48 hours – three tragedies
In just a matter of 48 hours, three tragedies struck the state of Karnataka. Even before the state could come to terms with 30 people meeting their watery grave in Mandya after a bus fell into the canal on Saturday morning, the ‘Man of Mandya’ actor-turned politician Ambarish breathed his last on the very night. And even before his final rites are done, former union minister and senior Congress leader Jaffer Sharief has died.
The bus tragedy in Mandya is a result of human greed and selfishness. It should be called a self-created massacre, more than the tragedy. Because the bus that should have been in scarp yard was being run on the road, illegally by the greedy owners. Our Road Transport department, especially the corrupt officers who sit in cushy places in the department are responsible for the death of 30 people. The driver and conductor too are responsible as much. They were aware of the condition of the bus and yet they packed the vehicle with passengers. This crime is not small by any measure. This tragedy has exposed the state government’s responsibility in ensuring such incidents should never repeat.
Steps to clean up the RTO offices across the state and rid them off the middlemen should begin at the earliest. The transportation department had decided on installing CCTV cameras in all its offices some time ago. But that was never implemented. And the reason for this is more than evident. This goes to prove the middlemen mafia that is controlling the department. Chief Minister Kumaraswamy has wept in the open over the tragedy but these tears do not get the aggrieved any justice. The officers who aided the running of the bus that was to be junked, have to be found out and punished. Along with this, every office that has close links with the RTO needs to be controlled and kept under surveillance. The middlemen have to be eradicated. This way the tribute to those who lost their lives would be more meaningful.
Following this bus tragedy was the passing away of actor-turned-politician Ambarish. He had taken ill even when he was the minister. He had availed treatment abroad during his last bout. He died rather young. But his tryst with alcohol had pushed him closer to the alleys death. As an artist, Ambarish is unparalleled. And he could have achieved this feat even as a politician. But his lifestyle blocked this possibility. Ambarish had a very different personality in cinema industry.
He stood apart with his ‘rebel’ image at a time when Rajkumar and Vishnuvardhan ruled the roost. His film ‘Anta’ gave a new direction to Kannada film industry. Ranganayaki, Paduvaralli Pandavaru, Elu Suttina Kote and other films were loved by everyone and they left a very impressionable remark on general public. His ability to help people even at his own peril had earned him the name ‘Karna’. Though he was a superstar, he lived among people. Hence he was able to make that transition from cinema to politics.
Whatever he had achieved through his cinema, he could not tread that far in politics. Caste based politics had hurt his sensibilities. Though he took to streets for Cauvery issue, he slowly retreated into the background later. He began to hold his caste against his own accomplishments in Congress. He almost got down to blackmailing and turned into a very tricky issue for Congress that they couldn’t discard or accept within the party.
He could have used the political opportunity to carry the messages from farmers to the higher-ups in Delhi. If he had taken to streets for the sake of our farmers, he could have been another MGR. But he lost an opportunity owing to his indiscipline and callousness. The industry respected Ambarish quite a bit after the death of Rajkumar and Vishnuvardhan. He worked like a Supreme court whenever issues cropped up within the film industry. Now the industry is almost orphaned with no big names to lead them.
Jaffer Sharief is a statesman that the state saw. He died just few hours apart Ambarish’s death. He wasn’t too active in politics in the recent times. We need to look at his contribution in 70s-80s than judging him for whatever didn’t take place in our lifetime. As railway minister, his contribution to Karnataka is massive. He is remembered in gauge conversion, engine and wheels factory set up in Bengaluru. If the caste politics within congress had not affected him, he’d have been a chief minister of the state during his lifetime.
Eventually Sharief was sidelined for reasons known to his supporters and followers. He lived as a testimony between statesmen and good politics. Today there are enough and more allegations that Muslims do not want to allow statesmen-like persona within their own community. Hence, there is not a single person within Congress to make him the CM of the state. This is not an accident. That’s the major takeaway from Jaffer Sharief’s death.
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Junior Hockey World Cup: IndiGo crisis disrupts travel plans of players' families, fans
Chennai (PTI): For Kate, the dream was simple -- to watch her son Fahy Noah play for the Australian team in the Junior Hockey World Cup here and visit the Taj Mahal.
But her plans, like those of many others, have been upended by the operational crisis that has hit IndiGo, India's largest domestic airline.
"I am here for the first time and India is so kind and welcoming. We were hoping to see the Taj Mahal, but with the IndiGo problems, we are a bit scared now," Kate, who has come from Brisbane, told PTI outside the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium here.
"One family went on a rest day and got stuck overnight. I think we will have to cancel all our travel plans now, though seeing the Taj Mahal was on my bucket list for long," she said.
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This is the first time that 24 teams are participating in the Junior Hockey World Cup, being held in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 to December 10. For most players and their families, it is their maiden trip to India. Many NRIs have also flown in to support the Indian team.
However, the widespread flight delays and cancellations have thrown schedules into chaos. IndiGo cancelled thousands of flights last week, citing regulatory changes in the pilots' flight duty and regulations norms. This resulted in lakhs of passengers getting stuck at airports across the country.
Laura, who has come from Belgium with her entire family to support her son, said they are now travelling by road.
"We are happy to be here in this beautiful country. We went to Munnar and Madurai, and now we are planning to go to Puducherry and Mahabalipuram by road," she said.
"We had taken IndiGo flights earlier, but some other families who travelled on different days got stuck and somehow managed to come back by train. So we are not flying anywhere in India now. Road travel only and then back to Brussels next week," she said.
For 87-year-old Kenyan hockey legend Avtar Singh Sohal, a four-time Olympian and a lifelong supporter of Indian hockey, the crisis was particularly distressing. He spent 12 gruelling hours at the Chandigarh airport on December 4 before finally reaching Chennai just in time for the quarterfinals.
"Our IndiGo flight was delayed by 12 hours. We were at the airport from 7 am to 7 pm. They kept giving excuses -- the aircraft has not arrived, the pilot is not available. We had no idea what was actually happening," he said.
Accompanying Sohal was 85-year-old Tarlok Singh Mandair, a former treasurer of the English Hockey Association, who had flown in from London.
"It was a horrible experience. They kept changing the timings from 12 noon to 4 pm and we finally took off at 7:20 pm. They gave us sandwiches which were not even good," Mandair recalled.
"Our return flight is also on IndiGo, but now we are exploring other options," he said.
Jujhar Singh Plaha, 86, from London, who was on the same flight, said his excitement has turned into anxiety.
"We were so excited about this trip; hockey is our first love. But this (IndiGo crisis) spoiled our mood. Now we are worried about returning because at our age, we cannot travel long distances by train or road," he said.
Jason, the father of Australian player Roger Lachlan, has had an eventful trip to India so far -- beginning with the rain in Chennai triggered by Cyclone Ditwah.
"We are from Hobart -- home of Ricky Ponting and David Boon. We arrived after a cyclone, which caused heavy rain. Now the sun is out and we are enjoying ourselves," he said with a smile.
Jason, too, has shelved all further travel plans.
"No sightseeing now. We will just eat, swim and head back. I am loving masala dosa, masala tea and curries," he said.
Some fans from Bengaluru, who had booked their flight tickets months in advance, decided not to take a risk. They opted for refunds and drove down to Chennai on Sunday to catch the semifinal.
"With flight uncertainty and trains full, we drove down. We did not want to miss India in the semis," said Vinod Chinnappa, who drove for six hours to come here.
Even officials have not been spared by the flight disruptions.
Digvijay Singh, an official of the Hockey India League franchise, waited eight hours at the Patna airport to catch a flight to Chennai.
"I did not want to miss the India-Belgium quarterfinal, so I waited. I finished all episodes of (web series) Family Man at the lounge," he said.
"I had gone to Patna from Delhi for a meeting earlier in the day and then needed to connect to Chennai," Singh said.
With the World Cup set to wrap up in two days, uncertainty about people's plans to return home looms large.
With prices of alternative flights rising and train seats nearly impossible to find, fans, officials, families and journalists are monitoring travel apps as closely as match updates.
If the situation does not improve soon, returning home could be as challenging as winning matches on the field.
