Jayanagar

South Bangalore happenings Metro work, road-widening, underpass construction and new Corporators were the most prominent happenings of Jayanagar, JP Nagar and BTM Layout this year. In June, the Karnataka High Court disposed a writ petition relating to the construction of the station at South End, Jayanagar, Bangalore, giving the project a shot in the arm. Residents of south Bangalore came together to form the Ring Road Property Owner’s Association (RRPOA) to fight against road-widening. They were protesting BBMP’s road-widening plans from Central Silk Board to Mysore Road (14.5 kms). This was one of the first instances of a citizen’s collective…

Carmel Convent High School located on east end road in Bengaluru, celebrated its silver jubilee on the 10th and 11th of December by hosting an inter-school volleyball and basketball tournament. More than 20 schools from the city participated. The school also celebrated the bronze-medal that the girls' volleyball team, won at the national level, representing the Karnataka at the Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA) volleyball tournament held in Bhopal on 3rd and 4th December.   Winners of the bronze medal at PYKKA tournament with their medals. Pic: Yograj S Mudalgi The school has over 800 students with an…

The morning's paper said Bengaluru was "among the fastest growing cities in the world". On inside pages there were glowing accounts of Dasara celebrations, our 400-year-old tradition of Jambu savari, and the 150th anniversary of Sir Visweswariah. Reading all that felt good - and then my day began, with a bus ride, from Majestic to Jayanagar. I was Jayanagar-bound after a weekend in north Bengaluru, to pay my BESCOM bill for my flat in south Bengaluru, the last date for which was just a day away. Bus no. 2 that I waited for at Majestic (specifically so that I could…

One of the few surviving "circles" of Bangalore, which looks much the same way as it must have, when it was laid out, is the Ashoka Pillar in Jayanagar:It's one of the circles to have two names;"Mariyappa Rasthe":and "Ashoka Sthambha Vrittha":Shaded by trees all around, and bounded on one side by the wall of Lalbagh, it is a gracious landmark of Bangalore...still there, but who knows for how long! ⊕

A complaint regarding tampered water meter has arisen in Jayanagar 4th T block. David S R, a resident of the area, noticed the issue of steep hike in his BWSSB's water bill around three years back. "The bill would come to Rs.4000 a month sometimes. Whenever I visited the local BWSSB office, I would be sent back saying that the case would be investigated, but nothing was done", he said. The Water Meter. Pic: David S R. During David's many visits over the past few years, he alleges that the officials not only demanded bribes, but also said that the…

I went to Lalbagh this morinng, and near the Siddapura gate, Colville's Glory is in bloom now:And all over, not just in Lalbagh, the African Tulip (Spathodea) is in full bloom:All of us know about the serial flowering of the avenue trees of Bangalore, that was introduced by Gustav Krumbiegel ...and many of us can't help wishing that we had him now, when the BBMP doesn't want to plant trees but chop them for development!For more on the common flowering trees here, see Karthik's journal ⊕

Bangalore is famous for addresses that go, Door no. abc, X Cross, Y Main, Bangalore.But recently I spotted an address that gives two main roads as co-ordinates...Logic says that if one of the co-ordinates is a main road, the other one must be a cross road...so how is this possible? ⊕

As I walked down Jayanagar, at the meeting point of the roads where the ICICI Bank is (I don't know the name of the circle, and you'll see why!), I saw this BBMP signboard, which was bad.Why do people want to stick posters over road and junction signs? Do they think everyone knows the place, and needs no directions or information?However, to offset the bad, was the good..the fact that the banyan tree has been allowed to grow, spread its roots, and give its generous shade to the area (and support bird, insect, and animal life, too!)What a majestic sight…

Padmini Rao, 60 makes intricate jewellery out of beads and stones. Born and brought up in Jayanagar, near East End circle, she studied BA, Music. After her marriage to B G Rao, who had a transferable job in Indian Oil Corporation, she spent many years in North Indian cities. There she was active in the local community and pursued her hobbies like craftwork and gardening, winning prizes at the UP state level. Padmini Rao, makes intricate jewellery out of beads and stones. Pic Chetan Boray. The couple came back to Bangalore in 1986 for their children's studies. She ran a…

The BBMP is building a multi-storey building to house various government departments and an e-library, under one roof, at 39th cross, 11 main, Jayanagar V block. Bhumi Puja. Pic: Chetan Boray. B N Vijaya Kumar, Jayanagar MLA performed Guddali Pooja on July 29th at the site. He says, "the first preference is for a e-Library (to be housed up in the building), where students can come and prepare for their competitive and other exams". The list of government offices which will be housed there is not yet decided, he adds. B Somashekar, Corporator of Shakambari ward-179 also attended the function.…