Ringside view

Free entertainment for downtrodden

THE Kankaria lakefront is being touted as the entertainment hub of the mega city. But,for whom? Well,certainly not for the common man. Their worries for buying sugar and pulses (owing to price rise) have elbowed out chancing of having fun and entertainment. The other day,a civic official was saying that very few people from slum areas visit the spot. To let the underprivileged enjoy the place,he has suggested that one day a week be reserved exclusively for slum residents,when they can enjoy the lakefront free of charge. He argues that only then will the city be justified in claiming that it cares for the downtrodden. The feasibility of the idea remains to be explored.

Faithfuls gamble,cops fumble

MILLIONS have been won and lost during the two days of Janmashtami celebration across the state,especially in the Kathiawad-Saurashtra regions,where people cling to the tradition of gambling in furtherance of Lord Krishna’s birthday celebration. Every year,the police come out with a notification about possible action against those found indulging in gambling activities. The notification is treated with as much seriousness as given to the paper on which it is brought out. But,when things match with our lifestyles,we conveniently adopt the tenets and traditions of the beliefs we follow. It becomes a matter of faith,knowing no legal binding.

Apnu Gujarati is the best

KHALIL Dhantejvi,a renowned writer,director,poet and film journalist,performed at the City Pulse in Gandhinagar. One rare quality about him is that he is a bilingual poet — writes in Gujarati as well as Urdu. This blend intoxicates the listeners who get the best of both languages in his expressions. An ambidextrous man,Dhantejvi — when showered with praises by the audience — said that both Urdu and Gujarati were close to his heart. The words came after someone pointed out that his expressions in Gujarati leaves a greater impact compared to Urdu.

Checkmated on legal turf

IT’S quite an established fact that most litigations in the Gujarat High Court,concerning the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA),happen to be part of the power tussle between Congress leader Narhari Amin and BJP leader Amit Shah. Now,since Amin has resigned from the post of GCA president,conceding defeat at the hands of the Amit Shah camp,certain litigations seem to be of ‘little worth’. Recently,this very fact was purportedly and light-heartedly pointed out by a High Court judge during the hearing of one such petition. Referring to a game of chess,the judge told the arguing lawyer that the situation is like when after a long ‘fight’,one of the two players realises that there is no point in continuing the game as he is left with only ‘bishops’ and ‘rooks’. ‘The king had died long ago!’ said the judge and broke into a laughter.

Divine medicine for swine flu

JUNAGADH: THE swine flu scare has gripped the entire nation,and the people in Junagadh,too seem highly ‘concerned’ about it. People are coming up with various kinds of ideas,from preventive measures to medication to other ways of fighting the virus. In one such concerned move on Saturday,students of the College of Agriculture Engineering and Technology organised a yagna on the Junagadh Agricultural University campus. They offered aahuti invoking the ‘God of Fire’ to incinerate the swine flu virus to ashes! Some passers-by,who although didn’t seem interested in offering prayers to Agnidev,did wish that the students succeeded in their attempt. They believe that the idea was not bad if the deadly virus could be controlled this way.

Of hair-raising ‘n turning young

VADODARA: GILOI is now a wonder herb! If some forest officials are to be believed,the herb happens to be the ultimate remedy for baldness! While the medicinal herb is already in great demand for its immunity-boosting effects,forest officials have more to cheer about. “It’s the Giloi effect,the old are becoming young. They’re getting new hair on their heads,” exclaimed a senior official of the Gujarat State Forest Development Corporation. Every official has his own experiences and tips about this medicinal herb. In fact,one such official described delightfully to one of the reporters,how his baldness has started disappearing within six months of having Giloi. “Hair has started reappearing on my head,” he exclaimed!

Different strokes to keep sanctity

The Ganesh Chaturthi revelry has now shifted its gaze from the regular depiction of the newsy events in the city. Some of the artists are more concerned about aesthetics in their works,rather than depicting terrorism or swine flu. One such artisan has made a 6-ft statue of Popeye,with Ganesha resting in his arms. . He says that it’s utterly foolish to depict what is reported on TV or in the newspapers. “What would happen to news reporters then?” he asks. Another artisan,who has tried to create Gandhi and Ganesha together,says: “I don’t need media bias to creep into my artwork. It is a sacred space and I do not want terrorists or swine flu to share this space along with my creations.”

‘Isolated’ question,really?