Bangalore: Karnataka's 'Dirty Picture' is a Worldwide Hit!
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Feb 8: For once, the deeds of our lawmakers have made international headlines, but for the wrong reason. The 'porngate', as dubbed by the media, concerning Krishna Palemar, Laxman Savadi and C C Patil has given much fodder not just to state and national media, but the international ones too.
To add salt to the wound, the international media's focus was repeatedly on the fact that such a shameful act was done by ministers of a party that claims to upkeep morality and tradition.
From Washington Post to The Australian, Oman Tribune to ABC Online to BBC and Sydney Morning Herald, almost all the major newspapers and media across the world carried stories of how the ministers were caught watching a porn video during Assembly session and then resigned.
While The Guardian carried a detailed report on the incident, Al Jazeera flashed images of people venting their ire against the ministers in Bangalore.
Cartoonist Satish Acharya's take on the incident
Cartoon printed in a Kannada daily on Feb 9
Even Pakistan was not to be left behind in reporting the incident. The Nation carried a report with photograph and 1pak.com stated, like many others around the world, that the politicians were from 'a morally conservative party'. The stress was also on the fact that one of them was a minister of women's affairs.
Twitter and Facebook have been abuzz with activity, with debates and funny takes on the incident making the rounds. YouTube too registered hits, with around 10 clips recording a viewership of one lac.
Cartoonists too had a field day, with one of them, Kundapur-based Satish Acharya coming up with a creative take on the incident. His cartoon shows C C Patil and Laxman Savadi 'explaining' their act - while the minister for women and child development states he was learning how a 'child develops', the cooperation minister chips in with 'And I was cooperating'!
Incidentally, it has come to light that the video the trio were caught watching in the Assembly orginated in Kasargod and is called 'Fasila'. As is well-known by now, the video shows a woman clad in black sari dancing and undressing. The video was reportedly shot two years ago.
Interestingly, the demand for the video clip has reportedly increased after the incident. In Hubli-Dharwad, for instance, a DVD titled 'Ministers' Dirty Picture' is being sold by the minute, according to reports.