City: Bengaluru

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon on 6th July when I was surfing through my scrap book on my Orkut profile and saw it. ‘International Yezdi / Jawa Day- 13th July 2008. Interested people may meet at 7.00 AM in Cubbon Park, for a joint ride to Café Cofee Day at Channapattna on Mysore Road’.It may sound silly but in reality, for the next six nights, I frequently dreamt of the ride. I saw myself on Mysore road riding my bike on various turns and different speeds. Every morning, I woke up with disbelief regarding my own subconscious excitement about…

In the present society, a large socio-economic gap exists; so the poor are deprived of quality education. This leaves them with many disadvantages in this highly competitive world, computer education being one of them. We are a group of friends who want to make a difference in this regard. We have taken up a project to give computer education to the underprivileged children. In this regard, we have started working in two places, one called 'Nivedita Nele' and another one called 'Bosco Mane' in Bangalore. One of the major hurdles we are facing is getting computers for this cause. And…

For the first time in the history of state legislature, the ruling BJP has got maximum number of seats in Bangalore city. One of the main reasons the elite electorate of Bangalore elected them because of their promise to scrap the CVS tax structure, make amendents to Akrama/sakrama and master plan of Bangalore and make them people friendly. There are already PILS have been filed against AKRAMA and Master PlanIt is unfortunate inspite of Cabinet decision to collect taxes for this year under SAS scheme, the BBMP has not made arrangements to collect the same, one wonder if BBMP is…

In our country, it is not a common occurrence to find someone changing the direction of their career completely, and strike out in a totally different direction. In the course of the past few years, I have been privileged, though, to come into contact with a few such individuals, and their stories interested me greatly.When I first met B N Ramesh (who now spells his name as Ramessh, thanks to numerology) he was an executive in the corporate world...his last job was as the all-India Sales Manager of K G Denims. He did his M.Sc in Physics and Electronics, and…

‘Ooru-Neeru’, an Urban Space Event, was held by the Bangalore City Project (BCP) in Hessarghatta on 6th July, 2008. Organized for the BCP by S. Vishwanath, it was the fourth in a series such events by the organisation. Vishwanath, who is part of the Rain Water Club and Arghyam (public charitable foundation setup with a personal endowment from Rohini Nilekani and focussing on the water sector), writes extensively on water issues. The BCP is an initiative of the Goethe-Institute, Max Mueller Bhavan, Bangalore. Its objective is to create a platform for art and culture, and to raise awareness of the…

A musician's path towards the final goal of being able to reach out to a mass audience with quality, original music is one that is full of trials and tribulations. For those that make the assumption that most of the work is done once musicians have composed, recorded, mixed and mastered their songs, the amount of significant additional effort involved in getting the music to gain mass-level popularity comes about as a rude shock.Once a band is ready with a demo, the next thing that needs to be done is to distribute this work and help promote the music they've…

The French revolution talked about 'Education for all, Work for all'. The free software movement is taking this further with 'Computer education for all'.This was amply demonstrated by students and teachers at the opening ceremony of Ambedkar Community Computer Center at Sudarshan Layout (behind the IBM office at Bannerghata road). The centre, a volunteer effort from AID (Association for India's Development, Bangalore chapter) and Stree Jagruthi Samithi, was launched to provide free computer training to children in the area. Cutting the ribbon (pic: Sejal Parikh) There are many reasons why this event is path breaking, but the centre's efforts in…

The soft rhythms of the tabla greet visitors at ‘Sriram’, the simple residence of Pandit Ravindra Yavagal at Jakkur, Bangalore. The living room is stacked with trophies, mementoes and citations in every nook and corner. The ambience reflects the simplicity of Karnataka’s famous tabalchi, and his passion for this classical art. Tabla exponent Pandit Ravindra Yavagal.Starting bright and early 49 year old Ravindra Yavagal, a Staff Tabla Vidwan of All India Radio since 1981, is the youngest son of Late Ramachandra Yavagal. In an era when parents did not have to study child psychology to bring up dozens of children,…

 Is Namma Metro on a safe track?Experts and officials respond to questions and concerns around the safety and design controversy surrounding the Bengaluru Metro’s construction.Metro work chugging along But rather wearily, and with many hiccups. Recent update is that 11 cases against land acquisition on CMH Road were dismissed in just three days.Metro station construction to begin soon Stations construction is slated for January-February 2009. Smart cards are planned, stations will be disabled-friendly. Reach 1 will be operational by December 2010, the latest estimate.Ruling coming up on future of Metro Rail, traders Citizen Matters is following the High Court proceedings…

It was the year 1848. Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV was the Maharaja of Mysore. A plague epidemic had hit Bangalore. Perturbed by living conditions in the cramped city area (primarily in and around present day Majestic), the forward-looking Dewan of Mysore, Sheshadri Iyer, initiated the creation of Malleswaram and Basavanagudi. His vision was to create new and clean suburbs to accommodate the city’s burgeoning population. A view of Margosa Road. Pic: Author.I remember going to Malleswaram as a kid tagging along with my mother for shopping sprees. A lot of memories come flooding back - the Malleswaram Circle Jataka (Tonga/horse cart)…