LEISURE

When was the last time you took a relaxed stroll with your family or friends through the neighbourhood, ending with an ice cream or perhaps a cup of coffee? The author, accustomed to the ways of Delhi, brings her love of walking in the open to her new home, Bengaluru.

The Thamirabarani Mahapushkar in Tirunelveli town, Tamil Nadu, attracted large crowds, but how prepared was the town? A first-person account

It really isn’t just about coffee anymore. A distinctive café revolution has taken place across cities, with several run by, or employing, people who would otherwise find it difficult to find a space in mainstream society — from those with special needs to the HIV positive to acid attack survivors.

The writer pays a visit to the famous Lodhi Gardens in Delhi and returns with lovely memories and a window to how public gardens should be maintained.

Almost 300 people, age 3 upwards, lent their strokes to 3500 sq ft of wall area, to beautify the neighbourhood as part of the ‘Colour My Township’ initiative organised by a residents’ collective in Lokhandwala, Kandivali.

From relatively unknown operators to high profile firms, travel agents have been known to bungle or even cheat customers outright. These cases, from Mysore to Kolkata, will tell you what to look out for.

Running events in our major cities bring together 11000 to 45000 runners annually. In most races, they are given single-use plastic water bottles, or packaged food and drinks. That’s a lot of waste! Now, a Bengaluru runner has started a campaign to change that.

The festival brought together experts from various tiers of the radio world and discussed diverse topics through panel discussions, comic shows, musical programmes and story sessions.

Running as a sport has caught on in a big way in urban India, but what do runners have to say about the cities that they have run in?

Even when the outcry over air quality in the capital was at its shrillest, registrations for the Delhi Half Marathon reached a new high. Here’s what runners have to say about pollution as a deciding factor for participation.

It’s that time of the year again. As we all prepare to indulge in the festivities and fireworks, a quick reminder of all that we need to do and avoid to ensure a safe Deepavali!

At a time when narratives of mistrust, exclusion and discrimination in our cities are all too common, the author finds an urban street festival across the globe that explicitly encourages intermingling of its diverse citizens, prompting each to know more about ‘the other’.