The Karnataka Government’s recent handling of the Bill mandating reservations for Kannadigas in the private sector has been nothing short of chaotic. On Monday, the Bill was approved. On Tuesday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah proudly announced it. By Wednesday, it was scrapped, only to be slated for further discussion on Thursday. This flip-flopping is not how…
MUDA Protest: The Stench of Hypocrisy
July 13, 2024While calling for a CBI investigation and demanding Siddaramaiah’s resignation on moral grounds, will the BJP and JD(S) first take the moral high ground by suspending their own senior MLAs, who were MUDA members in 2021 under whose watch this scam occurred? Rohini Sindhuri, the former Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru District, had penned a letter…
MUDA: A Tale of Dysfunction & Failure
June 29, 2024The Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) is back in the news and as always, for the wrong reasons. This time, for corruption of three varieties — The 50:50 ratio site distribution scandal, the e-auction scandal and the Civic Amenities (CA) site scandal. At the risk of being repetitive, I have to republish my recent observations…
Cheers & Goodbye
June 22, 2024The last true ‘restaurateur’ of Mysuru, Ponoo Muthanna, affectionately known to many Mysureans in their late 20s, 30s and 40s as Ponoo Uncle, passed away yesterday. Ponoo was the beloved proprietor of the Pelican Pub, a watering hole he transformed into a sanctuary like no other in Mysuru, back when it was still Mysore. Pelican…
The Cult of Celebrity: When Fans Go Too Far
June 15, 2024Kannada actor Darshan’s alleged involvement in a murder and the slow reaction from otherwise hyper ‘reactionary’ fellow actors, politicians and actors’ Fan Clubs makes us wonder: Are we unable to differentiate between what is real and a reel anymore? Are we unable to figure out what should be defended and what must be derided? The…
Post Election Musings
June 8, 2024The Lotus Wilts: A Tale of Humility & Hope Tuesday brought a humbling reckoning for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a surge of hope for the I.N.D.I.A bloc. Despite a technical victory, the BJP’s performance fell short of expectations, while the I.N.D.I.A bloc found renewed vigour in their unexpected successes. Arrogance Meets Reality The…
Black Magic & Astrology in Politics
June 1, 2024It’s a magical time in Karnataka again. We’re talking about ‘black magic.’ Our Chief Minister Siddaramaiah may have passed a watered-down Anti-Superstition Bill. Maybe he should try again for a more implementable one, for his Deputy says it’s threatening their Government. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar stated on Thursday that political opponents are performing black…
Government Indecisions & Payments
May 25, 2024This morning, ‘The Hindu’ newspaper reported that the Government owes the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel in Mysuru Rs. 80 lakh in pending bills. The confusion is: Which Government will foot the bill — the Centre or the State? We are sure the hotel will get its money eventually, but when? It’s already been one year….
You don’t flunk life just because you flunk an exam
May 18, 2024The Pre-University and SSLC results are out, and as expected, there is happiness, disappointment, grief and, unfortunately, quite a few deaths — two students in Mandya district, both just 15 years old, committed suicide. While one student ended his life for failing an SSLC exam, the other, a girl, committed suicide assuming she had failed…
POWER & SEX
May 11, 2024Even as Prajwal’s sex scandal is still in the news, allegations of molestation are coming in against West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose. Politically motivated or not, sex and power have always gone hand in hand. Men in power control their environment. Powerful men set the agenda of nations. But for some reason, many of…
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