bangalore journal

Government Minister and bureaucrat unaware of each others' names. Minister for Animal Husbandry Revu Nayaka Belamagi is known for his innocence. He is uneducated but respected by people. Speaking at the inauguration of a national seminar on animal husbandry, the minister said that he could speak neither English or Hindi. He was unaware of the correct name of his own department's Principal Secretary Shamim Banu. The latter too just addressed him as 'Honourable Minister' in her speech. This strange ignorance was a matter of discussion in the seminar. (Vijaya Karnataka, Monday, Dec 15) ATS chief on long leave In this…

If you have ever been on the Victorian Trail on MG Road or sent your child as part of a school trip on the Bangalore walks Jr, you will know Roopa Pai. Roopa and Arun Pai conceptualised and executed ‘Bangalore Walks', the heritage-based city walks that introduces both Bangaloreans and tourists to the history and culture of Bangalore. Roopa Pai.Roopa is a third generation Bangalorean, an integral part of the walks and also a veteran writer. She has written several articles for magazines as varied as Business Today to Travel Trends. She has been awarded by Children Book Trust for…

The Ambedkar Community Computer Centre is situated in a slum area in the New Guruppanapalya, off Bannerghatta road, Bengaluru. In this IT city of multinationals, it is only one of the many slums in the interiors of Bangalore that is not well known outside. On the 13th December, the slum had a unique visitor who is well known in every part of the world as the founder of the Free Software Foundation. Richard M Stallman's visit turned the attention of IT professionals and media persons to the otherwise not-so-well-known slum. The Ambedkar team with Stallman. Pic: Aravind.Ambedkar Community Computing Center…

"The city is getting beautiful," says the A K Gopalswamy, Engineer-in-Chief of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BBMP). Amidst all the criticism, he believes that the on-going road widening drive, the newer malls under construction, new roads, Metro rail, and so on are part of this ‘beautification'.Granite slabs dug up on Seshadripuam Main Road (pic: Supriya Khandekar)The recently dug-up Seshadripuram Main Road in northwest Bengaluru is evidence of this. The granite footpath on this road has been removed by the BBMP as part of work to install a new concrete pavement. This road, like most of the lanes and roads…

"The only difference is that there is a gate", declared my friend who resides in one such place. "We decided to come here only because of the security; now we know that it's just an eyewash", she added. That set me thinking. How different is the houses in gated communities to the others? Do the residents NRIs or foreigners want a home away from home? Expats in Bangalore take pride in stating that they don't live in Whitefield whereas we Indians still do. I have tried to highlight the similarities or differences under certain common headers. Note: These are just…

We all often read in newspapers about various raids that the Lokayukta of Karnataka does on various officers and catches them red-handed taking bribes. And most of us wonder how do they get to know of this. If one of us comes across an officer who readily accepts bribes, how do we tell the Lokayukata about that? Where do we complain? Will the Lokayukta consider the small complaints that do not involve a one crore-rupees scam?Well, the answer is yes. And filing a complaint is not as daunting as it may seem, considering our collective experience of access to government…

If nature cures, why do we need Naturopathy? We live on planet earth, under the sun. We still breathe the common, available air, we still use water for drinking, bathing, washing. What could be unnatural about that? Dr S Mahadeshwara Swami (pic: Manjushree Abhinav)The fact is, in the last four decades, our lifestyles have changed dramatically. In the following interview, Naturopath Dr Mahadeshwara Swami tells us how this change directly affects our health. Dr S Mahadeshwara Swami has founded a Naturopathy center in Yelahlanka New Town, called Prakruti Arogyadhama. He graduated from SBM College of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences. You…

Do you know that our soul is composed of harmony? - Leonardo daVinci.Amidst the aftermath of the recent terror attack on Mumbai and the relentless media blitz that followed, a small group in Bangalore was truly privileged to be part of three serene, music-enriched evenings at a Koramangala home in the first week of December.Aditi Kaikini Upadhya. Pic source: www.aditiupadhya.com.Aditi Kaikini Upadhya, daughter of renowned Hindustani vocalist Pandit Dinkar Kaikini and an accomplished musician in her own right, held her audience spellbound with a three day workshop on Hindustani classical music. The workshop was interactive and lively from the start.…

Are you familiar with offers like ‘Shop for Rs.999 and get a gift voucher worth Rs.99'? Most of us constantly look for such announcements in supermarkets, malls and showrooms. But are they for real, i.e, do consumers really get what the vendor promisesThe moment we come to know of discounts and offers through the media, we rush to avail of them. S N Subramanya, a consumer and RTI activist, also jumped at one such offer, to his regret. The Big Bazaar (Food Bazaar) grocery outlet in Sigma Mall on Cunnigham Road regularly has special offers on Wednesdays. On 19th November…

INTACH, an NGO that is involved in the conservation of our heritage in all forms, has been conducting several heritage walks, named Parichay (Introduction), around several areas of Bangalore. On 30th November, they conducted a walk in the Russell Market area.The Russell Market area is a bustling hub of commercial activity today, and was no less so on Sunday morning. The beginning of the walk was at Adams Square, for which Mohammed Sheriff, a tomato merchant, had a comment. "It's actually Richards Square," he said, pointing to a plaque behind him. "It's called Adams Square because of the famous Adams…