Blogs

Gayathri Kesavan and family The story of Putana is part of the Lord Krishna folklore. Putana which means “devoid of virtue” was a demon sent by Kamsa to kill his nephew, the baby Krishna. When Putana in the guise of a stunningly beautiful woman came to Yashodha, the latter believed the demon to be a virtous woman and gave the baby to her for nursing. Little did Yashodha realize that it wasn’t mother’s milk but a poison that the baby was meant to suckle. Putana’s plan backfired and Krishna ended up killing her. This was the central theme of Gayathri…

The familiar face of wrongdoing...two scooterists who are caught breaking a one-way rule are being nabbed by the policeman. I could not wait to see what the outcome of this encounter would be. Would the people on the scooter pay the required fine? Would they try to bribe the cop?   Would they be successful if so? Or would they try to "beg forgiveness" and plead to be let off this once? Or would they try to intimidate the cop by dropping the names of bigwigs they know, or are related to? I had to move on, but did not…

The Vayu Vajra Volvo service is specifically for commuters to and from the airport. However, on 31 Oct 2013,  when I came out of the airport terminal after a 30-hour plane journey,  hoping to take the bus, at 1.30am. I was told that since the "demand  kadimeyittu" (demand was low) , the Vayu Vajra service up to 4.30am had been withdrawn. BMTC is making good profits; why should they withdraw a service precisely when it is most needed, just because the number of commuters is low? Is profit the only consideration when it is a matter of public transportation?   I was forced…

The play, "The Tenth Head", written by Vinay Kumar KJ, directed by Veenapani Chawla, and staged by Adishakti Laboratory and Theatre Art Research, Puduchery, has a very interesting central premise: that all the heads of Ravana are not alike, and that the tenth head is quite different from the other nine.   Intrigued by this, I went to watch the staging at Ranga Shankara, on the 18th of February, 2014. I found myself both interested and puzzled at different times during the play.   The on-again-off-again power situation took its toll on Ranga Shankara's usual punctuality, and the play started…

Press release from Save Bangalore Lakes Trust The Save Bangalore Lakes Trust (SBLT) along with residents of the Horamavu area (organised as the Save Horamavu Lakes group) held a walkathon on the morning of Sunday, February 16, 2014, to spread awareness about the status of lakes in the Horamavu area. The two lakes in Horamavu, i.e., Horamavu Agara Keré (50.34 acres) and Horamavu Keré (37.14 acres) are both under the jurisdiction of the BDA. Over the years both have suffered from massive encroachments, destruction of the raja kaluves flowing into and from them, dumping of waste and other debris, and…

Just right for warm, cinnamony conversation! Pic courtesy: Avinash and Radhika Had a cinnamon roll with my mid-morning chai today. What made it extra special, other than the fact that it tasted pretty awesome, is that a friend made it. The baker in question is Radhika. She and her husband Avinash are two of our closest friends. My husband, little fellow and I go see them or have a meal with them, whenever we can. We know they are there for us, and we hope they feel the same. When my husband went out of town last week, he asked…

My passport was expiring by May 2014, and I realized that one must apply for a renewal within 6 months of its expiry (Most countries require that the passport be valid for a period of 6 months after the dates of the proposed visit, which means that if a passport has less than 6 months' validity, you will not be able to visit a country even if you have a valid entry visa.) Not expecting much, I applied for the passport renewal online. Filling up the various forms took a long time, as I had to be very careful wihile…

*Bangalore Bus Prayaanikara Vedike*The 50paise Campaign!!*Rs. 5 for 10 km!**Rs. 15 for 11-20 km!**Rs. 25 for anything above 20 km!*Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus services, the transport of Bangalore's 'common man', have become increasingly unaffordable over the years. Over the last year and a half, the bus fares have gone up by a steep 50%, increasing the economic hardship for Bangaloreans. If a garment worker or a pourakarmika, who earns Rs. 5000 a month, buys a monthly pass for Rs. 725 (Rs. 925 for red board buses), she shells out 15-20% of her income just for commuting, which increase…

“I see many young people wanting to learn the veena. Whether they want to take it up as a profession is something I’m not sure about.” I'm talking to Jayanthi Kumaresh, renowned veena artist, at her home. We're seated in what's obviously a prayer room, with its large pictures of the Chandrashekara Saraswathi, the revered former head of the Kanchi Mutt. Three or four veenas stand upright against one wall. Her observation was in response to my query about the state of veena playing and where she saw it headed.    Jayanthi puts me at ease with her charming personality…

I had posted about an unpleasant incident here. I am very happy to say that a concerned citizen activist, Mr S R Venkatram, followed this up, and just now, he sent in this report: "This afternoon I visited Basavanagudi Police station and learnt that the Auto driver was summoned,cautioned and made to sit for the whole day and fined Rs.600. This will act as a deterrant to others as the news spreads. Regarding the behaviour of two police constables, I trust the police Inspector has adviced them suitably. I could not meet the Police Inspector as he was away on…