GENRE: Features

The Pune Riverfront Development Project, which aims to beautify the banks of the Mula-Mutha River through concretisation, has been one of the most debated topics in the city. Many citizens have raised concerns about its environmental impact. While the project promises promenades, gardens, and flood control measures, several people believe it comes at the cost of destroying the natural ecosystem that has existed for centuries. Among them is Swapnil Thakur, a Pune-based musician popularly known as the 'One-Man Symphony,' who is using his music to protest against the project. Once a corporate employee, Swapnil’s life took a drastic turn after…

Walking into the Madras Literary Society (MLS) is like stepping into another era. The towering, multi-storey bookshelves hold more than 80,000 volumes, some of which are rare and priceless. Among the library’s many treasures is the 296-year-old edition of Isaac Newton’s Naturalis Principia Mathematica. The architecture of the building, with its double-layered windows, high ceilings with exposed rafters, and lime-plastered walls, offers more than mere aesthetic appeal. These features ensure natural ventilation, retain acoustics unique to the space, and keep the library cool even in Chennai’s scorching summers. Antique furniture adds an extra flourish to the space. The library thrives…

Every day, they show up, in the relentless heat or pouring rain. Bengaluru's outdoor workers — traffic police, auto drivers, pourakarmikas, construction workers, street vendors and gig workers — battle dehydration, exhaustion, and health problems in extreme weather with hardly any relief. They keep the city running but get little in return. This photo-essay puts a spotlight on their daily struggles and calls for urgent heat mitigation measures. No exit lane from the heat: A traffic police officer’s account Three hours under the sun daily — not a choice but a daily reality for Assistant Sub-Inspector Satish KP of Bengaluru…

The rise of fast fashion, coupled with citizens’ limited awareness about waste disposal, has led to a textile waste challenge in Bengaluru. The city generates 220 tonnes of textile waste everyday, which accounts for 4% of its municipal waste. Managing urban textile waste goes beyond collection, sorting, and recycling — it should also take into account the needs of the frontline workers, the waste picker community. To address this challenge, waste pickers, with support from NGOs, have developed multiple solutions. In the past few years, they have set up Bengaluru’s first textile waste processing centre, a decentralised system to provide…

The impact of climate change on urban habitats is a sombre reality that we cannot wish away any longer. While cities have been the largest contributors to climate change, they will also have to lead the fight against the same, driving both mitigation and adaptation. And along with environmental policy, regulation and implementation, community-led initiatives and citizen movements will be key to making a difference in terms of urban sustainability. On February 8th, the India Civic Summit 2025 — convened around the theme "Citizen Action for Climate-Resilient Cities" — brought together over 150 civic leaders, urban practitioners, grassroots changemakers, and…

Bengaluru has earned a stellar reputation as the seat of information technology, biotechnology, and India's space programme. Sci560, an exhibition hosted by the Science Gallery, Bengaluru, provides a comprehensive overview of this evolution. Through documentaries, photographs, objects, devices and instruments, Sci560 offers a fascinating kaleidoscope of the city's emergence as a military-industrial-academic hub. Its intriguing title is a portmanteau of ‘science’ and the city’s PIN or postal code ‘560’, while simultaneously being a play on the term ‘sci-fi’ (science fiction). Suitable surroundings Housed in a state-of-the-art building with an aesthetic ambience that blends the traditional with the modern, the Science…

“Ek Akela Is Shehar MeinRaat Mein Aur Dopahar MeinAabodaana Dhoondta Hai Aashiyana Dhoondta Hai” (A single, solitary man seeks day and night for his fortune and a shelter in this city). These lines by Gulzar — sung in the rich, deep voice of Bhupinder for the movie Gharonda (1977) and mouthed by Amol Palekar wearing a haggard, defeated look on screen — resonate among many youngsters in Mumbai even today, as they look for a sanctuary in the city, a space they can call home. Mumbai, with its charm and promises of a better future, draws people from all over the…

Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of India, is home to a number of technology parks. Amongst the largest is Brookfield Ecoworld, located in Bellandur where employees from across the city work. Adarsh Palm Retreat (APR), meanwhile, is a fancy apartment and villa complex located adjacent to this tech park’s entrance. APR and Ecoworld are typical examples of the nexus that developed between office/commercial complexes and upscale housing for white collar workers during the Information Technology (IT) revolution in the city. It addressed a definite need among select sections of the population, but a closer look reveals the clear divide and inequities…

KR market metro station is more than a transit hub in Bengaluru today, as it stands at the heart of a project that showcases the city's 500-year urban history. The Banni Nodi (come, see) series, a wayfinding and place-making project, set up in the metro station and at the Old Fort district, depicts the history of the Fort as well as the city's spatial-cultural evolution. The project has been designed and executed by Sensing Local and Native Place, and supported by the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL).  Archival paintings, maps and texts,…

After centuries of life as nomads, the Banjara have had enough. They now want to settle down, live in proper houses, and send their children to school. And they want doctors, dentists, and technology specialists in the family, not just artisans, cobblers, or make-do handymen. Speak to the nomadic tribal families living on a rented plot of land near the Aravalli International School in Sector 81 of Greater Faridabad, and their aspirations for the future ring out clearly.  The Banjara, one of India’s largest ethnic groups —  with a population between 8.5 crore and 10 crore, and known across the…