EVENTS

A background Schools play an important role in keeping our environment clean. One important step in this process is educating students and the wider community about reducing the amount of resources consumed, so that we do not needlessly throw used material into garbage bins.  For this waste ultimately lands up in street corners, lakes, forests, outskirts of the city and in village grazing pastures and farmlands causing massive pollution and creating major public health hazards. While each of us can do a lot in making schools less wasteful, better results are achieved when the whole school makes a commitment to minimizing…

World over, June 5th is celebrated as World Environment Day. It’s that time of the year when people across the world come together to talk about the environment and how we need to make a change today, so we can help nurture the planet for tomorrow. In Bangalore, nothing could have said it better than the Parisara Habba. Organised by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), the Parisara Habba, or the Festival of the Environment, is a two-day event held on June 5th and 6th at Kanteerava Indoor Stadium. While KSPCB does organise the event almost every year on…

  For many of us, ‘concern for the environment’ is that green bulb  which our schools effectively fitted at the back of our heads. It glows whenever we urinate under ‘Do not urine here’ murals or someone goes ‘thoop-splat’, staining a wall with red paan. Maybe when someone asks us to segregate, and we think that it is the most challenging thing to do, or when we walk past a water tanker which has water spilling out. This will in all likelihood continue happening, until one day the bulb fuses and the most convenient thing to do will be to…

  May 7th 2015 saw the launch of a unique initiative in Bangalore -  the Neighbourhood Improvement Partnership (NIP) Challenge. Rolled out by United Technologies Corporation (UTC), the challenge is the first of its kind in the country, and calls for a collaboration between citizens and public officials, to identify key civic challenges in their neighbourhoods, and voluntarily contribute time, energy and resources to tackle them. The challenge will be be rolled out by the Centre for Public Problem Solving (CPPS), a division of Imagine Bangalore with support from EMBARQ India. Organisations like BBMP and BPAC are also slated to…

A key challenge to inclusion of disabled people into the mainstream is the basic lack of access. Accessibility is not limited to physical spaces alone, but also includes transport infrastructure, information and technology, aids and appliances etc. Access is therefore an issue that cuts across disabilities, sectors, abilities and age groups and forms the very basis of empowerment of disabled people. 'Universal Design', i.e. a design that is usable by all therefore becomes intrinsic to any kind of access. It was to recognise innovative work that improved accessibility and promoted the principles of Universal Design that NCPEDP with the support…

As a child, I would visit my grandparents house in Trivandrum for the summer vacations. And unlike most city children these days, I didn’t go to any summer camp. This is something I’ve never regretted because I always had fun in the sun, up in my tree house, in a park, or at a museum. As art and culture entered my life, my interests expanded. Summer became the perfect time to paint and read. For those parents who are currently playing host to their children on account of summer vacations, here are some fun family activities that you and your…

Our favourite event of the year is around the corner... Yes, we are talking about the Fête de la Musique! As each year, the celebration will take place on the weekend of June 21st. This time however, the event will be bigger with more venues across the city.  As always, it is a free event, a huge gathering that celebrates music of all genres. We thus, rely entirely on the motivation of bands who would like to get together in the spirit of the festival, in celebration of music and all things music, and are willing to play for free on that…

The high decibel sound emanating from the fighter planes, the stunning aerial displays and the ballet of the moving aircrafts —all these have brightened up the Bengaluru skies, as the 10th edition of Aero India has entered its fourth day at Air Force Station in Yelahanka. After the successful completion of the previous nine editions, Asia’s premier air show Aero India-2015 has been organised in Bengaluru yet again. Scheduled from February 18th to 22nd, Aero India, which includes the aircraft show and an exhibition, has everything to offer for aviation enthusiasts. Demonstrations and mind blowing stunts by civil and military…

Come February 22nd, the Whitefield community will come together to celebrate green living at the 9th edition of the Green Bazaar in Bengaluru. Called ‘Eco Habba’, the event will be a commemoration of all that is ‘green’ about Whitefield. Date: February 22nd Time: 7 am to 7 pm Venue: Herbs & Spices Restaurant, Opp. Vijaya Bank, Whitefield Click here for event details. A press note from The Alternative says water warriors, kitchen gardeners, voluntary traffic wardens, tree huggers, compost conquerors, spot-fixers, lake-savers - all these local heroes will get together to inspire those people who are looking to be inspired. Considering the many…

  “My favourite weather is bird chirping weather.” - Terri Guillemets It is a rather rare occasion when people from around the world get together for a common cause. When it happens, it makes for a marvelous spectacle. The Great Global Backyard Bird Count is one such event, where tens of thousands of people, though separated by geography, are one in spirit. What makes it truly spectacular are the sights that these good folks will be witness to.   This weekend marks the 18th edition of the Great (Global) Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). Launched by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and…