CITIZEN JOURNALISM

Bengaluru has numerous parks and lakes, where we all love to walk and run. However, the city lacks proper walking, cycling, and running infrastructure. Daily walking for errands is nearly impossible due to broken sidewalks, exposed wires, and construction debris everywhere. Attempting to use a bicycle or run on the roads puts one at risk from heavy vehicles, cars, and other traffic.  Sheela Sahi, a commuter, on her way to work on her cycle. Pic: Sheela Sahi Climate change and oft-repeated solutions While the weather has traditionally been good, in recent years, due to climate change, it has been worsening.…

Amidst the chaos and controversy that has rocked the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, six bills were passed without any discussion. One such Bill was the Government Parks (Preservation) Amendment Bill, 2024, passed to “ease” the implementation of the ropeway project at Nandi Hills.  What the Bill mentions Amendment of section 5: In the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975 (Karnataka Act 23 of 1975) in section 5, after clause (f), the following shall be inserted namely:-  "(g) two acres of land in survey no.3 at Nandi Hills for the purpose of Upper Terminal Point (UTP) under Nandi Hills Ropeway Project on…

Chennai is known for its love of sport and the city has produced many greats in cricket and tennis. But, we often forget the connection that North Chennai and areas like Vyasarpadi have to football, hockey and boxing.  There are many sporting legends from Vada Chennai, who have gone on to represent the country in the international arena. For many individuals in the area, their athletic skills provided opportunities for education and a better quality of life. Many athletes have secured jobs in various government departments and the Railways due to their involvement in sports. But of late, the sports…

“Police are asking us to give a list of foreigners in our block. Did you all get a similar question? I find it strange and uncomfortable. They went to one of our resident's houses, who are Australians, and asked them to share their Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) details to a Whatsapp number. This includes Indians with foreign passports. Please let me know how you are tackling this issue." — This was a message posted by an RWA member on the Koramangala group last week. The reason behind the police asking for OCI details can be traced to an unfortunate incident…

The only sense that I could make of the oppressive heat in Mumbai this year, was that maybe the Earth was running a fever. What would you do if someone in your family had a fever? But of course, heatwaves are not the same, they’re in fact, much worse. Science based evidence foresees many more extreme weather events (EWE) like heatwaves. EWEs are triggered by climate change which has been brought on by anthropogenic activities such as deforestation, overconsumption and pollution.  The heatwave that scorched through different parts of India this year was recorded as having some of the worst…

Water shortages in the Vyasarpadi neighbourhood of North Chennai have been a persistent issue. Most of the housing board settlements lack piped water connections. Residents must collect water from communal taps in the locality or from water tankers that periodically visit. Typically, it is the women who bear the responsibility of transporting the water to their homes. They are forced to carry many loads of water up many flights of stairs, sometimes having to carry it up to the 13th floor of their buildings. Read more: Chennai’s water woes worsen as reservoirs dry up and groundwater levels decline This strenuous…

Part 1 in this two-part series explored what inspired me to start gardening on my rooftop and my journey from being a consumer to becoming an avid terrace gardener. It also covered the basics for getting started with gardening. In Part 2, I will outline a detailed guide about Square Foot Gardening. The method Square Foot Gardening is a method where you divide your growing space into blocks of 1 square feet  Divide your space: In square foot gardening, you divide your growing space into 1-square-foot blocks. Each block is dedicated to a specific crop Plant density: Depending on the…

(This article is part 1 of a two part series) I was in Rajasthan when I first started gardening. It was with Shankar Singh—co-founder of the rights- based organisation Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS)—that I started my gardening journey. It was in October 2019, before the onset of winter, that we decided we needed a kitchen garden and what better thing to grow than green peas. We set out to dig the soil to a foot and a half, remove the stones and sieve it, mix in some vermicompost and hybrid seeds that we got from the nearest seed retailer.…

Over nine months, we at Walking Project in Mumbai hosted 25 community walks across various neighbourhoods in the city. In groups of 10–15 people, walking across different neighbourhoods, we discussed walkability, educated citizens about the guidelines which dictate the design of walking spaces nationwide, and advocated for urban planning that prioritises walking, among other topics. One of the key highlights of this initiative was the ranking system we developed for the routes we walked. During each walk, we asked participants to rate their route based on specific walkability criteria. This allowed us to create a ranking of the best and…

Anita Devi lives in Nand Nagri, a densely populated area in north east Delhi, conspicuous by its narrow lanes, lack of open spaces and congested atmosphere. About 20 odd kilometres further north stands the huge Bhalswa landfill, where Shaira Bano earns her living as a waste picker, the ‘koode ka pahad’ (mountain of trash) looming large and leaving an imprint on her daily life, as on the lives of so many other women. Anita and Shaira — two women, separated by the distinct urban landscapes they inhabit and the circumstances of their lives, but nevertheless united by one thing: bearing…