Odina Alethea Blog

They even laid on a bandh!

So, first you have to know that a bandh is a general strike. Secondly, you have to understand the raw emotions raised by the thorny issue of water sharing between states in a primarily agricultural country. Lastly, you have to have followed the news dominating local papers here which have been full of the final determination of the Cauvery River tribunal. The Cauvery river rises in Karnataka, swings eastwards into Tamil Nadu before forking east and west into the Bay of Bengal and into Kerala respectively. The tribunal had made an interim judgement ten years ago which displeased everyone and led to communal violence. The latest ruling says that Karnataka government has to open its dams and release a major percentage of the water to the downstream states. The locals here in Karnataka are not best pleased.

We on the other hand were pretty much in ignorance of what this might mean to us and having said a final goodbye to Chris Wight, our travelling companion and chief photographer the night before, Maggie and I set off early from Mamallapuram, hours before dawn, to catch the 6:00am train from Chennai to Mysore. A mere seven hours later we were scheduled to roll into this hilltop home to the Maharajahs of Mysore State. All went well until we got to Bangalore at 11:00 when the carriage was invaded by porters announcing “Train cancelled, train cancelled!” We put it down to a bit of opportunism on their part but eventually we had the official announcement that our train would go no further. It seems that Monday’s bandh had been pre-empted by wildcat action such as placing huge rocks on the track.

We banded together with a young English backpacker and three Tamil travellers and commissioned a Sumo people mover vehicle to take us to Mysore. Again we made good progress, until we got some fifty miles away from Mysore. This time the road was blocked and we had to crash through the central reservation to take shelter in a little “service station”. The Tamil women were quite nervous and urged their male companion not to speak in Tamil as the Karnataka protesters might pick on them. We got some food and after half an hour, the traffic started again. Behind us on the Northbound carriageway, there were flaming barricades and after pushing our way back across into the Southbound lane, we started motoring again.

Our driver was a cross between Mad Max Gibson and Timo Mäkinen the Finnish rally driver. Several times we drove the wrong way down the dual carriageway into the face of the oncoming klaxon blaring, gaudily painted juggernaut lorries, as he tried to manoeuvre us into a ten-yard advantage over rival taxis. Again we were stopped by a line of protesters sitting down in the middle of the road, supervised by local police officers. Despite the heat we had to keep the windows closed because the Tamil women were afraid of stones being thrown at us. We were as calm and phlegmatic as you would expect from British adventurers although the little rivulet of urine down my trouser leg told its own story. Eventually, we were let through as they packed up the camping gear and rolled the rocks away, and we made it to Mysore without further complications.

On our arrival, we had a walk around the town which has a rich heritage of buildings from the days of the Raj and we saw some of the political campaigns getting underway - dont know who the mannequins in this picture are but they were coming in for some abuse.

While out walking today we met a septuagenarian Yank, decked out in bush hat and outlandishly wide shorts, secured with belt at roughly nipple level , who croaked to us that we should Leave Now, Leave while we have time, For God’s Sake, I’m not Joking, Bad Things are going to Happen Here etc etc. Well, it might be interesting and there might be some ructions but at the moment, it’s just legitimate political protest that’s planned. The police aren’t taking any chances and are massing by the bus station. Mind you, there were some violent outbursts last week in Bangalore, so we’ll have to be careful. We’ve stocked up on bottled water and bananas to survive the eight hours of closed restaurants - god knows how we’ll survive!

Anyway, we’re off out now for a walk in the gardens of the Maharajah of Mysore’s Palace. It’s a wonderful sight at night illuminated with thousands of watts worth of electric bulbs, so we are told. We visited the palace earlier today and it is an awe-inspiring building.

We’re stuck here now because the bandh tomorrow means all transport out is paralysed.
Back with news of our escape to the Nilgiri hills hopefully in a few days time.

UPDATE:

The bandh has gone off peacefully without any undue difficulties apart from having to order breakfast before 8:00 am. The weird thing was the absence of noise from vehicles, especially the auto-rickshaws which are a noisy everpresent feature of Indian city life. We were able to leave our windows open, and even walk in the deserted streets after our lunch of bananas and tea. Tomorrow we leave for the hill station of Ooty with maybe a diversion to a jungle retreat in Tamil Nadu. Depends on how the transport works out.

A Petaluma woman was brutally attacked by a Great Dane as she stopped to pet a leashed dog when she was on a walk, according to an article in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. According to the news report, the woman, Lisa Sheean, her husband, Mike Sheean and their 9-year-old son were walking along a coastal bluff last Saturday night when a man walking a Great Dane crossed their path.

Sheean told the newspaper his wife actually asked the dog owner if the animal was friendly and that the owner replied that it was. When the woman bent over to pet the Great Dane, the dog, without warning, grabbed her by the head, Sheean said. The dog didn’t even growl before it pounced on her, he said. Lisa Sheean had stitches over one eye and her head and also had puncture wounds in her head, the article stated.

An investigation is ongoing and the dog has been quarantined for 10 days. Investigators are also trying to determine what caused the dog to bite, how severe the injuries are and the history of the dog. The dog could face restrictions even if the wounds are not severe, officials said. According to the article, the Sheeans themselves own two Rottweilers and so considered themselves to be very comfortable with dogs.

Now, it’s very easy to say in hindsight that Lisa Sheean should not have pet that dog, even with the consent of its owner. Of course, we don’t know if the dog had a prior history of attacking people or small dogs or children. Officials are saying never pet a strange dog. You never know what dogs are going to do. Sometimes, owners are in denial but other times, they really don’t know what their dogs are going to do either.
If you have been bitten by a dog, the most important thing to do is seek medical assistance. A dog’s bite is one of the most infection prone wounds you can suffer. Besides a dog’s mouth being full of all types of bacteria, bite wounds are jagged, which leaves a lot of wound exposed. Dog bites are difficult to stitch because they are so jagged.

Naturally identifying the dog and its owner is important. If the dog cannot be identified so that its vaccinations can be verified, a dog bite victim may be subject to treatment for rabies. Identifying the dog’s owner is also important for any type of claim to recover medical expenses and economic losses associated with the injury.

All dog bites should be reported to the local animal control agency. Without reports animal control agencies cannot quarantine a dog to check for diseases. Reports are also necessary so that animal control can keep track of dogs with a history of attacking people.

Our normal procedure when we are representing someone who has been attacked by a dog is to gather evidence as quickly as possible. I like to have my investigator out identifying the dog’s owner, getting statements from the dog’s owner and all witnesses, getting photos of the dog (especially while he is barking viciously at my investigator), and photos of our client’s injuries. It is also very important to document any history the dog has of other attacks on people and animals as well as aggressive or vicious behavior.

If you have questions about a dog attack, give me a call. I’ll go over the incident with you, explain your rights and options and help you decide how best to handle your situation.

Here are a few tips on how to avoid dog bites, from the Humane Society of the United States:

* Never approach a strange dog, especially one who’s tied or confined behind a fence or in a car.
* Don’t pet a dog—even your own—without letting him see and sniff you first.
* Never turn your back to a dog and run away. A dog’s natural instinct will be to chase and catch you.
* Don’t disturb a dog while she’s sleeping, eating, chewing on a toy, or caring for puppies.
* Be cautious around strange dogs. Always assume that a dog who doesn’t know you may see you as an intruder or a threat.

Around the districts (Updated Mar 21) Wigan Today - Hello and flower arranging welcome to ‘In Your Community’ featuring news from some of the many varied organisations around the borough. From flower arranging to off-road biking - anything goes. If you would like to let us know anything your organistion is dSource: www.wigantoday.netGolden gala celebration at Hovenden HouseSpalding Guardian - Other attractions include residents crafts, a model power boat display, garden games and flower arranging flower arranging demonstrations. Admission is 3 for cars and flower arranging 50p for pedestrians. n The City of Ely Military Band will be performing at Hovenden House as part Source: www.spaldingtoday.co.ukPress Release Tips and flower arranging TemplatePRWeb - “Using PRWeb’s Feature Video allowed us to provide our customers with a level of experience beyond what has been possible in the past. Instead of simply telling them what has been happening, we were able to actually show them and flower arranging the response has Source: www.prweb.comFeatured PRFirmPRWeb - With more and flower arranging more people buying holiday homes, and flower arranging even more people seeking to escape the package holiday and flower arranging arranging Spotted Flower and flower arranging the Ponokomita” Tells of Life on the Northern Plains Before the Horse When the book “Spotted Flower and flower arranging Source: www.prweb.comShower of RosesBelief.Net - With the skill of an artist, my sister went back and flower arranging forth, from his garden to our kitchen, arranging all the roses until she The Little Flower s petals have fallen onto my path at every major milestone in my life when I ve begged her for a sign Source: www.beliefnet.com

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