bangalore journal

On one run through Bangalore's Cubbon Park, Pankaj Rai, one of Bangalore's several runners and a senior executive at an IT giant, muses, "Where else can one carry on stimulating conversations with such a diverse set of runners while running at the same time?" The city of Bangalore will witness the 5th edition of the Midnight Marathon in less than a week from today. Over 7500 participants (as per the organisers) will toe the starting line for various events which include not just the half and full marathons but also other events such as the corporate relay and a unique…

Around 100 people gathered at Bhashyam Circle early on 4 December, Sunday morning to walk down the Sankey road towards Maramma Circle. Young and old bid their farewell. Pic: Vani Murthy It was a walk to symbolise the voice of people who fought to save the trees from the road-widening project. The court has given a go ahead for the project and people are left wondering as to what can be done to save trees that are so vital to the environment. There were around 50 cyclists from the Go Green Club, who strongly believe that conserving the environment is…

On 8 November, some apartment associations around Cubbon Park had domestic workers in their apartments profiled. Photographs, fingerprints and detailed information of the workers were recorded by a private agency. The profiling was organised by Cubbon Park police station. Domestic workers Protest Pic: Navya P K The private agency Hamari Suraksha in its website says that it is ‘rooting out domestic terror' through this procedure. This is supposed to prevent crimes committed by domestic workers and help the police track workers when there is a crime. We are not criminals The event sparked off a protest on 10 November by…

With the soaring gold prices one would want to find a substitute which looks as elegant as the yellow metal. So here it is... the substitute can be Kundan jewellery, silver jewellery, antique and imitation jewellery which looks graceful. Not everybody can shell out `2915 (24 carat gold, as on 29th November) per gram. With the marriage and festival season coming up, these are a few alternatives that you can try at a lower price. Pure silver (gold plated) Italian mesh design set, priced at Rs 13,950, The Gallery, Jayanagar Pic: Nagashree Gururaj Kundan earring with meenakari work, priced at…

Citizen Matters in its investigation found out that part of 6th Cross, 24th Main, 2nd Phase JP Nagar which was thought to have been encroached by land sharks might not be encroached at all. On 24th Main, the entry to 6th Cross has been blocked by a compound that now houses a used car showroom. The stretch was earlier being used by locals as a road, however, it did not have any street lights or have a pucca road.   The road as seen from behind the used car showroom. Pic: Yogaraj Mudalgi A copy of the approved layout plan…

      The Water Station is a critically-acclaimed play written by the Japanese playwright Shogo Ohta. It is the most famous piece of his "Station" trilogy, which includes The Earth Station and The Wind Station. The play was first performed in 1981 with a Japanese cast, and has since been performed all over the world with various actors of diverse origins. Director Sankar Venkateswaran of Theatre Roots and Wings first directed the play for Ninasam in 2010, and this time around he has put together a varied cast auditioned from all over  India. Scene From the rehearsals. Pic courtesy:…

An early morning walk in Kempegowda's pettah would not sound welcoming to most Bengaluru folks. But thanks to Poornima Dasharathi's insight, the Pettah Walk turned out to be a comprehensive introduction to Bengaluru's beginnings. Yelahanka Gate Anjaneya temple. Pic: Poornima Dasharathi We were scheduled to meet up at 7am near the Anjaneya temple, Mysore Bank Circle. I got there 20 minutes late and was touched that Poornima and the team of enthusiasts were waiting for me near Cauvery Bhavan.We started off by briefly introducing ourselves. Poornima traced Kempegowda's family from Yelahanka and beyond and provided historical reasons for Bengaluru's location…

Bengaluru was about to have its first Slut Walk - rechristened 'Gejje Hejje' - on Sunday, December 4. The walk was to protest against victim blaming in cases of sexual assault, wherein women are held responsible for inviting assault by "dressing provocatively", travelling at night etc.But not only were they not allowed to hold the walk, a few who had dared to assemble at the venue were arrested by the Bengaluru police. Police had given permission for the walk earlier, but cancelled it on short notice - on Saturday night, bowing to threats from right wing groups. Pic: Navya P…

For BBMP, even developing lakes mean building more concrete structures. In this year's budget plans, BBMP has included the plan to install a 32-feet bronze Vivekananda statue in Yediyur lake in Jayanagar. Rs 1.5 cr is set aside for this.BBMP is yet to call tenders for the project, but on November 22nd Yediyur Corporator N R Ramesh attempted to drain out water from the lake. He was stopped by about 20 local residents who were also members of environmental organisations Hasiru Usiru (HU) and ESG.The workers with Ramesh had already destroyed the RCC concrete structure in a corner of the…

State education department has initiated a project to identify the prevalence of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) among school children. ADHD is a disorder that causes hyperactivity, inattention and behaviour problems in children.The department has given Malleswaram-based Sattvam Homeopathic Speciality Clinic the go-ahead to screen children in 10 Malleshwaram schools in the first stage. It is expected to start off in a few weeks.The department may make policy decisions on treating children with ADHD based on the data, says Tushar Girinath, Commissioner at the Department of Public Instruction (DPI). Sattvam Clinic, a 27-year-old establishment, currently specialises in treating children with…