Lock Down In Bangalore

What a strange day! It all started in the usual way - painter turns up late, carpenter doesn't come as he's hurt his hand, Tupperware lady pops round, friend drops off her ironing (does this sound like June Cleaver's life???) I was looking forward to nice cocktails and dinner with an English friend of mine when at around 4 p.m. she called to say that a famous actor had died and Indian people at her husband's work were warning of rioting!!! After a quick internet search, I discovered that a 77-year old actor from Bangalore, Mr. Rajkumar had passed away this afternoon. We figured that maybe they were being a little dramatic - would we see riots if Michael Caine passed? Or even Robert Redford (can't bear the thought)? Or maybe Bob de Niro?? We decided to take a rain check til 6 p.m. then figure out whether we should venture forth.... Bizarrely, it seems that the fears were founded! It's 9:30 p.m. here, and the whole of Bangalore, no, Karnataka State, is at a standstill - shops, theaters, businesses, all closed - with some pockets of violence emerging. See news here. It's eerily quiet outside the apartment but I keep hearing sirens - for the first time since arriving in India, it sounds like New York! My husband is on lock-down at his company, another English friend was on lock-down but now their security is escorting people home, and I just got a call that the PR event I was working on for tomorrow morning is, of course, cancelled. It's kind of reminiscent of the New York City blackout a couple of years ago; only there wasn't much rioting, just a lot of partying and making do with the romance of candles for one night. Those who remember it, may remember that not only did the city blackout, but I did too - thanks to a lot of red wine and my ever game-for-a-drink friend, Katie! Of course, everyday here, people make do with no electricity, whether it's just one-minute power cuts that are quickly rectified - we get about half a dozen a day - or whole areas that are blacked-out for days with no back-up facilities to kick-in. You are told about these in the newspaper ahead of time, so you can get the candles ready! So with no blackouts to phase people, it's obviously more important things that affect their daily lives - like life and death. It is still amazing to think though that an actor can stir up such emotion; he was apparenly revered as a demi-god and he was once kidnapped a few years ago, again provoking unimaginable scenes of protests and rioting. Probably unimaginable in the US, but here in the Indian democracy, anything seems possible. Mr. Rajkumar is due to be cremated tomorrow and may he rest in peace - along with the state of Karnataka.