On May 27, Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan was cleared of all charges due to insufficient evidence in the infamous “cruise ship drug bust” case. Immediately after the verdict, Sanjay Gupta, a film-maker tweeted, “So Aryan Khan is and was innocent, says Bombay High Court. Who compensates for what he went through, his family…
Anti-Conversion Bill & Caste Issues
May 14, 2022The Karnataka Government has decided to take the Ordinance route to introduce the contentious Anti-Conversion Bill. Congress party has opposed it. Do we need this law? Yes, but a tempered version. Today, religious conversion has nothing to do with faith; it has to do with vote-banks. Mahatma Gandhi recognised this very early and said, “Today,…
Rains, weak trees and buildings
April 23, 2022We all love a good monsoon, but we also dread it. From mid-June through the end of September, the monsoon brings torrential rain, violent thunderstorms and high wind, turning trees and old properties into death traps. This year, the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has been proactive and has surveyed to identify weak trees that pose…
Road to riches!
April 16, 2022Karnataka’s Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister K.S. Eshwarappa resigned yesterday as he was named accused number one in the suicide of a civil contractor Santosh Patil. The civil contractor had accused the Minister of harassing him for a ‘40 percent commission’ to clear payment of about Rs. 4 crore for road projects completed…
Sound of Loudspeakers
April 9, 2022Ah! It’s back again. The ‘Azaan’ decibel problem, for sure, is an election gimmick, but noise pollution from religion, all religions, must be curtailed. Now the Police have issued notices to Mosques to use their loudspeakers within the permissible decibel levels. It is a noise pollution issue. Just as playing blaring music from Lord Ganesha…
Scarring Chamundi Hill
March 26, 2022Every time there is talk of development in Mysuru, the first target is Chamundi Hill. Now the “evergreen” project of ropeway is back and also the “enhancement of steps” which will turn the hill into a hyper-tourist destination at the cost of the hill turning into a mound of muck. And Mysureans have a duty…
AAP, up and away… The rise of the Mango people
March 12, 2022BJP’s poll performance in four States was impressive but Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) victory in Punjab was exceptional. This AAP victory reminds us of the saying — “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” Many may remember in 2013, the two National Parties — BJP and…
Women more religious!?
February 16, 2022As I recuperated slowly from Covid, I was angry that even two doses of vaccine had not prevented the virus from infecting my lungs. When I emerged from my prolonged isolation and turned on the TV, I noticed my anger against the vaccine was nothing compared to the anger I saw on the screen. Like…
Do we need MLCs?
December 18, 2021Election for Membership to the Karnataka Legislative Council (MLC) from Local Authorities’ Constituency concluded recently. Unfortunately, there was more talk of how much money candidates paid to get tickets and how much money they distributed to voters than talk of what each candidate would do if elected. Many of us wonder, what does an MLC…
Protecting Chamundi Hill: Out-of-Box Ideas
December 4, 2021Three days ago, on December 1st, the Technical Committee of the Institution of Engineers (India) met the Mysuru DC and submitted a fantastic recommendation. The Committee recommended that the 1.4-kilometre stretch of road between the Nandi Statue and Chamundi Hill View Point, prone to landslides, be converted into a trekking path. Now, while at it,…
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