It is not uncommon for news photographers and television cameramen to get into fights, among themselves if not with event organisers. At a recent event in Kolkata, some photographers were yelling out to a student presenter to move aside so that they could take pictures of Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and the West Bengal Governor. Evidently not used to the ways of cameramen, the hapless lass kept coming in their way. As the rumblings got louder, the former President — who must have some experience in dealing with such situations — stepped in gallantly. He not only helped the young lady move out of camera line; he also disarmed them by posing for them.

‘Ash' comes after Santosh

Who is the most photographed personality from the Bunt community of coastal Karnataka? Could it be any of the famous Bollywood actors — Aishwarya Rai, Shilpa Shetty or Suniel Shetty? Surprise, surprise! It is actually Justice Santosh Hegde, Karnataka's highly popular Lokayukta, according to an office-bearer of the Mangalore chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Welcoming Justice Hegde as the keynote speaker at the recent CA Foundation Day , the ICAI office-bearer said the Lokayukta was the most clicked Bunt figure and has pushed the former Miss World to second place. For many months now, Justice Hegde has been in the spotlight, both for nailing Karnataka's corrupt public servants; and more recently as a member of the group that is drafting the Lokpal Bill.

Illustrious namesakes

You can never be too careful if you have to deal with illustrious namesakes. Just beware of slip-ups. At a recent Kolkata event, someone representing the organisers referred to the West Bengal Governor as “K. R. Narayanan”, the late President. The Governor took it in his stride, but not without setting the record straight in his speech: “Much as I would like to be K. R. Narayanan, I am not. I am M. K. Narayanan.” Everybody found it funny, except perhaps the embarrassed person from the organisers' side.

Eager to learn

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but for K. V. Kamath, the Infosys chairman-designate and the non-executive chairman of ICICI Bank, it changed his life. Sharing the mantra for success, Kamath, during an interaction with journalists at the picturesque Bangalore Press Club, said that he was always curious and this made him learn new things and understand them better. “If you start with the assumption that you do not know anything, you will open up to newer experiences,” he said. It was important to keep an open mind and look for opportunities, Kamath pointed out. These attributes and an engineering degree from the premier Regional Engineering College, Surathkal and an IIM-B spurred this man into making ICICI Bank one of the leading banks in South-East Asia.

Hit-and-run lessons?

Are there rules for certifying motor vehicle driving schools? Or are they allowed to flourish and become a law unto themselves? This is the question that came up in the mind of a colleague recently. Out on a Sunday morning walk, my friend noticed that a person learning how to drive scraped against another car while negotiating a turn. There were no casualties, except for a huge white scratch on the car that was hit. But rather than stop and take remedial action, the motor driving school instructor and student sped away. Now we know why so many people lose their lives in road accidents.

Full flights to Dhaka

An off-the-cuff remark by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Bangladesh has probably proved a money-spinner for the airline industry. No sooner was the PM's statement made public than there were a spate of announcements of high-profile visits to Dhaka. First off the block was External Affairs Minister, S. M. Krishna. Soon came the news that the Prime Minister would also visit Bangladesh. The Chairperson of the UPA, Sonia Gandhi, too is expected to wing her way to Dhaka. Officials from both countries will obviously fly between the two capitals to prepare the ground work for the high-profile visits, adding to the joy of the airline industry.

Factor T in business

Just as Hyderabad's monsoon build-up has ended in a whimper, it seems the latest Telangana agitation has turned somewhat tepid in spite of 100-plus legislators resigning from the Houses and a two-day bandh during the week hitting everyday life. So it seems to concerned T-watchers among industrialists. One of them, who sized up the new situation, said business sentiment was unlikely to be hurt whether a separate State was formed or not. His theory was: If the resignations of more than 100 MLAs have been brushed aside by the Centre on the ground that the issue called for a larger debate, a Telangana State is unlikely to be formed in a hurry.

The jolted legislators, meanwhile, are unsure about the next move and have cancelled all agitation plans.

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