City: Bengaluru

All you gardeners of Bengaluru, here's something you might have missed. Lalbagh saw a beautiful show of Orchids last weekend. The Orchid Society of Karnataka (TOSKAR) had organised a two-day Orchid show, on September 21 and 22. Exotic species and range of hybrid Orchids were on display. It was altogether a new flowery world, with blooms of all colours, size and shapes.   That does look like a butterfly, but no, it's not! The shape is deceptively similar. There were many more surprises like his on display at the exhibition.  There were stalls selling Orchids, Orchid accessories and books related…

October 2 brings the annual ritual obeisance to the Father of the Nation, but in the last six decades we have not had a repetition of the kind of protests against injustice on the scale that Gandhiji undertook during his salt march or Quit India movement. However, this time around, there is talk of a satyagraha, no less, by citizens of Bengaluru, because judging from the meetings I have been witness to over the last three months, patience is running thin. It is, many residents are now saying, time to undertake collective action, to make our voices heard. Not against…

This year seems to have been a slightly eco-friendly Ganapati festival, claimed various press releases from BBMP and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB). But the statistics tells a different tale. The drive of the KSPCB and the BBMP to influence people to celebrate an eco-friendly festival seems to have done little in curtailing the pollution levels in the lakes. KSPCB and BBMP had publicised the importance of eco-Ganesha in a large scale this year, through various media including Facebook, advertisements and campaigns. This year around 1.2 lakh Gahesha idols were sold in Bangalore city - this is 40% of…

The Bangalore Political Action Committee (BPAC) has launched a new initiative to improve the quality of BBMP corporators, by identifying capable individuals interested in contesting BBMP elections, and train and support their joining public service. Christened B.CLIP (BPAC Civic Leadership Incubator Program), it is designed to equip candidates with skills in public policy analysis, municipal administration, political landscape and election campaign dynamics. The project is expected to throw up candidates that BPAC and other civil society organisations can endorse for the future Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw speaking at a press conference, launching BCLIP programme. Mohandas…

This article was written in September 2013. Some details found here are outdated. This has been updated, to include the policies of new NDA government. The new article has been published on December 24th, 2014. Read it here: How to get LPG subsidy with or without Aadhaar card. How to get LPG subsidy with or without Aadhaar card Read more at: https://citizenmatters.in/articles/how-to-get-lpg-subsidy-with-or-without-aadhaar-card?utm_source=copy How to get LPG subsidy with or without Aadhaar card Read more at: https://citizenmatters.in/articles/how-to-get-lpg-subsidy-with-or-without-aadhaar-card?utm_source=copy The Central government’s ambitious Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Scheme for LPG will be introduced in Bangalore starting December 1, 2013. So, be ready with…

With the increasing time you spend at traffic signals in Bengaluru, you only think about one government department — Traffic Department. You may hail them or curse them, but they are on their toes to help the city de-congest. Though the department is approached for approval of all infrastructure projects, there is no authority to it. Limited roads, which are always in a bad state are the biggest hurdle the department faces while struggling to keep the city traffic smooth. Bangalore's Additional Commissioner of Traffic Police, IPS offcer, B Dayananda Pic: Nikita Malusare Additional Commissioner of Traffic Police B Dayananda,…

Construction activities continue to encroach the drain coming from Madivala valley that leads to Bellandur lake. Pic: Nikita Malusare There seems to be no end to controversies surrounding the Bellandur SEZ project opposite Agara Lake near Koramangala, Bengaluru. Karnataka’s Lake Development Authority (LDA), which conducted an inspection recently following media reports, has asked KIADB to stop construction activities on Bellandur lake catchment area by Manipal ETA Infotech Ltd. The LDA is a governmental body working for the regeneration and conservation of lakes in and around Bangalore city within BMRDA jurisdiction. Based on the report of the inspection held on June…

Carry a charged cell phone always, as a dead mobile is of no use. File pic. Our country is witnessing the worst times for women. That is how we are feeling now. But the truth is women have been continually harassed, teased, attacked, ill-treated for centuries. We are coming to know of all the atrocities as women victims come forward and report the incidents to the law. As a result people have started talking about safety of women, laws protecting women and educating women to protect themselves against the evils prevailing around them. This is a definitely good progress. People…

Last May, the common Bangalorean voted for a change in the hope that this would be a change for the better. Basic needs such as commutable roads and better civic amenities are turning into luxuries for people living in Bangalore. Even after four months, the new administration is unable to make any real progress. Nothing has changed. While we painfully negotiate and move from gutter to gutter, all the while suffering bumpy rides, life-size posters of political leaders smile at us, ridiculing our plight. Previously, the poster boys were all from the rank and file of the BJP. Now it’s…

Are women really safe in the world today? Are there enough women officers who are sympathetic to the problems of women? Is there sufficient staff who is empathetic the problems of other women, even if the problem is not voiced out aloud? Is the future generation of women safe, in the wake of the rising crimes against them? I think not. Or rather I would diplomatically say I do not know. Balancing career and personal life is a real tightrope walk for women on top. File pic. This thought really scares me. More than that it shocks me. In a…