City: Bengaluru

Does one call it a lake or a pond? Perhaps it may be better to just refer to it as a “kere” or a water body, since it was clearly once a lake that, over time, became a pond and is now steadily shrinking in size. Some people call it “Arey kere”, others as “Puttanahalli puttkere” to differentiate it from the much bigger Puttanhalli Lake. Call it what you will, this kere is fighting a losing battle for survival - like other water bodies in Bengaluru, like the tall shady trees now being chopped down on one pretext or the…

Over the last week, hundreds of people have been vociferously protesting against the plans of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to build a Metro station in Lalbagh and to cut trees along the verdant Lakshman Rao Boulevard, popularly known as Nanda Road. On Sunday evening, 19th April, 250 people gathered along the tree lined road. They sang songs, shouted slogans (“Ulisi ulisi, Nanda Road ulisi”) and held a candle light vigil to protest against the proposed cutting of trees in Lakshman Rao Park. Earlier, on Friday, 17th April, about 220 people formed a human chain along RV Road…

If there is one striking feature to distinguish this election from previous ones, it's the focus on the young voter. From actor Imran Khan to Congress scion Rahul Gandhi, the messages relayed through media adverts and political speeches have all urged India's young voters to stop being apathetic and to come out and “make a difference”. Unfortunately, merely coming out and voting doesn't really indicate that candidates are reflecting your concerns or listening to you. R K Misra, Krishna Byregowda and Prof Rajeev Gowda during the presentation of the youth manifesto at IIMB last Saturday (Pic courtesy: Hemangini Gupta) In…

He is probably one of the few people who voted against the party diktat during the trust vote in Parliament in June 2008. This famous cop helped in the arrest of fake stamp paper racket kingpin Abdul Kareem Telgi and former underworld don Muthappa Rai among others, during his services as the Commissioner of Police, Bangalore City. Films have been made based on his work in the Indian Police Service and he has also appeared in one of them, as himself, playing the role of the Police Commissioner. In the middle of his hectic campaigning schedule and with commandos in…

To find your name in the voter rollCheck the Chief Electoral Officer's site and search for your name in final electoral rolls for the upcoming elections. » Find your name in the Bangalore electoral rolls for Lok Sabha elections 2009. Try various spellings for your name. Try searching by assembly constituency or by pincode. The results show the your name, part no, serial no and age.Other sites like One Billion Votes and Google Lok Sabha Elections portal are also providing search feature. (Note we have not verified the accuracy of their information) You can also see the final rolls (pdf…

I am a native of Bangalore city, a Kannadiga from an orthodox family, yet I found myself asking my non-Bangalorean friends, "What is the Karaga festival?" One of those moments when I feel I should have paid more attention during social science class! One friend, who closely follows cultural happenings around the city, told me more. The 40 ft ratha carrying the idol of Lord Dharmarayaswamy in procession. Devotees gathered on the streets throw bananas and tulsi leaves on the ratha. (pic: Deepika Nagabushan) Karaga is celebrated on the full moon day during the Chaitra month of the Hindu calendar.…

BANGALORE SOUTH» Report on debate between Bangalore South candidates, organised by Smart Vote and News9» Comparison chart of candidates at myneta.info Ananth Kumar - BJPFour terms as an MP. Served as a Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Tourism and Culture, Youth Affairs and Urban Development. Age: 50 years; Assets: Rs. 122.06 Lakhs; Criminal Record: None since 2004 * Citizen Matters' interview of Ananth Kumar * Click here for detailed profile. Capt Gopinath - IndependentWith an MBA and degrees from the NDA Captain has working life that includes 8 yrs service in the Indian Army, 17 years in Farming & Sericulture,…

It is a busy morning as I join INC candidate for Bangalore South, Krishna Byregowda on his way to Koramangala village, in his beige colour Innova. After participating in a television debate in the morning, he starts his campaigning for the day.This 36-year-old two- time MLA and currently President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress is banking on his popularity amongst the youth. He feels that this is the time for change and Indian politics is now ready to see its young faces emerge to power. Krisha Byregowda. Pic: www.krishnabyregowda.inWe are about to move when a group of elderly men stop…

On Wednesday, 15 April at 6:30 AM, I left for Lalbagh. Not for a morning walk, but to meet Captain G R Gopinath, the famous founder of Air Deccan and now an independent candidate from the Bangalore South constituency for the Lok Sabha elections. Gopinath was having a Yoga session that morning and his team had scheduled my meeting after the session, at 7 AM. Capt Gopi at the Press Conference - Announcing the kite as his election symbol (Pic courtesy: votecaptaingopi.com) As I was waiting, I could see most of Gopinath’s supporters and campaigners were in the age group…

After a long day of debates between candidates from Bangalore South and Bangalore North it was now Bangalore Central candidates’ turn to answer the public’s queries. The candidates looked tired at the end of a long day of campaigning.The event organised by Smart Vote and News9 on 14th April, at Sathya Sai Samskrutha Sadan, Koramangala, brought all candidates contesting for Bangalore Central on one dias. Candidates present included Dr HT Sangliana (INC), Vijay Raja Singh (BSP ), K Uma (SUCI), JD Elangovan (Indian Justice Party), Vijaya Bhaskar N (Independent). PC Mohan (BJP) and Zameer Ahmed (JDS) were absent.The session started…