CITIZEN JOURNALISM

Our preferred imagination of an urban lake is mostly blue water with a well-maintained walking track all along, some trees on the periphery and some birds on them. That imagination is of course broken when the lake stinks, froths, has plastic strewn around. And when we see overgrown typha reeds in the lake, floating hyacinth and alligator weed, when the lake turns from blue to green, that imagination is broken. And then we want to rejuvenate the lake and turn it blue again. Lower Ambalipura lake / wetland If we were to step back and think why is it that…

Dear Parties contesting in the Karnataka State Elections, Have you considered including Fire Safety in your election manifesto for the forthcoming election? If not, we urge you to do so. And here is why. There have been a spate of fire accidents in our country these past couple of months - be it at a liquor shop in Bengaluru or a hotel in Mumbai, or some other building in another city, town or village. In fact, as per NCRB 2015 data pertaining to Karnataka:  1244 died in fire accidents in 1 year  Of these, 781 were women and…

In the hope that online procedures in the Regional Transport Offices (RTO) had improved and gave the user a smooth experience,  I tried to file an application for the renewal of my driving licence online through the ‘Parivahan’ portal, a few days ago. I was unable to complete the process and I received a message asking me to contact the local RTO office. I went to the RTO Chennai (North) early on the morning of Jan 29th to file the manual application Form 9 along with Form 7 as well as Form 1a and a medical certificate, duly completed along…

The Revised Master Plan 2031 of Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) which reflects the BDA’s vision of the growth of Bangalore over the next 15 years was open for public comments recently. At the outset, when one examines the overall ELU (Existing Land Use) and PLU (Proposed Land Use), there doesn’t seem to be any errors. The errors become evident when one examines the LU (Land Use) classification for each of the 42 PDs (Proposed District). First, the ELU areas of PDs does not add up to the total ELU mentioned for Industry, Unclassified, Transport, Vacant and Agriculture Land Uses. The…

Walking along the beach for nearly 8 km and looking for nests of turtles, dead in the middle of the night, can be both fascinating and tiring. Watching an olive ridley turtle coming to shore to nest, a process that is older than dinosaurs, can be exhilarating. If not, the waves, the sand and the conversations around the environment we live in amongst people from different backgrounds can be rewarding. The fluorescent glow of the increasingly rare Noctilucas, a bioluminescent organism, adds to the beauty of the ‘turtle walk’. However, turtle conservation is not as easy as it sounds. It also…

As Delhi choked on toxic smog in November 2017, the Koramangala 1st Block Resident Welfare Association thought it apt to discuss the feasibility of Waste to Energy (WTE) for Bengaluru. In her opening remark, Padmashree Balaram, the President of the RWA, said: “We should not be governed in the hands of misinformation. We should also be smart enough to realise that information is not wisdom. Every topic, however controversial must be discussed with a scientific temper”. The timing, however for such a discussion could not have been more appropriate. Bengaluru has managed to instill a certain discipline in its operations,…

Over the last three decades, the lakes in Bengaluru have been ruined. Several reports list the causes and remedies, and orders were issued by the Karnataka High Court, Lokayukta Court and National Green Tribunal. But no significant action was ever taken, and the situation has only worsened. On 22nd January, citizen groups in Bellandur catchment area met Bengaluru In-charge Minister K J George, to press for time-bound and fast-track implementation of the Expert Committee Report. This was the first round, and does not address all action-points identified in the Expert Committee Report: The remaining points will be taken up in…

It was a hectic but delightful weekend at the Puttenahalli Lake in J.P. Nagar 7th Phase. On Saturday, 20th January,  S.K. Srinivas led a group of 12 participants through the intricacies of photography. It included a class in the Gazebo which we had darkened with curtains to facilitate better viewing of his presentation. Participants asked questions, cleared doubts, showed the pictures they had clicked, etc. Time flew and the scheduled two hours extended to three and more. Everyone welcomed his ideas of a day-long photo walk and forming a group so that their learning could continue. Meanwhile, we received email…

An artist friend insisted that I visit Lalbagh to check out his buddies sculpting dead trees at Lalbagh. I was intrigued and strangely had not heard about this from any other source. Also the customary visit to the flower show was pending, a ritual that cant be missed twice a year,  I headed off to Lalbagh this afternoon. As we approached the glass house on either side we spotted logs of wood taking different shapes and forms – Buddha, Ganesha, crocodile, a peacock  to name a few. Perched on a scaffolding was well-known Bangalore artist John Devraj working with an…

Bengaluru bleeds from a million unkind cuts. Any long term resident feels the steady erosion of their city, an unsightly metamorphosis that is not planned, owned or desired. Heritage is one such. We tend to close our eyes in pain at what’s gone in our city, and try to continue keeping them squeezed shut, at the possibility of the heritage that is further going, as we speak. Ugly plastic protective sheets hang where the remnants of our identity and city heritage used to be.  So what do we do? Is now too late already? Or shall we seize the moment,…