City: Bengaluru

On 14th August 2008, the United States Consulate decided, as part of their fresh initiative to engage with the Indian public, to host a panel discussion on "Meeting the Challenges of Terrorism", at the Taj West End, Bangalore. This was done along with EVAA (Exchange Visitors Alumni Association), of which Janaki Murali, (Group Leader, Education and Research, Infosys Technologies) is the President for the southern region. The 'Challenges of Terrorism' discussion on 14 August, at Taj West End (Pic: Deepa Mohan)The US Consulate was represented by Ragini Gupta, Consul for Cultural Affairs. The panel discussion was led by Dr D…

This was the first year that I did not see the national flag being hoisted either in person or on the television. Every year, I used to attend the flag hoisting ceremony in some school nearby or at least get to see it on the television. This is the first year that I did not listen to the national anthem. This is the first year that I did not even realize that 15th August was actually our Independence Day! What was I doing then? I was getting enlightened as to what this day meant to thousands of poor people, who…

Business & Economy Petition questions law banning employing women in bars When women are storming male bastions in all areas, why can’t they be allowed to work in bars? This is one of the petitions lying in a Karnataka court. Apparently bar owners are only too happy to employ women in this business. However, section 9 (1) of Karnataka Excise Licence Act (1967) bans women from being employed in bars, but allows them to own one and consume alcohol (in bars). Social parameters clearly do not allow women to work in bars, even as they work in night shifts in…

Ganesh Chaturthi falls on the fourth day of the waxing phase of the moon (shukla paksha) of the Bhadrapada month....’bhadrapada maasena chaturthyam/brahamanaadi poojitam’, as the great Carnatic music composer Muthuswami Dikshitar sings. In Bangalore, preparations for the puja start quite early.Here is the Lord in different shapes and sizes, all packaged and ready to be picked up by the devout and religious. (All pictures by the author.) Packed Ganeshas at RV Road.Posters in various localities announce the forthcoming puja and the puja karta (one who is conducting it) too. Ganesha pooja poster at Malleswaram.I met Shakuntala Jain, an artist who…

I celebrated this Independence Day with a bang. Inspired by Landmark Education, which offers innovative programs for living an extraordinary life, I took on two projects. One called ‘Adopt a plant’ in my apartment complex and the other called ‘Colours of Freedom’ in the local government school.Adopt a PlantKids these days live a very ‘urban’ life. The idea behind this event was to help them get close to nature by gifting them the joy of nurturing and taking care of a plant. When a kid takes care of a plant, waters it, and watches it grow, it helps the kid…

It was an initiative that was long overdue; Nandi Hills, a scenic spot, was slowly being overrun by plastic trash thrown carelessly by visitors. Several civic-minded citizens got together and decided that instead of just complaining about the plastic litter, they would take positive action to clean up the trash, and more importantly, try to raise the awareness among tourists about the importance of keeping this beautiful place clean. Clean and Green Nandi Hills Campaign sign (Pic: Deepa Mohan)Yahoo, the sponsor for the event, has an internal team called ‘Purple Green’ 6 7 mths... (‘purple’ being the Yahoo corporate colour,…

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…