Running for cover(age)
The tireless, 24/7 media focus on the alleged terror links — between the Ahmed brothers (Kafeel and Sabeel) and the foiled UK terror attack — has also translated into a good share of eyeballs in the suspects’ neighbourhood. Ask the cast and crew of a Kannada television series, that was being shot in the house next to the Ahmeds’ house at Banashankari.

Members of the crew were amused to find OB vans, reporters and photographers moving around. One of them, who couldn’t resist it anymore, asked this reporter, “Have you come to cover the shooting...?” The response, evidently, was a disappointment for the gentleman. When told why the media teams were there, he put a brave face on his ignorance of the developments but still volunteered this bit of precious information: “They are all inside the house... we’ve been shooting here for a couple of days, but haven’t seen them at all.” He followed that up with a look that said, “Why aren’t you noting down my reaction?”
— R Krishnakumar

Why cops don’t behave
Should the police behave politely with the public or not? Some policemen think they shouldn’t. Here apparently is the reason:

A clutch of furious women, who were inside the lift that ‘crashed’ at Garuda Mall, pressed the police hard to take steps to shut down the mall. When a police officer politely expressed his inability to do so unless a case is registered and court issued a direction, some of them asked, “What happens if we file the complaint? Will you then close down the mall?” When the officer kept up with his “it-is-up-to-court” defence, the women came back sarcastically, “it means you aren’t going to take any action”. After the women left the place, the officer regretted his having shown the “decency to explain things” to them. “If this is how qualified people react, one can imagine how the ordinary run of people would behave. I should have behaved with them the way most policemen do with ordinary people,” he was heard muttering, but certainly not under his breath.

Jagadish Angadi

Tough ground nuts!
A Bangalorean can probably sell ice-cream in Antarctica. Want proof?

During the State-level conference of government employees held at Palace Grounds on Saturday, there was heavy police bandobust.

As the Chief Minister and his Deputy were the main invitees, cops were deployed in strength in and around the jam-packed marquee. When there was hardly any space left even to stand, some petty vendors with baskets full of fried groundnuts, bananas, chocolates and tobacco products sneaked in.

To escape the eagle-eyes of senior police officers, these vendors found a vantage point amidst the crowd from which to do their business. And their baskets got empty in no time. At the end of the function, the venue was littered all over with groundnut shells, banana peels, gutkha packets and polythene covers.

But how did the groundnut sellers crack the security and do such roaring business? By bribing the cops -- with a handful of groundnuts, of course!

— G Manjusainath

Plain speaking
What do most politicians do when things don’t go the way they apparently want them to? No prize for guessing!
Former minister and Lingasugur MLA Amaregowda Bayyapur did the other day what the Chief Minister does almost as a matter of routine.

Referring to a development work pending for the last few years in his constituency, Mr Bayyapur squarely blamed the officials for the delay. When he sought stern action against the officials concerned, the normally reticent Speaker Krishna wondered whether any minister or legislator had any control over officials.

“All of us are to blame for this state of affairs. Whenever action is sought to be initiated against errant officials, we go to their rescue either because they belong to our caste or they are our friends or relatives.”
Your said it, Mr Speaker!

— K N Reddy

Not so cool
When 5-year old Sonia Singh died after she fell from the 2nd floor of her school at Basavanagudi, the school authorities had not thought fit even to inform the police. 

When Deputy Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar wanted to know why, the school’s secretary said he wasn’t “aware of the details”. 
  
He added, for good measure, that it was difficult for a teacher to monitor 150 children in each class. His cavalier response made everyone around, including the DCP, angry.

“If you can’t take care of the kids, why have you admitted them in such large numbers, taking hefty donations?” asked one reporter. The secretary obviously didn’t want to go into such ‘details’, either.

— Satish Shile

Marketing,  Japanese Style
 Global auto majors, especially those from  Japan are experts in marketing cars and bikes. Automobile enthusiasts can never forget, Honda’s legendary campaign for its best seller the ‘Cub’ in America that caught the fancy of riders with a catchy slogan, ‘You Meet the Nicest People on a Honda’.

Ditto, is with another Japanese auto maker that launched its ‘Toyota Safety Education Programme (TSEP) - Road Safety : ‘My Right-My Responsibility’ aimed at school kids last week.

Mr Atsushi Toyoshima, Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor launching the initiative said the commitment of Toyota to according value to safety was not just restricted to manufacturing sturdy vehicles, but also supporting road safety initiatives such as these. The occasion being so, custom built pedal cars for kids to practice on makeshift roads was unveiled by the auto major. Cute cars as they were, Mr Toyoshima addressing students said, “I sincerely hope all of you would prefer a Toyota car when you reach that age” True to Toyota’s slogan ‘Moving Forward’,the head honcho’s message was true Japanese elegance, as he signed off. Sayonara !
S Praveen Dhaneshkar