City: Bengaluru

Running culture is not new to the city. Bengaluru has hosted many marathons and is also witnessing an increase in the number of runner enthusiasts. Among those are Athreya Chidambi and Neera Katwal. They have been among the top finishers in the last few marathons. Chidambi and Neera were the first Indians to finish the Midnight Marathon in Bangalore. Athreya Chidambi and Neera Katwal at the Ultra marathon in November2011. Pic: Anju "It was on one of my new years' resolution list," says 33-year-old Athreya Chidambi, reminiscing about the time when he first gave running a ‘try.' Chidambi, who is…

It was a few years ago. I was stopped by the traffic policeman in Richmond Town for “jumping red light and reckless driving”. As expected, I was told that I’d have to pay a fine, but at the end of the conversation that ensued, I was let off with no exchange of money, just a warning. Now here again I was, at another traffic signal in Richmond Town, in front of another policeman, but for a different traffic violation. I realize that I run the risk of being classified as a habitual traffic offender, but I must clarify that on…

A playschool is meant for kids under the age of 5 and is primarily aimed at providing quality education for kindergarten kids. So if you love kids then starting a playschool may be a good idea. The staff have to be well trained to take care of children.File pic: Padmalatha Ravi So what is the advantage of starting a play school? You get a high degree of satisfaction working with kids and contributing to their growth and development. You help nurture a positive environment for kids where their physical and mental growth takes place seamlessly. As Anjana Sen, Director of…

India is Diabetic Capital of world, and 12.4 % Bangalore population has diabetes. It is projected that maximum increase in diabetic patients would be in India. The deadly risks of diabetes include heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure (BP), recurrent foot infections often leading to amputations, and decreased immunity.The good news is it can be prevented, and even if you have, it can be managed without medicines. The time to act is now  Main symptoms of Diabetes. Pic: Wikimedia Commons Check if you have family history of diabetesAre you Obese or overweightIf you are inactiveIf you have high blood pressureWounds…

THROUGHOUT the year it seems that the citizens and the city were at war with each other. You only had to think of a project proposed by a city agency, and instantly you could recollect how citizens fought against the project. Equally, whenever citizens mooted something the the city should take up - bike lanes, bus priority, better footpaths - it seemed like the entire establishment was pitted against them.  To me, this is the greatest warning before us. All over the world the evidence is now compelling, that cities that actively involve their citizens in decisions are doing much…

Warriors civic club of St Marks Public School, JP Nagar, took out an anti-litter walk near their school, early morning on 23rd December. Early morning walkers and joggers frequent the road for their daily shopping of fresh vegetables. Most of them do not carry their own bags, preferring to take home the veggies in thin flimsy plastic packets. WARRIORS CIVIC CLUB of St Marks Public School, JP Nagar, took out an anti–litter walk near their school. Pic: Ravikala P Baliga 52 members of the club, part of Childrens' Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA), made informative placards and charts and walked…

"Its high time they start the flyover project. The main bottleneck is at the Advaith petrol bunk junction; we have to wait for so long to pass that signal." says Viswanath Seetharam, who travels daily through the BTM main road. Udupi garden junction Pic: Deepthi M S The BTM main road leading to Silk Board, has heavy inflow of traffic as it connects to Electronic City, Koramangala and Outer Ring Road.Auto rickshaw driver, Manjunath P M who drives every day in and around BTM layout, says, "I waste most of the time in ferrying just one passenger, it's too difficult…

The 37th annual Cake Show is on at St. Joseph's Indian High School grounds till January 31st. It is organised by the Blue Hill Group this year. 18 cakes are on display. The biggest cake is the replica of the Gol Gumbaz, from Bijapur, complete with its dome, minarets and tourists. The show, which was synonymous with the Nilgiris group has now changed hands.As soon as one entered the exhibition, the cynosure of all eyes was the huge cake model of Gol Gumbaz. This cake measuring 16.5 feet long and 12 feet high has been created using 5,000 kg of…

Residents of 4th Block and 5th Block Jayanagar, Bangalore have written to Dr V S Acharya, Minister for Higher Education, and S Suresh Kumar, Minister for BWSSB on their problems with BWSSB's rules on Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) and the deadline of December 31st. They write: Dear Sir,We would like to bring the following facts to your notice, and request that you use your good offices to safeguard the interests of the general public of Bangalore City.As we all know, Bangalore Development Authority has obtained the legislative sanction to allot sites to all residents of Bangalore who have paid the value in…

On 19 December Members of the Karnataka Raithara Mathu Vyaparigala Okoota (Karnataka Farmers and Traders Federation) staged a protest the government's plan to build a commercial building in the santhe maidana (market) at KR Puram. The santhe maidana has a been a market place for years now. More than 3000 traders and farmers do their regular business in this market area. Farmers and Traders take out padayatra. Pic: Subramaniam Vincent The members who were on a padayatra, were seen wearing outfits made of gunny bags. "This is something we sit on, use it as a blanket and even to pack…