City: Bengaluru

Parvathamma Aiyappa runs a small tea shop in a village near Kengeri. This is where she lives. She also works occasionally as a domestic helper. With some savings, she managed to get her two  sons – Shivaraj, 12, and Amar, 13, to a not-so-nearby school run by a welfare society, where she has to pay a nominal fee for books, admissions and uniforms. Her husband is a labourer. Parvathamma Aiyappa with her children. Pic: Lavanya Keshavamurthy. Being the self respecting mother that she is, she refuses to accept any donations for their education from the well-off families where she works.…

It was a two-decade old case that finally came to a close, at least partially, in February this year. The 11-acre Meistripalya kere in the heart of Koramangala was at the centre of a legal battle, with residents of the locality fighting to protect this much-needed lung space. An individual with ancestral linkages to the land had claimed it. It all began with one woman. Laila Ollapally. A Koramangala resident and a practicing advocate. More than a decade ago, Laila chanced upon the Meistripalya tank. It was her determination to protect and preserve open spaces in Koramangala that saw her…

It's been thirty years since John Lennon passed but his spirit clearly still lives on. Nehru Bal Sangh, Bangalore, more commonly known as NBS, once again organised their much awaited inter- school cultural competition Cascade, at Bal Bhavan, Cubbon Park with the theme of ‘All we need is love.' Nehru Bal Sangh (NBS) is a United Nations recognised and accredited, voluntary, non-profit organisation with branches in 18 states of India. NBS is run by young student members who engage in social causes such as fundraising for organisations including the Spastic Society and Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA). In the past…

"Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it." - Soren Kierkegaard I frankly do not know who Soren Kierkegaard is, but I agree with him. Walking is probably the cheapest and yet an extremely efficient way to exercise.The colony where I stay - Jalvayu Vihar has a fair share of walkers. Some prefer the early morning and others the evening.…

This was taken in HSR Layout. ⊕

The water-melons slowly making way for the golden mangoes, dark grey clouds rushing in from nowhere to establish their sovereignty across the azure sky, the sudden afternoon thunderstorms playing the spoilsport and keeping the children indoors, the cool relief from the scorching heat as the sweet smell of the wet earth floats up and fills the air - the monsoon has finally arrived. Pic credit: Wikkicommons. With the schools welcoming back the brats after a seemingly never-ending summer break, the young mothers are happily settling down to trade in the bustling mornings for the long-awaited peace and normalcy in the…

There has been confusion over the past few years on BBMP's issue of khatas, especially for properties awaiting 'regularisation' under Akrama/Sakrama. This guide presents the latest information on getting your khata. Republication of this guide without express permission from Citizen Matters is prohibited. See here for requesting permissions. If you own a property in Bengaluru – vacant site, indepedent house or an apartment – and are looking to apply for a khata, here's what you need to do register for one. To begin with, one needs to know what a khata is and why you need to register for it.…

One afternoon last week I met R Sunder Rajan, the founder of Just Books at N S Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL), IIM, Bangalore, where the two-year-old startup is incubated. Rajan belongs to a new generation of entrepreneurs, who has slipped into something totally different after years of working in IT firms.  Rajan spent 15 years at the IT firm IFlex, after joining them as a fresh graduate from Regional Engineering College, Trichy. The soft spoken and mild-mannered Madurai native in his late thirties says, “My father says I am the first in the family to ever handle a…

Playing games in playstations or computers or watching television is the common pass-time activity amongst most children of today’s generation. I wonder if they even know about many other interesting games that one can play in the absence of any equipment or electricity.I chanced upon the website of Kavade - a toy hive, a store in Bangalore which is promoting Indian games such as kavade (cowrie shells), good old tic-tac-toe board game, marble mazes, and puzzles and so on.Glancing at their product list transported my thoughts to the days of my childhood. Back then, fancy toys, action figures, expensive dolls,…

Dr Shyamala Mani, Associate Professor at the Centre for Neurosciences (CNS), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), was conferred the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Palmes Academiques (Knight of the Order of Academic Palms) by the French Government on June 14th, 2010. The award, given to individuals for their contribution to academia and education, was awarded to Dr Shyamala for her research on neonatal lesions and the effects of malnutrition on the fetal brain. Dr Shyamala Mani. Pic credit: cns.iisc.ernet.in. Originally hailing from Vellore, Dr Shyamala completed her graduation in Psychology from Delhi University and then went on to complete her Master…