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ON THE BEAT

Engineering politics

If education decides your position, who can go beyond being a Prime Minister who is a diploma-holder?

Several well-known engineers from Karnataka who have received the Padma awards were felicitated at the Institution of Engineers last week. Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and Industries Minister P G R Sindhia were among the guests present on the occasion.

Getting up to speak, Mr Gowda made this intriguing remark, much to the embarrassment of the reigning Cabinet ministers:

“I am a diploma-holder in engineering but I have managed to become the Prime Minister. Under the circumstances, Sindhia, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in engineering, should be going places!”

A red-faced Sindhia and other Janata Dal (S) partymen tried to swallow and look away, even as the audience burst into laughter.

P M Raghunandan

Last days of bachelorhood

Bangalore has seen the most eccentric of characters. If a few months ago, we saw a youth who attempted to ‘sell himself' on MG Road for Rs 10,000, as he claimed he had been been driven to poverty thanks to betting on online lottery, last week saw another specimen.

A youth stood at the Brigade Road-Church Street junction with two large card-boards hung on either side of him: “This is the last day of my bachelorhood. Please donate”. For good effect, he also carried a begging bowl in his hand. Amused passers-by walked on, even as a bunch of his friends stood at a distance laughing boisterously.

Obviously, it was a bet by the youth’s friends and he too had taken up the task sportively. But Bangalore was entertained. One, however, wonders what his fiancee thought of this!

Shiva Kumar N D

Lightning-quick answers

All those science lessons on water evaporating to form clouds and then coming down as rainfall have come to naught. Even those lessons on monsoon winds causing low-pressure and trough over the Bay of Bengal. For, ultimately what causes rain is thunder, a reporter learnt, to his consternation, recently.

A reporter who had called the Meteorological Department to enquire about the quantum of rainfall last week came to this bitter realisation based on the responses from officials.Asked what the cause of sudden showers was, the officials came up with this deadpan explanation: “Thunder activity.” Flummoxed, the reporter then asked, “Yes, but what is the reason for that?”

“Thunder, didn’t I tell you?” Aye, ma’am!

PMR