City: Bengaluru

Bandh gets good response: The statewide bandh on January 25 was fairly successful and mostly peaceful, as it got a good response from diverse organisations. In the attempt to reach a resolution for the Mahadayi row between Karnataka and Goa, the bandh got BMTC and KSRTC buses to stay off roads, with shops remaining shut. However, Metro services remained unaffected, while taxis and autos too were plying on the roads. Though it was fairly peaceful, the protest also witnessed some stray stone-pelters. There were more than 15,000 police personnel, along with 50 platoons of KSRP and CAR police persons who…

It was a hectic but delightful weekend at the Puttenahalli Lake in J.P. Nagar 7th Phase. On Saturday, 20th January,  S.K. Srinivas led a group of 12 participants through the intricacies of photography. It included a class in the Gazebo which we had darkened with curtains to facilitate better viewing of his presentation. Participants asked questions, cleared doubts, showed the pictures they had clicked, etc. Time flew and the scheduled two hours extended to three and more. Everyone welcomed his ideas of a day-long photo walk and forming a group so that their learning could continue. Meanwhile, we received email…

An artist friend insisted that I visit Lalbagh to check out his buddies sculpting dead trees at Lalbagh. I was intrigued and strangely had not heard about this from any other source. Also the customary visit to the flower show was pending, a ritual that cant be missed twice a year,  I headed off to Lalbagh this afternoon. As we approached the glass house on either side we spotted logs of wood taking different shapes and forms – Buddha, Ganesha, crocodile, a peacock  to name a few. Perched on a scaffolding was well-known Bangalore artist John Devraj working with an…

Two weeks after Sanjay Giri (19) died trying to cross Bellandur-ORR opposite Akme Harmony Apartments, and one week after the citizens around Bellandur’s mass protest, it seems like a ‘Sanjay Skywalk’, as residents are calling the proposed footbridge, will see the light of day. P C Mohan, Member of Parliament for Bangalore Central, called for a meeting on Saturday for a spot survey by Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd to give the green signal for a speedy skywalk construction, heeding to a demand by the residents. At the meeting all the stakeholders in the proposed skywalk were in attendance, including…

Bengaluru bleeds from a million unkind cuts. Any long term resident feels the steady erosion of their city, an unsightly metamorphosis that is not planned, owned or desired. Heritage is one such. We tend to close our eyes in pain at what’s gone in our city, and try to continue keeping them squeezed shut, at the possibility of the heritage that is further going, as we speak. Ugly plastic protective sheets hang where the remnants of our identity and city heritage used to be.  So what do we do? Is now too late already? Or shall we seize the moment,…

A judicial verdict on an altercation between two citizens four years ago is really not a headline material or even a case study for legal students. Four years; five hearings and finally a judgment that levied a fine of Rs 1,500 hardly sounds like a thriller. But the matter of Sneha Nandihal versus Gopi actually serves as an important lesson for all those working in the space of citizen civic activism and more importantly doing it as a woman. Sneha, who is the president of the B M Kaval Resident Welfare Association in Indiranagar, is no stranger to aggressive characters…

A few months ago, Bengaluru saw people from various resident welfare associations and list out their wants for Bengaluru. This was at Beku BeDa Santhe, organised by Citizens for Bengaluru. The list that came out of it, a citizens' manifesto for Bengaluru, was submitted to various political parties. Here goes the citizens manifesto. Traffic Principles: Prioritize moving people over vehicles Incentivize public transport over private transport Invest heavily in mass public transport Demands: Setup UMTA Double the bus fleet, halve bus fares Add 10 new suburban train routes every year Increase frequency of metro; add coaches Integrate public transport with…

An open letter to Ananth Kumar, MP, Bengaluru South Dear Sir, Subject – Suburban Rail Service for Bengaluru I really do not know how to react to the recent press briefing (January 18, 2018) from Railway Minister Shri. Piyush Goyal with yet another announcement on ‘Suburban Rail Service’ for Bengaluru. I am appalled at your endorsement of such announcement with lofty ideas like ‘elevated tracks’, increased FAR etc. Is this announcement any better or unique from previous ones that have been made from time to time? Do you really believe that by this announcement Bengaluru City will be blessed with…

Lalbagh has been conducting Flower Shows twice a year - during the period preceding Republic Day (26 January) and Independence Day (15 August) - for many decades now. The theme for this year's flower show is the Mahamastakabhisheha of Gomateshwara, an event that is held once every 12 years, and is scheduled to be held between 17 and 25 February this year at Shravanabelagola (http://mahamasthakabhisheka.com). The 57-feet tall monolithic statue of Lord Bahubali consecrated during the 10th century is considered one of the seven wonders of India. In addition to a replica of the Gomata, the flower show also has…

Google to help Bengaluru police manage traffic better: "A team of officials from Google and the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) are developing a custom-made ‘Traffic analyser app’ for the traffic police, which will help in congestion management, benefiting the general public," said R. Hitendra, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), to The Hindu. Rooftop restaurants already shutting shop: A number of rooftop pubs, bars and restaurants have complied with the orders of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to close down their establishments. They had been found operating without trade licenses. About 135 establishments had been given a week’s…