Articles by Harshitha Padmavinod

“I am not fully convinced that my child's and my personal data will be securely digitised under the APAAR ID initiative. I withheld some information, yet I’m anxious about my child’s safety and how this might affect her future education,” says Chaitra N, parent of a class 3 student in Bengaluru. Many parents share Chaitra's growing unease about providing personal data for APAAR ID generation. Tanuja R, mother of two undergraduate students, also had her reservations. “We place our trust in educational institutions to safeguard our children and their records, which ultimately shape their academic futures. That’s why, despite my hesitation,…

The constant tug of war between legally registered property owners and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), now the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), over stormwater drain (SWD) and lake encroachment clearance is not new to Bengaluru. The city remembers one of the most prominent instances of this face-off that surfaced in August 2016, when the BBMP demolished 10 structures in Shubh Enclave Layout on Haralur Road. City authorities claimed that the layout had encroached on a secondary drain connecting Kasavanahalli and Kaikondarahalli lakes.  In November 2024, BBMP, now restructured as GBA, declared that they had cleared up all SWD encroachments, despite…

“I haven’t received a single benefit from the welfare board. Every time I apply, the reason for rejection changes, without any clear explanation. I’m tired of running around,” says Sendhil K, a construction worker from Kolar with 15 years of experience, currently working in Bengaluru. He had applied for scholarship benefits for his two children studying in the city. He also claims he hasn’t received any welfare kits issued by the Board or the COVID-19 relief funds. Now, he says, he’s lost all hope of ever receiving support, including a pension after retirement. Retired construction worker Prabhakaran's experience is no…

“The impact of childhood trauma still haunts me. I was a very extroverted child, but as I began to feel different, I became introverted. This took a serious toll on my self-esteem,” says Shivv Pandey, a trans man and Bengaluru-based activist. Like Shivv, many transgender individuals carry unresolved trauma into adulthood, with limited access to even basic mental health support. As they struggle to survive in a hostile society, their mental health remains neglected, overlooked in policies, support systems, and even within their personal lives. In an earlier article, we highlighted the lack of psychological support for transgender youth in…

“When I reached out to my college counsellor, I was told I was just experiencing hormonal changes and was influenced by my surroundings and the media. It was a deeply traumatic session. I had asked for support, but all I received was dismissal and ignorance,” says Adi Goswami, a trans man and People Consultant at Bengaluru-based firm Zinnov. Adi regrets asking the counsellor for help before transitioning, while pursuing his undergraduate studies in a reputed, previously all-girls college in the city. Like Adi, many transgender students experience isolation, and the lack of mental health support in their institutions may also…

On June 10, 2025, the Union Government announced plans to regulate air conditioner (AC) temperature settings to a range of 20–28°C. The initiative aims to cut electricity use and promote energy conservation. It's a crucial move, considering cooling systems account for 10% of India's energy demand. While critics argue the move restricts individual thermal comfort, experts believe such regulations are long overdue. Currently, AC manufacturers offer temperatures ranging from 16 to 30 °C. The science behind temperature regulation So, why is it imperative to regulate AC temperatures and minimise AC use? “The lower you set your AC temperature, the more…

Bengaluru's flooding story often circles around its age-old stormwater drainage system conflicting with rapid urbanisation. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has been actively utilising data from flood alert systems, but only for rescue and evacuation, and not for mapping flood patterns or preventing floods. Also, though the data is publicly accessible, little is being done to create public awareness about it.  “I was stuck in a traffic jam three kilometres away from my office in Manyata Tech Park when I got an office alert about inundation there. If only flooding information was timely and accessible, it would save so…

[Part 1 of this series covered the poor state of homeless shelters in Bengaluru. In Part 2, we look at who is responsible for this, and why.] “We can’t work anymore because of our age. Where will we get food?” asks Nataraj*, an elderly, retired watchman living in a homeless shelter in Yeshwanthpur. As per the Shelter for Urban Homeless Scheme (SUH) under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), residents up to 10% of the shelter's capacity should be given free food, prioritising the elderly and sick. But for months, most shelters in Bengaluru have not been doing…

“I had to leave my village in Belagavi and come here with my daughter after I learned of my husband’s extramarital affair. I have no home now,” says Manjula* who works in a hotel and lives with her daughter in a shelter for the homeless run by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).  “Our crops in Raichur were all ruined due to extreme weather and our returns have reduced drastically over the years. We had to shift to the city for any work to survive,” says Raja*, who stays in an all-male shelter. His wife and daughter stay in a…

Bengaluru’s floods keep getting worse each year. Even before the monsoons arrived, the city was already submerged this year, raising serious questions about mitigation measures. While the state government continues to toot horns about more construction projects, like elevated corridors, tunnels and flyovers, basic storm water drain (SWD) infrastructure remains inadequate and incomplete, leading to urban flooding. For 2024-25, the Karnataka government has allocated ₹2,000 crore to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) under the ‘Karnataka Water Security and Disaster Resilience Initiative.’ In a press release dated May 17, 2025, BBMP had identified 209 flood-prone areas in Bengaluru, with mitigation…