Blogs

For the past three occasions that I have arrived at Bengaluru International Airport at 1 am, I have had a major problem, because the Vayu Vajra bus services now start only at 4 am, and the earler services have been withdrawn. Earlier, the withdrawal was not even showing up on the BMTC Vayu Vajra website, but now, here is the updated schedule for the bus that I take (which actually stops at my front gate on the way to the KuVemPu, or BTM Layout, Bus Terminal). BIAS-12: Kuvempunagara Btm Layout - Bangalore International Airport / Bengaluru International Airport  Departure from Kuvempunagara…

  Women of the Tigala community looking their best during the Karaga festival at the Dharmarayaswamy Temple. The Tigalas, also referred to as Vanhikula Kshatriyas, are by tradition, gardeners and flower traders whose contribution in nurturing many of the city’s parks including Lalbagh is widely acknowledged. They believe that are the descendants of Veerakumaras –‘hero-sons’, a warrior clan that the mythological princess Draupadi put together to fight the demon Timarasura. A section of the Pete (old Bangalore) area is called Tigalarapete, recognising the predominance of the community in the region. They celebrate what is arguably Bengaluru’s biggest and most well-known…

World music - as it's been termed has continued to gain popularity. The term today encompasses, practically anything that's not of Western European or North American origin. Whether Ravi Shankar in the sixties, Sting's flirtations with Moroccan music in the 70s through Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Yanni in the 80s and 90s, an endless stream of regional or world music has gained a global audience. My own exposure to world music began with Gregorian Chants, in many ways reminiscent of my childhood experience of vedic chanting and grew thanks to my husband's interest in Qawwali. I have been exploring how…

At my local park, I sometimes see two young women (sisters, I assume), taking their elderly grandfather for a walk. The gentleman is very unsteady on his feet so the two women have to grip his arms to support him. Also, he cannot walk fast, so this little group's progress is very slow. But I've never seen or heard the two young women complain. Instead, they go silently round and round the park, patiently leading their grandfather. And after about half an hour or so of this, the three of them head out of the park and make their way…

The Allalasandra Lake in Yelahanka is in its full glory after its revival over the last 11 months.     On 5th November, the lake was formally inaugurated by Mr Ramalinga Reddy, the Bangalore District incharge Minister & Transport Minister, along with Ms Shantakumari, Mayor of Bangalore City and Yelahanka MLA, Mr SR Vishwanath. Corporators of Yelahanka constituency, BBMP Additional Commissioner Mr Virupaksha Mysore along with BBMP, BWSSB and Police department officials, graced the occasion. Dr Tayappa, President-YUVA and Mr CN Chandru, Vice-President-YUVA welcomed the guests and proposed the vote of thanks respectively.  Lighting the lamp   The various dignataries who went around…

Bellandur Buzz Issue #22 Date: 7th November 2014 This fornightly newsletter is published by the citizen group bellandur-forum@googlegroups.com   Green Diwali celebrations In SJR Verity, an apartment complex on Kasavanahalli road, it all started with the idea of encouraging people to say “NO” to crackers this Diwali. This would have been enough if the residents had believed that the atmosphere is the only thing that makes our environment; however, they believed that our environment included everyone who is impacted by crackers- from the people who buy the crackers, to those that fall sick because of them, to the firecracker retailers.…

Author: Sieta Van Horck Bengaluru is full of such trash dumps, though the scenario might change for better in future. Pic:Sandro Miccoli Scenarios such as the picture above are, unfortunately, not uncommon for a person who is taking a stroll through the roads in Bengaluru. This made us wonder—what is happening to the garbage we throw every day? And how is garbage managed in Bengaluru? As you can see in the picture above, currently the system is neither environment friendly nor sustainable. Therefore, we decided that we will focus our project around waste management in Bangalore. This five-month project is…

I was sitting in the balcony and gazing at a copper pod tree on a Sunday afternoon. A tailor bird was busy collecting nesting material. Some butterflies fluttered around  looking for nectar. The resident squirrel came by to nibble a few grains from my balcony. The squirrel kept a watch on me, each time I moved, it went and hid itself behind the pots. Though these are routine sightings, they keep me entertained and refresh me when I need a break from the countless chores at home. Yes, I do get pleasant surprises too when something very different happens in…

Raja Bandi writes: A couple of my friends went birding at Hebbal lake on 21st October 2014 at around 6.30 am. There were people around jogging and walking etc. While birding, a guy turned up with a broken bottle and a wooden stick and demanded money. He emptied their wallets and then started checking their belongings. They were carrying dslr camera and binoculars. Luckily, one of them took the courage to turn against the mugger and grabbed the stick off him. In the process the mugger fell down. After taking a couple of hits to his shoulder the mugger then…

It all started with an idea to celebrate Deepavali by saying NO to crackers. Noble enough? Perhaps, if you think that the atmosphere is the only thing which makes up the environment. However, the environment as a whole, includes all impacted, from the people who buy crackers to the ones who burst them, from the ones who fall sick because of them, to the cracker sellers as well. So when you are hit by a noble idea one fine morning to save the environment, you also need to think about the families who could be impacted. So instead of spending…