Blogs

Since the beginning of May, my life has taken a turn. Late evenings which would have been typically spent as a sloth, are now reserved for exercising at Namma Crossfit. To call it addictive is an understatement. It also helps that I go with a bunch of my closest friends, each of us in varying degrees of fitness; it really is super-fun. The days that I don’t go, I feel miserable. There have been times where I have worked out at home and have had to mop the floor soon after, to ensure I don’t slip on my sweat. For…

Bellandur Buzz…Issue # 17August 28th 2014 Shared fortnightly by: bellandur-forum@googlegroups.com   Can we celebrate an eco-friendly Ganesha Festival? Photo Courtesy: Saahas. Every year, during Vinayaka Chaturthi, a huge number of Ganesha idols are immersed in Bangalore lakes. Most of these idols are made of Plaster of Paris, colored with toxic paints and adorned with thermocol and plastic, none of which are bio-degradable. These toxic chemicals leach into the lake eco-system polluting the waterbodies. Instead, one could use clay Ganesha idols and decorate them with homemade colours and flowers and leaves. Photo Courtesy: TMAD selling clay idols.   TMAD (To Make…

Missing: 95-year-old Shankar Prasad Mishra. My friend Preeti Mishra's 95-year-old grandfather,  whom she lovingly calls Nanu, is missing. He went missing from Babusapalya in Kalyanagar on August 25. Nanu or Shankar Prasad Mishra, is much more than a grandparent for Preeti. He is a fellow foodie, and her companion-in-fun. He is also her rock, her safe place. Preeti is an ardent Bangalorean, blogger and writer. I can only imagine what she and her family are going through right now. No, actually I can empathise, because it has happened to me too--when my father went missing three years ago. The worst…

My Bhumi, a Bangalore-based NGO, in conjunction with the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) is working to promote an eco-friendly Ganesh Chaturthi celebration this year. Supported by Friends of Lakes, RR Nagar Cares, One Bangalore Lakes and other groups and individuals, the focus is to reach out to children through their schools, and educate them about the connection between eco-friendly Ganesha idols and lakes in Bangalore.    Children are being encouraged to get their parents to buy unpainted clay idols. If the brown idols cost more than the colourful ones they are used to, then they can go in for…

If you ask people about their local RWA or apartment association, they'll tell you a lot of uncharitable things. Words like 'bickering,' 'clueless,' 'no communication' etc. will dominate the response. And if you stop to think about it, you'll realise that there are a lot of parallels between this and how they think about politics and governance of the country itself. What's going on? First, solving public problems isn't the responsibility of a few people. For legal and practical reasons we have formed these things - RWAs, industry associations, religious trusts, ward committees, city councils, state legislatures, parliament - but…

Some autos charge extra for each ride, while there are a few of them who go by the meter. Pic: Christopher Martin Lopaze Their rounded, carapace-like forms, yellow hoods, and green or black bodies are familiar to anyone living in Bengaluru, as the road is usually congested with them. Yes, we are talking about autos in Bengaluru. Would it surprise you to learn there are more than 1,30,000 legally registered autorickshaws in Bangalore? Those figures, of course, do not account for the autorickshaws that operate illegally without a license. Most put the “rick” into “rickety.” They also happen to be…

Graphite India, present in Whitefield, processes graphite daily in huge quantities which releases a large amount of fine graphite soot into the atmosphere. This is fine enough for it to not be very visible, yet is breathed by, not just the Graphite India employees, but, all the daily commuters, residents and businesses around the vicinity of Graphite India. And with ITPL and other business parks in the area, daily commuters are ever increasing (with the current numbers close to almost 1.2 Lakhs per day using the road in front of Graphite India). All these citizens are exposed to this soot.…

Our Puttenahalli lake never ceases to surprise and delight us. Usually it is a new bird that we spot in the water or flying around, doing a recce. The water level rising gives us another high. Trees shooting up, especially during the rainy season. A new flower, butterfly, dragonfly, an insect never seen before, a snake crossing the path.... the list goes on but this is about the Water Lily.   We'd planted pink water lilies at various places in the lake late last year and watched with delight when they caught on and started flowering. Our ecstasy turned to agony…

Sri H Gopalakrishna is a long time resident of BEL Layout, Vidyaranyapura (earlier called Narasipura). This story, by him, in its original form, appeared on the Facebook page Vidyaranyapura - The Original. It is been edited and reproduced with his permission.   This is a continuation of Part 1 - Heaven, that can be read here. We used to get piped water through bore wells which had links to overhead tanks around the area. The responsibility of the water supply and collection of water charges was handled by BEL Residents Welfare Association (BELRWA). A while after the cleaning plant became operational,…

How do we build a society? The routine passage of time, and politics, makes us think that the primary post-independence goal should be to build the country. Yes and no. The nation provides a rallying point for 'us' to think about where 'we' want to be. But underlying that intent, there has to be an idea of what kind of society we want to build. Ultimately, the country's prospects will depend almost entirely on that. This is a daily, continuous question. Hoisting flags on Independence Day should ideally be a kind of milestone in that passage, not a continuous promise…