GENRE: Voices

It's high time our public transport authorities provide bus stops at a convenient place. They are either at the intersection of main roads or at a bend of the road. Even when the bus stops are properly situated, buses do not stop at these places.I live in Geddalahalli Kothanur P.O. The bus coming from Shivajinagar stops near the Reliance outlet where the road from Tannisandra joins the Hennur Main Road. There is a bus stop a little further but  buses do not stop there causing a lot of delay and hardship for other commuters. Why can't the traffic police insist…

On 18th April 2009, World Heritage Day, Bangalore City projects – a Bengaluru based group that aims to raise awareness about arts and culture in the city, organised some events, one of which was a heritage hunt. Conducted in three places, this hunt was aimed at throwing light on places of heritage in and around one’s neighbourhood. I took part in the Gavipuram vernacular heritage hunt. The teams gathered at Basavangudi Bull Temple around 3 PM. Very soon, the quiet temple premises were filled with fervour and talk as the teams registered at Rs 50 per person. We were all…

They could well be disconnecting and are definitely discriminatory! I am referring to the seemingly artificial and lifeless 'IT Parks’. One of them houses the office I've been working at for some years now. Such a contrast to most of Bengaluru’s suburbs where I always see life. Find charm and feel welcome.In most of these exclusive business hubs, water and electricity are consumed excessively and the bushes are pruned unnaturally. People must 'identify' themselves everyday, every time and the authorities can suddenly decide to restrict entry to only private vehicles with company stickers or those driven by badge bearing employees.…

I am a native of Bangalore city, a Kannadiga from an orthodox family, yet I found myself asking my non-Bangalorean friends, "What is the Karaga festival?" One of those moments when I feel I should have paid more attention during social science class! One friend, who closely follows cultural happenings around the city, told me more. The 40 ft ratha carrying the idol of Lord Dharmarayaswamy in procession. Devotees gathered on the streets throw bananas and tulsi leaves on the ratha. (pic: Deepika Nagabushan) Karaga is celebrated on the full moon day during the Chaitra month of the Hindu calendar.…

We all know Capt. Gopinath as the pioneer of low cost aviation in India. It's another matter that this whole business model is no longer viable, thanks to the vagaries of petrol price fluctuation and governmental rules and regulations. The fact remains that, in a time of monopolistic aviation practices, Capt. Gopinath undertook to start Deccan Aviation, which made traveling by air affordable to the common man for the first time. So, in our minds, this sense of ‘Capt. Gopinath empathizes with the common man’ was a kind of article of faith. And the news that he is standing for…

Bangalore South Parliamentary Constituency is one of the most prestigious constituencies in the country and comprises mostly of educated/elite voters. It is known as the educational and cultural capital of Karnataka.For the coming elections, all the major political parties have fielded their best and most educated candidates.BJP has fielded its National General Secretary Ananth Kumar, a post-graduate in Political Science with a law degree and expected to play a major role if the NDA gets a majority. The Congress has given a ticket to US educated, two-term MLA Krishna Byre Gowda, supposedly close to Rahul Gandhi. The JD-S has fielded…

My grandparents first came to Bangalore sometime in the early nineteen hundreds from their home village in Tumkur district. Chamarajapete was among the earliest planned extensions of Bangalore city located close to the old inner city areas like Dodda Pete, Chikka Pete, Arale Pete (Cotton Pete) and Bale Pete. It was a popular residential area for many of the upwardly mobile new settlers of Bangalore city.Grandmother, a strong, intelligent, home educated woman, settled into one of the old houses there and began her new life in the city. Bangalore was still a small town and soon she had many friends…

The phrase “environment-friendly printing” could be defined as an oxymoron, just like “genuine fake” or “happily married”. If you want to protect the environment, you should not be printing – plain and simple! Everything about printing is harmful to the environment – the toner or inks, the media or printing substrates and more than both of these put together, the waste generated through printing. Print waste (Pic courtesy: Lalana Zaveri) But print communication is a necessity in today’s market-based economy. By one estimate, the size of the digital print market in Bangalore itself is between Rs.80-100 crores per year. So…

"Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists, principally, in dealing with men", said novelist Joseph Conrad, and for one who has been working for the welfare of women for the past 30 years, this is a reality. In a male-dominated society, Geeta Rao has been relentlessly working towards women empowerment, stalking the corridors of power, seeking justice, roaring like a lioness, and making a difference. "I have always been aggressive", says this compact bundle of energy, "nobody can take me for granted!" Geeta Rao felicitated at a function (pic courtesy: Geeta Rao) Forty-nine year old Geeta…