GENRE: Explainers

It's nearing end of October; it is that time of the year when the school admission process is in full swing in Bengaluru and many parents are trying to find schools that will work best for their children. This article provides a checklist of criteria to look for before narrowing down on schools. This guide is primarily aimed at parents looking at Montessori and Kindergarten admissions. How does one go about figuring out the “right” school? Your precious 4-year-old probably gives you very little clue about his or her preference. The logical way of going about school-hunting is to consider…

Most of the times, injuries while bursting crackers occur because of no supervision, misuse of crackers, device failure and so on. Injuries may also result from being too close to fireworks when they explode. For example, when you lean over to look more closely if a firework has been lit or if a bottle rocket hits a nearby person. The types of fireworks that generally cause injuries are flower pots or fountains, sparklers, bombs, rockets and sky shots. Precautions and safety measuresBuy fireworks from licensed and reputed manufacturers only. Ask the shopkeeper for his license given by the city police.…

Take your Form 6 to the Voter Facilitation Centre (VFC) of your Assembly Constituency (AC). Even though your wards may have changed after delimitation, your constituency remains the same. Each AC has one VFC. You can get the address and contact number of your VFC here. Remember, even though there are new wards now, your VFC will remain the same since your AC has not changed.Submit the Form 6 at the VFC with copies of address proof/ID proof.The VFC officials will check if your form has been filled in correctly and then give you an acknowledgment receipt.These forms are then…

As the BBMP elections are slated to be held by the end of the year, this new website, set up by Zoomin Softech Pvt Ltd, an IT solutions company, for State Election Commission (SEC), will help you search for your name on the voters list.But this is only if you voted for the parliamentary elections earlier this year. Citizens who have registered during the past few months after the Lok Sabha polls will not find their names on this site, since these updates have not yet been published online.The homepage of the site has both English and Kannada, with the…

Five days of work, traffic, noise, short tempered bosses and shorter deadlines. And then the weekend comes, just in time. For some of us, Saturdays and Sundays call for calm afternoon naps.But the rest of us are happy to chill out with movies, malls, hikes, plays, exhibitions, shows and the odd candle making workshop. So how do you know when these events happen?  Many options exist both offline and online. I've attempted to compile a list of websites as well as city newspapers that lists events.The first one is AskLaila. It is a comprehensive site I came across for events.…

Sharad and Sheetal Agarwal, a young couple living in South Bengaluru spend Rs. 500 and above on drinking water every month. They bought a water purifier from a reputed company three years ago but felt it wasn’t safe after frequent gastro problems. "Our building receives water from tankers mainly and we aren’t really sure of the source and how effective our purifier is, so we felt buying 20 litre Bisleri bottles was a safer option," Sheetal says. The couple plan to acquire a new water purifier but are not sure which system would give them foolproof protection against contamination and…

Symptoms in children * Fast breathing * Breathlessness* Wheezing * Blue skin or lips * Not drinking enough fluids * Irritable Excessive vomiting * SeizuresSymptoms in adults * Difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath * Chest pain * Dizziness * Confusion* Excessive vomiting * Convulsions Prevention* Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth* Avoid contact with those are ill * Avoid shaking hands, kissing and hugging when greeting * Avoid crowded places * Cover your nose and mouth while coughing or sneezing * Use a cotton handkerchief or tissue * Dispose used tissues properly * Wash your hands with…

Update:Dear readers, the below list might be dated, for the new list and updates, read the latest article published in February 2015: Here is how you can manage Swine Flu in Bengaluru: See also: Doctors ask citizens not to panic… Swine Flu or A(H1N1): Everything you need to know Private hospitalsMallya HospitalVittal Mallya Rd, Bengaluru+91-80 22277979, Emergency: +91-80-22242325Vaidehi hospital#82, K.R. Puram Hobli, White Field, Bangalore 560066+91-80-28413381/82/83Ambedkar Medical Institute and HospitalKadugondanahalli, angalore-560045+91-80-25463442St Johns HospitalSarjapur Main Road, Bangalore- 560034+91-80-25532037Manipal Hospital Airport Road angalore- 560017+91-80-2502 4444 +91-80 2502 3344Manipal Specialty HospitalRajarajeshwari Nagar28608888Mallige Nursing Home Mariappa Road, SiddapurJayanagar Bangalore - 560011+91-80-26565678Lakeside Medical Centre and…

It is an often repeated story. You spot an exhibition of enticing cotton fabric and immediately start dream-designing the kurta that you can convert from desk to dinner wear. So you go ahead, buy the fabric, get it stitched as soon as you can say tailor, only to discover that it has shrunk and no longer fits you and has to be handed down to your slimmer younger sister. Then of course there is the somewhat inevitable pitfall of the colour running and turning your vibrant vermillion dupatta into a tame rust. Variety of cotton fabrics. Pic: Meera K. Despite…

Joint pain, body ache, fever. This monsoon season, Bangaloreans have been hit by the viral. City hospitals are packed as patients line up to get themselves checked for dengue fever and chikungunya. Symptoms of Dengue Cause: Aedes aegypti mosquito, a day-biter High fever Severe headache Pain in the back of the eyes Body aches & joint pains Nausea or vomiting Skin rash Symptoms of Chikungunya Cause: Aedes aegypti mosquito, a day-biter High fever Severe pain & swelling in joints Skin rash Dengue fever, also known as break bone fever or bonecrusher disease is characterised by severe headache, muscle and joint…