Birthday wish for pet dog raises eyebrows

Nitin Yeshwantrao, TNN, Mar 15, 2011, 08.24am IST

THANE: A unique hoarding put up by well-wishers of `Mickey` to celebrate his 18th
birthday on Monday left politicians and their karyakarta s in Thane red-faced. That`s
because the celebrity photograph on the display board was that of Dr Ashok Bapat`s
pet.

Mickey`s photograph alongside his canine well-wishers was on display opposite
Thane Municipal Corporation and Pachpakhadi junction — the two key spots in the
lake city that are used by politicians to convey their loyalty and affection to their leaders
with the help of giant-sized hoardings.

The billboard put up by Bapat and his associates from Early Birds, a group of morning
walkers, is an attempt to put a spotlight on the issue and trigger a debate. The group
took necessary permission from the civic authorities for Mickey`s birthday hoardings and
paid Rs 64 for two. Seeing through the agenda, unknown miscreants vandalized one
of the hoardings less than two hours after it was put up.

"My dog has turned 18 and our group decided to celebrate the occasion. If public space
can be utilized by politicians to put up their photographs, the same can be done by the
common man. I had taken all permissions and so why should anyone object,``
asked Dr Bapat.

Dr Mahesh Bedekar, a local activist, added, "Celebrating birthdays by putting up
cutouts and hoardings is turning into a norm in the city these days. So what is wrong
if we put up two hoardings to celebrate the birthday of our dog?...

If a leader observes discipline, the same will be emulated by the people looking up to him."

Three Cheers for Dr. Bapat

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