CITIZEN JOURNALISM

One of the very beautiful tiny insects that will often catch your attention is a needle-like creature that you see close to the edge of ponds and lakes, which seem to float magically in the air before settling, lightly, on a blade of grass. This slelnder, exquisite creature is the Damselfly. Damselflies, like Dragonflies, belong to the order Odonata, and are technically called Odonates. If you are interested in a more detailed name, they belong to the sub-order called Zygoptera. How does one distinguish between Dragonflies and Damselflies? The former have their wings open at right angles to their bodies…

Bengaluru's bruhath problem with sewage is notoriously well known, with pictures of foaming lakes and fish kills attracting global media attention. But what is less well known is the fact that this city has the highest number of apartment-scale sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the country. With over 2000 small-scale STPs housed in apartment complexes alone, along with an equally substantial number in commercial complexes, Bengaluru could well be called the 'city of STPs'. The primary driver of this ‘revolution’ of small-scale STPs in the city is the 2004 KSPCB order mandating all new residential complexes with more than 50…

Rotary Palmville in association with B.PAC launched ‘My Place of Pride’, an initiative to recognise eco-friendly communities on 26th of November 2016 at Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan, Race course road.  The unprecedented growth of Bengaluru city has led to complex urban problems. Our City has a vibrant civic society and its ability to voice concerns arising out of such growth is well known. Bengaluru is currently facing serious challenges in the areas of Solid Waste Management, Water, Energy sufficiency and fire safety. Various communities have responded to these challenges in a commendable manner through creating awareness, setting examples and placing pressure on the governmental institutions.  My Place of Pride is an initiative to acknowledge and appreciate such communities for their efforts and their ability to…

In the wake of the Indian government’s decision to demonetise currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 from the market, and ensuing restrictions on withdrawing money from banks, the common man has had to grapple with considerable liquidity challenges. More than three weeks since the announcement, those primarily using cash as trading currency are still facing a crunch. ATM queues, paucity of lower denomination notes, confusion over exchange and withdrawal policies linger. For a citizenry used to working with cash, this appears as an insurmountable hurdle. They are just at their wits’ end. The government, however, has been pitching…

Cycle Days are catching up fast in every locality in Bengaluru. The Open Streets concept that the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) has brought in through these Cycle Days has been one of the best things that has happened to the city in recent times. Yes, once upon a time when we were kids, the vehicular population in the city wasn't so dense. We were able to play kunta bille, jootaata and other games on the streets. However, today we are not even able to cross the roads without a traffic signal or police intervention.Vehicles rule the roads, and…

Nominations for the prestigious Namma Bengaluru Awards 2016, which honours and celebrates the efforts of those citizens who have been at the forefront of the fight for a better Bengaluru, is coming to a close on November 30, 2016. If an ordinary individual doing extraordinary work has touched your life, then NOW is the time to nominate them for the awards and allow their stories to inspire more such unsung heroes. Nominations can be made online through www.nammabengaluruawards.org OR you can duly fill the nomination forms available at Bangalore One Centers. For any queries contact us on 080-41102757/+91-9591985287 or email…

That plastic is at the root of our waste woes and in fact, of most environmental risks besieging the planet today is well-acknowledged. In Bengaluru, even before the official ban on plastic by the state government, alert neighbourhoods and citizen groups had started their own campaigns against the use of plastic. However much of the dialogue that one gets to hear is against the use of plastic 'carry-bags' that most people have grown used to. While these pose a menace indeed, are the ubiquitious plastic bags (polythene) the only form of plastic that ends up in our landfills? If we…

Those of you who visited Puttenahalli Lake within the past few months may have noticed small platforms floating in the water. These are Artificial Floating Islands (AFIs) which we "launched" in June this year. The Vetiver and Canna planted in them are growing beautifully. PNLIT trustee Nupur, her husband Pranshu Jain together with our gardener, Jayanna, are the builders of five AFIs. With volunteers from Deloitte making two last Friday we now have seven AFIs.  Artificial floating islands at Puttenahalli lake A coot's nest in one of the floating islands   Deloitte volunteers with the AFIs they made, 25-Nov-2016   Artificial Floating Island…

Whitefield Habba is an initiative to bring together people belonging to diverse backgrounds and residing in different parts of BBMP's Mahadevapura Zone. To be held at Whitefield's oldest spot - Inner Circle ground - the fest is 'by the people, of the people and for the people' of the locality. Organized by citizens' group Whitefield Rising on the occasion of Karnataka Rajyotsava, the six-hour event will celebrate the rich culture, craftsand cuisines of the state. As the attached poster mentions, a variety of stalls, skits, songs, dances and games promise to make it a memorable event for the entire family. It is an opportunity to experience traditional entertainment like Dollu Kunita, Mallakhamba and Gardua Gumbe, alongside music by our Anglo-Indian settlers and art by recent migrants to…

It was supposed to be a quick route to get to South Bengaluru from the western part of the city, which it was during the 90s, when the portion of Ring Road linking Bannerghatta Road to Mysore Road opened. I was pursuing my post-graduation at a business school in JP Nagar then and would manage to reach Banashankari and JP Nagar that were next to the same road, in just half an hour from Vijayanagar even in the early 2000s. However, things started going downhill around 2003. My rides got longer. I relocated to Hyderabad in 2004 and was relieved…