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As promised, I joined the Republic Day celebrations around 9.30 AM as one of the class X girls was reading out a Kannada speech on the significance of the day. A short talk in English (again read out by a class X girl) followed. Both were delighted when I praised their confident effort. And then a high school teacher and finally the principal addressed the students in Kannada. The last was significant as he reminded them that Republic Day isn't about hoisting the national flag, singing patriotic songs and eating sweets. He chided them for leaving/throwing plates in the neighbourhood…

When I went to school this morning some children were emptying their plates right outside the newly built rear gate while others were still eating inside. As usual, some threw their food away, bored of eating the same stuff daily while others like Akhilesh (the Hindi-speaking class V Math fan) whom I met outside decided to eat at home. Dhanalaxmi, the little girl in class IV with a sweet smile and sharp memory hasn't been eating regularly apparently. She saves it for her younger siblings but is uncomfortable mentioning it. She started a verbal duel with her classmate Praveen who…

I met the children halfway through their meal and had to answer two questions repeatedly – “Where were you during the week?” and "Did you eat today?” I don’t remember even my mother being so concerned but I’m enjoying the attention! Narayana has preserved the Zero Rupee note and asked for another. When I reminded him of his determined words, last Saturday, he agreed to act. Divya and Lata (class V students) will have lunch at home as they are bored of eating at school everyday.Suddenly, one of the class IV boys started addressing me as 'Puli miss' (puli is…

It’s 2009 and I went to school (Government Kannada Model Primary School, Pottery Town) today during lunchtime. I volunteer part-time at this school in my neighbourhood. Divya and others enquired if I’d eaten and wanted me to join them. I can meet them only on Saturday mornings as I have recently resumed working full time and they’re busy with tests/exams and will continue to be. Some are a tad disappointed but others know that we can continue to interact outside class. Suhasini, Surya, Divya, Monika, Vijay et al want me to come from Monday 12th January as their next round…

Here I was merrily plucking tomatoes from my garden as and when i needed them in the kitchen, till S – our domestic help - told me that she had just bought it for 40 rupees a kilo in Russell Market?! FORTY?! I resolved to tend to my garden with greater care and gratitude! 'The garden' has always been integral to my growing years and it was only a matter of time before I started my own. So, ever since we moved to our place earlier this year, I experimented with various methods in the endeavour to make my garden…

"The only difference is that there is a gate", declared my friend who resides in one such place. "We decided to come here only because of the security; now we know that it's just an eyewash", she added. That set me thinking. How different is the houses in gated communities to the others? Do the residents NRIs or foreigners want a home away from home? Expats in Bangalore take pride in stating that they don't live in Whitefield whereas we Indians still do. I have tried to highlight the similarities or differences under certain common headers. Note: These are just…

In my search to find a method to recycle grey water from the washing machine, I chanced upon an exciting alternative to detergents: Soap Nut (Sapindus Mukorossi, locally called  Ritha or soap kai). Of course, it is not something new – our grandparents and parents have used it frequently to wash silks and expensive garments. However, in today's scenario, I think this little nut has a vital role to play.  Most significantly, washing with soap nut does not pollute the water like the detergents. It also conserves water while using the washing machine since there's no soapy residue to rinse…

It's been a month now and I still can't stop myself from rushing to the terrace in the morning, after a night of heavy rain. After several months of seeking ways (unsuccessfully!) to harvest rainwater for our apartment, we had arrived at an elementary solution. Most local experts whose advice and opinion we sought were unable to help. Even the internet tips were of little use since they dealt with individual houses and/or entire apartment buildings. Though our terrace is fairly large, we realised that the catchment area (the area which directly receives the rainfall and provides water to the…

This is the first of an article series that will strive to cover anything and everything to do with sports in Bangalore.To begin with, football in Bangalore is an art form, and the players, artists. I've heard people say, "It takes a football match in Bangalore to know Classical Indian Football", and it was on Saturday the 8th of November, that I fully understood the statement.I was returning from the Karnataka State Football Association building after a failed bid to meet the Secretary, and was walking back towards Airport Road. The detour freak that I am, I took another road…

It's a whole different experience to watch India's most popular game at the stadium. The crowd, the buzz, watching players warm up, huge shouts as Tendulkar walks in, boos when there is a war of words between the teams, there are no Ad breaks here or replays - the atmosphere is enticing and you become a part of it. My friends and I entered the KSCA stadium, we passed the security check (five security guards and two metal detectors) and raced up the stairs to get a good view of the players(there are no seat numbers in our gate). It…