City: Bengaluru

Official note sent by the Puttenahalli Lake Trust to members and citizen volunteers. The lake then, as on Jan 2009. Pic courtesy: PNLIT We are happy to tell you that our Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT) has signed an MOU yesterday with the BBMP to maintain Puttenahalli Lake, JP Nagar. This gives official status to what most of you would know PNLIT has been doing ever since the BBMP began rejuvenating the lake from Feb. 2010. Your donations helped us plant 300 trees, hire a gardener and a sweeper. We greatly appreciate your support to a citizens' movement which began in a very…

In connection with the 150th birth anniversary of India's first Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore (referred to as Robi Thakur by Bengalis), several cultural organisations in Bangalore held celebrations. One of these was Jagriti, the recently-opened theatre space in Whitefield. Jagriti's line up for the week-long celebrations were very impressive. It consisted of the screening of several classic movies based on  Tagore's stories, such as "Kabuliwallah", "Chokher Bali", "Charulata", and a documentary by Satyajit Ray.  Every evening, the play, "Crisis of Civilization: A Journey with Tagore" was staged. The play ran for 90 minutes, approximately. It would not be really accurate,…

Swish! A tennis racket swings through the air and hits the ball with a thud. On the other side of the net, an 11-year-old retaliates with lightning speed. Shivani's smallness does not prepare you to expect the energy with which she strikes, which lands the ball at the edge of the field, escaping her opponent and bouncing hard against the fence. "Yes!" she says to herself. At the core of one's heart is the determination to win. Pic: Maitri Vasudev. The first week of May 2011 was an exciting one for young tennis champions in Bangalore. The All India Tennis…

In the last one week, I have had the opportunity to observe the use of information technology in governance.  Does information technology  make life simpler or more complicated for the common or garden variety user?  I share two disparate stories here.Let me talk about the pleasanter experience first.   I applied for a tatkal renewal of my passport online sitting at home.  Uploading the application was easy. Using this registration number, with some difficulty (more on this later),  I got an online appointment for a visit to the passport office at  Devarachikkanahalli.  After my interview on the appointed date,  I was…

If you are a history buff, then these temples just outside Bengaluru will be of great interest to you. A temple built by kings of five dynasties or the famous temple where two deities emerge from a single stone and the birthplace of Sir M Visveshwaraiah - all this within 60 kilometres from the city. Two deities in one stone, Ghati Subramanya Ghati Subramanya temple. Pic: Usha Hariprasad. Here Lord Subramanya and Lakshmi Narasimha are carved from the same stone, facing opposite directions. Lord Subramanya is facing east while Lakshmi Narasimha is facing west. To get a clearer view of…

The kids at the Bangalore Amateur Riding Institute smile through their teeth as they mount their horses. May 12th was their last day at their 12-day camp at the Bangalore Turf Club off Race Course Road, and they are leaving with more than just the basics of horse riding and a certificate. They are leaving with great memories and a brand new bond. There is no love like the one between a child and her horse. Pic: Smit Zaveri. "After spending a few days with the animals, the kids get very comfortable around them. There is a connection between them.…

BBMP's plan to clear encroachments and de-silt Storm Water Drains (SWDs) and install Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) in big properties, will launch soon, say officials. The Commissioner's action plan, intended to combat flooding during monsoon, is supposed to get completed within 2-3 months. The works are de-centralised - EEs in each zone are responsible for doing this in areas under their jurisdiction. Officials should submit a daily action plan to the Commissioner and update him of each day's work, says documents from the Commissioner's office. If accidents continue during monsoon despite these actions, the concerned officials will be held responsible,…

Jaaga, based in Bangalore, India, works towards nurturing innovative endeavours by providing space, core infrastructure, and a diverse social environment. We support artists, technologists and NGOs with a desire to create social or environmental change. An on-going urban community art & architecture experiment An environmentally conscious mobile, modular, temporary structure Enables artistic community collaborations and services We also offer mentorship to small tech start-ups. Fellowships and Expert Collaborator opportunities have been enabled to invite creative minds to Jaaga on focused artistic and socially relevant projects. We focus on artforms that use digital technology in new ways. Need of the hour…

The Volleyball Federation of India has launched the Indian Volley League at Bengaluru this year, on the lines of cricket's IPL. VFI says it has been thinking of doing since for many years but the finance and other resources were available only recently. "This is just the beginning. In the coming years, this small initiative will become big and a great success", says K Murugan, Secretary General of VFI. India is the third country in Asia after Japan and Thailand to host a volleyball event at this level. Games begin on 29th May at Bengaluru's Kanteerava stadium. The first match…

Sobha Nambisan is 1976 batch IAS officer (retired) and took over the reins of NGMA Bengaluru in May 2010.  After retiring from the IAS, she has been at the helm of affairs at NGMA.   NGMA, Bangalore was long-awaited and fought for by the artists community in the state before it finally opened in the city in early 2009. It's entry fee is Rs.10 and all events are free to the public. It is the central government's third such gallery and first one in south India. New Delhi and Mumbai have the other national galleries. Sobha Nambisan talks to Subramaniam…