Bangalore Sweatbox

A second day of rioting today caused many foreign and locally-owned companies to close their doors. The Register says HP and McAfee shut down; Microsoft's building was the target of stone-throwers. Bloomberg said:

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Bangalore Shuts Down, Mourning Death of South Indian Actor

April 13 (Bloomberg) -- India's technology hub of Bangalore came to a standstill as stores, restaurants and companies such as Infosys Technologies Ltd. closed to avoid attacks by mourners from around the province gathering for actor Rajkumar's funeral.

Rajkumar, known to fans as "Aannavru" or elder brother, died yesterday at the age of 76, following a cardiac arrest, according to the NDTV television channel. He had been awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke and Padma Bhushan prizes by the federal government for contributions made during a 45-year career that included more than 200 Kannada-language films.

Fans yesterday burned tires, overturned vehicles and destroyed the glass fronts of buildings, including a Microsoft Corp. office near the actor's home, as they demanded that Rajkumar be posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor. Infosys, India's second-largest software exporter, and smaller rival Wipro Ltd. joined the local government in declaring a holiday today.

Karnataka province's Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and the late actor's wife Parvathamma, a film producer, today made a joint televised appeal to fans to maintain peace in the city to avoid dishonoring the late actor's name. The government is organizing Rajkumar's cremation at a one-acre site at Kanteerava Studios in the city this afternoon, following which a memorial will be built, they said.

Additional police officers were deployed throughout Bangalore yesterday as news of the actor's death spread. Stores and offices shut down early and sought to avoid becoming targets of attack by prominently displaying Rajkumar's posters and red and yellow flags carried by his supporters.


Kidnapping

Rajkumar's kidnapping by sandalwood smuggler Veerappan, an ethnic Tamil, in 2000 led to statewide riots and clashes with migrants from the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu until his release about 100 days later.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani yesterday canceled his proposed trip to Karnataka following Rajkumar's death, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

Rajkumar, born Mutturaju Singanalluru Puttaswamayya, is survived by his wife, daughter and three sons. A school-dropout, he had been awarded an honorary doctorate by Mysore University.

Indian cinema has lost a distinguished actor and a versatile personality, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday said in a statement e-mailed by the government.

Rajkumar demonstrated his commitment to the local Kannada language and sacrificed opportunities to broaden his appeal and gain fame elsewhere in the country by refusing to act in other languages, Kumaraswamy said yesterday in a televised interview.

The Bharat Ratna that Rajkumar's fans have been demanding is awarded for exceptional service toward advancement of art, literature and science and public service of the highest order, according to the annual report of India's ministry of home affairs. It has been conferred on 40 people since it was instituted in 1954 and was last awarded in 2001.

From Bangalore Buzz, this explanation for the disturbances after the death of locally revered film actor Rajkumar:

As the thespian's fans went berserk across Bangalore, chief minister H D Kumaraswamy went on air on all channels appealing to the public to maintain peace. "Don't give in to any emotional turmoil or take hasty decisions. As a fan of Rajkumar, I appeal to you fellow fans not to bring a bad name to him," he said.

What triggered off trouble was the delay in deciding where the body should be kept for public viewing. Kumaraswamy said the initial venue was Palace Grounds, but this was set aside as "it is hard to control crowds there."

I asked a co-worker who is a Bangalore native, and his explanation went something like this: "Rajkumar had the ability to rally his fans for any cause, and over the years he used this power to rally people for one cause or another. So don't believe he was 'only an actor.'" This, he implied, would be like saying Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was "only a clergyman."