bangalore journal

After a long day of debates between candidates from Bangalore South and Bangalore North it was now Bangalore Central candidates’ turn to answer the public’s queries. The candidates looked tired at the end of a long day of campaigning.The event organised by Smart Vote and News9 on 14th April, at Sathya Sai Samskrutha Sadan, Koramangala, brought all candidates contesting for Bangalore Central on one dias. Candidates present included Dr HT Sangliana (INC), Vijay Raja Singh (BSP ), K Uma (SUCI), JD Elangovan (Indian Justice Party), Vijaya Bhaskar N (Independent). PC Mohan (BJP) and Zameer Ahmed (JDS) were absent.The session started…

I am the aam admi that these khas aadmis are talking about. Parties spend crores on their campaigns. Corruption starts right there. People should stop spreading hatred, as that is the source of all ills. These were some of the lines uttered by Lok Sabha candidates for the Bengaluru South Constituency at a debate on 14th April at Sathya Sai Samskruthi Sadan, behind Forum, Koramangala on Hosur Road. Candidates on the stage included Krishna Byregowda (INC), Prof K E Radhakrishna (JD(S)), Dr H G Jayalakshmi (SUCI), Capt G R Gopinath (Independent), K C Janardhan (Independent), Santosh Min (Independent) and H…

It was probably for the first time that candidates from a constituency came together, sharing the same stage, to speak about their agenda and plan of action if voted to power. Supported by Smart Vote, a campaign that provides information regarding candidates standing for elections, television channel News 9 organised a constituency-wise political debate for the Bengaluru urban area. Bangalore north candidates debate. (Pic: Naveen Ningaiah) The second session held in the afternoon on Tuesday, 14th April, had the candidates of Bangalore North debating. The candidates present at the event were C K Jaffer Sharief (Indian National Congress), D B…

As I was returning home this evening, disappointed that an interview with a politician was cancelled in the last-minute, I was stopped by a traffic policeman on Nandidurga Road. I thanked my stars as I knew I had all my documents in place in my two-wheeler. He very politely asked me to show my insurance papers and emission test, which I did. He saw my insurance papers and said they were going to expire by the end of this month. "Get it done", he said like a reminder. I told him I had already renewed it and the papers were…

Culture 40 'pallakki's, one festival One or two 'pallakkis' or chariots that carry the idol of God, are common in every festival. However Kodandaramaiah rathotsava in Hulimavu on Bannerughatta road is different. There will be about 40 pallakkis in just one festival held on Wednesday, 15th April. Kodandaramaiah temple is a historic, century old temple. There are many other temples in its neighbourhood. A pallakki from each temple will parade in this grand fest. Devotees of each temple compete with each other to make their pallakki attractive. The procession of pallakkis will continue throughout the night. (Prajavani, Monday, April 13)…

Meet Susheel Alexander Samuel – 22 years old and in his final year of mechanical engineering. From this picture, you're probably wondering what's familiar with the hairstyle... Ghajini? No…and that’s a long story. Susheel Alexander Samuel (pic: Sharath Bhat) As a teenager, Susheel was everything parents put on their wish-list. He was diligent, thoughtful, obedient and totally responsible – even when it came to riding his bike. He would always wear a helmet, even if he was just going down the road. So do bad things really happen to good people? It was 23rd February 2005 - Susheel had just…

Cruising through the tiniest of lanes in north Bangalore through the areas of Malleshwaram, Rajajinagar, Gayathri nagar, L N Puram, Subramanyanagar, he covered a distance of almost 20 kilo metres on a two-wheeler. Sporting a smile, waving out to onlookers, requesting them to support him, Bharatiya Janata Party MP H N Ananth Kumar campaigned for the upcoming elections. He was riding a black Honda Dio with Malleshwaram MLA Dr C N Ashwath Narayan riding pillion, and more than a 100 party workers in tow. H N Ananth Kumar (Pic: Vaishnavi Vittal) After more than two-hours of meeting, interacting and biking…

"Downturn is like baptism with fire. The day I surrendered my ID card, I was really down. It was a long day," expresses Suhas (name changed). Twenty-two year old Suhas started working with Sasken, a leading Bangalore-headquartered communications solutions technology company, in August 2008 as a fresh graduate. By the time he finished his six months training for his position as software engineer, the economic slowdown had hit his company. "The trouble started in October, bad news started pouring in. We were under constant apprehension. We thought we would go in December. In December, the firm started firing senior people.…

Citizen Matters Magazine - Vol 1 Issue 6Dear Readers, Let’s cut to the chase. Election campaigning has started in Bangalore. On April 23, voters from the city’s four parliamentary constituencies will elect their MPs. With the rising interest in voting amongst the educated classes, there will likely be many opportunities for you to directly engage the candidates when they come knocking. But what would you ask the candidates? Should we ask them to make our cities more liveable (which is largely a local government issue) or grill them on grave issues like economic slowdown, terror and communal violence? Or both?…

Experimenting with food is tricky. As dubious as the idea sounds, it could sometimes draw great experiences. Years ago, we ventured into a strange bylane off stuffy Avenue Road at 11.30 PM in the night. While most of Bangalore slept, this little gully would wake up and savor its food. Carts selling sweets, south Indian fare, and Bhajjis appeared out of nowhere to feed the working class. From creatures of the night, driving around with late night radio to giggly college kids wanting to sample the unusual to weary men and women working in surrounding businesses, street food was everyone's…