CITIZEN JOURNALISM

A fortnight back I had to go to M G Road in Bengaluru for some urgent work in the middle of a week day. As anyone living in the Whitefield suburbs will testify, it can take anywhere between one to two hours to do so, maybe even more! However this is not a rant about the situation of our roads or traffic. I decided to shorten my commute time by taking the Metro from Baiyappanahalli Metro station to M G Road. Upon arriving at the Baiyappanahalli Metro station, much to my horror I found that all the parking slots were…

I answered the doorbell a few weeks ago to a blue inland letter. Selvaraj thatha, the resident guardian of my building smiled gummily at my furrowed brow as he handed it over. Late night online impulse purchases ensure a steady stream of parcels that thatha receives on my behalf, but an inland letter was a novelty and he was curious to know what had occasioned it. I gingerly eased open the letter and found that it was from my library. Among other things, the letter said that the good folks at Eloor library, Bangalore were looking forward to seeing me…

Now an annual fest at namma Turahalli forest, Turahalli Day was celebrated on December 6th 2015. The day began by around 6.30 am with people gathering under the banyan tree. Ganeshram and Anurag, who were there to go on a plant walk, were already in a ‘taxonomic’ discussion with Ravee. A few others joined them and off they went on a green path. Here's the highlight of the plant walk, in Ganeshram's words: "One of the topics that was underlying the whole walk was the importance of forests and native flora and how it affects us. The other was how knowledge…

In July 2005, when 900 mm of monsoonal rains hammered Mumbai for a 24-hour period and wreaked havoc on the city’s infrastructure and housing, political leaders in Karnataka reassured us that Bengaluru was immune to flooding given its inland location some 3,000 ft above sea-level on the Deccan Plateau. Those assurances proved foolhardy. In October that year, over half of Bengaluru’s road network was inundated and thousands of homes and commercial establishments damaged following four days of unusually strong monsoonal rainfall. Floods in Bengaluru during October 2005, in Bommanahalli area. Pic: Champaka Rajagopal Ten years later, Chennai continues to reel…

Kasa - Rasa center. Pic: Pinky Chandran "There was a time when I didn't have enough food to eat. Now I am so busy that I don't have enough time for food," says Krishna, once a waste picker, now runs  Domlur Dry Waste Collection Center Ward no 112, and employs six people. Krishna is one of the many informal waste sector workers that run the Dry Waste Collection Centers (DWCC) in Bengaluru. DWCCs were set up following a Lok Adalat’s intervention directing the Municipality to set up these centers to enable ward level recycling in 2010. The Karnataka High Court…

For the first time in Bengaluru, the Walk to School (W2S) program was conducted successfully in Sanjaynagar. 1,500 children from six schools participated in the program by walking to school from their homes on Saturday November 5th. Those living further away and typically travelling by bus or other vehicles, were dropped off at common points a few kilometres away, and walked to school in groups. Pic: Manju George It was surprising to see that instead of complaining that they had to wake up early and walk to school on a cold morning, the children were excited and happy to walk.…

Enfold, as part of its annual events around observing World Day Against Child Abuse (November 19th), organised a panel discussion on November28th. When child sexual abuse (CSA) is reported in school, its ‘safe-space’ reputation can quickly become a hotbed of suspicion and panic, attracting media glare. In this emotionally charged situation, the best interests of the child and family, and adherence to the POCSO Act (The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012), and Karnataka State CPP (Child Protection For Educational Institutions) often recedes. Representations from stakeholders, related to school spaces, discussed about the systems and protocols on how…

Evangelical Social Action Forum (ESAF) in association with Citizens for Sustainability (CiFoS) with the support of B.PAC is organising the Walk to School on Saturday Program (WSS) to encourage children to adopt the Active and Safe Routes to School (ASRTS) initiative. File pic. Pic: Shree D N Six schools in Sanjay Nagar will participate in this initiative which is bring organised on December 5th 2015. Background Active commuting has reduced in the recent days due to many reasons. Lack of last mile connectivity and inadequate public transport have paved way for the increase in use of private vehicles. Even the…

What goes missing in most of the conversation around the issues with infrastructure in Bengaluru, is the impact it has on children. The school transportation system in the Whitefield area has taken a big hit. Children travel for several hours to cover a short distance. They are unable to reach their respective classes on time. Some of them miss the first class at school, some others try to save time by skipping breakfast. Due to the exposure to the dust during their commute, they are prone to developing respiratory problems. The bumpy rides take a toll on their slender spine.…

Many of you may be interested in building your home on a plot owned by you. There are hundreds of private layout developers in all parts of Bengaluru, advertising all over newspapers and television. Private layouts are being developed along all the main roads from Bengaluru towards Devanahalli airport, Hoskote, Whitefield, Sarjapur, Attibele, Anekal, Jigani, Kanakapura, Mysore, Magadi, Tumkur and Nelamangala. Some of these projects are at a distance of nearly 50 kms from Vidhana Soudha. All layout developments have to fulfil legal requirements of the Land Revenue Act, the Land Reforms Act, the Town and Country Planning Act and…