City: Bengaluru

The invite stated – ‘expected start 6.30 – 6.45 PM’, but when the programme actually started, my watch had ticked over to 8.30 PM. We shouldn’t have expected anything better, with two senior politicians busy in the middle of a pitched election campaign. Most people landed up on time, to see the production crew still setting up the stage and the mosquito repellent machine doing its thing. However, sitting in the open grounds with the beautifully illuminated Bangalore Palace in the background and anticipating a lively discussion made the sizeable audience forgive the delay. Government smartvote addressing show (Pic: Poornima…

Runners for Life, a community of people who run to get fit organised its second edition of their unique event, ‘Feet on the Street', a five kilo metre run. The event held in the city on 5th April saw 301 enthusiastic runners out on the streets on a Sunday morning.The format of ‘Feet on the Street' is unique. These are monthly runs. It is not a track and field event, but is held at a central location. While the first edition was held at Cubbon Park, the second edition was conducted around Ulsoor Lake. In addition to running and popularising…

White egg-shaped brinjal, orange-yellow round type, red ones, single Brinjal weighing more than 2 kg, small marble-sized ones  - all in all, about 50 varieties of brinjal were on display at the ‘Brinjal diversity Mela’ at Lalbagh on 5th April. Some of these brinjal varieties are rarely cultivated and thus rarely available. This event was an effort to reach out to the public and farmers to inform them about the diversity of a species, educate them about effects of ‘Genetically Modified food technology’. The fest saw notable guests, including film actress Tara and artist MS Murthy and included informative talks…

Have you ever seen your grandmother or mother being possessive and nostalgic about their first Mysore silk saree? Just as today’s girls go ga-ga over a Swarovski, it was the Mysore silk saree which used to be considered an evergreen gift for a special occasion a few decades ago. It is no surprise that it has an interesting history as it was a thriving industry in itself in the state. Silk material and saris (Pic: Madhu Niranjan) The state sericulture industry saw successful highs in the past before it went down due to several reasons, including lack of technology upgrade…

A sampling of what the briefs include: reports on increasing fatalities on Bellary road, politicians violating rules on declaring their assets, an old-style cinema re-opening, a Yelahanka MLA’s plan to revamp his constituency in a year, a former national cyclist who has become a daily wage worker and so forth.Bengaluru news in brief: Apr 15 - 21 This week's scan of Kannada newspapers have a number of reports from parliamentary elections to former hockey player appointed as CEO of cricket association and so on.Bengaluru news in brief: Apr 8 - 14 This week's scan of Kannada newspapers have a number…

Mixed use of our roads has long been both a plus and a minus in Bengaluru, especially in ‘shopping’ areas like Commercial Street and Brigade Road. Recently, some children from Poorna Learning Centre, a school in north Bengaluru decided to address the issue by conducting a survey and presenting a report.  Khyati Shah (right) talking to a shopper (pic: T Deepan) Anyone who has gone to Commercial Street, especially on weekends, cannot be oblivious to the difficulties that pedestrians face, due to the traffic on that narrow street. G V Dasarathi (aka Das) and his daughter Amala saw a woman…

It is always a challenge to reach out to people of our own community. I have been blogging for a couple of years now and I have learned that many of my articles can be much more tuned to reach an even larger audience. Discussion in progress at the Center for Internet and Society (pic courtesy: Omshivaprakash H L )I attended a discussion on 29th March at the Center for Internet and Society at Cunningam Road. The session organized by some of us from the Sampada Technical Group in association with the Center for Internet and Society to learn more…

Brinjal, badanekayi, the king of vegetables comes with its own crown! Let's revisit the world of Brinjal and explore it's amazing diversity! It is a celebration of the diversity of brinjals and to contemplate our role in protecting it. Good Food, healthy food, safe food... should be a primary concern for all of us. The Brinjal festival to be held at Lalbagh is an attempt to bring a better consciousness and respect for our rich diverse food. Genetically Modified (GM) food crops pose a grave threat to the diversity and to our health as consumers. Let us all make informed…

Business A 24/7 office sans doors in Namma Bengaluru! RMS (Railway Mail Service) works as a chain between people who use the postal service. Every office has a working schedule which entails shutting down for a certain period in 24 hours. But the RMS office at the central railway station in Majestic remains open 24/7. Interestingly this office does not have doors at all. Employees of RMS work round the clock. The lights of the office goes off only during power cuts. Mail distribution workers take care of the office in shifts. (Prajavani, Monday, Mar 30) Flower market fragrant with…