bangalore journal

Mobile phones are handy and small. While this makes them very easy to carry around, they are also susceptible to thefts or misplacement. With the help of technology and better law enforcement, it is becoming easier track lost or stolen mobile phones. However, recovering a mobile phone is still a matter of luck. Handy and easy to lose. Can technology help track down a lost phone? Pic: Yograj S Mudalgi Software to the rescue Suman H M, a nineteen-year-old undergraduate student of Mount Carmel College lost her cell phone while shopping, which had cost her almost 10 thousand rupees. While she…

To take this survey Click here to start. For more details, write to survey@3pundits.com or visit www.3pundits.com and leave a message. 3pundits.com, an education startup focused on school admissions has just launched Bangalore's first-ever independent survey of international schools. The goal of the survey is to produce a report that will help parents select the right international school for their children.  3pundits aims to take away the pain of parents going through a lot of hassle towards research required to selecting a good international school. Citizen Matters is media partner for this survey. 25 international schools will be covered in…

An inconspicuous building on Church Street, Blossom Book House or Blossoms, as book lovers fondly call it, is one of the few surviving second hand book stores in Bangalore. Started in 2000 by Mayi Gowda, Blossoms has grown a few floors in the last ten years without losing its inherent ability to be welcoming and accommodating. Mayi Gowda: Passion for books fueled the entrepreneurship. Pic: Ranjani Krishnakumar "In 2000, when I started Blossoms, I was hardly 23", began a shy, yet highly energetic young entrepreneur arranging a shelf of books smiling tirelessly at every customer who walks in. Hailing from…

In the last ten years, Bangalore (urban) district's population density has increased by about 147%, according to provisional data from the Census 2011. While the population density - number of people per sq km for the district - was 2,985 in 2001, now it is 4,378. Compare this with Dakshin Kannada, the second most densely populated district. DK's population density is only 457, about one-tenth that of Bangalore. Though population density has increased to a small extent in almost all districts, the average population density for the state itself is only 319. Kodagu has the lowest population density at 135.…

Chimeras was an adaptation of three short stories by Shashi Deshpande, "And what has been decided?", "The Last Enemy" and "Hear me, Sanjaya", which reflect the characters of Draupadi, Duryodhana and Kunti respectively. Chimeras, blended together theatre and dance forms like Bharathanatyam, Kalari, Chau and Indian contemporary to bring to stage an interpretation of these characters from the great epic, Mahabharatha. It was staged at Alliance Francaise on 8th and 9th April. A scene from Chimeras. Pic Courtesy: VODO According to the Greek mythology, Chimera is a fire-breathing female monster with a lion's head and a goat's body and a…

In November 2010, 15 families of survey number 27 in 4th main, OMBR layout, had their houses demolished by the BDA. While the residents had plan sanction copies from village panchayat and a CMC khata, the layout was illegal. They did not own either a BDA or BBMP khata. The residents, mostly senior citizens, had invested their life's savings in the property. BDA recovered the land saying it was under its jurisdiction.  Citizen Matters came to know about this through a letter from the residents. Times of India also reported on this late last year. This land was a revenue…

I submitted my property tax returns at the JP Nagar BBMP Citizen Service Center, on 2nd April making the payment with a cheque. They asked me to wait as the server was slow to generate the receipt. They then asked to come on the next working day and the receipt was ready. I collected it on 5th April after showing the acknowledgement.I went to Gottigere BBMP office on 6th April to remit the tax for my daughter's property situated in JP Nagar 9th phase.The server was down and there was no debit/credit card m/c to collect the payment. The person…

Can a 15-year-old friendship jeopardise over a 5 X 4 painting? Can the egos of three friends play its villainous part in separating them in one single evening? Even with all such philosophies playing onstage, is it possible that comedy is created and people watching the scene laugh their hearts out? The three friends argue over a painting. Pic Courtesy: Evam Evam's production "Art" exactly did all that in a 1 hour 30 mins performance. And they did that brilliantly. The play was staged at Rangashankara on 5th, 6th and 7th April.  'Art ' is a play originally written in…

Birdwatching, or birding, as it is referred to, seems to have become a very popular pastime in Bangalore. In this context, it's interesting to find out just how it's organized and carried out in the city...and I decided to talk to several people who've had more than thirty years of experience in this activity A team at the HSBC Bird Race. Pic: Deepa Mohan. There are no "professional" ornithologists, as far as  I can gather, in the city. Most of the experienced birders of Bangalore are those who pursue birding as a weekend or holiday activity. Their professions might or…

200 Suncity residents, an apartment community in south Bengaluru,  held a meeting on April 9th to remind the builders Corporate Leisure and Property development (CLDP) about the forgotten promises regarding ownership of common areas, maintenance fees and amenities. The project was launched by CLPD in 2003 with promises to provide various amenities such as club house / party hall/ swimming pool. It has nearly been 7 years and the project is still not complete and there are various other outstanding issues that current residents are facing. Suncity aprtment owners raising their voices. Pic: SAOA Though initially we had planned for a…