City: Bengaluru

Her story is of grit and determination. The tag of physical disability did not deter her from reaching her goals. She was often at the receiving end when the society suppressed and discriminated her for being a dwarf. However, nothing could hamper her spirit and the dream to achieve big. It is the life story of Lakshmipradha Srinivasan, a doctor who hails from Palakkad in Kerala and a resident of Bengaluru. She was a victim of Achondroplasia which has resulted in dwarfness. Today, at the age of 34, Lakshmipradha’s height is 3’9 ft, which is considered as an abnormal growth…

What would be the total number of residential high-rise buildings in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits, built during the last five years? If the data provided by the BBMP is anything to go by, 97 is the exact number of buildings built in the Capital city between 2009 and 2014, which have been issued official Occupancy Certificates by BBMP. What is more puzzling is the reply given by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the Assembly session last month, confirming that no cases of residential apartments failing to obtain Occupancy Certificates have come to the notice of the government. However, if…

  Despite several measures taken, as claimed by the Chief Electoral Officer - Karnataka, to avoid errors in the electoral rolls, it seems the attempts have not yielded in a foolproof result. Like every year, there are glaring errors found in the final electoral roll published on CEO-KA website in the first week of this month, and the error pattern is almost repetition of the previous years. Complaints, suggestions and requests by various forums and active citizens for the improved electoral rolls, perhaps, seem to have fallen on deaf ears. Though BBMP election is only a few months away, it…

Moves are often not momentous when they happen. In hindsight, many of them turn out to have been keys that opened doors to rich treasures. Moving from N R Colony (to where auto drivers still balk at plying!) to Jayanagar in 1963-64, on the shores of the Lakes Yediyur (yes, plural), is a vague memory for me. Most of life in the new house, however, is as fresh in memory as if it were only yesterday. Well, day before. The north-facing house was owned by film personality Chi. Sadashivaiah (1908-1982), or some close relative of his. It was set in…

  Neralu Tree Festival is a crowd-funded event that brings the community together to celebrate Bangalore’s rich heritage – its trees. During the festival, the citizens engage in a variety of interactive sessions to learn about trees, ecology, urban planning and a lot more. Through tree walks, workshops, talks, dance, drama, art displays and photography exhibits curated by experts in the field, Neralu brings trees and people closer. For Neralu 2014, renowned photographer Vivek Muthuramalingam curated an elaborate photography exhibition. Vivid images that highlight the beautiful flowering avenue trees of Bangalore were displayed, as were artistic renditions of forest trees.…

  Bengaluru this week January 16th 2015     CITIZEN MATTERS Bangalore's own interactive newsmagazine Speak up, it's your city!   Wish you a belated Happy Pongal/Sankranthi! Citizen Matters got off to lovely start this week with business magazine, Livemint doing a feature on us. We were described as ‘a local news outlet for Bengaluru’. Read more here.  City news that matters Before we get into our stories, here is a short summary of what happened in the city. Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar wants HAL airport re-opened, on which he has written a letter to Civil Aviation Ministry. However, the agreement…

Anirudh Rajashekar, a student from MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning, alongwith IIM Bangalore’s New Real Estate initiative, is conducting a study to map out water tanker prices in Bangalore to understand the dynamics of the water tanker industry. Their hope is to provide policy recommendations that might improve water access in Bangalore. If you live in an apartment, you can fill this short 15 minute survey to your resident association officer or a member of your management committee. The results of this survey can have a major positive impact in the way water is distributed and managed in Bengaluru.…

The fruit and vegetable market at Nagarthpet. Pic: Aruna L I had a sneak peek into old Bangalore through a heritage walk organised by www.unhurried.in and I am so glad that someone is taking the initiative to let us all know about the heritage of the city we live in. I had heard of such walks in the temple town of Madurai, which is basically for foodies, but I could not be part of it when I went to Madurai. It is great that something like it has started in our own sweet little Bangalore. There is so much to Bangalore that we are…

Google search gives about 8,17,000 results for a ghar wapsi (home coming or re-conversion of religion). Member of Parliament Sakshi Maharaj says, ” [it] is no conversion but just a process to guide these people to the faith where they actually belong.” Budhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Islam and Christianity and many other religions all grew by converting believers of other religions. Conversions from these religions would then be ghar wapsi. However, adding fuel to fire, All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Hyderabad MP, Asaduddin Owaisi, told in a public speech that every person is born a Muslim and later converted to other faiths. Thus…

A panoramic view of Kaikondarahalli lake on Sarjapur road which hosted first Kere Habba. Pic: Akshatha M The serene surroundings of Kaikondanahalli lake on Sarjapur road witnessed an array of activities on Saturday, as a group of like-minded organisations and active citizens from the nearby areas came together to celebrate the rejuvenation and reclamation of the lake. Right from children to the elderly, people belonging to different age groups thronged the venue. For the enthusiastic participants, the day started with a bird walk as early as at 6 am. District-in-Charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Upa Lokayukta Subhash Adi and MP P…