In the name of God!

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

The state department has had its hands full with trying to vaccinate people in the heart of rural Karnataka. The good village folk largely believe that they will get a fever and die if they take the vaccine, or worse, become sterile. Groups of youngsters see the officials approach and simply hotfoot it out of there. This is despite the awareness programmes conducted by the government and volunteers. Recently, health officials decided to carpe diem - seize the day - when a group of people gathered at a river bank to see the water at full spate. They managed to catch and vaccinate them all. They met their match a few minutes later, however, when they arrived at the home of an elderly woman, whose apparent camaraderie with a helpful local deity kept the needle-wielding officials at bay. Health Department officials stood slack jawed as the woman promptly became possessed by a goddess, waving her hands and tossing her head, saying they had angered the deity herself by trying to make her take the jab. Since nobody wanted to anger a deity, the officials quietly went on their way.

A man of many talents

If Congress leader Siddaramaiah’s political pursuits had failed him, he might have found an alternate career in showbiz. Known for his quick wit and sarcasm, he can have the Assembly in splits – even ruling BJP members can’t help but chuckle when he lapses into PM Modi’s signature dialogue on ‘Acche Din’ and ‘Bhai aur Beheno’. His acting talents are actually reminiscent of Kannada thespian Dr Rajkumar, in his mythological roles. Siddaramaiah too has mastery over intonation, a deep voice and excellent diction. He has also maintained a hilarious war of words with BJP Minister K.S. Eshwarappa, with whom, incidentally, he happens to be great pals.

Bye-bye Badami?

Will former CM Siddaramaiah return to Mysuru from the Badami constituency in Bagalkot in the upcoming 2023 assembly polls? It looks possible, as former MLA B.B. Chimmanakatti wants the ‘huliya’ to return to Mysore and contest from the Varuna seat. Siddaramaiah and Chimmanakatti have undeniable chemistry, appearing side by side on the dais in nearly all government functions. Last week, Chimmanakati did an about-turn, saying in an open meeting, that he wanted to contest the coming assembly election from Badami, ask- ing the incumbent to go back to Mysuru. It has come as a rude shock for Siddaramaiah, who apparently, is giving the matter some thought and might just decide to contest from Varuna or try his luck in another constituency in Mysuru.