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I remember arriving in India for the first time, into New Delhi almost 10 years ago. I would liken it to a bull calf walking into the ring for the first time. A million things hit you; heat, light, shouts, screams, arms, signs, men, women, men, more men, a million people telling what you want and what you need, a million people trying to sell you food and get you into their cab or their friend’s cab, or their uncle’s cab, or their friend’s uncle’s cab. Arriving in Bengaluru was nothing like that. If my first arrival in India was…

Scarcity creates corruption. Therefore, regulating availability is not the way to tackle it; that will only make things worse. In our country, there is a massive deficit of many things that people want. Affordable houses, good schools and hospitals, water supply, waste management, and so on. This causes intense competition for what is available. Those who can bid high have a chance of gaining, and also those who can rig the bidding itself. Housing is a very good example of this. To buy a house in any of our major cities now, you either need a lot of money, or…

Never take your child's safety for granted. You never know what can happen. Scene 1: A city school A security guard is playfully jostling with a cherubic little pre-schooler. The child is waiting beside the guard because his 'auto uncle' is late to pick him up. In the course of play, the guard kisses the little boy, tickles him, hugs him. The boy squeals with laughter. Scene 2: A dance class It's a childrens' dance class. Parents/guardians come and drop off their wards at the door. The adults do not bother to go in or check if the dance teacher…

Message received from Mr Jagadeesh Giri, Joint Secretary, Yelahanka United Environment Association (YUVA)   To involve the youth, students & local citizens in keeping Allalasandra Lake (Yelahanka) and locality clean, utilize the facilities provided by civic bodies, bring in awareness on environment, water conservation, and neat maintenance of the lake surroundings, YUVA has organized a Shramadaan program at the lake on 12th January 2014 at 7 a.m. on the occasion of National Youth Day to mark the 151th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.   YUVA has also engaged with the University of Agriculture Sciences, GKVK for collaborative efforts for revival and development of…

Around 9am on Sunday morning as I walked to my nearby slum where I teach yoga to superbly enthusiastic kids every week, I saw a poster hanging at its entrance. Rajnikanth’s smiling face jumped out of the poster. Alongside were two words in English: Happy Birthday. It  was a small poster, about A3 size, strung up casually, hanging in the air, tilted. The poster had more love than execution (Wish I had taken a picture, but I usually don’t take my phone to the class). Representative purpose only Before the class began, I asked the kids who put it there and…

The India BirdRaces, supported by HSBC, is the largest and most popular birdwatching activity across India. The current season (November 2013 – March 2014), will see the event in 16 cities.    The Bangalore BirdRace 2014 is on Sunday 19th Jan 2014. Registrations, for teams of 4 members, are currently open. To register and for more information, click here.    This winter, Puttenahalli Lake has seen the the return of the migratory Garganeys from Europe/ West Asia. Lake visitors were thrilled to see a group of Garganey females at the lake on Christmas Day, and thereafter.   Garganeys at Puttenahalli Lake, Dec 2013 (Pics:…

In an effort to study Photography, I recently learnt that if you are putting a story together about a Public Space, you would need to observe it over a long period of time, understand what happens there at different times of the day, what individuals or groups come there, for how long and so on. When you have a substantial understanding of the subject that you intend to photograph and have a story to tell, it is only then that you would be able to “represent” what you know through a series of photographs. In architecture, to design any built…

Reading of Children's Fantasy Novel   Venue: Atta Galata Time: 4.30 pm   The Book: Building on influences from Asia, Africa and the ancient language of Sanskrit, Janaki Murali takes on readers on a phantasmagorical journey. Dive deep into the bowels of a volcano in the Bay of Bengal and meet the fire-breathing Mrigas, shape-shifting Bahulas, four-headed Gufiyas and the special unugly Gulu. Watch them as they employ insects of espionage and wield weapons of fantasy.See a whole new world through the eyes of three earthlings who learn to stand united after losing a parent, and are pulled into a chain reaction that…

This New Year, I'm determined to work at being a better person and parent, to be calmer, happier, healthier. Apparently, I'm not the only one resolving to do this. Psychologists say many of us make similar promises to ourselves. A psychology professor writing in Psychology Today, an online journal, notes that the most popular resolutions are: Work balance (less work) Lower alcohol consumption Eat less fast food Pay off credit debt Learning something (Guitar, French) Be more patient Be happy (accomplish small things) Read more books Exercise Lose weight Academic-related goals (good grades, study more, graduate, get into a master’s…

As 2013 draws to a close, we look back on key events that made a difference to our lives in the city. Read: Swalpa Sihi, Swalpa Kahi: 2013 - the year that was! Earlier this year, we did a series of hard reports on scams unearthed by the CAG followed by investigative pieces on the violation-riddled Bellandur-Agara SEZ project. We did a special project on the MLA performance reports, interviews, candidate and constituency profiles that was welcomed by all readers. We have also continually reported on how many of our local government's claims, from fixing potholes to solving the garbage…