The umbrella yaga

June 23, 2011

Mangalore, June 23: Since there has been no rain in Dakshina Kannada for the past several days Baba Narendra Dev, decided to go on a severe fast unto death between breakfast and lunch.

As it was approaching lunch time, Devendra, the god in charge of rain appeared and told him that he would have been glad to give rain, but there were some 81 students of Gandhi Nagar Higher Primary school in Mangalore who would suffer as they had no umbrellas!

Said Devendra -o my son supply umbrellas to 81of them and I shall give you rain. So, it was decided to hold a yagna called as Chatri Yagna in other words the umbrella ritual! In the state of Karnataka or probably anywhere in India it is not considered as strange to marry frogs, donkeys, dig up dead bodies and perform prayers for rain. The Chief Minister B S Yaddiyurappa has gone on record that it was he who prayed and got rain for the state last year. But when floods resulted he blamed dams in Andhra Pradesh for them. Recently he and an ex Chief Minister of Karnataka had a dispute which they wanted to settle in the presence of a temple deity by taking oaths!

But of course the young children of the Gandhi Nagar Higher primary school would have none of that. Before handing over umbrellas to them we asked them whether it would rain if they were given umbrellas- they said no. When we asked them, whether performing marriages between frogs or donkeys causes rain they said no. When asked whether performing pujas would bring rains they gave a derisive laugh. So, it is the prerogative of the adults particularly the political class to bring superstitions into every aspect of life!

It was a group of happy children who received their umbrellas. In the past week we had given them note books which we have been doing since a decade. The help from us rationalists come without strings- we do not ask them to sing songs of worship to any god, we don't want our photos to be put up in their premises but we ask them only one thing- to put things to the test of reason before you accept them!

We know that this is no great aid but a small deed for us who have to use our hard earned money for such work. The Gandhi Nagar govt. higher primary school has been a recipient of such help from us. This school has students from the socially and economically back ward sections and we try our best to help them. Dr. Srinivas Kakkilaya an active member of our movement and an old student of the school was also present.

nn

nn2

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
November 22,2025

Udupi, Nov 22: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has officially confirmed Narendra Modi’s visit to Udupi on November 28 and shared his detailed schedule with the Karnataka chief secretary.

According to the itinerary, the Prime Minister will land at Mangaluru International Airport from Delhi at 11:05 am and depart for Udupi by helicopter at 11:10 am. He is expected to arrive at the Adi Udupi helipad at 11:35 am.

The earlier plan for a roadshow has been cancelled. Instead, PM Modi will proceed directly to Sri Krishna Math at 12 pm, where he will have darshan of Sri Krishna and address participants of the Laksha Kanta Geetha Gayana event.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to depart from the Adi Udupi helipad at 1:35 pm, returning to Mangaluru Airport before leaving for Goa at 2 pm.

The state administration has been directed to make all necessary arrangements for the visit.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
November 27,2025

DKSvokkaliga.jpg

Bengaluru: The Vokkaligara Sangha on Thursday issued a stern warning to the Congress, saying the party could face serious electoral repercussions if Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is not appointed as Chief Minister.

The warning follows the public backing of Shivakumar’s chief ministerial ambition by top Vokkaliga pontiff Nirmalanandanatha Swami, who urged the Congress high command to honor his claim.

“The community supported Congress in the 2023 Assembly elections only because Shivakumar had a real chance to become CM. If he is cheated, we’ll teach the party a big lesson,” said newly elected Sangha president L. Srinivas. He added that Vokkaligas would organize protests under the guidance of community leaders.

General Secretary C.G. Gangadhar pointed out that Congress won more seats in the Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysuru region due to Shivakumar’s influence, adding, “If Congress wants to retain power, Shivakumar should be made the CM.”

Outgoing president Kenchappa Gowda emphasized Shivakumar’s contribution to Congress’ victory. “Our community voted for Congress thinking he would become CM. Siddaramaiah has also served the party well, but Shivakumar should now be given a chance,” he said.

Former general-secretary Konappa Reddy appealed to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi to recognize Shivakumar’s loyalty and service, saying, “Congress is known to keep its promises. We hope it won’t break the promise made to him.”

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.