What has happened to my beloved Mangalore?

naeem@coastaldigest.com (CD Network)
May 26, 2010

mlore

Mangalore, May, 26 : Is it a curse that's hit Mangalore? Why is it so much in the news in just the last two years for all the wrong reasons?...for vandalism, desecration of religious places, molestation and moral policing over young girls, for rent-a-riot shockers, and now for the deaths of 158 in a colossal tragedy caused by the ill-fated Air India Express crash at its Bajpe airport?

What has happened to Mangalore's fair reputation as a city that contributed immensely to the community and the country in the fields of education, health, banking and industry? The mishaps - are they just coincidence, or is there a reason?

A city of vivid contrasts, Mangalore unfolds an enchantment that never ends. Connected by road or rail, it is as eye-filling or more as by air, with its rolling hills, verdant vistas and sparkling streams gurgling to rendezvous with the larger rivers or the sea beyond - the smell of salt water getting ever stronger as the coast draws nearer.

As a kid I had picked up from family lore that the high lands in Bajpe where the Mangalore airport now exists were once all Pereira holdings - vestiges in the vicinity and around still exist with the family to warrant an occasional visit or two even now.

Despite all developments that modernity has ushered in, Mangalore has always been

A heady fragrance of the local jasmine, 'mallige', pervades the air throughout all seasons, against the acrid, acidic tang of cashew and all the fishy smells the sea breeze can pitch in. Not to forget the aroma of fine brewed south Indian coffee and the spicy coconut curries...and the no less heady spirit of toddy from the coconut or the palmyra, if not laced with the occasional whiff of 'feni', and even of 'sorro' - the crude country arrack.

Even so, Mangaloreans - considered a people unduly favoured and disproportionately blessed with extra intelligence of the fish-eaters - are known for their industriousness, enterprise and endeavour.

A heavily righteous, hard-working, hard drinking and innovative lot with perpetual ants in their pants; capable of generating wealth and prosperity to afford lifestyles that could be the envy of neighbours.

Mangalore's agrarian agricultural community learnt early to make money from the tile industry - Mangalore tiles have travelled the globe for millennia - while also venturing into the rugged terrains of the Western Ghats to take over when the British planters left their extensive coffee and cardamom plantations in the Malnad districts that overlooked the coastal plains.

Thanks to Basel Mission and Italian Jesuit fathers, since the 19th century not only local Christians but also the entire populace has enjoyed a better level of literacy, including higher education at famed institutions like St Aloysius - sought by aspirants from all over South India and most of Kerala.

Mangalore, during British Raj, boasted from within its ranks of perhaps more numbers in the erstwhile Indian Civil Service than any other community or region in the country.

The medical institutions of Mangalore are the ones sought after by patients from India and the world over.

In the 20th century, Manipal - then part of undivided South Kanara - also contributed heavily to the academic life of the region and the banking industry in the country.

Is it true then that Mangalore's troubles in known history started with the induction of the first-ever Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Karnataka?

The communal harmony which was the hallmark of the region was suddenly shattered Sep 14, 2008, when goons of the Bajrang Dal went on the rampage vandalising churches, assaulting Christians, and desecrating holy artefacts.

Mangalore has since then gone through a period beset by challenges not faced in 200-odd years of communal harmony.

The BJP government's neglect and reluctance to act against communal miscreants of 2008, despite nationwide and worldwide condemnation of the Sangh Parivar's heinous acts, has perhaps emboldened similar others in the region.

While the nation was celebrating Republic Day in January 2009, TV viewers across the country witnessed scenes from what was dubbed as Mangalore Horror - the infamous Sri Rama Sene and the likes of Pramod Muthalik involved in an assault on girls in Mangalore for visiting pubs.

And then the shocking "Rent-a-Riot" Tehelka expose in which the Sene's Muthalik again was trapped in a sting operation while accepting a contribution to the Hindutva cause for arranging a mob attack on a painter's exhibition.

Is the crash at Bajpe then just another manifestation of Mangalore's ill-fate that commenced with the BJP regime in the state - one that will smear more its blemished reputation as a cursed city?

a rambling, green, friendly town with no history ever of communal violence. A serene getaway off the beaten track for those with a laidback fun-loving attitude, Mangalore has narrow winding streets, lofty coconut trees, quaint gable-roofed houses, beautiful beaches, temples and churches that have warmed hearts.

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News Network
July 21,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 21: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday said that everyone has to fight COVID-19 while maintaining a stable economy and lockdown is not the solution.

While briefing the media after a meeting with Health Minister B Sriramulu and officials here, CM Yediyurappa said, "There will be no lockdown from tomorrow, people need to get back to work, the economy is also very important. We have to fight COVID-19 while maintaining a stable economy. Lockdown is not the solution, now restrictions will be placed only in containment zones."

"People who came from Maharastra and Tamil Nadu added to the COVID-19 cases in Karnataka. Experts have suggested a 5T strategy - Trace, Track, Test, Treat and Technology. Our COVID warriors are working day and night to safeguard the people of the state, we have to maintain social distance, wear a mask while going out," he added.

CM Yediyurappa further said that more than 80 per cent COVID-19 cases in the state are asymptomatic.

"Five five per cent need ICU or ventilators, 11,230 beds are kept ready for the use of people including private hospitals, medical colleges. The real-time dashboard is ready to serve the people. Now onwards, test report will be given within 24 hours. SSLC exams were conducted successfully. More than 8 lakh students wrote exams in such a situation," he said.

Commenting upon the allegations of COVID-19 mismanagement labelled by opposition leaders, CM Yediyurappa said, "I request all the opposition leaders not to make unnecessary comments. I request Siddaramaiah, D K Shivakumar and others to suggest us valuably to fight corona together."

"We will give all the details which are required to D K Shivakumar, Siddaramaih, H D Kumaraswamy. Not even one-rupee corruption is done in COVID-19 management. We will give you all details. No official misused any funds, being opposition leaders, you have all rights to check documents, we will provide them," he added.

Taking to Twitter, Health Minister B Sriramulu said that the decision to raise the salary of 2,000 AYUSH doctors to Rs 45,000 was taken in the meeting.

"The decision to raise the salary of 2000 AYUSH doctors to Rs 45,000 was taken at a meeting chaired by our Hon. Chief Minister Shri @BSYBJP. Assurance has been given that the demand of private AYUSH doctors too will be reviewed and a decision regarding the same will be taken at the earliest. All doctors who were protesting for the same have withdrawn their resignations and reported to work," he tweeted.

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News Network
February 21,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 21: A school in the city has allegedly denied admission to a boy whose parents did not fill the religion column in the application form, prompting the Kerala education department to seek a report.

The parents, Naseem and Dhayna, had sought admission for their son to the first standard at the St Mary's school, a government-aided institution. They alleged that school authorities had claimed that registration will not be possible on the education department's 'Sampoorna' portal without filling the 'religion' column.

"We were informed by the school authorities that it was not possible to give admission to our child as we wrote 'nil' in the religion column. They claimed that if nil is mentioned, the admission process will not get registered in the school management software of the education department," Naseem said.

Sampoorna is a school management system project implemented by the Kerala education department to automate the system and process of over 15,000 schools in the state.

The parents later approached the ministry and the Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) to get further clarification.

"The state government officials denied that there were any issues with the software and confirmed to us that the admission process was going on.

When we approached the school authorities again, they asked us to give in writing that we, the parents will take responsibility of any issues that may occur in the future," Naseem said.

The parents then decided not to enroll their son at the school due to the manner in which the issue was handled by the institution. Reacting swiftly, the state government sought a report from the DPI and the deputy director of the education department on the matter.

"We have asked the DPI and the deputy director of the education department to look into the matter and file a report as soon as possible," Education minister C Raveendranath told PTI. The parents said after the news spread, a school official called them offering admission.

"But we decided not to enroll him there due to the approach of the school authorities," he said.

Naseem runs a catering business after returning from the Gulf.

The school management in a release claimed that they sought a letter in writing from the parents to avoid trouble in the future. "When school authorities asked why the religion column was left blank, the parents said they were not interested in filling that part. The parents have that right.

But most benefits given by the government to school children are based on religion. We just wanted to ensure that the parents take the responsibility in case the student misses out any such benefits in the future," the management said.

School authorities maintained they never denied admission to any student. The parents are now looking for admission for their son in other schools in Thiruvanathapuram.

Ravindranath recently claimed in the state Assembly that over one lakh children in Kerala had left columns relating to caste and religion blank in school admission records during the 2017-18 academic year. In a written reply, he said as many as 1,24,147 children had not filled these columns while enrolling in different classes in government and government-aided schools during the period.

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News Network
May 18,2020

Bengaluru, May 18: A large number of people in India are planning inter-city bus travel within a month of the lifting of travel restrictions, according to a randomised online survey of over 10,300 customers of redBus, India's largest online bus ticketing platform.

Nearly 57 per cent of the respondents are planning to travel within a month post the lockdown. However, there is a high standard of expectation on the implementation of measures to make buses safe for travel with over 79 per cent wanting deep cleaning and sanitisation of buses after every trip.

Hand sanitisers, mandatory masks and temperature screening for all passengers are next in expectations for bus travel. Over 78 per cent of the respondents want the implementation of hygienic conditions at boarding points and 70 per cent want social distancing protocols to be implemented at boarding points.

"The survey does underscore the fact that given the adherence to safety protocols, bus travel is possibly one of the safest options for travel since the number of travellers are fewer, checks can be done individually and the whole factor of pick up and drop as close to home as possible minimises the number of contacts throughout the journey," said redBus Chief Executive Officer Prakash Sangam.

In addition, online booking further reduces the number of contact points as people can book bus tickets directly from their home. Further, there is a heightened awareness of personal hygiene and safety measures which is important for the travel to be safe.

"The large number of people waiting to travel not only points to the need but also the importance it has for the revival of economic activity as very few of them would be travelling for leisure," said Sangam.

The survey also showed that passengers put a very high consideration on hygiene, sanitation and disinfection -- over 73 per cent -- and social distancing (63 per cent) and much lower consideration to traditional factors such as travel cost (22 per cent), comfort (21 per cent) and punctuality (18 per cent).

The survey was conducted among redBus customers across India. Only 5 per cent of the respondents were willing to postpone their travel to over six months while the rest had plans to travel within that period.

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