cubbon park

We, the Proud Indians, are a group of young, regular Indians with regular aspirations who deeply believe that an honest and strong India will be possible only when each of us is willing to strive in that direction. Proud Indians is a small group from Hyderabad from varied backgrounds. Through the walk they aim to inspire citizens to be honest at a personal level, to help tackle corruption. The group started their walk from Kanyakumari on December 18th. In the first segment of the walk from December 18th-31st, they covered 500 kms in Kerala . On January 1st, they started…

You are visiting Bangalore and want to spend a few hours outside with your family or friends, preferably in a clean and green environment. Or are an 'old' Bangalorean who wants to relive her/his childhood. Where do you go? Cubbon Park, a lovely lung space in the heart of the city is a great option. And the Jawahar Bal Bhavan, a place for children inside the one hundred and forty year old park is a lot of fun too. Spread over 12.5 acres, it has a toy train, swings, slides, boating and a lot of trees and grassy patches for…

Kalari Gurukulam presented KalariMargam; a dawn to dusk programme on renowned martial art form Kalripayattu on the 26th of February, 2011. The informal performance/lecture demonstration was staged at Band Stand in Cubbon park. Citizens of Bangalore who went for an evening walk in the park experienced a flavor of this art form. Demystifying Kalari Pic Courtesy: www.kalarigurukulam.com Though Kalaripayattu is well-known amidst the artist community of Bangalore this was a first of its kind programme initiated by the Gurukulam to promote as well as create an awareness for the layman in the city. The programme took them on a journey…

"Sketching is like yoga", says Smitha Shivaswamy in a very serious tone. Having been hanging around with this group of sketchers for a good part of a precious Sunday morning, I cannot but agree. I am talking about Pencil Jam, a sketching club whose members every Sunday to do what they like to do best, sketch. Sketching in progress. Pic: Srinivasulu Mallampooty. Smitha along with George Supreeth, and Prabha Mallya run an illustration firm called Pencil Sauce. They open up their Sundays to jam sessions, inviting anyone who is interested to try sketching.. They are just five sessions old, but…

If you have been in Cubbon Park opposite the Bangalore Press Club entrance between 2.00 PM and 4.00 PM on the month's last Saturday, you have probably noticed a group of around fifteen or twenty people discussing the RTI Act (Right to Information) and relevant laws. This could be the free RTI clinic that several Civil Society Organizations (CSO's) in Bangalore like the South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM), Urban Research Centre (URC), Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR), OpenSpace, Mahiti Hakku Adhyayana Kendra (MHAK), Anti Corruption Forum (ACF) et al, have been organizing jointly since…

Heard that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has been spending thousands of crores of rupees on 'development' projects? And awarding contracts to various private consultants? But, who are they? Bangalore based Anti Corruption Forum (ACF - a group of social activists who have good experience and knowledge of the RTI Act and many other legislations) decided to find out. According to information ACF has obtained, a total of 97 consultants throughout India have been appointed for the 'development' work out of which 18 are from Bangalore. The ACF filed an RTI application with the BBMP in December 2009, requesting details…

I walked into the auditorium in Bal Bhavan, Cubbon Park, to a stage full of little people dressed from head to toe in black, wielding puppets over half their size. Hope for the flowers performed by students of Ananya school. Pic courtesy: Ananya Trust. It was a puppet show organised by Ananya Trust, which runs a school called Ananya Shikshana Kendra to educate underprivileged children. Students complete their 10th standard and also undergo internship at companies like Printo. The school educates first generation learners and has a life skills program which integrates teaching and real like experience. The puppet show…

This signboard on Mahatma Gandhi Road, just before the Jewels de Paragon junction, shows Minsk square to be towards the left, whereas one actually needs to take a right turn!  ⊕

During the October RTI clinic at Cubbon Park, I met Jacob P (name changed to protect identity), a private sector employee who participated in the September edition for the first time. After that, he has never missed a clinic and has been updating me on the status of his applications regularly. "The commitment and enthusiasm of some of the RTI activists I met during the clinic inspired me to use the Act in public interest. I have told one of my friends about what I saw and heard and hope to bring him along next time", said Jacob. In October…

Having missed the Right to Information (RTI) clinic in September, I was determined to participate in this edition. Despite the minimal participation, Bangalore's famous and seasoned RTI activists (and retired government employees) like Veeresh Bellur and Vikram Simha from Mahiti Hakku Adhyan Kendra (MHAK) and Anand S of Anti-Corruption Forum (ACF) continue to inspire us with their knowledge and enthusiasm. And, this may be impossible without the committed efforts of Bangalore based civil society organizations (CSO's) like South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM), Urban Research Centre (URC), Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR), OpenSpace and others…