Anything for a good brushing on the public image. Supporters of State Health Minister Daulatao Aher have decided to publicly felicitate him on June 14. And striving to scour the minister's tarnished image, the prodigious followers have decided to call upon veteran social worker Anna Hazare to attend the function.

The `civic reception', the supporters say, is being organised to express gratitude to Aher for the establishment of the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences in Nashik. The felicitation will be done by former vice chancellor of Marathwada University, Prof Shivajirao Bhosale. Hazare, the supporters claim, will be the chief guest on the occasion.

Hazare's presence will come as a shot in the arm for Aher, who is facing litigation in the Mumbai High Court filed by his bete noire Shantaramtatya Aher, MLC, over alleged financial irregularities in the purchase of CT Scan equipment for the JJ Hospital, Mumbai.

The supporters are also also trying to rope in the NashikMunicipal Corporation in the felicitation to give it a `formal' touch. The civic body is yet to respond. Aher, who was elected to the Assembly from the Nashik constituency, is apparently preparing for the forthcoming Lok Sobha and Assembly polls. As such, Hazare's clean chit would do much good to the soiled image of the minister.

Between practice and preaching

Ramesh alias Balasaheb Tigote is an anxious man. After leading an agitation for several years to conserve the Buddhist carvings in `Pandav Leni' and to oppose the creation of a Dadasaheb Phalke memorial near it, Tigote has now been undone by his own actions.

The Buddha Leni Bachao Kruti Samiti, which under Tigote's leadership, had spearheaded agitations for conservation of the ancient Buddhist carvings, has cried foul. The Samiti has charged Tigote of failing to practice what he preaches.

Tigote lives in the Motha Rajwada area at Wadala Naka of which he was a corporator from 1992 to 1997. The Samiti has sent memoranda to the authoritiesconcerned, charging that Tigote had encroached upon the land in front of a Buddha Vihar in Motha Rajwada.

The illegal structure was rented out by Tigote to a barber. The Samiti had complained to the civic authorities following which it was demolished last year. The shop has again sprung up, prompting the Samiti to threaten an agitation for its demolition.

The protector of Buddhist culture has turned violator by failing to convert his words into deeds.

The exclusive saheb

New Nashik Guardian Minister Bala Nandgaonkar recently visited the city and held several meetings with Shiv Sena officials and party workers. A number of memoranda were given to the minister on his maiden visit; some addressing him as Balasaheb Nandgaonkar -- the suffix saheb being used as an honourific.

Apparently, the similarity between his name and that of the Sena supremo sent a chill down Nandgaonkar's spine. An immediate announcement ensued that he be addressed as `Bala' Nandgaonkar and not `Balasaheb'.There was only one saheb in the Sena and that was Balasaheb Thackeray, he said.

A decision well taken for an organisation where dictatorship is rules over democratic norms in party matters. Obviously, Nandgaonkar did not want to give the exclusive saheb the impression that he was growing too big for his boots.

Tit for Tat

Bus conductors, in general, are an arrogant lot. But one such conceited conductor in Sinnar got a taste of his own medicine from one of his colleagues.

The conductor, Baban Laxman Dhobi, was on a State Transport bus bound for Nashik. Another conductor, Keshav Janorkar, who wanted to board the bus, signalled the conductor to stop the vehicle. The confident Baban, taking Keshav for a mere passenger, made no effort to call the bus to a halt. An agitated Keshav then flashed his identity. The bus stopped and Keshav bestowed his unrelenting colleague with a tight slap.