City: Bengaluru

Now that most of us have paid the property taxes for the year 2008-09 by filling the appropriate form (From I-for properties with PID no./ Form II-for properties having only KATHA no./ Form III-for properties with neither PID nor KATHA no.), it is time to start paying the taxes for the current year. A small quantum of forms have reached the Help Centres and are of two different types – White (Form IV) in bilingual & Blue (Form V)For properties, where there is no change in any field – either in CATEGORY (rented out/non-residential), or DIMENSIONS (Any addition/deletion to the…

It is often said that if you find a job you love you’ll never work a day in your life. This is not an easy task at all. Most people seem to think that the course one takes up after pre-university or 12th standard, almost always determines one’s career. Deciding which course to join is a taxing exercise especially for youngsters who are confused about what they want. Illustration: Narasimha Vedala Youngsters need to balance their talents, interests, parents’ expectations, and market demands to determine their next steps.It is important for parents and children to sit down and come up…

Anuya (name changed) had just finished her 10th standard and was not sure what subjects she should take up. Being a class topper, her parents’ first choice was science and mathematics but she did not like these subjects. She went to a career counselor, her aptitude and personality test results showed her creative side was very strong. However, her parents asked her to take up the science stream. She did very well in her PUC; later when she did not want to become an engineer her parents forced her to take up medicine. nuya was not really interested in medicine…

On 31st March 2009, Citizen Matters reported about a proposal for a cycle track around Madiwala Lake (see here). Initiated by RideACycle Foundation (RAC-F), the proposal was submitted to the Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) on 17th February 2009. Former BMLTA Commissioner Gaurav Gupta got the sanction of the Chief Secretary Sudhakar Rao for this project during his tenure. Madiwala lake (pic: Meera K) On speaking to Gaurav Gupta (when he was the BMLTA Commissioner) about this project, he said it would be carried out by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) with BMLTA providing technical expertise. “We have requested…

“For men may come and men may goBut I go on for ever”.In the spacious library in the basement of St Joseph’s College on Langford road, I read these lines of Lord Tennyson’s poem that aptly captured the spirit of St. Joseph’s educational institutions, which have been in existence for more than a century. However, in May this year a piece of history was lost for ever; the 84 year-old magnificent gothic building that housed St Joseph’s Arts and Science College on Residency Road was brought down.A few years back, while working out of one of the glass and chrome…

Bangalore's administrators have been long-accused of letting down the public.  Cases abound from corruption in tendering to recklessness and negligence in execution of works. This month S Subramanya, BBMP Commissioner was transferred after a debacle over the washing away of a boy in a monsoon downpour. Just before that he was involved in a public spat with the head of the anti-corruption watchdog, Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde. Despite its status of a toothless tiger, the Lokayukta has still been able to deliver justice for complainants from the humblest of backgrounds - poor citizens who have been victimised or deprived…

Savitha Swamy, a research scholar from Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) is initiating an urban ecology project which involves surveys on  biodiversity in various neighborhood parks in Bangalore. Savitha is looking at the long term sustainability of Bangalore's urban green spaces. This study will be used to come up with models to conserve urban green spaces and the biodiversity that it shelters which is disappearing in an alarming rate. People’s attitude influences environmental conservation action in the city (pic: Jahnavi Pai) The central question of this study is “how do the urban green spaces function…

Indians are perhaps the most forgiving lot. They are also one of those who give up a fight too easily. How can anyone explain why a wife, whose husband was drowned to death in a storm water drain in Bangalore couple of few weeks ago, accept just Rs One lakh from the civic authorities and resigned to the fate saying – “Can any amount of money bring back my husband?” While no one can question this sentiment, it is this lax approach that is making the civic authorities take it easy, even if they endanger the lives of the citizens.…

On Saturday May 23rd, Meta-Culture Dialogics (MCD) convened the tenth session of its popular community dialogue series, Bengaluru Speaks. Held at the Ashirvad Community Centre, the dialogue explored the topic: “Dare to be an Agent of Change? Your wish list for the new government.” The Bangalorean participants varied in age and profession, and there was a fairly equal ratio of men to women. To kick-off the dialogue, the Meta-Culture facilitators asked the participants to reflect on the election campaigns and results. Many participants felt the candidates put forward party-oriented issues instead of focusing on social development. Some participants said they…

A Colonial era law makes millions of sexual minorities in India, second class citizens. This law leads to harassment, denial of justice, inheritance issues, healthcare denial and more. This year, individuals and organisations, under the banner of Campaign for Sex-workers and Sexual Minorities Rights (CSMR), organised a week-long festival beginning with a cricket match on 21st June and culminating with the Bengaluru Pride March on 28th June. The march began at National College, Basavanagudi and ended at Puttanachetty Town Hall. Bangalore’s sexual minorities demanded their rights in this colourful annual protest parade, most of them with their faces covered in…