citizen initiatives

“They were numbers first. Numbers then changed to names. And names changed to people we loved”. The second wave of COVID-19 has hit us hard as many of us have lost loved ones as we struggle to contain the effects of the virus. It is also the worst kind of déjà vu from last year. While some of us will be able to stay home, a vast majority around us are struggling with little or no access to healthcare, shelter and food. Many have lost jobs.  Read more: BBMP budget: Is 336 cr enough to manage Covid, fix a broken…

Whitefield residents have beautified another spot formerly entrenched in garbage. The blackspot near the Whitefield outer circle, like many dirty spots in Bengaluru, had become a watering hole for rats and stray dogs and attractive to snakes. A glimpse of the recent spot fix in Bengaluru's Whitefield neighborhood. Pic: Kate Clark This particular 'spot-fix' was organised by Whitefield Rising, who have been conducting 'spot fixes' since 2013 after being inspired by the The Ugly Indian. ('Spot-fix' is a term coined by The Ugly Indian group for this process of beautifying dirty areas.) Over two weekends, dozens of volunteers gathered to…

As Bangaloreans, if there is one thing that we love talking about, it is our traffic problems and lack of good infrastructure. The problem has become so bad, that we the citizens of Bangalore took to the streets in protest via Whitefield Rising and ORR-Sarjapur Rising. The result? The authorities took notice — small step, yes, but it worked. It is about time that the authorities fix these problems and work with the citizens who have come forward to collaborate with them... This is an opportunity not to be missed. At the same time, it is up to us as…

For people like me who have made Bangalore their own ooru in the recent past, it is fascinating to discover that there were once more than 300 lakes that were engineered to connect with each other and serve as water sources for this beautiful city that stands at elevation of 2953 feet. Bangalore Lakes meeting: A glorious past and a promising future-Dr Ravi Ralph CEO, Lake Development Authority (LDA)-Mr Brijesh Kumar Chief Conservator of Forests, BBMP-Dr Ashwin Mahesh, One Bengaluru, Loksatta; Urban Expert-Shri N.S. Mukunda Citizen Action Forum; Abhyudaya-Success stories and lessons learned - group discussion-Sharing best practices10AM to 1PM,…

Earlier this month (June 5th-7th), a group of NGOs and activists gathered at New York to add inputs on what citizens want, in terms of “progress” and “development”. These inputs will be fed into the UN summit to be held in September 2010 (normally, in such international summits, only VIP voices are heard, not those of  activists-on-the-ground).In fact, this global consultation was strictly for activists’ groups and whoever wanted to add inputs was welcome, there were no small or big voices. Those organisations that could not make it to New York could still send their inputs and suggestions, through a…