Blogs

As part of the Solid Waste Management PIL, the High Court asked BBMP to setup the ward committees to help monitor SWM contracts etc.The question of ward committees came up in the case when talking about decentralisation and audits on waste management, says Ajesh Kumar Shankar, lawyer for the petitioner. “Currently no one knows about who clears the waste in a street in a ward, how much is billed for it, who gets paid etc. There is a requirement that an NGO or RWA in the area should sign the bill; contractors get away by ‘creating’ some groups who sign…

Some of the BULBs (Bangalore Urban Lady Birders) decided to meet up for lunch at Halli Mane on Sankranti Day:The decorations were beautiful...made of palm fibre:made of palm fronds: This is the menu, as displayed on the board:kharabUjatha rasa (Musk Melon juice)eLLu--bellA-kabbu (Sesame seeds-jagger-sugar cane)hesaru beLe pAyasA( Mung dal payasa)mAvina midi uppinkAyA (Maavadu, small mango pickle)chOLada kOsambari (Salad with corn and grated carrots)moLagekkALu, dAdimba kOsambari (Salad with sprouted green gram and pomegranate)Alu gaddE palyA (potato curry)dondekkAi, gOdambi palya (...... curry)mAvina kAyi chutney (mango chutney, not sweet)sihi pongal (sweet pongal)khArA pongal (savoury pongal)avarekkALu usli (preparation with winter beans)avarekkAlu bAth (rice with avarekkAlu…

The ruckus over the formation of ward committees is exposing the failures of city governance in a big way, and pointing to its main cause - the exclusion of citizens from decision-making. But that's not all. It is also exposing the hollowness of the legislative space, which also needs to be urgently fixed.I am told that the Bommanahalli MLA opposes the formation of ward committees. I don't want to pick on one person, but let's look at the facts objectively. No BJP MLA should ever say that they're against ward committees. Why? Because they were the ones who voted for…

Posting for all children, on behalf of Hari Someshekar : The theme for this issue of the WWF Panda Magazine is Big Cats (tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard and so on), which we hope will be exciting and interesting for children. Please do encourage your children/ children you know. who write/draw well, to submit their articles, experiences, stories, poems, photographs and illustrations on the topic by January 21, 2013. We are also open to entries in regionallanguages/vernacular and would prefer submissions in soft copiesPlease email entries tohsomashekar@wwfindia.net ⊕

It’s that time of the year when people fret over the time wasted not doing something they had decided to and promptly put it on the list for the next year! Was one of your resolutions for this year weight-loss? Is it now at the top of next year’s ‘To-do’ list? Well, you’re not alone! According to surveys conducted every year-losing weight is among the most common New Year resolution across the globe. The two main reasons why it gets conveniently pushed into the next year’s list, year after year are that people are either “too busy” or just plain…

The current socio-political (re)awakening nationwide encouraged me to share this piece that I had penned sometime back. I do not recall when and where I first heard the word feminist. But I am certain that it is essential to remember some of the positive contributions that feminism has made to women and society overall. These include the securing of voting rights for women, the right to work outside home, inclusion in anti-discrimination laws, et al. All this was achieved through the relentless and determined efforts of many courageous and committed women and some men, amidst much opposition. And the women's…

Doosra's protagonist is the Game of Cricket itself. The changes in the game are depicted through the life of an ambitious and talented 20 year old Ganesh who gets to represent the country. Driven by power, politics, money and pressure, Ganesh's metamorphosis illustrates the changing phase of the game which, over the years has grown from a much loved sport to a commercial venture. The play offers the perspectives of a father who believes in the values of the game, an obsessed fan with a love and hate attitude, a victimized team captain, a bookie who represents the darker side of the…

Till about a week ago, the answer to this would have been, "Only CTS-2010 Standard cheques will be valid after 31st Dec 2012". The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the date for banks and consumers to meet the standard to 31st March 2013, vide circular dated 14th Dec 2012.  What does this all mean? CTS = Cheque Truncation System The basis of CTS technology lies in the use of images of cheques (instead of the physical cheques) for payment processing. So cheques will not physically travel to the originating bank for clearance, but instead, scanned images will be transmitted. This will also eliminate the concept of…

Ganjam in association with Bangalore Little Theatre presents `Tiger ! Tiger ! ‘ by (the late) Dina Mehta, a site-specific theatre exploration that is being performed at the Bangalore Fort. The performance is a part of the prestigious History of Ideas programme of Bangalore Little Theatre and is in partnership with the Centre for Public History as a part of the `Tiger comes to Town'.The performance marks the first time a heritage site in the city will open itself out to a unique experiment that will enable an audience to experience a historical event at its very location.`Tiger ! Tiger…

We are talking a lot about banning plastic bags now, and in BTM Layout, I came across this sign (at Disney Bakery):This (apart from the multi-spelling of "environment") set me thinking. There seems to be a lot of greenwash going around. How, if plastic is banned, are we willing to sell it? Is this not just one more way of making money? I think it's time to BAN plastic bags, not just SELL them. ⊕