GENRE: Voices

Someone famous once said, “Life is what you make out of it.” How true is this adage, considering the death of a 17-year-old boy from JP Nagar 7th Phase who was mercilessly mowed down by a car? The incident was reported in local newspapers, and it makes us wonder if your life is in fact what others make for you. What is needed is road discipline by people behind the wheel. If one steps into the four-road junction in front of Brigade Millennium apartment complex in JP Nagar, one can observe that:•Despite traffic signals in place, two wheelers whizz past…

There's more to being a parent than posing prettily with the cherub, wrote a slightly hassled friend on Facebook. The reason? Her son's upcoming birthday or at least the decision making process of it. I could not resist an evil and slightly relieved laugh. So it wasn't just me who dreaded the birthday juggernaut- the planning, the presents, the cake, the theme and of course, the return gift, which is a must give these days unless you have been living under a rock or are very brave and do not care for public opinion, especially from pint sized people.At our…

Residents of J P Nagar have a reason to smile. B S Angadi, 49, the new Inspector of Police is an accomplished officer with major international experience. In this exclusive interview with Citizen Matters, he talks about his experiences and the challenges in his job.  A native of north Karnataka, he joined the police force 1990. He is a BCom and an LLM graduate, with four years experience as an advocate before joining the police force. With experience and skills in sharp shooting, driving and English language, he was chosen by the UN peacekeeping mission in May 2002 to serve…

During the last decade the incidence of suicides in India has increased from 108,593 in 2000 to 134,599 in 2010 (23.8% change). Pic: wikimedia/commons Suicides and attempted suicides are far more common amongst males, those with depression, failed relationships, excessive alcohol abuse, loss of rational thinking, financial loss and/or inability to manage finances, lack of social support, not coming up to expectations of those who matter and more.Suicides have a social, cultural, and economic background. Thus, while farmer suicides may be a phenomenon in some states, children dying by suicides especially following declaration of examination results is an expression of…

BDA started work on Agara-Sirsi Circle signal-free corridor project last year. Work for grade separators was initiated in four Koramangala junctions - Jakkasandra, Koramangala 80 feet road, Krupanidhi College and Koramangala Water Tank. But residents in the area pointed out flaws in the project and managed to get the work stopped temporarily. Nitin Seshadri, a resident, writes... We were first informed in early September about the massive projects planned along Sarjapur road. Citizens' initial reaction was stoic. The typical reaction is exemplified by an email which declared: "let us do what we can to be as patient as possible". In mid-September, we…

Back in the early 1980s, against the advice of our friends and relatives in Bangalore, we moved to Yelahanka Satellite Town in the hope of living in peace, fed up of Bangalore's pollution. We compromised a lot for this, putting up with the poor construction quality of KHB, lack of some basic facilities, and distance from city's old airport and culture hubs. Many trees were cut down to accommodate this BBMP office in Yelahanka Satellite Town 1st phase Pic: Sudha Narasimhachar But we were happy the way our layout was planned with lovely parks, and amenities like bus stands, shopping…

A Bangalore of leisurely afternoon siestas, trees in abundance, monkey tops adorning grand bungalows, joyous celebrations unrestrained through the night and cycle rickshaws that got you about town. How do you celebrate the best years of your life? Artist Paul Fernandes does it with a series of 50 paintings that relive vibrant Bengaluru of the 70s. While the series currently reflects life in the Cantonment areas, Paul hopes to extend this in the coming months. aPaulogy opened on 21 December 2011. Paul Fernandes. Pic: Christina Daniels The paintings themselves are not easily classified into any genre, as humorous caricatures meet…

We, the Proud Indians, are a group of young, regular Indians with regular aspirations who deeply believe that an honest and strong India will be possible only when each of us is willing to strive in that direction. Proud Indians is a small group from Hyderabad from varied backgrounds. Through the walk they aim to inspire citizens to be honest at a personal level, to help tackle corruption. The group started their walk from Kanyakumari on December 18th. In the first segment of the walk from December 18th-31st, they covered 500 kms in Kerala . On January 1st, they started…

    The newspaper write-up for Dustin Bayi describes the play as "the complex relationship of a Christian family with local rituals and belief in spirit worship". Further "a powerful plot, reputed artists, authentic sets, music, and colorful costumes make this play a must-watch". This write-up seemed exciting enough, particularly in the light of the recent incidents with churches in Mangalore and Bangalore. Also, the play being staged on Christmas Day seemed symbolic as the occasion to watch it. The plot Pic: Kriyative Theatre Dustin Bayi is a short story by Gopalakrishna Aithal. It is adapted for the stage by…

Wastewater collection and treatment Wastewater collection and treatment was a rather poor show in 2011. Though underground sewage lines are being laid in the periphery of the city and some decentralised wastewater treatment plants sprang up. Bellandur lake covered in froth due to pollution. File pic: Meera K This will be a real tough challenge for the city because the resource recovery from polluters is also very poor since domestic households who send in the sewage to the lines pay the equivalent of 50 paise a day. Fixing and collecting the right price and making the polluter pays principle will…