PEOPLE

I went to M G Road on work for Clean and Green today, and decided to visit India Coffee House as well....This part of Bangalore heritage seems doomed to go into the history pages soon. Here's a waiter in the familiar uniform, that I have seen in both Kolkata and here:Several of the waiters have been working in this co-operative for many years, and the chances of their finding another job seem bleak. Bangalore will be the poorer for losing out such parts of what it has been, in the name of commercial development. I still see the demolished top…

We were participating the Bangalore Bird Race, and had gone to Madivala Lake right at the end to see what water birds we could spot; but a "kite" (not a Black or Brahminy Kite!) caught my eye....The backlit kite, soaring above everyday cares, while yet tethered to the ground, against the liquid gold of the evening sky, seemed a metaphor for all of us in this city...we are tied down to our commitments and our various problems, but once in a while, we can fly above them and enjoy our place in the sun....And it was lovely to see that…

A friend of mine called up this morning and said that as he was passing Tilak Nagar, he saw a sign which said, "Tipu's Secular Army". That tickled me as much as it did him! Is this new secular army a new political party? Or are we finding secularism in unexpected places now? Can anyone shed any light on this army? ⊕

As a woman I have no country. As a woman my country is the whole world - Virginia Woolf Meet Jyothi Ganesh, editor, publisher, writer, mother, wife, all rolled into one. From helping her maid get a recurring deposit in the nearby bank to sweetly coaxing her young neighbour to fit a silencer to his noisy bike, Jyothi believes in 'doing and giving'. Founder-editor of Frazer Times, a community newspaper of areas in and around Frazer Town in north Bangalore, this woman runs the show single-handedly. Soft-spoken, passionate, endearing, patient, these are but a few words to describe this dreamer.…

Vijay Cavale was lunching with his boss and a Chinese client at a 5 star restaurant in Bangalore when the conversation veered towards money and motivation. The Chinese contended that man would go to any lengths for money, and Vijay laughed. But the former threw a challenge at him: “The Chinese offered 10 dollars for every salute I made, standing at the door of the restaurant, to any person who walked through” says he. Vijay laughed at him, but the man kept increasing the stake, and when it came to 1000 dollars, Vijay actually started considering the possibility, he says:…

The morning sun shone through the trees as we entered Lalbagh today...The trees and the light together gave the effect of a painting!The light shone on these flowers...this little squirrel:this lady with her morning newspaper:It turned the sky blue as a backdrop for this magnificient Brahminy Kite:and in spite of this white Asian Paradise Flycatcher trying to hide in the foliage, shone enough for me to take a photograph!Truly, Lalbagh is a magical place of light and life....It was a wonderful Christmas; we might not have celebrated the birth of the Son, but we certainly enjoyed the birth of the…

The 919 km cycling trip across the Nilgiris, the Tour Of Nilgiris event got off to a flying start early this morning.In the mist, some of the organizers held the flag aloft:And then that flag was used to start off the trip:The cyclists set off to cheering and applause from the gathered crowd...Here's Sukhdev, the youngest rider (he is riding under medical supervision), with his family:The message these riders are carrying is that cycling is a great way to get from A to B, no matter what the distance between A and B may be!For more pictures click here Let's…

Right in the middle of the rush and hustle of St Mark's Road, I spotted it...a "gem of purest ray serene"...but not in the "unfathom'd caves of ocean", but right in the centre of this city of ours.Surrounded by its garden, shaded by its trees, it looked an oasis of unexpected peace in the middle of the explosion of glass, chrome, steel ...and traffic...that is St Mark's Road today.It was like suddenly having a little window opening into the gracious past...I stood for a while admiring the beauty of the building, and then walked on, knowing that I could share…

Traffic flows smoothly out here. Pics : Sharath Bhat Meet Srinivasalu Naidu - a self-appointed traffic regulator who stations himself at a narrow by-lane off Millers Road in Benson Town - a little before the railway overbridge near Coles Park. If you come in from the Cantonment Station and go past Nandidurga Road, you'll find this narrow by-lane that takes you to Benson Road or Pottery Road. With two-way traffic, this stretch can get tricky - and that's where Srinivasulu comes in. He regulates a steady stream of cars and bikes, with a practiced hand and business-like authority. Without someone…

The Ragigudda Temple, Jayanagar 9th Block, is celebrating the Hanumath Jayanthi (birthday of Hanuman or Anjaneya) from the 3rd of December. The area around the temple has been cordonned off to traffic and several stalls have sprung up, making the area a colourful, bustling one now.One man was setting up his bookstall as I walked past:at another bookstall, a policeman on duty was having a look at the books:There were plastic toys (probably Chinese-made ones) for sale:So were clothes:An incredible heap of ceramic items:Some people were setting out template rangoli-pattern plates:When the powder was put through these plates, these beautiful…