City: Bengaluru

The seven-year old HSR Layout Sector II Residents Association convened their annual general body meeting on 19th of July at Cambridge Public School located in the vicinity.The meeting was well attended by residents and had a focused agenda. The concerns of the residents included:Bad Roads & silted/clogged Storm water drains: a. Blacktopping of all roads and regular clearance of shoulder undergrowth. b. De-silting of all storm-water drains c. Proper repair of road cutting. (Left to right) Mahesh, Chana Keshava, Bhasker Reddy, Brinda Gaurav, Basava, Kumar, Brig Murthy and Girish - the newly elected committee of HSR layout 2nd sector RWA.…

Gud DhaniThe flyer says ‘desi khana’ and ‘gaon ka ambience’, which should prepare you. Even then, the rustic appearance of Gud Dhani takes you by surprise. A rough textured pink building; it’s a sudden splash of vivid colour in a sedate by lane within BTM layout. Inside, the rustic theme is completed by bamboo furniture and simulated mud walls with chalk drawings. A small eatery that opened in end 2008, this place offers pure vegetarian Rajasthani fare. So if you happen to be in the vicinity and are looking for a meal that’s different, head for Gud Dhani. Gud Dhani…

An open area in the 12th cross of JP Nagar Phase I overgrown with weeds was cleared; footpath slabs were laid on the 13th Main in BTM layout, all this within days of a Janaspandana being held in both these areas.Janaspandana, a state government initiative that brings citizens, officials and elected representatives together to fix civic issues, was held in JP Nagar and BTM Layout on 4th and 10th July respectively.In both the events chaired by the local MLAs, residents of the area voiced their problems in front of officials representing different departments of the government.   Footpath upgradation ongoing at…

A detachable platform with giant wheels. A circular kiosk constructed with collapsible column. A school on wheels using recyclable materials. A mobile garden unit that also sells terrace garden plants, built using bill board structuresThese and some more are the result of a collaborative effort of architects from all over the globe who responded to an open invitation sent by Prayas Abhinav, a talented artist based in Bangalore.Abinav, 27, post graduate from CEMA (Center for Experimental Media Arts) and Srishti, lives and works in Bangalore. A man of many interests from writing to art and film making, he has won…

The Bangalore Science Forum (TBSF) needs no introduction. It has for the last 47 years relentlessly promoted Science in the city through lectures and discussion. A few hundred metres away from its cultural cousin, the Indian Institute of World Culture on B P Wadia road, TBSF's Wednesday evening Science lectures have been patronised  by thousands over three decades. Come July, weekly lectures give way to a month long festival of Science, with luminaries from various disciplines delivering lectures on a diverse range of topics at H N Hall at National College Basavangudi. While Professor Siraj Hasan, Director, Indian Institute of…

It was recently announced in the media that residents of Pune would face a significant water cut (20-30%) as the dams supplying water to the city have only enough to last for about 15-18 days. Shocking and scary, to say the least. But then again, it should come as no surprise, given the way we consume water in urban India. 135 litres. That is the official per capita consumption of water per day in urban India, says S Vishwanath, Founder, Rainwater Club. A rough break-up of this reveals just how easily we manage this:  40 litres for flushing ; 20…

I was glad when I saw the new link in the BBMP site for online tax payment. However I was disappointed with major issues that exist. First,  I am not able to generate form IV after making online payment of tax.  I always get the message "unable to connect to server". Second, the system displays a message to collect the original signed receipt from ARO. I understand from the local ward office at Lazar Road that ARO has not received connectivity for generating receipts for online payment. This is another disappointment. In another case,  I generated Form IV for another…

On Saturday, June 27th, Meta-Culture Dialogics (MCD) convened the eleventh session of its popular community dialogue series, Bengaluru Speaks.  Held at the Goethe-Institute, Max Mueller Bhavan, the dialogue explored the topic: “Namma Bengaluru? Civic Spaces to Engage, Enhance, Enjoy.” This month’s dialogue session incorporated art as a means of initiating ideas and dialogue among people.Ashok Panikkar, the Executive Director of Meta-Culture, kicked off the dialogue by reflecting on growing up in Kerala; studying in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and living in Bangalore in the 1980’s. All three instances represented times when he connected with people in his community. Ashok then compared and…

R Ashoka, Karnataka's cabinet minister for transport is known for introducing Volvo services for Bangalore International Airport and supporting the expansion technology into Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation. He boasts of making public transport available and desirable by both the rich and the poor. He was the health minister in the previous JDS-BJP government. This is his fourth term in the Vidhana Soudha and he was elected from Padmanabhanagar constituency. In the last three terms he was elected from Uttarahalli. Katriguppe, Ilyasnagar, Kaverinagar in his constituency are neglected. R Ashok’s 2008 declaration of Rs. 10.06 crores in total assets reflects a…

The Finance Bill, or the Union Budget as we popularly know it, is one of corporate India's most awaited annual events. Each year after the budget is announced, it triggers widespread debate amongst the masses and the intelligentsia alike. This year after the resounding re-election of the UPA government, the entire nation was looking up in anticipation as to what the budget would hold for us. A week after the budget was announced, SIBM (Symbiosis Institute of Business Management) Bangalore took the initiative to decipher the true meaning of the budget for the common man and what it meant for…