A sleepless night follows thanks to KPCL. The next day, my colleagues were frowning due to my rotten mood!!

That is my situation as a working person. What lies on the other side? The school children are facing their final exams, most of which are at Board or Public level. Besides the frustration of exams, summer heat and parental heat, students are forced to study in candle light. What a way to improve economy? The opticians have a roaring business due to kids wearing glasses these days. We only thought glasses were for the middle-aged!

The homemakers after whole day’s domestic chores and the heat relax by watching the soap operas on their favorite channels. KPCL has deprived them of this little pleasure too. You are not too sure when the power is going to come and you are off to sleep. Sleep turns into a losing battle with the heat and the mosquitoes. The next day follows suite.

On the positive front, families get to have more of the romantic ‘candle light’ dinners. Kids have excuse to avoid study as parents can’t force them to study in the dark. So they look forward to such power cuts, and begin playing with shadows formed in the candle-light. That’s the KPCL’s initiative in inspiring creativity!!

Power cuts have become part of the daily routine in Bangalore. In fact, people take power-cuts so casually at Bangalore. Can the situation be controlled from worsening further?

Bangalore is the IT city of India. Surprising!! Hats off to the likes of Narayana Murthy and Azim Premji for their efforts in getting global recognition for Bangalore, despite the atrocious infrastructure. In fact, I cannot help quoting our own CMji, at one of the inaugurals, “We have to congratulate them for achieving all this despite the Government.” Chief Minister of Karnataka dreams of making Bangalore another Singapore. Is that only in words? Are there any concrete steps towards this where infrastructure is concerned?

The power problem seems to be staying on and on. Summer after summer the same saga repeats. The generator companies have roaring businesses each year, and growing by leaps and bounds. At this rate, people might boycott KPCL, and generate their own power. The problem can be effectively looked into when the method adopted is economical.

Also commendable are the efforts of the Governments in spending thousands of Crores of Rupees to set up all known/unknown/unheard forms of power generation plants…Earth, wind, rain, fire, garbage. The only power that the money generates seems to be for the ministers and their progeny, whose already burgeoning bank accounts spill over with currency of a black hue. For these are the people for whom power cuts are unheard of. When they listen to this term, they feel the only reason to be lack of payment of bills. Not that they face the aftermath of it, but the story told to them by their smooth talking elders.

The Chief Minister’s residence/ legislator’s quarters exist in the privileged areas where kids never know what darkness is. After all, don't these eminent people have to plan how to supply uninterrupted power to the IT capital of India, the Garden City, the Air Conditioned City (it was called so due to the environment earlier, now due to the number of air conditioners)? They care a damn, as long as their asses are cooled by the imported air conditioners, enjoy their televisions/music, and light up their houses as if it was the festival of lights. What about the people who vote them to power? They will be thought of 5 years later, when the next election is due.

Karnataka lacks fossil-fuel reserves. It relies mainly on water-generated power. A lack of investment in this industry limits its capacity to barely 60% of current demand. Consequently, Bangalore now experiences both 'scheduled' and 'un-scheduled' power cuts on a daily basis. Governments have come and gone, leaders have visited and vanished. However, the power problem remains unsolved. People have almost come to take this as if this was etched deep in their fate lines.

We still have hopes. We still expect changes. Is it asking for too much? Some day we might be declare mad, and would be sent to asylums, as people feel we have unrealistic expectations. Now, I feel this to be the bare minimum we deserve from the Governments who are in power due to us.

I cannot help wondering when S. M. Krishna's dream of Singapore will be fulfilled. Long way to go!!! Pace up, Mr. Krishna!!!