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Krishna turns to God for rain

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE June 8. On a slightly overcast Sunday, the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, made a whirlwind pilgrimage to a church, a gurudwara, a temple, and a dargah here to attend special prayers and offer puja for rain.

At the last stop, the Tavakkal Mastan Dargah in Cottonpet, one of the oldest dargahs in the City, Mr. Krishna told presspersons that he visited the religious places with "abundant faith''.

"The nation is clamouring for rain... the past two monsoons have left a bitter trail in many States, including Karnataka,'' he said.

Referring to the dargah, Mr. Krishna said he had been waiting to visit it for a long time as it was spiritually charged. Though he did not say that he had turned to God as a last resort, Mr. Krishna said many things could be achieved through prayer.

In such bleak times, God was the only solace.

Pointing at the sky, he said the clouds were already gathering. "If there is a smile still left (on people's faces), it is because of these clouds,'' he added.

The pilgrimage began with the Chief Minister, accompanied by the Ministers, Kagodu Thimmappa, T. John, Roshan Baig, and Rani Satish, visiting the St. Mary's Basilica at Shivajinagar at around 9.15 a.m. The priest told him that the Archbishop of Bangalore, Igatius Pinto, sent a circular on Thursday to all churches asking them to pray for rain. "Dr. Pinto asked us to include a petition for rain in the prayers of the faithful; children in schools have also been asked to pray for a good monsoon," Father Edward, who conducted the prayer, said.

Later, Mr. Krishna went to the gurudwara near the Ulsoor Lake. There too, the presiding religious head read from the Guru Granth Sahib, and the assembled sang `kirtans' seeking divine intervention for rains.

The next stop was the oldest temple in the City, the Jalakanteshwara Temple in Kalasipalayam, dedicated to Lord Shiva. At the 1,450-year-old temple, Mr. Krishna performed a `navagraha puja'. The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike Commissioner, M.R. Sreenivasa Murthy, and the Chief Minister's Principal Secretary, K. Jairaj, were present.

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