Apathy, indifference or irresponsibility?

On Thursday, the 23rd of this month, the citizens of Bangalore went to vote, only 45% of them. This is supposed to be a city populated by intelligent, educated citizens. Why was this low turnout despite appeals almost daily by sportspersons, film personalities, social workers and politicians reminding the citizenry to go and vote.

Are the people that dumb? Don’t they know that it is important to vote? If they know, then, why did they not vote? There are many explanations. One is that past experience has taught them that it is a waste of their time because the elected representative has failed them so far and will this time too. The other is that most political parties select candidates not based on merit but based on caste, religion and ability to mobilize money and muscle.

In the present elections like in the past, this to some extent was true. Money, liquor and gifts were given to poorer voters to entice them to come and vote. Pockets of poverty and concentration of voters is present in urban slums and these are the people who turned out in large numbers to vote adding credence to the belief that Indian voter can be bought and the democracy in this country is a sham.

So like in the past this time too it was another great Indian thamasha and we will get another set of buffoons who will rule us.

Such a pity.

Golf memorabilia. Part 3

Another danger is the possibility of carrying different kinds of vermin in the golf bags, as it happened to one of the golfers, who to his horror found a snake slithering out of his bag when he reached home. Witness to this sight of a snake coming uninvited to her home, will you blame the wife for not liking the game? Golfers by and large are not fastidious about their mud covered shoes and stockings and don’t wash and clean their gloves. Often these small objects are left forgotten in some nook and will come to light only later, sometimes, long after the golfer is dead and gone as happened in the incident described above.

After so many years of playing and competing in assorted tournaments, a golfer tends to collect a fair number of trophies. Most of these look great to the eyes of the golfer. A plate with the engraved figure of the golfer with the club held aloft is considered a nice piece for display in the living room. The arduous circumstances and the fierce battle preceding its win are memories that he winner will cherish for life. Naturally he will loathe seeing this prized trophy being removed from the prominent place it now occupies. Neither will he tire of telling the heroic story of the historic win to all the visitors who come to his home golfers and non golfers alike. That the wife thinks the object and the story repulsive, is another matter altogether. Adding insult to injury, the golfer husband periodically reminds her to clean and polish the offensive object. A collection of such offensive brick a brac is enough to ruin any marriage. That it doesn’t happen more frequently than it is happening now, speaks volumes on the sagacity and forgiving nature of wives of golfers.