City: Bengaluru

I submitted my property tax returns at the JP Nagar BBMP Citizen Service Center, on 2nd April making the payment with a cheque. They asked me to wait as the server was slow to generate the receipt. They then asked to come on the next working day and the receipt was ready. I collected it on 5th April after showing the acknowledgement.I went to Gottigere BBMP office on 6th April to remit the tax for my daughter's property situated in JP Nagar 9th phase.The server was down and there was no debit/credit card m/c to collect the payment. The person…

Can a 15-year-old friendship jeopardise over a 5 X 4 painting? Can the egos of three friends play its villainous part in separating them in one single evening? Even with all such philosophies playing onstage, is it possible that comedy is created and people watching the scene laugh their hearts out? The three friends argue over a painting. Pic Courtesy: Evam Evam's production "Art" exactly did all that in a 1 hour 30 mins performance. And they did that brilliantly. The play was staged at Rangashankara on 5th, 6th and 7th April.  'Art ' is a play originally written in…

Birdwatching, or birding, as it is referred to, seems to have become a very popular pastime in Bangalore. In this context, it's interesting to find out just how it's organized and carried out in the city...and I decided to talk to several people who've had more than thirty years of experience in this activity A team at the HSBC Bird Race. Pic: Deepa Mohan. There are no "professional" ornithologists, as far as  I can gather, in the city. Most of the experienced birders of Bangalore are those who pursue birding as a weekend or holiday activity. Their professions might or…

Summer holidays are here and most kids are let loose. Some of you may pack them off to summer camps or day cares or the grandparents’.  Many working parents are also taking a week or two off to spend time with the kids. Here are some ideas to do stuff together with your children (five years or older): "A kid needs time to lie on his back, opportunity “to find out whether he breathes differently when he’s thinking about it than when he’s just breathing” and to wonder who she’d be if her parents hadn’t gotten together. A kid needs…

200 Suncity residents, an apartment community in south Bengaluru,  held a meeting on April 9th to remind the builders Corporate Leisure and Property development (CLDP) about the forgotten promises regarding ownership of common areas, maintenance fees and amenities. The project was launched by CLPD in 2003 with promises to provide various amenities such as club house / party hall/ swimming pool. It has nearly been 7 years and the project is still not complete and there are various other outstanding issues that current residents are facing. Suncity aprtment owners raising their voices. Pic: SAOA Though initially we had planned for a…

Thank You begins where Akshay Kumar signed off with Tees Maar Khan, faithfully fulfilling the promise of providing yet another weekend's dose of mindless entertainment. With shades of director Anees Bazmi's previous work like No Entry, it's also Anees' third film with Akshay after Welcome and Singh in Kinng. But this time the duo fails to make their magic work on audiences, let down primarily by a script that always manages to fall slightly short.The film begins with three friends Sanjana (Sonam Kapoor), Shivani (Rimi Sen)  and Maya (Celina Jaitley) who have something else in common - their husbands (Bobby…

Unmindful of the clock nearing midnight, or the on-going IPL, thousands turned up to watch the All India ‘A' Grade Mayor Cup - 2011 Kabaddi Tournament at the Durga Parmeshwari Grounds in JP Nagar. The atmosphere was charged up and the excitement palpable as home team Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) battled Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), New Delhi, in the finals on Sunday, 10th April. HAL and ONGC had earlier beaten BSF and BPCL respectively in the semi-final matches to set the stage for a title clash. The home team arrived on the field amidst loud cheer from the…

I had never heard of Anna Hazare before; Or the Lok Janpal Bill; I was in awe. I asked around and was explained what an icon that man is. Built not of skin and bones, this man is made of Principles and Values. There had to be something that I can do to support his movement. I got an sms the following day from my friend, Dr. Mateen that there is a meeting for the campaign 'India Against Corruption' at Freedom Park. Freedom Park? Where's that. No one has heard of Freedom Park. Well, pretty soon, the World got to…

Anna Hazare's anti-corruption hunger strike of last week resulted in sparking off involvement from around the country. But for Bengaluru, this was not the first major opportunity to hit out  The Saaku campaign of December 2010 was an attempt to send a message to the state government. Santosh Hegde's resignation of June 2010 also sparked an outcry of demonstrations and marches against the government. So much so that Justice Hegde decided to remain is office till the end of his term. Freedom Park on April 9th. The crowd rose up and broke into cheers on news of Anna Hazare breaking…

The digital SLR and her obsession with it is what came to Koramangala resident Chitra Aiyer's  succour about a year and a half ago. Chitra tragically lost her father to an illness and in her own words, photography helped her cope. "I found that when I was looking through the viewfinder and clicking, it helped me deal with the whole thing a lot," says the photographer and blogger. Like Aiyer, who specialises in wedding, children and family photography, the camera opened several avenues for many in the city. Farmers of Bellandur. Pic: Vivek M Bangalore Photography Club's (BPC) Mayur Channagere…