INTERVIEWS

If Pride and Prejudice is a timeless novel turned in two films, a TV serial and more, so is Greed and Connivance. Except, stand back. Greed and Connivance is not a piece of Victorian-era fiction, it's the title of a report published by V Balasubramanian, Chairman of Karnataka's Task Force for Recovery and Protection of Public Lands on land grabbing in the state, particularly Bangalore. Each chapter in this book is a story in its own right, and the entire report is perhaps worth a television series of the length of Ramayana. TASK FORCE FOR RECOVERY OF PUBLIC LAND AND…

You must be having a ‘special' tree in your life. Or at least a memory of - a mango tree you grew up climbing; the neighbour's Jamun tree that stained your compound wall purple; Ajji's house Jackfruit tree and its profuse yield; the Pipal tree by the river in your ‘native' village; the ‘haunted' Tamarind tree on the edge of the school compound... Tulika publishers' latest - ‘Let's plant trees' by Vinod Lal Heera Eshwer, is a book for parents as much as children. It gets directly to the point - action, not theoretical discussions. It comes with real Pongam…

Two months after Bangalore Traffic Police (BTP) started its page in Facebook, it has about 3,800 'likes'. In this interview with Citizen Matters, Praveen Sood, ACP, Bangalore Traffic, talks about the idea behind the initiative, how it has turned out and further expectations.What was the original idea behind starting the BTP page?Our main intention is to educate and sensitise public about traffic rules and create a forum for discussion. We also get lot of feedback which we would not get otherwise - like, when a signal is not working. This forum is not just a shoulder to cry on or…

An exhibition of artist Dr M S Murthy's work was held at ISRO layout on 11th and 12th June. The venue interestingly was not a gallery but a home, belonging to Satya Prakash Varanashi , a very well known architect. The two-day exhibition was part of INTACH Art Reach, first hosted in 2005. Art Reach aims to take art to the people even if they don't go to galleries. The exhibition was inaugurated by art connoisseur D K Chowta, Dr C S Vishwanatha (Chairperson, Task Force for Quality Control, Govt of Karnataka) and the artist M S Murthy himself. The…

“Rajarajeshwari Nagar.”“100 rupees, medam.”“Yaake? It’s hardly seven kilometres from here. I’m not paying so much. I’ll take another auto.”“Illa medam, give me twenty rupees more than the metre. Okay, only ten rupees more. (Customer shakes her head) Sari medam, come. We just don’t get any customers from there, so asked you for more, that’s all.”After 12 years as an autorikshaw driver, Mahadev quit. He rented out his auto to another  driver and took up a job as a car driver. He has also started a real estate business with a friend.  Originally from a village in Mandya district, G N…

"I play with children with the confidence that even an hour of play will change their lives for the better", says Sheetal Suryavanshi, Founder President, and Managing Trustee, Aata Odanaata (AO). Sheetal founded AO along with her sports buddies to encourage socio-economically challenged children to learn and play different sports. Sheetal Suryavanshi is a BCCI-certified cricket coach. Pic: Aravind H N An awardee of CNN IBN-Reliance's Real Heroes in sports category, Sheetal Suryavanshi was a sports enthusiast during her growing years. She represented her college in cricket, handball and baseball at the national level. When the vortex of life caught Sheetal…

Sobha Nambisan is 1976 batch IAS officer (retired) and took over the reins of NGMA Bengaluru in May 2010.  After retiring from the IAS, she has been at the helm of affairs at NGMA.   NGMA, Bangalore was long-awaited and fought for by the artists community in the state before it finally opened in the city in early 2009. It's entry fee is Rs.10 and all events are free to the public. It is the central government's third such gallery and first one in south India. New Delhi and Mumbai have the other national galleries. Sobha Nambisan talks to Subramaniam…

There has been a considerable rise in the waste production of Bengaluru in last 2 years to about 3000-5000 tonnes per day. Also due to limited budget allocated by government for waste management, approx 80% of the waste gets littered away, by some estimates.  BBMP's efforts to keep the city clean are just not enough and hence few responsible citizens have decided to take the necessary initiative. Meera Rajesh, an association member of Tungabhadra block of National Games Village (NGV), Koramangala, and an ecological enthusiast, with assistance from the Association for India's Development (AID is a US headquartered non-profit organisation)…

An inconspicuous building on Church Street, Blossom Book House or Blossoms, as book lovers fondly call it, is one of the few surviving second hand book stores in Bangalore. Started in 2000 by Mayi Gowda, Blossoms has grown a few floors in the last ten years without losing its inherent ability to be welcoming and accommodating. Mayi Gowda: Passion for books fueled the entrepreneurship. Pic: Ranjani Krishnakumar "In 2000, when I started Blossoms, I was hardly 23", began a shy, yet highly energetic young entrepreneur arranging a shelf of books smiling tirelessly at every customer who walks in. Hailing from…

When Thomas Raja, better known as Auto Raja narrates the story of his life, it seems straight out a movie. After becoming an alcoholic and a petty criminal at the young age of 16, he resorted to stealing things from his own home to fulfill his craving for alcohol. He even pawned his mother's silk sarees and her mangalasutra and acknowledges that he single-handedly brought disrepute to his family and almost ruined them financially due to his behaviour. Raja in action during one of his rescue operations. Pic courtesy: Auto Raja. His father, a telephone lineman threw him out of…