Articles by Snehalatha Naidu

As one walks into Silverend, Mohan and Priya Mascarenhas' 130-year-old heritage home,  the greenery around envelopes you. The fragrance of the flowering plants and the carefully laid out beds makes one halt in one's tracks to take in the breathtaking array of Nature's bounty that surrounds along the tiled pathway leading to the home. The soft sounds of wind chimes, the birds chirping and butterflies hovering around the flowers  take you to a bygone era. You will wonder if this is indeed a home in Urban Bengaluru. Silverend has also won awards for the Best Old Home from the Urban Arts Commission. Unconventional atractive designs…

BBMP has passed a new rule that unless segregated, garbage will not be picked up from Apartments and Homes. Does this instill any fear in the residents of Bangalore? Or will they be happy to throw their garbage at the first available open area? Recent studies show that Bangalore generates 3500 tons of garbage on a daily basis and approximately Rs 135 crores are spent to dump this waste into the various landfills on the outskirts of the city. As a result, the landfills are choked, our environment is being polluted, and contamination is evident in everything from the soil,…

When I first heard about the magical properties of Aloe Vera, I was unprepared for the absolute bitter taste of the product which wouldn’t leave my mouth for at least 15 mins! I went ahead and swallowed it anyway, telling myself it is medicinal and good for so many of my medical problems. I am so glad I stuck with it. Today after one year of taking 50 ml of Aloe Vera on an empty stomach first thing in the morning, I can vouch for it. My aches and pains are reduced considerably, my skin is glowing and my hair…

"Help us to help you" - Impassioned pleas from C R Geetha, Station–in-Charge of the Fraser Town (Pulakesinagar) Police Station! And rightly so, according to this writer, since the general trend is for the public to disbelieve or mistrust the Police. Geetha has been in charge of Traffic for East Division for more than four years and finds that except for a very small percentage of the general public within the limits of her jurisdiction, the majority do not wish to either come into the station or call the police at any given point of time. Geetha (third from left)…

Richards Park has the proud privilege of being probably the only park in Bangalore to have a Band playing at the Bandstand year after year. Come December the Richards Town Residents Association (RTRA) invites the Army, Police and Air Force Bands to play at the majestic Wheeler Pavilion set up in the early 1900's at the heart of Richards Park. Wheeler Pavilion Residents of the area, young and old, turn up in large numbers to attend this musical evening. Bringing back memories of the days of the British, many old timers recollect the days when Indians and dogs were not…

The Richards Town Residents Association (RTRA) held an Appreciation Ceremony for the Civil Defence at Richards Park recently to launch a campaign of greening Richards Town with five hundred free saplings from the Civil Defence Division 40. Maj Gen John planting the first sapling. The 40th and 41st Civil Defence divisions were formally inaugurated under the Directorate of Home Guards, Civil Defence and Fire and Emergency Service in October 2009. Area 40 includes Fraser Town and D J Halli, The campaign was launched by Jija Madhavan Hari Singh, DGP, Home Guards and Fire Services; Major General T M John (retired),…

Born in 1952 into a humble Tamilian family at Gautamapura – the Gun troop area of Ulsoor, Ulaga was a quiet child. Cricket, football, gilli-danda, marbles were games that he played like any regular kid. But by 16, Ulaga realized the magnetic attraction to the game of football.  Joining clubs like the Bangalore Mars Club or the 515 Army Football Club he met and rubbed shoulders with legends- Arumai Nayagam, P. Kannan, Lionel and Basheer Ahmed. The Junior Nationals launched Ulaga into the Senior Division which ultimately brought him National and International limelight. He had the good fortune of being…

The Richards Town Residents Association (RTRA) invited all the residents of Richards Town to join hands in cleaning up Richards Park, one of the most prominent landmarks of the area. Young and old (the oldest being 86 years old) gathered on a Sunday morning armed with gloves, brooms and garbage bags to clean the park and lead by example. Richards Park was set up in the late 1800's to decongest the South Parade Area. Named after Richard, a British Civil Services Officer, the park is the highest point of Richards Town. This beautiful park with a bandstand where the British…