GENRE: Features

There are cubes and cylinders here. But this is no maths class. There are bugs and a big scorpion too, yet this is no forest. Buddha and Christ almost facing each other, not in any place of worship though. This is Bengaluru’s most famous cake show, that happens at St Joseph’s Grounds every year, in this season. If you are a Bengalurean or have been here for a couple of Christmas seasons now, chances are that you would have visited this show. It was sheer chance that saw me near the gates of St. Joseph's School on a Thursday evening…

A park unlike any other! The city is revolutionising play time for children with the Infinity Park in Santhome, Chennai's first 'inclusive' park, which was opened to the public on December 17th. The unique sensory park is a haven for children with its design lending itself to playing by touch. The park has been created to provide a space of leisure for all children, with or without any disabilities. The various elements in the park have been crafted to make it disabled-friendly and welcoming for children of all ages. The project is a partnership between the Disability Rights Alliance and…

This article is supported by SVP Cities of India Fellowship Laly Randolf, an activist from Kasavanahalli, was holding a small social event, and wanted to rent steel tumblers. She called a plate bank called Hasiru Mithra Cutlery in HSR Layout, and rented what was needed. She wanted to keep the garbage generated as minimal as possible. Garbage dumps are a common sight in Bengaluru. If it is not piled up in empty sites or landfills, it is seen in mounds at street corners. This is not just due to poor management by the authorities in charge, but also because of…

வரும் 2019 ஆம் ஆண்டு ஜனவரி மாதம் 1-ஆம் தேதி முதல், தமிழ்நாடு அரசு, ஒற்றைப் பயன்பாட்டு பிளாஸ்டிக் மீது போட்டிருக்கும் தடை விதிகளை அமல்படுத்தும். இது, சுற்றுச்சூழலை பாதுகாக்கும் நோக்கில், மாநிலத்தில் முன்னொருபோதும் எடுக்கப்படாத நடவடிக்கை. பிளாஸ்டிக் தடை பற்றி பல குடிமக்கள் மத்தியில் இன்னும் குழப்பம் மற்றும் கவலை உள்ளது. அதனை போக்க செய்தித்தாள் விளம்பரங்கள் மூலம் மாநில அரசாங்கம் தொடர்ச்சியாக நினைவூட்டிக் கொண்டிருக்கிறது, ஆனால் தடையை அமல்படுத்த அல்லது ஒரு மாற்று வழிமுறைகளை பின்பற்றுவதில் ஒரு உறுதியான வரைபடத்தை இதுவரை வழங்க தவறிவிட்டது. பல நிறுவனங்கள், குறிப்பாக தொண்டு நிறுவனங்கள், இந்த பிரச்சினையைப் பற்றி பொது மக்களின் உணர்தலை மேம்படுத்த பணியாற்றி வருகின்றனர். திடக்கழிவு மேலாண்மை மற்றும் பல சுற்றுச்சூழல் சம்பந்தப்பட்ட பணிகளில் ஈடுபட்டுள்ள நம்ம ஊரு பவுண்டேஷனின் நிறுவனர் பி. நடராஜனிடம் வரவிருக்கும் பிளாஸ்டிக் தடையைச் சந்திக்க வேண்டிய யுக்திகள் மற்றும் நம்ம ஊரு பவுண்டேஷனின்…

A migrant belonging to Jharkhand is labelled a rowdy, a person from North East is assumed to be sexually open and those from West Bengal are supposedly ‘dirty.’ From the local tea kadais to the cafeterias, such preconceived notions often form the subject of gossip and casual talk. Migrants who come to cities such as Chennai, are typically at the receiving end of such misplaced bias. A 2013 research report by J Jeyaranjan of Institute of Development Alternatives, based on a survey of 315 migrant workers across three sectors known to employ them in large numbers (namely, Construction, Manufacturing and Services), found…

A fascinated child stands transfixed in the Zoology section of the Government museum in Egmore, her attention drawn by the giant skeleton of a whale on display, spanning the length of the room. This is is just one of many intriguing artefacts in India's second oldest museum. While the museum can boast of a steady stream of visitors, with enough in store for everyone who would like to spend an hour in learning, there are several aspects of the museum that leave plenty of room for improvement and are crying for attention from the state. The massive collections of the…

A Mushroom... (or toadstool) is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. In this post, I'd like to share the variety of mushrooms I've been seeing in the monsoon season, in and around the city!   The terms "mushroom" and "toadstool" go back centuries and were never precisely defined, nor was there consensus on application. Between 1400 and 1600 AD, the terms mushrom, mushrum, muscheron, mousheroms, mussheron, or musserouns were used. Puffball Mushroom Black Puffball Many species of mushrooms seemingly appear overnight, growing or expanding rapidly. This phenomenon is the…

This article is supported by SVP Cities of India Fellowship #PlasticsGottaGo seems to be the rallying cry in cities across India as it is globally, and for obvious reasons too. Attempts to raise awareness about the hazards of plastic waste and its disposal are on an overdrive as climate change and waste management become the key challenges faced by cities. Yet, not everyone thinks that an entirely plastic-free world will be feasible or even desirable. K Ahmed Khan, Managing Director, K.K.Plastic Waste Management Ltd asserts that that they believe in saying 'yes' to plastic but only after ensuring its eco-friendliness,…

As soon as the shutters of this jewellery store in Camp Road are rolled up, customers start to trickle in. The shop across the signal on Velachery Main Road is lively and buzzing by 11 am on a Saturday morning: a middle aged woman checking gold prices and a to-be-married couple selecting a toe ring. A narrow lane cuts across the same Velachery Main Road, on the other side of the signal. The aroma of camphor in the air is distinct and as one proceeds through the lane, the rhythmic sound of metal grows louder. Sitting inside a tiny shop,…

December 2015 -- a date that Chennai is unlikely to forget in a long time to come. The ruthlessness of nature coupled with an unprepared civic administration created one of the worst floods that any city in India has ever seen. But if there was anything good about the floods and their aftermath, it was the awareness created among large sections of citizens about the need to restore and preserve the water bodies in the city. Among the many water bodies that were identified to be in need of a major makeover was the Buckingham Canal. Several discussions, research and…