Spot fixing – a useful way to spend February 15, 2014 Saturday morning. Details below. 

A few years ago, some of us from PNLIT spent a few hours in cleaning up a small garbage spot on Puttenahalli Road. The spot was bothering many, but all just walked past… no one was coming forward to do anything about it. Read more here.

‘The Ugly Indian’ group has been doing this kind of spot-fixing all over Bangalore for several years now. Read more here and here. They’ve been doing whatever they can, whenever they can, but as their resources are totally disproportional to the size of Bangalore and the quantum of fixing required, their efforts are but drops in an ocean… but powerful contagious drops. 

Inspired by the work of The Ugly Indian, there are now a few groups in Bangalore that are “rising” to reclaim neglected and abused public spaces. Instead of waiting for the local administration to take action, they’re taking steps on their own. The group Whitefield Rising, along with The Ugly Indian and others, magically transformed an unofficial dump into a garden, complete with artwork and benches. Read about it here.

More recently, on February 9, the Banaswadi Rising group set a stretch of footpath on St Thomas Town Road, Kammanahalli back in order. It was not an easy job, but there is strength in numbers. Apart from localites, volunteers from different parts of Bangalore joined the effort. Equipped with shovels, gloves, bricks, paints, BESCOM support, determination and everything else that was required, in a few hours, a filthy avoidable walking route was transformed into the footpath it was meant to be. Read more and see the pics on the Banaswadi Rising Facebook page here.

The transformation in Kammanahalli (Pics courtesy Banaswadi Rising)

This Saturday, Jayanagar Rising, a group in South Bangalore, has planned to fix a spot in the Jayanagar-JP Nagar area, about 3 km from Puttenahali Lake.

Place: Sangam Circle, Jayanagar 8th Block, adjacent to More Supermarket (Location on Google Maps here)
Time: 7 am to 10 am
To sign up, email tuiinspired@gmail.com.
Follow Jayanagar Rising on Facebook here.

Sangam Circle spot-fixing spot (Pic courtesy Jayanagar Rising)

Those who would like to join one of these local spot fixing groups or contribute to the efforts can write to tuispotfixing@gmail.com (for Banaswadi), tuiinspired@gmail.com (for Jayanagar).

Thanks to Yvonne Roberts and Satheesh Heddese for the information and pics.