City: Bengaluru

Along the road in front of my apartment is a tree that has sprouted lovely, delicate pink blooms. Big deal, you say? Lots of trees around town are festooned with these pink flowers now - but this one is special. Fifteen years ago, this tree did not exist. When the BMP (as it was then) put in a road divider, it left a narrow strip of earth, less than half a metre wide, inside the divider, and planted some bougainvillea and assorted saplings within the strip, protected by metal fencing. The saplings have grown, and this small tree is blooming,…

The pilot launch of the Guarantee of Services to Citizens Act 2011 (Sakala) in Jayanagar saw only 31 applications filed. The pilot was on between March 1st to March 31st at the Jayanagar Revenue office. Jayanagar Revenue Office where Sakala was piloted. Pic: Abhishek Angad The number 31, however contradicts the government figure of 72, 505 applications for the same period. The office covers four BBMP wards (168-171).An official on conditions of anonymity explained why the numbers were so low. "Here we have minimum three days to deliver services. People prefer availing Bangalore One services as their delivery model is…

The third edition of Namma Bengaluru Awards-2011 were presented to various citizens for their exemplary work at a sparkling ceremony in Basavanagudi National College Grounds on April 7, 2012.Out of 14,000 pre-nominations and 47 final nominations under 6 categories, the Namma Bengaluru Foundation awarded 8 winners. Each award carried a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh and memento. Award winners with jury members and guests.Uday Vijayan of Beyond Carlton receiving the award under Citizens Category. Wilma Rodrigues, co-founder, SAHAAS.U. V Singh, Indian Forest Services officer for Public Official category-Group A.Kalaa Devrajan on behalf of Karunashraya under Groups and Organizations-Group A.Under public…

Normally, if you were to walk past the East West Center- The headquarters of the Bangalore School of Music- in R.T. Nagar, you would hear students rattling away at their pianos, violins and flutes. Now, the India National Youth Orchestra will stop you dead with the rich sounds escaping the center.They have been practising for a concert to be held on April 10th, ninety-five musicians will perform at Chowdaiah Memorial Hall, conducted by maestro Vijay Upadhyaya. The event is presented by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, New Delhi- in collaboration…

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…