EVENTS

Do you remember a time when Bengaluru’s streets turned into playgrounds? Children would be out in hordes playing cricket or football. Pensioners would be out on their evening stroll. Grocery shopping meant walking to the neighbourhood angadi and back. Those commuting to work would either catch a bus or even walk the distance if office was not too far away. The times are different now. The roads are almost always jam-packed, and spending at least an hour or two on commute has become the norm. In a move to improve mobility in the city, several government organisations including Directorate of Urban Land…

After a roaring success last year, TEDxBangalore returns to showcase the best of Bangalore’s ideas as well as projects and people from across the globe under the theme ‘All or Nothing’. It is poised to be one of India’s foremost TEDx events in the space of disruptive thinking. Over one thousand TEDx aficionados, leading thinkers, visionaries and doers will come together on 4th October 2015.   Event details Date: October 4th 2015 Time: 9 am to 7 pm Venue: MLR Convention Centre, Whitefield   More info Website: www.tedxbangalore.com Twitter: @TEDxBlore Facebook: www.fb.com/tedxbangalore “We are fortunate to be living in momentous times, and though…

The National Research Conference on Human Trafficking is being jointly organised by Christ University and International Justice Mission (IJM) under the aegis of the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC), on September 14th and 15th.    Date: September 14th, 9 am to 4.45 pm, September 15th, 9 am to 5.30 pm  Venue: Room 911, Central Block, Christ University More info: Ritu Biswas - 96208 23163 Sangeetha George - 96117 41488 humane@conference.christuniversity.in  The Conference will bring together experts and stakeholders to share their experience, research and analysis from across India to enable a deeper understanding of the approaches needed to address the…

With Ganesha Habba right around the corner, preparations to celebrate the festival are in full swing. Traditionally, the idol would be sculpted out of earth from river banks. After worshipping divinity in this earth icon, it was returned back to the earth by immersing it in a nearby water body. This represented the cycle of nature, from creation to dissolution. However, with the advent of Plaster of Paris (POP), things changed. Idols are now made of materials that are detrimental to the environment. POP idols should never be immersed in water; it is insoluble in water and releases a host…

Traffic management and parking arrangements. Pic: facebook.com/BangaloreTrafficPolice The annual Independence Day Ceremonial Parade will be held at Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Grounds, Cubbon road on August 15th at 9 am. The Honourable Chief Minister of Karnataka will receive the salute.  The Bangalore Traffic Police has made the following parking and traffic arrangements in and around the area. Parking arrangements  Invitees with yellow car passes are to come on to Cubbon road and enter Gate 1 facing the northern side of the Manekshaw Parade Ground, and park their vehicles on the western side of the ground. Invitees with white car passes,…

Volunteers, attendees and others join hands along the line representing the old border of the fort. Pic: Holly Thorpe As the clock struck 11 and the city was all set for sleep on Friday July 24th, a group of around 200 men and women gathered in front of the Tipu Sultan Fort gate at the otherwise busy KR Market road in Bengaluru. Clad in red, they braved the night and assembled at the centre of the market area to retrace some of Bengaluru’s lost history. This was the scene at the Heritage Party, organised with the tagline, “Let’s Paint the Kote…

Plays in Bengaluru are a great attraction. With so many talented actors, directors and playwrights calling Bengaluru their home, it is but natural that many folks residing in the city are drawn to theatre. Though plays are performed at many venues in the city, there are a few places that can be counted on to watch the best of drama in Bengaluru. Some of these even have a show on every day! If you are one to watch a play every day, Ranga Shankara is the go-to spot. It has ‘a play a day’ policy, so you should be able…

It’s back! And it’s bigger and better! (And cleaner!) The 1st Bengaluru Underground Festival (held in August 2014) was a unique first-of-its-kind Underground Festival to reclaim Bangalore’s filthy subways. The good news is that the subways have stayed clean and usable for a year now (despite lots of cynicism from lots of people), and it’s time to celebrate again! What is it? Bangalore is following in the footsteps of New York, London, Paris and major world cities, by transforming its underground pedestrian underpasses, or subways, from the stinking, dingy dangerous places that they have always been, to vibrant public spaces…

Subways are typically built so that pedestrians can cross over from one side of the road to the other, without having to risk their lives by meandering their way through traffic. Subways in Namma Bengaluru are another matter altogether. Some of them are used as public toilets and reek of urine. They get waterlogged after a heavy downpour. And being dimly-lit, many people avoid then for their lack of safety. Well, the Bangalore Underground Project looked to changed that. Last year, Bangalore Rising and BBMP came together to clean six subways near Cubbon Park and KR Circle. And the effort did…

  What a day at the "Zero Plastic Run" that was flagged off from Decathlon, Sarjapur Road on June 20th! This green event organised by Decathlon, Sarjapur, and well-supported by Kasa Muktha Bellandur, various local citizen groups and Runners High, saw a sizable group of enthusiastic runners of all ages show up in the early hours of a cold, cloudy and windy Saturday morning. As the name indicates, this event was organised to showcase that such an event can be conducted and enjoyed thoroughly by going completely green. Runs usually see a whole lot of trash generated through the course of the event…