Karnataka
Coronation Street
Never mind the end of kingdoms and privy purses, the truth is that Indians are still enchanted by the idea of royalty. Hence the great dismay over Mysore ‘king’ Srikantadatta Wodeyar dying “issueless” in ’13. The traditional Dussehra celebrations, normally led by the king, faced an uncertain future. But after the lapse of a year, the royal family has finally chosen a successor. The 22-year-old son of the late king’s eldest sister, now studying Law and Economics in Boston, Yaduveer Gopalaraj Urs, has been named successor. The ‘coronation’ is slated for later this month.
Maharashtra
Shake On That
A 100-year peace pact between Hindus and Muslims of a village was meant to be reassuring but has caused much disquiet instead. More so because the village, 228 km from Mumbai and having 20 per cent Muslims, has seen just two minor ‘incidents’ in all of the preceding century. While the notarised pact makes all the right noises and stipulates that both communities are equally responsible for managing community affairs, it mercifully makes no mention of either ‘love jehad’ or conversions.
Himachal
Saffron Sash
The VHP’s demand that the state be declared ‘Hindu’ on the grounds that non-Hindus comprise just 5% of the population has provoked others into questioning whether the Hindutva fringe wants states in the Northeast declared Christian or J&K Muslim. The Constitution provides no leeway for state classification on religious lines, but the hemming and hawing of senior BJP leaders like Shanta Kumar have raised eyebrows.
Delhi
The POV Card
It may not have anything to do with the change in government at the Centre, but many more Indians seem to have accessed pornographic content in 2014 compared to the previous year. Data provided by the world’s 75th most popular website and one of the top 10 pornographic sites shows India moving up three steps in one year. Add to that fact, a quarter of the Indians who accessed the site were women and, surprisingly, there was a surge in traffic of Indians searching for porn on Republic Day and Independence Day. The freedom bug does bite, doesn’t it?
Mumbai
Like Knife Through...
It seems India’s liking is for ‘toasted’ and not ‘roasted’, as comedy company AIB (All India Bakchod) found out recently, having to yank from YouTube their first attempt at ‘insult comedy’, or ‘celebrity roast’ as it’s known in the US. A Pune inspector who found it “obscene” lodged an FIR against not just the comic quartet and actors Ranveer SIngh and Arjun Kapoor (who were being ‘roasted’) but also Karan Johar, Deepika Padukone and critic Rajeev Masand who were in the audience. Censor Board member Ashok Pandit tweeted that Johar would be better off showing sexual positions at home. Criticised widely for alleged risque Catholic and other jokes, the company apologised to the community and were forgiven. Butterly Amul, though, seized yet another chance for an ad, this one seemingly supporting the AIB. Will we banish butter too?
Tamil Nadu
The Long Ramp
Asking what good beauty pageants would do to engineering students, a Madras HC judge has directed the state to ban fashion shows and beauty pageants in colleges/varsities. The judge was hearing a petition from a lady who complained that her engineering student daughter was forced to “compromise her dignity” participating in such an event; and after winning the competition wasn’t given the gifts promised. Anna University didn’t help the cause by claiming ignorance of the event held in an affiliated college.
Delhi
Trouble At Home
Ex-home secretary Anil Goswami’s friendship with Matang Singh was an open secret so his call to the CBI was hardly a surprise. But the fact that the CBI recorded it (ironically the home secretary is the competent official to authorise phone-tapping) and produced it before the home minister tells its own tale. The ‘news’ was also leaked to the media even before Goswami was pulled up. So what does this mean, are the netas undercutting the babus in the PMO and home ministry?
