City: Bengaluru

The waves of nostalgia that wash over me when I think about "My Bangalore" can sometimes be overwhelming. There is no other city on the planet that I am as attached to in a deep psychic sense. After all, I spent some of my most formative years there. Those parts of Bangalore I knew well, I knew because I had a bicycle and I cycled all over the city. I think I probably knew about half the city intimately and the other half not at all. Before the bicycle, there were the 131 and 7 doubledeckers, and the occasional 131D and 7A singledeckers. I distinctly remember…

When we hear the word "parasites", we generally think of leeches. But there are other creatures and plants around us, that are parasites - living beings which live on other creatures. One of them, not often known, is the Braconid wasp. This wasp ensures a fresh supply of protein for its young, by laying its eggs on a caterpillar. When the eggs hatch on the caterpillar, they feed on the caterpillar, sucking its blood...and then, as all insects do, the larvae turn into pupae, still stuck on the caterpillar's hairs. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae end up eating the…

Bangalore is known as the suicide capital of India- recording the highest number of suicides, according to the recent data. National Crime Records Bureau 2010 data states that 1778 committed suicide in Bangalore. In such a scenario, support networks and helplines like SAHAI play an important role. SAHAI is run by volunteer counselors responding to distressed callers and talking them out of suicidal thoughts. K K Rajagopal is the person behind SAHAI. A confident and energetic man of 66, this former BHEL employee moved to Bangalore in 1972 and started an electronic business. In 2002, he took the initiative to…

BBMP has started property tax payment collection for 2012-13. Application forms for tax payment are available at all offices for a fee of Rs 5. Garbage cess should be calculated and paid along with property tax.TAX RATES & REBATESNo revision in rates. No change in self-declared tax and building depreciation.Pay by 30th May 2012. After that, additional interest of 2% for every month of delay.Get a rebate of 5% by paying the full amount by 30th April. WHERE TO PAYAll BBMP offices and Bangalore One centers on all working days. Payment hours are from 9 am to 12.30 pm, and…

She ran 3 miles to take initiative to good health. Prashanthi Nair, 34, a resident of JC Nagar said, "it is a good way to build up good health. One run each month will at least bring some positive change in our lifestyle." V S Papanna, 47, a resident of Rajajinagar, ran to mark the world health day. He said, "I am planning to take part in all the 32 runs. That is the least I can do to spare time for my health in this busy schedule."And here we run. Pic: Anisha NairDr. Thomas Chandy flagged the run. Pic:…

Ask a person who would have died of an adverse drug reaction if not for steroids, what does S/he thinks of steroids. The answer would be, it is a boon.Ask a man whose wife, suffering from arthritis and on long term steroid medication, dies due to a perforated bleeding peptic ulcer: what does he thinks of steroids. The answer would be - a curse. Steroids or anabolic steroids have been in the news for all the wrong reasons, especially with sports people and doping scandals. Most drugs used in sports are anabolic steroids or their derivatives.Steroids are used in various…

Koramangala 3rd Block RWA held its Annual Day programme on 31st March at the Post Office Ground in 3rd Block. Pic: Nitin Seshadri The programme commenced with a children's talent programme. A number of children, the youngest just three, sang classical music and folk songs. A Bharatanatyam dance and a Michael Jackson "moonwalk" were some of the highlights of the children's presentation. A group of six children - Aditya S M, Chaitanya Sindagi, Shriank Kanaparti, Pranav Prabhas, Arnav Mhaske and Anuj Tambwekar - who had won the Indian leg of the First Lego League (FLL) robotics competition, presented a skit.…

The 74th celebration of the month-long carnatic music festival in Fort High School in Chamrajpet on the occasion of Ramanavami is back. The festival will be on from April 1, 2012 to May 6, 2012 organised by Shri Rama Seva Mandali. Many well-known performers like Kadri Gopalnath on (Saxophone), HS Bhavya (Veena) and Archana Marathe(Violin) will be performing at these concerts.Here is the schedule for the month. April 65.15 pm - Vandana B D & Group6.30 pm - Aruna Sairam & GroupApril 75.15 pm - Mandolin Aravind Bhargav & Group6.30 pm - Sanjay Subrahmanyan/ S Varadhrajan/ B Harikumar/ S VenkatramanApril…

Mary Issac from Jayanagar started Child Fund Association in 1982. providing children shelter and support. She has also helped several families by sponsoring fees, books, uniforms and clothes. Mary is one of the 47 nominations for this year's Namma Bengaluru Awards. Namma Bengaluru Awards was constituted by Namma Bengaluru Foundation, convened by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP, to honour such unsung heroes and institutions for their exemplary work towards society. Nomination were collected under six different categories; groups and organizations, citizens, public officials, public institutions, social entrepreneurs and elected representatives. NGOs, Residents Welfare Associations, educational institutions, NGOs, Public Officials, Social Entrepreneurs, Elected…

It is common to see familiar faces at Indian classical music concerts. But it was not familiarity that made me take note of this elderly gentleman. It was clear he was no ordinary rasika. He always sat at the first row with two other familiar faces. He would request specific ragas as is expected of any rasika. But what was unique, was that he was able to recall when that particular raga was sung previously, by which particular artist, at which sabha or when it was sung for the first time by the particular artist. This is what sets apart…