City: Bengaluru

What would it be, to stand atop a gold mill tailing dump and be a sole witness to century old gold fields, sophisticated mining machinery and the deserted British colonial township of yesteryears? Or how would it be to stand amidst a shakthi and tantric temple which dates back to Ganga period and hear stories of sacrifices and wishes fulfilled from the bygone era? If this is the kind of experience you are seeking then head out to Kolar, one of the prosperous towns of Karnataka during the British era. KGF. Pic: Usha Hariprasad History of Kolar Abandoned forts, temples,…

40% of all the Cauvery water that gets pumped into the city - from a distance of about 140 km and to a height of 500m, at a cost of Rs 300 crores a year is said to be unaccounted for. This is either wasted as a result of leaks or is stolen or not recorded because of faulty meters, thus making it ‘Non-Revenue Water (NRW)' or ‘Unaccounted For Water (UFW)'. BWSSB has woken up to this alarming reality and is trying to address a part of the problem through a project funded by the Japan Bank of International Co-operation…

High mountains, deep mines and pristine particles - that's where you'll find yourself or lose yourself to the basic sciences of "Astrophysics and Astronomy" and their endless possibilities. "For the purpose of research, the collection of particles that reach the Earth from outer space needs to happen either at high altitudes or deep beneath the Earth's surface," says 70-year old astrophysicist Dr. Palahalli Vishwanath as he reminisces his work days spent at the best of locations that he would perhaps never have visited had work not taken him. And if that sounds exciting, then you should probably find out more…

"I am amazed to see how this barren land has been transformed into an oasis! " exclaims Prashanth Bhat, a prolific landscaper. He pauses in his speech and gently leans over the podium, to reabsorb the expanse of manicured verdure lying before him. The evidently humbled man takes a breath to proceed, "Such initiatives like this Horticultural Training Centre (HTC) are threatening my own job as a inner-city landscaper," he comments. The gesture is obviously dispensed in tribute to the dazzling dozen-year-old venue.But the actual occasion Bhat is gracing is the 25-year anniversary celebrations of the HTC. The Centre, as…

"We are a pure science research institute that focuses on biological sciences but we are also probably the only institute that recognises the need to diversify. We have students from engineering and technology backgrounds taking up Ph.D courses with us," says Dr. Mukund Thattai, Professor (Computational cell biology) capturing the essence of the National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bangalore, an offshoot of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). NCBS. Pic courtesy: ncbs.res.in Students have to appear for an entrance exam held by TIFR which is a common exam for about seven institutes : TIFR, CDFD, NBRC, CCMB, NCCS,…

If you live within three km of South End circle, you have good news - you can throw away your wall clocks and wrist-watches, for the city administration has now put in place for you a fancy timekeeper, a 61 foot high ‘sky-kissing', ambara chumbana clock tower at the traffic intersection that chimes out the hour, every hour.With elections approaching, perhaps those sitting in decision-making kursis felt that just as the rural raitaru have been promised free electricity and other handouts, we the educated urban citizens too needed some goodies and gifts, so that we do not feel left out.…

On February 23rd, residents of HSR Layout 3rd sector got together for installation of a composting device in the Twin Park, taking another step towards responsible citizen engagement in waste management.On 1st September, 2012, a Walkathon had been flagged off by the HSR corporator K Latha Narasimhamurthy, initiating a mission to make the neighbourhood plastic-free and implement effective segregation of garbage. However, thereafter, there was not much significant progress noted on the solid waste management front. The issue, in general, turned big for Bangalore which turned into Garbage City, as we saw everyday in the daily newspapers and on TV.…

"It is close to four years now and there has not been a single repair work of the road," says Anil Kumar, but the RTI activist is not complaining! "It is strong, inspite of the many floods since 2008 when it was laid" says Kumar. A conversation with Kumar makes it apparent that it is not just the roads themselves but the monitoring of the entire process that residents need to be aware of in order to ensure that a good road is laid. In 1995, Ejipura was a new ward that lacked many basic civic amenities. A group of…

The stage is set.December 2009: A 100 people ask to Empower Lokayukta and remove Section 19 of Prevention of Corruption Act.March 2010: Bangalore records <40% voting in the BBMP elections. None of the citizen candidates win.December 2010: 900 people join the Corruption Saaku! rally on UN Anti Corruption Day. Saaku! was the top trending topic on Twitter.Jan 2011: 300 people gather on MG Road in a nation wide protest seeking People's Lokpal, later rechristened Jan LokpalApril 2011: India Against Corruption's first fast at Freedom Park. There were more police than people. On day 2, there were only 7 people on…

Traditional or new age designs, the sari is celebrated as one of the most versatile garments, that suits every slender or sizable figure.The transformation in saree-designing has seen a rapid ‘renaissance' in the past decade, thanks to the innovative skills of gifted creators and designers. The ‘Desi Drape', a global fashion symbol today, is now available in a stylish array of designs and in an all new ‘ready to wear' mode! Many of the creators and leading designers are women entrepreneurs, working on making Bengaluru the new- age designer-saree capital of the South. Celebrity designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee's version of the…