City: Bengaluru

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…

The voter list in respect of Jayanagar 4th Block has been taken out from the website and kept it for verification at: The Office of the Jayanagar Residents Welfare Civic and Cultural Association Office No. 284, 34th Cross, 9th Main Road,4th Block, Jayanagar, Bangalore. 560011. All the residents of Jayanagar 4th Block are requested to verify their names in the list published by the Election Commission, Government of India as on 2nd February 2009. If any name has been left out in the above list, the residents can fill up Form No.6 and submit the same before 31st March 2009.…

The Carnatic classical music scene in Bengaluru is active with many mellifluous spots spread all over the city. One such small venue is the residence of Raviprakash HK. A consultant print engineer by profession, his busy life limited his time for music. When Ravi was building his house at Basavanagudi, an idea stuck him; why not have a dedicated place for young upcoming musicians to perform? So he went ahead and constructed a single room with tiled roof on his terrace for this exclusive purpose. Latest concert at the music terrace (Pic: Raviprakash)Raviprakash's wife Anuradha explains “When we were small,…

It would be good if BBMP help centres adopt a standardised approach for calculation, filling of forms and issue of receipts. Presently there is a lot of misunderstanding and failure of supervision by revenue officials at the help centers that are leading to confusion and sufferings for the tax payers...young and old. I had sent a letter to the BBMP commissioner on 9th March, which has not been acknowledged as yet. Note: I had earlier pointed out a serious error in the online calculator as it had not taken the multiplying factor of 10 in the UAV for car parking…

CIVIC, an NGO working for participative democracy, in conjunction with Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), conducted a pilot study on slum and urban homelessness in Bengaluru and an event was organized at Institute of Agricultural Technologists, Queens Cross Road on 28th February, 2009 to release the report and highlight some of the findings. BBMP had commissioned the study to understand the effectiveness of the services they provide to urban poor in the city. The study itself was conducted over two months in 19 habitations, through Focus Group Discussions and the use of secondary data. Some of the findings highlighted at…