bangalore journal

Women's day celebratedManjari Ladies Association organised an event for 30 senior women citizens of 70 years and above to comemmorate International women's day at JP Nagar club. The attendees were from different walks of life. Pic courtesy: Manjari Association. They included retired senior government officials to researchers, scholars, musicians, social workers and homemakers. They inspired younger members and made it very clear that dedication, tolerance and perseverance are very important to be an achiever. About 90 women participated in the programme.Urmila Vittal, wife of C Vittal (President JP Nagar club) and a homemaker was the Chief Guest. Parimala Rao, President…

Bangalore is home not only to exotic cuisines from all around the world, but also to a variety of khana from diffferent Indian states. However, amidst all the dhaba-esque Punjabi restaurants and the ubiquitous Andhra-style eateries, the cuisine of Maharashtra is not adequately represented.Let's face it, apart from a couple of really well known dishes like Vada Pav (which I believe is India's answer to the Burger) and Pav Bhaji (which now has a cult following thanks to the roadside vendors), most of us are unaware of the dishes so dearly loved by the Marathi population. Rajvardhan Foods is a…

In what is their first step towards mainstream politics in Bangalore, a group of city-based activists have come together for the BBMP council elections by floating two independent candidates. These activists have formed a group called the Praja Rajakiya Vedike, which will support the candidates in these elections. Says Elavarthi Manohar, one of the members of this group, "We have all fought with regard to human rights, women's rights, sexuality minority rights. We wanted to bring about a change. So we all got together". Manohar is also the founder of Sangama, a sexuality minorities human rights organisation for individuals oppressed…

Note: Click here for the FAQ on BBMP Elections: how to find your ward and more.  CANDIDATES (in order of ward number) Click on links to access profiles, manifestos, affidavits for each candidates as av. Parties: LS-Loksatta; INC-Congress; BJP-Bharatiya Janata Party; JDS-Janata Dal(S);KPP-Karnataka Praja Party; CPI(M) Communist Party of India (Marxist); INL (Indian National League) BE A COMMUNITY JOURNALIST!Join our public initiative to collect and share candidate information. Download the questionnaire and collect the info about BBMP candidates. You can use candidate affidavit, candidate supplied material, and/or speak to the candidate to gather the details. Mail the completed questionnaire to…

It's election month in the city and BBMP's revenue officers, who take on the electoral role of Returning Officers (RO) for the State Election Commission (SEC) are busy accepting nomination papers from contestants throughout the city.For the past three days the SEC has been reeling tens of numbers of nominations each day and a look at their numbers indicated there are more nominations than candidates. Even though some major parties have not declared their ticket lists, several hopefuls have filed their nominations with the ROs.Citizen Matters caught up returning officer C Thimmiah of R T Nagar to ask him a…

After the Carlton towers fire incident in Bangalore, Commissioner of Police Shankar M Bidari issued a notification to all high-rise building owners and occupants to comply with approved plan sanctions and fire safety norms.In this exclusive interview with Citizen Matters, Bidari spoke in detail about the order he has given. Bidari has been the Commissioner of Police since 2008. He has previously served as the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Intelligence) and Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order). With this recent order, Bidari appeals to the citizens of Bangalore to follow fire safety regulations and report any violations. Even…

With the public objecting to a recent move to pull down old bus shelters and replace them with new ones, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has now ordered the private firms (who were awarded the contracts) to stop dismantling these shelters temporarily. (Bus shelters are also called bus stands.)In a decision taken about ten days ago, after media reports and objections from citizens, the advertisement department of the BBMP has decided to first conduct an inspection before proceeding with the work. Says Hari Narayan, Assistant Executive Engineer, Advertisement department, "We have told them not to dismantle until joint inspection.…

With the BBMP elections just round the corner, parties considered to be at the fringe of Bangalore's politics have gotten off the blocks first to present their agendas and unveil their candidates. Leaders of the ten political parties, that have come together to form the Civic Front, address the media. Pic: Navya D'Souza. The Civic Front, comprising of ten political parties released their manifesto for the coming elections yesterday at a meeting near N R Square. The Civic Front is spearheaded by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and includes All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Indian National League (INL),…

It isn’t often that one hears of a temple selling off its artefacts. Auction house Bid & Hammer announced recently that were going to auction items from one of Bangalore’s oldest Jain temples. The auction, enticingly titled the “Mystery of Chickpet”, will see items from the 90-year-old Shri Adinath Swetamber Jain temple in Chickpet being put on the block. The auction, to be held in the ITC Windsor on March 10th, will see some lavish treasures going under the hammer, such as several silver double doors each with elaborate repoussé (or relief) work, a viewing grill and two Dvarapalakas; a…

"Every day is women's day" said Manjula Devi P N, a JP Nagar 3rd phase resident, employee of Corporation Bank and a volunteer with the Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled. Living with polio, this post graduate, bureaucrat's wife and mother of two started spending time with the children and others at Samarthanam in 2004, having decided that she must give back something to society. She spends a few hours every week mentoring youth, reading to children or assisting them with their lessons.Keenly interested in the issues of the mentally challenged, she also helps in raising funds for Samarthanam by talking…