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Tuesday, March 18, 2014
VOL. 13 ISSUE 7 ss
Election special: A look at where the BJP stands PAGES 4 & 5
Health special: An Observer checkup on the city’s deteriorating health PAGE 6
Banned super strength drugs still on sale in city tient’s body. Consumption of the three listed drugs can affect organs of your body in a negative way.”
He added, “Tincture Iodine is an antiseptic used to clean wounds. Enteromycetin Syrup is basically an antibiotic consumed for throat infections. It is also used for skin or soft tissue infections. Lastly, Melosafe Power is an injection that works as a painkiller.”
Sanjeevini drug house in Kengeri Satellite Town sells the banned medicines prutha Bhosle Drugs banned by the DrugControl Department continue to make their way to medical stores in Bangalore. A survey revealed that as many as 10 out of 15 medical stores in Bangalore continue to sell banned drugs. In February this year, the Drug Control Department (DCD) an-
nounced a list of banned drugs and appealed to the public not to consume them. An official from the department, who does not want to be named, said: “There are three different drugs that we have listed as Not of Standard Quality. We came to the conclusion of banning these drugs after carrying sample tests and subjecting them to quality tests.” The list of drugs which were
banned by the DCD in February are, Tincture Iodine manufactured by M/s Sovereign Remedies Pvt. Ltd., Enteromycetin Syrup manufactured by M/s Dey’s medical stores (Manufacturing) Ltd., and Melosafe Power (Meloxicam injection) manufactured by M/s Safecon Life Sciences Works. Dr. Bharath (MBBS), Jaya Clinic, Kumbalgodu, said: “These medicines are banned due to their adverse effect on the pa-
The owner of Prashanth Medical Store in Rajajinagar, who declined to be named, said: “Tincture Iodine is used for wound dressing. We sell this drug for different rates depending on the amount. A bottle of 50ml is sold for Rs46, 100ml for Rs90 and 400 ml for Rs350.” Kumar, owner of Nataraja Medicals in Rajajinagar, said, “We sell all three drugs. On demand we can even order the drugs from one of our 60 distributers.” Shailaja, owner of Sri Mahadeshwara Medical Store, said: “We sell all three drugs as they are sold at an average rate to our buyers. I’m surprised to hear a ban on these drugs as I have never heard of any complaints
after its consumption before.” Rajesh, owner of Sanjeevini Drug House, said: “I can order the three drugs on demand from our distributors.”
When the medical store owners were asked if they were aware of the ban imposed on certain drugs, they said they were “unaware” of it. Dinesh, owner of Dinesh medical store, said, “I’ am unaware about any announcement made by the Drug Control Department. They should inform us in person or send a notice to keep us updated with the list. An announcement in newspapers is not enough. We are not to be blamed for selling these drugs.” On asking the owners if inspectors visit their stores to check on the quality of products sold, they said that they are never visited by any officials. Owner of Gururaja Medicals, Majestic said, “Not once has any inspection being conducted by any official in my store. I own this store for past 20 years now. I have never been surprised by
any i n -
such spections.”
While sale of banned drugs continues in the city’s medical stores, the drugs controller and the deputy drugs controller officers remain unavailable to comment on the issue.
Alleged assault victim tests negative for rape EXCLUSIVE MAyuri J. Ravi, sneha Mejari & shweta nair Amid speculation about the alleged attempted rape of a girl in a state transport bus, medical reports have ruled out the possibility that the girl was raped. According to doctors at the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences(KIMS), the girl said that she had jumped off the bus as she did not know where she was and was trying to avoid the advances made towards her by the driver.
It was reported that on Friday night, the girl was alone in a Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus and had to jump off as the driver allegedly tried to assault her. According to the FIR filed by her, she hails from Mumbai and lives near Devegowda petrol pump, where she was headed in the bus. She jumped off the bus as the driver allegedly changed his route when she was the last passenger. The FIR does not mention the accused’s name and lists the girl’s age as 29. A doctor at KIMS, who
asked to remain anoymous, said, “She has a head injury and minor bruises on her leg. She is depressed and is in a state of shock. She is taking medicines on time. We are giving painkillers and medication to reduce the swelling.” He added that the girl was in the Intensive Care Unit for four days and was shifted to a special ward yesterday. However, locals of the area seem to have no knowledge of the whole incident. P Manjunath, 55, owner of Manjunath stores, Chamrajpet, Bazaar Street, said: “I close my
shop at 10.30 pm so I did not know about it. I got to know after reading the newspaper. If something like that has happened at least somebody in this area should know something about it. I am surprised that none of us know anything about it.” The driver in question allegedly has a previous record of misbehavior with a female colleague in 2012. Ramesh, Investigating Officer, Chamrajpet Police Station said,” the accused is in Pappana Agrahara jail right now. The case is under investigation so we cannot give you any details.”
Picture exclusive: BMTC bus driver Siddhartha, 31, accused of allegedly assaulting the girl
The Daily
Observer
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
New footpaths in Kengeri crumble after just eight weeks Pranay Lakshminarasimhan Pavements in Kengeri are in a dilapidated state, despite being constructed by the city corporation only two months ago. In an effort to improve the quality and safety of pavements in the city, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) constructed tiled pavements in Kengeri Satellite Town two months ago. A series of visits to Kengeri revealed that most of them have started disintegrating and crumbling and the tiles have started popping out. Nanjundaiah, a resident of Kengeri who has repeatedly voiced his displeasure over pedestrian safety in the locality, said, “If this is the quality of life the government is going to provide us with, then we are better off by ourselves.” Moreover, in some places, the pavement has completely disappeared and has been replaced with piles of garbage. Longtime residents of the area have said that this can be attributed to the lack of waste-management facilities provided by the government. Krishnappa, a 63-year-old retired engineer and a resident of Kengeri for the past 17 years, said: “Over the years, as new buildings started springing up
Pavements constructed just two months ago are already in a poor state in this neighborhood, the quality of life has been continuously deteriorating. The government’s waste management services are completely defunct here and therefore, people have been forced to dump garbage in open fields and pavements.” As a result, locals reckon that their faith in the quality of governance in their area is gradually fading. Vincent, a Right to Information (RTI) activist based in the area, said, “The corporator and the local government don’t seem to take any initiative in improv-
ing the infrastructure here.” R. Anjanappa, the corporator for the Kengeri ward, said that this wasn’t in their hands. He said that the person at fault was the BBMP and the contractor responsible for constructing the pavements. “What can we do about this? Even we are disappointed with the state of pavements in Kengeri. The person to be blamed is the contractor who has obviously done a poor job,” he said. The BBMP is now aware of this situation and is claiming to have started looking into it. K.T. Na-
garaj, Superintendant Engineer (Major Roads), BBMP, said: “We are aware of the problem. Our inspectors have gone and examined the place and have acknowledged that the problem, though small, is a serious one since the pavements were constructed only a short while ago.” He added that the contractor, about whom he refused to divulge any details, is going to be questioned with regard to this issue. “We are hoping to get answers and a sustainable solution soon,” he said.
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Vatal challenges Kejriwal by serving street food for Rs.5
Vatal Nagaraj, Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha leader, staged a protest against Arvind Kejriwal’s dinner campaign near Kempegowda Bus Stand Tuesday. In the protest cum campaign, he fed people food worth Rs 5 in order to criticize Arvind Kejriwal for spending Rs 20,000 on dinner in Capitol Hotel in Bangalore last week. Arvind Kejriwal, as part of Aam Aadmi Party’s campaign in Bangalore, had announced a fee of Rs. 20,000 to people who wished to have dinner with the
Photo: Rahul Sadhu ex-Chief Minister of Delhi. The Daily Observer reported on Monday that Kejriwal’s rally was not as successful as it was deemed to be. To counter Kejwriwal’s idea, Vatal Nagaraj organized this protest. The meal provided by Vatal comprised of ragi balls and pickle. Protestors accompanying the leader shouted slogans that said: “Our food for 5 rupees while yours for 20, 000”. Vatal himself served food to the people who joined the protest.
One call every 18 seconds to police hotline Karishma Ravindran Bangalore’s police control room is “manned” entirely by women. Female constables are better at working efficiently in the control room, according to the Assistant Commissioner of Police. L. Chandrashekar, Assistant Police Commissioner at the Police Control Room, (PCR) said: “Women work more efficiently than men in the police control room. Hence we have appointed only women in the control room.” He added: “Women are disciplined towards their work. Most of the work in a police control room comprises of attending phone calls, which needs patience. And women have more patience than men, which is required for this job. “Particularly, a women’s voice seems appropriate for the telephonic conversation”, he said. “Women work with dedication here and they do not leave the place unnecessarily unlike men which is the reason why we appoint women constables here”, Chandrashekar added. There are 12 female constables working in each of the three shifts. Their working hours are 8 am to 1 pm, 1 pm to 8 pm and 8 pm to 8 am respectively. The PCR or ‘Dial 100’ is also termed as an emergency call centre. The city control room is linked to the Zonal Control Room (ZCR) which works under the supervision of the
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) while the Master Control Room works directly under the Commissioner of Police. The room has various Sub-zones covering police stations, mainly north, south, west, east, south-east and north-east, to which the calls are directed from the control room. Aarti, 38, is a WPC who has been working in the control room for the past 18 months. She had more than 19 years of work experience in a private firm before gaining her inspiration from movies to become a police constable. She said: “We call ourselves social workers who work for the public under the law and order of the state. Before joining, we all are given one week’s training by Infosys where they check our voice and train us on improving our communication skills.” She added: “We also deal with women related grievances and counsel them to avoid any untoward incidents. If the situation goes out of control, the calls are directed to the NGO Vanita Sahayavani which is housed in the premises of the Police Commissioner’s office”. The constables who work in the control room are expected to know at least five languages namely, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and English. There are ten computers, each with software to enter data of the calls received at the control room, and the constables receive, on average one call ev-
ery 18 seconds. The police control room is directly linked to the zonal control room. Once these constables receive a call from people in need, they at once alert the ZCR. Aarti added, “Once the ZCR receives an alert from the control room, they further inform the police jeeps, ‘Hoysalas,’ which reach the spot.” Interestingly, the police control room has a wide screen LCD display, which shows the GPS tracking of ‘Hoysalas’ (police jeeps). Aarti said the GPS tracking of the police
jeep helps them keep track of which vehicles have reached a spot and those vehicles on the way. A 20 minute deadline is given to the constable to redress the grievances of the people. The lady constable working here makes sure that the vehicles reach the spot on time. During emergencies, the constables use walkietalkies(wireless communication) to fasten the pace of communication with the sub zones (police stations). The constables also deal with assault cases by alerting the am-
bulances whenever necessary. Geeta, 27, a WPC working in the control room from the past five years said, “2 am to 4 am is the time when we receive less number of calls; the rest of the time the control room is always busy with calls”. The control room officials have two vehicles which they track, Hoysala and Cheetah (two wheeler), which are used by the police to reach a crime spot. The Cheetah is used during emergencies to fasten the pace of vehicular moment. The police control room officials also make special arrange-
ments called Bandobast during festivals. Chandrashekar, said, “The Deputy Commissioner of Police requested 30 platoons ahead of the Holi festival which act as a strike force during festivals”. With the elections around the corner, Bangalore police have planned to deploy one civil policeman and one home guard at each election booth. He said: “We will try our best to make the elections a peaceful affair. We are also planning to make arrangements for patrolling vehicles which will supervise the entire election.”
Women police officers are more efficient in attending phone calls at the Police Control Room.
The Daily
Observer
Tuesday, March 18 , 2014
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alliance Minor kidnapped, human trafficking suspected RPI-BJP falls through
The 15-year-old girl was kidnapped from Kengeri Apurva venkat A 15-year-old girl who was kidnapped from Kengeri was traced to West Bengal by Kumbalgodu police. Officers involved in the case said they were treating the girl’s ordeal as a case of human trafficking. Maya (name changed), 15, a student of class 9th of the Rotary School, went missing on January 26 this year. She was dating a local migrant construction worker called Bishu, according to police.
Bishu was a Bangladeshi refugee who had migrated to South India from West Bengal. He used to work as a construction worker at Kalyani Motors in Kengeri. Bhimappa, Maya’s father said: “There was no news of Maya since January 26. However, she managed to call her mother twice and said that she was kept in a house in Mumbai. She also complained that Bishu and his brother were not allowing her to get out of the house.” He added, “We got a call from Maya and she described whatever she could see outside the window. She said there was a Ganesh temple nearby. Maya was locked in this house for long.” On knowing this, a city NGO suspected it to be a human trafficking case. They registered a complaint with the Kumbalgodu police station on February 20. Deepak, Sub Inspector, Kumbalgodu said, “The complaint was registered under section 363 IPC. Even if Maya had gone of her own wish, we registered a case of kidnap immediately since she is a minor.” He added: “We also suspected human trafficking. We, along with
we not traced her on time. Most the NGO, traced Maya’s location in girls in brothels in Mumbai and West Bengal. I went there with three West Bengal are from Karnataka men. We found Maya and Bishu in and Andhra Pradesh. Girls are being a refugee camp at Bhirogi in Nadia cheated on the pretext of marriage, district. They had come there from love, and jobs and sold to brothels. Mumbai a week back. The two even This is one of the rising concerns in got married 15 days back. However, Bangalore now.” the marriage will be illegal.” Bishu and Maya were produced in the local court, West Bengal on March 7, and a transition warrant was issued. They were brought to Bangalore on March 11. Both Maya and Bishu underwent medical tests. The reports revealed that there was no sexual intercourse or any signs of physical abuse. Bishu is in judicial custody. Maya has been sent to a Child Welfare Committee home. Her statement will be recorded there and she will be counselled. Later, if she is willing, she will be allowed to go back to her parents. Deepak said: “We suspect that Maya would have Bishu, the migrant construction been sold to a brothel had worker suspected of kidnapping
Election hopeful Law Minister maintains mute as actor hubby Advocate-General has not steals the show
resigned from top post Anannya & Bhaskar
Geeta Shivarajan’s husband receiving the welcome bouquet Suresh Kumar Janta Dal (Secular) candidate Geetha Shivaraj Kumar will fight against BJP’s BS Yeddyurappa in Shimoga in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections. Speaking about Geetha, her husband, actor Shivarajkumar, said: “She had been a good daughter, good daughter in law, good wife and a good mother, now she wants to do good for her people by serving them.” He said: “I have told her to work for the people not for any specific caste or other such things. I will be her political custodian.” Geetha will be contesting elections for the first time. Except for speaking about the reason why she got into politics, Geetha remained silent throughout the Press Conference, which was dominated by her husband. Geetha said, “The only reason I joined politics is to serve the people as my father did.”
Shivarajkumar said: ‘I won’t compel my fans to support my wife, it’s their wish. If they want to campaign they can but almost 95 per cent of my fans are happy with the decision. Apart from few other JD(S) candidates I will campaign only for my wife.” Once again answering a question posed at his wife, Shivarajkumar said, “I do not follow politics much, so I will not be able to tell whom shall I prefer as a Prime Minister, Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi. My wife believes she can create an anti-corruption wave like Anna Hazare” A seemingly confused Geetha said “I think woman should get their due respect in political parties,” while answering a question on women not being given their due respect by their parties.. She concluded the Press Conference by saying that she can talk “only on Shimoga and not on Modi”.
Amid confusion that the Advocate-General of the state had resigned on Monday, the Karnataka Law Minister labeled the reports inaccurate. According to published reports, Ravivarma Kumar, Advocate-General of Karnataka, had submitted his resignation on Monday regarding disagreements over recent government decisions concerning the Krishna water dispute. In contrast to these reports, state Law Minister, T. B. Jayachandra emphasized that Kumar had not resigned and was continuing to perform his duties as Advocate-General. Kumar himself could not be reached for comment. The state’s Special Public Prosecutor also confirmed that Kumar has certainly submitted a resignation letter. Whether the resignation had been accepted was another matter. Speaking exclusively to the ‘Daily Observer’, Jayachandra said, “Ravivarma Kumar has not resigned. I had a long discussion with him this morning where we discussed day-to-day matters. He has not resigned.” On being questioned further about the issue, Jayachandra added, “These are merely rumors. Matters are carrying on as usual. This morning we discussed the Pushpa River and other legal matters.” However, when the Administrative Officer of the Advocate-General was contacted, he said, “The Advocate-General has resigned. We are not aware as to why he has resigned.”
Anannya & Bhaskar After announcing their candidates for the upcoming elections, the Republican Party of India declared that their efforts to forge an alliance with the BJP in the state had been unsuccessful. The list of candidates include Golahalli Shivaprasad (Kolar), J. Lakshman (Bangalore South), Kadogudi Sonnappa (Bangalore Central), Muthuraj (Bangalore North), Govindaraju (Bangalore Rural), Manjunath (Chikkaballapur), Shantaraju (Tumkur), Suresh (Chitradurga), Kumarahalli Krishnamurthy (Mandya), Ishwara Toremahur ( Mysore). Venkataswamy, State President, Republican Party of India (RPI), said, “We were ready to form an alliance with the BJP, but it failed so we will contest independently.” Commenting on this, Kadogudi Sonnappa, Secretary, RPI, said, “We wanted a Member of Parliament (MP) from our Party at Kolar. “We had spoken to Ananth Kumar, Swadananda Gowda and Prahlad Joshi of the core committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but they did not respond to our demands. “If not for this we would have extended support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).” According to reports, the RPI declared earlier this month that it would extend support to the BJP-Shiv Sena combine in Maharashtra, at possible cost to the Congress.
Sonnappa, RPI secretary
Ravivarma Kumar, Advocate-General of Karnataka A former member of the he told me that he himself did State Public Prosecutor’s Of- not want to continue in his fice, who preferred to be un- position as he did not like the named, said, “The issue is manner in which the present deeper than what has been re- government was functioning.” ported. It is not only about the Commenting on the issue, Krishna water dispute. It has a B.T. Venkatesh, Special Public deeper political connection.” Prosecutor, said, “Kumar has He added that Kumar had submitted a resignation letter. been appointed as the Advo- I am not aware of the contents cate-General during the ten- of the letter. ure of the present Chief Min“I’m sure there are other ister Siddaramaiah as he was reasons apart from the Krishclose to him. na issue such as inaction by “Initially Kumar had been the government.” appointed because he was Kumar, who was the first close to Siddaramaiah, but Chairman of the Backward they fell out because he wanted Classes Commission, was apto appoint his preferred list of pointed as the Advocate-Genpeople as law officers. I spoke eral in 2013, replacing C.H. to the Law Minister today and Vijayashankar.
Sonnappa added that Ramdas Athawale, National President, RPI, would take the final call regarding the RPI’s support to the NDA after the elections. RPI members stated that Athawale had decided against collaborating with the BJP after he visited Kolar on March 6. During the conference Venkataswamy referred to other political parties as ‘unconstitutional’. “Our Party was founded by B.R. Ambedkar and the preamble to the constitution is our motto. The other entire parties disregard the constitution”, he added. Speaking about the Indian National Congress Venkataswamy said, “The Congress ranks number one as far as corruption is concerned. It has become a mother-son Party. “ “The Janata Dal (Secular) (JDS) is a father-son Party and the BJP functions on the basis of caste”, he added. Commenting on the RPI’s campaign strategy, T.M. Bavidoddi, a senior member who is contesting from Bidar, said, “We will campaign from doorto-door and protect the constitution.”
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The Daily O
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Bharatiya Janata Party Election 2014: BJP candidates for Lok Sabha polls in Bangalore SAIKAT GHOSH
Name of the Candidate: Sadananda Gowda Age: 61 Constituency: Bangalore North Gowda came to the forefront after being elected as the 20th Chief Minister of Karnataka in 2011 following the resignation of Lingayat strongman B S Yeddyurappa. He holds a degree in law and science and has briefly held the position of Public Prosecutor at Sirsi in Uttara Kannada. Gowda began his political career as the secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of the BJP. Soon after, in 1983, he was elected to the state assembly. In 1992, he was given a Lok Sabha ticket for Mangalore from where he emerged victorious. Presently, Gowda is the Vice-President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is contesting from the Bangalore North constituency where the Party is counting on his influence over the Vokkaliga community.
Name of the Candidate: Ananth Kumar Age: 54 Constituency: Bangalore South 54-year-old Kumar is the National Secretary of the BJP. His maiden Lok Sabha victory came from the Bangalore South constituency. Subsequently, Kumar went on to become a Union Minister during the regime of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) where he held the Civil Aviation portfolio. He played key roles in various committees formed under the Ministry of Railways and Industry. He has not lost an election since 1996. As a student, Kumar was actively involved with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the BJP. During the emergency he was imprisoned with several other students of the organization. Kumar holds a law degree from the Karnataka University in Hubli. Ananth Kumar, BJP candidate for Bangalore south said, “My chances of winning are brilliant. The entire of country is going to vote for Narendra Modi and BJP. My constituency is like home to me. I know my constituency well.”
Name of the Candidate: PC Mohan Age: 51 Constituency: Bangalore Central Mohan began his political career with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1993. Soon after, he was promoted to the post of Treasurer. He was also appointed as the President of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) Wing of the BJP in Karnataka. An experienced businessman, Mohan has actively participated in social activities such as distributing notebooks to economically backward students and providing free eye check-ups for the poor. Mohan represented the Chickpet Assembly from 1998 to 2004 and then again from 2004 to 2008. In 2008, Mohan lost the Gandhinagar Assembly seat but staged a comeback by winning the Lok Sabha elections from the Bangalore Central constituency.
Name of the Candidate: Muniraju Gowda Age: 35 Constituency: Bangalore Rural Fielded from the Bangalore Rural constituency, Gowda hails from Golahalli village in Bangalore South Taluk. A businessman by profession, Gowda was judged as the ‘Best Cadet’ by the National Cadet Corps (NCC) in Delhi. He was educated at the National College in Bangalore. Currently, Gowda is the State President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM). He was also part of L.K. Advani’s Jan Chetna Yatra in 2010. Being a member of the Vokkaliga community, the BJP is counting on him to perform well in the upcoming elections.
Observer
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
I have no idea about the BJP candidate of my zone. I am not interested in voting for any party as I don’t admire the work of any of the contenders.
I do not know who the BJP candidate for my zone is. I will not vote for BJP as Narendra Modi belongs to that party. Voting for BJP is like voting for Modi and I will not do it. I do not like Modi because he does not really like Muslims. - Asba Khan, 21,
housewife, BTM Layout
I really do not know whether to support BJP or criticize Congress. Narendra Modi, if media is to be believed, has done great work in Gujarat, but I really doubt whether his so called Gujarat model of development will work for India. Modi is a very good orator, but I do not think that one should believe all that he says. The Congress has been in power for a long time now and any party which is around for a long time becomes vulnerable to corruption and so, I think the nation should give some other party a chance to prove their mettle.
Timeline May 25, 2008
BJP Voted to power, wins 110 seats among the 224 assembly seats in the state.
May 30, 2008
BS Yeddyurappa takes over as CM.
October 26, 2009
Reddy brothers and BSR Sriramalu revolts against Yeddyurappa.
July 31, 2011
Yeddyurappa Resigns, after charges of corruption leveled by the Lokayaukta.
August 4, 2011
Sadananda Gowda succeeds Yeddyurappa as CM.
October 15, 2011
Yeddyurappa surrenders in front of Lokayukta in land scam, sent to jail.
November 8, 2011
Yeddyurappa gets bail.
July 11,2012
Under pressure from Yeddyurappa, BJP makes Jagdish Shettar the 21st CM of Karnataka.
May 8,2013
BJP voted out of Power, Siddaramaiah becomes the CM.
- Matru P. Acharya,
30, Business Analyst, Hennur Cross
I don’t really know which party should i vote for, they all are the same. No one is keen on working for the public be it BJP or any other party. But I might vote for BJP as it seems to be a little better of the lot. - Amol Virnodkar,
Engineer
5
Yes, I’ am aware that Sadanand Gowda is the BJP candidate for my zone. But, I do not favor him nor have I decided yet whom to support. Time will tell. - Priyanka Bhosle
- Abhishek Dutta, store manager at Van Heusen If BJP comes to power, communalism will surely increase RSS, Shiv Sena’s dominance will increase. Brands like Walmart etc will get access inside India leading to more globalization. Modi is getting more hype than he actually deserves. He is being portrayed as the hero India needs and deserves but I’m not too sure about it - Arindam Sen, guitarist at What Es-
capes Me
I am not a supporter of the BJP. I dont know who the BJP candidate in my constituency is but I dont mind voting for BJP as there is a need for change in the government system. - Rohit Shettigar, Execu-
The election results will be similar to inki pinky ponki results. BJP has loads of corrupt politicians with strong influence. Let them finish fighting among themselevs first. - Aayush Salampuria, Businessman
tive Planning Engineer Narendra Modi who dedicatedly helped Gujarat prosper , is against western culture, yet he uses social media like Facebook page, Twitter and web pages which is a sign of hypocrisy. And over all population of India is not as rich as Gujarat which is hub of rich business men so Mr Modi will find it difficult to implement what he had done to gujarat in a larger scale. - Pritam Mandal,
PES College
I haven’t yet come to know who is contesting for Mathikere, but I am going to vote this time. - Gaurav Samuel, 21, Engineering student. If Modi and BJP come to power, they will bring about some radical changes in the country. Last time BJP was in power, they pioneered some landmark infrastructure projects which were a driving force in India development. Narendra Modi has undertaken a massive overhaul in his image after the riots in gujrat. Now Gujrat has increased his industrial output as many international companies has setup shop at their backyard, with promise of investment from many developed nations. If the development in gujrat is anything to go by, then I am definitely sure, that great things are waiting to happen for India, with Narendra Modi at it’s helm. - Ritam Roy Choudhury, TCS
The Daily
Observer
Tuesday, March 18 , 2014
6
EVENTS FILM
“Safe sex can help prevent Hepatitis”
Raju peethala
Liver related diseases like Hepatitis A, B & C are most common among people living in Bangalore as most of them are unaware of these diseases, says one of the city’s doctors. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Observer, Dr. Kaiser Raja, Chief Hepatologist for global integrated liver care team at BGS Global Hospitals, Bangalore, said “Hepatitis is the most common chronic disease in India and several reasons are there for the cause of this disease.” In a survey conducted on 5000 healthy individuals in Bangalore, 2.6 per cent of them were found to suffer from Hepatitis B and 0.4 percent from Hepatitis C. However, rural Karnataka reported 4.5% of people suffer from Hepatitis B and 0.5 per cent suffer from hepatitis C. Talking about the primary causes, he said: “Alcohol consumption is one of the main causes of liver related diseases. Blood transmissions, usage of contaminated instrument and unsafe
Dr. Kaiser raja, chief hepatologist at BGS sex are some of the other causes.” He said, “Most of them are not aware about this harmful disease and severe awareness is needed to stop the rise in the number of liver-related diseases.” The doctor said: “In a month, 50 out of 100 patients suffer from liver related diseases. Almost 30 per cent of them are due to excess fat content in the body and 10 percent are hereditary. ” Speaking on Hepatitis C, he said: “It
is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). HCV causes the liver to swell and prevents it from working well. HCV usually causes long-term or chronic infection of the liver and unless successfully treated with medications, can lead to cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver cancer and liver failure.” He added: “HCV damages the liver slowly over a period of 20-30 years. More than 50 per cent of patients with untreated Hepatitis C progress to liver cirrhosis causing scarring of the liver. Once cirrhosis develops patients are at a risk of developing liver failure. Five to 10 percent of these patients develop liver cancer.” Kaiser said: “There is no vaccine to prevent HCV. The only way to stop the spread of HCV is to avoid direct contact with infected blood.” Speaking about the role of the liver, Kaiser said our liver plays a vital role in our health and well being and is one of the most important organs in the human body. Consumption of junk food, lack of exercise, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and high cholesterol
could adversely affect the health of a person’s liver. He said: “Most individuals with early liver disease may not have any symptoms. As liver disease advances one gets yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes (jaundice), fluid accumulation in the abdomen (ascites) and feet (edema), gastrointestinal bleeding (vomiting of blood, passing blood in stools), sleep disturbance and mental confusion (encephalopathy).” About the vaccines and safety measures, he said: “A simple test can tell you whether you have hepatitis B or C. There is an effective vaccine against hepatitis A and B. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C. Never share razors, nail clippers, or toothbrushes, Cover wounds, Practice safe sex.If you need medical treatment make sure only sterile equipment is used and also avoid tattoo and body piercing.” Kaiser said, “The most amazing thing about the liver is that it is the only organ that is capable of natural regeneration, so if we take care of it we can lead healthy and happy lives.”
Graffiti art—from a means of revolt to a choice of profession Neha Singh
While Kashmiris use colorful wall painting as a means to rebel and protest against their problems, artists in Bangalore are turning graffiti into a career path. Graffiti generally evolved as writings or paintings done on walls at public places to rebel or protest against social and political happenings. Many artists in India started to paint the walls or boundaries of cities to express sociopolitical meanings, to bring out awareness to issues. There has been a slight shift in this art form, instead of considering it illegal and condoning it people are sort of accepting it. “Although people like it they fail to understand the message behind the graffiti art,” said the Bathroom Painter, a graffiti artist in Bangalore who insists he be called by this name. His graffiti artwork started from painting bathroom walls which was to earn him his rent. It was then when his friend named him Bathroom Painter and when he moved on to streets; paint-
ing walls, he adopted “BathRoom Painter” as his name. He took forth his passion for art from the bathroom to the streets for the purpose of “spreading peace” around himself. The reason he chose graffiti as his artwork was not just to spread peace around him but also because he is passionate about art. He said: “I love the feeling when you have a spray can in your hand and the world as your canvas. I love the way the paint flows and the sound of the cans. The blends, the shades and the challenge and everything else about it. “Nothing much goes on in my head when I paint, it is just the emotions or something I read about.” Most of his graffiti is based on his perception of society. “I think the world is dark; people have forgotten basic human ethics.” In order to covey his message he tries to paint or draw different abstract faces and his tagline is always “PEACE.” Bathroom Painter, who eventually revealed his real name is Sunnal, feels the trend
One of his works at Indiranagar
of graffiti is taking a turn now more and more people are coming out and starting to paint. “The cost of the spray paint is around Rs 450-500 per can, there are cheaper cans too but with fat caps which is not good for detail work,” he added. In Bangalore, graffiti is still new to people. “Bangalore is kind of starting now. People like and appreciate graffiti but they don’t understand the message behind it,” said Shunnal. He added that the people don’t understand that graffiti is another form of art; they consider it similar to other forms of painting. “About painting people know it only to be done on canvas. It is sad to see that they fail to understand the message you tried to convey through your work, this somehow does not fulfill the purpose,” he said. Though their purpose remains unfulfilled, they are positive that someday when graffiti will become more prominent in the city people might start to understand it. And as the police in Bangalore are unaware
Photo Source: Shunnal Ligade
19th European Union Film Festival - Blind Spot The mysterious and charismatic Inspector Hastert takes on one final case before he retires: the death of a fellow cop. Venue: Bangalore International Centre TERI Complex, 4th Main 2nd Cross , Domlur Date: March 21 Time: 6 pm onwards
Dance Like A Man
M a h e s h Dattani`s `Dance Like A Man` centers on an i n d i v i du a l ` s plight, where a dying form of art serves as the backdrop. Venue: Ranga Shankara, No.36/2, 8th Cross, 2nd Phase RV Dental College , JP Nagar Date: March 30 Time: 7 pm onwards
ART
Art Jugalbandhi
It is a combination of Charcoal Drawing and Water color painting One Day Charcoal Drawing Workshop. Venue: Government Museum & Venkatappa Art Gallery, Kasturba Road Date: March 23 Time: 10:30 am - 4:30 pm
ART “Bathroom Painter” Shunnal Ligade at work . about this form of art, they find this an advantage, as there is no one to stop them. “Also, BBMP is painting everywhere around the city so this is another advantage too,” said Shunnal. But he always wishes to work professionally without obstruction, “I would love to hit the streets with spray cans and paint brush professionally,” he said. Talking about the efforts made by students in Kashmir to fight back in the state through colors and paints, he views it to be the best way to protest and said, “Banksy, UK based graffiti artist, has done it in the past. So, it might work for them too, at least to help spread awareness among people.”
Retro Wednesdays
Immerse yourself in nostalgia and revel in the best of the decades that have passed. They’ve also got an all-new Beverage and Tapas menu with signature cocktails and European favourites. Venue: Bricklane Grill, 5th Floor , Indiranagar, HAL 2nd Stage Date: March 26 Time: 8 pm onwards
Observer Team: Editor–Apurva Venkat Chief Sub Editor-Nikita Narvekar Sub Editors– Anand Jain, Anagha Sawant & Neha Singh News Editors -Ishan Bhattacharya Picture Editor & Design Desk/ Emergency calls tracker – Aurosmita Acharya, Chitharth Mathivanan & Karishma Ravindran Reporters– Mayuri Ravi, Tulana Nayak & Vaishnavi Desai Email- editor@iijnm.org An IIJNM Publication (For Private Circulation)