Blogs

The nice thing about having teens, is that you get to meet a lot of exciting young people - many of whom are musically gifted. I hope to bring you stories of these young musicians who are chasing their dreams and in many ways paving a new path for themselves & others. In this column, we'll meet one classical musician who juggles a full time career with her music and a disc jockey (DJ) who's building a career out of his passion. Priyanka Prakash is a popular singer in the Carnatic music circuit.  Music has been an integral part of…

Do you enjoy making motion pictures? Here is a chance to get rewarded for it too. The International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance (IRHA) is happy to launch its annual competition The Raindrops Geneva Award 2015. The Raindrops Geneva Award is a worldwide art competition by IRHA since 2007, to increase global awareness of rainwater harvesting. Held every other year, the competition chooses a different art form each time, such as posters, photos, videos. This year IRHA invites artists for submissions for “The Best Video on the Advantages of Rainwater Harvesting: Raindrops Geneva Award 2015”. Entries should be based on one of three different themes and the best artistic works,…

Message from MAPSAS trustee, Priya Ramasubban Kaikondarahalli Lake stands today as a shining example of lake restoration in Bangalore. It started back in 2008 with local citizens and the custodian government body, BBMP, working closely to rejuvenate the lake in an environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive way. Once restored, the BBMP encouraged active citizens to take up day-to-day maintenance, which resulted in the formation of Mahadevpura Parisara Samrakshane Mattu Abhivrudhi Samiti(MAPSAS), a non-profit trust which started off with maintaining 2 lakes, KK Halli and Lower Ambalipura (which was also restored around the same time). Today, MAPSAS has been entrusted by…

Residents in the Puttenahalli Lake vicinity beware!  One of the residents of the neighbourhood had a horrifying experience, as explained in this email message, received from a credible source. "One of our residents, on her way back after dropping off her children's lunch boxes at the Brigade School at around 12 noon, was offered some puliyogare as "prasad" by a decently dressed woman. She immediately ate it and walked back towards her flat at Brigade Millennium. When she got close to the Woodrose Club, she started feeling woozy, as if she had no control over her limbs, etc. She happened…

I have enjoyed my transition back to Bengaluru, the city I carry very close to my heart. As I start meeting people and understanding local surgery referral patterns, the irregularities are glaring. I have been blatantly asked by doctors how much I would be willing to pay the referring doctor for a patient. Take for example a patient who is referred for an advanced procedure that costs 10 lakhs. The referring doctor in Bengaluru asks for a percentage, commonly referred to as a "cut". In plain words, a bribe. This is completely unethical and against the standards that doctors agree…

When a movie song becomes a hit with the audience it's a recognition of the singer and the composer's talent. One of the most prolific music composers for south Indian movies M.S.Viswanathan passed away today.  He had composed more than 750 film songs in different languages. He was given the sobriquet Mellisai Mannar (Tamil - king of light music). His songs would carry a range of emotions whether it was the nostalgic Atho Antha Paravai from the Tamil movie Aayarathil Oruvan or the exuberient Inimai Niraintha Ulagam from the Tamil movie Ninaithale Inikkum.   the    He composed a few songs…

A brief summary of some news you might have missed out in the last few days. Applications for jobs, awards and other important stuff that happened in the capital city! Clear 50% or no salary increments BBMP Administrator Vijayabhaskar held a meeting of principals of all government schools and college in BBMP limits on July 6th 2015. He asked them to improve the pass percentage in the schools and colleges, by marking the low-scoring students and giving extra attention to them. If the trend of scoring below 50% continues, the administrator warned that the salary increments of the principals will…

I am keying in these words while commuting to office in a bus. As is the norm with most buses, the big vehicle stopped ahead of the shelter at Whitefield’s oldest stop, impeding movement at the T-junction, and causing hardship to waiting passengers. As it is, with the raised platform razed during the recent repair works, pedestrians find it tough to cross the busy street. Dozens of photos and emails, meetings and training sessions later, there is no visible change: BMTC personnel refuse to fall in line. Of buses and fares With a monthly bus pass in pocket, I am…

I was standing in awe of a temple carved out of stone, the colour of a sunset in a place in North Karnataka, when my travelling companion approached me. She’d been speaking with the man who gives tickets. “He said it’s Rs 10 each, but Rs 100 for foreigners.” Differential pricing for Indian and foreigners. Pic: Holly Thorpe I grinned. Clever joke, ticket-taker. But when I approached the ticketing window, a cheerful blue sign confirmed the sentiment: “Foreigners: Rs 100.” Grin successfully wiped from my face, I was a little taken aback. Was it really going to cost me ten…

How do I slim thee? Let me count the ways... A while ago, I was getting my then-five-year-old ready for school. It was one of those beautiful and bracingly chill Bengaluru mornings where all you want to do is curl up with a mug of filter coffee sweetened with bella. Alas, the little fellow had school. I wanted him to wear a warm coat. He vetoed the one I laid out and instead, insisted he wanted a thin windcheater.  “The warmer coat will keep you nice and snug,” I pointed out. “No, I look fat in it,” he responded, matter…