Articles by Siri Srinivas

It's that month of the year that bores you out of your wits (just like the last one, and the last, not to mention the one before that). So here we are, holding your hand, offering calming cups of tea and warm reassurances as you tear your hair out, out of nothing to do. Oh and I nearly forgot. We also have a fine little list of things to help kick that fiend Time six feet under. Without further ado:1) Register for the Bangalore round of The Centre for Civil Society's youth centric seminar titled I, Society and Public Policy.…

Yes, we've been away. No No, quite literally. When we heard that NIT Trichy's annual cultural fest Festember was starting on the 18th of September, we jumped at the idea. The veterans who have traveled far and wide to cul-fests assured us it would be good fun. Besides it would be a nice break after all the hard work (cough!). So the run-up to the trip went without incident (Discounting the initial shock we encountered when The Parents agreed without as much as a whimper-incredible!). I glazed over the internal tests, hopped my way through assignments and was generally hopping…

Forms carefully filled, procedures checked and driving skills sharpened, does one stand a good chance of getting a driving license? Considering the general experience at RTOs, there can never be an answer in the affirmative every time. That absolutely nobody believes that licenses can be procured without paying bribes is the least of the RTO’s troubles. The department is fogged by confusions regarding procedures and mired in beaurocracy. Touts and agents at every RTO offering free, quick license in exchange for a few hundred rupees are commonplace. When it is not allegations of corruption, it is the irregularities in rules…

The acronym RTO evokes a mixture of worry, apprehension and confusion in Bangalore city’s novice vehicle owners. Right from collecting of documents to taking time off other routines to clear tests for that coveted license- it is serious business. This article attempts to make the procedural route to obtaining licenses at any city RTO simple and lucid. All about Learner’s Driving License A valid Learner’s License (LL) is a pre-requisite to get a permanent Driving License (DL). The objective of a Learner’s Driving License is to officiate the process of learning. That is, if you are enrolled in a driving…

Early Morning abstractness captured at NITT Day two was fun. Except, we couldn't take part in half the events because we were a wee bit late. Yes, Yes, we understand you've come all the way from Bangalore, but you see we turned away 20 teams already. Tough luck! Goodbye. Oh come on! What fests run on time anyway, we fumed. Read Part 1 Part 3 of Siri's NITT experienceThere was a bit of the customary song-dance happening near the foodcourt. You know, one of those dos with annoyingly squeaky emcees, with plastic accents and such. Every college fest has to…

We chatted up some nice folk from NITT who seemed to love every minute of being there. But, but, but, what about staying away from home, cruel weather, homesickness etc, We pried. To this I heard the singly most common sentiment that's been expressed by nearly every NITian I've known. They admit that the one thing they'll take home with them, even after graduating, is the friendships garnered. I heard, not for the first time, somebody speak about how they could never connect with people from outside college the same way again. The rapport and camaraderie established are based on…

"The problem", remarked a friend wistfully as we stood up amidst stifled murmurs and blasé one-liners, "is that they think we're really stupid and we think just the same about them." I looked at her and nodded as we began to repeat after the voice blaring from the speakers. After we were finished taking oath, she clarified concernedly, "neither is entirely true you know!" So college started a few weeks ago, and we third-years had been practicing cocky swaggers, meaning to intimidate the fresh troop of students that will enter college next week. The new entrants are, with fashionable indifference,…

Films of the late ‘80s and ‘90s immortalized the student populace as fun-loving, singing-prancing, volatile peoples; as entities with rebellious tendencies and a penchant for settling rivalries through bicycle races, boxing matches and dramatic fisticuffs. Having been a toddler when those films were made, I can't comment on the veracity of projections from that decade. Nevertheless, these Technicolor profiles of boys and girls seem to have been etched deep in the minds of concerned elders. So much, that friendly folk well past the college-going age think they know it all when they liken the students of today to Bollywood's bratpack…

While Bombay found many an obsequious reference in timeless books by its Vikram Chandras and Suketu Mehtas; William Dalrymple wrote home about Delhi in The City of Djinns; and numerous homegrown authors did as much for Kolkata, Bangalore drew a near blank in the English literary scene. Until now, of course. No longer the poor cousin, Namma Bengaluru is coming to seal its place on literary firmament with authors increasingly finding inspiration from Garden City. Thanks in part to the Indian Publishing industry opening up, leading to writers of diverse backgrounds. Thanks, also, to international interest facilitated by a flat…