The Hindu : Reporter's Diary

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 09, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

Reporter's Diary

Racing fans have a ball

Sundays are "race days" in Bangalore. But this was a different kind of racing at the Palace Grounds. Rally champions and amateurs from all over the country turned up for the Maruti Auto Cross Track Attack 2002. The Maruti Motorsports man, Vijayant Choudhary, won the day with four leads and a second position. The first of its kind in India, the event was the brainchild of Jaidas Menon and Sujith Kumar of Bangalore Riders' Sports Club and was sponsored by Maruti Motorsports .

The track was a replica of the Australian World Rally Champinoships track with an underpass and an overpass, putting driving skills to test.

Two cars were flagged off at a time on two different tracks and their drivers had to pass each other over and under the bridges, simultaneously. Women racers were not left behind either, and three of them won top prizes. Since Bangalore has no regular racing tracks, this was an event to be cherished for fans of motor sports.

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Prisoners' paradise

Last week, a prisoner in Bangalore central jail did the vanishing act. He was being taken to Victoria Hospital from the prison in Parappana Agrahara for treatment of piles, an ailment which is said to be afflicting several prisoners. The "A" class prisoners, of course, complain more frequently of heart trouble. Since the Department of Prisons is now taking trouble to making living conditions in the jail more bearable for prisoners and jailers alike, we can think of many ways to keep them away from the temptation of jumping to freedom before their sentence ends. Since the prison library is barely used, there can be large-screen TVs and a video library.

The more educated among the prisoners could be provided access to the Internet. But who will censor the shows?

Mundane pastimes such as Antakshari, dumb charades, and "passing the parcel" can also be introduced. The last can be of special interest to those convicted of smuggling.

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Less taxing now

When the season for filing income tax returns filing season comes back again (one has barely got over the ordeal), there can be an easy way out for tax assesses. A Pune-based firm has developed I-Kar, an income tax calculating system on software, that will help the public and tax professionals file returns according to the latest regulations.

This software not only helps individual assesses, but also chartered accountants who have to file tax returns for corporates. Tax professionals occasionally take their clients for a ride, according to the company which developed the product. A team of five developers worked on I-Kar after being trained on the intricacies of income tax laws and all about deductions and other tax benefits, meagre as they are now. With even the "Saral" form now running into almost 20 pages, filled with indecipherable boxes and numbered sections, one hopes this software will make the task a bit easier for those who cannot afford the services of a professional for filing their tax returns.

(By K. Satyamurty, Govind D. Belgaumkar, and Afshan Yasmeen)

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Southern States

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Reporter's Diary