GENRE: Voices

It’s been just over a month since the Jallikattu protests on Marina, and the issue has faded from the headlines. The sport is being held, albeit under certain regulations and with some changes, but there are some questions that still linger. One of the primary reasons cited by the educated, city-bred protester against the ban on Jallikattu had been the undesirable implications for native cattle breeds and the indirect impact on the milk we consume. But can the resumption of a sport really revive the native cattle industry and is it enough incentive for farmers to turn away from foreign…

G Padmavathi (56), a 4th time Congress corporator from Prakash Nagar ward, took charge as the 50th Mayor of Bengaluru in September 2016. She is the seventh woman to assume the coveted post. On a Wednesday at around 3 pm, she arrives at her chamber to make herself available for visitors. She is at her office after a long day of field visits and attending events across the city. A group of residents wait in a corner to invite the Mayor for an upcoming event. Meanwhile, a batch of auto drivers arrive at her office to submit a memorandum requesting…

Bengaluru has many NGOs working on social sectors, and HIV affected community is one of the sectors of focus. Leelavathi, the vice-president of Arunodaya NGO explains what NGOs are doing for HIV communities. She also talks about dealing with tuberculosis in HIV affected people, and the care to be taken, diagnosis, treatment, medication and related issues.

The Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike has launched a joint campaign with Citizens for Bengaluru called the 'Bus Bhagya Beku' campaign, that demands the State Government to provide financial support to BMTC to 'Halve the Fares, and Double the Fleet'. About 50 lakh commuters use BMTC services every day, thus making BMTC the backbone of Bangalore city. And yet, this mode of public transport is highly neglected, and too expensive for many to use. In addition, traffic congestion in Bangalore is caused by private vehicles, especially cars. And we feel that the only solution to reducing such congestion and air pollution…

Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB) and Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara (BBPV) have initiated a public campaign - #BusBhagyaBeku - seeking ‘Half the Fares and Double the Fleet’. CfB and BBPV met with various organisations and conducted commuter surveys at garment factories on Mysore Road and at Shivaji Nagar, Jayanagar TTMCs and at Majestic to understand their concerns and to seek their support for #BusBhagyaBeku. CfB and BBPV, call upon all citizens of Bengaluru to take a bus to Shantinagar TTMC on Saturday 4th March at 11AM (incidentally, the monthly Bus Day) in an expression of support for public transport and ‘#BusBhagyaBeku’ to…

‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’. This was taught to us as children. In our days we had a class on moral science, where we were taught certain basic human and civic values in schools. Our elders had no problem with those classes because they also wanted us to imbibe those traits. But today nobody wants to be ‘taught’ or ‘advised’. Children definitely do not want to be ‘preached’ to. Teachers are asked to change their attitudes, teaching methods and ways of handling children. Participative, interactive, activity-based - many a jargon is used. The content too has changed a lot. Controversies keep…

Pic: Praful Residents of Bengaluru might have noticed in the media, that recently the BBMP has commenced issuing notices to many commercial/non-residential establishments in residential areas to shut shop. Whilst this may come across to many as a sudden and arbitrary act by the BBMP, for those conscientious citizens and Residents Welfare Associations (RWA’s) that have spent numerous hours over the years (mostly behind the scenes) seeking to improve the quality of life of the residents of the city, this is only a long overdue first step towards implementing regulations/orders that have stood violated repeatedly for over 5 years right…

KCDC Chairman A Kenche Gowda. Pic: Akshatha M Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC)’s waste composting plant at Kudlu near Hosur-Sarjapur Road Layout in Bengaluru has been in news of late for all wrong reasons. The plant receives on an average 350-500 tonnes of waste from four Assembly Constituencies in Bengaluru - Bommanahalli, BTM Layout, Mahadevapura and Bengaluru South, according to officials in the plant. However, the functioning of the plant has not been upto the standards. Residents nearby complain of unbearable stench from the plant, and letting of leachate into the lake nearby. Residents have been demanding for the last…

In India as in other societies, ageing population and the kind of legislative and social interventions required to address concerns peculiar to senior citizens pose a stiff challenge for policymakers. In India, it is particularly difficult, given the sheer bulk of numbers and vast socio-economic divide. According to a report published in February 2016 by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the number of senior citizens in the country – those above the age of 60 – has gone up from 7.6 crore in 2001 to 10.3 crore in 2011, a massive 35.5% jump. In our cities in particular,…

After living in one of the most livable cities in the world - Melbourne - I became passionate about the cities’ phenomena. I have strived to discover more active ways to live in a the city, an appetite that has led me to intern with Oorvani Foundation. I chose to study urban governance - a domain echoing its object complexity - at SciencesPo Paris. I find great joy in contemplating the city and hope to use this blog as a place to convey my thoughts over the next six months. Bangalore, or Bengaluru, has doubled in size in about a…