GENRE: Voices

Recently, I came across an article about the rate at which Bengaluru is losing its greenery. I was born and brought up in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, but I love Bengaluru and its culture. I was disturbed to know about the loss of Bengaluru’s green cover. Hence I decided to spark a conversation on this issue by putting up a piece of street art. I built the model at my house, and assembled it at the site. The installation, named ‘Under Destruction: Garden City to Grey City’, involves a plant at the centre, and glass panes plastered upon its fencing. The idea…

Bengaluru faces another water crisis this summer. It's not just citizens who are responsible for this situation. For decades, the state government and civic administration have been focusing on short term strategies, without assessing whether these are sustainable. The main cause of the current crisis is that we have no clue where our resources come from, what their limits are, and we don't value what we have. The city has destroyed its water security - the 1800 lakes that our forefathers built here, are down to less than 200 now. And even these remaining lakes don't have potable water. If…

Manifestos of the various parties do talk about different plans to improve cities. Here is a quick summary of the key points related to urban issues. The Indian National Congress(INC) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] in their manifestos have promised proper implementation of the 74th Constitutional Amendment and thereby the devolution of powers to local elected bodies. The INC plans on introducing mayoral reforms where the Mayor will be empowered and have a term of five years. Both parties plan on developing an Urban Policy. The CPI(M) plans to move away from the concept of ‘Smart cities’…

This election season, Factly.in has put together a series of videos that seeks to deconstruct various aspects of the massive democratic exercise to make every citizen aware of its history, processes, rules and other relevant information. Political parties are key players in the democratic process and yet they were never mentioned in the Constitution when it was drafted. Why do we need political parties at all? Do they do anything to reduce chaos in the existing electoral system? How do these political parties form government? What is the difference between regional and national parties? What role do regional parties play in forming…

As the campaigning ended on Easter Sunday for all 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, the big question is whether the BJP will be able to get its first ever MP from the state. Intermittent summer showers did nothing to cool the campaigning fervour of the three main contestants - the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) working to keep its 12 seats intact, the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) hoping to not lose any of its current eight seats, and the newly-energised BJP which is hoping to cash in on the sentiments raised over Supreme Court’s Sabarimala temple verdict. The…

As a socialist politician of Socialist Secular Sovereign Democratic Republic of India, it hurts me deeply that I was excluded from the democratic process of exercising my fundamental constitutional right to vote in spite of repeated representations to election officials in New Delhi and Hyderabad. What happened Around mid 2018, reports were pouring in from various parts of Telangana state that voters did not find their names in electoral rolls. On 24th September 2018 I was shocked to find that my voter ID too was not present in the electoral rolls. I wrote same day to Election Commission of India…

Indian Mythology is peppered with great stories. And my favourite right now, with the elections around the corner, is the legend of Mohini - Bhasmasura. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the it, let me give you the abridged version - Lord Shiva who is pleased with the penance of Bhasmasura, the great demon, gives him a boon that he can burn anything and anybody by just placing his hand upon its head. Upon receiving the ‘gift’, Bhasmasura tries to place his hand on Lord Shiva’s head to burn him. To me, nothing else succinctly sums up my…

This election season, Factly.in has put together a series of videos that seeks to deconstruct various aspects of the massive democratic exercise to make every citizen aware of its history, processes, rules and other relevant information. The second episode breaks down the most important election procedures of voter registration and voting. This is no rocket science and yet it may seem confusing. https://youtu.be/ZPAJfABAksI [This video series is produced by Factly as a part of the YouTube GNI Innovation Funding and has been republished here with permission.]

Finally, the much awaited day is here, when Chennai is all set to choose its representatives in the 17th Lok Sabha. Parliamentary elections this time are distinctive in the fact the median age of the electorate is 27.9 years. For the first time in the history of India, forty-five million young people have become eligible to vote as they turn 18 and have been added to India’s electoral rolls since 2014 (according to ECI data of 2018). Needless to say, therefore, that how India’s young population votes will be one of the major deciding factors in the ongoing elections. Young…

A G Mourya, retired IPS officer and Makkal Needhi Maiam candidate is contesting from Chennai North parliamentary constituency; rival candidates are DMK’s Dr Kalanidhi Veerasamy and DMDK’s former MLA Alagaapuram R Mohanraj. In a candid interview, A G Mourya, an MCC alumnus and the former Deputy Inspector General of Prisons, says he is confident of winning from the constituency, that had been a hot seat for the DMK for ten consecutive elections before 2014, when the AIADMK won it. Here are excerpts from the interview: How do you feel the transition from being a police officer to a politician? It…