Blogs

At certain places in the city, I've seen boards that say Gas Authority of India (GAIL) is providing piped cooking gas to residences, so digging is being done. But at many other places, wholesale digging of roads and lanes is going on without any explanation at all. On one small lane (40thA Cross, leading to 18th Main, Jayanagar 4th T Block), as I walked, I counted...yes...25 across-the-road cuts, with a trench having been dug along the length of the lane on one side, too. No boards,no explanations, no names of the agencies involved, no date of completion mentioned. The problem…

Multiple groups are protesting the manner in which BBMP instituted ward committees in about 2/3rd of the wards - ignoring citizen volunteers and public interest groups, and taking only the input of the corporators. Such protests were bound to happen - and anyone who understands the history of urban failure will see clearly why. About 40 years after the Republic of India was founded, Parliament decided that the system of Central governments and State governments managing everything was ineffective, and therefore we needed to add three other pieces. To make this happen, they passed two laws - one for rural…

...Mostly, without any courtesy, is my sad answer. I do not own a car, and use public transportation (read buses...the Metro is yet to be within useful reach for me). I know that senior citizens are entitled to a 25% discount on all BMTC fares, except on Vayu Vajra (presumably, the assumption is that if I can afford to take a flight or even visit the airport, I can pay the full fare!). I also know that there are two seats reserved each for women and men senior citizens. However, over the two-plus years that I have been using the…

“The heaviest penalty for declining to rule is to be ruled by someone inferior to yourself.” - Plato Many of us believed in the court orders that asked BBMP Commissioner to form the ward committees and avoid undue influence of corporators.  Nearly 600 applications have been submitted by ordinary citizens  - about 190 of them coming through our efforts of soliciting nominations for active citizens and then impressing upon them to submit an application. There wasn't any application format or process that anyone knew of , but we were repeatedly assured by the commissioner himself that we should encourage more…

Before boarding a plane in Seattle that would eventually bring me to Bengaluru I was told about everything I would see while here. I was told over and over how different India is from my home country and how culture shocked I would be. Some of the most said statements included “if you hit a cow you’ll go to jail,” “dogs everywhere,” “don’t eat street food no matter how appetizing it looks,” “everything is so colorful,” “you will not be able to handle how spicy the food is,” “people will stare at you,” and “it’ll be hot.” While there is…

Every now and then, a glimpse into lives very different from our own, brings us up sharply against alternate realities. I am used to the notion of auto drivers as rough, rude people who will generally not co-operate with passengers. This preconception got a jolt when I noticed this man driving his autorickshaw in the traffic.   It cannot be an easy life when your own mobility depends on a pair of crutches. I realized that this man, and many others like him, battle many disadvantages to earn their living. I have learnt to try and remove my prejudices, and…

With the greatest respect to the Minister of Sericulture and Animal Husbandry, GH Krumbiegel was my great grandfather, I am only an interloper in Bengaluru I do however have his passion for trees and my profession is also architecture it's very important for me to try and protect his legacy for future generation of Bengaluru and indeed my grandchildren Things have to change for any country to progress as I understand the citizens are not against the new hospital site; top architects have already come forward willing to work pro bono with the existing plans (so no new permission will be needed…

Did you notice that someone fixed that black spot on your way to work and it now looks nice with a little bench and simple art that makes the place walkable and pleasant on the eyes? Did you come across pictures on social media of people sweating it out and cleaning lakes on a Sunday morning? Do you know someone that teaches and helps out in the local government school? Did you notice there was a massive protest to save trees on Jayamahal road and a thousand people got on the streets? Did you know local residents were filing RTIs,…

We often wonder what happens to the Rs 750 crores of rupees spent by the corporation every year just for garbage management. We wonder why the potholes appear so quickly and the storm water drains became garbage canals while the annual city budget is upwards of Rs9000 crores. We often see big announcements of projects that will make a remarkable improvement to our city, the garbage situation and some amazing technology to 'quick fix' the potholes etc etc. but most of these do not seem to translate to the city we experience every day. Our city government, aka Corporation,  BBMP,…

The problems of caring for oneself in one's old age are not just limited to finding a good old age home and settling in there. Senior living is probably the most pleasant part of one's "golden" years; when one is in good health, when one can afford to invest in a senior home or facility, and can still manage one's finances. With old age, however, comes illness which is often chronic. When repeated illness strikes, one may need geriatric nursing care. When physical illness escalates, or when mental illness supervenes, one may reach a point when one can no longer…