GENRE: Voices

Fifteen-year-old Srihari from Perungudi started an initiative called Water on the Dot, a youtube video series to educate people on the over-consumption of water. His interest in the subject stemmed from his participation in a water-saving campaign in 2019. The campaign was organised by ReapBenefit, a platform looking to nurture civic problem-solving.  As part of the campaign, a group of youth in Chennai addressed the problem of water shortage by reducing the overconsumption of water in their homes and community. Their investigation revealed that the overconsumption of water while washing hands was due to high flow rates.  By fixing a…

H Nagesh, the Congress candidate from Mahadevapura Constituency, shares why voters should choose him. Hanumappa Nagesh, 64, is the MLA of Mulbagal (Kolar district), winning his first election as an independent candidate in 2018. He says he has performed well in Mulbagal and would like to repeat that in Mahadevapura, where he is originally from. H Nagesh: Government official-turned-politician Nagesh supported the Congress-JD(S) coalition government and became Minister of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood (September 2019 – February 2020).  In 2019, he withdrew his support to the coalition government, along with 16 other MLAs, which then fell. He switched support to…

I was asked to write a piece about government performances, past and present, for Bengaluru. At the outset, it is hazardous appraising a government and predicting the future by looking at the rearview mirror.  Especially as one remains sceptical about party manifestos that contain the usual pronouncements that rarely fructify, and which reach their sell by date on election day.  So, this dreamy writer instead embarks on a wishful, fanciful speech (and hopefully subsequent action) about Bengaluru that the next Chief Minister, who likely will retain the Bangalore Development Minister portfolio, ought to make. “Namaskara. I wish to make a…

When presented with the factual inevitability of the climate crises, youth across circumstances struggle to cope, join the climate justice movement, and ultimately, create an impact. These struggles are not limited to young adults aged 18 to 30—as most constituencies describe youth—but also children and adolescents. Children and adolescents are often amongst the most affected, due to factors such as dependence and other vulnerabilities, and their rights and such are just as often central to climate discourse. Everyone talks about the next generation and preserving the earth well for our children. Whether children are actually a part of these conversations…

As a career bureaucrat, Bhaskar Rao has donned many hats, including that of Commissioner of Police, Bangalore City. He started his political innings with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2022, but after just 11 months switched sides to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In return, he was given a ticket to contest the Assembly Elections from the Chamarajpet constituency against Zameer Ahmed, a four-time sitting MLA, who also started in Janata Dal (S) before moving to the Congress party.  The Chamarajpet Constituency with seven wards - Padarayanapura, JagajeevanramNagar, Rayapuram, Chalavadipalya, KR Market, Chamarajpet and Azadnagar - houses some of…

Poor roads have been an inconvenience for Chennaiites across the city. An approach road to the arterial TH road, which was used extensively by residents and passers-by, was damaged in part by rains and in part by civic work in the area. As a result, residents were forced to use the road under extremely unsafe conditions for months on end. With some impetus from civic-minded members in the area, the efforts of the Ward Councillor and the cooperation of residents, the road was finally fixed. The key learning from this experience has been the need to develop a rapport with…

Bangalore Apartments’ Federation (BAF) is a federation representing the interests of residents of apartments and villa communities across Bengaluru. More than 1,180 apartment and villa resident welfare associations (RWAs) are members of BAF, representing nearly 250,000 households with close to one and a half million citizens either residing or working within these communities. Bengaluru city is growing at a rapid pace – nearly 1.35 crore of people from various parts of the country and the world have made this city their home. The rapid increase in population has been supported by a massive growth of vertical-living as the housing format.…

Potholes on roads are a menace for every Mumbaikar – car drivers, bikers and pedestrians. Every year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) claims to fill hundreds of potholes during monsoons, yet they seem to crop up the following season and continue to be a safety hazard. In addition to slowing down traffic, the poor quality of roads is also responsible for several accidents and even deaths. Last monsoon, two deaths were reported within two weeks due to accidents caused by potholes. These daunting numbers call for immediate attention. To address the issue, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra recently re-invited bids…

‘Civil Society Forum’ is a coalition of several civil society organisations and movements as well as individuals. It wishes to strengthen the electoral and democratic process in our city and state to make it more participatory and reflective of the real wishes of the people. The member organisations and individuals work in different sectors of urban and rural constituencies, engaging with diverse and marginalised communities in Karnataka and other states too. The Forum was actively involved in interacting with political parties, submitting manifestos during the Karnataka Assembly Elections in 2013 and 2018, the Lok Sabha Elections in 2014 and 2019…

Krishna Byre Gowda, from the Indian National Congress (INC), has been the MLA of Byatarayanapura since the constituency was formed in 2008. As part of his campaign to win the fourth term, he interacted with representatives of apartment associations in his constituency on April 9th. The MLA spoke about his achievements and answered key questions from the constituents. He also shared with Citizen Matters his plans for the next term if elected and his stance on certain important issues. The INC team and KBG, as he is popularly called, stressed multiple times on the MLA’s image as a clean and…