bangalore journal

Students of Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media are conducting an anonymous survey to analyse the income disparities among various groups across the country. In most countries around the world, women and men are paid differently for the same amount of work. Unfortunately India is a country that ranks really low when it comes to gender parity. Based on the Gender Gap Index 2011, India was ranked at 113 out of 135 countries. These figures tell a sad tale.Article 39(d) and 41 of the Indian Constitution state the principle for “equal pay for equal work” yet the gender pay…

The big media arrived. Some stood around in groups, near their motorcycles and cars, exchanging pleasantries with fellow media-personnel. Some did not even bother to get out of their cars till the sole object of their interest came by the EWS Ejipura site. A few decided to talk to some of the evicted residents. But everybody clearly was conscious of why they were there in the first place, and had one question – “When will Medha Patkar come?” She came. And then she was mobbed. By at least 15-20 journalists, some with their pens and papers and some with their…

The entire city coming together on the issue of garbage... unimaginable till even a few months ago... But there has been a visible change of climate over the last 6 months; and the last week in particular has been noteworthy. Wake Up Clean Up Bangalore - a 7 day expo at Freedom Park on managing waste - that brought together a variety of stakeholders on a single platform, recently concluded amidst significant media coverage and public promises. On each of the seven days, members of the industry, Corporate leaders, elected representatives, several city schools, hospitals, hotel association and various other…

It's a very unusual development in the annals of democracy in India - for the first time, a deliberate political action group, with a specific agenda to be pursued through its activities, is being formed — the Bangalore Political Action CommitteePACs are nothing new around the world. In the US alone, there are thousands of PACs, each committed to its agenda. In India so far, we've had industry associations, which are in some ways PACs, but apart from this there aren't very many. The usual organising themes for PACs - labour, environment, health, education, etc. - have not year coalesced…

Health is not mere absence of disease. It would be better if we have an understanding of health risks, how do we monitor them, and take actions to prevent them from manifesting as a disease condition. You may ask, "Is it possible?", and I say, the answer is yes. To begin with, take a look at what you have inherited from your parents and family. Typically, if one or both of your parents have heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancers, asthma etc, there is a possibility that you may also get it some time or other. Map out your family history,…

It looks that our BBMP act only after being pulled up by the High Court Appointment of Ward Committees, Garbage Segregation at Source, Scrapping of Signal free corridor from Koramangala to Sirsi Circle, not allowing commercial buildings in residential areas, banning construction activities from 6PM to 8 AM and handling stray dogs are some of the examples.One cannot understand why our elected BBMP cannot understand the civic sense, plan and act, instead of forcing citizens to file PIL. If this is the situation do we need BBMP?⊕

The death of the 23-year-old Delhi girl after her gang rape and brutality shook the conscience of the nation, even as more and more stories continue to be reported.Bengaluru has had its own share of cases involving sexual violence against women and 2012 was no different, indicating that the remains far from safe. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics for 2011, Bangalore had ranked fourth among cities of the country in recorded rape cases.Early in 2012, C C Patil, Minister for Women and Child Welfare, had advised women to “dress appropriately” so that they do not face…

It's been my experience that when re-introducing people to Nature, two kinds of instruction are necessary. I call the process a re-introduction, because all of us are part of Nature; it's only that in the rush and stress of urban life, many of us lose touch with the environment that we were created in. We are fortunate to have Bannerghatta forest at our doorstep, with so much scenic beauty! Here's a photo of a pond near the Bannerghatta Zoo: Kingfisher Pond in the Bannerghatta Zoo area. Pic: Deepa Mohan On one hand, I feel strongly that a hands-on approach works…

Back to list of MLAs >> ⊕

It was 10am in the morning. A torrent of unbearably loud music got me up on my feet out on the road. I saw many loudspeakers that had been installed overnight, from Nagasandra circle to Thyagarajanagar, all along the main road. Sound should not be audible beyond 200 feet, says the law. Pic: Shamala Kittane. Evidently, a nearby temple had decided to celebrate ‘Annamma Devi Festival' - a borrowed tradition from a village but now out of context and place. A local JD (S) politician, Adisheshaiah, however decided to keep the tradition going. The festive season in Bangalore begins in…