E.R. RAMACHANDRAN writes: Ajji, fully covered in her shawl, had just finished her pooja of margashira masa, heralding the start of winter season.

“Yeno anyaya? Looks like the whole of Karnataka might just cave in because of the landslide caused by endless land scams. The way scamsters are ripping off our State and subsequently flying off with impunity and their extended families to Jammu to get the blessings of Vaishnodevi is preposterous. Isn’t this our money they are looting and then visiting shrines on the top of it, as papa parihaara? ”

“It is Ajji, it is.”

“They indulge in daylight robbery (an alleged bribe of Rs 87 crore, no less, deposited in bank accounts) without any qualms and then, when caught by the Lok Ayukta, announce proudly that in order to ‘uphold the highest traditions of democracy and morality’, they are resigning from the cabinet.”

“This is the fashion of the day in Karanataka, Ajji. Resignation on a ‘matter of principle’ seems to come only when forced to face criminal charges for forgery and cheating.”

“Lok Ayukta is also called in some States as Lok Pal, isn’t it?”

Ajji was changing tracks, getting into the Hindi belt.

“Yes, Ajji. In fact the Lok Pal bill is pending before Parliament.”

“Lok Pal is a nice name, meaning somebody who will protect the world or our country or Karnataka against evil.”

“Very true.”

“Lok Pals in the ancient days were Krishna and Rama. There is a popular Kannada song too, ‘Swamidevane loka palane, the namosthu namostuthe’ in B.R. Panthulu’s School Master, starring Raj Kumar and sung by Komala, Renee and T.G. Lingappa with lyrics by Kanagal Prabhakara Shastry.”

How can one forget that song which was once even a school prayer?

“It’s great song, Ajji.”

“Nodo! In Bhagavad Gita in 4.8, Krishna says: Paritranaya sadhunam, Vinasaya ca duskritam, Dharna-samsthapanarthaya, Sambhavami yuge  yuge (Meaning: to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I myself appear millennium after millennium.”

“He said he will come again and again to save dharma from evildoers. He said, ‘To protect the good and to destroy evil and establish dharma, I will come back whenever such a situation demands that.”

“Illige hege apply aagutthe, Ajji?’

Just like Krishna counted 100 sins of Shishupala and finally killed him with his sudarshna chakra, our loka pala is doing the same for the present crop of Shishupalas amidst us. Hope he gets enough strength to wipe out all scamsters, past and present.”

“Ha ha, chennagide Ajji, your comparisonu. It is very apt too.”

“Most of our ministers have amassed illegal wealth and land over the years, and I hope only Rourava Naraka awaits them. By making donations out of the ill-gotten money, they think they can buy off swamijis. How I wish the few good swamijis we have in the State would boycott them if they are true swamijis!”

“Correct, Ajji. The swamiji should put proscribe the cheats whoever they might be.”

“If the swamijis want to be respected by the public and respected by their own conscience, no matter which caste they belong to, they should keep the cheats away  until they publicly apologize for their sins.”

“Sariyaagi HelDe Ajji.”

“Do you remember the song Apaara keerthi gaLisi mereve bhavya naadidu sung by G.K. Venkatesh, in Vijayanagarada veera putra? In the film, Raj Kumar enacts this while paying tribute to the people who strived to make our rajya great.”

“Howdu Ajji. That song still make one’s hairs stand on the edge with pride; and GKV has  sung very well.”

“Eega, such a song will have to be in the name of rogues’ gallery of Karnataka. We will need a 18-minute song to fill in the names. I don’t know whether any of our singers will agree to lend his / her voice. May be the rogues will themselves sing this as a chorus,” concluded Ajji.

Also read: What role should our swamijis, godmen play?