"Hinn"-dering normal life in Bangalore

21 January, Bangalore

Clouds of uncertainty are looming large over Bangalore with rumours spreading about a possible clash between American Evangelist, Benny Finn and Hindu fundamentalists. All major IT companies in Bangalore, often declared as the software hub of India, have warned their employees to leave the premises as soon as they can arranging special shuttles to facilitate quick exit.

Benny Hinn runs the This is Your Day programme on the God television channel under the Benny Hinn ministry. It must be noted that this is not his first gathering in India. Early last year, he had a huge gathering in Mumbai titled "Pray for India" (click here for images) attended by celebrities of all faith and religions. Despite reservations from the Catholic church, the event was a resounding success, thanks to personnel from three private security agencies and 15,000 volunteers, and was attended by over 200,000 people. The expectations on this event, scheduled for the next 3 days in Bangalore, are very high and there's a huge inflow of christians from various parts of south India, including areas of south tamil nadu which were affected by the Tsunami recently. What's ironic is the difference in the way it has been received in Mumbai (which is often characterized as a fundamentally active city) and Bangalore (quoted as the most cosmopolitan city in the country). Apparently the hindu activists have been irked by some of the publicity material for the event which made derogatory remarks on idol worship and Hindu culture.

As issues of this sort have in the recent pact, this event seems to have received a lot of political limelight. BJP, expectedly, were first to jump into the Anti-Hinn bandwagon, continuing to play their role of terrible-losers to the hilt. Though the Karnataka goverment has decided to go ahead with the event, chief minister Dharam singh clearly understands the political overtunes and has so far been very non-committal about the attending the event himself. Hindu activists have arranged for processions in many parts of the city as a mark of protest against the event.

Over here at Ground zero, in Bangalore, daily life seems to move on. Most of the shops are closed today. But it's mostly to do with Bakr-Id that's celebrated all over the country (to make sure people of all faiths have something to remember about this day). The event is scheduled to happen at Jakkur, on the outskirts of Bangalore and is quite far from International Tech park, which is where most of the software companies are located. Reports that have been coming in, have clarified that things are normal and safe in areas surrounding marathahalli, outer ring road, koramangala and White field. There are occasional rumours about stray violence in Elanga and in Hosur road, though it has not been confirmed yet. Some of the IT professionals who were interviewed from companies in Electronic city and ITPL have decided to stay at office till late in the night and come back home at ten when they believe things must have cooled down considerably.

It remains to be seen what turn events take over the weekend as the event progresses. It's expected that much of it will depend on the message that is delivered in today's gathering (assuming those who have taken arms, are reasonable and listening). On the whole, it has been an evening of exaggerated reactions both from the sides of the hindu fundamentalists, who aren't sparing any effort in splashing themselves on print, and by the IT companies, who have been overcautious about events unfolding miles and miles away. Of course, the software engineers aren't complaining about an early weekend.

Will keep you posted on the status here. This is Rathish Balakrishnan reporting for Wilde Vogel from Bangalore. Take care.