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Journalism of Courage
Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh’s pious ways are not exactly winning him popularity. When the CM went on a pilgrimage to two religious places in Maharashtra, devotees ended up stranded in queues for hours. At Shirdi, the temple was evacuated three hours before the CM’s visit. Shops were forced to close, while the traffic on a 30-km stretch of the Ahmednagar-Manmad road was blocked. When Deshmukh arrived, the angry devotees reportedly raised slogans. The CM made quick amends. He urged the devotees to enter the temple first and opted to use the other door.
Demolition Man to ‘stone ears’
Mumbai’s route to Shanghai—through shanty towns being pulled down at a furious pace—is meandering slightly. As the civic squads pulled down 30,000 of the targeted 44,000 illegal shanties in the first two weeks of demolitions, legislators with large slum colonies in their constituencies hotfooted it to the CM’s office. They had, after all, repeated ad nauseam the party manifesto’s promise to protect slums that had come up till 2000. But one restraining voice has come from unexpected quarters—Mumbai’s original Demolition Man G R Khairnar. It won’t work, he insists, because slums are a multi-crore industry involving collusion of officials at every civic ward office. But he has a strategy for demolitions: ‘‘A gangster’s illegal structure? Top priority. A minister’s encroachment? Top priority. A poor man’s home? Ignore as far as possible.’’
Twist in the tale
With less than three weeks to go for the annual Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan scheduled in Nashik, the organising committee is biting its nails wondering how to finance the gathering, the biggest annual conference of Marathi litterateurs. The event could cost Rs 1.17 crore; the panel has Rs 40 lakh. Offering membership of the reception committee at Rs 1,000 per head, the organisers expected 1,000 literary enthusiasts eager to rub shoulders with litterateurs to register. But they have got only 300 applications to date. So the committee will cut by half a planned booking of 1,500 hotel rooms for invitees in 18 hotels and demand discounts from hoteliers. About 350 local artistes have also been told not to expect honorarium for their cultural performances. No professional artistes will be signed up.
Woman power
If you thought only savvy urbanites can hold largescale exhibitions of art, craft and cuisine, there’s a surprise soon for Mumbaites through the ‘Mumbai Festival’ scheduled for sometime this month. The organisers are small-time entrepreneurs in the form of women’s self-help groups, many of them Below Poverty Line (BPL) or belonging to economically weaker sections. Thanks to a scheme under the Pune Divisional Commissionerate, five districts coming under it have around 65,000 odd such groups. With sophisticated packaging that adorn these products, they compete equally with other popular brands. No wonder, these products will soon decorate the 19 Sahakari Bhandars spread across Mumbai. As for the ‘Mumbai Festival’, the taste and culture of Maharashtra will be under roof so you can look out for the Goda masala (the omnipresent masala powder for Mahrashtrian dishes) or even the trendy Kolhapuri saaz (a traditional choker necklace).
