City: Bengaluru

“Happiness is infectious, when you feel happy; people around you will surely be infected. Infect more people and make the world a happy home.” – Kemmy Nola One of the most stressful places to be in Bengaluru is at a traffic signal - bumper-to-bumper traffic, road rage, and to top it all, a bumpy ride, considering the state of the roads. Everybody is impatient; everybody wants to just get to their destination on time. Tempers flare, horns blare and there is a prevailing state of tension. Can anything be done to diffuse this tension? Good news Bangalore – there’s a bunch…

You get an emergency text message late in the night, seeking help in getting a specific blood group. You start wondering how you can be of help. Do you know, Namma Bengaluru has many resources where you have ready blood of all groups? You can also check where exactly it is available, and seek help, or forward it to the concerned person who might be busy battling the emergency situation. Here is a guide for you. Where can I find blood? The Karnataka State Drug Control Department maintains an online public portal which provides details of blood types available in…

After lot of search, finally you zero in on an under-construction apartment to buy. Your decisions are based on cost, location, developed, accessibility, quality, reputation of builder etc. The builder as usual promises moon to every buyer and buyer gets impressed by glossy brochures and sugary words of so called sales managers. So you start dreaming about living in your own dwelling. The builder then sets the terms for payment - 20% advance, 70% for slabs (for a typical G+3 Apartment), 10% after sale deed registration. After paying the advance (20%), you will apply for a bank loan. If your…

Though he is one of the most important citizen of Bengaluru, the Mayor, is no different from any of us. B S Satyanarayana seems to be working on many things at a time - garbage, potholes and others. Citizen Matters caught up with him to know his views - particularly on garbage. Mayor Satyanarayana inspecting the cleaning and roadwork near K R Market on Sunday Pic: BBMP PRO What do think the term of the mayor should be? Do you agree with the proposal for a five- year term directly elected mayor? Do you need more powers to do your…

Cycling has been quite a bit in the news lately, thanks to the activities of several individuals and organisations trying their best to popularise cycling. I often cycle to work - so I though I would write about my experience and perhaps dispel some of the myths associated with cycle commuting. Ramesh Sreekantan, a cycling enthusiast. I live in Malleshwaram and work in Kengeri. So it's a distance of about 15 to 20 kms, depending on the route. The route I take is down Chord Road to Nayandahalli main road and in to the University campus. I usually return via…

One or two years ago, the trees right opposite my house were alive with birds - Red-Whiskered Bulbuls,white-Cheeked Barbets, Purple-Rumped Sunbirds, Mynas, Koels and Pale-Billed Flowerpeckers. It was a sense of hapiness to see them in the morning, flitting from one branch to the other - especially the Bulbul pair, and the Mynas. Now, in 2013, they have all gone. Disappeared. Only a few Mynas and the occasional Koel show up. Rarely do I hear those beautiful calls of the birds I loved the most; the city's most common avian residents. Are these birds heading for the same fate as…

While the government and the BBMP seem to be boasting of making Bangalore garbage-free under Kasamukta Bengaluru, the ground reality is far different. Though there seems to be slight there is slight improvement in some areas, most areas in Bangalore remain neglected. Garbage - dry, wet, organic, inorganic, medical, degradable, non-degradable - everything can be seen littered across the city. The garbage mounds in the landfills never stop increasing. On an average, a ward generates 2-3 tons of dry waste, per day. And if locals are to be believed, around 80% of this waste is thrown in the landfills. Waste…

A new rule to link Aadhaar Card and Bank Account with the gas connection is on the way. Consumers in Bengaluru are being sent messages regarding this, though the government has not completed the process of issuing the cards for a large number of citizens. Also, as the acceptance of Aadhar is still pending in the supreme court, how can this be implemented? Direct Subsidy Transfer scheme has not been implemented so far in Karnataka anywhere, though many deadlines have been given.                                      - EditorAlso read: How to link Aadhaar card to bank account. At present the…

A city which was known for its gardens is now just a city of dust.  I have a few issues to raise and want to know the thoughts around it from my fellow Bengalurians. I'm also looking for the platforms where such isuues could be raised. 1. Road Tax: Karnataka is a state which charges high road tax for any vehicle compared to another states. However, in past six years, I have not seen proper maintenance of roads in Bangalore, specifically south Bangalore. Where is this money going, is there any account? 2. No demarcation of stop lines or zebra…

“People just don’t care! There is no sense of civic responsibility. People just want the waste out of their houses”. This I heard from almost every informant I talked to. In this article, I want to share some of my findings during the past two and a half month I have been here in Bengaluru. I came to India for the first time in 2008 and found the country enchanting but also overwhelming. I wanted to come back again and so I did - three times more since then. This time I am here to do a research for my…