GENRE: Voices

With the Namma Railu project to connect Bengaluru to the surrounding towns moving forward, there is talk of 'land value capture' to finance it. I.e, can we find the money for this project (and others like it) by either giving additional FSI at a price to land-owners in the area, or by higher property taxes after the completion of the project? This is a standard financing technique that is used by many countries. But in Bangalore we have a dubious record on this front. We have arbitrarily increased FSI in some areas (e.g. near Metro stations) in violation of the…

Once again, it was time to shift; once again, it was time to fret over the collection of used/unused/sparingly used but ‘not being used’ items at home. That we were moving to a smaller rented house, made it evidently clear that I do away with some of that stuff. In the past I have been accomplishing this by donating the items to NGOs. During voluntary works, I have often noticed people adopting the easiest route to de-clogging their homes: they bundle all and sundry items together and dump at the nearest venue willing to accept their surplus. Concerned at this…

Day 1: September 27, 2013 It was a very pleasant day. Crowne Plaza in electronic City was teeming with life. The first day of the Bangalore Literature Festival had kick-started. Unsurprisingly, Friday saw the smallest attendance due to it being a work day. The line-up for Friday’s panels featured a variety of famous faces ranging from Sri Sri Ravishankar and TV Mohandas Pai to Farhan Akhtar. Being the first day of the Literature Festival, I had made the decision to meander between talks. At first it had seemed like a smart idea. I thought it would allow me to get…

Unsegregated waste is something which cannot be processed 100% which would be a deadly cocktail that will act as slow poison for environment. File pic. A few days ago, I came back from the morning run to my newspaper and breakfast. What I read on the first page made me spill my bowl of sambhar all over the supplement. Our elected representatives – MPs, MLAs and corporators were back from a junket to Salem where they saw a plant that can process mixed waste. I personally like folks in position of power traveling as it opens the mind, so have…

Pelican Bay, California, USA is synonymous with solitary existence. In recent months, the Pelican Bay State Prison has been hitting the news, with inmates and social activists challenging the use of isolation to hold prisoners. The residents of the Alahalli Lake neighbourhood in Anjanapura-JP Nagar 9th Phase, South Bangalore, have been spectators to solitary existence of a different kind. A real pelican has been observed in the lake for the past two weeks, and yes – all alone. Given its large size, it is difficult for the naked eye to miss. Solitary Spot-billed Pelican at Alahalli Lake (Pic: Vikash Kumar)…

It is in the nature of our society that when someone elderly speaks, people listen with respect. This is particularly the case when that elder has a background of scholarship or administrative experience; the respect is indeed deep and widespread. Therefore, it is extremely important for such persons to speak with a fair degree of caution, and most definitely with as much accuracy as would be possible in given circumstances. Even if the nu,ber of pigeons is more in Cubbon Park, that doesn't give anyone the right to decide their fate. File pic. A man of the stature of A…

Two friends and I were returning from Nandi Hills when the sight of this Chameleon brought us to a screeching halt. What a beauty! Luckily, it had not been flattened by traffic on the other side of the road, and was already on our side. It goose-stepped, or should I say, chameleon-stepped, into the grass verge. Watch this video, the progress of the reptile is funny, to say the least! Here it is, closer to the grass verge: It then climbed on to a rock: And disappeared into the shelter of the leaves and greenery: From there, we could see…

I don’t really know his name. Never need it I guess. The conversation with him happens because we cannot find a parking spot. It is eight in the night on a road near Commercial Street. The shops are still open and cars fill the tiny road. Me and husband are hungry and want to buy a burger from a shop nearby. A rickshaw driver stands parked on the road, blocking the space our car can fit it. I get down, request him to back it a little and direct my car in triumphantly. While the burgers are being ordered, since…

Last night, I lay in bed, unable to fall asleep. Nishi and Tigger, my dogs, were curled up with me. I had been away for a month, getting my dog training education in Norway, from one of the leading experts in canine communication – Turid Rugaas. Ever since I got back from Norway, they are sticking close to me. As Nishi’s head pushed against my neck, I could feel her twitching and making tiny whimpering noises. She sounded afraid. I wondered what she was dreaming of. I went through all the things she had done during the day and wondered…

When I was driving home one night recently with my family in Bangalore, I met with a minor accident. It was raining heavily, street lights were off, roads deserted and I could not see the road ahead. Before I knew what was happening, my car came to an abrupt halt with a couple of thundering noises. Did I hit somebody, I wondered with a thudding heart. I got down and realised that the car had climbed up a road divider. Luckily, everyone was safe. Later, when the Maruti Service Centre people came and got the car down, I was told…