Blogs

My friend Nitin Vyas has this experience to relate: "At9.00am on 22nd May on Kanakpura road, close to Thalgatpura Police station. KSRTC bus no. KA 42F 040 ran in to my car from behind. The rear  of my car was completely damaged . (The estimated cost of repairs is Rs 1 lakh.) The bus drove away from the scene as I took my car to the side of the road.. I went to Thalagatpura Police station at 9.15 am to file an FIR against the bus driver. Arun Thimme  Gowda was in charge of registering complaints. He did not respond…

When it suits their dodgy interests, the political parties actually cooperate with each other, even though they are theoretically opponents in the electoral and other arenas. Yesterday (June 11, 2013) we saw a very good example of this in the Karnataka Legislative Council. Some years ago, the Supreme Court handed down a judgment that was intended to free the police forces from direct political interference. The court ordered the establishment of an appointments Board in each state that would manage the postings of lower level police staff (below the rank of DySP). This Board is filled with members of senior…

  It was one hectic morning for the twenty or more volunteers who came to the lake on 9th June, a Sunday. Coming from South City, Brigade Millennium, Brigade Gardenia, Ramaiah Apartments (behind Sobha Tulip), J.P. Nagar 7th Phase, 24th Main, etc., they reinforced the meaning of the "Neighbourhood" in our Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust. Meera coming from Banashankari extended the "neighourhood" some more! It is indeed incredible how concern about and involvement with the Puttenahalli Lake is bringing everybody together. Transporting the dead tree from South City to the lake bed proved this amply.   Four or five…

After the sudden threat posed by the propsed re-alignment of the Metro Rail track along Bannerghatta Road, homeowners suddenly were threatened with the destruction of their homes.  When it was a matter of road-widening, we were able to protest at the chopping down of trees and the increase in traffic; but now, the Government can say that it is developing public transportation and this is for our own good.   After a storm of protests, the proposed re-alignment has been halted...for the time being. But there is no guarantee that our Government will not suddenly start the process again, and…

We all know about chicory; that roasted chicory seeds are powdered, andadded to coffee powder, to increase the strength of the decoction. However, the Chicory plant is a very pretty one!   <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/86494503@N00/9015769793/" title="DSC09538 by mohandep, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3752/9015769793_79a6d22281_c.jpg" width="800" height="477" alt="DSC09538"></a>   That's the flower of a Chicory plant...almost makes one want to start planting it in one's garden! In some parts of the world, Chicory is just a roadside weed.

“My son doesn’t drink milk,” “My child doesn’t eat vegetables,” “My daughter won’t eat anything other than biscuits..” - sounds familiar? A common complaint that most parents have is that their child doesn't eat (enough). There are even instances of parents requesting the pediatrician to prescribe some supplements or health tonics that will increase the child’s appetite. Most of the times these are not required as parents just wrongly assume that their child isn't eating enough - just because the portions children eat are too small. Keep in mind that they are kids and will not be able to eat…

Hello. Effective June 2013, Citizen Matters gets a new look and also a new engine and wheels underneath the stuff you see, read, and contribute to! We’ve made a number of changes. If you are wondering about this, read further. Otherwise, just continue using the site, nothing to worry. Most important changes A more spaced-out design. You can now login to CM using you Google, Facebook or LinkedIn social media accounts. We hope this make it easier for you to share articles, pictures, comments, discussions with your fellow citizens of Bangalore. The site will load faster than before and can…

It's the beginning of a new year in schools across the south of India, and once again, I see a massive, and avoidable, wastage occurring...that of brown paper.Every year, children go to a new class or form, and they have to buy a set of new text books and note books. We do not have any concept of using the text books that the students used the previous year. (That's a massive wastage right there, but since text books sometimes change, parents prefer to buy each year.)Each printer and publisher of a school text book obviously goes to great lengths…

Without much fanfare but certainly with a great deal of hope today afternoon we released the Salvinia weevil in two spots at the lake still infested with Salvinia Molesta. Salvinia weevils from Thrissur Releasing the weevils, 3rd June 2013 From the time Dr. Subramanya, UAS, Bangalore identified it last September, this invasive fern has been the bane of our lake. When the water level receded to mere puddles, the Salvinia began to dry in large tracts. We got it removed manually through BBMP's workers. Very many resident volunteers living around the lake pitched in strongly on several weekends. When it seemed…

The heavy rains on 31st May - 1st June helped raise the water level in several parts of Puttenahalli Lake by upto about 16 inches. With this about 65-75% of the lake bed is under water. We're waiting for a few more similar downpours to bring the level higher.  The Lake, 1st June 2013 (Pic: Usha Rajagopalan)The rains also cooled the place making the gardening weekend thoroughly enjoyable for all the volunteers. Over the two mornings, starting at 7 a.m., about 50 people coming from various parts of the city, helped in digging pits, planting shrubs, cleaning (plastics and other litter)…