City: Bengaluru

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)…

Recently, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the Revised Master Plan - 2015 (RMP), or the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for the Bangalore Metropolitan Region (BMR) was admitted in the Karnataka High Court. The PIL was filed by the Citizens' Action Forum (CAF), the Sadashivnagar Residents' Welfare Association (SRWA) and 12 distinguished citizens against the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), for disregarding public sentiments and expert opinion and going ahead with the RMP in its present form. Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice Ravi Malimath admitted the writ petition (Case: 3676, 2008) on 3 March. The petitioners have charged that the…

As is well known by now, the city's road widening project is also causing a massive cutting down of trees. There is now the risk that it might reduce the greenery of the garden city just to its gardens. A PIL was filed with the High Court by the Environment Support Group (ESG) asking the court, amongst other things, to put a stay the project. As a response to the PIL, the High Court on 28 June appointed a panel of experts to a review committee to oversee developmental projects like the Metro, underpasses, road widening, and so forth. According…

"25 years, these days in Bangalore, is very old" - a remark made in jest by Arul Mani, the Vice President of Karnataka Quiz Association (KQA) just might be true for Bangalore, a vibrant, over populous city with a largely transitory and migratory population. But for the founding members of Bangalore's oldest quizzing association it was indeed a significant milestone in sustaining a culture that is increasingly lost in the malls and discotheques of this city. Quizzers a the KQA anniversary event. Pic: Author. The event ASQKANCE 2008 scheduled over two days, in keeping with tradition, delivered just what it…

Satyajit Ray, Francois Truffaut, Girish Kasaravalli, Film Noir, Iranian documentaries and more - Bengaluru is the new haven for those wanting to explore cinema beyond the multiplexes. Whether one is looking for international film festivals or intimate rooftop screenings, the city's many film societies have it all. Besides bringing us the best in the world of cinema, they offer film buffs both new and seasoned, the opportunity to interact with one another. Pic: Suchitra Film Society. The city's oldest existing film society is of course the Suchitra Film Society (SFS). Suchitra started in 1971 as a forum for screening films…

A rather regrettable medical situation arose in Mallya Hospital, one of Bangalore's premier hospitals, two years ago. A patient's life was placed at great peril and she is lucky to be alive today. At the culmination of a case fought and appealed at a consumer forum, the hospital paid the patient Rs.265,588 a few days back. Here's what happened: Early June 2006M G Radha, aged about 58, a housewife and resident of Vidyaranyapura began experiencing bouts of back pain. The pains persisted for about 15 days, and Radha and her family decided to get the condition investigated at Mallya Hospital.…

Arts and Culture Exorbitant rent in Kalakshetra Exorbitant rent for Ravindra Kalakshetra is making Yakshagana performance (a folk art from coastal Karnataka) difficult now. The organisers of Yakshagana shows find this difficult to get suitable alternative places. The rent has been increased from Rs.9700 to Rs.13,700. Yakshagana lovers urge to lower rent in the interest of safeguarding a folk art (Udayavani, Monday, 30 June) Crime They came to help but were cheated They came with a trust but got betrayed instead. Lee Sung Shin and his wife Kim Bong Sun came to Bangalore with the intention of helping tribal and…

In one of the many public appearances that Ramalinga Reddy, MLA, (Congress-BTM Layout constituency) is making these days, he visited the ST Bed area on 21 June, Saturday. The residents of ST Bed area organised a meeting comprising of all the officers from the different government departments including the BBMP, BWSSB, BDA, Police, etc. The stage was decked with around a dozen people including the Reddy. Around a 100 people attended this meeting. Citizens listing to officers at the meeting. Pic: Author. Before the meeting Reddy had already been visiting the area, since his victory in the elections. He recently…