GENRE: Voices

There are public spaces and there are public spaces. While city’s bus stops, railway stations, and the streets make up one side of public space; malls, movies and restaurants make up the other side. And the two sides have very different set of rules and these rules as usual affect women the most. Sartorial choice might seem to be a very trivial issue in larger scheme of things but the right to choose what one wants to wear rather than be told what to wear is hardly something to ignore. This in a city that boasts of being cosmopolitan.Offices have…

A brief newspaper item carried last month talked about city schools enforcing the importance of eating healthy - that parents had been told to send nutritive packed lunches and educational authorities were giving the thumbs down to food high in sugar, salt and oil content.The report went on to say how parents are struggling to meet these expectations in the face of their young ones demanding novelty each day. As a mother lamented that her three year old did not like salads and she had no time to pack chapattis or dosas every day, the thought came up: what were…

If you go with expectations to see a movie about Bengaluru, you are going to be thoroughly disappointed. Even as the feature film titled 'Bengaloored' may seem misleading to the regular movie-goer, director Swaroop Kanchi says the city is merely a backdrop in this story about a man and the changes in his life. (Read Citizen Matters' interview with Swaroop Kanchi here) 'Bengaloored' is about an author, Babruvahana or Babbu, who returns to the city from France after ten long years. With a lot of changes in his personal life, the film is about Babbu's struggles and his journey to…

There have been recent discussions related to Gandhi Bazaar on converting the Gandhi Bazaar Road to a pedestrian only zone. This note looks at what needs to be considered before making changes to a bazaar road. The first thing to look at is who uses the road. The user groups in a street bazaar may consist of the 'shoppers' who come for a specific purpose; the 'strollers' who come to be in the lively space; the 'shop-owners', who depend on the activity for their economic sustenance and the 'hawkers' who are the informal counterparts. When does the need arise to…

Vasu Dixit, Bangalore-based music composer-vocalist-guitar player for the folk-fusion band Swarathma, has recently turned music-director with his first movie Bengaloored. The 90-minute English movie directed by Swaroop Kanchi features Kannada actors and has received good reviews both for its music and performances. From humble beginnings in 2002, Swarathma has grown to be one of the major fusion bands in the city now. After regrouping in 2006, the six-member band’s first music album, also called Swarathma, was released in 2008. Their second album was Soundpad Sessions, a project by UK Producer John Leckie, in which they were featured as one of…

When the khata issue was opened at Brigade Millennium in September 2009, some of us decided to take the quick and easy route. Some of us chose not to do anything at all. Some took the road less trodden.Those of us who took the hard way expected that it would mean innumerable trips to BBMP, difficult interaction with officials, lots of time on what was seen as needless trouble - when all one had to do was pay a service fee and have the khata delivered at your doorstep.I have lost track of the time some of us spent on…

Last month -- The  Lokayukta resigned. The government deregulated oil prices and bus fares went up immediately, and I tripped and fell at the post office and fractured a bone. These seemingly unconnected events have a common denominator, as you will see.Let’s go from the bottom up -- my fall. I headed for the post office across the road, and was near its entrance when a jagged footpath tile caught my sandals and I crashed on the floor some distance away, flat on my face.Onlookers came running, to help get on my feet and gather my scattered belongings (bag, purse…

At a recent BBMP council session, BJP corporator Y N Ashwath (Kempegowda, Ward 1) said, “There are so many stars in the sky. But it's the moon that is most visible. Just like our Mayor!” Mayor S K Nataraj (elected from Sarakki, Ward 179) has been witness to many such limericks, potshots and several bouts of anger from Bengaluru corporators, during council sessions. He doesn't have it all that easy. Mayor S K Nataraj. Pic: Vaishnavi Vittal. Two months into his tenure Nataraj has gotten down to brass-tracks to address problems in the city. He regularly conducts inspections and appears…

On July 3rd 2010, Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde announced that he is withdrawing his resignation, following a conversation with senior BJP leader L K Advani. Hegde said the BJP has promised to cooperate with the Lokayukta and give the body suo moto powers. Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa told media persons that the state government will also help in checking illegal mining in the state. Justice Hegde has another year to complete his five-year term as Karnataka Lokayukta. More than a week after he announced his resignation, Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde seems more at ease. On June 23rd, when he…

Obtaining khatas is known to be an ordeal in itself. It is not uncommon to hear BBMP officials demanding various sums of money to 'get the work done'. In the past few weeks several residents in Bengaluru have narrated stories of how much money they doled out to get a khata. But there is also a success story amidst them, which has inspired many others in the city to follow suit. Fifty families residing at Suncity Apartments on Sarjapur Road applied for khatas with the BBMP and obtained the registration document last year. All this without paying a single rupee…