City: Bengaluru

The 4th edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFES) concluded on December 22, 2011. Like with previous events, BIFFES brought the best of international world cinema to the city. But unlike in the past, this year it routinely ran to full houses, with venues like Lido Mall even accommodating audience members on the floor because seats were all full. With screening venues spread out from Bangalore East to Bangalore South, the fourth BIFFES was more inclusive than past editions. Movie: When We Leave Pic:Wikipedia Using a combination of traditional media and social networking sites, the organisers generated the right…

The Bangalore India Against Corruption group, part of India anti-corruption movement that sprung up earlier this year in support of Anna Hazare, is conducting a support event at Freedom Park in the city, from December 27th. People gathered at Freedom Park asked that the Lokpal bill address four demands. The four demands: Lokpal to be free to investigate anyone; Lokpal to have its own investigating officers and budget, Lokpal to cover all government employees, Lokpal selection to be transparent.  India Against Corruption, Bangalore is holding a support event on Dec 27-29th at Freedom Park. Pic: Yogesh Devaraj. More pictures Pic:…

Do you wish for an adrenaline filled adventure this weekend? Then head out for a day's trek at Savandurga. Savandurga located 50 kilometers from Bangalore is a 2 hour drive from Bangalore towards Magadi road. Savandurga is one of the largest monolithic rock structures in world scaling 1226 m above sea level and is a delight to any trekker, seasoned or otherwise. Savandurga comprises of two hills BiliBetta (white hill) and KariBetta (Black hill). Manchanbele reservoir. Pic: Usha Hariprasad. Savandurga has a rich history behind it. It was an important landmark during Hoysala period. It was then under many rulers…

Domestic workers protest. Pic: Navya P K An appeal from DWRCDear Sir/Madam, We are working closely with the Labour Department and will be collecting the data to enrol workers for RSBY health insurance. Our organisation is also part of the National Advisory Committee (NAC) task force on domestic workers at the centre and working on the draft policy for domestic workers. We request concerned Resident Welfare Associations for support and give us permission to collect the details, fill up the forms for the RSBY scheme. We have to complete our process by December 31st. -Geeta MenonDomestic Workers Rights Collective (DWRC)…

Starting with the holiday weekend of December 24th-25th, OfferGrid, a distribution network for service and product deals for publishers is powering local deals on Citizen Matters, Bangalore's interactive newsmagazine. Deals from over 17 categories ranging from health care and dance classes to dining and education are available for nearly 24 localities in Bengaluru, at the time of launch on December 24th. All major major localities such as Jayanagar, Indiranagar, Koramangala, Malleshwaram, etc, are covered. The deals are available for readers on the Citizen Matters home page, article pages, events pages and more. Launched in Q3 2011, OfferGrid Exchange is the…

Apartment associations in the city have got assurance from the state Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) that Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) norms for apartments will soon be re-defined. An informal group of residents from various apartments across Bangalore, have been in talks with the Board for over six months, many of them having faced issues with STP quality and adherence to regulations. Board Chairman A S Sadashivaiah said that the new processes will be finalised by March and will be implemented by June. Board will redefine aspects such as stringent checks before approving STPs, holding builders accountable for STP quality etc.…

The word Accident is derived from latin verb ‘accidere' meaning fall upon, befall, happen, chance. Globally as well as in our country, it is construed as happening by chance, and there is not much that can be done about it. Contradictory, though it may sound most of the accidents can be prevented. Especially if one looks at some of the statistics around accidents, one wonders why efforts are not made on war footing. Sample these: Pic: Mukul Saxena Globally 1.2 million people die due to Road traffic accidents (RTA) every year .In India every 1.9 minutes one person dies of…

About six hundred people gathered at Kuvempu park, Ranga Mandira, BTM Layout on 18 December, Sunday to participate in the 106th birth anniversary of Rashtra Kavi Kuvempu. He was the first Kannada litterateur to be honoured with the Jnanpith Award. His birthday falls on the 29 December. Samana Manaskara Vedike, BTM layout, 2nd Stage and Bhagavadgita Abhiyan State Committee Karnataka, jointly organised this event. Yakshagana performance Kuvempu park, BTM. Pic: C R Sridhar The evening began with a prayer and was followed with an enthralling display of the Yakshagana by the artistes of Sirsi-Siddapur Vrinda. Yakshagana is a popular form…

In government parlance, ‘merging schools' is the fancy term for shutting them down. The schools are said to be closed down temporarily, and students and teachers are said to be shifted to other schools nearby. But for many children from the closed down schools, education ends just as their school closes. Mariyamma Temple school is being renovated by the temple committee for its own use, even though the school is still with the government. Pic: Navya P K Sathish Dharmaiah, a former 3rd standard student of Mariyamma Temple LP (Lower Primary) school in Tilak Nagar, now works in a mutton…

Asthma is a respiratory allergy characterised by difficulty in breathing, and is associated with wheezing. It is a Greek word meaning breathless, or breathing with mouth open. Genetic factors, urbanisation, pollution, stress, and tobacco smoke are some of the important factors to determine the severity of asthma. Pic: Wikimedia commons A study based on 20,000 patients revealed that percentage of asthma in children grew from 9% in 1979 to 29.9% in 1999 in Bangalore. Seasonal variations, viral upper respiratory tract infection, food items like grapes, guavas, bananas, ice creams, tomatoes, trigger an asthmatic episode. The effect of pollution can be…