गिरा हाथ, उठे सवाल

A bronze arm fell off a Kittur statue days before the festival, and officials are still checking why.

The right arm of the statue of Rani Channamma in Kittur, Belagavi district of Karnataka, fell off accidentally on the night of October 19. Pro-Kannada groups have demanded that the statue be repaired within three days, before the Kittur Utsav is inaugurated on October 23. The arm and the sword have been kept at the tahsildar's office.

The actual reason is not known. Officers say the bronze may have rusted and broken in rain and wind. The statue was unveiled in 1997 and was cleaned and painted for the 200th anniversary of the War of Kittur in 2024. Karnataka Rakshana Vedike's Rudragouda Patil said he had submitted a memorandum for replacement four years ago, but that officers ignored it.

Rani ne angrezon se ladai ki thi, par ek mahine ki baarish aur sarkari dekhrekh se haath chhoot gaya. Prachand Chutiya yahan memorandum hai, jo chaar saal se file mein so raha hai.

Arey bhaiya, tahsildar saab ne haath aur talwar apne office mein rakh liye. Yaani Rani ki talwar ab file ke saath hai. Pehli baar kisi sarkari daftar ko asli hathiyaar mila hai, ab dekhna hai wo bhi lal fita kaat paate hain ya nahi.

Rudragouda Patil ka kehna hai ki chaar saal pehle memorandum diya tha. Chaar saal. Matlab memorandum ko bhi to patience award milna chahiye. Officers ka theory hai ki zang laga, baarish hui. Sahi baat hai, sarkari kaam mein aaj tak koi cheez zang se bachi hai kya? Sirf zimmedari ko zang nahi lagta, kyunki use kabhi use hi nahi karte.

FINAL VERDICTPrachand Chutiya Management Committee ka naya award: Lifetime Achievement in Memorandum Management. Haath girne ke baad hi hosh aata hai, aur wo bhi sirf teen din ke liye.