Frazer Town

ABBA's song "Money, money, money, must be funny, in a rich man's world. All the things I could do if I had a little money... " comes to mind at the plight of a few of my latest and long time students like Jaya and Alumelu. Little Nila and Jaya are star performers in their 'English medium convent school' and daughters of our neighbourhood unorganized sector worker Devaki. And Alumelu whom I have voluntarily tutored and mentored since 2005 is now a prospective undergraduate and her mother is a housemaid in Byrasandara.   The former have to shell out around…

It was the first time I was actually testing out the walking track here and believe me, this was refreshing. The walking surface is a wee bit rough but who cares, with the kind of visual panorama that unfolds as you take that long curve half-way around the lake. Your starting point is near the Foto Flash outlet and you can go right up to the Gurudwara, where you turn around for the return journey. I couldn't time my stretch, because I was stopping every five minutes to take a picture. The evenings at the lake front can also get…

This is one of the main entry points to where I live near Richards Town. It's a small residential layout, off Lazar Road. This view is nice and flattering - peaceful, green, orderly - to show what a nice looking community this could be.Here's a view from the other end of the road, where one vacant site has been used as a dumping ground for years. What typically happens to any site where the owner could be stationed elsewhere and doesn't really make an appearance.At this location, the build-up is close to nine feet from road level. A lot of…

Sports entrepreneurship is the new mantra among management graduates in Bangalore.With large and small organisations alike looking for a respite from everyday routine, selling sports to them has grown into a promising idea and sports event management companies have started cropping up all over the city; not only as a means of business but also as a great way to spread a lot of awareness about the sport involved. "Sports management in Bangalore is fairly robust and has potential to grow. Lots of national sports management companies are based out of Bangalore and have grown well in the last few…

Meet Susheel Alexander Samuel – 22 years old and in his final year of mechanical engineering. From this picture, you're probably wondering what's familiar with the hairstyle... Ghajini? No…and that’s a long story. Susheel Alexander Samuel (pic: Sharath Bhat) As a teenager, Susheel was everything parents put on their wish-list. He was diligent, thoughtful, obedient and totally responsible – even when it came to riding his bike. He would always wear a helmet, even if he was just going down the road. So do bad things really happen to good people? It was 23rd February 2005 - Susheel had just…

Years ago, Cooke Town was full of old bungalows built during the "burra sahib" days. Lots of garden space, verandahs with trellis panels, spacious bedrooms, high ceilings, four-blade punkahs, windows with framed-glass shutters... I could go on and on and on.But things are fast changing out here, with large bungalows making way for apartment blocks. Inevitable, with elderly couples living alone and their children settled abroad. But unlike elsewhere in the city, apartments here try and retain the old world charm associated with local British colonies - especially Cooke Town, Richards Town, Cox Town and Frazer Town.The picture you see…

While most of us voice visible concern when trees are cut indiscriminately, what are we doing about trees crying out for help, as a result of sheer neglect and apathy ? Just look at these pictures*. The next time we have strong winds in the city or heavy rains, some of these trees will just snap horizontal and keel over. So let's not go overboard only about trees being cut. Let's look around for trees that have their days numbered. I don't know if official machinery can kick in here, but I'm sure we can look around in our own…

As a woman I have no country. As a woman my country is the whole world - Virginia Woolf Meet Jyothi Ganesh, editor, publisher, writer, mother, wife, all rolled into one. From helping her maid get a recurring deposit in the nearby bank to sweetly coaxing her young neighbour to fit a silencer to his noisy bike, Jyothi believes in 'doing and giving'. Founder-editor of Frazer Times, a community newspaper of areas in and around Frazer Town in north Bangalore, this woman runs the show single-handedly. Soft-spoken, passionate, endearing, patient, these are but a few words to describe this dreamer.…

I was walking past an unnamed bylane in my neighborhood, known to be rather dirty and untidy usually; I was pleasantly surprised to find this common and effective approach to prevent garbage dumping.Benson Town's Litter Free Lane (pic: Pushpa Achanta) Upon inquiry, I learnt that area residents and worshippers at a chapel nearby worked with the local ward councilor to implement it. I plan to observe how long it lasts and replicate it elsewhere!⊕

The Medico-Pastoral Association and Stage Left Productions present This is their story, a play directed by Vasudev Kanthraj and Nazeef Mohammed on 6th December 2008 at St Francis Xavier's School Auditorium, Promenade Road, Fraser Town, at 6.30 PM. This play is an original script written by the members of Stage Left Productions. It is written as a response to the growing problem of suicide and self-harm in today's world, especially since the statistics are alarming and very disturbing. Bengaluru has earned the dubious distinction of being the suicide capital of the country. This play thus essentially deals with different kinds…