GENRE: Voices

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In the ongoing, sometimes fractious discussions between green organizations and bodies like the BBMP and BMRCL, our citizens could possibly have lost the core arguments on the two sides, both of which are certainly valid and appear to lead in opposite directions.It is, therefore, vital to state these views clearly and then find the middle ground. Each party needs to shift its stance from their earlier frozen positions and work out a protocol for future projects. There should be proper documentation of issues in each project and a modality to deal with the environmental impact, which is to the satisfaction…

Meet Prakash Michael. 56 years old, freelance graphic designer and an alumnus of the JJ School of Art. Prakash runs a graphic design studio in Bangalore and is one of the most resourceful art directors I have met or worked with. Prakash MichaelWay back, when there was no desktop publishing or Photoshop, Prakash did the layouts, assembled his artworks and somewhere down the line, nipped into his dark room to print bromides of b&w logos and images. A true one-stop shop in drawing board publishing.Over the years, the end-to-end responsibilities of freelance became a serious limiting factor. "I just didn't…

'Multiple City' is a collection of writings on Bangalore, edited by Aditi De, independant writer, columnist and editor. It includes a selection of Bangalorean experiences - with verse, translations, fiction, and non fiction accounts and as Aditi says "celebrates the spirit of Bangalore". Aditi De at the book reading of Multiple City (pic: Meera K) During the book reading at Crosswords book store, Aditi mentioned about how she got into compiling this anthology; a friend from Penguin publishers had asked her what she thought of Bangalore and she wondered if Bangalore could be considered a city at all. The stories…

Traffic planning, road widening and mass tree felling is all the rage in Bangalore nowadays. City officials have paid scant respect to environmental activist groups who have protested the destruction of the inner city's green cover. There is good reason for this. Do you know that our city planners are extremely busy looking far ahead into the future and have some great plans in store? Here is a rundown of some stupendous new projects on the anvil and the benefits they will bring1. Improving passenger volumes on the Bangalore Metro:High passenger usage is a key to any major Metro project.…

I was walking past an unnamed bylane in my neighborhood, known to be rather dirty and untidy usually; I was pleasantly surprised to find this common and effective approach to prevent garbage dumping.Benson Town's Litter Free Lane (pic: Pushpa Achanta) Upon inquiry, I learnt that area residents and worshippers at a chapel nearby worked with the local ward councilor to implement it. I plan to observe how long it lasts and replicate it elsewhere!⊕

I knew it - MNCs are no better, if not worse, than desi ones when it comes to after sales service. This painful truth was revealed to me when my Whirlpool Quick Chill became a hot case, so hot that even the company didn’t want to touch it with a barge pole. It happened last summer. I wanted to impress a client of my husband with a tall chilled glass of lime juice from my Whirlpool, just like the ads showed, and reached into the deep freeze for ice, and, what do you know, I felt water sloshing about in…

Thursday morning saw a subdued start to the wonderful & propitious day. The sun was tricky to sight through the thick drape of fog, and as the morning opened up, the visibility reduced further. As people decorated their Christmas trees with lights and snowflake decorations, to welcome Santa Claus with his goodies bag, nature had its own plan. It created its own Christmas trees for those who can not afford one. It decorated its trees across the periphery of the city, with frost.Frost over cobwebs and leaves (pic: Saurabh Mittal) The frost settled on all the roadside plants to create…

If you have ever been on the Victorian Trail on MG Road or sent your child as part of a school trip on the Bangalore walks Jr, you will know Roopa Pai. Roopa and Arun Pai conceptualised and executed ‘Bangalore Walks', the heritage-based city walks that introduces both Bangaloreans and tourists to the history and culture of Bangalore. Roopa Pai.Roopa is a third generation Bangalorean, an integral part of the walks and also a veteran writer. She has written several articles for magazines as varied as Business Today to Travel Trends. She has been awarded by Children Book Trust for…

If nature cures, why do we need Naturopathy? We live on planet earth, under the sun. We still breathe the common, available air, we still use water for drinking, bathing, washing. What could be unnatural about that? Dr S Mahadeshwara Swami (pic: Manjushree Abhinav)The fact is, in the last four decades, our lifestyles have changed dramatically. In the following interview, Naturopath Dr Mahadeshwara Swami tells us how this change directly affects our health. Dr S Mahadeshwara Swami has founded a Naturopathy center in Yelahlanka New Town, called Prakruti Arogyadhama. He graduated from SBM College of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences. You…