Tourist Attractions in Mysore

Tourist Attractions in Mysore

Mysore is the city located in the Karnataka state of India. The name Mysore is the anglicized name of the word ‘Mahishuru’ which means abode of Mahisha. Mahisha is the demon according to Hindu mythology. This city is located at the base of Chamundi Hills. The city of Mysore is famous for its celebrations and various festivities. The Dashara festival is famous all over the world and tourists all over the world attend it with full support and vigor. The city of Mysore is rated as the cleanest city in India after Mangalore.

Famous Tourist Attractions in Mysore City:

Chamundeshwari Temple:

It is the temple dedicated to Chamunda Devi. This temple is located on top of Chamundi Hills.

Mysore Zoo:

This zoo boasts of several migratory which visit this part of the world only at a certain time of year.

Regional Museum of Natural History:

This museum is dedicated on the plants and animals. Various studies and prototypes that were developed during the study are kept here. This museum also houses the ancient specimens of plants and animals.

Railway Museum:

This museum was started by Indian Railways in 1979.This city has a number of Locomotives and Steam Engines which depict the growth of Railways in India. The museum has a battery operated train which give is a short ride to people visiting the museum.

Transport Facilities in Mysore:

Mysore didn’t have any airport until Mandakalli Airport was started in the year 2009. It is now the only domestic airport of Mysore city.

Mysore railway station has three connections which connect it to the Bangalore, Hassan and Chamarajanagar.

The city is connected to rest of nation by the National Highways. NH-212 serves a connection of this city with various parts of Karnataka. Other main roads are National Highways 33 and 68.

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TWO FIRE BOMBERS AND NEW TECHNOLOGY TO BOOST VICTORIA’S FIREFIGHTING EFFORT

TWO FIRE BOMBERS AND NEW TECHNOLOGY TO BOOST VICTORIA’S FIREFIGHTING EFFORT

Two new faster and more flexible large fire retardants planes will be trialled as part of Victoria’s firefighting arsenal which will also be boosted by the use of night vision helicopter goggles and infrared imaging technology.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings today announced that the Victorian Government would invest million for two new Convair 580 fire retardants manufacturer bomber planes, a new Erikson Aircrane and four extra fixed-wing aircraft for the upcoming fire season.

The new aircraft will join Erikson Aircranes Elvis and Elsie and bring Victoria’s aerial firefighting arsenal to 48 with a further 170 aircraft on standby if required.

The trial of the two new fire retardants bombers will replace a trial last year of a Very Large Air Tanker (VLAT) following an assessment by the National Bushfire Co-Operative Research Centre that its use was less effective in Victorian firefighting terrain.

Mr Jennings said the new Convair fire retardants manufacturer bombers had the capacity to carry and drop 8000 litres of water or fire retardant and will be deployed at airfields around the state wherever needed to provide flexibility to firefighting efforts.

“We have made big changes to how we prepare for and fight fire retardants since the tragic Black Saturday and Gippsland fires, including investing over billion towards the firefighting and reconstruction effort,” Mr Jennings said.

“Our Government’s strong economic management means that our State Budget has the capacity to fund new measures as we undertake fundamental reforms to make our State as fire-safe and fire-ready as possible.

“These aircraft can refill very quickly, delivering rapid response which can significantly increase their impact during fire retardants manufacturer especially in the crucial early stages of an outbreak.

“The great advantage of these aircraft is the flexibility they provide in firefighting. They are proven first attack aircraft and can travel at fast speeds of up to 500km/h which means they can reach fire retardants anywhere in the state in about 30 minutes.

“Each Convair 580 bomber can carry 8000 litres of water or fire retardants manufacturer retardant and two of them can be used to fight fire retardants in tandem, which is a big advantage in tackling fires.

“In addition, our airfleet will receive the use of at least four more fixed wing aircraft which will be used for the faster detection of new fires and the observation of existing fires. Elvis and Elsie will be joined by a new Erikson Aircrane.”

Mr Jennings said the trial conducted by the Bushfire Cooperative Research Council (CRC) over the last fire season showed that the DC 10 VLAT was not suitable for Victorian conditions, in particular use around the urban interface.

“The VLAT Project Control Board considered the findings from the Bushfire CRC which found the aircraft would be less effective in suppressing Victorian bushfires and would not be suitable for use around the urban interface where the forest meets communities of relatively high populations,” Mr Jennings said.

“This was because the VLAT, which can carry more than 40 tonnes of water or retardant, was found to have the potential to cause serious injury should the load fall on a person. There was also the potential for the aircraft to destroy the property it was attempting to protect.

“The testing found that under even mild fire retardants weather conditions retardant lines put down by the VLAT did not provide a significant barrier to the spread of fires in grass or forest.

“It was also determined the aircraft was limited in its use in Victoria because it could only be based at Avalon airfield and could not land or take off at any regional airfield that might be closer to a fire retardants manufacturer.

“The findings were assessed in conjunction with a report by Deloitte which found the aircraft was a significantly higher cost option than other aircraft.”

“As a result the Bushfire CRC made specific recommendations to Government that the VLAT should not be commissioned.”

Mr Jennings said the funding would be used to upgrade Victoria’s aircraft dispatch system over the next four years to provide more rapid dispatch of aircraft around the state.

“The State Aircraft Unit will also trial a high tech intelligence platform, an ‘eye in the sky’ to transmit fire retardants data back to Incident Control Centres, providing faster and better real-time information on a fire’s progress,” he said.

“New airborne infrared cameras attached to a number of our helicopters will replace outdated equipment and allow pinpoint hotspot mapping and real time video streaming in difficult conditions, such as thick smoke.

“Up to 0,000 has been committed to continuing the development of night vision goggle operations this fire retardants manufacturer season. The trial which will assist firefighters to safely fly night missions and expand night-time planned burning.

“It is imperative that we continue to test the boundaries of aerial detection and suppression in order to make Victoria as fire retardants ready as we possibly can.”

The Convair 580s are expected to arrive in Victoria later this year and will be based at airports around Melbourne and throughout the state including Avalon, Mangalore, Sale and Mildura

KSRTC inducts Ten Mercedes Benz buses

KSRTC inducts Ten Mercedes Benz buses

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation has added 10 international standard Mercedes- Benz buses to its fleet and will deploy them on five long distance daily services including between Bangalore and Mysore.

The passengers, who are already enjoying the luxury of Volvo buses between Mysore and Bangalore, can now enjoy the Benz bus ride – four trips from Mysore and four trips from Bangalore (fare Rs. 260). Transport Minister R. Ashok flagged off two buses bound for Mysore in front of Vidhana Soudha this morning and said that the KSRTC will also run the Mercedes- Benz buses for its inter state schedules such as Tirupathi, Chennai and Hyderabad soon.

Keeping in to account the public demand the KSRTC would ply Mercedes-Benz buses to Gulbarga and Belgaum shortly. It has decided to run buses between Bangalore and Shimoga. Surprisingly, no new bus service is between Mangalore and Bangalore.

Noting the features of the Mercedes- Benz bus, he said that the Rs.68 lakh (Volvo bus cost Rs. 65 lakh) would ensure superior comfort. It has pleasing interior ambience, specially designed executive passenger seats with night lamps and LCD television screen.

The KSRTC has bagged several awards, including two international awards and six national awards. Even the Centre is considering the State Transport Corporation for its pilot projects on priority. The Government has decided to purchase more buses in the JNURM scheme of the centre, he said. It had problems in its Gulbarga and Hubli sectors and rectified them. Owing to its efforts the Gulbarga division, which incurring loss regularly, is now started making profits, he said.

Welcoming the gathering the Managing Director of the KSRTC Gaurav Gupta said that the drivers of Mercedes- Benz were specially trained at the Mercedes unit in Pune. The KSRTC registered a record of sorts on Tuesday (September14) by collecting a total of Rs. 20 crore altogether from all its daily services and made a record profit of Rs. 8.16 crore on a single day, he explained. The Secretary Department of Transport Shankaralinge Gowda and the Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes Benz India Wilfried Aulbur were present.

Timings for Mysore:

Mysore-Bangalore (Departure): 12.10 pm, 12.30 pm, 8.30 pm, 8.50 pm

Bangalore-Mysore (Departure): 7.40 am, 8.00 am, 5.10 pm, 5.30 pm.

Ensure Bright Future with Top Medical and Dental Colleges in India

Ensure Bright Future with Top Medical and Dental Colleges in India

Medical tourism is on the rise in India due to high quality healthcare services offered by its hospitals in affordable prices. Thousands of people from the United States and Europe come to India every year to get rid of their physical and mental ailments permanently. Therefore, pursuing a medical career can prove to be lucrative ensuring huge income and high social status for the entire life. The thriving healthcare industry is well supported by world-class medical education offered in the country. Top medical and dental colleges in India are on par with the best in the world. There are also many private institutions in addition to the government run institutes.

To ensure your child gets medical education of the highest standard, you have to choose a prestigious institute by searching for ranking of medical colleges in India. You can read reviews and rankings of various institutions from any magazine or online. Aspirants can go for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses like MBBS, BDS, MD, MDS and MS. The best institutions in the field of health care are known for their teaching, profound research and patient care services. Medical Council of India is responsible for examining and supervising institutes in the country.

If you’ll look at the ranking of medical institutes in India, you may explore names such as AIIMS, CMC-Vellore, AFMC in Pune, KMC in Manipal and Mangalore, JIPMER in Pondicherry, MAMC in Delhi, MMC in Chennai, AIMS in Kochi, St. Johns College in Bangalore and NMIMS University in Mumbai.

The number of private medical colleges in India has surpassed the government institutions in the recent years because of the mounting demand for careers in this sector. Their presence is now felt in big as well as small cities. These institutes provide all types of program to their students. For example, Bharati Vidyapeeth College in Pune offers MBBS, MD (anatomy, general medicine, pathology and physiology), MS (ENT and general surgery), and post graduate diplomas (obst. and gynecology and pediatrics). Similarly, CMC-Vellore is known for courses like MBBS, MD/MS, DM/MCh and diplomas. KMC in Manipal offers MSc in clinical embryology and yoga therapy in addition to MBBS, MD, MS and postgraduate diploma programs. Private medical colleges in India boast sophisticated facilities and equipments to give you a complete learning experience.    

Top dental colleges in India generally offer Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) and Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) courses. Various MDS programs can be pursued with specializations such as oral medicine, oral and Maxillo-facial surgery, periodontics, prosthodontics, orthodontics, oral pathology, oral medicine and radiology, and conservative dentistry and endodontics.  The list of best dental institutes comprises Army College in Secunderabad, Gitam College and Hospital in Vizag, SIDS in Guntur, SSCDS in Hyderabad, and Bharati Vidyapeeth Dental College and Hospital in Pune.
The healthcare industry is blessed with top-notch hospitals and clinics that have highly qualified doctors and paramedical staff. This has been possible due to the continuous supply of trained manpower by the aforesaid institutions in the country. The future of the industry seems to be bright as well.    

Enjoy & Experience Incredible India

Enjoy & Experience Incredible India

The word “Incredible” expresses the beauty that cannot be matched and have immense potential to captivate imagination and India –the land of diversity, religion and languages. When these two words combine together it indicates that “Incredible India” is a land with different culture, religions, colors, regions and traditions. India is the only country which is brightly colored with landscapes, majestic mountain ranges, golden beaches, magnificent historical architecture, rich cultures and festivities.

A tour to Incredible India cannot be complete without seeing the real heart and soul image of the beautiful country. The cities like Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Dalhousie, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Dehradun, Dharamshala, Bangalore, Nainital, Shimla, Kochin, Manali, Amritsar, Ranikhet, Mount Abu and Srinagar altogether shape the importance of northern parts of the country. These cities have a lot to give to the tourists. Ranikhet is famous for its majestic pine trees. These cities are rich with their spectacular architecture, aesthetic beauty, beautiful temples, monasteries, natural beauty, forests, waterfalls, simmering lakes, museums and forts, beautiful nature, ancient art, rich traditions and religious teachings. The greatness of India has been in accepting the best from all the new customs and styles.

The cities located in Himalayan region are known for summer retreat. These places are known for pleasant climate. Places like Dharamshala, shimla, Mussorie are famous for scenic beauty and awesome environment. India is also famous for colorful culture and eternal tradition. Tourists love to search the culture, traditions and history of entire India.

The diversity of land and culture also influences with the southern part of India. The cities like Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam, Kanyakumari, Tirupati, Ooty, Mangalore, Bangalore and Pondicherry are famous for architectural beauties that carry the essence of Portuguese architecture. However, these cities are mainly a combination of traditions and trends. Mysore is famous for colorful gardens, avenues and revered temples. Ooty is a famous hill station. It is known as the Queen of hill station in South India.

With the excellent opportunity of India Travel tourists experience the thrilling and exciting adventures with the panoramic beauty of high mountain peaks and sceneries of Himalayas. India is also preferred tourist destination among global adventure enthusiasts. Some of the adventures include mountaineering, river rafting, trekking etc in the Northern India. The fabulous beach of Goa also offers the luxurious holiday spots in the southern part of India. To explore all attractions of India tours you can select one of the suitable holiday packages and embark on the journey.

Joint problems don’t spare Young-Avail latest treatment solutions from MJRC

Joint problems don’t spare Young-Avail latest treatment solutions from MJRC

A few years ago, it was the common perception that joint problems were a problem of old age and young were spared. This is far from the truth today and in years to come. Orthopedic surgeons are seeing increasing numbers of young patients with end stage arthritis proceeding to Joint replacement. 

Take the case of thirty eight year old Radhika from Bangalore. Both her knees are worn out from osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis usually affects older people but young patients with certain risk factors, injury or a genetic pre disposition can get it much earlier.  She is going to require knee replacements soon.  Another example is Safia from Mangalore who at the age of forty five has already had bilateral Oxinium knee replacements done.  Her main contributory risk factor was obesity.

It is contextual to deliver this message today on the occasion of World Arthritis day says Dr.Venkatachalam an orthopedic surgeon from Chennai, India. Arthritis refers to any affection of a joint leading to swelling, pain, noise, and restriction of movements.  World arthritis day is commemorated each year on October 12th to raise awareness of joint problems. This year’s theme is “Let us work together”.

Conditions leading to end stage arthritis in the young are rheumatoid arthritis, post traumatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, post infective arthritis, hemophilic arthritis and osteoarthritis in the genetically prone young patient. The end result is a breakdown of articular cartilage, the natural shock absorber.

 Increasing incidence of joint problems amongst the young has led to a commiserate increase in demand for intervention as the young are not content with resting at home or taking medicines. This population of so called “baby boomers” wants to enjoy life to the hilt & be able to earn their living.

 Early diagnostic radiologic methods like MRI can pick up disease in its earlier phase. Laboratory diagnosis of ‘Rheumatoid arthritis a debilitating disease is also possible with blood tests.

Early diagnosis enables surgeons to offer newer methods of treatment and perhaps even nip the disease in its bud. Disease modifying drugs, stem cell therapy, advances in joint replacement are examples of advances.

Cartilage surgery is a method of biological treatment. Damaged articular cartilage is repaired or regenerated. Autologous chondrocyte implantation an established technique has been introduced in India in its latest technological advance. This fourth generation cartilage regeneration technique is invaluable for treating lesions in high demand patients like athletes.

Joint replacements also have got a boost in the last two years. Earlier Joint replacement had a survivorship of ten to fifteen years. A young patient in need of a Joint replacement was certain to need a revision surgery later on. This requirement is now mitigated with the availability of implants made of durable materials like Oxinium. Oxinium is a metal substrate with a ceramic coating. Oxinium knees & hip implants offer longevity, low friction and non allergenicity.

 

Madras Joint Replacement center is dedicated to restoring mobility & flexibility.

 

 

NDTV attempts to reconstruct the last moments of the Mangalore air crash by simulating the landing on a flight simulator.

Video Rating: 4 / 5

Taxi and Cab services in all majoar cities in India

Taxi and Cab services in all majoar cities in India

We have started our journey with daily hits between 3000-5000. This is excellent start. The credit no doubt goes to our friends and users who have helped in getting this website across to other people.

With our continued effort to improve this service, in the last few days, we have worked on-

1. Website respose time: Per the feedback we received from few users, we have made a serious effort in optimizing the speed of the website pages. We have got down the home page size 80% without any UI compromises! We hope that our users with slower internet connections can now get a faster and rich experience.

2. Incorrect fares: We did receive few emails and phone calls complaining that the fares calculated were incorrect or the distances shown were too large or locations are not correctly mapped. Except very few cases, most other cases where people had misspelled the name of a location or location name was incorrect/ incomplete. Please visit our guidelines and help tips for using this website.

3. New cities and more fares covered: We have covered Trivandrum Auto Fares, Trivandrum Taxi Fares, Delhi Hello Taxi Fares in thsi week, we aim to cover more in coming days.. Please feel free to reach us at taxiautofar@taxiautofare.com to include your city for Taxi fare or Auto fare. If you are a cab service, please feel free to contact us for additions.

4. Feedback is important: We were very happy to receive feedback from people about the website. All of them being positive with requests for more fares covering their cities. We also received few feature requests, which we promise will be delivered in coming days. We have created a dedicated feedback page to help you communicate with us. Our contact Email ID taxiautofare@taxiautofare.com

5. Taxi services in more cities: Searching for a list of cab operators in your city? Find the lists under ‘Supported Cities’. Taxi auto fare covers the following cities-
Ahmedabad taxi services, Amritsar taxi services, Bengaluru taxi services, Chandigarh taxi services, Coimbatore taxi services, Delhi taxi services, Hyderabad taxi services, Jaipur taxi services, Kolkata taxi services, Ludhiana taxi services, Mangalore taxi services, Mumbai taxi services, Nagpur taxi services, Pune taxi services, Trivandrum taxi services.

Do visit our “Taxi Reviews” section where we have started receiving reviews from our users. User reviews are always more valuable and more trustworthy that definitely help other users to select their taxi cab service. We invite you to share your reviews and experiences.

In the coming days, on this blog, we will be covering more on different Taxi Operators and Cab operators.

Thank you,
Team Taxi Auto Fare

Commercial Real Estate in and Around Bangalore

Commercial Real Estate in and Around Bangalore

Buying commercial real estate in Bangalore is one of the most sought-after options for those who intend to leverage the fruits of property boom in India led by its massive Information Technology (IT) sector.

Certainly, the southern state of Karnataka boasts of Bangalore as the IT capital of India, and the city has acclaimed a global stature for its massive software industry. The commercial office space in Bangalore gains strength with presence of software giants like Infosys, Wipro and Satyam that have earned an impeccable recognition for this metropolitan all across the world.

Nevertheless, the saga does not end here as the fire has started spreading to its extensions like the Greater Bangalore and even the sister cities Mangalore and Mysore have caught the attention of investors and end users alike.

Meanwhile, as per industry reports, the cyber city added 1.2 million sq. ft of Grade A office space to its commercial real estate segment, in the first quarter of 2007. As far as the new projects are concerned, most of the movements in commercial property segment are concentrated at Bannerghatta Road and Outer Ring Road (ORR), in the city.

The Central Business district (CBD) of MG Road is packed with no fresh supplies in the offing and the vacancy rates here are also near zero levels. This is why the emerging real estate markets of Greater Bangalore, Mangalore and Mysore would continue surging up.

Also, Bangalore reels under pressures of jamming roads, shirking power supply and choking drainage systems due to its ever-increasing population. In this case, real estate in Greater Bangalore is slated to escalate as many big companies are reportedly annoyed of the emerging scenario.

Meanwhile, pointers of real estate are quite evident in Greater Bangalore. As a matter of fact, land prices at areas like Hormavu have jumped up by an unbelievable rate of 900 per cent in the past 3-years.

A suit of infrastructure projects have also been lined up for Greater Bangalore at an estimated cost anywhere from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 crore, and the township promises pleasant times in the long term.

For more details on Bangalore Properties, log on to magicbricks.com

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India: The Great Import Export Country In South Asia

India: The Great Import Export Country In South Asia

Big Export Import Nation in Asia

India might not be the rich nation, but it has a broad range of merchandise when it comes to export import trade. You will have no troubles in locating an overseas shipping firm to go the distance for you, and it would not cost you anything to submit obligation free queries with most of them.

Prior to assigning your preferred international shipping firm with the responsibility of transporting your products to India, here are few common essentials and facts that you should be aware of.

India supports global trade and welcomes people to import items into the country. The items must meet up a definite level of standards with regards to customs rules, successfully passing through labeling and quarantine requests.

Packaging:

·  Your international shipping firm can do this for you. This will be an additional expenditure, but consider of it as peace of mind that the job has been done appropriately.

·  Tag your packages or shipment clearly with all forwarding particulars, terms of the contents and clear information of your destination and shipping agent.

Customs quarantine and procedures:

·  Some personal belongings and house hold goods being transported into the nation might be subject to a quarantine inspection. Products of particular interest mainly related with vegetation or earth.

·  Although it might not stop you back at all, you should permit for up to a 14 day wait until the customs officers are sure that your items are fit for way in.

·  Few products are banned such as items made from animals on the rare species list. It is significant to verify these bans with either your global shipping firm or the Indian customs representatives

· Taxes, Duty as well as documentation mandatory, vary according to what you are transporting into the country. Some goods are duty free.

Ports of entry:

There are a various ports in India having vast shoreline spanning 7600 kilometers forming one of the biggest peninsulas on the earth. It is serviced by 12 main ports and 185 notified minor and transitional ports. Different ports deal with diverse merchandise and commodities.

• Kolkata (Port of Kolkata) – West Bengal

• Paradip (Port of Paradip) – Orissa

• Visakhapatnam (Port of Visakhapatnam) – Andhra Pradesh

• Chennai (Chennai Port) – Tamil Nadu

• Tuticorin (Tuticorin Port) – Tamil Nadu

• Cochin (Port of Kochi) – Kerala

• New Mangalore Port (Port of Mangalore) – Karnataka

• Mormugao (Port of Mormugao) – Goa

• Mumbai (Mumbai Harbour) – Maharashtra

• J.N.P.T. (Jawaharlal Nehru Port) - Maharashtra

• Ennore (Ennore Port) – Chennai

• Kandla (Kandla Port) – Gujarat

When uncertain, get in touch with your shipping agent as they are in regular contact with the appropriate people and should be proficient to respond any queries you might have.

Related Mangalore Articles

Let not the bigots take over

Let not the bigots take over

The Roman Catholic Church excommunicated a Brazilian doctor and medical team for performing an abortion on a nine-year-old girl. According to CNN.com, the abortion was performed after the girl became pregnant with twins, allegedly after being serially abused by her stepfather. According to London’s Daily Telegraph, abortion is illegal in Brazil, the world’s most populous Catholic country, except in cases of rape or when the mother’s life is in danger, both of which applied in this case. The physicians said that the girl was too small to safely carry twins to term and that her life would be in danger if the pregnancy was not terminated. The abortion was carried out only after it was approved by a court in accordance with Brazilian laws.

CNN.com reported that the doctor and medical team, along with the girl’s mother, were excommunicated by Archbishop Sobrinho of Brazil’s northeastern city of Recife, where the procedure took place in early 2009. However, the child’s stepfather was not excommunicated because according to Sobrinho, “graver act than (rape) is abortion, to eliminate an innocent life.” He also added that the child was not excommunicated because the church is “benevolent when it comes to minors.” (How sweet of them!)

The Archbishop was supported by the Vatican. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, head of the Congregation for Bishops, told an Italian newspaper abortion was a sin and that the unborn twins were innocent.

The world was outraged. After much sound and fury, the excommunication was rescinded on 15 March 2009. But that does not cover the Roman Catholic Church in glory.

Back home in India, the creed of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, a party whose main plank is Hindu religion) – according to its official website – is “Good governance, Development & Security”. In January 2009, activists of the Sri Rama Sene, one of the fringe organizations of BJP, barged into the lounge bar Amnesia in Mangalore, in the BJP ruled state of Karnataka. They abused the owner and customers and beat up women, even as they tried to run to safety. The civil society was outraged by this act of despicable moral policing and gross violation of the rule of the law. But the Sene was unrepentant. The chief of the Sene, who was arrested, was quickly released on bail. So much for good governance, development and security!

The Sene followed it up with more such acts on 14 February, the Valentine’s Day, in many places. “The saffron brigade’s moral police tarred the faces of cuddling lovebirds and ‘married off’ some of them.” – The Statesman, 15 February, 2009.

Two different kinds of atrocities reported from opposite hemispheres, yet the similarities are unmistakable. They are: A. Religious fundamentalists care for neither basic human decency, nor the law of the land, and B. Women are always at the receiving end of fundamentalist “justice”.

One would expect that a state that has been ruled by communists for 30 years should be free of such scourges. If you share this view, Dear Reader, please think again.

In July 2007, eight school teachers were heckled and humiliated for protesting the ban on wearing salwar-kameez to Bakhrahat Girls High School in West Bengal.

“The government-aided Bakhrahat Girls’ High School’s managing committee had, about a year back, passed a resolution making it mandatory for all teachers to wear saris. This, despite the state government as well as Calcutta High Court allowing female teachers the freedom to wear either to school. The sari stricture was not put down on paper; it was conveyed verbally to the teachers.

“Eight of the 30 teachers in the school, with 1,500 students, have stood firm in their opposition to the dress diktat.” (The Telegraph, Kolkata, 27 July 2007).

Some parents and local people ganged up, abused, and threatened the teachers with physical violence. They had to be rescued and taken from the school in a black police van normally used for ferrying prisoners, under the glare of TV cameras.

What business did outsiders have to meddle in a patently administrative matter of a school? They did so because in West Bengal today, nothing is outside the purview of the ruling party. The borderline between the ruling party and the state and its various institutions (like schools) has been obliterated. It intrudes into everything, including family disputes. The Bakhrahat incident couldn’t have taken place without active participation by the party activists and a benevolent nod from their bosses. Neither was it a stand-alone incident, I am confining myself to only one instance for the sake of brevity.

If I may go back to Mangalore, I tend to think that many of the targets of the Sene’s ire, i.e., the pub-hopping, beer-guzzling young men and women, can’t distinguish between happiness and pleasure, much like Oscar Wilde’s Happy Prince. But that is a different issue. Violence against them is despicable and must be stopped.

The incident also reminds us that democracy could turn into a tyranny of the majority, a point that needs to be made repeatedly, lest we forget! After all, how much nuisance could the Sene commit if there was no BJP government at the Vidhan Saudha in Bengaluru?

And the third incident shows that the Marxist fundamentalists aren’t qualitatively better in respect of some basic principles like gender equality and the rule of law. Truth to be told, these two cadre-based parties with total abhorrence for the law of the land are similar in substance, though different in form, agenda, and rhetoric.

In his best-selling novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini has described a blood curdling incident where an allegedly adulterous couple are stoned to death in a packed stadium during the halftime of a soccer match in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Although it’s a fictionalized account, let’s remember that where there are no free media, like in Russia under Stalin, literature alone brings out truth.

The repeated instances of physical violence against people whose lifestyle the Hindu bigots don’t like foretell the possibility of a similar situation in India under the Hindu fundamentalist party in the future. And after having lived in red West Bengal for over three decades, I shudder to think of what will happen if the Marxists ever come to plenipotentiary power in New Delhi.

I would request my readers, who plan to vote for the saffron party or any other fundamentalists, including fundamentalists of the Marxist variety, to read Chapter 21 of Hosseini’s book. Let not the bigots take over India in the summer of 2009.

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