GENRE: In Focus

For someone who lives in Bengaluru, chances are that there is a public library not more than a 20-minute ride away. Out of 80 public libraries in Bengaluru, 79 fall within a 20-km radius from the State Central Library located in Cubbon Park. Interactive map of libraries in the city  The Department of Public Libraries website lists 458 government-run libraries in Bengaluru. These include Gram Panchayat libraries, a Travel library, Traffic and Sewage Libraries. About 200 of these are reported to be public libraries. The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), contextualising the role of libraries in the…

The bustling shopping area of Pondy Bazaar in T Nagar has seen many changes over the last few years. For many, the street provides a one-stop solution to all they may need. Just take a walk down the street and you can get anything, from freshly ground coffee powder to large household appliances, all at various prices. Pondy Bazaar was famous for its pavements lined with small shops and street vendors who sat outside the larger outlets that were found on either side. The stretch where most of the shopping took place was also one that was least pedestrian-friendly.  This…

Starting today, freedom fighter H S Doreswamy, aged 101 years, is to lead a satyagraha at the Town Hall from 11 am to 5 pm, for five days. The protest is against the central government's position on the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), along with other issues such as economic slowdown and price rise. Kavitha Reddy, one of the organisers, says Doreswamy had submitted the application to the police seeking permission for the protest, weeks ago. "We got a call from the local police station yesterday, and they collected all details of the protest." She says that the police didn't mention…

This article is part of our special series on Delhi Elections 2020 Unlike other recent state elections, much of the discussion in the Delhi assembly poll campaign has centred around the successful delivery of  civic amenities and public fund utilisation. This campaign tone was set by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose claims have been in sharp contrast to the  BJP’s political agenda. In the run up to polls, both the ruling AAP and the BJP were seen firing on all cylinders, with the Congress proving to be a lazy bystander. But despite Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s carpet bombing with the…

This article is part of our special series on Delhi Elections 2020 Having garnered international appreciation from the likes of former U.N. Secretary Generals Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon for its accessibility and effectiveness, compared to healthcare in general in India which is ranked at a lowly 145 on the global healthcare access and quality (HAQ) index, the incumbent AAP government of Delhi is inevitably using his government’s health care initiatives as one of its major electoral campaign planks. With the AAP government making education and health its top priorities, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched several schemes to provide free medicines,…

This article is part of our special series on Delhi Elections 2020 In 2014, when the World Health Organisation declared Delhi as the world’s worst polluted city, the national capital became the face of air pollution for India. Since then, Delhi has been branded as a “gas chamber” by its own ruling government. Courts have called out the Delhi government for committing “genocide,” allowing a public health emergency of such mass scale. Every year since then, from Diwali and stubble burning season till the end of winter, politicians announce a slew of measures which fail to address the root cause of…

This article is part of our special series on Delhi Elections 2020 It was a dark December night, when Balvinder Singh, a 36-year old insurance advisor, returned from work and emptied his trouser pockets as usual only to find that his wallet was missing! There was not much money lost, but a credit card and a debit card, which he blocked immediately. But what annoyed him most was that his driving licence and car registration certificate were lost. Getting duplicates was a hassle he was not looking forward to. His wife suggested he call 1076. The couple live with Balvinder’s senior citizen…

This article is part of our special series on Delhi Elections 2020 Round the clock supply of clean drinking water and continuation of the free 20,000 litres per month water consumption per household that is currently in place, comes second (only after Jagmag Delhi -- subsidy on power bills) in Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal’s list of 10 “Guarantees” to the people of Delhi if they return him to power. Supplying free water, especially to areas that had no water supply, was one of AAP’s key promises when the party made its foray into electoral politics.…

This article is part of our special series on Delhi Elections 2020 Jatin Kumar, 11, a Class 6 student at Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in South Delhi's Madangir was an introvert who was hesitant to approach the teacher. Now he is a confident young student who volunteers to take part in school activities. He credits this change to the "Happiness Curriculum", under which 100,000 students in Delhi schools, from nursery to class 8, participate, learning through inspirational stories and meditation classes. A Curriculum for Happiness for school children was the brainchild of the Dalai Lama, which he launched on July 2, 2018. The…

This article is part of our special series on Delhi Elections 2020   2014 AAP manifesto promise Will ensure quality power supply and reduce citizens’ electricity dues by 50 per cent Delhi to be made a solar city CAG audit of discoms Adequate street lighting Delhi to have its own power station At 80 plus, Raj Rani Bhalla who lives with her working daughter in a four-bedroom apartment in East Delhi, manages every aspect of her household. The matriarch reads all the news relevant to her, and keeps an eye on all the discounts of food essentials in the stores in…