It is cricket time everywhere. Not just on the telly, in the lanes too. With schools closed, roads everywhere have turned into playgrounds. The scorching heat notwithstanding, children can be seen indulging in their favourite sport. Cricket teams are active in every bylane. A roar goes up as the ball zooms past unsuspecting passersby. Often elders also join in the fun. But nobody seems to bother about the risk involved playing on busy roads.
Going overboard with secrecy
Faces wrapped in scarves and stoles as protection against the sun and wind is a common sight, especially in summer. However, one does not expect shrouded faces in air-conditioned halls, as witnessed at a recent event by Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Society. Film Director Sunil Kumar Reddy of Sontha Ooru fame arrived at the event along with the main leads of his forthcoming movie. Both his hero and heroine stayed through the event with their heads and countenances covered, apparently because the director did not want to reveal them to the world. When their turn came, they even spoke through the wraps. However, during lunch session, they had to remove the shrouds and display their faces for obvious reason!
Children speak the IPL lingo
Exciting finishes have made this IPL season quite interesting to watch. Last ball finishes and last over victories have been the hallmark of this season, so much so that housewives who prefer the saas-bahu serials don't complain when the kids control the remote.
No wonder, the IPL lingo has been a huge influence on the kids. Parents are surprised to hear kids saying “I took a Carbon camal catch” (with the commentators influence) in their gully matches and “our match went down the wire” to describe a close game. As some mothers point out they don't have any objection as long as kids come back and say, “We need some cheer girls for our match”!
Policemen on the edge
Irregular power cuts coupled with rising mercury levels are keeping the traffic police on the edge these days. Despite taking several measures to improve traffic, signals at several busy intersections are becoming non-operational owing to power cuts. The traffic policemen have to regulate vehicles manually in the scorching heat in dusty roads. The situation is even worse at Rasoolpura junction as the road was dug up for laying pipelines. The upsetting factor is that many motorists do not adhere to rules. Surely, these are pretty tough days for the traffic police.
Flaunting the gift of the gab
Politicians with the gift of the gab are rare. Many times, while addressing public functions, they break into dull and long winding speeches, which at the end do not serve any purpose and the audience inadvertently get lulled into a quick nap.
On the other hand, there are some politicians who are eager to show that they are eloquent and their speeches make sense.
Minister for Civil Supplies D. Sridhar Babu appears to embrace this concept. In a recent public meeting at Niloufer Hospital, the Minister made sure that his speech had generous mix of chaste Telugu, Hindi and English. As he quite nonchalantly shifted between the three languages during his speech, the audience were quite impressed. Some also were bemused because unlike the well-spoken Minister, they had tough time adjusting to the sudden switch in language and also with the slight hint of the American accent, which the Minister seemed to have carefully practiced and decided to unleash on them.
Playing it safe
“Will Hyderabad metro be better than Delhi metro?” posed a news hack to the L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad Managing Director V.B. Gadgil. “On what parameters…,” retorted he, refusing to get into any kind of grand announcements that could be a “twisted” headline the next day.
To persistent queries, he remarked: “I can say it is going to have the latest technology and a more advanced signalling system with driverless trains.” Similarly, he refused to take the bait when asked to comment on ex-Delhi Metro chief Sreedharan criticising metros being constructed under Public, Private Partnerships (PPP).
“We are here to execute the project as per the tender. Mr. Sreedharan is a legendary figure and everyone is entitled to his views,” he said.
Souvenirs for media persons
Media persons usually remain in press gallery while covering an event, but promoters of an online radio sprang a surprise on them during a recent launch event organised in the capital. Much to the chagrin of the media persons, the event organisers called reporters and camera crew on to the stage for receiving mementos.
Reporters were left speechless with this sudden turn of events and even as the organisers were calling the reporters by name, the latter were reluctant to go on the dais for receiving the mementos. Finally the reporters went ‘enmass' on to the stage and took the souvenirs.
