City: Bengaluru

Bengaluru's rock history dates back to the 70s when a pioneering set took stage at Cubbon Park to strum a few famous English numbers on Independence Day. This innocuous strumming attracted derision from the then conservative Bengalurian, but sparked off a movement that has blossomed into the rich rock music scene of today. Early pioneers included the likes of Geoffrey Pope, Karl Peters, Amit Heri and Roberto Narain, iconic names among those who know their music. Sadly, most dissolved into oblivion, while some turned to coaching/selling music equipment and a bare few managed to retain label credibility in the world…

How well do you know your City? Here's your chance to discover what used to be on the outskirts of the City - with the Whitefield Urban Space Event! Event: Whitefield Urban Space Event Date: April 26, 2008 Time: 3.15 p.m. Starting point: Memorial Church, WhitefieldThe event is free and open to all. More details at the Bhavan (080 2520 5305/6/7/8) or on the BCP website: http://bcp.wikidot.com/start. The Bangalore City Project is an initiative of the Goethe-Institut, Max Mueller Bhavan, Bangalore. The Whitefield Urban Space Event will include visits to the Memorial Church, Our Lady of Lourdes Church and Kaolin…

It's a prickly, 15 acres of prime land that stretches through shrub and wild grass, unaware of the legal battles that have been waged over it for the past 20 years. Part of the Jakkasandra Lake (Meistripalya), it stretches a few yards away from the BDA Complex in Koramangala, adjoining the 7th Cross Road and Telephone Exchange. The bone of contention has been its identity. Is this undeveloped land, belonging to the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) earmarked as a civic amenity, or is it meant for construction with commercial intent? The troubled land in Koramangala fourth block citizens are fighting…

I met with an incident recently (13th April 2008).I was riding the bike from RT Nagar, I had to go over the Mekhri circle flyover to take a right from Hebbal road to turn towards IISC road. I turned right while the signal was changing from green to orange.I did not want to stop abruptly and since orange light is meant as a warning, I continued driving. If I had applied a sudden break, the auto right behind me may have hit me.A police constable jumped in front of me from the side of the road asking me to stop.…

Three seed opinions were posted on the topic of how to improve the traffic in our cities, as part of the Blogathon event. What is your take on this? Write your own blog entry and submit it to the Blogathon site or comment on others' views. Just adjust By Rashmi V Cities are reflections of the civilizations that inhabit them so Mayan cities are built for gods, French cities have gardens, Roman cities are linear, Indian cities are mixed up.Traditionally we live in closed spaces; our ideas on personal space are primitive. We live communally and individuals have little or…

Find details of voter rolls, candidate information and polling booth information for the Lok Sabha 2009 elections here »First, it is not too late to register to vote. The last date to register for the Bangalore region was expected to be 23 April, next week. [Update: AROs have apparently stopped accepting applications since April 16 - please see comment below.] Second, if you are already registered and need to check if your name on the rolls, there is a way. This article will get you started. Some background Greater Bangalore consists of 3 districts with its delimited assembly constituencies. Where…

It's telling of the potency of a play, when it continues to be staged decades after it was originally written. In Silence! The Court is in Session Vijay Tendulkar takes the covers off a conformist society, to show us just what it is capable of when given the power to lord over those who live by their own rules. With a drama woven into a drama, the play revolves around theatre group about to perform a play in a village. As the plot thickens, the comforting mist of 'pretend' starts to dissolve revealing the frustrated, bitter and jaded lives of…

The whole of Bangalore is talking about how bad the traffic is and how to unlock it. But no one is really concerned about the very neglected pedestrian. Ruthless vehicle owners do not stop to allow even old people cross. There is an unwritten rule which says, "me first". Crossing roads has become a great challenge today where no one cares. If this continues and we choose to do nothing about it, our ‘Swalpa adjust madkoli' attitude may cost us. The already dangerous conditions on our road may become worse for all pedestrians. We at Gandhigiri decided to launch a…

The Lalbagh Botanical Garden is one of the most wellknown parks in this part of the country and is particularly treasured by Bangaloreans. Visit the park early in the morning and you'll see a range of people -- from expert naturalists and amateurs to just plain nature lovers and walkers. Mahesh Srinivas, a Bangalore based amateur photographer has captured a range of pictures of Lalbagh's vibrant wildlife early in the morning. Here's a glimpse. The elusive Golden Oriole on a Peepul Tree, at Lalbagh Gardens. Pond Herons squabbling over fishing rights at the Lalbagh Lake. Checkered Keelback snake breakfasting on…

Sarfaraz Sheikh is a techie, as the term goes, who, over the past year, has come to be a good friend, even with his being just about half my age. I first got to know him through his posts in the mailing list of our Save Koramangala group. Later, common interests brought us together. I have always marveled at his resourcefulness. Hoysala patrol vehicles (pic courtesy: Bangalore City Police) Generally, it's people of my age group who bother with civic issues. But, that's beginning to change, personified by the likes of Sarfy (as he is commonly known), and perhaps that's…