GENRE: Voices

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…

Pic: Huda Jaffer Drum beats and illuminating LED bulbs powered by the sun... do they have anything in common? Naah, nothing! Ponder over it for a minute. How are drums made? The typical response would be that the workers gather raw materials, add their labour and voila, the drums are ready.  Here we have workers who actually make drums under light bulbs powered by solar panels. Isn’t that exciting? Eco-friendly drums! A 500 year old craft In Thannisandra, a locality of Bengaluru, there is a small community of Mirasis living under the roof of tarpaulin tents. The Mirasis are a…

A decisive action was taken to restore encroached land by the officials of the Bengaluru Urban district. Dayananda, Tahsildar (Bangalore South taluk) must be commended for braving all obstacles in doing the job and restoring the encroached land on Ibblur lake bed. These officials must be given due credit that they stood the ground, followed the procedures and rescued illegally encroached land, sometimes bringing grave danger to their lives. Ibblur lake has 18 acres and 6 guntas per the certified survey records. Of that, a good chunk went to Outer Ring Road during the early 2000s. With real estate booming…

In a few day’s time the city’s bustle will have a different flavour. The Election Commission will announce the poll dates for the Lok Sabha Elections, parties will announce their candidates, buntings will line the streets of Bengaluru. The cronies will put up photoshopped posters with mug shots of themselves with their favourite candidate. It is that time when the citizenry become aware of the forthcoming elections and subconsciously make a choice, to vote or not to vote, both groups convincing the other about the merits of their choice. I belong to the former group and have evolved from going…

I was deeply moved by the Carlton fire tragedy and I strongly feel that such deaths could have been avoided. The following simple innovative suggestions are for serious consideration and implementation so that lives of people can be saved: Make fireproof ropes available near windows: In all hi-rise buildings, glass boxes containing 100 to 300 feet of sturdy, fireproof rope (thickness of two to three inches), duly knotted at every two meters of length, must be kept ready.  One end of the rope must be secured to a steel hook embedded to the masonry structure.  In case of fire or…