bangalore journal

Even as contestants were making efforts to push through last minute voter registrations for the graduates constituency election, there was confusion last week. One, the last date for registrations was not categorically clear. There was reports that citizens could register during the week of May 14th, and contradicting reports that Sunday May 13th was the last day. Second, BBMP officials were declining to register voters.  "We opened on holidays Saturday and Sunday, May 12 and 13th, for enrollment. We closed registration on 13th, as per the clarification we got from Election Commission of India", says Shambhu Dayal Meena, Regional Commissioner…

I am a mom. I don’t do me time. Except when I am reading Good Housekeeping or Femina  or one of those million women’s magazines that go blue in the face extolling the virtues of leaving the children behind in the able care of your husband/mother/mother in law/maid and snatching a cup of coffee in the cafe or a massage in the spa. It all sounds quite delicious, having the children out of your hair at least for a while and having some divine smelling promises-to-make-hair-great concoction in it instead.Sounds good? Certainly! Sounds doable? Well it depends on how well…

On May 7th, BDA quietly began a process of revision for Bengaluru's city master plan, and invited suggestions from public. This plan will be for the years 2016 to 2035. The existing  master plan (RMP-2015) is for 2005 to 2015. Bengaluru's master plan is the most critical piece of regulation for the city's land use, development, and growth management. It defines all rules pertaining to zoning. Residential and commercial development in various areas are permitted or barred in this plan, locality by locality. Permitted floor area ratios for various road widths in commerical and residential areas, mandatory additions such as…

The only large playground on 19th Main, BTM layout, 1st stage has become dumping yard, for construction debris, owing to the broken fence all around. This playground comes under BBMP ward 176 and is a major open lung space for the neighbourhood.The residents feel that if the fencing is not done, the entire playground will soon become a dumping yard. Some contractors have started to illegally dump construction debris at night. Subramaniyam Sheshadari, a resident who stays opposite the playground says that at the least, the fence should be repaired to avoid the situation from getting worse. Debris in the…

Saahas and the Solid Waste Management Round Table in association with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Pallike (BBMP) and  Thomson Reuters have initiated a campaign which urges Bengalureans to always ‘look for a bin to drop waste in.’The campaign is being launched on 11th May in three select area -Old Airport Road, Church Street and RMZ Infinity CampusSays Wilma Rodrigues, Saahas “We invite all Bengalureans to come out on the streets and participate; not to sweep the street but to influence and change minds so that we can truly have a clean city.” Saahas in association with Solid Waste Management Round…

Have you ever wondered how important colours are, in the world of Nature, around us?Colour is often a way of attracting attention; for these flowers, it is their bright colours that attract bees which will pollinate them, and propagate their species. Colourful flowers. Pic: Deepa Mohan For animals and birds, too, colour is a way of saying, “Here I am!” Nothing depicts colour better than the prismatic plumage of the peacock, flaunting his wonderful tail: The peahen, presumably, chooses the most colourful peacock to be with. Peacock with tail. Pic: Deepa Mohan  Sometimes, colour helps the creature hide instead of…

The movie 3 Idiots has this famous scene that talks about Gujarati cuisine. Watching it again again, my mouth started watering at the mention of Dhokla, Faafda, Thepla, Haandva... I immediately set out find some Gujarati restaurants around Koramangala. Gaanthiya. Pic: Aayush Anand Rajdhani in Koramangala promises to serve the typical Gujarati cuisine. The Gujarati speciality that Rajdhani serves is Masala Khichadi. This is one of the most popular dishes in Gujarat and tastes heavenly. Besides tasting delicious, it is also considered one of the most nutritious and simple dishes to prepare. It is made of a mixture steamed dal…

Greenpeace activists today installed a billboard in front of the Indian head office of Apple here in Bengaluru asking the company to "Clean our Cloud". The activists along with Apple customers urged the head of Apple India to communicate their demands to the top bosses at Apple. Activists also interacted with the Apple customers across the city making them aware of how the company is using dirty coal to power its iCloud and is thereby party to destructive mountain top removal coal mining. Billboard in front the Apple head office in Bengaluru The activists met the Country PR Manager, Apple India,…

The Ecofreaks are at it again, this time doing a cleanup in Ejipura, Koramangala 6th Block, on a bridge over a drain that was dotted with garbage.This particular cleanup was on an incredibly busy stretch in Koramangala, surrounded by Paying Guest houses and it seemed like nobody cared about the combined stench of the sewage river below and the garbage heap above. Perhaps this indifferent attitude inspired Vasudha Kaul and Ashutosh Garg to clean the area up, and make the place easier on the eyes as well as on the nose. Before clean up. Pic Gaana Srinivas  The cleanup began…

This year’s Mango crop was a latecomer and much smaller compared to 2011’s bumper produce. While last year produced 11 metric tonnes, this year looks good for just three. “Mango is known for alternate bearing. One year you get a good crop and the succeeding year you get a poor crop.” says Dr G K Mukund, Professor of Horticulture at the University of Agricultural Sciences. Badami: Karnataka’s leading Mango variety. Pic Salonie Rego This year however, saw profuse flowering throughout Karnataka, which was completely unexpected. But factors like the prolonged drought and high temperature still reduced the quantity. Prices are…