Wheels of trouble turn on ‘Bus Day’

Chennai, never short of festivals, now has one to contend with — not really celebrate.

“Bus Day” is now part of the city’s carnival calendar but for most in the city, it means vandals on the prowl, without brakes.

What started as a boisterous display of lung-power and street dancing skills by college youths on their way home has now turned into a traffic-stopping annual ritual — aptly called Bus Day.

The ostensible reason to mark the day is to “express gratitude” to the buses that ferry students to colleges and back.

Professors who have watched student behaviour change over the years say it used to be an attention-grabbing drill once — much of it done to catch women’s eyes.

It’s not amusing any more. Last week, the street party careened out of control when the students of one college celebrating the day clashed with those who did not like their idea of fun. “We won’t permit the hooliganism. We arrested four students for throwing stones on another college bus,” said joint commissioner (traffic) Sunil Kumar.

All eyes on swing season

Amateur golfers in Delhi got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to swing with the best in the business, before the big boys swung into action themselves.

Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood, Vijay Singh, Ian Poulter and Jeev Milkha Singh were among those who participated in the Johnnie Walker Classic Amateur Challenge 2008. The competition was held last weekend.

“With Indians registering major golf successes recently, we had a good turnout,” an official of the Delhi Golf Course said.

Calcutta boy Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia, the son of a greenskeeper, is the latest golfing success story for India, winning the Indian Masters on February 10 after beating a string of champions. Now that the amateurs are through, it’s time for the pros as the Johnnie Walker uncorks “Pro Am Challenge”.

Burning example

A priest apparently frustrated at complaints gone unanswered set a burning example others will shudder to follow — he attempted self-immolation before a top district official.

Kumararaja Dhikshithar had told officials about the harassment from a local thug who was trying to force him out of his house in the temple town of Chidambaram and grab his property. But the pleas fell on deaf ears.

Unable to bear the torment any longer and fed up with the administration’s apathy, Kumararaja barged into a public meeting that the Cuddalore collector was holding at his office.

Kumararaja poured fuel on himself and lit a matchstick before police pulled him away and arrested him.

The Dhikshithars are a small group of orthodox Brahmin priests confined to Chidambaram. The town is home to the famous shrine of Nataraja, the form of Shiva when he performs the “dance of destruction”.

Hospital fix

Patients unhappy with some of capital’s prominent hospitals have been offered hope of quick redress.

Delhi High Court last week ordered the government to set up special committees to hear complaints at the Safdarjung, Ram Manohar Lohia and Guru Teg Bahadur hospitals.

The authorities have been given four weeks to comply with the directive, which requires the panels to be headed by the medical superintendent of the hospitals.

The orders came on a PIL that said the conditions in the burns wards were “deplorable”. Later, the court extended the scope of the plea to cover all wards.

Mumbai: This Tuesday, hit the high note at a western music concert featuring the trio of Bisengaliev, Wallfisch and Lenehan as they revive the magic of Beethoven, Schumann, Debussy and Mendelssohn. The venue is the NCPA, Nariman Point. Time: 7pm. Call 22824567 for more information.