Cheap, disgusting political crimes in Karnataka

This is the aftermath of elections to the Karnataka Assembly in May 2018. What a disgusting drama!

BJP secures 104 seats of the 224, Congress 78, JDS 38, and independents 2. The minimum required to form a government is 111 (of the 222 voted for). Unfortunately, voters in Karantaka failed to deliver a decisive mandate. Where Congress’ incumbent Chief Minister Siddaramaiah deserved to win for all the good work he had done, the electorate failed to appreciate it, and fell for hate speech of PM Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and their liar band, led by state level fox B.S. Yeddyurappa.

But how could a Governor, who is expected to be non-political, invite Yeddyurappa when he did not have the majority to form the government? But Congress-JDS alliance, which secured 118 seats, were not invited. Here, the Governor of Karnataka, who is an appointee of the BJP government, behaved like party agent, and not like a governor. That is unfortunate.

For good luck, our Supreme Court gave a historic verdict, first (on Friday) by reducing the time from 15 days given by the Governor to just a day prove Yeddyurappa’s majority, and the next day (Saturday), and then asking the Assembly Secretary to live broadcast the House Procedings.

But that did not deter the shameless BJP from horse-trading with our elected MLAs, offering as much as Rs 100 crore and plum portfolios in the new government, besides withdrawing their many court cases. Our elected representatives stooping to such cheap level! Unthinkable.  This focused the entire country’s attention on this state of Karnataka.

While I am traveling in the distant North, everybody I meet is asking me about and mocking me for the cheap, dirty, & disgusting politics of Kar-Nataka in my beloved state. Our elected representatives have brought on this humiliation on the Kannadiga pride (for their own lack of decisive mandate). Yeddurappa with his gang of Sriramulu, Somasekhara Reddy, Janardhana Reddy, and his arrogant, power-greedy bosses Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and all these power-mongers have brought in shame on my state. How would Yeddurappa concot a majority on Saturday? BJP’s Ram Madhav had said, “We have Amit Shah”!

The shameless power-hungry Congress & JDS MLAs who have fallen for Rs. 100 crores are abettors in this crime. They don’t deserve to be elected; the people of their constituencies should teach them an unforgettable lesson.

Any MLA/ MP who either defects or betrays the party s/he is voted from -for any reason & at any time after the election- should be barred from contesting for life. That is the only way to stop making a mockery of voters and wasting hundreds of crores of rupees from the tax-payers’ money.

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Photographing among monkeys

I have been following Karnataka elections closely. For all the good works and developmental schemes the Chief Minister Sri Siddharamaiah had launched, he was the sole winner. But our electorate is our electorate. You can’t expect anything reasonable from them. They easily fall for big, hollow talk; they fall for hate-speech and outright lies. One of the rarest electorates belongs to my times. Simply pathetic.

[Colourful vegetables from the roadside shops – tomatoes & brinjals]

 

In spite of BJP’s pathetic record against human rights, tolerance and free speech, against democratic values and social, moral values, the Indian electorate just refuses to see through their hypocrisy. Inspite of the hard evidence against BJP’s corruption and communal and hate politics, the voters in India refuse to teach the saffron brigade a lesson.

[The top-monkey, whom I call the vicious opponent of human beings, and his target the mangoes ]

I am happy, I am out of this morass for a few days. I indulge in some photography. Photography in Shimla is dangerous: it (photographer) is vulnerable; he is prone to attacked by school of monkeys and langoors. Well, like the corrupt and inert Congress, you can tolerate the langoors; they are not as dangerous as the monkeys, their opponents.

[Sweets in a roadside shop]

With all these hazards, I have a few pictures to share with you. Some of them had to be hurried up with due to external pressure from these opponents!

In the bosom of mother nature

A visit to Shimla has been a God-sent for me, this summer. This is one of the most beautiful and cleanest cities I have seen and lived in, be it in India or in Europe or in America. Such a lovely place. Even in scorching Indian summer, the city remains lush green. It’s a treat to the eyes.

[The monk and his mobile – at Dharamshala, the main Tibetan temple, a Buddhist monk is engrossed in his mobile. On the right is the statue of Buddha – a bit of uneven framing is regreted]

It has been a God-sent for me also because I have been able to meet a lovely bunch of academicians and researchers from the varied fields of social sciences and humanities. We struck the right chord from day one. It is a replenishing place and replenishing group. We feel so much one with one another.

[The snow-capped mountain – Himalaya, behind Dharamshala; the sight looks beautiful in this lovely weather. On the right is the shoot of a tree in the backdrop of snow]

And then, I was privileged to visit Dharmashala, the Tibetan Seat of religion and power-secretariat in India. It was my second visit, after the 2010 visit on Community Radio work.

Thanks to Nihar from Rourkela for his company. In spite of the horrible bus journey, we enjoyed our visit to Mcleodganj (Tulna Viewpoint), Dal Lake, Tea Gardens, Avalokiteshwari Temple (The Tibetans’ main deity), HPCA – the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association cricket ground, and many other things.

Should I say, eating momos is my favourite! The day of full of momos and momons – a variety of momos – veg and non-veg. And what else!

[Dal Lake in Mcleodganj – Though the original Dal Lake is in Kashmir, this is another by the same name. The small lake is not maintained well. But you can see the huge fish happily swimming in the dirty water!]

After a very long time, I got a chance to use my camera and go on a clicking binge! Since I loved the nature, the environs, the people, and the place, I ensured I could spend sometime clicking pictures, even though the driver was in a hurry to reach back! Here are a few pictures from my visit to Dharamshala. There are many more.

PUC results on April 30

For those students from Karnataka, who have sat PUC or Higher Secondary or 12th Standard exams, here is the news they have been eagerly awaiting. Their results will be announced on 30 April 2018 online, and the same will be available in their respective PU College notice boards on 1 May.

The evaluation of the answer scripts is nearly over, and the final process seems to be going on

As for Karnataka SSLC, or 10th or Secondary School level exam results will be likely declared on 7th May.

The shame of our country

Many of my country worship women as goddesses, Devi. And then, rape them.

Arifa, an 8-yr old child in Kashmir’s Kathua was kidnapped, drugged, kept in a temple, gang raped for seven days, and finally killed by some men.

These men have a religion. They betrayed it when they took procession in support of the rapists, and shouted Jai Sri Ram.

The Hindu Ekta Manch, another of the many groups of the poisonous sangh pativar, destroying our country, had taken the lead in obstructing justice for Arifa. It happens that Arifa was born as a human being and a girl, but on a Muslim home. That’s the only fault.

Since the ministers and party workers of the ruling alliance in Jammu &Kashmir, BJP, are the accused in this heinous crime, the Hindu extremist organisation came in open support of the accused. Lawyers blocked filing of FIR against the accused. Ministers made nasty remarks against the victim and defended the rapists in the Assembly. The State government, led by a woman, with the support of the communal BJP, forgot that she was a human being and a woman. She also forgot that she was elected and had pledged to protect the citizens.

In another corner of they country, the most populous state Uttar Pradesh has once again proved why that is a goonda raj, and why it elected an unfit fake religious priest as its Chief minister. Another 17 year old girl was gang raped brutally by an elected MLA Kulbhushan Sengora. The crime was hidden for nearly a year. When she lodged a complaint, the police of the lawless state refused to lodged an FIR.

finally, the victim tried committing suicide in front of the incompetent Chief minister. That’s when the crime came to light.

The police were quick to act – against the victim’s father. They arrested him after the MLA’s brother best him up black and blue, for demanding justice against the political neta. Finally, the man was killed in police custody.

BJP leaders, including its most vocal women leaders, went to town defending the crime and the criminal. Our most vocal, obsessively talkative prime minister of Gujarat notoriety, maimed maintained a strategic silence. We saw that he had not list his speech ability. But he likes not speak when his own partymen violate Human Rights against any dalit, tribal minority or woman. So this was expected of a man wedded to power and anti minority and anti dalit sentiment.

It’s nice to see the two children have united they country around human Rights.

I only hope that the fight sees its logical end.

SSLC results on May 7

The results of the Karnataka State schools board, 10th standard, will be announced on 7th May.

The students who have sat the exams this March could hope to know the fruits of their sweat and toil by the first week of next month.

Media credibility – the lost case

In a materialist age, what space does media have? Rather, what credibility does media have?

Looking at the way our news media function, people lose faith in institutions.

Media is one such bundle is platforms which has lost it big time. Especially with the right wing communal politics taking the centre stage, and media playing directly into the hands of these motivated politicians, media has suffered massive blow, so much so, even the less communal, more serious and professional media houses have taken a huge body blow.

In this age, how do you encourage people to read and watch news outlets? How do you encourage youngsters to take to journalism?

Credit largely to the likes of Arnab Goswamy, his Times Now, republic and all other noisy channels.

Rains in Bengaluru in March

It is March of 2018, and Bengaluru was just getting hotter and hotter, even as we were cursing the rising heat of Bengaluru. And suddenly it started raining.

It started drizzling very mildly on Wednesday; then on Thursday it drizzled again; just a little bit.

Today on Friday evening, I had gone out for a walk to Residence Road and Brigade Road. And was badly caught in the rain. What a heavy rain! It started at around 6.30pm, and is still going on at 11.45pm! Good for Bengaluru, but the poor will suffer tonight! Roads are flowing non-stop!

Two day workshop

Two days of meeting on Apostolic Discernment on Universal Preferences of the Society. About 30 of us – both superiors of communities and coordinators of commissions.

The first day was a waste of time. There was no clarity, no purposefulness. Some talks on modules and models and processes. But without specific instructions to work out modules. That is after giving us one model! And then there was no material to work out even a mock model.

Never mind!

The second day started with a contemplation – it filled in that fire for the universal good and universal work on a pointed scale. And later it was followed by a workshop to work out our own preferences at the international level. And the entire group easily came up with the preferences.

BIFFes10 and the cinematic confusion

It’s the penultimate day of Bangalore International Film Festival10. And I expected they festival authorities to learn from their mistakes. But learning is a difficult job. And our film festival officials are no exception.

Even on the seventh day of that festival there prevailed some solid confusion. Films scheduled for screenings are changed without any Information. So are their timings. And those who plan their viewings are put to inconvenience.

I thought Biffed is better and worth over Indian International Film Festival, Goa which is India’s flagship film event, wrought in chaos. I have stopped going to IFFI, Goa.

But, it looks even BIFFes is slowly veering along those lines. That will be sad.

I want an impeccable film festival held in Nama Bengali.