City: Bengaluru

India is the treasure house of knowledge on medicinal uses of more than 7,500 plant species. But, we are in danger of losing this knowledge through our indifference to these ancient systems unless there is a process of transferring this treasure trove to our future generations. It needs a continuous linkage to these healing plants. A Bangalore based organisation, The Foundation for Revitalization of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT), has been focusing on bringing these systems within reach of households. "Health begins at home" is the concept that FRLHT has been promoting with their "Amruth Home Herbal Gardens" program for citizens…

The traffic in Bangalore and other cities are increasing alarmingly. This is due to the affordability of the people to buy a vehicle and the competitiveness of the automobile industries which are leading to high density of traffic which is a serious concern for global warming and the changing climatic conditions. There are 3 to 4 cars and 2 to 3 two wheelers for each house. I have seen most of the sedans and midsized cars are driven with a single persons and the government should stop giving licence to manufacture midsize cars and sedans and SUV's and this should…

Bangalore, the Silicon Valley of India, one of the fastest growing metros in India where opportunity knocks at everyone's door; is shrouded with the gory mystery and horror of Child Sexual Abuse. Dr Shoiba Saldanha, a gynaecologist and counsellor by profession, who is an active part of Enfold, a Koramangala-based NGO, says that 30-40 per cent of the patients who visit her are such cases. Presumably, most of these cases are not legally recorded. Illustration: Neetu Shahi Dr Shekhar Seshadari, NIMHANS, Bangalore, in a study conducted in the late 1990s on 146 boys found that 15 per cent had been…

After hanging fire for years, it appears that the National Gallery of Modern Art will open at Bangalore before the end of June. Talking to Citizen Matters, I M Vittal Murthy, Principal Secretary at the Karnataka's Department of Kannada and Culture said that New Delhi had committed this to the state government. Waiting for the big day.The Manikyavelu Mansion on Palace Road, to be Bangalore's NGMA. Pic: Amoghavarsha J S. A saga that tells its own story Most citizens may not know that for several years now, this prestigious gallery was to open at Bangalore, as the southern regional centre…

Guru Ravindranath, one of the prominent RTI users in the city filed an RTI application on 31 January 2007. For not receiving the information, he filed an appeal on 14/3/07. The first hearing was set to 25/5/07. It was then postponed to 28/8/07. Then again it was postponed to 22/11/07. And again it was postponed to 12/2/08. And then again to 14/4/08! The state's Chief Information Commissioner at this time is K K Mishra. The RTI (Right To Information) Act is a special-purpose vehicle that is supposed to feed the citizens with information on demand. But Karnataka's bureaucrats are exploiting…

Friends, Bloggers, Citizens, and others. This April, bloggers in the nation will unite for a seven-day blogging epic to get together and voice our concern, opinion and solutions to matters of social importance that India faces every day. One week where we, as responsible citizens, take time out of our daily lives to address issues of social importance using our favourite mode of expression - the blogs. A week where India got together with the rest of blogosphere, and blogged. Unveiling Blogathon India, coming to the Indian blogosphere in April, 2008. Get the word out and be part of something…

The Election Commission and local government officials have been in the news recently on yet another effort (not unlike the past) to clean up the electoral rolls in the state. The upcoming assembly elections in May are a virtual deadline for this process. Civil society groups in Bangalore have pitched in to lend the EC a helping hand. Their goal is to make sure genuine voters are able to cast their votes, and fake voters weeded out. How have these efforts fared? Though the task at hand is herculean, a beginning has been made. For long, voters in Bangalore have…

It was an uneventful lazy Sunday evening which took a turn for the better when I met up with Nischal Pai at a coffee shop in Indira Nagar. Nischal Pai is a Bangalore-based marathon runner who just completed the 42 km Bombay Marathon held on 20 Jan 08. It was when Nischal was at Pune in 2000 pursuing her Masters degree that she started running. The motive: it was the most inexpensive way to lose weight! She was first introduced to the world of marathons by a colleague at work who told her about the Bangalore marathon way back in…

Early in the morning a Paurakarmika stands near my gate and calls. I peep out. "Amma, coffeeg enadru kodtheera?" (Will you give something for coffee?). She asks. I bend over the gate and show her the foot path and the drain. "Idanella yaar clean madowru? Regularag clean madidre enadru kodbahudu." (Who is supposed to clean all this? If you do this work then I could give you something). I say. "Mori clean madowru berevru barthaare." She says. I feel a bit annoyed. She pushes all the muck that is on the foot path into the drain and walks away sulking.…

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is currently involved in a litigation against the Traders' Association of Chinmaya Mission Hospital (CMH) Road. The traders' filed their case in November 2006. Their main prayer to the court has been to change the alignment of the Metro from CMH Road to Old Madras Road. Their central concerns have been the losses to their businesses arising from the Metro and its compensation package, and the government's ignoring at least one major report recommending that Old Madras Road is a better option for aligning the Metro. The message seems clear and present. Pic:…