Nitish magic spells doom for magicians

A year ago, Rabindra Bhavan portrayed a sorry picture of negligence and indifference. Broken seats and poor lighting made it difficult for visitors to sit comfortably. Moreover, one had to sweat it out while attending programmes, as the hall was not air-conditioned. All that has changed now, courtesy the generous help from the state government. oday, Rabindra Bhavan is considered one of the best venues to hold meetings and cultural programmes. However, chief minister Nitish Kumar had a word of caution for the manager of the venue when he arrived on Tuesday to attend a function held in honour of former President APJ Abdul Kalam. “There should be no booking for magicians for long periods. We have rebuilt this venue after a lot of effort,” Nitish told the manager. Earlier, the hall remained booked for magic shows for months, making it impossible for other organisations or groups to hold their shows there. Several conference halls in Patna have been spruced up during the Nitish regime. “Rabindra Bhavan is ideally suited for political meetings as it is located close to the Assembly and secretariat and can adjust over 600 people at a go. The magicians should search for another venue to hold their shows,” said an official.

Mutual trust

Whenever former President APJ Abdul Kalam and chief minister Nitish Kumar meet, they don’t miss a chance to praise each other. “It’s a mutual appreciation club,” said an Opposition MLA. On Tuesday, Kalam declared he was a fan of Nitish for the way he had handled the state’s affairs. Nitish returned the compliment saying Kalam was a teacher who had given the state a dream. When Nitish came to power in 2005, one of the first things he did was to get the then President to address a joint session of the Legislative Assembly and Council where Kalam gave a 20-point programme to the state, including the setting up of Nalanda international university. When the university began to take shape, Nitish got Kalam to become its first visitor (chancellor). “It’s not just a mutual appreciation club, the fact remains that Nitish knows how to use towering personalities like Kalam to the advantage of the state,” said Kalam.

Promise game

Bihar ministers are known for making tall promises to the people. However, one minister was shocked when he saw a TV news report from Delhi declaring that new roads will be built in Bihar. “Apparently the source of the news was a Union minister. It was the same Union minister I had been seeking an appointment with to discuss new roads. could not get the appointment,” said the Bihar minister. When it comes to the game of promises, there is no one who can beat the Congresswallas,” the Bihar minister fumed.

Minister’s medical ambitions

State health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey and his department’s principal secretary Amarjeet Sinha have one thing in common. Both of them cleared the medical entrance exam, but did not join the course. While Choubey gave up medical studies at Banaras Hindu University and joined politics, Sinha got through Patna Medical College and Hospital but chose to become an IAS officer. Both have declared at public meetings that though they did not become doctors, they feel honoured to serve the health department. A section of government doctors feel it is unfortunate that the two did not join the medical profession. “They should have become doctors and then they would have realised the difficulties faced by medical professionals,” said a government doctor.