DIL DOSTI ETC

GOA DIARIES: MEETING THE ENGIGOS

From Left: Sai, Pri, Niks, DD & Sav

Almost two years... or to be precise, nineteen long months had passed since June 2011 when we had graduated from GEC (Goa Engineering College). With me leaving for Bengaluru in July, few others going to Pune and the rest staying back in Goa, it had been a long time since we friends had a reunion. I am pretty sure that like me, the rest of the gang was looking ahead to a get-together. The preparations for this day had already begun about a month back at around the third week of March. Once my trip to Goa was confirmed, I immediately called up the guys in Pune - Niks, Sav & DD to check if they could make it and they were more than happy to come down over the weekend (April 27 - 28). Pri was reluctant initially. However, constant persuasion on WhatsApp paid off as she finally gave a green signal. Actually, we had made it clear that we were not going to listen to any of her natkas and I don't think she had any other options.

Though Rach was a little disappointed as we had declined her invitation to come to her new house (Next time pakka ayenge), she was sporting enough to adjust her tight schedule to make some time for us. This was inspite of the fact that she was expecting guests at home on the same day. And finally, one phone call was enough to convince His Majesty - Sai to 'grace the occasion with his auspicious presence'. While this will certainly be one of the most memorable days of this year, atleast for me, I am pretty sure that everyone present there will agree that it would have been much more fun had Amba joined us. The group seems to be incomplete without him. Amba, if you ever read this then remember one thing - you have to be there for the next reunion irrespective of whether it is held in the frozen caverns of Antarctica or the hot sand dunes of the Sahara desert.

The Fantastic Four

Now continuing from my last post (Link), I joined Niks and DD in the latter's car at the Goa Velha bypass road. In the many months since we had not met, the two guys occupying the front seat of the Wagon R had not changed at all, well... except for DD's new hair style. Though he may be more famous in the gang for his 'classic jokes' aka PJs, one cannot deny the fact that DD is one of the best brains in Goa. After all, not all of us can crack the tricky NTSE (National Talent Search Examination) tests. Besides this, what sets him apart from the rest is that he is a 'good boy', firmly entrenched in the values that his parents have imbibed in him. Actually, his decision to come by his car on that day proved to be a masterstroke as it allowed us the liberty to even go to Vagator beach in the evening, thereby doubling the fun and on a personal note, fulfilling my desire of visiting my favourite beach in the state (Link). Thanks DD... mein tera yeh eshaan kabhi nahi bhoolunga.

The other guy occupying the front seat was Niks - arguably the most bankable of all my friends. A non-Goan like me, he is undoubtedly the 'soul' of our group. From collecting notes and question papers prior to semester exams to printing our projects and assignments to organizing group picnics, you can give any kind of work to him, no matter how mundane, yet he will do it with complete dedication. Actually, even this reunion was largely arranged by him. Niks belongs to the rare breed of people who treasure friendship above everything. Many a times, I have seen people exploit this quality of his but he still continues to go that extra mile even for the guys who do not deserve it. Apart from this, he is a complete techno-freak who (according to his own CV) enjoys exploring new softwares and repairing computer hardware. Itle bhopke purro dista re.

Clockwise: Sai, DD, Niks and Sav

DD seems to be pretty good behind the steering wheel and he raced along the Margao-Panjim road. As our Wagon R zoomed ahead, I remember seeing paddy fields along the way. Since it was summer, the fields had turned wheatish brown. I was enthralled at the sight of cattle grazing in one such field which had a Khuris (Cross) at the centre against the backdrop of the clear blue sky. Sights like this that make this state so special to me. Some time later we rode along the winding uphill road at Bambolim which is dotted with advertising boards of various telecom subscribers, alcoholic beverages, banks and what not. The view down below from this road is enchanting as the Zuari river meanders across the plains covered with dense vegetation. Next, we went past the famous Phulancho Khuris (Shrine of Holy Cross), the brightly painted Shiv Krishna temple and the Goa Medical College (GMC) - Asia's first medical college which was bustling with activity as usual, all in quick succession. Seeing all these places which I would often google on the internet in Bengaluru was very satisfying. As we descended along the slopes of Bambolim towards the north, I got my first glimpse of beautiful town of Panjim on this trip.

In the next five minutes we reached the Hanuman temple at the Kadamba bus stand where Sav was waiting for us. If you ask me or my batch mates who was the best programmer amongst us, I guess the answer would be pretty easy and unanimous. Be it pointers, data structures or performance optimization, Sav was at ease working with even the most complex aspects of computer programming while the rest of us would struggle. His grasping power is brilliant; he would study just for a few hours prior to the semester exams and still manage to pass with more than good marks. Wow! However, what I have admired the most about him is his simplicity and sincerity. Inspite of the fact that he was brilliant academically, his feet were always planted in the ground and he was always ready to explain different coding concepts to dumbos like me in college days. Besides, in the four years we spent together, I do not remember even a single instance of him not completing a program or an assignment on time. And finally, the best part is that he loves cricket in general and Sachin Tendulkar in particular. Actually, he is a chalta-phirta encyclopedia of the game and knows all the stats since the mid-1990s.

Striking a Pose

Once in Panjim, DD asked to me for directions to Hotel Texas. We took the road encircling the Ambedkar garden at Patto and then took a right near the beautiful traffic island dedicated to Divja and then passed by the new Patto bridge. The drive through the road with the Mandovi river on the left and city on the right was amazing and has always been something that I look up to, no matter how many times I have done this before. Passing by those places that are so dear to my heart - the Post Office which looks like a spatial Portuguese styled villa coloured in red and white; the Mermaid Garden; the Adil Shah's Palace which also served as the Secretariat till it was shifted to Porvorim in early 2000s; the Jetty which was getting a face-lift; the Quarter deck restaurant where he had our Std X farewell and so on felt very good. The girls who had who had already reached the city some time back were waiting for us at the Ferry Boat bus stop which Niks confused for Jetty - the most hilarious part of the day. Finally, after searching them for about 5 minutes, we picked them and headed towards our destination - Hotel Texas.

As we reached there and were finding space to park our car, I saw a guy of shorter stature coming towards us on a Honda Dio, flashing a perfect 'Coalgate smile'. In his trademark style, he managed to park his bike in between two cars and sprinted towards us. Flamboyant, charismatic, out-going, argumentative, confident, friendly, street-smart and Mr. Popular are just a few of the many words that one can describe Sai with. Always a delight to be with, his ability to get along with all and his positive attitude make him unique. If I am not wrong, I remember him being friends with everybody - with people across the myriad groups that our class was split into, with our seniors and juniors, with our batch mates from other sections of the college, with guys from other engineering colleges, GMC, GPP, Pharmacy and so on. Though he was the butt of most jokes we cracked amongst us, he would never take anything to his heart. I seriously respect him for this but that doesn't mean that I will stop making fun of him anywhere in the near future.

The Sun, Sand, Sea and Friends

All the seven of us then walked to Hotel Texas where we had decided to have our lunch. Situated close to the National theatre, this restaurant aims to re-create the ambiance of the southern American state after which it is named courtesy PoP (Plaster of Paris) sculptures depicting cowboys chasing bulls, waiters dressed in typical hats and leather jeans, guns hanging from the walls and so on. Though it hopelessly fails in this endeavour, the food served here is excellent, probably the best I have had in Goa. It looks like Lady Luck too was on our side as we got a table the moment we entered in which is extremely rare, especially on a Saturday. DD had just turned 23 on the previous day (April 26) and we had decided to celebrate his birthday. The girls had already got a cake from Monginis - Goa's favourite cake shop. Though we didn't give him Birthday bumps, we made sure that we had smeared chocolate all over DD's face, much to the distress of the hotel staff. In fact, like him all the guys ended up having their faces coloured in dark brown.

After spending some twenty-five minutes there on the birthday celebration, we ordered some starters and drinks to begin with. Just having finished her beverage, Rach who was already getting late left soon after with Sai doing the honours of dropping her to the bus stand. Once he was back, we ordered the main course and were done by 3:30 pm. We had the whole evening and of course, DD's car at our disposal. As such, we decided to go to the Vagator beach. After dropping Pri at the KTC, we waited for Sai near the Divja statue as he had gone to Altinho to complete some unfinished business. Once he was back, he parked his Dio at a parking lot in the vicinity (below the bridge) and the five of us left for the beach.


For more on the Goa Trip:
(1) A Trip to Goa... Finally (Link)
(2) The Chance Encounter (Link)
(3) An Evening in Vagator - Part 1 (Link)
(4) An Evening in Vagator - Part 2 (Link)
(5) Life is a Beach (Link)

THE CHANCE ENCOUNTER

GOA DIARIES: MEETING THE BRAHMINY KITES

As I had mentioned in my last post (Link), we reached Bhabi's place at Goa Velha by 11:00 am in the morning on 27^th April. The locality in which they stay - Soji Kade lies on the busy road connecting two of Goa's most prominent cities - the administrative capital Panjim and the commercial hub of Margao. It is a residential area with simple bungalows located amidst lush green Bhaatts (Goan Konkani word for 'Plantation'). Each house has either a tulsi altar or a holy cross in the centre of the courtyard, signifying the faith of its occupants. The narrow, serpentine road carpeted by dried leaves falling from the trees growing along it seems to be catering more to pedestrians than vehicles. Once in their home, Bhabi's parents were kind enough to keep the entire top section of their sprawling two storeyed house just for mummy and me. 

This part of the house which was built just a couple of years ago is huge and extremely well maintained. The neatly painted walls, spacious rooms, big windows, well laid out bathrooms, minimal furniture and most importantly, the 'first class' treatment that we received there, made us feel as if we were staying in a holiday home. The balcony adjoining one of the bedrooms provides a spectacular view of the vegetation around which is soothing to the eyes. The first time I went there, I spotted several species of avians - Common Mynas, Red Whiskered Bulbuls, Magpie Robins, Black Kites and Flameback Woodpeckers to name a few, in just about 10 minutes. Not so surprisingly, this was to become my favourite place for early morning bird watching in the days to come. The surrounding greenery, the chirping birds, the feeling of breathing clean air and the house itself reminded me of our Porvorim home, making me quite nostalgic.

A pair of Brahminy Kites

While mom decided to be at home for the rest of the day since she was tired after the 15 hour long arduous journey, my plan was to meet my friends from GEC in Panjim. Two of them - Niks and DD were travelling in the latter's car from Margao and I decided to hop into it at the Goa Velha bypass road. This served two purposes. For one, I got to spend more time with these guy who had come down from Pune to meet me. The other and the more sinister motive was to avoid commuting by the crowded Kadamba buses in the scorching heat. With Bhabi's dad dropping me there, I arrived at the designated place well before time... for a change. There was very little shade here; the high humidity levels - something that I am not used to in Bengaluru, took its toll on me and I started sweating profusely. I called the guys just as to check where they had reached and was thoroughly disappointed when they told me that they were still about 20 minutes away.

After cursing them for about five minutes and watching cars and buses go by at break neck speeds, screeching sounds (keeyeee) from the sky, suddenly caught my attention. As I looked towards the heavens, I saw a pair of Brahminy Kites hovering above, sailing across the light blue sky like fighter jets. One amongst them was executing some breath taking mid-air stunts including sharp turns and nose dives, before flying higher and repeating the whole thing again. This continued for some time before the duo - probably a male and a female engaged in pre-mating ritual, finally perched on a nearby tree which offered an excellent view of the entire area. Since the guys were still about 15 km away, I decided to make the best of this opportunity, crossed over to the other side of the road (so as to utilize the 50X optical zoom of the Canon SX50HS to the fullest) and took pictures of these majestic birds of prey - some of which are posted here.

The Brahminy Kite - Haliastur indus

The Brahminy Kites and their cousins - the Black Kites are the most common members of the Accipitridae family (eagles, kites, harriers and Old World vultures) that are found in the country. In the peninsular region, the latter is predominant in the interiors; however, the tables are turned along the coast where the former is comparatively more widespread. Mother Nature seems to have been extremely kind on these avians and their unique colour combination - rusty brown plumage, white underside, yellow beak and round bronze eyes make them very adorable and easy to identify. Scientists have discovered four different sub-species of Brahminy Kites and the one seen in the country is called Haliastur indus. In India, they are found in most areas, from the Himalayan foothills to down south. In general, their range extends from the Indian Sub-continent to Australia covering most parts of South-east Asia and islands in the Australasian region.

Primarily scavengers, their diet consists of dead fish and crabs, explaining their abundance in coastal areas. Nonetheless, they are decent hunters and are known to prey upon bats and rodents. The mating season of the Indian sub-species is said to last from April to June, just before the onset of monsoon. Generally, the two eggs laid will hatch after an incubation period lasting for about 25 days. Presently, the species is classified as Least Concerned by the IUCN, though their numbers are on the decline in some areas. For the people of southern and south-eastern Asia, these birds have tremendous cultural significance. In Indian mythology, it is generally associated with Garuda - the King of the Birds and the mount or Vahana of Lord Vishnu. They are also the official mascots of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta where they are known as Elang Bondol

Coming back to the Goa trip after all the gyaan, after clicking several snaps, I kept my camera aside and stood there just looking and admiring these winged creatures. Though, I was fully drenched in sweat, I wasn't complaining. Who gets to see these amazing animals everyday, especially if you are an IT professional employed in Bengaluru. After waiting for half an hour, at about 12:30 in the afternoon, I spotted a grey Wagon R coming my way. As the car approached closer, I could see clearly see DD behind the steering wheel with a devlish grin on his face as Niks frantically waved at me through the window. I got into the back seat and as the car headed towards Panjim, I looked at the pair of the Brahminy Kites still perched on the trees through the back window, being grateful for the company that they had given me for the last 30 minutes.

The two impromptu photo shoots on the same day - the Cormorant at Ankola (Link) and the Brahminy Kites at Goa Velha was a fantastic beginning to the Goa trip. Though the snaps are just ordinary, as any ace photographer will point out, the whole experience will be etched in my memory for a long time. It re-affirmed my faith that the Western coast, which is undergoing modernization at a rapid pace still continues to be one of the most beautiful places in the country, especially for a nature lover like me. From the mesmerizing salt pans of Kutch to the pristine beaches of Kerala, it is full of surprises, some known, others yet to be explored. The mighty Western ghats and the vast Arabian have colluded to make it one of the most ecological diverse regions of the world and it is in our interest not to tamper with it. 

SOURCES

(1) Wikipedia: Brahminy Kite (Link)

For more on the Goa Trip:
(1) A Trip To Goa... Finally (Link)
(2) Dil Dosti Etc (Link)
(3) An Evening in Vagator - Part 1 (Link)
(4) An Evening in Vagator - Part 2 (Link)
(5) Life is a Beach (Link)

A TRIP TO GOA... FINALLY

GOA DIARIES: THE JOURNEY TO GOA

It had been around one and a half year since I had last been to Goa and all this while, I was dying to be there. After all, if you have spent a decade at such a beautiful place, it becomes an integral part of your life and the emotional bond that you develop with it runs quite deep. I had come to Goy (as we Konkanis call it) in June 2001 as a twelve year old boy who was just about to step into the teenages and walked out, little over 10 years later as a computer engineer recruited by an IT company from campus.

The Kali Bridge, Karwar

Though, I have hundred and one reasons to like Bengaluru, there are times, specially when I am struck in lengthy traffic jams on a Friday evening at the Silk Board junction that I get reminded of the many magical moments spent in the beach state - the evening walk at the sprawling promenade along the Mandovi river in Panjim; searching for rare books on Indian history in the Central Library at the Menezes Braganza Institute; playing cricket outside the Maha Lakshmi Temple after school; spending time with friends in the GEC campus after bunking a monotonous lecture; watching the sun go down amongst wilted coconut trees at Bhoma, just before the Banastarim bridge; the simple yet captivating architecture of the temples around Ponda; the tourists flocking to the 16th century Basilica of Bom Jesus at Old Goa, housing the mortal remains of the patron saint - St Xavier; munching on delicious Squid battered fry in Hotel Texas and so on. Though I may not visit Goa often, my affair with the state is still strong - I make it a point to speak to my friends on the weekends, read the local news on the Goa News website (which figures on the 'Most Visited' page of my browser), listen to Konkani songs on Youtube - Lorna's Yo Baile Yo, Manoharai Sardesai's Shobhit Amche Goem and my favourite - Reinaldo Fernandes' Adeus Korcha Vellar and keenly follow Rajan Parrikar's photo blog which has some breath taking images of the Goan countryside (Link). 

While Da and Bhabi have been kind enough to invite me to Goa each time the two of them go there to spend time with the latter's parents, I could never accompany them as I was preoccupied with some or the other stuff. However, when mom asked me if I could take her for the wedding of her friend's daughter in the last week of April at Bicholim - some 30 km from Panjim, I simply couldn't say 'No'. The timing was perfect since May 1 (Wednesday) was a public holiday. My application for two days leave was approved instantly and the two of us - me and mom went on a five day trip to Goa; 5 days of revisiting those places that we so dearly miss; 5 days of catching up with our friends and a few relatives and most importantly, 5 days of a much needed break from our daily schedule so as to rejuvenate our minds. 

We were to board the bus from BTM 2nd Stage at 7:00 pm in the evening on 26^th April. Not so surprisingly, some urgent work came in at the last moment and I left office at 4:00 pm (exactly one hour later than what I had promised Mom) and reached home at about 5:45 pm. Though she was fuming, she had already packed my bag and surprisingly, still found time to prepare Palak Paneer and rice for Pappa, Da and Bhabi. To be frank, I find it difficult to believe how she makes so many sacrifices 

Fire in the Sky: Morning sky at Ankola

for the  family, going through so much trouble each day just to make sure that all of us are happy. Coming back to the topic, we hired a rickshaw to reach the pick up point which is around 4 km from our home at Devarachikanahalli via the Madivala lake road. The notorious Bengalauru traffic lived up to its reputation and it took about 35 minutes to travel this small distance. The bus - VRL Non A/C Sleeper was not well maintained and was late by 15 minutes. However, we were not complaining because for us, the destination was clearly more important than the journey. After occupying our seats, I messaged my friends, fine tuning the plans for the coming days. In fact, few of my friends - batch mates from GEC (that is Goa Engineering College for all of you who don't know) were to come down over the weekend from Pune, just to meet me. Some other had either cancelled or adjusted their preplanned schedules to make time for me. After all we all were dying for a reunion since a long time so as to relive those precious moments that we had spent in the past, those Gazalis (Goan Konkani word for 'Incidents') and Fokana (Goan Konkani word for 'Leg-pulling'). I hardly slept for about 4 hours that night, clinging to my laptop bag in which I had kept my camera, looking forward to enjoy the upcoming five days to the fullest and hoping to return to Bengaluru with a bucketful of memories and of course, lots and lots of photos.

The next morning I woke up at about 6:00 am, only to find that we were still at Ankola - a coastal town in Karnataka, nearly 130 km from the Goan capital. We had our breakfast - Idli Sambar at a road  side eatery. I spotted a Cormorant perched on a leafless tree at a distance while peeing and took few

In Deep Thought: Cormorant at Ankola

snaps - the first ones on this trip, once I was done answering the call of nature. Though the destination was quite far, I was happy to be along the Arabian coast, where I have spent a majority of my life. This place is typically characterized by unspoiled beaches, sleepy villages, paddy fields, towering coconut trees, fresh fish and hot and humid climate. Our bus breezed through NH 66 (formerly known as NH 17), arguably one of the scenic roads in this part of the country which is sandwiched between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats, cut into several segments by fast flowing rivulets. In fact, we used to travel through the same road while going to Murdeshwar - our native village to spend time with my grand parents during holidays from Goa. At one point of time, I even wanted to get down and head there, which is 80 km from Ankola and spend some time with Dada (my maternal grand father). Soon, we crossed Karwar, famous for the naval base - Project Seabird and entered Goa at Pollem. DRS who is my friend since Std IX, sent me this message, borrowed from a popular Ajay Devgn movie shot primarily in the beach state: 

"Welcome to Goa, Singham!"

They say that 'Change is constant'. However, Goa continues to defy this to a large extent; while cities like Panjim, Margao and Vasco are fast turning into concrete jungles, the villages and the countryside still hold on to their old charm. I was happy to see that nothing had changed in the last one and half year, at least in this part of the world. Some of the places that I distinctly remember seeing en route include the elegant Nirakar Lakshmi Narsimha temple at Mashem and the MCC building (which stands for Mashem Cricket Club and not Marylebone Cricket Club) in the vicinity, the entrance to the Partagalli Mutt and the Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, the blacksmith's workshop near the Canacona bus stand, the majestic church dedicated to Our Lady of Rosary at Navelim, the well maintained Municipal Garden at Margao and the Padre Conceicao College of Engineering (PCCE) at Verna where Da & Bhabi had studied. Since we had decided to stay mostly at Bhabi's place at Goa Velha while on the trip, we had to get down at the fag end of the bypass road between Panjim and Margoa, immediately after the Agacaim bridge. While Da and Bhabi's mom gave us the directions, it was Bhabhi's dad who picked us up at the designated spot and took us home, one person at a time on his Honda Activa. After a wait spanning 18 months which felt like ages, I finally set foot on Goan soil. The journey had ended but the trip had just begun.

Cormorant with the Western Ghats in the backdrop

For more on the Goa Trip:
(1) The Chance Encounter (Link)
(2) Dil Dosti Etc (Link)
(3) An Evening in Vagator - Part 1 (Link) 
(4) An Evening in Vagator - Part 2 (Link)
(5) Life is a Beach (Link)

THE ROSE RAIN LILY

A RIOT OF PINK

The Rose Rain Lily

While the temperatures have kept soaring, the rain gods have been kind enough to bless Bengaluru with showers on a regular basis - a temporary relief from the scorching summer heat. And with downpours hitting the city once every ten days, the rain lilies have been a common sight, adding more colours to the 'Garden-City'. Our landlords - the Shenoys who have several different kinds of flowering and ornamental plants at home have a pot full of Rose Rain Lily bulbs kept at the entrance. While the white ones that my mom had planted had flowered in the beginning of April itself after the first showers, I was wondering what was wrong with their more prettier counterparts. The long wait finally ended in the last week of the month as nearly ten buds bloomed at once, truly an awesome sight. As I leave for office by 7 am in the morning and reach home about 12 hours later, I did not have a chance to click these wonderful florets to my heart's content. However, the opportunity came one fine morning as I decided to go late to office having spent the previous night with Da and Bhabi at their residence in Indiranagar following a team dinner.

Zephyranthes Rosea

Except for the colour, I did not find much difference between the two species i.e. the whites (Link) and the rose pinks. The floral morphology  is more or less the same. The pink hue is darker around the edge of the petals and then lightens towards the center. The bottom part of the petals, especially on the outer side is white and the contrast it provides with the light greenish receptacle is mesmerizing. It seems as if the Z. Rosea flowers are a little smaller in size when compared those of the Z. Candida. Also, the whites seem to be grown more commonly, at least here in Bengaluru where both are non-native, exotic plants. Probably, the best way to difference between them, if not the florets is the leaf structure. The leaves of the whites are thinner, cylindrical in shape and look like straw whereas those of the rose lilies are broad, flat and sickle-shaped.

Z. Rosea

For more on the Rain Lilies:
The White Rain Lily (Link)

BATTLEGROUND KARNATAKA - PART 2

THE QUADRIPARTITE BATTLE FOR POWER

However, the problem plaguing the Congress is the plethora of Chief Ministerial candidates and the friction amongst them which has jeopardized the entire process of ticket distibution with each leader wanting their confidantes to be the official nominees of the party. Siddaramaiah, the leader of opposition in the outgoing assembly is the front runner in the race. Belonging to the 80 lakh strong Kuruba Gowda caste,

Rahul at a rally in Dharwad

he has considerable influence in the Old Mysore region and has served as the Deputy CM twice in the past. However,the biggest problem for him is that since he joined the INC after falling apart with his mentor Deve Gowda in 2008, many look upon him as an outsider and prefer a Gandhi-Nehru loyalist for the post. Enter Dr. G Parameshwar who was hand picked by Sonia Gandhi to head the KPCC in 2010. Being a multiple time MLA and a fresh face, he does enjoy the support of many insiders. 'Rebel star' and Kannada film star Ambareesh also nurtures ambitions to occupy the CM's chair. With the death of Dr. Rajkumar and Vishnu Vardhan, he is regarded by many as the tallest star in the Kannada film industry today. However, his brash temperament and limited influence in the Mysore region may go against him. S M Krishna, the former External Affairs minister who has served as the CM from 1999 to 2004, has lost much of his former charisma but is still quite popular, especially in the capital Bengaluru which was developed a lot under his tenure. In case, no consensus emerges, he may be called up as the 'please-all' candidate. Leaders from Hyderabad-Karnataka region like Union Labour Minister Malikarjuna Kharge and former CM Dharam Singh are the dark horses in the race for the throne.

The father-son duo of Deve Gowda and H D Kumaraswamy are working tirelessly to replicate in Karnataka what the Yadavs (Mulayum-Akhilesh) and the Badals (Parkash-Sukhbir) did in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab respectively. In his 20 month long stint as the CM, some of the initiatives launched by the junior Gowda were well received by the people. No one can deny that the withdrawal of support to the BSY government in 2008 by the JD(S) which was projected as a betrayal by the BJP won it sympathy votes. Not so surprisingly, the party dropped 31 seats to finish with just 28 in the last elections. Even in

The Gowdas

2009 Lok Sabha, the JD(S) could win only 3 seats. This time though, the mood is upbeat and the Gowdas are trying their best to woo the voters even beyond their traditional bastion of Southern Karnataka and its core vote bank - the Vokkaliggas and become a strong third alternative to the people of the state. The party manifesto has several sops to the farmers, weavers and fishermen. The 'Secular' party has promised funds for the development of minorities and effectively tackle corruption. By declaring its candidate list after the two national parties, it has accommodated several dissident leaders from these outfits. If the JD(S) manages to get over 60 seats and the Congress fails to get a simple majority, then it will emerge as a key player in the post poll scenario. Some reports suggest that, the Gowdas may not be averse to ally with the BJP if that is an option to come to power. Unlike the Congress, the JD(S) does not have an recognized faces apart from the Gowda duo. In fact, two of its other prominent faces - Siddaramaiah and late M P Prakash had quit in 2008 after they realized that the former PM would only support his own son as the next chief. While this prevents any infighting, the sad part for the party is that it is heavily reliant on the top two for campaigning.

Many believe that in 2013 assembly elections, Yeddyurappa is likely to emerge as the King-maker, all the more because of the four way contest that the state will witness. After being side-lined in the party that he had built in the state, the Lingayyat strongman joined the Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP) founded by Padmanabha Prasanna in November last year. Soon a string of loyalist, right from ministers in the government to corporators and  ordinary workers broke their association with the BJP and followed their leader into his new party. Yeddy's outfit has had a pretty good start as it managed to do fairly well in the local polls, managing to eat into the saffron outfit's vote share. By praising Sonia Gandhi before jumping to KJP, it is believed that he is keeping all his options open and might fill in the numbers in case the party falls short of the magic number. Though, he may vehemently deny it, allying with the BJP may not be difficult either. Thus, he is poised to become the game-changer in this elections in case of a hung assembly which is the most likely scenario if not for a Congress victory. However, allying with KJP may not be so easy. The long list of illegal land deals that he and his family members are accused of will hurt both the KJP and its future ally. Also, as the BJP leadership will tell, he is a tough nut to crack and will be difficult to deal with. One should not forget that besides DVS and Shettar, the KJP boss even had founder Prasanna thrown out of the party.

Yeddy knows that by leaving the BJP, he has taken the biggest gamble of his political career and a lot depends on the May 8 results. The Linggayyat leader who was known to given liberal grants to Mutts and seers during his tenure as the CM still has lots of friends in religious circles, all of whom are now

KJP supremo Yeddyurappa

asking their disciples to vote for him. Next, he is trying hard to get the support of the Muslim community which is traditional loyal to the Congress. Audacious as it may sound, Yedyurappa is asking the masses to vote for him and not the candidate. Even the manifesto is full of sops to appease all sections of the society, from women to farmers, from Christians whose churches were robbed in his tenure to the old. But the shrewd politician that he is, Yeddy knows that winning anything above 20 seats will not be easy. Four of his blue-eyed boys have ditched him, probably because they fear the influence that Shobha Karandalaje welds over the KJP chief. If the BJP manages to do the impossible and comes back to power and if the KJP gets less than 15 seats then he will have no option but to go back to his old party. In case, the Congress sweeps the polls, then Yeddy has to get over 20 seats to stay relevant. While a hung assembly will make him the most important politician in the state, any other result will hurt him in the long run. Finally, if he bags 30 odd seats in the new assembly, then he may well lead the Third Front in the 2014 general elections, something which he says is his aim.

Finally, there are several other smaller parties and a few national parties that have virtually no presence in the state that are contesting the elections. B Sriramalu who has floated his own party - the BSR Congress is expected to do well in Bellary region. With the Reddy brothers throwing their weight and money power behind him, the Nayaka leader is touring the state, hoping to grab as many seats as possible in his kitty. The Loksatta Party founded by former bureaucrat Jaiprakash Narayan, which has promised 'clean' politics is making its debut. Dalit leader and BSP supremo Mayawati has also addressed rallies in Northern Karnataka where she was quizzed by EC officials for carrying large sum of money with her. Besides, other national parties like the Samajwadi Party, Nationalist Congress Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Janata Dal (United) have fielded their candidates in different parts of the state. The upcoming polls will be the most important in the history of Karnataka. While it is rich in natural resources and is the premiere IT destination of the country, the state has a long way to go as it continues to be plagued with frequent droughts, poverty and inequality. Apart from this, corruption has threatened to derail infrastructure development, especially in 'hi-tech city' Bengaluru. The people of Karnataka have to make the right choice so that the prestige of their state is restored.

Battleground Karnataka - Part 1 (Link)

IMAGES

(1) Rahul at a rally in Dharwad
Original: Rediff - Rahul turns 40 (Link)

(2) The Gowdas
Original: The Gowda merry go round (Link)

(3) KJP supremo Yeddyurappa
Original: Yeddyurappa.in (Link)