DailyOh! Who burnt Bengaluru, to how Vikram Sarabhai’s affair laid the foundation of IIM-A
Just because something hasn’t happened doesn’t mean something can’t happen. Hold yourself from saying it can all happen in 2020 because 2021 might just decide to take that as a challenge, but don’t hold yourself from saying what has happened in Bengaluru is wrong. What has happened in Bengaluru is that three people have been killed, hundreds have been injured, including 60 police personnel, and over 200 cars have been burnt in the metropolitan city over a Facebook post purportedly derogatory to Prophet Muhammad.
The violence happened last night in the DJ Halli area of Bengaluru while most of us were asleep and most others were trying to sleep. Post the Facebook post, a mob vandalised the house of Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy alleging the man behind the post was his relative. Why punish the kin for someone else’s ‘sin’? Ask the mob that gathered.
Meanwhile, Naveen, the man whose post reportedly sparked the riot, has been arrested. But the search for Binod is still on. The State Bank of India (SBI) has asked people to be like Binod, but not told who Binod is. That’s worse than being told to be like Sharma Ji Ka Beta because at least there was a clue to the beta.
Binod is not important (but here's more about Binod if you want to satiate that curiosity). Your bank details are. So do not share your bank details.
Sushant Singh Rajput’s family meanwhile has shared a nine-page open letter. The letter talks about many things including the strong bond the family shared.
Meanwhile, the call data records show Sushant last spoke to his father KK Singh on May 19, about a month before he died. Before that Sushant spoke to him in November 2019. What does this say about their relationship? Exactly what you want to hear.
We all perceive truth differently and often we perceive what we want to perceive because why perceive what someone else wants us to. According to Rhea Chakraborty, Sushant’s ‘mental health crisis’ started with how he perceived a Goya painting. She told that to the Enforcement Directorate. If you want to know the full story behind that painting, read this.
Who investigates Rhea’s claims and Sushant’s family's counter claims will be decided tomorrow by the Supreme Court where the two sides are fighting the case.
Maanayata, meanwhile, has called husband Sanjay Dutt a fighter and expressed confidence that he would emerge victorious. From what? From Stage 3 of lung cancer. The news of Dutt’s cancer came a day ahead of the release of the trailer of his latest film Sadak 2, set to release on August 28, 29 years after the release of Sadak.
Dutt has had a difficult life even if some difficulties were of his own making. He spent years in jail because of some of those. In 2016, he still wasn't convinced he was a free man.
Dutt is flying to the US for treatment. We wish he flies back to India all hale and hearty soon after defeating his cancer. But did you know cancer’s crab connection? Hint: It’s neither the cause, nor the cure.
Cancer, the Word Of The Day, draws from Greek word karkinos, which meant crab. It was so because the term was applied to some tumours the swollen veins around which resembled the limbs of a crab. In Greek mythology, Karkinos or Carcinus, was in fact a giant crab which came to the aid of goddess Hera in a mythological battle. It was ultimately crushed in the fight but as a reward for its help, goddess Hera placed it amongst the stars as the constellation Cancer.
Who placed it inside our bodies? Smoking, lifestyle choices, genetic makeup and what not. Who will get it out? Science.
Speaking of science reminds us, today happens to be the birth anniversary of Vikram Sarabhai, the physicist and astronomer who initiated space research and helped develop nuclear power in India. Vikram Sarabhai gave India many institutions too. But it was his extra-marital affair that gave Ahmedabad its Indian Institute of Management (IIM). Vikram Sarabhai, as you know was married to Mrinalini Sarabhai, and was living in Ahmedabad as one happy family.
Somewhere in between the marriage, Mrinalini introduced her husband to her friend Kamla Chowdhry. Mrinalini insisted Vikram let Kamla work with him after the latter’s husband was murdered. Mrinalini, with whom Vikram had had a love marriage, would often be travelling for her shows abroad since she was a trained classical dancer. This reportedly gave time for the affair between Vikram and Kamla to blossom.
The affair then began to rock Vikram and Mrinalini’s marriage. Sensing this, Kamla decided to leave Ahmedabad and shift to Delhi. Vikram said it was okay if she wanted to not work in the same office as him but she shouldn’t leave Ahmedabad. To hold her back, he requested Jawaharlal Nehru to build IIM in Ahmedabad and not Bombay or Calcutta. Nehru obliged and Kamla joined the IIM as research director. The rest is history? No, IIM-A is part of the present. But the history of this affair was disclosed in a book A Book of Memory: Confessions and Reflections written by Kamla’s nephew Sudhir Kakar. Vikram Sarabhai's daughter, in an interview accepted the affair, but said it was unfair to attribute the institute to it.
People may have their reasons for doing what they do but when they do good, you need to acknowledge what they did. When they do the extraordinary for the country, you give them state honours. Vikram Sarabhai was given Padma Bhushan while he was alive and Padma Vibhushan after he died, meaning posthumously.
On this day in 2019, former President Pranab Mukherjee was given Bharat Ratna. He is today in a critical condition in hospital and his daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee has said, “May God do whatever is best for him”.
Talking of Presidents, the Presidential race in the US is in full swing with Democratic candidate Joe Biden announcing Kamala Harris as his running mate, which means if Biden becomes President, Kamala could become Vice-President. What she becomes will be known when she becomes, what she has become with Biden’s announcement is the first Black woman to run for a presidential post as a nominee of a major party in the United States.
Who wins that race will not be known before November, but guess who won the race to become Hero No. 1? Akshay Kumar.
Akshay stole the thunder from the Khans, and now Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi's thunder too is threatened. Both Taimur and his fans can't wait to have it stolen because arriving to steal it soon is Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan's second child.
For Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, however, Hero No. 1 seems to be Lord Krishna, whose birthday is being celebrated today as Janmashtami. Some celebrated it yesterday also and then some real revellers, both yesterday and today. To go back to Bobde, however, we got to go back to the Supreme Court.
Hearing a bail plea, the CJI asked, “Today Krishna was born in jail, right? You want bail or to be in jail?”
How is that even a question? Who would choose jail over bail even if Krishna was born there? Those who can’t afford the bail. Bobde may already know but then we thought let’s just remind.
That will be all for today. We will get back to Supreme Court tomorrow because tomorrow the court will decide on who will probe Sushant’s death case.
Bye for today.
Take care.