Thursday, April 13, 2006

Bangalore is closed for business

Bangalore is closed for business since the demise of Dr. Rajkumar yesterday afternoon. Generally grid locked Bangalore roads are empty as fear and fury seems to have taken over. With wild rumors flying out of handle, Indian Silicon Valley has been shut down.

I am stuck in my hotel room in Bangalore now not being able to do my stuff. We are advised not to venture out on to the streets.

I understand the love and affection people have Dr. Rajkumar, but to shut down the entire city? Is this how we show our respect to the departed soul?

Dr. RajKumar had a great innings and a complete life. He was the un disputed king of Kannada Movies for several decades and died of natural cause yesterday. While it is natural and understandable to feel sad with the departure of a great icon, to bring the business to a grinding halt and burn things down is taking it too far.

I hope normalcy returns to Bangalore soon because that's what Dr. Rajkumar would have wanted. He wanted to see vibrant and a economically strong Karnataka. We can keep his memory alive by making Bangalore a truly global city by openning it back for business soon, very soon.

6 comments:

  1. You ask why shutdown the city today. I don't think there is a need to explain this to a person from Chennai, you of all people should know how much of an effect such superstars like MGR, NTR, Rajnikanth etc. have on the minds of people. I completely condemn the violence, but we should be able to get around the shutdown of the city.

    There is such thing as respecting local sentiment.

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  2. sn,
    too bad. if you are going to follow our example you are doing a very shoddy job. Now get out there and self immolate urself and then come back and tell us what u r doing is exactly what we would have done.
    Local sentiment is to shut the city down eh !!! My foot.

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  3. Following something dogmatically just because it is local sentiment, irrespective of whether it is rational or not is going back to stone age.... Unless this mentality changes the world is never flat socially.

    - Laks

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  4. SN
    I understand the local sentiments and the respect we want to show for the iconic figure of Karnataka.. Don't you think that should be voluntary?

    I wonder how many business would have closed if it was purely voluntary..

    To bring the city to grinding halt with fear and fury is not good. I understand several people died in the ensuing violence.. which is really sad. Dr.RajKumar was a humble and peace loving person, to spread violence and mayhem in his name would be showing disrepect to his memory.

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  5. Apart from quietly mourning any death following are the local sentiments.

    1. Burning tyres of vehicles on main road & polluting the air (Of course not your vehicle's, but someone else's)

    2. Stoning shops, other persons cars, Government buses & creating fear in the minds of innocent people & in the process harming people who protest against such activities.

    3. Forcing the city to come to a complete halt there by preventing even sick patients from visiting hospitals.

    4. Drink like a hell and behave like a maniac.

    5. Causing international concerns about whether or not to invest in this riot prone city....

    & what not.

    If these are the local sentiments, one should be proud NOT to be a part of the local rather than ignoring such activities alone.

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  6. Anoymous..

    I get your point..

    To be fair to Bangalore.. Every Indian city seem to be prone to these kinds of things.. I hope it changes soon.. Of course, this is no excuse for what went on in Bangalore in the name of mourning..

    I only hope Banglaore has gotten back to normal by now..

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