bangalore journal

Starting with the holiday weekend of December 24th-25th, OfferGrid, a distribution network for service and product deals for publishers is powering local deals on Citizen Matters, Bangalore's interactive newsmagazine. Deals from over 17 categories ranging from health care and dance classes to dining and education are available for nearly 24 localities in Bengaluru, at the time of launch on December 24th. All major major localities such as Jayanagar, Indiranagar, Koramangala, Malleshwaram, etc, are covered. The deals are available for readers on the Citizen Matters home page, article pages, events pages and more. Launched in Q3 2011, OfferGrid Exchange is the…

The word Accident is derived from latin verb ‘accidere' meaning fall upon, befall, happen, chance. Globally as well as in our country, it is construed as happening by chance, and there is not much that can be done about it. Contradictory, though it may sound most of the accidents can be prevented. Especially if one looks at some of the statistics around accidents, one wonders why efforts are not made on war footing. Sample these: Pic: Mukul Saxena Globally 1.2 million people die due to Road traffic accidents (RTA) every year .In India every 1.9 minutes one person dies of…

About six hundred people gathered at Kuvempu park, Ranga Mandira, BTM Layout on 18 December, Sunday to participate in the 106th birth anniversary of Rashtra Kavi Kuvempu. He was the first Kannada litterateur to be honoured with the Jnanpith Award. His birthday falls on the 29 December. Samana Manaskara Vedike, BTM layout, 2nd Stage and Bhagavadgita Abhiyan State Committee Karnataka, jointly organised this event. Yakshagana performance Kuvempu park, BTM. Pic: C R Sridhar The evening began with a prayer and was followed with an enthralling display of the Yakshagana by the artistes of Sirsi-Siddapur Vrinda. Yakshagana is a popular form…

In government parlance, ‘merging schools' is the fancy term for shutting them down. The schools are said to be closed down temporarily, and students and teachers are said to be shifted to other schools nearby. But for many children from the closed down schools, education ends just as their school closes. Mariyamma Temple school is being renovated by the temple committee for its own use, even though the school is still with the government. Pic: Navya P K Sathish Dharmaiah, a former 3rd standard student of Mariyamma Temple LP (Lower Primary) school in Tilak Nagar, now works in a mutton…

Asthma is a respiratory allergy characterised by difficulty in breathing, and is associated with wheezing. It is a Greek word meaning breathless, or breathing with mouth open. Genetic factors, urbanisation, pollution, stress, and tobacco smoke are some of the important factors to determine the severity of asthma. Pic: Wikimedia commons A study based on 20,000 patients revealed that percentage of asthma in children grew from 9% in 1979 to 29.9% in 1999 in Bangalore. Seasonal variations, viral upper respiratory tract infection, food items like grapes, guavas, bananas, ice creams, tomatoes, trigger an asthmatic episode. The effect of pollution can be…

Residents of Raja Rajeshwari Nivas apartment complex in Bommanahalli, had decided to dig two borewells to sort out the seven-month long water problem. But when the work started on Monday, they were in for a rude shock. Some goons landed there with weapons demanding the work be stopped. They threatened the residents and broke the glass windows in order to convince them they don't need to dig the borewell. Bommanahalli is off Hosur Road just south of the Silkboard intersection.  Police constable stands vigil as the borwell digging continues Pic: Padmalatha Ravi. Residents allege that Mohan Reddy, a local water…

Dear Sir or Madam,I am a daily office commuter on Metro Reach one between Baiyappanahalli to MG road. I would like to bring to your attention the following issues:Security The work of the private contract guards when checking bags is inconsistent. The guard assigned to body check does not wave the handheld scanner properly for all passengers. Those assigned to bag check does not use the scanner inside the bags always and sometimes lets off commuters by simply taking a glance half half-heartedly inside the bag. Security guards should follow standard procedures for all passengers. Please implement recommendations of the…

It is curtains up for the 4th Bengaluru International Film Festival (Biffes) on December 15, 2011. About 175 feature films from around the world will visit the city over the eight-day event. They include 130 foreign films from 40 countries, 30 from Indian Cinema and 15 from Kannada Cinema. This year's country focus will be on Polish cinema, Egyptian cinema, Asian cinema, contemporary Indian cinema and contemporary Kannada Cinema.         Significantly, for the first time, Bengaluru's annual film event has finally received the attention it deserves, with the goal being to establish it amongst India's premier film festivals. This edition of…

Bengaluru is one of India's more vibrant hubs for startups. But this startup near Whitefield is a firm few people would have expected. A Hoskote farmer has launched his own grocery supermarket. H Krishna Murthy, 40, a farmer who goes by the name Krishna, opened his swanky outlet, A1 Fresh World (A1FW) at Kadugodi last month. Krishna hails from Kolathur village in Hosakote and runs an 18-acre farm. Not unlike the major players in this sector, A1FW carries everything from fresh vegetables, dry groceries, diary foods, confectionary, beverages, savouries and so for. Hoskote-based farmer Krishna Murthy, who opened a supermarket…

Ashok Dwarakanath has submitted the following complaint to BMTC, through their official website on October 23rd and is yet to get BMTC's response. This is to bring to your kind attention some possible safety violations by drivers operating Volvo buses on route 335E. This may apply in general to other routes also.Slowing down far away before or after the bus stop if passengers are boarding another bus for formality sake but never really stopping the bus at the bus stop. Speeding away from the bus stop sometimes even after 2 or more passengers are waving their hands. This is a…