Potholes are a countrywide problem, and Belagavi is no exception. People in the town have been protesting against the dismal condition of roads, without much success. This was until Varun Karkhanis, a 29-year-old videographer changed all that, that too in just a few hours.
On Sunday, Varun and a few others shot a video, where they placed an inflatable boat on a huge, water-filled pothole at Sanchayani Circle.
"We have been trying to draw attention to the number of potholes in Belagavi for a while. So on Sunday, we got together, placed an inflatable boat at the pothole in Sanchayani Circle, wrote a song and shot the video. We uploaded the video and it went viral," says Varun, speaking from Belagavi.
The song, titled ‘Khadde Baar Dena’ which translates to ‘fill up the potholes’, pokes fun of the dismal condition of Belagavi’s roads. The videographer’s satirical take on the condition of roads even includes people trying to plant saplings in the potholes. The lyrics are sung to the tune of the famous Spanish dance song 'Macarena' released in 1993.
Varun made the video along with group members Rakesh Nandgadkar, Sandeep Palankar, Kishor Singh Thakur, Pooja Oza and Anant Honnannavar. It soon went viral, and has already been viewed over 10,000 times on Facebook.
Importantly, the video managed to grab the attention of civic authorities in Belagavi, who swung into action within a day of the video releasing and covered the pothole at Sanchayani Circle.
Varun commended the authorities for reacting quickly but added that the roads in many areas in the town need repair. "The CBT Bus Stand is the worst hit among the roads. Several roads including Congress Road, Dharwad Road, APMC Road, College Road need repair," he says.
Authorities have also covered up potholes in Congress Road in the town and aim to complete repair work on all roads soon.