GENRE: Voices

When it appears that everybody has lost hopes with the Indian National Congress, Bengaluru’s own billionaire Nandan Nilekani decided to partner with the party. With the aim of becoming the champion for Bengaluru, the man behind the multi-crore Aadhaar project, gave an exclusive interview to Citizen Matters at his campaign office in Jayanagar on March 20th 2013. This was just a day before he declared his family assets — Rs 7,700 crore.   Nilekani shared his thoughts on governance, why he chose to join Congress, and what he can do as an MP for Bengaluru, which is run by MLAs…

There are two kinds of leaders. One who leads by example and other who motivates others to  set examples. India as a country has seen many such leaders. Gandhi was probably the only leader who fell in both categories. He showed his resistance against foreign rule himself first and then motivated others to join him. But that is indeed rare. People like APJ Abdul Kalam and Sachin Tendulkar have led by example. They have shown ordinary people how dedication, determination and talent can make us shine. People like A B Vajpayee, Subhash Chandra Bose have motivated, inspired others to set…

To understand what unexpected thing V and X did next, and why they did it, it is essential to know what they had done the previous day, at the same garbage dump. They had done a quick session of garbage forensics – or dump fingerprinting! If you saw the recent movie – Zero Dark Thirty – on the capture of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan, it had one crucial garbage-related clue that revealed Osama’s hideout in the compound at Abbottabad, a stone’s throw away from the Pakistani military academy.  It was the “absence of garbage” emanating from this particular compound…

Residents of HSR Layout, Somasundraplaya have written a letter to AnanthKumar, the incumbent MP of Bangalore South, apprising him of their problems and lack of response from the people's representatives. The letter says: "We are writing this mail in continuation of our earlier mails. We are now writing in pain and frustration as we continue to face the problem of total neglect of our area Somasundrapalya. The road work on the 27th main which had commenced has completely slowed down. The garbage problem continues to be a nightmare. The stink is so high we cannot breathe fresh air when we…

That was a typo. We are not here to save you! We are only saving ourselves. As you see, the hot air balloons have lifted off ;). Seriously, more balloons are rising, just hop on. As we celebrate one year since the day 50 of us first gathered, we have no time to reminisce. We are infact shocked to get a call from Namma Bengaluru Awards that we are a finalist. They had 71,000 entries. (Yeah all those zeroes are there). We are not even sure we should be compared with or win against others that are all doing good…

Lakes in Bengaluru invoke the same awe as does the Ganga at Varanasi or the Yamuna in Delhi. Indeed lakes are very special to the city of Bangalore. Without any river passing by, lakes were the natural source of water for the plateau, now called Bangalore. Lakes have been the lifeline of the city and its surroundings till recently. Credible accounts exist as to how the Sankey Tank served as a source of drinking water till quite recently. The dependence on the lakes started easing in the sixties, thanks to bountiful supply from the Cauvery.   Bangalore has grown exponentially…

It was late Saturday evening. I had gone to Brigade Road for dinner with my colleagues. I was taking the bus back home since my bike was sitting in the garage. I knew I had to finish my dinner quickly and exit before 10 or I was going to have a hard time getting back home. Time flew by with the colleagues. Before I knew it, it was post 10.20 pm. Hastily I rushed towards the nearest bus stand. Unfortunately, I was too late. I missed the last bus which travels from Brigade Road to Shivajinagar Bus Station. Shivajinagar is…

630 am, the sun rises, and suddenly there is activity. A gaunt man in a white shirt and dhoti emerges from a dilapidated colonial bungalow and sets up a tea stall outside the Coconut Grove restaurant, and soon there is a swarm of customers huddled together in the morning cold. Security guards, street sweepers, sanitation workers, newspaper delivery men suddenly materialize. V and X desperately need a chai. They blend in, making small talk with this motley group – there is a certain warmth among the customers of a roadside tea-stall in the morning quiet, and V and X were…

Pic: WCG Avenue trees have provided unconditional shade and shelter, not only to fauna and avi-fauna, but also to human beings from time immemorial. We have depended on these old pillars of nature who've existed for centuries. Today we might not feel the need for them, because we have air-conditioned environments inside cities; but they continue to give so much to the living world around.   To ensure that we are reminded of the presence and importance of trees, the Wildlife Conservation Group (WCG), a local group interested in conservation, is organising a Tree Documentation event on March 8th and…

With the month of March marching in, there arises a common fear among students - the fear of examinations. The Central Board of Seconday Education(CBSE) has commenced its Class 10th and 12th Annual Examinations all over the country. The exams conducted by this board are some of the toughest exams faced by the students. Therefore, the students are under a lot of pressure from different sources like parents, teachers and peers to do their very best. Meanwhile, the Pre-University Education Board of Karnataka (PUE) is also conducting exams for 2nd PU from March 12th. The Karnataka PUE Board examination is…