Nashik Diary

The water scarcity, which forced the centre to shut down for a week, was the greatest cause for concern, and doctors had to suspend all operations as the tubewell and borewell ran dry. Naturally, the 20-odd patients who are operated upon every Thursday as well as others who visit it for allied services, had to be turned back.

Things have since improved but it is a sorry comment on the quot;seriousnessquot; with which the country8217;s biggest problem is being tackled at the grassroot level.

Where8217;s the groom?

The history books tell the tale of Sant Ramdas fleeing his marriage pandal at the eleventh hour. But a certain gent who tried to emulate the saint precipitated a socio-economic andemotional crisis for everyone around.

When Ramdas Murlidhar Rahada arrived at his bride8217;s village, Nandgaon, from Dahegaon in Igatpuri taluka, for the big day, he developed cold feet and sneaked out just as the priest was ready for the rituals. The bride8217;s father, Raghunth Punja Pagere, was left dumbstruck. But after the sobbing subsided, someone came up with a bright idea 8212; of making the bridegroom8217;s younger brother fill his shoes. A dazed Ganpat hurriedly complied and the nuptials were performed. While it is still too early to tell whether the jinxed marriage will work, one thing8217;s certain8230; quot;Ramdasquot; has indeed lived up to his name!

Boo-hoo quot;bahuquot;

A minuscule omission in Sonia Gandhi8217;s itinerary during her visit to Nashik for the recent Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee convention has cost the exchequer dear and left a corporator fuming.

Congress corporator Rajendra Bagul had announced the unveiling of a statue of late prime minister Indira Gandhi at Shalimar Chowk which he wasinstrumental in renaming as Rastramata Indira Gandhi Chowk in 1996. When the grand occasion was nigh, Bagul and the party8217;s city unit president, Murlidhar Mane, were poised to ask Sonia to unveil the six-foot-tall bronze sculpture. There was only one problem 8212; their touching gesture was nowhere in Sonia8217;s itinerary. And the Special Protection Group was adamant.

The statue, swathed in cloth, still stands at the Chowk, waiting for the next VIP to arrive. But partymen have learnt a lesson: security overrules everything, even quot;saas-bahuquot; relations.

Head-on collision

When traditional methods of protest fail to draw attention, confront the opposition head on, as some Shiv Sainiks discovered recently.

After the Manohar Joshi government assumed power in 1995, Shiv Sainiks hoped the saffron alliance would finally concede their demand to bifurcate Nashik district by carving out a new Malegaon district. But the decades-old request fell on deaf ears and, horror of horrors, the government now plansto bifurcate Dhule district and create a new Nandurbar district, in effect axing the Malegaon cause altogether.

Angry at being ignored, the belligerent Sainiks have now decided to converge at Mantralaya and tonsure their heads in protest. The date is yet to be declared but the Sainiks have made up their mind to embarrass their party high command. Heads they win!

Two cheers for servility

Sycophancy is the hallmark of every political party but the Congress appears to be the trend-setter by far.

During the recent Congress convention here, party president Sonia Gandhi and Sharad Pawar were showered with praise by party workers, who were also careful to make passing references to deceased leaders. State Congress chief Ranjit Deshmukh was even heckled by the delegates when he forgot to mention Vasantdada Patil8217;s contribution to the state8217;s development.

Then there were others like Chhagan Bhujbal, who tried to create their own fan club by encouraging supporters to yell slogans in their favour. Asthe din settled and he began his speech, a roar of pro-Sonia chants went up, much to the amusement of his detractors.

Some of them erupted into a spontaneous giggle, which forced Bhujbal to abandon his oration. The convention is long since over and cutouts of various leaders lie abandoned at the Golf Club Grounds. But the giant-size pieces of cardboard tell their own story8230; about the stuff our political leaders are made of.