Delhi Diary: Om Namo Somnath!

Om namo Somnath!
Shivratri came as another opportunity for the members of Parliament to ask for an additional holiday. As the festival fell on Thursday, the MPs suggested in Lok Sabha business advisory committee (BAC) meeting that they should have an extra day off on Friday so that they could go back to their constituencies. This holiday meant a four-day break for Parliament.
The idea somehow did not go down very well with Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, who has been making strong observations against the frequent disruptions and the time being wasted by parliamentarians. When MPs insisted for a holiday on Mahashivratri and Friday as well, the Speaker asked: “But why do you need an off day on Mahashivratri? What do you do?” When an MP replied that there is a practice of fasting and even pouring milk on Lord Shiva’s idol, an exasperated Speaker said: “I am also Somnath (another name for Lord Shiva). Pour milk on my head in Parliament.” The MPs, however, still managed to prevail on Chatterjee and got their break.

Chameli ki shaadi!
The India-US civil nuclear deal and the UPA-Left relationship have been the subject of numerous comparisons, which do sometimes draw the most hilarious of parallels. As the focus shifted to the civil nuclear agreement last week with the government making some positive noises about seeing the deal through, scribes were most curious about the status of the deal.
When reporters asked a minister whether UPA government, buoyed by the farmers’ loan waiver, could seal the deal despite the Left’s reservations. Tongue firmly in cheek, the minister replied: “When a boy loves a girl but the girl’s father is opposed to the match, you know what happens? Like in the movie Chameli ki Shaadi. The boy sneaks in upstairs to the girl's room and runs away to get married while the father keeps rubbing his hands in despair. So maybe we will sneak the deal.”
‘Lord’ing it over!
The sudden rise in the number of journalists reporting from the Supreme Court has been both a boon and a bane for the judges, who now do not have to starve for publicity anymore. Yet, stray incidents of misreporting or misleading reports have become a cause of worry too. Grapewine has it that the Chief Justice of India, known for his strong rebuke to TV sting operators, floated the idea of having a ‘Workshop on Reporting of Court Proceedings’ organised for journalists covering courts.
To give them a bit of judicial tongue lashing, the CJI wanted to deliver a punch to the media by compiling reports where the media went totally wrong and admonishing them for their mistakes. But better wisdom prevailed after a brother judge suggested that the CJI should not lord over the media but instead leave it to its own judgment. The idea clicked and ultimately the CJI decided to be content with mere compilation and publication of the booklet, which was circulated at the workshop without any stricture from My Lords.
Sainik Schools get a shot in the arm!
Forty-four Sainik Schools all over the country are the nurseries for grooming officers for the three services and they have done their bit. One such school in Kunjpura, Haryana has sent 587 boys to the elite National Defence Academy(NDA). Moreover, Army chief General Deepak Kapoor, an alumns of this school, is the first student from a Sainik School to become the head of an armed force. Incidentally, Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is also a product of the Kunjpura school and is a contemporary of the army chief.
Unfortunately, the overall standards of the Sainik schools have not kept pace with the times and there is a drop in the number of students from these centres now joining the armed forces. Expressing concern over this trend, Defence Minister A.K.Antony has given an additional allocation of Rs Two crores to each Sainik School in this year’s budget. If money can move things, this should do the trick, Defence Ministry officials believe.
Trouble brews for the tiger!
More family trouble seems to await Shiva Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, who is still trying to control damage, following the spat between son Uddhav and nephew Raj, with the latter floating his own outfit to push the Maratha cause. The question he has answer is: Can the Sena afford a non-Marathi to the Rajya Sabha as its candidate, as it had done in the past when it supported the likes of Pritish Nandy, Ram Jethmalani and Chandrika Kenia?
With rival Raj pitching for a Marathi Manoos, Bal decided to send his daughter-in-law and well-known Bollywood producer Smita to join the league of Bollywood legends like Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan. But son Uddhav and other Sena leaders are opposing him.
Sify Correspondent Monday, 10 March , 2008, 17:19Last Updated: Monday, 10 March , 2008, 18:50