GENRE: Voices

Running culture is not new to the city. Bengaluru has hosted many marathons and is also witnessing an increase in the number of runner enthusiasts. Among those are Athreya Chidambi and Neera Katwal. They have been among the top finishers in the last few marathons. Chidambi and Neera were the first Indians to finish the Midnight Marathon in Bangalore. Athreya Chidambi and Neera Katwal at the Ultra marathon in November2011. Pic: Anju "It was on one of my new years' resolution list," says 33-year-old Athreya Chidambi, reminiscing about the time when he first gave running a ‘try.' Chidambi, who is…

It was a few years ago. I was stopped by the traffic policeman in Richmond Town for “jumping red light and reckless driving”. As expected, I was told that I’d have to pay a fine, but at the end of the conversation that ensued, I was let off with no exchange of money, just a warning. Now here again I was, at another traffic signal in Richmond Town, in front of another policeman, but for a different traffic violation. I realize that I run the risk of being classified as a habitual traffic offender, but I must clarify that on…

India is Diabetic Capital of world, and 12.4 % Bangalore population has diabetes. It is projected that maximum increase in diabetic patients would be in India. The deadly risks of diabetes include heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure (BP), recurrent foot infections often leading to amputations, and decreased immunity.The good news is it can be prevented, and even if you have, it can be managed without medicines. The time to act is now  Main symptoms of Diabetes. Pic: Wikimedia Commons Check if you have family history of diabetesAre you Obese or overweightIf you are inactiveIf you have high blood pressureWounds…

THROUGHOUT the year it seems that the citizens and the city were at war with each other. You only had to think of a project proposed by a city agency, and instantly you could recollect how citizens fought against the project. Equally, whenever citizens mooted something the the city should take up - bike lanes, bus priority, better footpaths - it seemed like the entire establishment was pitted against them.  To me, this is the greatest warning before us. All over the world the evidence is now compelling, that cities that actively involve their citizens in decisions are doing much…

Residents of 4th Block and 5th Block Jayanagar, Bangalore have written to Dr V S Acharya, Minister for Higher Education, and S Suresh Kumar, Minister for BWSSB on their problems with BWSSB's rules on Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) and the deadline of December 31st. They write: Dear Sir,We would like to bring the following facts to your notice, and request that you use your good offices to safeguard the interests of the general public of Bangalore City.As we all know, Bangalore Development Authority has obtained the legislative sanction to allot sites to all residents of Bangalore who have paid the value in…

The word Accident is derived from latin verb ‘accidere' meaning fall upon, befall, happen, chance. Globally as well as in our country, it is construed as happening by chance, and there is not much that can be done about it. Contradictory, though it may sound most of the accidents can be prevented. Especially if one looks at some of the statistics around accidents, one wonders why efforts are not made on war footing. Sample these: Pic: Mukul Saxena Globally 1.2 million people die due to Road traffic accidents (RTA) every year .In India every 1.9 minutes one person dies of…

Asthma is a respiratory allergy characterised by difficulty in breathing, and is associated with wheezing. It is a Greek word meaning breathless, or breathing with mouth open. Genetic factors, urbanisation, pollution, stress, and tobacco smoke are some of the important factors to determine the severity of asthma. Pic: Wikimedia commons A study based on 20,000 patients revealed that percentage of asthma in children grew from 9% in 1979 to 29.9% in 1999 in Bangalore. Seasonal variations, viral upper respiratory tract infection, food items like grapes, guavas, bananas, ice creams, tomatoes, trigger an asthmatic episode. The effect of pollution can be…

Dear Sir or Madam,I am a daily office commuter on Metro Reach one between Baiyappanahalli to MG road. I would like to bring to your attention the following issues:Security The work of the private contract guards when checking bags is inconsistent. The guard assigned to body check does not wave the handheld scanner properly for all passengers. Those assigned to bag check does not use the scanner inside the bags always and sometimes lets off commuters by simply taking a glance half half-heartedly inside the bag. Security guards should follow standard procedures for all passengers. Please implement recommendations of the…

After a long tiring wait at the traffic signal, a turn into Nanda road used to be refreshing. This road is a long road running across the Jayanagar area in Bangalore. Any resident of Jayanagar would always remember that road with fondness. Nanda Road used to be a lush green road with more than 100 trees. Entering that road would mean forgetting the traffic woes and just driving freely on the broad road looking at the canopy of huge green trees overhead. They were so dense that you could see only small specks of sunlight even on hot, sunny days.…

Ashok Dwarakanath has submitted the following complaint to BMTC, through their official website on October 23rd and is yet to get BMTC's response. This is to bring to your kind attention some possible safety violations by drivers operating Volvo buses on route 335E. This may apply in general to other routes also.Slowing down far away before or after the bus stop if passengers are boarding another bus for formality sake but never really stopping the bus at the bus stop. Speeding away from the bus stop sometimes even after 2 or more passengers are waving their hands. This is a…