Snapshots

Bungling BuddhaPerhaps it was the informal atmosphere that did it. But at a tea party during a State Government-sponsored film festival i...

Bungling Buddha
Perhaps it was the informal atmosphere that did it. But at a tea party during a State Government-sponsored film festival in Calcutta, West Bengal8217;s heir apparent Buddhadev Bhattacharya had said that running the police force wasn8217;t his cup of tea. 8220;I am more into art and culture,8221; said the Home Police Minister. 8220;This department was foisted on me.8221; Maybe he should have said it to Chief Minister Jyoti Basu because his handling of the Exide Industries Chairman8217;s abduction was less than exemplary.

Which is why Buddha, as he8217;s known to friends, was not his arrogant self at a press conference on April 7 where he admitted he had committed a faux pas by declaring the day before that the mystery over Satyabrata Ganguly8217;s disappearance would be solved in a few hours. Of course it wasn8217;t, and Buddha was there in front of the entire Calcutta media corps 8212; especially the regional papers, which have been relishing his misfortune 8212; eating humble pie. His voice faltering, Bhattacharyaactually apologised: 8220;I should have been more cautious when I told you that the picture would become clear in a few hours.8221;

Qatar-Crossed
One of the less serious sidelights to the DD strike was to be found in the Emir of Qatar8217;s visit last week. Apparently, the Emir is in power despite two coup attempts by his father, currently under house arrest. Now the Emir8217;s minister-in-waiting happened to be Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who was quite keen that the eminent visitor be covered prominently on the state network. Trouble was that the strike-hit DD didn8217;t have cameramen to spare. So the DD newsroom made do with a picture, which just happened to be that of the Emir8217;s father. Imagine the current Emir8217;s shock. Minions were dispatched to the External Affairs Ministry and the Qatar Embassy, to no avail. Finally, the Emir8217;s entourage obliged and a minor diplomatic kerfuffle was averted.

Jokes Apart
Whatever effect the current political crisis had,it at least ensured more than a full-house at Jairam Ramesh8217;s presentation on the economy to the Confederation of Indian Industry early last week. And though we aren8217;t casting any aspersions on the competence or credibility of the Congress Party8217;s Economic Affairs Secretary, as he himself joked, a large part had to do with people wanting to know if the government was falling or not.

8220;A lot of people came up to me to ask if Dr Kelkar,8221; Ramesh said, referring to the chief guest, Finance Secretary Vijay Kelkar, 8220;is the finance secretary of the outgoing government or that of the incoming one.8221; And then, warming to the topic of the day 8212; what the causes of the current slowdown were 8212; Ramesh pointed out that political uncertainty was usually associated with a slowdown in growth. 8220;I don8217;t know if that means we8217;ll see a change in government this year as well,8221; he quipped.

An Angry Bhai
Clearly, Pune-based businessman Shakil Rajabhai Sheikh doesn8217;t like Indipop. First, he filed a complaintagainst Remo Fernandes, lyricist Anand Bakshi, music directors Dilip Sen and Samir Sen, and Super Cassettes, alleging vulgarity in the title song of Aflatoon. Now, it is Jaaved Jaaferi who8217;s the target of his ire. And the reason is his chartbusting song, Mumbai-Mumbhai, from the movie Bombay Boys. Sheikh has sued Jaaferi, his co-lyricist Kiran Kotrial, and BMG Crescendo Vice-President Anil Prabhu for obscenity under Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code. Sheikh has pointed out seven words used in the song, including the one that comes at the end of the line abhi khatam nahin hua 8230;, which, he says, 8220;affect the minds of the people8221; and should not be heard in a family gathering or at a public function. What might worry the otherwise don8217;t-give-a-damn Jaaferi is that the offence is punishable with two years imprisonment.

Home For Good
Puneites have finally figured why mafioso-turned-politician Arun Gawli wants so much to move into their city: it8217;s because of Yerwada Jail where he was lodged duringmuch of his imprisonment. When Gawli was externed from Mumbai and Thane, he came down to the village of Wadgaon Paanchpir, claiming he would return soon to Mumbai 8212; he had told The Indian Express that he expected the Maharashtra Home Secretary to stay his externment orders and allow him to return home by March 1. But Gawli seems to have dropped all pretence at bluster now. Two months on, he8217;s making every effort to create a parallel base in Pune. To which end he spends most of his day meeting residents of neighbouring areas.