PEOPLE

  One of the pleasures of the summer is certainly....mangoes! From the most unripe to the most ripe, we can enjoy mangoes in a variety of ways...and with unripe mangoes, we can make a variety of pickles.It suddenly occurred to me that right now, I've got three different mango pickles in my kitchen...all home-made!When the mangoes are tiny, they are called (in Tamizh)...mA vadu. This particular pickle is made by a process where the juices of the tiny mangoes flow out with the salt in which they are soaked. With proper preparation and storage (and frequent "shaking up"), this pickle can…

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…

 புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்! transliterates to "putthANdu vAztthukkaL" and it means, New Year Greetings!It's the many others celebrate it today too...So....Happy New Year to everyone!tiny_mce_marker ⊕

Anna Hazare's anti-corruption hunger strike of last week resulted in sparking off involvement from around the country. But for Bengaluru, this was not the first major opportunity to hit out  The Saaku campaign of December 2010 was an attempt to send a message to the state government. Santosh Hegde's resignation of June 2010 also sparked an outcry of demonstrations and marches against the government. So much so that Justice Hegde decided to remain is office till the end of his term. Freedom Park on April 9th. The crowd rose up and broke into cheers on news of Anna Hazare breaking…

On the third day of the fast in Bengaluru, more than one thousand citizens gathered at the Freedom Park. The candle light vigil today (April 8th) is expected to bring close to ten thousand people. Veteran theatre personality Bhargavi Narayan extending her support to the movement, on the third day. Pic: Navya P K From April 5th, eminent individuals led by anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare have been campaigning from New Delhi for a powerful and undiluted Lok Pal Bill to deter rampant corruption. In Bangalore, eight citizens went on an indefinite fast at Freedom Park during the week, joining tens…

They ensure that we are well fed and clothed. But sometimes do not enjoy these privileges. Actually, some of them barely survive. Or do not all. I am referring to India's small farmers who commit suicide. So why do our agriculturists and sericulturists take their lives? As they are often deep in debt. Is that all? Insufficient availability or access to institutional credit, i.e., minimal bank loans is a major cause. Unfortunately, banks which were set up to support poor farmers, do not! So the agriculturists borrow from private moneylenders and microfinance institutions at high interest rates. Climatic changes result…

   A man buys plantain leaves on the occasion of Ugadi - the Kannada New Year. I can only imagine the sumptuous meal he would have had on the plantain leaf.  Pic by Ravi Kaushik.

  I saw in Citizen Matters that I could volunteer for Bus Day this month:  here's the announcement So I've registered myself....let's see what I am asked to do, and what happens! It's going to be interesting, and I am rather tickled by the concept that "celebrities" cannot take the bus without assistance!      ⊕

   At 8.30 pm on the 4th of April, I took the BIAS Vayu Vajra (BIAS 12, to KuVemPu Nagara)nfrom the airport to my home.On the way, a group of four passengers got on,and asked for tickets. They paid Rs. 60( four tickets of Rs.15 each) , and the conductor said that the tickets would cost Rs.20 each. The young man who was one of the group protested, saying that he had taken the Volvo yesterday and had paid only Rs.15, and he would not pay the higher amount.The conductor insisted that the amount was correct. The passenger demanded that the…

Starting April 5, citizens in different parts of the country will fast for five days demanding implementation of Jan Lokpal Bill, to fight corruption. The campaign is organised by India Against Corruption, a coalition of NGOs, activists and other social organizations. In Bengaluru, 51-year-old Mahendra Kumar Gandhi, a marketing professional, has gone a step ahead - he plans to go on an indefinite fast until the Bill is implemented. He has decided not to consume water also during the fast.Jan Lokpal Bill is a modified version of the draft Lokpal Bill 2010 mooted by anti-corruption activists. The amended version gives…