindi: The movie revolves around a poet called Jaidev Verma who is a loner by nature and lives with his sister Karuna. He finds a girl called Smruti near the lake under mysterious circumstances. He brings her home and takes care of her against his sister’s wishes. On the way, while staying in a guest house, Smruti gets possessed and becomes uncontrollable. Directed by Bhushan Patel the movie stars Aftab Shivdasani, Tia Bajpai and Vidya Malvade. Rockline Cinemas, Jalhalli Cross4.20 pm, 9.30 Skyfall English: This movie tests Bond’s loyal-
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Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana ty to M. As MI6 comes under attack, Bond must track down and destroy the threat, no matter what the personal cost. The movie has garnered a lot of attention prior to its release and so has Adele who has sung the Skyfall track. Directed by Sam Mendes, the movie stars Daniel Craig, Helen McCrory and Javier Bardem. Q Cinemas, ITPL, Whitefield- 10 am, 10.45, 12.45 pm, 1.30, 3.30, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10 Innovative Multiplex, Marathalli- 11.30 am, 2 pm, 4.30, 7.15, 10 INOX, J P Nagar- 10 am, 12.50 pm, 3.40. 6.30, 9.40 INOX, Magrath Road10 am, 12.50 pm, 3.40, 6.30, 9.40 INOX, Malleshwaram, Mantri Mall- 10 am, 12.50 pm, 3.40, 6.30,9.20 Manasa cinema, Konanakunte- 11 am, 1.45 pm, 4.30, 7, 9.30 Rockline Cinemas, Jalahalli Cross- 11 am, 1.30, 4.15, 6.45, 9.15 Tribhuvan the-
atre, Gandhinagar- 10.30 am, 1.30 pm, 4.30, 7.30, 9.30 Vision cinemas- 10 am, 1 pm, 4, 7, 9.45 Anjan Theatre, Magadi Road10.30 am, 1.30 pm, 4.30, 7.30 Eshwari Cinemas, Banashankari11.15 am, 2.30 pm, 6.15, 9.30 Everest theatre, Frazer town11.30 am, 2.30 pm, 6.30, 9.30 Rex theatre- 11.30 am, 4.35 pm, 7.15, 9.55 Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana Hindi: Directed by debutant Sameer Sharma and produced by Ronnie Screwala this one is a comedy. Omi Khurana is on the run from a gangster and returns to his village from London. His grandfather known for his trademark Chicken Khurana, famous in Punjab, has become senile and forgotten the recipe. Will Omi
make it out of the mess and save the family by retrieving the secret recipe? The film stars Kunal Kapoor, Huma Qureshi and Rajesh Sharma. Fun Cinemas, Cunningham Road- 10.10 am, 6.05 pm Rex Theatre- 2.05 pm Innovative Multiplex, Marathahalli- 2.30 pm, 10 pm Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Kannada: This is a historical film directed by Naganna and produced by Anand Appugol. Darshan Thoogudeep, Jayaprada and Nikita Thukral play lead roles.The film is about Sangolli Rayanna, the prominent rebel fighter from Karnataka who fought the British till his death. Innovative Multiplex, Marathahalli-
Skyfall
10.05 am, 1.15 pm, 6.45 Narthaki-10.30 am,1.30, 4.30, 7.30 pm Navarang- 10.30 am, 1.30, 4.30, 7.30 pm Nalanda10.30 am, 1.30, 4.30, 7.30 pm Siddeshwara- 10.30 am, 1.30, 4.30, 7.30 pm Venkateshwara10.30am,1.30, 4.30, 7.30 pm Prasanna - 10.30 am, 1.30, 4.30, 7.30 pm, Rockline Cinemas, Jalahalli- 3.15 pm Dakota Express Kannada: This is a comedy, a remake of the 2001 Malayalam film Ee Parakkum Thalika. It was produced by Rockline Venkatesh and directed by M S Rajashekhar. Rockline Venkatesh, Om Prakash Rao, Amrutha play lead roles.
Krishan owns an old bus and he is facing lot of consequences due to the pathetic condition of the bus. He sells many valuable things to maintain this bus. His friend Sundar is his only companion. Fun Cinemas, Cunningham Road - 10 am, 12.30 pm Innovative Multiplex, Marathahalli- 5 pm Triveni-10.30 am,1.30, 4.30, 7.30 pm Prasanna-10.30 am,1.30, 4.30, 7.30 pm, Nandini-10.30 am,1.30, 4.30, 7.30 pm, Uma-10.30 am,1.30, 4.30, 7.30 pm, Veeresh-10.30 am,1.30, 4.30, 7.30 pm, Kamakya-10.3 0am,1.30, 4.30, 7.30 pm, Rockline Cinemas, Jalahalli10.45 am, 2.15 pm, 6.30, 8.45
martial arts
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DEMONSTRATED BY PRIYA CRASTA AND VINAY KUMAR. PHOTOS BY RAMESH HUNSUR. TRANSCRIBED BY RADHIKA P
Dark side of the corporate dream Way of Budo 6 Sensei Avinash Subramanyam on the physical and ethical pitfalls of a high-stress life in the fast lane
mong the corporate professionals I train, I come across a wide range of ailments: Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), arthritis, acidity, diabetes, hypertension, insomnia, and blurry vision, just to name a few. What strikes me is that these professionals are young, usually between 25 and 35 years. I wonder what corporate dream they are living out. Of course, these ailments are not limited to corporate professionals; they relect a lifestyle shared by a wide range of working people today. The corporate dream is the culmination of a whole sequence of dreams built from childhood. We hear ‘success stories’ on TV and from friends, peers and parents, and we then build our own dreams. We desire high-profile jobs and fat salaries to pay for penthouse apartments, posh cars, and Italian kitchens. These desires generate stress and manifest themselves at different stages of life. Today even children suffer from eye problems, backache and heart ailments. If you are somewhat strong, the stress manifests
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by the time you are 30. Daily problems assail professionals: conflicts at home, irritation while driving, and headaches caused by the heat, dust and traffic. Angry and frustrated, they compound their problems with erratic eating, late working hours, and drinking binges. Do they realise the damage these cause to the body and mind? Is this the dream they set out with? How then to deal with these problems? Don’t forget your dream. But ensure that the dream includes health and happiness. Walk the dream with care for your body and soul. Body care leads to good health and soul care leads to inner peace. Body care: Make health an integral part of your daily routine. It would be fantastic if companies integrated employee health into their corporate mission. Not only will the employee benefit, but it will also reap rich rewards for the company. Overall performance improves, and employees feel a sense of gratitude and belonging. The concept
of kaizen (continuous improvement) that Japanese industries adopted after World War II moved away from ‘command and control’ and emphasised the human aspects of the production process. Managements in Indian companies can adopt the true essence of kaizen by providing a mandatory eight-minute break once in the morning and again in the evening for a health routine. A minor change can deliver big results. Soul care: The corporate honcho should treat every colleague like a family member. A sigh of disbelief! True, this is not the way of the present world but it could be. If the system is not going to change, make changes at the individual level. Recognise that life is not a rat race. Is there true joy in winning by trampling over the dreams of thousands of others? The highs don’t last long. In the long run, can such success pay any dividends? Know that you could soon be among the thousands you trampled. Soul care involves being generous and
giving. Successful people are often rattled at the first sign of ill health. They confess they are not really happy. So why aren’t they able to come out of the rat race? Because they believe their pay cheque tells them their value. But isn’t this a fallacy? Are ability and personal worth measured by money? Not that competition is bad, but keep it healthy and respectful. One of the greatest teachings of Kendo or the Way of the Sword is Ai Uchi: To cut the opponent just as he cuts you, but to cut without fear or anger. It means to treat your competitor like an honoured guest. It is all very well to describe competition cynically: na tameez se khela jaata hai... na tameez se dekha jaata hai!’ (It is neither played with respect nor seen with respect). But wouldn’t you like your near and dear ones to be treated with respect? Isn’t it true that when you lose money or health, no one turns to look at you? So take care of yourself. Next week: Body and soul care tips
SELF-DEFENCE FOR WOMEN What to do when someone attempts to snatch your chain
Muggers approach you from behind
Land the bag squarely on the mugger’s face
One of them stretches out to grab your chain
Lift your bag quickly (Good to carry one)
Reeling from the unexpcted blow, he lets go of the chain
Swing it with full force
Regain your balance. Move away from the scene
memoirs
End of an ordeal Some careful legal and political manoeuvering and a groundswell of support lead to Prof Babaiah’s release
Last week: Academic and civil rights activist Babaiah, who teaches English at Bangalore University, is illegally detained and tortured by the Bangalore police. The Andhra Pradesh police are also after him, accusing him of being an accomplice in the murder of two policemen. His activist-friends fear he might be killed in a fake encounter. They contact the author, who approaches the courts and secures his release. But more challenges lie ahead. abaiah’s case came to be discussed avidly in Bangalore. Left organisations came to his support. Women’s groups such as Vimochana and Manini, besides the Bangalore Labourers’ Union, became active in his support. Nandana Reddy, Kurian Kumar D’Souza, and Donna Fernades took up the case as if it were their own. I got to know Nandana Reddy closely because of this case. Daughter of Snehalata Reddy, who was famous for her struggle against Indira Gandhi’s emergency, she displayed a fighting spirit that made me think she was a true daughter of a brave mother. Disappointed that the court had remanded Babaiah to judicial custody, the Special Task Force, with help from the Karnataka police, started harassing Babaiah’s friends.
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VIVEK ARUN
Nandana Reddy gave it back to them, telling them: “We won’t allow you to take Babaiah beyond Bangalore. Even if you get custody of him, my jeep will follow your van. Don’t ever dream of eliminating Babaiah in an encounter.” A policeman muttered that if the lawyer fighting Babaiah’s case had been in Andhra Pradesh, his colleagues would have branded him a Naxal and killed him. I was annoyed at their autocratic attitude and decided to teach them a lesson the democratic way. Babaiah’s supporters were banking on me. We had been successful in getting judicial custody for Babaiah. But what next? Chandramouli (Chalam) of The Indian Express wrote Babaiah’s story in detail. Ramamurthy of Deccan Herald showed much interest in the case. Lankesh Patrike headlined its report, ‘Babaiah today, who tomorrow?’, and got Karnataka’s intellectuals on Babaiah’s side. Its editor Lankesh visited jail to meet Babaiah and that made big news, too. But I had other worries. Public sympathy does not help in a court. I was thinking hard about how to save Babaiah from falling into the hands of the Andhra Pradesh police. I became increasingly nervous about what the public expected of me. I conferred with Babaiah’s friends and explained the situation. The Andhra Pradesh police had filed a case against him in that state, and were expecting a warrant. If that had happened, we would be helpless. We had to get
anticipatory bail before they got a warrant. Babaiah was to be produced in court the very next day and we had no time to file the anticipatory bail petition. The only option was to influence the Central Jail authorities and postpone Babaiah’s appearance at least by a day. Nandana Reddy said we could do that with the chief minister’s help. Ramakrishna Hegde was the chief minister then. He had been jailed during the Emergency. He knew how Snehalata Reddy had suffered in jail. He was sick and in St John’s Hospital. We got an appointment. I explained the case to him and requested two weeks’ time. He called B K Chandrashekar, a member of his think tank and his right-hand man, and told us our job would be done. I was apprehensive. What if the police ignored the CM’s intervention and prevailed on the jail authorities to produce Babaiah before the court? I went to court to argue a murder case, for which I was getting paid. I was fighting Babaiah’s case for free, but it occupied my mind more than any other case. It was a matter of prestige for me to fight this case. At the court, I came upon an Andhra Pradesh police officer. He smiled, suggesting they would take away Babaiah at any cost. I felt weak. Nandana Reddy, waiting for me, came running. I asked her anxiously, “Are you sure they aren’t producing Babaiah before the court?” “I am. We had called up the CM
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Fabled ranconteur and Bangalore’s top-notch criminal lawyer brings you moving, sensational and bizarre stories from 40 years of his practice
C H HANUMANTHARAYA
again for a confirmation,” she said. Many had come to see the trial and were lending moral support to Babaiah. A reporter told me the Andhra Pradesh police had hidden a video camera in their van to keep an eye on people who came to meet me. Nandana Reddy exploded and shouted at the police, “Why just video footage? You can even record my conversations.” I admired her courage. There was disappointment in store for the police. The central prison superintendant submitted, “Since the accused is seriously ill, he has been admitted to the prison hospital. He needs treatment at least for a week.” Nandana Reddy showed me a victory symbol in the court hall. She was happy Hegde had helped protect human rights. The next day, Deccan Herald, Prajavani, The Indian Express and Samyukta Karnataka carried articles explaining twists and turns of the case. The Week and Illustrated Weekly analysed the case. Letters poured in at the newspaper offices. A girl-student conducted a signature campaign in Bangalore University to urge the release of Babaiah. Muslims from Shivajinagar offered help. Time was running out. We needed to get anticipatory bail from the high court within a week. We also had to get the TADA case quashed, or we wouldn’t be able to
memoirs get bail. TADA was in force in Punjab to curb terrorists, but it had not been used in other states. The Left had been agitating against the draconian law, and Babaiah’s case was seen as an instance of its misuse. The case was being discussed among intellectuals in Delhi and other states. Dr Chidanandamurthy, the wellknown Kannada activist, and Dr G Ramakrishna, the Leftist intellectual, raised their voice in support of Babaiah. Chidanandamurthy’s visit to jail made big news. Writer Baragur Ramachandrappa condemned the police atrocities on Babaiah. Indudhara Honnapura, editor of Suddi Sangathi, wrote a scathing editorial. Babaiah’s friends decided to organise a symposium on the case. Retired chief justice of India V R Krishna Iyer was the main speaker. Nandana Reddy questioned the indifference of Prof writer U R Ananthamurthy and Khadri Shamanna, known for their concern for individual freedom. She took the Karnataka Civil Liberties Committee to task for its cold response. She was annoyed about the Committee’s plans to expel Babaiah from its membership. Many said she was doing this for political gain, but she didn’t care. Civil rights activists led by Nandana Reddy tried to lay siege to the police commissioner’s office. She argued with
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When the anticipatory bail petition Commissioner P G Harlnakar and asked him how he could have allowed his men to came up for hearing, a policeman from torture Babaiah. Although he defended the Andhra Pradesh spoke nastily to me inside police then, he admitted in an interview on the court hall. “The Andhra police are November 19, 1986, seven months after the notorious as killers. They are not trustworthy. Babaiah must not be given to their cusincident, that the police had erred. I was one of the speakers at the sym- tody,” I argued. The policeman shot back, posium. We highlighted how the authori- “The court must not allow such blatant ties were misusing TADA. The media allegations.” The judge chided him for his reported it extensively, and carried inter- intervention, and granted bail to Babaiah. Babaiah’s friends cheered as I came views of Krishna Iyer. Meanwhile, I had out, while the Andhra petitioned the high court, Pradesh police were questioning the Bangalore Nandana Reddy seething with anger. city police investigating However, the conditions cases under TADA. The showed me a for bail were not in Karnataka government had victory symbol Babaiah’s favour. He had not notified TADA, or speciin the court hall to appear before the fied which part of the state it Andhra Pradesh police, was being enforced in. No special court had been set up, and special and it was likely they would arrest him. We prosecutors appointed. I had filed these would then have to produce the bail order. arguments before the High Court. Based Secondly, Babaiah had to appear before the on this, I applied for bail in the sessions Andhra Pradesh police whenever they called him. In reality, the police had won. court and got it easily. Krishna Iyer had been staying at Hotel Once we provided surety, Babaiah would have been out of jail, but I didn’t Ashoka, and asked me to take the case files want that. I wanted him to be in jail till we to his room. After studying the papers, he got anticipatory bail in the Andhra Pradesh sought some documents. Promising help, case. Public opinion was against TADA and he left for the airport. He then assigned a Justice R G Desai had expressed displeasure lawyer to file a petition in the Supreme over the irresponsible way in which police Court, seeking modification of the bail conditions. The court ordered the modifiwere handling TADA cases.
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cations, and Babaiah was no longer required to go to Andhra Pradesh. In fact, the Andhra Pradesh police had to come to Karnataka whenever they wanted to question him, and the questioning had to take place in the presence of the Bangalore police commissioner. We didn’t even know who the lawyer was: he had done all this without charging us any fee. Krishna Iyer’s genuine concern for human rights had resulted in this gesture. We called him up and thanked him. Babaiah was released on July 23, 1986, after spending exactly 90 days in jail. The first thing he wanted to do was buy a dress for a little girl. During his imprisonment, he had become friends with a murder convict called Ganesh, who had requested him to buy clothes for his daughter. A case filed by the Karnataka police under the Arms Act was pending. It was quashed after a legal battle over six or seven years. Meanwhile, Babaiah got an opportunity to study abroad. When the police tried to obstruct him, Nandana Reddy again came to his help. The professional satisfaction I drew from Babaiah’s case was enhanced by my happiness of learning many things about the legal profession. Professor Babaiah’s story concluded Translated by B V Shivashankar
T I M E P A SS
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30 Prof Good Sense
I’m a 35-old-man, married for six years. I have a threeyear-old daughter. Recently, I had taken my family out on a holiday, when I happened to see my first girlfriend. Since that day, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her. At the same time, I love my wife and daughter and cannot think of abandoning them under any circumstance. Yet I continue to think about my first love. I feel guilty. What do I do ? Ashok, Electronics City
Your first love will remain special. People don’t forget their first love easily. Nostalgia doesn’t spare anyone. Why are you worried that you think about your former girlfriend? Thinking fondly about someone is not a crime! I don’t understand your concern and guilt. You have bumped into your former heartthrob after a long time. Happy memories are crowding your mind. This is only natural. You are a responsible person, keen on fulfilling your duties towards your family. So there’s no question you will abandon them to go after your former girlfriend. Relax. Memories of beautiful moments shouldn’t cause you anxiety. Prof M Sreedhara Murthy teaches psychology at NMKRV First Grade College. He is also a well-known photographer. Mail queries to prof@talkmag.in
1st Cross
Talk’s weekly crossword for Bangaloreans who know their way about town Family Welfare Department (1,1,6) 16 Popular restaurant and gig venue on Whitefield road (14) 17 Village near Bangalore which had a bird flu scare recently (12) 18 City which will host the 79th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana (7)
2 3 4 6
DOWN Bangalore based rockers ___ & a quarter (7) International rock group which will perform in Bangalore in December (4,1,5) Theatre in Frazer town (7) This coastal town in North Karnataka is
Last week’s solution Across: 4 Mathikere, 6 Contractors, 8 Ulsoor, 11 Mysore, 12 Hemashri, 14 Omkar Hills, 15 Ketamine, 17 Cycle, 18 Bulls.
1
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ACROSS Only people over 50 are now eligible for the Kannada ____ award (10) Students of this engineering college in Belgaum have claimed the police lathi charged them during a hunger strike (3) Krishna _____ : The city's largest
fruit and vegetable market (8) Karnataka city just south of Goa (6) 12 Two of Bangalore's "Moving Picture Company" studios have worked on the special effects of this James Bond movie (7) 13 State minister in charge of the Medical Education from Health & 9
Down: 1 Carnatic, 2 Synaps, 3 Smitha Lakshman, 5 Kudremukh, 6 Cauvery, 7 Lonely Planet, 9 CMH Road, 10 Umesh Kati, 13 Five, 16 IIMB.
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a popular tourist destination (7) ___ Falls: The Bedthi river drops 650 feet at these falls (5) ___ ______ to one : The ratio of BMTC buses to tow trucks (4,8) Restaurant at the Leela Place (7) Gary Mehigan of _____ was recently in the city and expressed his love for South Indian food in general and appams in particular (10) The Chief Minister recently gave his assurance that none of the 13,000 ____ schools in the state will shut down (7) Club that used to be on Church Street with live salsa and saxophone performances (6)
How I tried to be a foodie and landed in a soup I pride myself on being a foodie, someone who can tell his sushi from his sashimi. Naturally, I try not to miss any food event in the city, and the more exotic it gets, the better. So, when I heard about a Singapore food festival, I didn’t waste any time in getting there. Singaporean cuisine may not be the most acclaimed in the world, but it was certainly something new for me. At the lavish buffet, I saw what looked like a very tempting curry, and helped myself to a generous portion, which I poured all over my fried rice. That’s when I noticed the women behind me, who first stared, and then started to giggle. I realised why when I had my first mouthful. What I had on my plate was a traditional Singaporean soup, which was a long, long way from being a curry! Nikhil GK Journalist Share the humour in your life, multiply the fun! Keep those anecdotes coming to: features@talkmag.in
talk|8 nov 2012|talkmag.in
And this is what we call a comeback
World’s oldest flying fish
He had women swooning all around him just a few years ago, so when Kunal Kapoor vanished from screens, it came as a disappointment to many. The actor is now making a comeback with the comedy Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana. But his return to acting was trumped by another sort of comeback. When Anurag Kashyap, the film’s producer, tried giving him tips for an intimate scene, Kapoor retorted that Kashyap was the one who could do with a tip or two on intimacy. We wonder where that came from and if Kalki is listening. Talking about comebacks, it seems like a week for them. There were reports about Aftab Shivdasani returning to acting with the unfortunately titled 1920 Evil Returns.
It may not have been much of a looker, but the Potanichthys xingyiensi is a Very Important Fish, if there is such a thing. Important because it existed much earlier than flying fish were thought to exist. Most known ancient flying fish are dated to have existed 65 million years ago, but ‘Potani’ evolved the ability much earlier, that is, some 240 million years ago. The strangelooking, snub-nosed creature was already gliding some 80 million years
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before the emergence of birds, which are thought to be descendants of small feathery dinosaurs. Modern flying fish, which live in tropical and subtropical seas, are able to glide as much as 1,300 ft at speeds of up to 45 miles an hour. Just in case you're wondering why flying fish fly, when they ought to just chill out in the water, it's because it helps them escape from predators like dolphins, squid and larger fish.
Painful research Men have always claimed that they can bear more pain than women, but get silenced by the feminine trump card of child birth, considered to be the most painful experience human beings can endure. But according to researchers from Leeds Metropolitan University, men can tolerate more pain than women, except they are less likely to let on that they are suffering because they want to appear macho. Pain scientist (they exist) Dr Osama Tashani, who
recruited 200 British and Libyan volunteers for the study, monitored sensitivity, endurance and willingness to report pain, and found that men
had higher pain thresholds and reported less pain intensity
than women, irrespective of their nationality. Interestingly, the British volunteers could not endure as much pain as Libyan participants but were more willing to report it. Those who took part in the two-year study were put through two pain-inducing procedures. In one, they were jabbed in the hand with a 1cm-wide blunt tip, while in the other, they had to hold their hand above their head while a cuff was applied to restrict blood flow. As someone once said, ouch!