Virtual Reality Hits

Virtual Reality Hits
Hindustan Times

SITTING DOWN to his favourite meal of ragi balls and saaru, former prime minister and Janata Dal (S) leader Deve Gowda asserted, "I mean what I say.

What has Information Technology and the Infosys boss, Narayana Murthy, done towards the construction of an international airport in Bangalore?"

"He has quit his post of the chairman of the Airport Building Authority in protest against your remarks," I pointed out.

Gowda gulped down a mixture of ragi balls and saaru. "Good riddance," he snapped. "Anyone can do a better job than he. I have been getting regular reports on his activities on this post. Ha, he never keeps his eyes closed during the meetings of the Airport committee."

"Does that matter?" I wanted to know.

Gowda frowned. "Hadn't you seen my photographs as Prime Minister during important meetings, including those of the Cabinet? My eyes were closed, my head often nodded. That was how I concentrated though my critics in the media complained I had dozed off. That is not true at all. No one can concentrate with their eyes open, as this Narayanmurthy does at the Airport Committee meets."

"But still he is regarded as the king of the IT industry which has made Bangalore famous," I pointed out. "People will talk if such a person dropped out of the Airport committee."

"Are you sure, you don't want any of this saaru?" Gowda asked and continued with his meal. "What do this IT people know of construction? When I was chief minister, we had plans to build great roads. I appointed 162 committees, made 76,500 speeches on this issue and passed thousands of resolutions. That is how things should be done. These IT people think airports can be built in a jiffy. What about rural development? Don't forget the fact that I am a humble farmer who rose to become the Prime Minister. Look at the simple meal I am having".

"All this talk does not solve the problem of building an airport," I said.

Gowda shook his head as he noisily drank some more saaru. "Let this man go, the Airport Committee will work better. How many times did Narayanmoorthy take his wife, family, near and dear ones abroad during his tenure in the Committee to study the working of airports in the rest of the world? How can any work be done without such junkets. Remember my family trips to places like South Africa when I was PM? They brought about so much international understanding."

"Don't you want any real development for Bangalore?" I wanted to know.

"Of course, I want all sorts of development," he pointed out. "Today, thanks to our Janata Dal (S) Bangalore people can watch only Kannada films, and the real development will come when only Kannadigas will be employed at the new airport, all the announcements will be made in Kannada and flights serve only saaru and ragi balls to passengers. Can your Narayanmurthy bring about such changes?" I shook my head.

Gowda finished the last of his meal. "Then let him go, we politicians do a better job. We will have a new spanking Kannada airport by next millennium. We can easily do without these IT upstarts."