City: Bengaluru

Snake! The very word seems to evoke a feeling of terror in the mind of the average person; but if one has better knowledge of these creatures, one can see that much of the dread is misplaced. Here are some FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) about snakes, answered by P Gowirshankar, a herpetologist who has been actively associated with the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS), which has had the only telemetry project for tracking the King Cobra in that region. Gowrishankar is at present located in Bangalore, pursuing his doctoral studies. The Spectacled Cobra has a distinctly visible black mark in…

Special grants, ward-wise for each corporator Ward 172 - Rs 100 lakhs. Ward 176 - Rs 100 lakhs. Ward 177 - Rs 200 lakhs. Ward 178 - Rs 300 lakhs. Ward project plans Allocation for works as mentioned in draft annual BBMP budget: Madiwala (Ward 172) Purchase of equipments to Madiwala Hospital - Rs 1 crore Construction of dhobi ghat at Madiwala Machideva quarters - Rs 1 crore Additional loops to Central Silk Board Flyover - Rs 25 lakh BTM Layout (Ward 176) Development of parks - Rs 3.9 crores (this includes allocation for parks in Ejipura and Koramangala too)…

More than a week after BBMP proposed Rs 8488 crores as the budget for 2010-11, the corporation on Thursday went a step ahead and announced an additional Rs 350 crores to the budget through revenue projections. Mayor S K Nataraj and Chairman of Finance and Taxation Committee Chairman P M Sadashiva, addressing the media after the BBMP budget was approved in council. Pic: Vaishnavi Vittal. The Rs 350 crores is an increase in revenue projections through the following: a Rs 70 crore increase in betterment charges (earlier estimate was  Rs 120 crores), Rs 150 crores more of property tax (earlier…

It's been a happening fortnight at the movies in Bangalore. The fourth Indo-German Film Festival ran between August 20th and 26th at Lavanya Theatre in Ulsoor, drawing a niche audience from across the city. Amongst the top German films screened were  A Year Ago in Winter, Jerichow, Storm, John Rabe, Soul Kitchen, Whisky with Vodka and Lila Lila. The Indian films in the festival panorama included Kanasembo Kudureyaneri, Vimukti, Kanchivaram, Bioscope, Paltadacho Munis, Gabhricha Paus, Harishchandrache Factory and Ek Cup Chya. Next in line were a couple of much-awaited new releases at the cinemas over the weekend. Bollywood had the…

Think Id and Biryani comes to mind. Think Ganesha and the visual imagery is that of the elephant god with a Modaka in his hand. Food, either abstaining from it or partaking of it, has always been central to religion and community. This could be due to the fact that while men may create rites in the patriarchal societies that most of us live in, it is women who perpetuate them. Within families, the bedrock of any community, women carry on rituals and customs; ensuring that traditions thrive. The food stalls around Swagath Road get busy in the evening as…

It only took 13-year-old Aditya's bragging about how quick and efficient he was at the newly acquired skill of tying flowers, for the girls in his group to take it upon themselves to beat him at his game. What started as a fun contest, turned into a fierce battle with each camp pelting flowers at each other. Your reporter, lips pursed in concentration, attempting to learn to tie flowers from ten-year-olds, was caught in the crossfire. A participant at the workshop making a Ganesha idol using clay. Pic: Siri Srinivas This was the workshop organised by the Environment Support Group(ESG)…

A Children's Magazine, HAM Radio, General Science, Traffic... Yes! A unique quiz that involved all of these - Quiz on Air. Hoopla Club, a monthly children's magazine, in association with Indian Institute of HAMs organised the second annual 'Quiz on Air' on Friday September 3rd, 2010 in Bangalore. After earlier preliminary rounds, ten Hoopla Club member school teams made it to the finals that was conducted and aired ‘live' on HAM Radio. HAM Quiz on air, was conducted on September 3rd. Pic courtesy: Hoopla Club. Why a quiz conducted on the HAM Radio network? Hoopla Club's Reena Mirpuri and Balchander…

Based on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Bangalore-based Institute of Public Health (IPH), the Karnataka High Court (HC) has issued notices to the Karnataka state health and family welfare department, and the union ministries of commerce and health. The PIL challenges the sponsorship and participation of the Tobacco Board of India (a Government of India entity established under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce) in the Global Tobacco Networking Forum (GTNF), scheduled to be held at ITC  Royal Gardenia (near Kanteerva stadium) between October 4th - 8th, here in Bangalore. The Global Tobacco Networking Forum is scheduled to…

Over a period of four days, BBMP corporators were given an opportunity to debate and discuss the draft budget that was presented before the council on August 30th. While for the most part the Congress and JD(S) maintained that the budget is "bogus", BJP corporators hailed it to be "bombaat". Unfortunately, what could have been a critical dissection and analysis of the proposed Rs 8488 crore budget, turned out to be, for the large part, like a regular monthly meeting, where ward woes were presented. Leader of the Opposition M Nagaraj makes a point on August 30th when the BBMP…

Vinay Chandra is a man with a mission. What started off as a personal interest in nature, farming and organic agriculture, has for the last year become a zealous drive to help more and more city dwellers like you and me to make our own little patch of green. Square foot garden. Pic courtesy: Vinay Chandra. Before starting his initiative to help set up kitchen gardens, Chandra did a lot of ground work. He spent a lot of time with with organic farmers and activists and read a lot on organic farming. He visited many organic farms in and around…