City: Bengaluru

Zafar Futehally, who passed away on 11 August, 2013, was known for the deep interest, knowledge and passion he brought to the fields of bird-watching and conservation. He was 93. Zafar Saheb, as he was affectionately referred to, was born in 1920 in Mumbai. He was a student of Economics. At the age of 22, he joined his uncle and cousin to run a machinery company. His wife Laeeq is a niece of the incomparable ‘Birdman of India,’ Salim Ali. Zafar and Laeeq had two daughters, Zahida (Zai) and Shama, both of whom became writers. Zafar was soon initiated into…

Editor's note: This article is out of date, as Aadhaar card is now being given in selected centres in Bangalore. Here is the list of centres where you can get your Aadhaar card done: List of Aadhaar registration centres in Bengaluru. Updated on: January 28, 2015. Pic courtesy: myaadhaar.in There is no need to stand in a long queue and wait for your turn to enrol for an Aadhaar card. You can take an appointment with the click of your mouse. You can also get the address of your nearest enrollment centre or by making a phone call to the Aadhaar…

Dahlia of a rare colour. Pic: Vanila BalajiYellow Daisy Pic:Vanila BalajiMore yellow Daisies Pic: Vanila BalajiRed Dahlia Pic: Vanila BalajiPurple Aster Pic: Vanila BalajiPink Rose Pic: Vanila BalajiPink Dahlia Pic: Vanila BalajiOrange Cock's Comb Pic: Vanila BalajiA Dahlia of hybrid variety Pic: Vanila BalajiTeam of flowers! Pic: Vanila BalajiBee enjoying nector Pic: Vanila Balaji‹ › $(document).ready(function(){ $('.carousel .carousel-inner .item').first().attr('class', 'active item');}); If you haven't visited the show, you have only two days left! Click here for more details.

Number of Bengaluru-based citizens groups and NGOs have filed a writ petition in the High Court of Karnataka against government authorities and private firms over the Bellandur-Agara Special Economic Zone (SEZ) project. The SEZ project, which is being built in a sensiive area between Bellandur and Agara lake, has been in the news recently on questions over environmental and water clearances.  Citizen Matters is awaiting further details regarding first proceedings of the case. We will run a detailed report when we get more details.   

The world recently observed breastfeeding week, to spread awareness on the importance of breastfeeding babies. In Bangalore too there were several awareness campaigns, seminars, rallies, advertisements and related promotions. The government has for sometime been campaigning aggressively on malnutrition and importance of breastfeeding through a series of advertisements with film actor Aamir Khan as the ambassador. Experts however are pointing to a declining graph among educated women on the willingness to breastfeed their babies even for first six months. Why unwillingness to feed the baby? Breastfeeding a baby brings its own set of ‘problems’ which many new moms find tough…

With increased demand for Aadhaar cards and the urgency among people to get the card, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has taken initiative to provide the cards electronically. Now you can get e-Aadhaar card, without having to wait for the UIDAI to send the card to you. Though this service was introduced a year ago, not many know about it. Sources in the E-governance Department which has been entrusted with the task of providing this service say that they do not have numbers available on how many e-Aadhaar cards have been issued. Why e-Aadhaar card? E-Aadhaar is a…

The Stamps and Registration Department, as an annual exercise, is in the process of revising the guidance values of all commercial and residential units in Bangalore Urban, Rural and Ramanagara district. Latest update: Look upwards; pay more!How has the new guidance value affected the realty market in Bangalore? What is the new guidance value criteria for apartment? Click here to read. Last year, the Department received 19 lakh property registrations from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013, in all 47 sub registrar offices and realised an amount of Rs 5.265 crore. Of this, 17% of the applications were from…

The residents of Borewell Road in Whitefield are a worried lot. This once-peaceful, residential stretch is being targeted for road widening - for the second time in six years! This will result in many old homes and new apartments being demolished. Six years ago, the compound walls of homes were illegally razed and the road was widened on either side by 8 ft. All this, while the authorities claimed helpless to intervene and stop this act. Residents had to re-build their walls and repair their homes at their own expense. Now, six years later, this spectre has resurrected, to haunt…

Monsoon is at its best this year. Rivers and reservoirs are in spate, enhancing the beauty of waterfalls across the state manifold. Weekends are your chance to revel in the lap of nature and water, more so if the weekend is long. Citizen Matters lists some destinations that are not very far from Bangalore, where you can spend your weekends this monsoon. Google maps or GPS navigation would be your best friend for all these journeys, if you are driving on your own. A trip to Shivanasamudra will ensure you enjoy the beauty of the twin falls -Gaganachukki and Bharachukki…

A picture, it is said, is worth a thousand words. So it was, with reference to the recent inauguration of the ‘Kasa mukta’ (garbage free) initiative, at Freedom Park in mid-July. While several thousands of words have been written and spoken about garbage, and about the authorities’ failure in cleaning up the mess, one picture said it all, very eloquently. (The Hindu, 25 July). It showed a horrendous pile of used plates, hundreds of them, tossed on the ground at the Freedom Park, at the end of the meeting by the ‘invitees’ including VIPs. The participants could not care about…