GENRE: Voices

A gust of wind blew over my sleeping body, and promptly and quickly, I jerked up from my lying position and stared at the whirling fan in my room. That was what surprised me as I normally wake up at 7.45 am during summer vacations and don’t budge from my bed till that time, but now it was only 6.00 am and I was awake. And then, it struck me that it wasn’t vacation anymore; school had started and my waking-up-in-the-morning senses were just beginning to develop again. Glad, excited and a little mournful, I headed back to school.The school…

Take today’s news (June 3, 2010). Two reports are highlighted, one about Bangalore’s horrendous road fatalities (second highest in the country after Delhi, with over 860 deaths annually, and over 6,100 injured) and the other about a wall collapse that killed a 17-year-old girl. The compound wall had been built by the BBMP just three months ago. The girl had taken shelter next to it as it was raining, and the wall collapsed, crushing her underneath. Bad enough. But what is outrageous is the lack of accountability – the BBMP had parcelled out the work of erecting a short stretch…

We residents of JP Nagar have seen articles pertaining to requests for BMTC services in the newspapers. During the "Know your Candidates" BBMP election debate organised by Citizen Matters, some participants also raised the same concern.I invite all like-minded residents of JP Nagar to come together and form a forum to jointly voice our concerns to BMTC. A large group will have strength and voice. Contact me at 9916781877.   ⊕

UNITES Professionals is perhaps the first and only registered union for employees in the IT (Information Technology) and ITES (Information Technology Enabled Services or Business Process Outsourcing) industry in India. The organization is working on better work environment and setting standards in the industry Karthik Shekhar (L). Courtesy: Karthik Shekhar. With its headquarters in Bangalore, UNITES Professionals has offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kolkata. Pushpa Achanta interviewed Karthik Shekhar, the General Secretary of UNITES Professionals over email. Tell us more about UNITES? UNITES Professionals strives to create a distinct and cogent link between employers and employees…

Apart from the traffic snarls in Chikkallasandra, the residents of this area are exposed to another hazard. Garbage collected from nearby localities are sorted out daily on a bridge built over an open drain right on the 18th Main Road, about 100 yards from the Chikkallasandra junction. This route is extremely busy as it is the shortest way from junction to Devegowda petrol bunk junction.Pic: S Srinivasan After collecting garbage from the nearby localities using hand carts and three-wheeler vehicles, the paurakarmikas dump it on the side of the bridge. They sort out the garbage before loading it into the…

One of the oldest bazaars, Gandhi Bazaar which is frequented by thousands and which is also a popular meeting point for the residents of Basvangudi, is today a bustling, noisy, chaotic 'thoroughfare', unsafe for shoppers. Thanks to heavy traffic. BMTC buses, trucks, and ‘all wheelers' make it a point to speed their way. Mowing down shoppers, making it a hazard for pedestrians. During festival time it is most dangerous and annoying.Shopping is also leisure time activity and the area is a social meeting point, especially for senior citizens and women with children. Shopping is meant to be pleasure and fun,…

By mid-April I was becoming allergic to the calendar. “Don’t look at the date”, I told myself. The April 30th deadline for paying property tax was approaching. "There are no forms available at the Sanjaynagar centre yet", said a friend.  "I downloaded the form but they refused to accept it because it doesn’t have the acknowledgement form," said another (Why doesn’t it have an acknowledgement form? Good question.)With just a week left, I decided to pay up, and “be done with it”. That morning’s newspapers said some Assistant Revenue Officers (ARO’s) were being authorised to collect property tax. So I…

During the past three to four years, the residents of HSR layout have been subjected to tremendous hardships and inconveniences due to BDA's flyover and bridge constructions.During 2007-08, a bridge construction work at the junction of 14th Main and Ring Road junction (HSR junction) went on for more than 15 months. During that time all entry points to HSR layout except for one or two were closed from Ring Road side. Residents had to take diversions from all sectors.Now, BDA’s yet another flyover construction work at the meeting point of 14th Main and Ring Road junction is causing severe traffic…

I am a resident of Maria Selva Apts, an apartment located at Hennur Road and Davis Road cross. Markings as "+11m" and “+5m” by BBMP have been made on the compound walls adjoining Hennur Road. Apartment owners also received a letter from BBMP asking us to apply for Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) a few days ago. The letter is confusing. No deadline is given. There has been no communication from BBMP after we got this letter. The road in question is Hennur Road (from Pottery Road towards Lingarajapuram and beyond to Ring Road). This road has been mentioned in…

I met Rahul on my way to the milk booth. He held a half-peeled banana in his hand as he hurried down, his mother close behind him with what looked like a badminton kit. Though the summer vacation had commenced,  Rahul had not visited us for a fortnight, not even for the regular chess competitions the two of us (Rahul and I) have at my home.I saw them again the next day, huffing and puffing their way to the main gate of ourpremises. As the boy boarded a waiting van and Neetu, Rahul's mother, waved at him, I got curious…