CITIZEN JOURNALISM

On 9 August, M  Karunanidhi, the Chief Minister (CM) of Tamil Nadu, unveiled the statue of Thiruvalluvar near Ulsoor Lake. Kalaignar, as he is popularly known, was at the RBANMS grounds when the statue was unveiled by remote control.  The yellow curtains opened and suddenly, magically the statue became visible to people from all four directions. There was a hush and it took a while for people to start clapping.It was past 12:20 PM.  Kalaignar’s speech broadcasted over loudspeakers, talked of the need to build interstate brotherhood which was lavishly quoted from Sarvagna’s couplets.  He said publishing Kannada poet’s couplets…

Last week, I walking towards JP Nagar 4th phase and I realised that the footpaths were dangerously uneven. I am a student preparing for my competitive exams. I am constantly studying and hence retaining information and staying fit is of primary importance. I was being extra cautious and tried not to slip off any stone slab. As I am thinking about how smart and careful I was, my head collides against a branch of a tree (so much for being careful!!). I would not blame it on my height as I am of average build. It took me a while to recover from the jolt and…

Amidst the colourful displays of dinosaurs, teddy bears and the mermaid, this cacti plant stood out, at the Independence Day Flower Show at Lalbagh. ⊕

Dear Bangaloreans, THIS INDEPENDENCE DAY, LET US LIBERATE OURSELVES FROM GARBAGE! Reclaim Bengaluru is a pan Bengaluru campaign which is an attempt to get Bangaloreans to come out and clean the streets of Bengaluru on the 15th of August, 2009, Independence Day. You can register for this by signing up on the web page www.cbengaluru.com. List of zones for the Clean Bengaluru Campaign:JP Nagar 7th, 8th Phase, RBI Layout, Gaurav Nagar, Novodhaya Nagar, Kothanur, Surabhi Nagar, Nayak Layout - Call Manjunath 9036221288JP Nagar 1st, 2nd Phase, Sarakki – Call Aniruddha 9036571713Srinivasnagar, Hanumanthnagar, Gandhi Bazaar - Call Nishchita 9844465275Padmanabhnagar - Call…

The Bangalore police have tried to create awareness on the effects of drinking and driving by placing a car involved in a real life accident outside malls. This one was spotted outside Garuda mall earlier this month. ⊕

A small part of our neighbourhood (Osborne road and nearby roads in Sivanchetty Garden, near Ulsoor lake) has been converted to a garbage free area. This experimental initiative comprises four roads spread over 1 square kilometre. The same strategy will be adopted to covert the entire neighbourhood into a garbage free one. Our applause to the team lead by resident Divya Nahender. The team was formed with volunteers inspired by similar initiatives in Kumara Park locality. They identified the black spots (with garbage) and prepared a sketch of the entire area; Divya and her team invited residents to a meeting…

  The Social Responsibility Committee (SRC) of Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Bangalore, conducted a Biking Awareness Workshop at their campus on the 31st of July in association with Ride A Cycle Foundation, B-Twin, Merida & Bangalore Bikers Club. The event was a continuation of the Go Green Campaign conducted by SRC, SIBM-B. Last year, the campaign focused on sapling plantation. This time around the objective was to sell 'biking' as a cool option which is environment friendly. Bangalore Bikers Club is currently the largest biking club of its kind in the country, with a membership base of more than…

The other day, a friend from Hasiru Usiru got news that some trees were being felled at a construction site near the Indian Express building. A few people including me went to investigate and see if we could do anything about it.  It didn't take us very long to discover the site. When this group reached the spot, we discovered that trees had not been felled as yet, but branches of one tree had been pruned and pruned rather extensively. On asking the contractors if they intended to cut the trees which were in the vicinity, they said that they…

The BDA is in the process of building two flyovers on the Outer Ring road near the Iblur and Agara junctions in south-east Bengaluru as part of their 'signal free' Outer Ring Road project.  This article presents some questions, comments and suggestions regarding both the grade separators, on the basis of the project plans obtained from the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) in response to an RTI request by Citizen Matters. The flyovers have been described in an earlier article in Citizen Matters.  Two dedicated, access controlled, 11.5 feet wide bus lanes on either side of the central median of the…

The seven-year old HSR Layout Sector II Residents Association convened their annual general body meeting on 19th of July at Cambridge Public School located in the vicinity.The meeting was well attended by residents and had a focused agenda. The concerns of the residents included:Bad Roads & silted/clogged Storm water drains: a. Blacktopping of all roads and regular clearance of shoulder undergrowth. b. De-silting of all storm-water drains c. Proper repair of road cutting. (Left to right) Mahesh, Chana Keshava, Bhasker Reddy, Brinda Gaurav, Basava, Kumar, Brig Murthy and Girish - the newly elected committee of HSR layout 2nd sector RWA.…