GENRE: Features

Indira Swaminathan, an educational consultant, recalls the story of a Nisha*, a teenager with learning difficulties who joined Akshyam Early Learning Centre, where Indira is founder-director. When she first joined their school, Nisha was more of a spectator to daily activities. When Indira asked her to help her out, she laughed and said, "No, I don't have any brains." To which, Indira simply said, "You are talking to me, it shows that you are capable and can help me." Over a period of time, Nisha learnt to assist the younger children with tying their shoe laces, getting the required books…

Someshekar says “We want to stop this work with our generation, our children should go to school and get an education". Pic: Chetan BorayThe bamboo materials are bought from Belgaum. Pic: Chetan BorayThe bamboo stick is made into ladders, baskets of different sizes and so on. Pic: Chetan Boray‹ › $(document).ready(function(){ $('.carousel .carousel-inner .item').first().attr('class', 'active item');}); Around 40 families originally from Mysore, who have been weaving and selling bamboo products on the footpaths of Bangalore Gayanasamaja, KR Road for the past 28 years will now have to find another place to continue their business. BBMP has served them a notice…

The May edition of Startup Saturday Bangalore saw a full house with around 130 people attending it. This is one of the highest number of turnouts in all Startup Saturdays ever. It is held on every second Saturdays of every month at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore since March 2008. Startup Saturday is a monthly networking hub for entrepreneurs. It provides a monthly platform where local entrepreneurs, professionals and students get together around engaging talks from veterans in the startup industry. The audience plays an active role in shaping the discussions and brain storming sessions are to be…

Brick in chilli powder, chicory in coffee, coal tar dye in tea leaves, soap in milk - the list of adulterated products in as endless as it is shocking. The latest adulterants to hit the market in Bangalore are artificially ripened mangoes.In Russell Market and other areas, mangoes like Malgova and Badami are treated with toxic calcium carbide powder to ripen them fast and supply to increasing market demands. This toxic powder, called ‘masala' in trader lingo is used to give the fruit a bright yellow colour much before time and could result in food poisoning, skin and stomach problems.…

If Corner House ice creams continue to be sought after despite the many competitors in the market, it is due to the characteristics of this brand. Quality, quantity, consistency, value for money and the importance of customer feedback. All maintained over the years by the values that A Narayan Rao, the founder of Corner House, lives by. Lack of greed and contentment in life is the way he puts it.Launched in 1982, as a bakery and fast food place, Corner House saw some rough times in the beginning. Though items like chicken rolls, burgers and pizzas did very well, the…

Muniyamma (56) who was awarded the Kuvempu Vidyamaana Prashasti  by Kuvempu Kalanikethan Trust in February does not sound very elated.  "Memento will not fill our stomach, but a government job can feed our family," she says. She is a resident of Konanakunte.She is the milk-seller who helped police capture the LTTE members who took part in the conspiracy to assassinate former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.She says, the Government of Karnataka promised to reward her with Rs 10 lakhs in the year 1991, but she got only Rs 60000 since then. Her son also never got his promised job. She complains,…

The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) is suddenly becoming a hub of cultural activity with the ongoing adult and children’s workshops on art, and the curtain raiser for the Dhaatu Puppet Festival taking place on its premises. This activity perhaps coincides with the instating of a Director for the Bangalore NGMA, Sobha Nambisan (IAS, Retd).A small audience on May 6th had an introductory glimpse into the ongoing Puppet Festival which is being held at different venues around Bangalore from May 7th to 16th. Dhaatu is a non-profit organisation which began in 2004 with an aim to bring about awareness…

Brookfields/Whitefield-Informer & Shopper (BWIS), a community neighbourhood yellow pages based in Whitefield in partnership with the Rotary Club of IT Corridor, Bangalore and Sahyog, an organisation working on social and legal issues, came together for a cause on a Sunday morning of April 25th. Their messengers were on wheels seeking hidden treasures.This initiative was a call to pledge your eyes by the Sankara Eye Bank, Sankara Eye Care. The message was clear: Miracles cannot cure the blind. You can, by pledging your eyes. Bhaskar Rao (second from right), flagging off the event. Pic credit: I-Light studio. The participants covered a…

Almost everyone who visits or moves to Bangalore is captivated by the blooms that add colours to the city, all around the year - flaming Gulmohur in summer, pleasing Jacaranda in spring, sparkling Copper pods in autumn. Walking through roads and lanes where these trees have survived the metro and road widening constructions, it is hard to imagine that the man behind these is a German, Herr G H Krumbiegel to be precise. City under Siege. Pic: Maragathavalli Inbamuthiah Goethe Institute located at Indiranagar recently remembered and honoured this "Economical Botanist" who, under the rule of  Krishnaraja Wodeyar, imported many…

Nitin Dubey had never been so scared in his life. As he watched the deadly smoke engulf the top two floors of Carlton Tower in Bangalore, he could see people leaning out of windows trying to escape the blinding smoke and hear their desperate screams for help. He was acutely aware that he could very well become one of the victims, being trapped with them, but somehow he had been spared their fate. One of his colleagues had not been so lucky. By the time the fire was extinguished nine people were dead, some asphyxiated and some having jumped to…