CITIZEN JOURNALISM

If there was one city in  the newly independent India that was a real moviegoer’s delight, it had to be Bangalore.  In the early ‘50s, cinema theatres in Bangalore used to  show films in many languages - Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. Few years later, Malayalam and Bengali movies could also be seen in morning shows. In that sense Bangalore was probably the most cosmopolitan town in the country. Such a varied taste in films was a reflection of tolerant  and eclectic mindset  of the natives. May be this was also the way the foundation  for a pan-Indian city…

Five days of work, traffic, noise, short tempered bosses and shorter deadlines. And then the weekend comes, just in time. For some of us, Saturdays and Sundays call for calm afternoon naps.But the rest of us are happy to chill out with movies, malls, hikes, plays, exhibitions, shows and the odd candle making workshop. So how do you know when these events happen?  Many options exist both offline and online. I've attempted to compile a list of websites as well as city newspapers that lists events.The first one is AskLaila. It is a comprehensive site I came across for events.…

In 1978, as the city of Seoul in South Korea 'developed', a 6 km. long river called the Cheonggyecheon was covered up. An 8-lane street was built over it, and an elevated expressway built over the street. The road was called Cheonggye Road, in memory of the late river.In 2005 the elevated expressway and the road were broken up and the river restored. It took two  years and the equivalent of Rs. 4000 crore for the restoration. 2002 : Seoul's Cheonggyecheon river in its avatar as a road. Pic source: G V Dasarathi. 2005 : Seoul's Cheonggyecheon river after its…

During commute time in Bangalore when people are traveling to their offices, how many people do you see:1.    In a car?2.    On a motor bike?3.    In a bus?Answer : 1 in a car, 1 on a bike, 75 in a bus.Here’s a small transportation engineering exercise.If you count the number of vehicles on the flyover in the picture below, you’ll find that they add up to 150. Assuming the people in these vehicles are all going to or from work, each of the vehicles is carrying 1 person.That means there are 150 people between the two red lines. Pic source:…

It was 7:30 AM on June 1st, when Anush Shetty spotted a Pied Cuckoo at the Valley School campus on Kanakapura road, just perched by the trail. The Pied Cuckoo is associated with monsoon in India, flying from Africa across the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean every year around June. Shetty has also spotted other migratory birds such as Ashy Drongo and Verditer Flycatcher at Lalbagh and Valley school campuses in the last few months. Shetty, an engineer working at a startup firm near South End circle (Jayanagar), is part of a volunteer team or citizen scientists, taking part…

BBMP wants to take land from the owners along the 100 feet ring road (BTM Layout and JP Nagar) for road widening. They say they are doing this "for the benefit of the larger population". Now compare this with Bangalore Metro train project. The government setup a committee  called "Thomas Committee" which analysed the socio-economic impact and set the guidelines for deciding the compensation package for each of the affected land owners and business establishments. The report can be seen at the following link here. Now the Metro is also being built in the same place and the irony is…

One might wonder as to what is so unusual for a person to use a wheelchair at any airport; often these are people who are sick, old or unable to walk due to fractures or disability. For me it was scary, challenging and full of apprehension. That’s because I have been a patient of Parkinson disease for the last ten to twelve years.Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder caused by degeneration of brain cells and is a progressive disease which leads to chronic disabilities of movements such as  slowness, tremors, drooping rigidity called Bradyskinesia and Dyskinesia which cause involuntary movements…

Most festivals irrespective of religion are these days scrutinised for the impact they have on environment. Ganesh Chaturthi is one such festival. Environmentalists say that the plaster of paris and toxic paints used in making Ganesha idols, when immersed in lakes and pond harm the environment. Cycle Race at National College Grounds. Pic: Deepak. But this unique celebration at National College grounds in Jayanagar was not merely environment friendly but also encouraged the use of cycles which is one of the most humble and powerful solutions to the grave environmental problems we face today.RideACycle Foundation (RAC-F), organised a cycle race…

There is complete chaos with the markings that BBMP has made on the properties on 100 ft Ring Road in JP Nagar, where they say they will now acquire part of our property to widen an already wide road.1. Minutes of a CDP (Comprehensive Development Plan 2015) meeting classifies this as a medium density road, why would the BBMP need more than a 100 ft road for a medium density road.2. The Peripheral Ring Road is getting ready, should they not divert all heavy vehicles to that road which would then mean there would be no need for road widening.3. These…

Doesn't it look like the two trees at Lalbagh Gardens are dancing arm in arm, or rather, branch in branch! ⊕