CBD

This signboard on Mahatma Gandhi Road, just before the Jewels de Paragon junction, shows Minsk square to be towards the left, whereas one actually needs to take a right turn!  ⊕

Like many other participants, I too would like to add my thanks to the people.....Madhukara, Srihari, Subbu,Swarna (that was in alphabetical order!) and all the others, starting from Sunjoy Monga and HSBC... to the judges who probably had an intense session....who've made the Bangalore Bird Race a very enjoyable event. We had a very tiring, but extremely delightful day...and I think perhaps it's the motivation to spot that extra species which makes us look harder and see more birds. Certainly I peer into the reeds and weeds and foliage with greater concentration on Bird Race days!Here's Subbu speaking at the…

Early last week, I heard of the consultation with children and other stakeholders to frame guidelines on play spaces in Bangalore's parks that BBMP had approached Kilikili to help develop. I was glad that this event included kids but expected adults to hog the limelight. So, it was a pleasant surprise to see that the latter, namely, Kavita Ratna and Roshni Nuggehalli from the Concerned for Working Children, Prarthana Unkalkar of iVolunteer Bengaluru, Usha Bala from the Association of People with Disability, Kavitha Krishnamoorthy and Kanika Mittal of Kilikili, Joy Srinivasan from Makkala Jagriti, Amrutha, a consultant for children with autistim and other…

During the October RTI clinic at Cubbon Park, I met Jacob P (name changed to protect identity), a private sector employee who participated in the September edition for the first time. After that, he has never missed a clinic and has been updating me on the status of his applications regularly. "The commitment and enthusiasm of some of the RTI activists I met during the clinic inspired me to use the Act in public interest. I have told one of my friends about what I saw and heard and hope to bring him along next time", said Jacob. In October…

Bhopal. Manipur. Karnataka. Chattisgarh. Orissa. Tamil Nadu. Ayodhya. West Bengal. Maharshtra... Gas leak victims, women, sex workers, adivasis, domestic workers, children, dalits, differently abled... Survivors. Marginalized. Minorities. Excluded. Students, social activists, writers, film makers, folk artists, volunteers and others from across India united with subjects of human rights violations nationwide. Through candlelight vigils, dialogues, films, street plays, photo exhibitions, rallies et al, Bengaluru's conscious citizens and inspired passersby showed that they stand with those whom many ignore! These pictures are from events organized between 28th November and 10th December, 2009 at various Bangalore venues. The latter date is the 61st…

   Watch the video  here </a> Write in your opinions and thoughts, please. ⊕

As soon as I read that Bangalore was hosting the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation's (IWAS) biennial event, I decided that I would definitely see these remarkable people whom I have viewed a bit on the telly. Although I attended only the colourful and slightly chaotic opening ceremony and also witnessed some of the confusion prevalent among the organizers, I felt enriched and elated! When I asked Mr. David Premnath, the event's Technical Director about the motivation behind bringing the games to India he promptly replied, "We wanted to create awareness about these games, here." However, despite the occasion's specialty,…

   At DSF's R.T. Nagar centre As evident in the pictures, some kids from low income families and those connected with them through Dream School Foundation (DSF) celebrated on November 14, this year. (Actually, since I began voluntarily tutoring teenagers, I've been enjoying the day more than I did as a child!)                                                       A graceful Ranjita             DSF co-founder Maitreyee and volunteer Desingh with the day's best science team!     According to some government school students, their institutions are observing Children's Day only today. Everyone hopes that they did, as…

Having missed the Right to Information (RTI) clinic in September, I was determined to participate in this edition. Despite the minimal participation, Bangalore's famous and seasoned RTI activists (and retired government employees) like Veeresh Bellur and Vikram Simha from Mahiti Hakku Adhyan Kendra (MHAK) and Anand S of Anti-Corruption Forum (ACF) continue to inspire us with their knowledge and enthusiasm. And, this may be impossible without the committed efforts of Bangalore based civil society organizations (CSO's) like South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM), Urban Research Centre (URC), Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR), OpenSpace and others…

I expected muddy water, unclean tanks and an unkempt environment. But a recent visit to the Government Aquarium on Kasturba Road, proved me wrong. Even though the Aquarium could do with a few more features, possibly to attract marine enthusiasts, I was pleasantly surprised. Especially after my last visit, many many years ago. The Government Aquarium is located on Kasturba Road in the Cubbon Park premises A variety of fishes can be found here, spread across two floors. This one though, had a blank name board 'Feather Back' - For the most time, it seemed to remain towards the bottom…