City: Bengaluru

Water | Health Summer’s here, and so is crisis season. Every year, officials say power cuts and water issues will not plague Bengaluru but each summer the situation remains the same. And if all this were not enough, the heat and humidity of summer bring with it its own problems. Citizen Matters spoke to government officials to find out what people can expect on the power-water front and also to some doctors on how to combat seasonal ailments. Uninterrupted power…what’s that? "I have to depend on the generator as there are untimely power cuts. My business is getting affected. This…

11th May 2008. Heaps of mud, broken dividers with mud all over, main road dug up, traffic badly hit and people anxiously waiting to see things change. This was the intersection of J P Nagar's 15th Cross Ring Road, a critical artery in south Bangalore, and the 24th Main Road, and the scene of a magic underpass construction. The notice board put up by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) mentioned that the construction will finish by February 2009. Eight months later, the scene looks exactly the same. 15th cross-ring road intersection dug up (Pic: Supriya Khandekar) The magic seems to…

Business India's first urban bank celebrates102nd anniversary The first ever urban bank of India is the Bangalore City Cooperative Bank. It is now celebrating its 102nd anniversary. In these days when cooperative banks are going bankrupt, this bank's achievement sounds incredible. It works more for the welfare of its members and customers rather than for profit. The bank has its head office in Chamarajpet and has 12 branches in different parts of Bangalore. It intends to open branches in rural areas as well. (Prajavani, Saturday, Mar 21) Court Retired judge in Bangarappa soup Retired district judge and present member of…

Expecting a big crowd on an early Sunday morning to discuss plans to clean up a lake may seem a bit far-fetched. But for those of us who did attend the event at Madiwala Lake on 22nd March, it was a learning experience. The event was organised by Arghyam, a public charitable foundation working in the water sector, in association with RideACycle Foundation (RAC-F), a Bangalore-based, non-profit organisation that encourages and promotes sustainable transport and Sampada, an online Kannada community. Marking World Water Day, this event was held to raise awareness about the state of this 280 acre lake, by…

Years ago, summer holidays used to be marked by visits to grandparents and long hours of playing – everything under the sun – with cousins and friends. The holidays are still as long for today's children but, these days, the time tend to be a bit more structured. There are summer camps or activity classes meant to teach children something new and keep them happily engaged, at least for a couple of hours a day. Gerry Martin's outdoor activity (Pic courtesy: Gerry Martin) Small wonder then that come summer and most parents are on the lookout for the right activities…

We recently  concluded a successful property tax drive at our apartment complex, Rohan Vasantha in Marathahalli. Initially, we had contacted the BBMP helpline and got guidance on how to fill the form. However, certain points like zone classifications were not clear. So we contacted the BBMP officials, Assistant Commissioner Vasanth Rao and Deputy Commisioner Heera Naik. My neighbours Avinash Kalmani, Vasanth Kelkar, Nitin Kabra & I (Keshav Prabhu) met them. They helped us fill one form. We sent the reference form to all residents in our community of 540 houses. We got 300 forms and kept it in the club house.…

A list of the most sought after locations in Bengaluru would be incomplete without Koramangala. While on the one hand it offers various residential options for a growing city, it is also home to long time residents and their posh bungalows with lush green gardens. But now there’s an unsavoury element to this area. For the past few weeks, some of the residents in Koramangala have been complaining of an unusual series of incidents. “Two people, Nagaraja Reddy and his associate Raja, are introducing themselves as professional gardeners on contract with the BBMP. They induce residents to get manure from…

International World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of fresh water and advocating for the sustainable management of fresh water resources. An international day to celebrate fresh water was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day. Infrequent BWSSB water supply. (Illustration: Madhu Ramaswamy) It is an irony that in Bangalore, water gets significantly more expensive the poorer you get. Water is a subsidized commodity for those who…

The response to the first edition of the series ‘Birds of Bangalore’ was extremely encouraging, and so here is the next part.  In this series we take a closer look at some of the birds in our backyard. In deference to reader’s feedback, a few tips on bird watching have also been included at the end of the article which is sure to help one get started and develop the hobby. Areas to sight it around Bangalore: It is fond of well watered areas. So the best places to sight it are Lalbagh, Cubbon park, Hebbal and Madivala lakes. The…

Tasveer, the photo-art gallery in Sua House on Kasturba Cross Road, showcased a collection of photographs by Shahid Datawala, from 28th February to 10th March. Datawala, who lives and works in Mumbai, is the chief designer for Pallate, a furniture design store in Mumbai.The show was based on and inspired by Hauntology -- a revolutionary idea introduced by Jacques Derrida in his 1993 work Spectres of Marx. The idea suggests that the present exists only with respect to the past, and that society, after the end of history, will begin to orient itself towards ideas and aesthetics that are thought…