City: Bengaluru

For years now, Bangaloreans have gotten accustomed to seeing dug up roads across the city. Furthermore, one doesn’t know who has dug it up or why and when it is likely to be closed. And then traffic suffers. The traffic police are clueless about the roadwork and are then forced to divert traffic."Sometimes we don't even know who has dug up the road", points out Praveen Sood, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic).  Nothing new in namma Bengaluru. Coordination, or the lack of it has always been a challenge for many local authorities - BBMP, BTP, BWSSB, BDA, BMTC, and so…

The recently released Julie and Julia enthralled cinema lovers and foodies equally. The film, in part, shows the determination of an otherwise laidback Julia Child’s (played by Meryl Streep) endeavours to become a Cordon Bleu cook, her resolve to teach American women the art of French cuisine and the difficulties in getting her first recipe book published. Author of six cookbooks and a blog on Anglo Indian cuisine, Bridget White-Kumar is Karnataka’s very own food ambassador. Pic credit: Bridget White-Kumar. For Bridget White-Kumar this story could be termed familiar territory. Author of six cookbooks and a blog on Anglo Indian…

At a testy hearing in the High Court of Karnataka, the University of Agricultural Sciences reversed its position on the BBMP's link road through its GKVK campus in north Bengaluru. Before a two-judge bench on December 16th, the university's counsel Nithin Ramesh said the Vice-Chancellor, P G Chengappa, was willing to convene a fresh meeting of the Board of Regents to strike down its earlier approval for the link road, and added that the board's earlier decision was taken under ‘duress'. As BBMP claims 70 per cent of the work is completed the High Court orders an expert committee be…

Even as the Karnataka State Election Commission has announced the BBMP council elections schedule, one court case on ward reservation is pending at the Supreme Court. Alongside, the Chief Minister’s ABIDe (Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure Development) task force’s draft law, the Bengaluru Governance Bill 2009, is still hanging fire. This Bill talks of directly electing a Mayor and electing members to ward committees. But confusion looms large over this as some city politicos are not keen on having elected members on the ward committee. Transport Minister R Ashoka. Pic: Vaishnavi Vittal. Amidst all the election-talk, Citizen Matters caught up with…

From yoga classes to aqua aerobics, kickboxing to Krav Maga or doing time on the treadmill, fitness now has interesting options to choose from.  Krav maga is a form of martial arts developed by the Israeli defense forces. The same goes for health clubs and gyms. This makes it even more important for the consumer to be aware of what they are opting for and what to be conscious about. WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A GYMa. Check if the gym has a physiotherapist, nutritionist, certified and well-informed instructorb. Speak to existing gym members for their feedbackc. Most gyms offer…

Bengaluru is a city that’s learning to stay fit. Running the marathon or biking to work or hitting the gym with increasing regularity, most Bangaloreans are up, about and active. The health and fitness market is India is estimated at around Rs 2,900 crores, according to a Technopak report in Business Standard. It pegs the average annual spend on health and fitness by individuals at approximately Rs 2,600. The statistics are not specific to Bangalore but do give you a general idea of the average citizen’s interest in fitness. Is fitness as an industry seeing satisfied consumers? And who’s rushing…

The first dayOn Saturday the 12th of December, I left my house ready to reconnect with my childhood, at the Children’s film festival, part of the Bangalore Habba 2009. As I went up the escalator towards the movie theatre, the numerous posters and signs, left me in no doubt that I was in the right place. It was 9.50 AM when I reached the ticket counter.I excitedly asked for passes which were supposed to be available at the venue. The man behind the counter looked at me, somewhat amused and told me he couldn’t issue me a pass because I…

Colours swirl and mingle in echoes of the natural world – sky, ocean-beds, foliage and feathers – organic dreams trip lightly over real things, exchanging identities and producing new worlds. Anuradha Nalapat’s paintings are spaces inhabited by plurality – of thought, feeling and experience, of life itself.With a desire to place her art on common ground with the masses, she has made an attempt to open her exhibition to viewers. She wants viewers to share their thoughts, scribbles and writings and contribute to a session of shared discussion on Saturday December 19th between 5 PM and 6 30 PM at…

'There are melas and there are melas', says Ashok Vyas of the Grameen Art Blue Pottery Society, Rajasthan. Vyas is a blue pottery craftsperson who hails from Kotjewar, around 40 km from Jaipur and has been associated with the Kala Madhyam Mela since its inception in 2001.According to him, though cities like Bengaluru are today typically saturated with numerous crafts fairs right through the year, there are only a few that offer a truly meaningful platform to showcase the craft and the craftspersons. And he counts the Kala Madhyam Mela as one of these. Leather wall hangings - craft from…

When Sajin walked into Redwood Apartments off Sarjapur Road on 6th December to attend a workshop on "Water Reality and Solutions" including groundwater recharge, rainwater harvesting (RWH) and grey water reuse, he was "pretty sure that the topic would be dull" and might even be boring. The workshop in progress. AppartmentAdda.com organised it in partnernship with Rainwater Club/Biome Environmental Solutions and Citizen Matters. ( Pic: Venkat Kandaswamy ) But his feedback on ‘Perpetual Moment' and many others' posted on ‘Praja' drive home an important message - we are living in a globalised city impounded by innumerable water woes and the…