Nirantara Rajyotsava

Last Sunday (12th Dec) evening, around 9 PM, as I was passing the Raheja Residency (Koramangala), I noticed the road festooned with the Crimson & Yellow streamers and associated decorations, and a music performance going on in a pendal put up on a vacant plot, adjoining the complex main gate. Even on reaching the complex where I stay, almost half a km away, I could hear the same music, it being played that loud. However, since my flat faces the opposite direction, the sound stopped bothering me, once I reached my flat, and I forgot all about it. Next morning however a resident, whose flat faces RR, informed that, with her school-going children unable to sleep because of the noise, she was forced to call up the police, who appeared to have acted to stop the show, or atleast to reduce the noise level.

From the colour combinations of the decorations, I am presuming it was it was yet another Rajyotsava celebration. Now, the state officially observes 1st Nov as Rajyotsava day, which is in effect a 'compulsory' holiday. Starting from then, the celebrations go on throughout November, and are now beginning to spill over even on to December. And for the entire length of the period, the week-ends have become unlivable here with music blaring out from multiple loudspeakers mounted at all the main road junctions, starting early in the morning, going on through almost the entire day and even late into the night.

In addition, is the putting up of the pendals on arterial roads for the performances, blocking them off totally for well over half a day, one road every week-end, by turn. One such time, when I called up the police, I was told that permission had been obtained for the show. When I asked how permission can be given for such shows every week-end, particularly for the blocking up of the roads, and use of the conical type loud-speakers (that I had thought was banned), I was told that local politicians were involved, and suggested to bear with it all.  

I decided to do a bit of checking out as to who was behind it all, in pursuit of which I spoke to about ten shop-keepers/ restauranteers in the area. Almost all of them said that it was largely the doing of the local auto-driver mafia (I would have chosen to use a milder term - but, it was none less than the Transport Commissioner himself who said something to the same effect - check this), who use the name of the local MLA for organising it all, though he rarely ever attends any of the events. They went on to add that they are coerced into contributing to the funding, though they don't enjoy the goings on any, all of these being in addition to their losing out on business due to the blocking up of the roads.

A resident living close to the scene of action called to ask if I could also check with the police, his checking not having evoked a favourable response. When my calls too failed to evoke any positive response from the police, I called back the person and asked him to take a few pictures and send them to me, for putting on Praja. The picture added here (the one taken in the night) is the one taken by him, from the rear of the pendal (put up on 9th main, 4th block, adjoining the Maharaja junction), his not quite daring to take a picture from the front, for obvious reasons.

This person, who is quite active in the local RWA circles, couldn't find one single recognisable face in the crowd that had gathered for the event. They were clearly all outsiders. The question that arises is why should outsiders be holding their celebrations in Koramangala, and disturbing the peace here? Also, by lending support to these goings on, tacit or otherwise, isn't the local MLA causing to lose his standing in the local community?

Celebrations are all very fine - every body indulges in them to some extent. In fact, when I was running my own factory, every Nov 1st was celebrated in grand style, including with musical sessions where the workers never let me off till I sang at least one stanza of my favourite "aakaashave' beelali maele'". But, this 'nirantara Rajyotsava' for weeks and months on end, blaring out loud music and blocking up roads, and that too by a bunch of auto drivers and other outsiders, is something that perhaps needs to be resisted by the Koramangala community, lest it eventually follows the dreaded MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Mumbai) pattern.

As for promoting Kannada language and culture, there are many better ways of achieving them - here's an example.

Muralidhar Rao