Blogs

Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC) in association with Rotary Bangalore, Palmville and Gleneagles Global Hospitals today launched the second edition of the My, Place of Pride. My Place of Pride (MYPOP) is a contest to rate, rank and award the communities that have exhibited best practices in Solid Waste Management, Water conservation, Power management, Fire Safety and Hygiene & Cleanliness. This is a platform for communities to showcase their initiatives, create awareness and further encourage others to emulate the best practices. My Place of Pride is an initiative to recognize eco-friendly communities in Bengaluru city and encourage sharing of best…

We've had and will continue to have, diverse events at the lake to bring the neighbourhood together. The Nrityotsav on 5th November, held in collaboration with Nritya Darpan and IPAAC, was unique for more than one reason. This was not only our first formal dance programme but also that it took place on a stage specially set up, with the water in the background and birds flying overhead. Also the first time in terms of the number of artists (90?) from little ones aged 7 (I guess) to shall I dare say, 45 years? The dancers were accompanied by their relatives and friends so…

How often have we seen empty sites in a residential layout, not just going waste, but also being a source of worry for the residents? The worry arises from two main factors: dumping of waste, and the unwanted pests that the waste attracts. For some reason, all our vaunted civic sense does not seem to operate when there are handy empty sites. Whether it is the residents themselves, or their domestic help… an empty site seems to become a great place to throw one’s waste into...especially if it means avoiding segregation of waste. The waste could be building material, or…

We saw a jostling, zealous crowd #ForTheSakeofBengaluru on Oct 15th, Sunday at Freedom Park. A numerous and highly diverse people cast their demands on the Beku Beda wall, and ballot boxes and brought demands as lists from schools, colleges, RWA, civic and social organizations. These demands must shape Bengaluru. The city must become "of the people", not of political whim! Accordingly, we will have a #BekuBedaSanthe demand consolidation event on the very special Rajyotsava day. Volunteers are invited on Wednesday Nov 1st to Loyola Hall, St Joseph’s College, Langford Road from 3 PM-5 PM. The idea is to determine what…

Square sections of tar have appeared on various roads, as BBMP and the government scramble to resurface the city. While these will provide immediate relief, they will also become the reason why we end up in the same problem once more later. This is this trap we need to get out of. In crisis mode, we must do something NOW. And inevitably the only option left at that time seems to guarantee a future crisis. There is only one way to solve the problem. We have to bite the bullet, and start doing the things that will solve the problems…

Since I have enjoyed the work of Tahatto for many years now (you can read my review of another of their plays, here (written on a rainy evening exactly 5 years and 3 days ago!) I looked forward to watching "remember Remember" by this young and talented group, on another rainy evening, (12 Oct '17) and neither my friends nor I were disappointed. Pic: Thomas Kadavil Abraham The play had a good house, too considering that it was the middle of the week, and the audience had braved weekday traffic and heavy rain to get to Ranga Shankara. The assistant…

As I was on the Outer Ring Road, I saw the welcome sight of a tree being translocated. http:// It was good to see the tree being moved so carefully, with even its chopped branches bound up. http:// I do hope this tree, and several others like it, survive in their new "homes" and help keep our city green. A salute to those who are doing such work. I would like to know, however, what the averages are for the survival of such translocated trees.

Once a year, Bengaluru becomes busy, being the poor cousin of Mysore, the grand-dasara city. The capital lives her dual life with Navrathris, the festive flashes of silk sarees and gold jewellery, surrounded by dry, autumn days of brown trees and dead leaves among trash piles. You do see women visiting each other hurriedly to exchange prasadams and if you peep into their houses, you can also catch glimpses of their droll doll sets, assorted gifts and the sound of bhajans. Still, the seasons run in parallel and it’s a bipolar city. The Durga, Laxmi and Saraswathi idols are prayed…

A large number of civic and social organizations of Bengaluru are coming together to organize a unique ‘Beku Beda Santhe’ on October 15th, 2017 to commemorate the first anniversary of the Human Chain for the #steelflyoverbeda. That campaign saw a  saw massive outpouring of citizens, democratically expressing their demand. The #SteelFlyoverBeda movement inspired citizens to come together and exercise their right to actively participate in governance. The “Beku Beda Santhe” will serve as a platform for citizens from across Bengaluru to express what they want for their area and city (ಬೆೇಕು) and what they do not want for their area…

There is one thing to be said for the Bengaluru monsoons – it pulls down the curtains on the city and puts you back into the float of your memories. If you wade through the waterlogged streets during the rains, you at least need not see the crowds, smell the traffic or taste the garbage. You just have to squint through your half-shut eyes as you walk under a straggly umbrella in the pouring rains and understand that this year, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike has not undertaken the recharge that you did not expect it to pursue, anyway. Not…