City: Bengaluru

"I am running to represent the people in all government offices and departments where they want their work done, but I am not going to make false promises about specific projects or schemes", says R Venkatesh, film director and JD(S) candidate for councillor at JP Nagar (Ward 177). Forty-two year old Venkatesh is a first-time corporator candidate and says he is inspired by H D Kumaraswamy's leadership.Venkatesh's attitude sums up a reformist and perhaps even non-ideological line, amongst the tickets mainline parties have given to some candidates. But with a whopping 198 seats up for the council, candidates of all…

In the mid-eighties when I used to travel on Bellary Road from Bangalore to Vijayapura, a small town about 50 kms away from Bangalore, many things were different. There used to be a huge Circle called Mekhri Circle and the metro almost ended there. There were a few residential localities like Sultanpalya, Gangenahalli and Dollars Colony along the Bellary Road but these were not congested like today and the highway to Bellary/Hyderabad began at Mekhri Circle. There were very few concrete buildings along the highway like the Kirloskar Factory, AMCO Batteries, Larsen & Turbo and a few petrol pumps. Dinshaw…

Jayanagar Academic Committee (JAC) organised an event on March 14th to mark its completion of the coaching programme for students appearing in the forthcoming SSLC exam. This was held at SSMRV College, Jayanagar 4th T block. More than 100 people attended the function. A volunteer teacher of the coaching progamme demonstrated to show as to how the 45 days coaching classes have been conducted. The students said that they were made to solve model question papers and the classes were very interactive and practical. The idea of this progamme was put forth by MLA of Jayanagar. Pic: Chetan Boray. More…

On a bright Sunday during the first week of this month, Namma Santhe - Navachetana Trust's first organic market, with 20 odd stalls selling vegetables and fruits, spice mixes, packaged health products, herbal plants, and eco friendly bags, attracted a mixed crowd. Middle class couples hoping for fresh produce and interesting pickles, a considerable number of the elite who had developed an interest in sustainable living, and the common man curious as to what the whole thing was about.One could hear occasional grumbles about the setting - the grounds of a school in Vidyaranyapura in north Bangalore. When some visitors…

Bangalore People's Forum has recently come up with a manifesto for the consideration of voters and candidates participating in elections in BBMP electiions 2010. The forum consists of the following organisations.  ActionAid, Alternate Law Forum, Centre for Education and documentation, CIVIC, Community Health Cell, Concerned for Working Children, Environment Support Group (Environment, Social Justice and Governance Initiatives), Garment and Textile Workers Union, Hasiru Usiru, Hengasara Hakkina Sangha, Janasahyog, Janarogya Andholan Karnataka (PHM-KA), Kilikili, Maraa, Nightingales Medical Trust, Sahajeeran, Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, Sangama, Save Bangalore Committee, Slum Jagattu, The Avenue Road Traders Associations, Vimochana Introduction All efforts of the…

Women's day celebratedManjari Ladies Association organised an event for 30 senior women citizens of 70 years and above to comemmorate International women's day at JP Nagar club. The attendees were from different walks of life. Pic courtesy: Manjari Association. They included retired senior government officials to researchers, scholars, musicians, social workers and homemakers. They inspired younger members and made it very clear that dedication, tolerance and perseverance are very important to be an achiever. About 90 women participated in the programme.Urmila Vittal, wife of C Vittal (President JP Nagar club) and a homemaker was the Chief Guest. Parimala Rao, President…

Bangalore is home not only to exotic cuisines from all around the world, but also to a variety of khana from diffferent Indian states. However, amidst all the dhaba-esque Punjabi restaurants and the ubiquitous Andhra-style eateries, the cuisine of Maharashtra is not adequately represented.Let's face it, apart from a couple of really well known dishes like Vada Pav (which I believe is India's answer to the Burger) and Pav Bhaji (which now has a cult following thanks to the roadside vendors), most of us are unaware of the dishes so dearly loved by the Marathi population. Rajvardhan Foods is a…

In what is their first step towards mainstream politics in Bangalore, a group of city-based activists have come together for the BBMP council elections by floating two independent candidates. These activists have formed a group called the Praja Rajakiya Vedike, which will support the candidates in these elections. Says Elavarthi Manohar, one of the members of this group, "We have all fought with regard to human rights, women's rights, sexuality minority rights. We wanted to bring about a change. So we all got together". Manohar is also the founder of Sangama, a sexuality minorities human rights organisation for individuals oppressed…

Note: Click here for the FAQ on BBMP Elections: how to find your ward and more.  CANDIDATES (in order of ward number) Click on links to access profiles, manifestos, affidavits for each candidates as av. Parties: LS-Loksatta; INC-Congress; BJP-Bharatiya Janata Party; JDS-Janata Dal(S);KPP-Karnataka Praja Party; CPI(M) Communist Party of India (Marxist); INL (Indian National League) BE A COMMUNITY JOURNALIST!Join our public initiative to collect and share candidate information. Download the questionnaire and collect the info about BBMP candidates. You can use candidate affidavit, candidate supplied material, and/or speak to the candidate to gather the details. Mail the completed questionnaire to…

It's election month in the city and BBMP's revenue officers, who take on the electoral role of Returning Officers (RO) for the State Election Commission (SEC) are busy accepting nomination papers from contestants throughout the city.For the past three days the SEC has been reeling tens of numbers of nominations each day and a look at their numbers indicated there are more nominations than candidates. Even though some major parties have not declared their ticket lists, several hopefuls have filed their nominations with the ROs.Citizen Matters caught up returning officer C Thimmiah of R T Nagar to ask him a…