A Gharibabu for Raj Bhavan

Raj Bhavan, which has been frantically scouting for a “gharibabu” — the man in the household of zamindars and aristocrats of yesteryears whose job was to wind all the clocks of the household from time to time — finally got one from Marble Palace in central Kolkata. He became part of the group of people with whom Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi had an interaction on the eve of the Republic Day. Initially, Doordarshan, which telecasts the Governor’s programme and which is assigned the task of finding out people with whom the Governor would have the interaction, threw up its hands, saying a species like “gharibabu” had become extinct. But, Raj Bhavan staff did not give up and ultimately, the “gharibabu” was found.
Officers fume at top cop’s hop with actressesOf late, police commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakraborti’s affinity with celebrities, actors and actresses has not gone down well with the police force, with joint commissioners, deputy commissioners, even officers-in-charge of police station barely guising their unhappiness over their boss being escorted by Tollywood beauties while taking stock of security arrangements at public places. “In one case, he was surveying security arrangements in a shopping mall, and was escorted by a famous actress. This is too much. Thereafter, he has to be on her duty for the entire day,” said a senior cop. The top cop’s claim that celebrity-endorsement is just to spread security awareness failed to cut ice with his officers. “Why waste money and time by hiring celebrities for spreading security awareness? People can learn about security themselves,” said another top cop.