CITIZEN JOURNALISM

Yelahanka railway station. Pic: Sanjeev Dyamannavar During the now-concluded BMTC and KSRTC staff protest in Bengaluru and Karnataka, the South Western Railway came to the rescue of Railway passengers by providing stoppages for All Mail / Express Trains at Baiyyappanhalli,  Nayandahallai, Kengeri, Whitefield, Channasandra, Carmelaram in both directions. This basically helped railway commuters to get down or take trains at areas close to their residences of offices instead of struggling to reach Majestic or Yashwanthpur by private or hired vehicles, in the absence of BMTC buses. This goodwill gesture by the South Western Railway in such a short notice has…

One of the important tasks for the residents of a new apartment complex is preparation of comprehensive byelaws for the society, Apartment Owners Association (AOA) or an RWA. The initial ground work is generally done by a few volunteers who may or may not be conversant with the actual import of every word and expression. In many cases the byelaws of another society are copied without much deliberation since the main concern at that point of time is to get the Society registered as quickly as possible. It is quite natural and possible that some content if included may become…

Lessons I Learnt While Dealing with my Father’s Cancer Treatment Six months ago, my father was diagnosed with grade 3 squamous cell carcinoma - that’s the fancier name for oral cancer.  Since that day, life has not been the same for me and my family.  When they say there is life before cancer diagnosis and a life after, you better believe it. There are bunch of things I learnt, while my father was being treated for it – think of this as a ready-reckoner to take care of a cancer patient. I will pray to God that you won’t ever…

WOMEN’S SAFETY – A LONG WAY OFF? I was walking home from the grocery store in my neighbourhood of R.A Puram the other day, when the driver of a passing rickshaw stuck out his tongue and made an obscene gesture at me. I was stunned. For less than a second though, after which I started laughing, highly amused. I suppose I should have been offended. But it happens so often that I have learnt to ignore it and laugh at it, indirectly allowing it to persist, not just with me but with scores of other women in the city. I…

Of Dog Owners, Dog Lovers and Dog Poop – an ANGRY citizen I like dogs. I like people. I am a really nice person. Sweet tempered and non confrontational – This is a fact even if it sounds like I am boasting. But I have been pushed to say this - I don’t like people who like dogs but don’t like people. I wish they would live on another planet. You can make these “types” out from their actions. When you visit them, they will say, ”Timmy won't do anything to you, he will just come and smell you, lick…

In November 2015, Indirangar residents had taken to streets against the plans to convert a playground into a cricket pitch. Now there's a plan for the same ground to be converted into an indoor stadium. Indiranagar residents have come together to oppose this move, citing lack of open spaces. An open letter from I Change Indiranagar team says: The decline of per capita availability of open space in Bengaluru has reduced from around 8 sq m in 1972 to 2.82 sq m in 2003. The latest data now shows that this has further declined to around 1.9 sqm in 2015.…

We cannot imagine our lives without electricity, but it is a scarce resource. Needed not just for cooking, heating, cooling, lighting, and electronic appliances in our homes, it is also critical for transport, industry, commercial, institutional, recreational, medical and governmental activities. Electricity is the most expensive form of energy, but the cleanest and of highest quality. Given the resources to produce electricity are limited, saving the electricity through smart planning is essential for a better future. Why should we save electricity? Electricity is directly linked with the three dimensions of sustainability: Economic benefits: Electricity is produced in power plants which…

Bangalore In-charge Minister K J George, Jamshyd Godrej and others in Unlock Bengaluru conference. Pic courtesy: WRI India. Minister K J George, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Jamshyd Godrej, Madhav Pai, Aniruddha Dasgupta and V Ravichandar lead discourse at the Unlock Bengaluru (#UnlockBLR) conference in the city of Bengaluru on 9th July 2016. K J George, Minister for Bengaluru Development and Town Planning, outlined the government’s commitment to working with organizations like WRI India to develop a dialogue on sustainable development in the city. Highlighting some of the upcoming projects in Bengaluru, he said, “It is my great privilege to participate in Unlock Bengaluru…

This video captures a common everyday scene which every Bengalurean is now accustomed to seeing - the sight of broken pushcarts overflowing with household waste being pushed with difficulty, the sight of huge mounds of rotting garbage lying on the ground. The heartrending sight of workers bending over ankle-deep in rotten stinky waste and laboriously filling up a large compactor vehicle with small shovels and baskets manually, while the compactor system is meant to be filled up by a mechanical operation, directly from tippers to compactors. This is the pitiable state of our waste workers functioning in a broken system…

I have this thing for pavements. Actually, I have a thing for many things, but the current thing is pavements. Let me tell you, this was not something I took to in a rush. It took many months for me to get warmed up. You see, I walk back and forth between my home and my office. Walking on Indian roads needs complete alertness, and in that hyper-attentive state, I started noticing things. Don’t ask me why, but I latched on to pavements and before long, I was quite an expert on the matter. I don’t do things by half…