City: Bengaluru

In a shocking event, employers of M/s Electrosys Solutions India have cheated 90 BE and MCA graduates with crores of rupees by providing fake jobs. The employers collected money of Rs. 80,000 to 2,00,000/- per employee offering them a Rs. 17,000/- monthly emoluments for 2 months training period. This amount was collected by 5 - 6 consultants who were appointed by the company and shared amongst the company and the consultants. After regularization, the company had assured employees of Rs. 24,000/- emoluments per month. But little did these employees know that after one and half months later, the employers would…

Amidst the flurry of charitable trusts and non-governmental organizations - there is a rather strange breed of social initiatives thriving these days. These are not run by full time activists or social workers but by ordinary citizens like you and me- doing full time jobs and shouldering other family responsibilities. The couple behind the study centre: Jayaseelan and Lalitha. One such couple in Bangalore - Lalitha and Jayaseelan are running a students' study center in Cox Town in Bangalore for the wards of the slum dwellers nearby. They are normal people, with abnormal will. The journey began 25 years ago…

While most people in Bengaluru curled up in bed on Sunday morning, 22 thousand people put on their running shoes, plugged in their I-pods and ran for the TCS World 10k 2011. As one walked towards Kanteerava Stadium from the Halasuru gate bus stop, one could see a steady stream of people marching out of Cubbon Park- some walking, some jogging and some running at what seemed like the speed of light- happy to see the finish line. Kanteerava stadium was overflowing with people who were queuing up near the refreshment stalls. While on one side there was the constant…

Once upon a time there was a city called Bengaluru which was known as the Garden City with many magnificent trees dotting every road in the city. Then came along the ogre called Metro Rail (BMRCL) and took away all the splendour of the beautiful Garden City reducing it to a pathetic sight of dug roads, cranes that topple every other day and traffic jams. Namma Bengaluru, the city I remember as I moved in here 12 years ago, was a peaceful city with beautiful boulevards all around and huge raintrees spreading their canopies over the roads providing shade to…

Residents of Elita Promenade, an apartment complex in JP Nagar 7th phase, are a worried lot. Elita has a strange problem - a sewage pipeline runs within the apartment's compound, but it carries sewage not from the complex, but from other layouts. The raw sewage flows in to the pipeline located along the compound wall and finally joins Jaraganahalli (Sarakki) lake located behind the complex. The sewage is from Uma Sanjeevini apartment and Guru Raghavendra Layout located next to Elita complex, outside its compound wall. The apartment however has its own Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) to process its sewage. Sewage…

There are close to 841 BBMP parks in Bangalore (a 2009 statistic) but I had not been to one until last weekend. Although, I did not get to see much of the park I did see this board announcing that the park is shut between 10 am and 4 pm. Even if I used the park during open hours then I could not play, sit or walk on the lawn! This is the case with most public spaces; they are not open for the public! I spent a day laughing it off before I found out about an event being…

Andal Jagannathan couldn't sit back and watch the waste getting mixed up and ending up in the landfill. She took the initiative and along with fellow residents set up a successful Green Committee at the Godrej Woodsman Estate Apartments, Hebbal. "I had to do something about the issue at hand since I felt strongly about it," said Andal. Sorting waste for composting at Godrej Woodsman Apartments ‘Full Circle', a member of Solid Waste Management Round Table (SWMRT) and an organization which  is committed to implementing sustainable solutions in the field of solid waste management, ecological sanitation and water conservation is…

I don't know if it were the Gods of Serendipity who conspired to do this but one day, the 26th of April, 2009, my phone started ringing at 6 am in the morning. Now, wondering who would be calling at this ungodly hour, I got up from bed to answer the phone. It was my friend Vinny who was going out for his daily run around the Jayamahal park and wanted to know if I'd want to tag along. I don't know what had gotten into me or if I was just dreaming, half-asleep, but I said, Yes, got up…

Whitefield has no water.  Yet if all the hype surrounding it is to be believed, it is still considered one of the "best neighbourhoods" in which to live and work! The "original" Whitefield – Forum Value Mall to Hope Farm - has always depended on borewell water supply (hence, a Borewell Road.)  However, with most of the existing borewells drying up, the remaining few have to supply water to the entire population of Whitefield. The government has clearly stated that no new private borewells should be drilled.  But drilling continues clandestinely - and sometimes openly! Cauvery Water IV Stage seems…

Barely twelve hours after the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government's crackdown on Baba Ramdev's anti-corruption camp in Delhi, at 1 am on Sunday, 5th June, the ripples could be felt in Bangalore. Deepak Kumar, 40, software professional in an MNC is incensed over the shoddy way Ramdev was treated. A number of seers had gathered to talk to the assembly on Sunday, June 5th. Pic: Yogaraj S MudalgiA mother cajoles her young one while raising the Indian tricolour. Pic: Yogaraj S Mudalgi.A volunteer holding up a placard. Pic: Yogaraj S Mudalgi.Hundreds of people had gathered at Freedom Park. Pic Yogaraj…