Human side of super star Rajinikanth

These pictures you get to see the human side of the great Indian bus conductor turned super star Rajnikath is from the personnel collection of his close friend and co-worker Raj Bahadur who had worked as a bus driver.

Bahadur now lives a one room pad where the superstar frequents in disguise to meet him and stays with him during his Bangalore sojourns in the Chamrajpet area. Bahadur adds that his superstar is still the same old friend he was during their tenure as driver and conductor in the BTS (Bangalore Transport Service) now (BMTC), and their friendship as deepened even as Rajni kept growing from actor to super star of the south Indian cinemas.

Raj Bahadur says that his simplicity is evident when he come to see me we drink the same old rum, ask for egg laced delicacies from by sister who lives one floor below mine and more so when it is bed time he sleeps on the floor without any complaints. Bahadur also adds that how during their camaraderie days in the then (Bangalore Transport Service (BTS) now Bangalore Metro Transport Corporation (BMTC), Rajni used to practice during every short break he gets with his stylish stunts of throwing his cigarettes in air and trapping it with his mouth.

Bahadur goes on to say how this super star comes unnoticed to his home and adds that he comes in various film characters from beggar to a plumber into his home and leaves after staying with him for a day or two depending on his mood. He shared some of the things which his friend had shared with him during many of his stays and meetings with him after becoming an action star of the Indian cinema. One such incident Bahadur says was that Rajni was on a shoot in Rajasthan and the role demanded that he dresses up as a beggar, in between his shoot, Rajni decided to visit a temple close by since he is a strong believer in gods. On his way to the top of the mountain temple a lady dropped a rupee 10 into his palms thinking he was a beggar.

After paying his respects inside the temple Rajni on his way out when he was getting back into his SUV car, the same lady who gave him 10 rupees ran towards him and apologised for her part and asked for her note back with his autograph. Rajni refused and said I am sorry because this note is mine now and I am going to keep it for life and you need not be apologetic, since you have appreciated me, and left for his shoot after giving his autograph to her in another book. This Bahadur says his friend Rajni still cherishes as one of his best moments in life as an actor and still carries the rupees 10 in his purse as a remainder that all humans are equal.
For a man who started his job as a bus conductor with a monthly salary of rupees 30 , more than 25 years ago, to the present man who now gets paid rupees 30 crore per film and yet remain unmoved by all the money is a great feeling and more so since he is great friend, till death parts us, adds Bahadur with tears in his eyes, which he was unable to stop.



G R Adinarayanappa one of the fellow daily wage bus conductor who had got the appointment letter along with Tamil film superstar Rajnikanth in 1970.

That's not right, said Fred

French artist arrives at Visual Arts Square to find nothing, except a bamboo log, waiting for him.

This story was done after I had reached the spot of the annual Bangalore Habba’s arts teaching and display at the St George’s square. I saw a lot of commotion as artists of great repute were dismayed at the pathetic conditions with no tools given to them to run the two day show, all this after the sponsors and the organizers had announced a big sum of more than 50 lakhs of rupees sanctioned to hold various cultural, performing arts and other mediums to promote the heritage to the youth. As usual the reporter assigned did not come to the spot on time and missed the whole action of a French artist who was very cheesed off with the person who invited him for the event.
The story was later narrated to the reporter who had come after a 5 hour long delay when everything was sorted out and the artists had started to work. Back in the office in (Bangalore Mirror) I narrated the whole incident to the Editor for which his reaction was ‘damn good story’, and summoned the reporter who was to cover the event and asked her what she saw in the event. The reporter’s reply was the show was great with no hic ups, to which the editor’s reaction was a pale look into the reporter’s face and asked me to narrate the whole incident of what I had seen and taken pictures them too. The reporter said that it was a small incident, to which the BM editor said you call this small, we invite a French artist and treat him in an utter shameful fashion when a whole load of money has been given to hold the event successfully. So finally it was decided that the reporter take my full version and adds inputs of the organizers reactions to the story to give a whole picture of the mud slinging in the annual ‘Bengaluru Habba’.

The Visual Arts Square at the Bangalore Habba got off to a colourful start on Sunday morning. The square, which showcased the talents of various artists, had many of them coming to Bangalore just for the occasion. But for one artist from France, the lack of proper arrangements at the event was just too much to handle, or even comprehend.
Fred Martin, an expert in making masks by way of putting an individual’s face into partially-wet plaster of paris, was in for rude shock when he landed at the venue. He alleged that despite his informing the organizers what his requirements were, nothing was organized properly and none of the material he needed could be found. As a result, he had to do everything himself.

To carry out his form of art – interactive installations – two primary things are required: plaster of paris and plywood frame. “The material should be at least 18 cm deep so that someone’s face can be put into it. The frame is required to hold the wet plaster of paris, keeping it within its very boundaries. But instead of the plywood frame, what they got me was a bamboo log from Bamboo Bazaar,” he added.
A lot of effort goes into preparing the material for the masks, he said. The plaster of paris is mixed with water, after which the artist has to make it soft by walking all over it-a really time-taking process. “I have not had my food since morning. Maybe I’ll get time to eat once I finish the clay work,” a visibly –upset Fred said at 3 pm. In the absence of the frames to carry out his work, he was down on his knees cutting the frames himself.

“I wanted plywood frames but you brought bamboo logs. Okay, I will manage with the bamboo log, but one is just not enough to set up the whole frame!” Fred could be heard saying angrily to the event managers around him.
“I informed them about my requirements the very day they approached me. All the material should have been here by 11:00 am. But nothing is in form yet,” he said, adding, “I bought six plaster of paris bags all by myself.”

‘NOBIG DEAL’

“It was starting problem… but now everything is under control. This event is a collective effort of the organizers as well as the artists. While other artists started working from last evening, Fred came only this morning… and so there were a few setting-up problems. But everything is fine now,” event coordinator Meena Vari said, when asked to comment on the matter.

OTHERWISE, A TREAT FOR THE SENSES

The visual arts square event, being held as part of the BEngalooru Habba, began at the St George’s Square (Minsk Square), Cubbon Park, on Sunday. Organized in association with the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, it is slated to go on till December 6.
The visual art square is a platform for artists presenting contemporary as well as innovative art forms. Posing a treat for the senses are an exiting and diverse array of interactive art stalls, showcasing unique forms of artwork by various forms of artwork by various artists. Some premier art institutions from the city, such as Chitrakala Parishat and Ken School of Art, are supporting the event.
Offering a wide range of art activities for people from all age groups, the interactive art stalls features tile & mask making techniques with Dwarka Nath of Rangayana, Mysore; recycled materials art with Amaresh; clay collaborative installations with Kiran Sahi and Roshan Sahi; paper art with Stephen from Vistar; live paintings with Satish and Rizwan; live animation with Lyos Roberts; Nature Speaks with Smitha Cariappa and on-th-spot portraits by art students. There are two art installations- creative accomplishments of the students of Srishti, and visual artists Ravindra Gutta and Jehangir Jani.

SWIM MEET

The Habba Swim meet was organized by ace swimmer Nisha Millet and the Indian Swimming Foundation at Bowring Institute, for participantsaged between seven and 16, on Sunday.
A number of sports celebraties such as Pankaj Advani, Ashish Ballal, Ashwini Nachappa, Shika Tandon, Rehan Poncha and Vimal Kumar, who have craved a niche for themselves at a young age, were present on the occasion.

Meet the cops'presiding deity

This story was done with the crime reporter S M Shashi Prasad, during my stint with the Bangalore Mirror in 2007-08. We both were covering a routine media briefing by the Bangalore city police commissioner, when I noticed that a large number of policemen gathered outside a small makeshift room next to the file room at the commissionarate. I quickly got all the details myself and left the spot since I had to hurry inside for the media briefing. By the time the briefing was over the place where I had been earlier was also empty. I quickly briefed the reporter about the news and he agreed to get some official quotes for the story and we went ahead with the joint credit the next day.

A 50-year-old temple in police commissionerate premises shifted to new spot.

Old-timers in the city police commissioner's office (COP) narrate a tale of how a gardener unearthed an idol while digging in the premises around 50 years ago. He build a small temple at the spot after providential intervention - God appeared in his dream and mooted the idea!

Thus came up the Sri Muneshwara temple, which superstitious cops believe guards the main building. However, it was never maintained and was cleaned only during the rare poojas organized by the cops or the public. But matters changed when Seetharam Shastri, who took charge as reserve police head constable in the late 80's, decided to give the temple a makeover. "I cleaned up the temple surroundings which was littered with dead leaves. Since the past 19 years, it's my routine to perform pooja every morning and evening," said Shastri, now an RSI (reserve sub-inspector).

With the old commissionerate building giving way to a new one, the idol was relocated to a new spot in the COP premises on Wednesday. Though the engineers had promised to retain the temple at the existing spot, it had to be shifted due top some technical problem.
Around 40 families living in India and abroad visit the Muneshwara temple annually. "They visit the deity when they either buy a new vechicle or before marrige functions or when their children bag a good job," said Shastri.
Shastri uses the funds donated to maintain the temple. 'It's commendable that men in kahkhi are keeping alive such rel;igious traditions," said M K Veeresh, a frequent visitor to this temple.
The canteen in the COP supplies free prasad every Saturday when a special pooja is conducted.

WHEN PRAYERS BORE FRUIT

* A police officer in the rank of sub-inspector once prayed to the deity for his marriage to materialise. Presto! Within a month, he tied the knot.
* An unemployeed youth prayed to the deity for a job in the police department. His prayers were answered. After a long career, he retired as an SI. he visits the temple every year in gratitute.

9999 once in Thousand years

This picture was taken at home after my wife read in a Tamil newspaper that once in a thousand years one will get to see the 9th minute in the 9th hour on the 9th day, of the 9th month, in the 9th year of this century. Well I for one on the 9th day of the 9th month waited for the clock to tick the 9th minute on the 9th hour. It is not a great picture. But the Moment is timeless and will remain for another thousand years till someone updates this bog a thousand years from now.

Go electric!

This story was written over a week’s time since I needed some pictures to co-relate with content. The theme of the story was very simple; when the present UPA government was busy hiking the oil and petrol prices by hefty margins I noticed a sudden spurge of e-bikes on the streets. This led me to a discussion with my BM Editor, and then we decided that we will run a story on the environmental aspect of the e-bike.

A battery-powered bike for the daily commute and a Nano for the weekend family outing. Is it the beginning of the end of two-wheelers as we know it?
It’s a combo the middle class will just not be able to resist: A Nano for the weekend family outing and an E-bike or E-scooter for the office commute. Call it collateral benefits, for prior to the launch of the world’s cheapest car, the conventional 100cc bike reigned supreme and even the concept of an alternatively powered two-wheeler provoked a smirk.
All that has changed following the Nano launch. But hold on, first a brief priemer for the uninitiated: An E-bike or E-scooter of high tensil steel –MIG welded Fork, with a heavy duty shock absorber and a hub motor with 240V BLDC geared drive. It can go at a speed of 25 kilometers with top speed of 45 kilometers per hour.
As those who have tried it on vouch, you get the feel of a real two-wheeler while also driving the very real advantages of a vehicle that is noise-free, free of exhaust and generally non-cumbersome. And finally, the real incentive is the price, which is Rs 15,000 – 20,000 for a basic model and up to Rs 28,000 for a enhanced one.
When we spoke to various middle class families who are current bowners of two wheelers, most of them were genuinely enthused about how a Nano and a E-bike would markedly improve the quality of their lives.

Sanjay Chanappa, who is into corporate merchandising, owns an E-bike and he vouches for its quality and ease of handling. “After 18 years of using a conventional bike, I took a risk and bought this one. Well, it has, in fact, gone beyond my expectations. It’s maneuverability is superb. Once I charge it I easily get upto 55-60 km which is fine inside a city. As for pillion riding, you can always accommodate one person, provided he or she is not grossly overweight,” he explained. “I opted for this bike because ultimately it’s economical and hassle free- no cops can stop me anymore, no spewing of exhaust fumes to the chagrin of those right behind me,” he added.
There is this Madhavan family. They had an emphatic and simple view about their new acquisition: “We will get rid of the two wheeler which we own at present, and go for the Nano for the weekend use of our family and the E-bike for daily office use.”
Arul Dass, another employee with a private company, said that the E-bike would decrease air pollution in Garden City. Vasanthi, an employee with the Central Government, explained that since he husband was unable to work, she would surely go in for the Nano and the E-Bike. As to what she would do with her TVS scooty, she replied that she would sell it off at the earliest at whatever good rate she got.
Mohan Kumar, an accounts officer, who ahs been using a two-wheeler for more than 30 years, said that he would purchase an E-bike first and the follow it up with a Nano. Why E-bike first? “My work is on the desk, I will need to travel only home to work and back. But the Nano will be used for our family weekends,” he said.
“The E-bike and the E-scooter sales have started to go up since the past two months,” said R Rajagopal, an owner and authorized stockist of various E-bike and E-scooters in the city. He also added that most of the E-bikes and E-scooters are being purchased by the youth and that it was an encouraging trend. “There is a huge number of enquiries every day but actual sales have to yet reach a significant level. The current price factor could be one constraint,” he explained.
Seven types of E-bikes and E-scooters are in the market and various two wheeler companies have entered this potential market for Gen-X. Various companies like TVS, Hero and Atlas have already started to flood the market with these E-bikes.

Some of the E-bike retail shop owners say that the vehicles are environment-friendly and gearless. What is more, you don’t need a driving licence. For safety, reflectors are provided in the front and rear, in addition to the bright headlight and an effective barking system. The motor power is cut off when both front and rear brakes are applied.
The design of the E-bike is simple and free of clutter. The bike can be used in three modes. You can use pedals-only, electric-only or ‘both’ to suit your riding comfort as well as journey requirement.
Speed is controlled using the throttle on your right hand grip. While climbing slopes or negotiating head winds, a combination of pedal and electric power is ideal.
Switches that control the horn button, front indicators and headlights are provided besides the left-hand grip of the handlebar.

CHARGE AWAY

*Lift saddle away from the back by pressing the release lever. Unlock the battery box by turning the key anti-clockwise (keyhole is located close to the seat tube). Disconnect and pull out battery box.
*Insert battery box and connect lock by turning the key clock-wise. Pull out the key.
*Put the charge plug into the charging point. Switch on power (220V AC). A red lamp lights up to indicate that the battery is charging. Flashing green lamp shows 1-2 hours more is needed to fully charge the battery. Remove the plug from the battery box socket when green lamp stops flashing and becomes steady.

DOS AND DON’TS

*Friction parts like the BB Axle, head fittings, chain and front hub may require occasional lubrication. For best results, it is advisable to take the E-bike to a service technician for cleaning and greasing at least once every six months, especially during the monsoon.
*It is important to fully understand the functioning of the E-bikes before your first ride. If you allow the bike to be used by someone else, please ensure that the user is familiar with the instructions in the manual.
*Should there be any fault in the electric system, it is best to take it to your authorized dealer for repair. Do not attempt to disassemble the bike on your own.
*Keep the tyers inflated to correct pressure for safety and comfort.
*While riding keep a safe distance between yourself and the vehicle ahead of you, wet road conditions may require longer braking distance.
*When parking, make sure the battery switch is turned off and the E-bike is in an up-right position.
*Never attempt reverse pedaling while waiting at traffic lights or similar situations in idle position.
*The battery should be fully charged before you take the first ride on your new E-bike.
*If your E-bike is not in regular use, the battery needs to be charged at least once a month to keep it ready and live.
*When accelerating, turn throttle gradually to pick up smoothly and protect the battery.
Keep the charger and battery pack away from water while charging. The chargers is intended for indoor use only.

World’s longest towel in Silicon City

To catch a view of the world’s longest towel, head to Magrath Road in the city where it is it was on display at a home furnishing store till December 31, 200.
The terry towel, which is 100 per cent cotton, has entered the Limca Book of Records for its unique features. It is a staggering 419 meters long, 9 feet wide, and weighs 500 Kilograms.

This towel can scale the Qutab Minar aound five and a half times and is woven with the colours of the Indian tricolour, said Dipali Goenka, director of Welspun Retail Ltd. The towel’s thread count (carded) is 550 GSM.
The towel will also be displayed in Delhi during the Republic day celebrations in 2008. it has been made by tectile maker Welspun Retail Ltd.

Pujaris wash temple after suicide

This story was done after I had got all the necessary material after visiting the spot for which the reporter could share a joint byline without budging himself from the environs of the office. In today’s newspaper journalism in India as taken a specific beating with most of the so called graduates in Mass Communication wriggling their way out from a story which requires field work. They prefer doing the desk job by getting the raw material or the full story from the net and worse still claiming that they have broken the story. One classic case was in Bangalore Mirror. This reporter who had given a story and since I surf the net for news had read about the same story. So I politely asked him as to how he got this story, he replied that he had broken it after two weeks of lobbying with his source. When I told him about the same story with two weeks before date line on the net, he quickly replied that he is the one who gave the story to them. ‘Funny’ I thought but he went on to add that half the material one gets to see on ‘Wikipedia’ was written by him. That was the pits of ‘lying’ and that too unashamedly. Well if you have reporters who are passing out with a genuine attitude problem of going to the field to do reportage, on the other hand you have editors who acknowledge this, but do not take any corrective steps. At this rate I fear that the near future for field reportage will no longer exists, and the ‘readers’ will be supplied with cooked up vegetables rather than street side chopped masala which he had missed on the News Television channels. I for one have given hundreds of my stories to such reporters who have no insight on the subject but yet claim that they do have.
Anyway here is the story which I was asked by my Editor in BM to share with a crime beat reporter.
Like this temple being washed away with the sinful sorrow of a suicide which happened within it’s premises, Newspaper Journalism too needs a few bold Editors who will take a corrective step on the daily reportage to keep the pitiful readers with on field reportage rather than desk top reportage.

Volunteers perform cleansing rituals through the day, keeping thousands of devotees waiting for darshan at Ulsoor’s Someshwara temple.

Thousands of eager devotees were shut out of the historical Someshwara temple in Ulsoor on Friday. They were greeted by a short notice that read: No darshan till 5 pm, inside, 15 devotees were hard at work cleansing the premises after a shocking suicide had sullied it that morning.
An unidentified man, aged around 60 years, killed himself, in a room inside the Someshwara Temple. He was found hanging in the room where the chariot bof the Lord is kept. It is believed that the unidentified man sneaked into the temple in the morning when the watchman had gone to wash his face leaving the main door open.
The incident came to light later in the morning. Interestingly, temple volunteers did not bother to wait for the temple management to act. They ‘cleansed’ the premises with water and performed homas and havans under the priest’s guidance throughout the day.
Devotees who visited the temple were shut out till 5 pm.

The Someshwara temple, a historical place receives at least 3,000 devotees every day; the figures exceed 4,000 on Mondays and Fridays.
Murgaraj, a security guard at the temple, was the first to see the body. “I opened the temple’s door at 4.45 am and was shocked to see somebody hanging. I immediately called the local police. They came and found a piece of bun and Rs 40 from the victim.”
The police are tracing the identity of the person. They are yet to find out the reason behind his extreme step and importantly, why he chose the temple premises for his last act. The body has been shifted to Bowring hospital, police said. A local resident and a volunteer at the temple, Vijay Kumar, told Bangalore Mirror that the temple was closed for devotees as the cleansing process was on till 4.30 pm. Nine different homas were performed were performed to remove the ‘impure air’ created by the suicide.
Confusion prevailed among devotees who were surprised to find the entry was bared till evening. A large number of devotees gathered in the evening to take part in the final homa and perform the pooja. “This is the first time something like this has happened. We pray for the departed soul’s peace,” a devotee said.

Now say it in neon upper case

This story on election materials was done during my stint with the Bangalore Mirror in 2008. As I used to pass this whole sale election material shop on a daily routine on way to office and home, I had decided when the elections days closes in I would do the story. The story was published in the BM pages on January 5th, 2008.

Elections normally mean so much white noise, festoons, banners and posters, much of it in such garish colours. It is not only so much gibberish but creates a whole lot of garbage as well. Imagine then, an Indian election with no garbage.

If Jeswanth and Bharat Jain have their way, Indian elections could look very different in the near future. As dealers in wholesale election material, they dream of doing away with the litter that is the inevitable aftermath of a political meeting or rally in our city.
“I saw the lights on Brigade Road during Deepawali and I was inspired to do something like that for our elections as well. After all, elections are festivals of democracy and why not light up the festival?” says Jeswanth, a 35 year old second generation entrepreneur who has taken over his father’s election material business.

Flashing neon t-shirts and projection pens are two of the innovative products they plan to bring out in the forthcoming elections. With some R&D and a few trips to China to buy the relevant technology, they are getting set to change the concept of election propaganda material. “The challenge is to make these products affordable. This is possible only with mass production” says Bharat Jain, who runs the business with his brother jeswanth.
“We cannot focus on local candidates, as this will make mass production impossible. We will therefore focus on national candidates and party leaders. This will make it cost-effective and the product will be useful all over the country,” he adds. Hence, you can expect more of Sonia, Rahul, Mayawati, Advani and Vajpayee.

The Neon sign boards in the R&D stage (above left) the pen illumination (above right) Jeshwanth Jain (left) and some of the party t-shirts (above) .

The flashing neon t-shirts come with a small battery pack and were inspired by neon boards, which are commonly used for advertising these days. As the products are still in the R&D stage, the pricing has not yet been decided, they said. However, we will try to make the material the cheapest possible because we are aware of the Election Commission’s 10 percent cap on election material related expenses.
“The most common complaint from the common man is the fact that the election material maker our cities dirty. So we have to come up with ideas that do not need cleaning up. Instead of posters, banners and flyers, let’s use t-shirts and pens!” With flex banners, the use of paper posters has come down, with these t-shirts and pens, it will come down further.
About the EC, the brothers have plenty to say. “The EC’s mandate, “says Jeswanth, “is eating into the livelihood of a lot of small manufacturers. With the strict enforcement of the law, it is not the candidates who suffer, but the small people who form the chain of the election material production.”
The lady at the tailoring machine, the packers, the auto-drivers who transportsit, the people who put up the hoardings … it is a long process and affords livelihood to innumerable people. These are the people who will suffer if the cap on the election material expenses is enforced strictly, he says.
‘With election material, the voter gets to know who the candidate is, and what his symbol is. So election material is critical to the democratic process. We outsource our production to many NGO’s where women and poor people work. So the EC’s directive hits them hard. If 10 lags are put on a car, it only costs Rs 100. But the media and EC, make us the villains. For just Rs 10,000, we can make every village look festive. Election material is not really expensive,” he said.
Also, the EC’s directive, leads to inadvertent consequences like increasing invisible expenses like free liquor, trucking in people, etc. the EC should take note of this, Jeswanth contends.

IS THIS REALLY TRUE?

We decided to check with Abdul Jabbar of the Bhopal Gas Peedith Mahaila Udyog Sanghatan, and this is what he says: “Soon after the Bhopal gas tragedy, we took up the work of producing election material, and the survivors were very happy. However, for the last two elections, our workload has gone down. This has hit us badly.”

Jewel of the jail

This was an exclusive one on one with the Inspector General of police Kiran Bedi during her stint at Tihar Jail as DG Prisons in Delhi. This interview turned out to be one hell of a luck since soon after my chat the next day she got a call from the Ramon Magsaysay Jury that she has been selected to receive the award by the end of the week. In all since she would be busy and have no time for interviews for other newspaper journos, who wanted to after the award announcement, was out of the question, till she got back from Philippines. So this chat for than three hours with her proved a plus for Deccan Herald and me. I was asked by the Sunday Herald's than editor that I write every single word I spoke to her since they were going to give me a full page with the Tihar jail story. This brightened my eyes and ears and I sat for two days in the Deccan Herald, New Delhi Bureau office, ensuring that I recollect every little aspect of my interaction with her.

The year 1984 seems to be a blessing in disguise for the Indian women. Shortly after the New Year revelry came the creaming; with the crowning of Sushmita Sen, as the queen of the universe. Now in the middle of the year is the icing of Asia’s most prestigious award, Ramon Magsaysay, in community services bestowed upon Kiran Bedi, Inspector –General of Delhi Prisons.
Kiran is the second of four girls born to a businessman from Amritsar. Her ancestors had fled to India from Peshawar during the partition. Born on June 9, 1949, she took to tennis at the age of nine when she was at Sacred Heart’s Convent High School. At that age itself she was taught to be independent by her father, an hard taskmaster. She completed Government College and an MA in Political Science. After her selection in the Indian Police Service, she did a course in law and a doctorate in narcotics.
It has been a long climb and no sweat lost. Attempting the Everest was not an easy task as she had to fight off the eagle eyed forces and also maintain her good PR with the press. The short-haired Punjabi lady with an ever helpful eye has always attracted controversies. In 1980, during an Akali demonstration which turned violent, she led the police force from the front brandishing her baton against the armed hordes. It did embarrass her senior officers bust was a dose of muscle in the arms of the front line cadres.
And as chief of traffic police, later, she was called ‘crane Bedi’ because she used cranes to two away offending vehicles. Earlier, as a daring officer she had killed a boy while firing at a fleeing gang of dacoits. This brought political vendetta, just like a medical college seat for her daughter from the Mizoram quota, where she had been posted. She had also faced the wrath of lawyers when one of them was handcuffed on her instructions.

The human in Kiran Bedi is evident as she goes about reforming convicts rather than negate them. While in the narcotics bureau she set up a watch squad along with neighboring countries to check drug trafficking. Asked about her reactions to the award, she replied, “I am thrilled … grateful. It is God’s grace.” It also saddens me because it was a massive combined effort, and the award is for me alone, she added. “Therefore now, I realize my responsibility is even greater … and am a ‘trustee’ who has to do more than before.
The joy on Kiran Bedi’s face was seen as she entered the jail, greeted by the inmates’ innocent eyes and their clapping of hands, accompanied by the beats of drums and melodious songs. She waves back to the inmates like a child would do after getting the ice cream for which she worked hard and joins them in the jig of bhangra added with a spice disco. “The award is for you all,” she screams as she picks up a child who welcomed her with a garland, and jumps in joy known only to her.
Being a woman or the second sex does not matter to her as she was always treated as a beta- a child- by her parents. “I must be the only woman heading a prison of this magnitude, and I am grateful to this community for this award,” she said. If not for the backing of my family I would not have even reached half of what I have achieved so far.
When her mother was contacted for her reaction, she said, “This is a victory for the Indian women and not for my daughter alone. I am proud to be her mother and as always honesty and hard work pays. I often visit Tihar ashram and not the jail. The last time I had been there was when a yagna was being performed in which Kiran sat in the hot sun for three or more hours and went through the rituals. Looking at than my eyes, without my being conscious, welled with tears.”
Kiran’s father, who is the main source of encouragement to her, pointed out, “I had worked for 50 years for this day. I have no son but my daughter has given me the pleasure of seeing to it all my dreams come true. The sky is the limit for the Indian woman.” Asked how she grew up he replied, “I have punished her so many times by making her stand in the sun for hours, and I think this hard effort has to be awarded at last. I would have been surprised if she had not got it.”
The most feared inmate of Tihar ashram, Charles Shobraj, commented that ‘It’s great, she worked hard for this. She deserved it and she’s got it.”
For the super cop it is a lot of money to handle now because the award also carries a cash prize of $ 50,000. “I have never worked for money all these years, and now suddenly I get so much I don’t know what to do with it. I think it will be channelised to help the needy.” Another six months to go for this year, and many more things to happen, the Indians will have to wait and see if more women from a country which has always treated women as second rate will spring up surprises. As one would say, only time will tell, not for the awards but for men to treat women as equals.

Freedom in the fortress

This story of Delhi’s Tihar jail in my 2 decades of photojournalist career is the longest ever written. Another great thing about this story is since I had already interviewed Kiran Bedi a week before this story could appear had received the Ramon Magsaysay award for community service. So in a way this story was a double whammy for Deccan Herald as well as me, since Kiran Bedi was to arrive later and every newspaper was going to miss the story and her interview. Lady luck they say, well and truly this Lady Kiran Bedi’s luck was to be showered on me. This story got full page display with pictures on the Sunday Herald edition, on July 24, 1994.

Delhi’s Tihar Jail, where nearly 9,000 offenders are lodged, has been an educational experience for its diverse inmates. S Shiv Kumar spends sometime in the jail-cum-ashram and talks to the force behind the changes, Inspector General of Prisons Kiran Bedi, who won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for community service earlier this month.

On the outskirts of the capital is a small colony with huge walls, which are heavily –guarded. The inmates of this modern-day fortress are people from all parts of the world, from different religious back-grounds, herded together for a single reason: crime. Tihar jail is also the current address of a notorious person –perhaps the world’s most dreaded criminal, who masterminded the ‘great escape’ or jailbreak less than a decade ago, in 1986. Charles Sobhraj –nicknamed he ‘Cobra’ for his cold-blooded murders of bikini-clad women –has since lived in relative quite in Tihar jail.
But Tihar is no mere jail, as the princess of dacoits, Phoolan Devi declared. A free bird now, Phoolan declared after serving a decade long sentence that she enjoyed her imprisonment. She also learnt to read and write in Hindi, while in jail. “Now, I am an educated women and an independent member of society.
The jail is surrounded by two huge walls, with machinegun totting police of the Tamil Nadu Special Group perched atop, their eagle eyes scanning all directions. The jail is made up of four independent prisons – the largest one as been trifurcated since the escape of the ‘Cobra’. Each prison houses between 1000 and 2700 inmates. The inner walls of the prison are revealing, marked by the sayings of Mahatma Gandhi and various religious leaders.
The cell in which Phoolan Devi had served her sentence has now been turned into a library, with a range of volumes including novels, sci-fi, even real life dramas. Shanti, in her early 30s, is the ward leader here. “Every year, a person is elected by his or her fellow inmates to maintain inter-discipline.” The leader, in turn, appoints a few trusted aides to “keep an eye on the trouble makers.” But, what happens if the leader indulges in trouble? Well, the individual is then stripped of the post, and a new person is appointed, she explains.
Shanti, who has already served five years behind bars, is full praise for Inspector-General of Prisons Kiran Bedi (who took over two years ago). “It’s only now that he inmates are being treated as human beings. She is not only trying to educate us, but also giving us a second life....”
Inmates at Tihar follow strict rules similar to the army regimen, laid down by senior inmates, elected or appointed to form a panchayat. These people are constantly in touch with senior officers of the jail. They allot various projects to different prisons and wards, such as library management, sports, yoga, and the literacy drive.
Between 9am and 11am on weekdays, lessons are compulsory for Tihar residents. Among languages, they can choose between Urdu, Punjabi, French, Italian, Arabic, English and Hindi.
A Nigerian in her late 20s, Mrs Glory, was spotted teaching a class, with a book in her hand. She was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic substances act in 1990. Glory, who teaches English, has for the past year been learning Italian and French during her leisure. Knowledge is important, she stresses. Once she is released, she plans to go to Europe and spend the rest of her life there. “If I know the basics first, life will be so much easier for me,” she adds.
At Tihar, inmates who give birth during imprisonment, or those who cannot live without their children, have nothing to worry about. All the women’s wards have a kindergarten attached, supervised by a teacher between 9am to 4pm. So the kids do not miss out on education, while remaining close to their parents.


Women Inmates at a daily class for learning Hindi and other subjects along with a recycling unit (top left), a male inmate learns French as a prison guard share a moment of fun with the kid of a inmate (top right), and the cell of Phoolan Devi, which is now converted into a Library (left).

Mrs Shrimati Papa, an inmate for three years, who recently gave birth to a daughter in her cell with the help of doctors from the prison clinic, said, “I thought that nobody would help me but the whole prison, including the prison staff, came forward to help me. They were seen rejoicing when I gave birth to Bharathi.” Pointing out to others, she says, “Without them, my daughter and I would not have lived to see this day.”
Bedi has taken a positive step by asking all Tihar inmates to apply for Open University programmes. About 2,000 of them have already applied; and 35 percent of them have passed at the very first attempt.
Deep Chand, in his late 40s, who has spend 13 years in Tihar so far, has passed the high school examinations and now applied for the university. “If not for the encouragement given to me by memsahib, I would not have given it a try,” he states.
Mrs. Sheila Abharam, in her late 30s, who passed the BA exam, is now learning computers. “With a diploma in my hand, I do not need to rely on my husband or other members of my family; I will be independent and self-sufficient.”
Tihar does not offer formal knowledge alone; it offer yoga and job work, too. One of its most popular courses in vipasana (a form of yoga); two months ago, more than 1,000 inmates participated when the discipline was taught. Now, the prison has vipasana training centre for the benefit of the inmates.
To a person not well versed in yoga, vipasana means nothing. Not so in the case of a inmate, who was born in London, brought up in Australia, and now lives in Hong Kong. “Well about this yoga is that it teaches a person to be patient, and to love everything that nature has to offer.” What does vipasana mean? It relates to when one lets the mind rest from all the happenings in the world, concentrating instead on a single leaf of a tree; that’s when one attains vipasana. “When I get out of these God-forsaken bars, I will go back to Hong Kong and set up a yoga centre – to help teenagers, hooked onto drugs, to take up this drug. Look at me now. Don’t I look fit? You want to know the reason why. Well, I am addicted to yoga; that’s why.”
‘No Smoking’ signboards are visible all around the premises. And the guards on duty follow their bidding religiously. When I spoke to a constable on duty, he said: “If I start smoking in front of the inmates, who are here to reform themselves, I will be tempting them, instead of helping them.”
The Tihar inmates are busy throughout the day, attending to tasks like making bread, converting waste into manure, and so on. The proceeds from these activities go to the prison welfare fund.
The inmates often use the huge library at their disposal, with constantly updated magazines and newspapers. “This helps the inmates to keep up with the outside world,” says Bedi. The library also contains legal books, to help the lawyers of the inmates to refer to material relevant to their cases.
The prison staff mingle with the inmate’s every evening, holding cricket, football or volleyball matches, which enable the inmates to take their minds off work and relax.
Mohammed Maqbal from Jammu and Kashmir, a TADA detainee, said of the prison” “I killed so many innocent people three years ago. But today, when the inmates show respect and love for me, it makes me feel bad for what I did before.” When he was arrested and send to Tihar, he assumed he would be treated badly by the police, only to find that he was wrong.
Tihar is unlikely to sop marching forward because there are still more surprises in store for its inmates. Bedi reveals that plans are afoot to get all prisons computerised, with the help of the National Information Centre. Besides, a cable network will soon enable inmates to get good entertainment.
I left after spending more than six hours inside Tihar, amidst quite and happy surroundings, where human beings are treated with respect. At the main entrance, on my way out, I happened to run into a passer-by, only to be rudely told: “Do you have no eyes?”
With a jolt, I was brought back to reality. I suddenly realised that I was outside the world of Tihar once more.

Rags to riches, thanks to Rajni

This story of a simple man who has grown idolizing his reel hero’s actions in various blockbuster films was very moving when I got to know of it. So I wanted to meet this man who has grown in financial status as well as social echelon. Though he kept growing he had not forgotten his past and his old friends, which he continues to hold even today.

Taking a cue from his boss’s role in the film Annamalai (1992) V Harsha, President of Rajni Fans club at the Airport Road in the city, has transformed his personal life to align with that of Sivaji (2007).
For Harsha, Rajni flicks are not just any movies. They have taught him many lessons and inspired his tremendously.
Before attaining his current status, Harsha walked the streets of the city as adoor-to-door beedi and cigarette salesman. But the movie Annamali changed his fate forever. Success came to him gradually as he followed the principals of his on-screen ‘guru’.
Says Harsha, “The demolishing of various structures, the mannerisms, his attitude towards the depressed class and willingness to serve the needy people have moved me. Since then, I have been following his reel life values in my real life too. Today, all of my friends are like Rajni’s friends. All my cars have the same numbers as that of Rajni’s cars. I have even named my daughter Aishwarya, which is also the name of Rajni’s daughter.”
Each of Rajni’s movies has pushed him up the ladder of success. “When Basha was released in January 1995, I bought a small two-wheeler. Later I bought myself an even better two-wheeler after the release of Muthu in December 1995.

After the release of Arunachalam in 1997, I bought my first car. Later, during the release of Padeyappa in 1999, I bought another car. Today, I own a fleet of six cars. Couple of years ago when Chandramukhi was released, I got a Scorpio and now with Sivaji I am buying a Skoda” exalts Harsha.
The regular release of his boss’ films has provided him with enough time to implement the values of his icon as depicted on screen. “Following those methods and principals I have earned well and reached my present position. Now this is the right time to pay the master who changed my life.”
So far Harsha has spent more than Rs 50 Lakh for publicizing Rajni’s films in the city. Harsha has spent around Rs 4 to 5 lakh on every film. For Sivaji alone, Harsha has spent more than Rs 7 lakh. Sivaji’s release as he claims is like his daughter’s wedding. His club plans to arrange free tickets for women and children. Besides, he has also promised to give away free multiplex tickets to auto drivers, plumbers and other daily wage workers. All theaters which screen Sivaji in the city will get free buntings and flags from Harsha’s club.