Blogs

Sometimes misspellings have a kind of weird association that make you wonder if, after all, the mistake was one after all...How fitting that Bangalore which, these days, seems to have a seamless transition from the summer to the winter monsoon, should have, not a mega, but a Megha (cloud) sale! ⊕

The morning sun shone through the trees as we entered Lalbagh today...The trees and the light together gave the effect of a painting!The light shone on these flowers...this little squirrel:this lady with her morning newspaper:It turned the sky blue as a backdrop for this magnificient Brahminy Kite:and in spite of this white Asian Paradise Flycatcher trying to hide in the foliage, shone enough for me to take a photograph!Truly, Lalbagh is a magical place of light and life....It was a wonderful Christmas; we might not have celebrated the birth of the Son, but we certainly enjoyed the birth of the…

The 919 km cycling trip across the Nilgiris, the Tour Of Nilgiris event got off to a flying start early this morning.In the mist, some of the organizers held the flag aloft:And then that flag was used to start off the trip:The cyclists set off to cheering and applause from the gathered crowd...Here's Sukhdev, the youngest rider (he is riding under medical supervision), with his family:The message these riders are carrying is that cycling is a great way to get from A to B, no matter what the distance between A and B may be!For more pictures click here Let's…

Mohun Bagan created history by winning the Federation Cup, India's annual major club football tournament, for a record 13th time at Kolkata on the 21st of December 2008, avenging their 2004 defeat to Dempo at Bangalore.Apart from SBT and Viva Kerala from God's own country, there were a few other South Indian Clubs in the picture, including but not limited to ICF-Chennai, HAL SC-Bangalore and BEML-Bangalore. Let's have a look at their campaigns this year... And before that, for those in the dark, a few words on the two Bangalore outfits.Arguably the top football club from Bangalore, HAL SC is…

As long as things go smoothly, our system works. But let there be a problem and one is up against the most people-unfriendly scenario possible.Our mobile bill (my mobile phone is an add-on to KM's) was vastly over what's normal, and we have given complaints twice, and both complaints have been registered on the Airtel site.Now every day, several times, honey-voiced "customer care executives" call up on either phone, asking why we have not paid the bill. Increasingly, we are irritated by having to repeat our complaint, which the Airtel people say is not showing up on their system, so…

Here I was merrily plucking tomatoes from my garden as and when i needed them in the kitchen, till S – our domestic help - told me that she had just bought it for 40 rupees a kilo in Russell Market?! FORTY?! I resolved to tend to my garden with greater care and gratitude! 'The garden' has always been integral to my growing years and it was only a matter of time before I started my own. So, ever since we moved to our place earlier this year, I experimented with various methods in the endeavour to make my garden…

Right in the middle of the rush and hustle of St Mark's Road, I spotted it...a "gem of purest ray serene"...but not in the "unfathom'd caves of ocean", but right in the centre of this city of ours.Surrounded by its garden, shaded by its trees, it looked an oasis of unexpected peace in the middle of the explosion of glass, chrome, steel ...and traffic...that is St Mark's Road today.It was like suddenly having a little window opening into the gracious past...I stood for a while admiring the beauty of the building, and then walked on, knowing that I could share…

"The only difference is that there is a gate", declared my friend who resides in one such place. "We decided to come here only because of the security; now we know that it's just an eyewash", she added. That set me thinking. How different is the houses in gated communities to the others? Do the residents NRIs or foreigners want a home away from home? Expats in Bangalore take pride in stating that they don't live in Whitefield whereas we Indians still do. I have tried to highlight the similarities or differences under certain common headers. Note: These are just…

Traffic flows smoothly out here. Pics : Sharath Bhat Meet Srinivasalu Naidu - a self-appointed traffic regulator who stations himself at a narrow by-lane off Millers Road in Benson Town - a little before the railway overbridge near Coles Park. If you come in from the Cantonment Station and go past Nandidurga Road, you'll find this narrow by-lane that takes you to Benson Road or Pottery Road. With two-way traffic, this stretch can get tricky - and that's where Srinivasulu comes in. He regulates a steady stream of cars and bikes, with a practiced hand and business-like authority. Without someone…

In my search to find a method to recycle grey water from the washing machine, I chanced upon an exciting alternative to detergents: Soap Nut (Sapindus Mukorossi, locally called  Ritha or soap kai). Of course, it is not something new – our grandparents and parents have used it frequently to wash silks and expensive garments. However, in today's scenario, I think this little nut has a vital role to play.  Most significantly, washing with soap nut does not pollute the water like the detergents. It also conserves water while using the washing machine since there's no soapy residue to rinse…