Blogs

Taking Stock So much has been done. Over the coming days, we will share a series of newsletters focused on a topic or two at a time so we don't overwhelm you in one annual review :). In summary however, its been a year of phenomenal citizen engagement. It is only when we pause a moment and look back can we see how far we have come. All this work however, brings us only to Base Camp. The climb will begin now and we are ready for it. Stay current with all the happennings via our blogposts at www.whitefieldrising.org as…

If you wondered why there was no special write up from Citizen Matters for the new year, here’s our excuse. Well, we did have a spectacular plan, however all the folks who needed to be on the same page as us, didn’t really come onboard. So this was our plan - to talk to key people involved in city administration and get them to look back on the past year and share with us their wish list for 2015. This turned out to be much more challenging than we thought. We had identified around ten eminent personalities and began a…

Come Saturday and Kaikondarahalli Lake in Harlur will witness the first Kere Habba event on its two-kilo metres long trail. Kere Habba is an innovative initiative by Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF) to bring public to the lake side and create an awareness to protect and preserve dwindling lakes of Bengaluru. The day-long programme organised by NBF in association with MAPSAS and United Way, Bengaluru, intends to host a bunch of community events which is open for all. In the first of its series, Kere Habba at Kaikondarahalli Lake will feature a whole lot of events such as informative green workshops,…

Soil and Soul brings to you a unique workshop on water that will cover two different challenges we are facing globally: - Understand the natural water cycle and its interconnectedness with our food - Various steps to inculcate as our lifestyle and to contribute back to earth's regeneration cycle - Entire water healing & dynamisation process  based on our experiential learning - Various practical methods to implement in water conservation - Screening of a Film - Explore sustainable lifestyle choices we have in our lives - DIY - Making your own Natural Alternatives for Mr. Muscle, Harpic, Fabic Conditioner, Vessel…

The recent tragic story of a three-year-old’s death after receiving dental care under local anesthesia in Bengaluru is heart-breaking. I am a surgeon who treats patients and performs procedures everyday. I am also a father of a three-year-old and an eight-month-old. The aftermath of the incident would have been unpleasant for the doctor and the family. I am sure this incident sent shivers down every patient that walked into a healthcare facility. I have received and delivered health care in India and in the United States. Where is it safer? What does quality mean? What does informed consent mean? How…

It's good to see the excellent road name signposts that have come up in J P Nagar 3rd Phase. Even more impressive to see the names of the Corporators and their contact numbers on the signs. This is a very welcome initiative!

I find it interesting to watch a translation of a play; watching "Maryade Prashne", a translation, by Surendranath, of "Respect", a play in German by Lutz Huebner was an experience on several levels. In the foyer. Pic: Deepa Mohan I was curious to know how a play set in Germany would fit into the present-day milieu, and I was pleasantly surprised to see it melding in so perfectly. It sent out the first message of the play to me...that human equations, and power plays are common to humanity and not restricted to one culture or one nation. The play started…

Centralised numbers released by Indian Railways for citizens' convenience       9760534983 : TTI, Reservation & Meals 9760500000 : cleaning 9760534057 : problem in coach 9760534060 : electricity problems 9920142151 : enquiry problems 9760534063 : RPF & Security 9760534069 : drinking water arrangement 9760534073 : medical   Please use these numbers and give the feedback on how useful you found them during/before/after your journey.   Clarification from my friend: "This was a news item  in India rail info.com site which normally is authentic. However after I managed to contact two of the 9760 series numbers I unearthed the real problem. Apparently it is the set of numbers of Moradabad division…

I took this picture from the top of Nandi Hill. Well, OK, technically, it's not Bangalore...yet. But remember the times when Whitefield, Sarjapura and Yelahanka were not Bangalore, either? The point I want to make is that a new layout has been created...and for all those homes, there is just one young tree, and perhaps some very small plants that one can see. What happened to our culture of planting trees on every road, so that we had shady avenues instead of bare streets? Why do we now have those in authority claiming that "Trees belong only in parks"? I…

It's called "koley basava" in Karnataka, and in Tamil Nadu, it's called the "boom-boom mAdu"...boom-boom, probably because of the sound produced by the drum the man carries and rubs with a stick. He also usually plays a long wind instrument called the naagaswaram; you can see it covered, slung behind his left shoulder. This duo were "off duty" when I clicked them, so the drum and the nagaswaram were not in use. The man will bring it to the front gate and ask it leading questions like "Is this house resident going to be prosperous and happy?" and the animal…