City: Bengaluru

Tucked away in a narrow lane a little off the bustling MG Road, is the Indian Cartoon Gallery, the first of its kind in the country. An initiative of the Indian Institute of Cartoonists (IIC), the gallery was created as a space for both amateur and professional cartoonists to exhibit their work. Says V G Narendra, veteran cartoonist (with dailies like the Kannada Prabha), whose brainchild the IIC is, “we already had a Cartoonist’s Association for Karnataka, but through the IIC we wanted to promote interaction between cartoonists from across India.” He adds, “The gallery is a perfect space to…

“Magadi! Where is it?” remarked my friend when I told him of the plan to visit the town. Only when I mentioned Savandurga, one of the popular trekking spots in Magadi, did he show a flicker of recognition. Once a bastion of Kempegowda clan, Magadi town is now a sleepy hamlet, situated 49 kilometres from Bangalore. In the days of yore, it would have taken Kempegowda and his men a couple of days to reach the town from Bangalore on horseback. Today, one has to drive along the Magadi Road (starting at Vijayanagar Toll Gate junction) for an hour to…

In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) at the High Court of Karnataka, the CMH Road Shops and Traders’ Association has challenged the legality of the Metro Rail Project implemented by the BMRC (Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation). On 18th and 20th August, Justice Gopala Gowda and Chief Justice P D Dinakaran heard legal arguments. Citizen Matters has been following the proceedings.Is the Metro legal? Government: ‘yes’, Traders: ‘no’ Pramila Nesargi, legal counsel representing the CMH Road traders, argued that in both Kolkata and Delhi, the metro was constructed after the passage of the “Metro Railways Construction of Works Act”. This Act…

I would like to share my experiences with all of you about how well my Independence Day celebrations went on. It is a tradition my friends and I have followed for many many years, of playing cricket on that day and fighting down to the bone to ensure victory, but what keeps us constantly distracted from the game is the flower show. I live diagonally opposite Lalbagh, the home to the greatest crowd puller on Independence days and Republic days in Bangalore. The main attraction being the flower show which showcases the a wonderful collection of flowers. But this is…

In late July, the Red Ribbon Express rolled into Karnataka, and into Bangalore, with much fanfare. It was going to be the average citizen's eye-opener to the world of HIV and AIDS, and hopefully, the train was also going to raise some funds for the cause. I was at the Cantonment railway station at 7pm on 25 July. The journey of the Red Ribbon Express was inaugurated from New Delhi on 1st Dec 2007. The train's mission is to spread awareness of AIDS throughout the country. I had seen the train at Nagpur, on 21st December 2007, but I could…

The 10th of August saw a protest, amid much publicity, by the entire musical fraternity of Bangalore, accompanied by some of the most famous Bangaloreans and owners of commercial establishments hit hard by the recent ban on live music and dancing in places that serve alcohol. But there was another protest by the musicians of the city that took place on the 13th of August for a cause that wasn't publicised as much as the former was. Music Enthusiasts jam up to re claim the Music Strip at Cubbon Park 3rd August 2008 (Pic: Arvind Padmanabh , Sudhaker Shenoy)As a…

Arts and Culture Ganesha idols dearer this year? Even God is not immune to price rise, it seems. This time around idols of Lord Ganesha may cost more, as sculptors of idols face severe problems in the wake of rise in the fuel and paint costs. Labour costs too have almost doubled. Ganesha idol worship is common in every household during Ganesha Chaturthi which falls during the first week of September. It remains to be seen if there will be a shortage of idols in the market this year. ( Vijaya Karnataka , Wednesday, August 20 ) Crime From live…

On 4th August, former mayor P R Ramesh sent a notice to the State Election Commission asking it to hold elections of the Bruhat Bangaluru Mahanagara Palike within a fortnight. The notice said that though the Karnataka High Court on 2 July 2008, had directed the Election Commission and State to hold elections, no action had been taken so far. It is not that the Election Commission is dragging its feet on the matter or that its officials are lethargic and unwilling to move. The problem rests elsewhere. On 20th August, the Election Commision filed an application with the High…

It is inappropriate to talk about this till another innocent kid is needlessly mauled. Since BBMP is most adept at knee-jerk reactions, they need to be constantly prodded with these two faces and their untimely end caused by a pack of stray dogs, however harrowing it may seem. Sridevi, 8 yrs old, Chandra layout (R.I.P since Jan 6 2007)Manjunath, 4 yrs old, BEML (R.I.P since March 1 2007) These are not isolated cases - over 100 dog-bite victims per day are admitted in Victoria hospital alone. The official census of rabies cases is not even known as it is not…

Doddanagamangala, a village approximately two kms from Electronic City junction has been struggling against all odds. It has no roads, no water, no KEB connection and no sanitation. About 30 families live in single room sheds with asbestos sheet roof above their heads to protect them from sun and rain, with water supplied in tractors once a week.About 200 people, a majority of them from economically weaker sections of the society, had purchased land from local farmers when land was available at an affordable price since the area did not have any amenities. Settlements in the area took place between…