bangalore journal

Over 40 people comprising students, food-rights activists, members of I-Cycle, Bangalore Bikers Club and more, took part in a cycle rally for Safe Food on August 19th, Sunday. The rally started at Cubbon Park, went through Brigade Road, Garuda mall up to Lalbagh before returning. The participants were nourished by a specially cooked organic lunch from ‘In The Pink,’ an organic food restaurant located on Bannerghatta Road. All set to ride. Pic: Maitreyi Ananth The event which was organised by India For Safe food and it started at 11.30am  from the Victoria statue at Cubbon Park. With placards strapped on…

My 12-year-old daughter, off late, has stopped listening to me and also wants to copy whatever her friends do. She was a good student last year, but now her scores in some subjects are falling. I am unable to understand, what has happened to her?This is a common scenario in any household which has an adolescent. Adolescence is a period of tumultuous change from childhood to adulthood, starting at 10 years of age till 18 years. Numerous changes are occurring at this time --- physical,  sexual, emotional  and psychological. Your daughter is in her early adolescence, where the rapid growth…

The last few decades have witnessed an exponential rise in the number of cell phone users. Remember the old days when getting a single landline number used to be an achievement? Today, a large number of people are carrying more than one mobile in their pockets. There has been occasional outcry about the harmful effect of radiation that may be associated with use of cellphones. Are mobile phones harmful? Pic: Wikimedia commons It is in this context, it would be helpful to understand the radiation effect from a mobile and its implication on health issues. Firstly, the radiation that is…

Heavy downpour on last Thursday evening resulted in water clogging in many areas including Garvebhavi Palya area in Hongasandra. Residents complained that the overflowing storm water drain resulted in water getting into their houses.  Swampy stretch. Pic: Abhishek Angad Prakash R, a resident of this area says the stormwater drain is almost full with debris. He says, “whenever it rains continuously for two hours, water gets on the street and sometimes enter into the houses.”The impossible stretch to cover  In Garvebhavi Palya, a stretch which has VRL transport’s office at its one end, seems to be dug out and road…

It is seven days since the mass exodus of residents of North Eastern states from different parts of India including Bangalore, started. Though the number of people leaving has reduced, it is estimated that around 24,000 have fled. What was the reason for the panic, while there have been numerous assurances from all quarters that this is a safe city?Thousands of people from Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh flock to places like Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Delhi and Chennai every year in search of better education and employment opportunities. While they have easy access to colleges and…

Haralukunte Kere in Somasandra Palya, HSR Layout Sector II is the only water body in an area where almost all borewells are dry. Most apartments in the area do not have BWSSB water connection. Water tankers are the only option.To our dismay, our kere is shrinking rapidly with encroachers dumping debris everyday the past few months. Sad state of the lake. Pic: Balasubramanian Thirunavukkarasu We handed over our complaints collected, to the area Sub Inspector. He immediately informed the concerned authorities to seize the tractor and warn the perpetrators from encroaching the lake. We also sent registered post to BDA…

On August 24th 2012, the Karnataka High Court, in a major verdict, has instructed Maverick Holdings, a construction company, to build 1512 flats in 24 months for the original allottees at the economically weaker section (EWS) colony in Ejjipura. A group of allottees from the original 1512 beneficiaries waiting outside the High Court for the verdict. Pic: Sankar C G. The decision came on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by 13 original allottees of the flats to be built at the EWS colony. The original allottees went to High Court after facing the prospect of unauthorised settlers at the…

Private Water tankers in Bangalore are exploiting the situation that desperately demands their service and there is no authority to monitor them. Majority of the new apartments rely on water tankers and residents are often afraid of questioning the quality, for fear of retribution. “We are at the mercy of water tank people, if they stop providing water, we will be in trouble. By knowing that they keep on increasing the price of water and do not produce water quality test results,” says Saurabh Bansal, Committee member, in charge of water at Springfield apartment, Sarjapur Road. Private Water tankers are…

Oota from your Thota (OfyT), an event for organic gardening enthusiasts, will be held this Sunday Aug 26th, in JP Nagar III phase. The participants and invitees at 'Oota from your thota' include practitioners, vendors, and enthusiasts; promising an interesting, informative and hands-on experience for all visitors. If you are a newbie, you will gain a starting point. If you are already a gardener, you will still get new ideas to implement in your own patch of green! You can find seeds, saplings, organic pesticides, compost, composters and other garden products, and organic vegetables, fruits, snacks and more. Participants include…

A determined Rajvir P Sharma is not ready to quit the battle. Last week, two days, after Karnataka's Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) shot out his transfer order, he was able to get a stay from the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). CAT stayed the transfer order for 14 days in view of the application given by Rajvir Sharma against the stay order. "The petitioner Rajvir Sharma and M Nagarajan, standing counsel of state government, respondents from government side will have to be in the CAT court for the hearing on August 30th 2012. I have no more comment,"…