City: Bengaluru

On the morning of 25 June, residents of Malleswaram, accompanied by ACP Krishnappa, took a different kind of walk. About 30 of us joined Krishnappa and Inspector Aslam at 7.30 AM to walk around a few streets of the area, to highlight the problems of traffic created by garbage, debris, cement blocks and lack of street lights. The walk was a result of a citizens' meeting that took place on 23 June, again at the behest of ACP Krishnappa in his police station. During the meet, some of us met up with officials of BESCOM, the forest department and a…

In his report placed before the Karnataka High Court on 23 June 2008, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Karnataka Dr P J Dilip Kumar has observed that the privatisation of lakes in Bangalore would be detrimental to the eco-system, the fallout of which would most affect communities living in the surrounding areas. Kumar heads the state's forest department and is the state's highest ranking forest official. The 91-page report was compiled at the order of the High Court in response to a writ petition filed by the Environment Support Group and others against the privatisation of lakes. Notice Board…

The Karnataka Quiz Association (KQA), breeding ground for some of the best quizzers in the country turns 25 this year. Around 200 quizzers from across the country will meet in Bangalore on 28-29 June (Saturday and Sunday) to celebrate the occasion with a special two-day version of its anniversary quiz ASKQANCE. Round one In 1983, the late Wing Commander GR Mulky along with seven other quizzing enthusiasts- Deepak Murdeshwar, Rajeev Gowda, Thomas Uthup, KN Mahabala, Tribhuvan Kumar, P Raju and Jagadish Raja, founded the KQA. Mulky (or Wing Co as he's fondly called) explains on the KQA website that the…

26-year old Sarika R, an IT professional from Bangalore, is anxious about her 10-month old son Ganesh while she prepares to go back to work after a year's extended maternity leave. As her parents live in a different city, she doesn't have any one to take care of her toddler while at office. "I have been looking around for options of day care for him," she says, "but there are so many things that need to be taken care of for a child - it's a difficult choice." Fun time at Kara. Pic: author. This feeling is familiar among working…

What can be more soothing for a person, in the latter part of life, than to sit back and reminisce on bygone days? Some people are indeed lucky to be blessed with very special memories, and Ramadevi is one such person who has had the fortune of meeting literary stalwarts in her lifetime. Today, at 78, golden memories and thousands of books are her best companions. Her life is full of interesting happenings but she modestly dismisses them, saying that she has achieved nothing that deserves to be written about. Writer Ramadevi at her residence (pic:author) On entering her simple…

CIVIC Save lakes, say techiesTaking a break from their routine mechanical work, a group of techies have come forward to save Hosapalya tank, situated in Sector 2 of HSR layout. They are trying to bring awareness among citizens about the importance of retaining tanks. The group has formed an association called 'Sundara Jaga' (a beautiful place) with the motto 'Kere Ulisi' (Save Lakes). The group may be contacted through http//groups.yahoo.com/group/banao_sundar_jagah. (June 17, Prajavani). Dump under the nose of BBMP HQ The BBMP had once promised to build gardens in every locality. Forget new gardens, it will do well for the…

In the basement of Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore is a long narrow room. Unlike regular Saturday mornings, on 17th May 2008 the room is bustling with activity. In one end of the room, members of INTACH Chitrakala Parishath Art Conservation Centre (ICKPAC) are busy packing their materials in cartons. Madhu Rani, who heads the initiative, tells me that they are getting ready for their trip to the Thiruvarur temple scheduled for the forthcoming week. An oil painting on canvas “Goddess Saraswathi” by artist S.K.Ayya, was received at our centre for restoration. The painting was in an extremely bad condition and it…

Deccan Development Society India, Hyderabad and the Network of Women in Media, Bangalore cordially invite you to the launch of a unique publication: Affirming Life and Diversity: Rural Images and Voices on Food Sovereignty in South India Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Auditorium, Race Course Road, Bangalore 56000110:30 am to 3 pm on 18 June 2008 Our partners in hosting this event are Communication for Development and Learning (CDL), Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR), Sarathi and Openspace. Affirming Life and Diversity is a multimedia publication comprising 12 video films made by the peasant women filmmakers of the DDS Community Media Trust…

The incoming BJP government was quick to announce that one of its top priorities would be to improve infrastructure in the capital city, especially in transport. This is not the first time that such a promise has been made by the state government, but there are reasons to believe that this time the political will is stronger, and also that the administrative capacity to actually achieve some of the objectives is now available with various departments. There are, at the outset, three kinds of choices to be made. Once these are settled, the rest of the effort towards making Bangalore…

The students of Bangalore School of Speech and Drama (BSSD) will be performing Aladdin at Chowdiah Memorial Hall on 27 and 28 June 2008 at 7:00 PM. Aladdin screens at Chowdiah Memorial Hall on 27 and 28 June at 7:00 PM. Tickets: Rs.250, Rs. 200 and Rs.150. Contact: 9845071197 or 9886360004. What makes this production unique is that it is not the familiar Disney version, rather a retelling of the original Chinese folktale in the form of a hilarious pantomime. Thrown in for good measure is some foot-tapping music and dance. You just might be enthralled by the power-packed performances…