GENRE: Voices

The primary reason for the stench generated by the KCDC like units, I feel, is simply because they are trying to handle more than the unit is designed to handle. Every unit has an optimal capacity that it can handle. But either due to bad planning or prestige issues one tries to go over the capacity and then the whole system eventually comes to a grinding halt. It will not even be able to handle what it was capable of. The second (and important) reason for the stench is because so much plastic is mixed up in the wet waste.…

Chennai-based Dr Ruffles is extremely popular with children. His treatment has helped several non-verbal children with autism to speak up, aided those with attention deficit disorder and other learning disabilities to improve their performance in school, and even resolved complex behavioural issues in many of his little patients. Quite incredibly, though, the good doctor has accomplished all this without so much as uttering a single word or writing out a prescription. Indeed, he has become the hugely successful therapist he is by simply being himself – a non-judgmental, attentive and very affectionate dog! Ruffles is the resident ‘doctor’ at the…

A religious procession en-route to Dharmarayaswamy Temple. Pic: Deepika Nagabhushan As a recent resident of New Thippasandra, Venkatweshwara Colony which is adjacent to the 515 colony, I had assumed that this being Bangalore, inadequacies would be dealt with swiftly. However, about 2 weeks back (April 8th 2014), when the public utility services shut down for godly processions, with power-cuts at ungodly hours, made me feel like a helpless citizen. Our colony experienced a power-cut of 5 hours during the day and yet another for a further 3 hours, from 3 am to 6 am in the morning. Not even the…

The best insights on ugly Indian behaviour come from sanitation workers – they are at the receiving end every day of their working lives. X had just been to Singapore. He was appalled at how filthy the Indian neighbourhood – Little India – was, somehow proving to him that even in a dictatorial enforcement-driven system like Singapore, the ugly Indian shows his true colours. He distinctly recalled seeing large dumpsters at street corners, even in Little India. Maybe he was missing something here – Bangalore wanted to be as clean as Singapore, but did not want to use dumpsters at…

In the backdrop of Lok Sabha election campaigns, politicians from namma Bengaluru seem to be gearing up to see who will shine in the limelight. And with the obvious popularity that the internet and smartphones enjoy, not all our politicians need to go campaigning on feet to meet voters. All they need is a computer or a smart-phone to do the work for them. While there are still some who prefer to receive physical copies of minutes, only because they don’t know how to read emails (poor little fossils), there are others who are literally all over the place. Facebook,…

Pic: Nikita Malusare He has been contesting elections for over five terms from Bengaluru South Constituency. Ananth Kumar, started his career as secretary of Akhila Bharat Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). As a minister in the Vajpayee government, he held many key positions such as Minister of Civil Aviation, Tourism, Sports and Youth Affairs, Culture, Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation. (Check out his full profile) He has been actively connecting with people through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. He also has his personal website. Citizen Matters caught up with Ananthkumar on a rainy day during his campaign at an apparel…

Bangalore Central candidates at the BPAC debate. Pic: Shree D N Here are the Bangalore Central MP candidates' responses to common questions about the Lok Sabha General Elections 2014. This has been compiled by Bellandur ward resident, Nagesh. Candidates from all major political parties were asked some direct questions at the BPAC meet. A citizens' team from Bellandur emailed them a questionnaire. This document lists the verbatim responses of the candidates for both series of questions. Before you go through these responses, a few cautionary notes: The statements are reproduced “as is” basis. A fact-check may reveal that some of the…

Pic: http://cnarayanaswamy.com/ C Narayanaswamy, the Congress candidate from Bangalore North, seems to be a very busy man. Each time we called his number, we were told, ‘Sir is campaigning’ or ‘Sir is in a meeting’. We finally managed to catch up with him in a telephonic interview at 11 pm in the night. The 66-year-old candidate truly sounded tired at the end of a long day, his voice almost hoarse. Nevertheless, he patiently spent about 10 minutes talking to us about why he would make a good candidate and why good leaders are important for the society. Why should people…

Pic courtesy: https://www.facebook.com/ruthmanorama Ruth Manorama, womens' rights activist awarded with Rights Livelihood award, contesting as a JD(S) candidate from Bengaluru South, spoke to Citizen Matters on her unexpected entry into politics and her goals. Excerpts: Why do you want to go to parliament? I have been advocating for women in politics. There is utter criminalization, communalization and corruption of the political system. The capacity and capabilities of women should be used to understand how poverty and inequality impacts development. Women should be involved in politics internally, not just externally. Women are able to talk and engage with the government and…

Pic: Shree D N In a telephonic interview with Citizen Matters, Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Bengaluru North, Babu Mathew, reveals his plans for future. Here are the excerpts from the interview which summarise his policies and plans for his constituency, interaction with voters etc. AAP is known to have deserted Delhi. Why should people vote for AAP in this elections? Won't voting for AAP lead to a hung parliament? AAP is the first step towards the second freedom movement in India. How does your party plan to control corruption? AAP is determined to see the passage of the Jan…