Mysuru has been called a Royal Heritage City, but it feels like we’re living in ‘Flex City.’ Our city is plagued by the menace of flex hoardings and banners everywhere — at Circles, on buildings, on footpaths, on trees and even on Expressway. Last year, this plague had even reached all the way to the…
Mysuru needs more Fire Stations
January 6, 2024Today at 2.45 am, I was woken up by a loud sound that shook me to my core. It was the apartment’s fire alarm! The word ‘alarm’ is too mellow a word to describe the decibel level a fire ‘siren’ makes. It has a quality that triggers a sense of ‘urgency and panic.’ It is…
Promote Spoken Kannada
December 30, 2023Shops in Bengaluru were vandalised over displaying non-Kannada boards on Wednesday by activists of a pro-Kannada outfit. The protesters were demanding the immediate implementation of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) order requiring businesses to feature 60 percent sign-boards in Kannada. The deadline to adhere to the new rule was set for Feb. 28, 2024….
Tragedy of Indian Opposition
December 23, 2023What a month it has been so far — smoke canisters, suspended MPs, mimicry of the Vice-President and amendments to 150-yeKalyan Banerjeear-old laws. But the most disappointing outcome was the failure of the Opposition parties, yet again. The Opposition parties in India do not do their job. Period. From the Jan Sangh to the BJP…
Bring back the Anti-Rowdy Squad
December 9, 2023Recently, a youth assaulted the MCC Revenue Inspector in his office because the Inspector had told him not to smoke on the office premises. A few weeks earlier, there was a report that three youths assaulted a middle-aged man for honking at them as they entered a one-way street. A few weeks ago, I witnessed an…
The Name Game
December 2, 2023As I read the paper on Thursday, I was upset with a particular news. The headline read “Forest personnel raid Snake Shyam’s house”! Why did they have to raid his home? What did he do that was so wrong? Shyam was nursing two Bonnet monkeys and three Indian black turtles back to health at home….
Governor or Tormentor?
November 25, 2023On Monday, the Supreme Court expressed its displeasure at the delay by some State Governors in giving assent to Bills. The Governors have to approve these Bills since they were sent back to Raj Bhavan following re-adoption by the Assembly. Opposition-ruled States, namely, Kerala, West Bengal, Punjab, Telangana, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu, have had problems…
Adultery a crime? No
November 18, 2023Should the Indian media start reporting about the private lives of our politicians? Maybe. When politicians make policies that meddle with people’s very personal lives, like sex lives, we need to get a glimpse of theirs; we can be sure it will reek of hypocrisy. A few days ago, the Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs…
Just a temp-fix not enough !
November 11, 2023Ah! Finally, restoration work at the Lalitha Mahal Palace will be taken up at the cost of Rs. 38 crore. This is good news, but the money is nowhere near what is required for an actual ‘restoration’. The truth is, this ‘restoration’ is actually just a ‘temporary fix.’ We must appreciate the Government for understanding…
Stray Menace in Mysuru
October 28, 2023Stray dogs have dominated quite a few living room conversations this week. The death of famous Wagh Bakri Tea brand’s Director due to brain haemorrhage which he suffered when he fell down after being chased by stray dogs and Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra’s fight with her ex-boyfriend over their pet rottweiler ‘Henry’ put dogs…
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