karnataka

In the bylanes of Swatantrapalya, hundreds of BPL families live struggling to make both ends meet. Pic: Akshatha M In our previous story on welfare schemes for the poor, we narrated the difficulties that below poverty line (BPL) families face in availing these. A majority of the people we spoke to said they were unaware of most schemes, others said they cannot really put their time and effort in running around government offices to get the schemes sanctioned. The general notion among those belonging to the economically weaker sections is that one needs to make multiple visits to the government…

Just like Kunti who had Karna on one side and five sons on the other, Mother Kaveri, in the wildlife sanctuary that I visit, flows with Tamil Nadu on one bank, and Karnataka on the other. How does the mother feel, when she sees her children at war with each other? Is it water that flows, or a torrent of tears, for the inability of siblings to get along with each other?

One usually associates art, and artistic aesthetics, only with people who have the money and the leisure to spare for it (I'm not talking about those who by art as an investment here). But if one looks carefully, one finds the artistic touch all around. Here's a peanut vendor whom I photographed. He's obviously got a lot of pamphlets from somewhere, and is usng them (we are so good at recycling and re-using!) as tiny cones to put the peanuts in, and give the customers.   How beautifully he's made the paper cones and stuck them into his wares! I…

Most of us tend to think of nuclear power plants as extremely high-security areas where the general public is not allowed. But in a striking example of friendliness and transparency, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India  Limited (NPCIL) has made it possible for all Indian citizens to visit  the power plant at Kaiga, Karnataka. When my friends and I took permission and visited, we were already at Kaiga to participate in the annual Bird Marathon, an event held to document the avifauna in the area, and also assure the public that Kaiga is a safe place to both live in…

The illuminated Mysore Palace during Dasara. Pic: Muhammad Mahdi Karim, Wikimedia Commons A press note from KSRTC details the special arrangements that have been made by the transport corporation to deal with the additional demand for buses during Dasara. In addition to the existing services, an additional 1,500 buses are being deployed between October 21st and October 23rd. This is to ensure that those looking to attend the Mysuru Dasara, or make use of the long weekend, are catered to.  Additional buses 1500 extra buses will be exclusively operated from Kempegowda bus station, Mysuru Road bus station, Shanthi Nagar TTMC…

What will it take to accept people for who they are? Image Courtesy: www.facebook.com/TRRAIN Have you ever noticed how we Indians tend to accuse everyone else of being racist while conveniently ignoring our very own narrow-mindedness? As a true-blue Kannadiga, the most obvious form of racism that I see, is in the insult, “Ay, AK nan magane!”, where AK is short for 'Adi-Kannadiga'. Adi-Kannadigas, for those of you not in the know, are the original inhabitants of this state. Thanks to the urbanisation of the other castes, they are considered less sophisticated. Hence, the insult. We begin with the TV…

Namma Bengaluru Foundation and the Bengaluru Residents Associations Confederation Ensemble (BRACE) congratulates all the corporators elected to the BBMP. Bengalureans have reposed immense faith in corporators across party lines to reshape the future of our city. Bengaluru is already one of the fastest growing metropolises in India, and will become one of the largest and most populous cities by 2025. Scams, financial irregularities, corruption, bankruptcy etc have plagued BBMP in the last five years. Despite this, Bengalureans came out to elect their corporators. This is a testimony to Bengalureans unwavering faith in the political process, and an opportunity for the…

Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC), a citizen's group that aims for better governance in Bangalore, and to enhance the quality of life of every citizen, had earlier announced the names of 50 candidates that met B.PAC endorsement criteria for BBMP elections 2015. The full list of B.PAC endorsed candidates for the BBMP Elections. Pic: B.PAC (Click to view larger image) 23 of these 50 candidates from across political party and spread over seven zones of BBMP have been elected by the voters of their ward. These candidates are all set to swear in as corporators in the BBMP council. Earlier,…

On August 14th, contestants from Sanjay Nagar ward came together for a candidate meet organised by Namma Bengaluru Foundation. Participants included candidates from three major political parties, as well as an independent candidate. The issues discussed included property taxes, eliminating free parking, and ways to address the stray dog problem in the neighbourhood. Candidates: BJP: Indira Subhash INC: Sudha Jayasimha JDS: Putta Madamma Independent candidate (IND): Geetha G/ Malathi Malli Venue: Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning, Post Office road, Sanjay Nagar Moderators: Sridhar Pabbisetty and Prakash Belavadi What will you do for Bangalore? JDS: I want to serve the community.…

On August 15th, a debate was held between four candidates from four parties all campaigning to represent Varthur. The audience expressed much concern about Varthur Lake and services for locals. The candidates were also asked about procuring funding and providing services such as clean water.  Candidates: BJP: Pushpa Manjunath Congress : Nisha S Vasu JDS: Chamudeshwari BSP: Chandrakala Venue: SDV Mini Party Hall, Near Varthur Government Middle School Mediators: Sridhar Pabbisetty (SP) and Prakash Belawadi (PB) Prakash Belawadi summarised the state of affairs within BBMP and the city. He set the context for questions in the first session: BBMP is…