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.”