Blogs

Clicked2Help presents “Spirit of India”, an exhibition of photographs showcasing various facets of a vibrant and colorful India at Venkatappa Art Gallery (VAG). The exhibition will be inaugurated on 13 th May, 2016 and will go on till 22 nd May, 2016. The members of TGIS ("Thank God It's Saturday, a city-based photographers' group), have come together for the fourth year running to conduct this exhibition. This group represents a wide spectrum of the society including students, IT professionals, businessmen, and entrepreneurs etc. The amateur and experienced members all join hands to conduct this exhibition every year for a noble cause.…

My maid was talking to me, and telling me about the water situation in her home.  "We pay Rs. 5 per pot or Rs. 15 for a 'can' of water (referring to the large container of water that we often invert into our dispensers). We get 3 per week," she said. Then she laughed and said, "For the same can, you flat people pay Rs. 50!" Water is now a commercial commodity everywhere, and the rates we pay seem to vary widely according to our economic status. The sad part is that one never knows whether this water is indeed…

This Mother's Day, remember the “mother of all battles” that happened in Bengaluru some weeks ago? No, it was not fought on a cricket pitch. Rather, it involved moms who were part of a common forum on Facebook--a group called Mums of Bangalore (MoB, the acronym, turned out to be prescient, in more ways than one). Moms fought with each other. Local moms took on “outsiders” (including the group-founder) for disrespecting the local language, and being disinclined to learn the language of the place they live/work in. There was slander, much shaming, and slurs hurled back and forth. And of course,…

The morning of April 23rd saw around 25 residents of Mahadevapura Zone coming together in support of the anti-plastic ban. Volunteers of Whitefield Rising visited dozens of shops on Borewell Road, creating awareness about plastic and Styrofoam menace. During the drive, BBMP officials seized disposable material from shops that were selling or using them despite the ban. "This was the fifth such drive in Hagadur (Ward 84) within a month. As part of this campaign, we educate traders about the banned items and available alternatives," said Vaibhav Jain, a Whitefield Rising volunteer. "Excessive use of plastic leads to land, water…

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. Henry Adams Sripadaraya (1422-1480) is believed to have laid the foundation of the Haridasa movement in Karnataka. He was a teacher of the Madhavacharya school of philosophy. He was the advisor to one of the kings of the Vijayayanagara empire, Saluva Narasimha. Sripadaraya expressed his lofty thoughts through his songs and poems using colloquial Kannada which resonated with the common man. In a harikatha performance of Haridasa compositions today, the invocation usually begins with a tribute to this saint. He used rangavittala as his nom de plume in his devarnamas. Here is…

Kaikondrahalli and Kasavanahalli lakes have been in the news for disturbing reasons lately - the rampant real estate developments in the valley zone that may lead to drying up of the downstream lakes and massive flooding in the next rainy season. There is an ongoing petition to raise awareness on this issue. However, it is business as usual at the government offices. Authorities seem to have been quietly sanctioning one project after another. While there is Shriram Chirping Woods project that has been sanctioned in the valley zone, there is also Bren Imperia that has partly been built on the valley…

The idea of the 'Everyday city' is based on the concept of Everyday Urbanism that was proposed in 1999 by Margaret Crawford & others, wherein the city is seen above all as a social product and which focuses on informal urban spaces. They point out that it is not what the planning initiates for the city but what the people seem to generate as an outcome of their everyday needs. How relevant is this in the context of the Indian city? And, how does it work for Bangalore & other cities? What is the Everyday city here? Is it ...…

Spurred by the recent tree cutting incident in the vicinity of the neighbourhood, a tree walk was organised on the morning of April 23rd by the BM Residents Welfare Association in Indira Nagar 1st Stage, to introduce the residents to the trees around their area. Many residents with their children were eagerly waiting for Raman Arunachalam, an avid tree watcher who was to lead the walk. A view of a lovely canopy. Pic: IChangeIndiranagar First, the brilliant red color flowers of the Gulmohar caught our attention, the Tabebuias digitate leaves and their different colors were discussed. As we moved along…

We are delighted to tell you that finally our Puttenahalli lake, (near MLR Convention Hall, J.P. Nagar) is showing, almost, its true glory! The alligator weed which had covered most of the entire expanse of the water has been removed thanks to funding received from Deloitte Shared Services India Private Limited.  27-Mar-2016 Before deweeding 18-Apr-2016 Their CSR support enabled us to hire Yellappa and his team of fishermen who began work from 3rd April and completed it on the 20th. They were an excellent group of workers who did not let anything deter them. Not the heat nor the water snakes…

Minstrels and troubadours were travelling musicians of the medieval age. Their songs and ballads reflected themes of love and chivalry. The performance was usually a single voice with a single instrument like the harp or lute. Later other instruments were heard accompanying the voice such as stringed instruments like the flute, fiddle and percussion instruments like the drums, bells, tambourine and cymbals. Here's a modern performance of how the music of the minstrels and troubadours might have sounded. The Bhakthi saints who made their appearance around the 7th century in India spread their message through music. Their songs were spiritual…