City: Bengaluru

I was born in a small nursing home on DVG road in 1990. It has shut down now. The last time I checked, I was told there is a PG for women there now. My parents treated everyone who came to see their firstborn to a masala dosey at Vidyarthi Bhavana. The same Vidyarthi Bhavana my dad and uncle used to frequent when they were teenagers. They used to visit the dodda Ganesha temple on Bull Temple road and collect the prasada  -  some flowers and half a coconut. The theory back then was that the other half was sold to Vidyarthi…

  If the litter on Bangalore’s streets bothers you, here is your chance to do your bit towards a more beautiful Bangalore. During the Lal Bagh Flower show, litter reaches unimaginable proportions. Join a drive aimed at increasing awareness that litter must be thrown ONLY in dustbins, with the simple objective of reducing litterers on Bangalore’s roads, most of whom are unaware littering is not acceptable.  Some more details about where this initiative fits in: Our logo says it all! Our first drive towards making Bengaluru litter-free kicks off at Lal Bagh, Fri January 15th (clean-up: 2.30 pm to 6…

  Bengaluru this week January 14th 2016     CITIZEN MATTERS Bangalore's own interactive newsmagazine Speak up, it's your city!     Everybody knows Bengaluru roads are unsafe. In all likelihood, you or someone you know personally has had an accident - whether inside a vehicle, or more commonly as a pedestrian. While roads of bad quality and unscientific traffic design are one reason, how do we minimise the risk? The government says: wear helmets. So we wrote up an FAQ on that! In parallel, there are a bunch of things the state needs to do. This and more in this…

BG Sreedhhar is a rather well-known personality in the Whitefield Rising Facebook community. For starters, he draws. Most people can draw, one would say. Sreedhhar’s art is a little different. His one-page cartoons are a satire on the many situations that Whitefielders find themselves in. No harm in looking for humour in adversity, right? On your commute to office? Here’s an apt one. Illustration: BG Sreedhhar Considering purchasing a property in Whitefield? Here’s another. Illustration: BG Sreedhhar Missed ISRO’s announcement about a new Space Park in Bengaluru? He’s got that covered too. Illustration: BG Sreedhhar Sreedhhar, a landscape designer by…

In March 2014, Bengaluru In March 2014, Bengaluru Traffic Police conducted a novel experiment. They erected fake cut outs of traffic police in accident-prone areas. This was just one of the ways to beat the staff shortage among police. Despite some folks taking offense, it did get a few nods of appreciation and laughs as well. These cutouts were perhaps a reminder to drivers that there are rules to follow and a body to enforce them. Traffic on Outer Ring Road on a typical weekday. Pic: Mayur Channagere In Bengaluru, vehicular traffic has become an economic, environmental and a safety issue.…

On the first day of implementing the helmet rule for pillion riders, not many pillion riders were seen wearing the helmet in Bengaluru. Pic: Akshatha M Finally helmets have become mandatory for two-wheeler pillion riders in Bengaluru. For all those who have been cribbing about the rule of helmet for pillion riders, there is no other go but to follow it, or face the music. The Transport department has decided to implement the new rule from today: January 12th. However the enforcement may be a bit slower in order to give time for people to buy new helmets and get…

The road connecting Kanakpura road and BDA 80 feet ring road has been in a terrible state for years now. It has open manholes and the road is covered with potholes which are potentially fatal in nature. Open manholes dot the road. Pic: VK Srivatsa The pothole-ridden road. Pic: VK Srivatsa There are multiple instances of two-wheeler riders getting injured every day. If they try avoiding a pothole by swerving to the left or right, they could fall into one of the open manholes. And if they try to avoid the manhole, there is a good chance they can break their…

In spite of the Supreme Court’s recent order to shut down unregistered children’s homes, the ones in Bengaluru may stay open until the end of the academic year 2016. The Supreme Court, on 11th September 2015, directed the Centre and state governments to shut down all children's homes run by unregistered NGOs, saying many of these centres had become hubs for child trafficking. “Closing them down is not very easy. We have to give them time, to make repairs and improve,” said Divya Narayanappa, district child protection officer, Bengaluru. “We can’t disrupt the children’s academic year. And it is difficult…

A foggy start to the morning. Pic: Kere Habba* On January 9th 2016, Kaikondrahalli Lake played host to a bunch of events for the second time with more than 4,500 people from neighbourhood participating. Kere Habba 2016 aimed at raising awareness, increasing community participation and fostering an appreciation of lakes in Bangalore. Birders looking to spot as many species. Pic: Kere Habba* Dechamma Chetan, a visitor said, "The lake is a beautiful place for bird watching", and that she had a great time. Another visitor, Chirdeep Shetty, he said too loved the event. Mukesh, who lives near the lake, came…

  A day filled with joy and fun–Cycle Day–themed Masti ki Pathshala, was hosted jointly by the Rotaract Club, Presidency College and the residents of Coffee Board Layout in Nagavara on January 10th. The event as usual started with warm-up sessions and three rounds of cycle rides around the beautiful avenues of Nagavara. Many residents of Coffee Board Layout came out to celebrate the cycling and the open streets. They also enjoyed the various games that were conducted which included lagori, badminton, chess, ludo etc.  Young and old, with or without cycles, many people turned up to support the cause and…