Blogs

J P Nagar 3rd Phase is a residential locality where the roads have suffered really badly because of the construction of the Jayadeva Flyover. Last week, however, residents were happy to see the tar wagons and road rollers arriving. At last, we all felt, before the elections, we will get smooth roads for at least some time...Oh, no! Of all the main and cross roads of this community, only the second Main Road was tarred. And that, too, not for its full stretch. What could the logic of this action be? None or the residents have a clue.it is, of course,…

I went to pay my annual property tax...luckily for me, helpful neighbours informed me that the office where I would have to pay  had shifted from the Koramangala complex to a building on a road near Ranga Shankara...otherwise, like a friend of mine, I would have wasted some time on a visit to that office.When I went at 3.30pm to the J P Nagar office, I found a few people in the queue...I got the form and the booklet, but was NOT given,even though I repeatedly asked for it, the booklet that would let me know in which "zone" my…

7th FebruaryOnly Venkatesh and Surya stayed behind to discuss the contents of 2 editions of Young World. We talked about eclipses and as expected Venkatesh asked about the common Indian myth that a snake or demon swallowed the sun or the moon. The previous day, their teachers had displayed many Kannada books for them to choose from. Venkatesh mentioned that Ramesh and Murthy had selected joke books and story books while he had taken one on the wonders of nature. Surya then suddenly remembered that he had a 'project' folder.14th FebruaryI went to the playground later than usual, confident that…

Max Mueller Bhavan, along with two heritage architects, Kripa and Pankaj, had organized a heritage walk in Malleswaram this time, so off we went last Saturday.It was on the way there that my S3 fell-and-broke! Divya generously lent me her S5 and I used my SD card and took the photographs. Thank you, Divya!The buildings that were identified and shown as part of the walk were truly heritage landmarks....the only question being, how many of them will survive even the next ten years!One building, however, has been converted to a heritage hotel, and is in great shape. Here's the Malleswaram…

"You want clothes altered or repaired?" asked one of my friends recently. "Then you go to one of the 'chhota tailors' in the Jayanagar 9th Block area!"So that's where I did go. I found several tailors, sitting at their machines...on the footpath, (I have written here, about how our footpaths are vibrant with life and commerce.) But this one, Gajendra, is different from the rest...he advertises! His banner is stuck to his sewing machine!He is not "attached" to a cloth shop the way most of the others are, he is independent. And his banner says, "Old clothes repaired and altered...contact Gajendra."I…

I am very much against the vans that add to the traffic of the city, cruising past with various products being marketed. But once in a while, the product does intrigue me!I saw this van near my home recently: The idea seems to be an interesting one; it's claimed to be 'free' at one point, and it also says 'pay for what you consume' at another!Everything is "i" these days....iPod, iPhone...and now, iHot...!But the really ironic thing is that if this driver sleeps like this on duty, he is going to be in iHot water himself, soon!If I didn't already have…

Citizen Matters Magazine - Vol 1 Issue 3Dear Readers, As you know by now, the global downturn has impacted Bengaluru. In our conversations with citizens and businesses around the city, we noted some obvious and not-so-obvious markers to what’s going on.The earliest to face cutbacks were the city’s garment manufacturers, a major employer of workers. More recently, a round of layoffs has taken place atBengaluru’s major global firms, the bastion for white-collar jobs. The cuts are trickling down; anecdotally, shops and businesses in the city are confirming drops in sales over the past six months -- especially those that rely…

Yellow and Purple usually are the colours of the arrival of summer in Bangalore....Here's the yellow of the Tabebuia: This is the purple of the Jacaranda:The African Tulip, by now, has almost finished flowering, and soon we will have carpets of yellow and purple...on the roads where BBMP spares these trees, that is! ⊕

As I walked down the Mini Forest, I came across these members of a musical band, taking a break:When they are performing, with their bright braided uniforms and their shiny instruments, they create magic at weddings and other celebrations....You can see the wind instruments in the picture above, and below, you can see the drummer carrying his drum and walking (is he walking to the beat of a different drummer? :D )Shorn of their finery, however, they are a collection of people who are eking out a precarious livelihood. Engagements are not easy to find, though north Indian weddings are…

One sees these cheap posters for "A" movies on so many walls around...Who does go to a 11.15 am show to watch what I think is soft porn? I am sure there is an audience, as these posters have been around for so long...what's the budget for such movies, how much do they make? Yaamini Sundari...."Beauty of the Night"...indeed...no, I would never go to a theatre to find out more! Do such films also pay entertainment tax? ⊕