Sadashivnagar

As a part of my work with SadaZero, I was to accompany the pourakarmikas on their Saturday dry-waste collection routine. I had to note down the houses who weren’t following the segregation protocol, and subsequently make an attempt to “convert” them, the latter being a herculean task as mindsets are extremely difficult to change. Sadazero is a voluntary, community organisation, aiming at 100% waste segregation, and making Sadashivanagar a model neighbourhood for the rest of Bengaluru, with whom I have intermittently worked with over the past three years. We rendezvoused at the collection point at 11 am and the drive…

The initiative to clean up Lottegollahalli was the brainchild of a few residents of Raj Mahal Vilas (RMV) clusters phase 1 and 2 who were keen to do something about the waste that had accumulated on our recently tarred main road. Like the garbage, our anger, frustration and the need to act was also piling up. So, after deliberating this issue many times, we decided to greet each other 'good morning' on 17th February, 2013 armed with face masks, gloves, brooms, rakes and shovels and most importantly, our will. When the group of us who had been strategising and motivating…

"Bad Pati." - said my twelve year old granddaughter.This was her reaction to my dumping milk bags into the kitchen waste bin that contained only ‘wet waste'."Sorry dear, I won't do it again." - I said feeling proud of my eco-friendly grandchild. Yes. I felt ashamed. It is true that grown-ups should show more concern about such things in the presence of the younger generation. If we ‘pooh-pooh' their remarks and continue to be callous it would be shameful.I was walking in the park in our neighborhood and was rather upset when two youngsters threw the paper plates in which…

3 years ago, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Population First launched the Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity. Their objective is to annually recognize and reward gender just perspectives, stories and analyses by various newsmedia between 1st July of the previous year and 30th June of the current year. Comprising of regional and national awards, they are given in each category including print, internet, audio (radio) and audio-visual (television) media. Apart from this, there are also all India awards for similar efforts in advertising. Importantly, the awards include various vernacular tongues in addition to Urdu, Hindi and English. National…

Anjali Sapra's "Timeless travel" exhibit done in Egg Tempera style is on display at Mahua Gallery, Sadashivanagar. Egg tempera paintings by Ajnali Sapra Anjali Sapra is an artist who is greatly influenced by Mughal architecture and the rich traditional heritage of India. She has been trained at Triveni Kala Sangam and has specialised in the art technique of vegetable dyes and other natural pigments .She has hosted a good number of shows from 2003 and some of her works are in private collections in London, Germany, USA etc. Most of her works in the "The Ephemeral Playground", "The Timeless travel"…

"Bangalore is not a garden city any more!" is a common refrain that I have been hearing for over 3 years. It is definitely not the cool town that we had visited a few times during summer in the mid 1980's, escaping the scorching Chennai heat. (Apparently, it was still a pleasant place when my husband started his career here over a decade ago). This situation reminds me of the song Ayyayyo Bengaluru lamenting this city's deterioration rendered during the first edition of Namma Jathre (Freedom Festival) in Cubbon Park in 2006. So what are the reasons for this live…

If you have been in Cubbon Park opposite the Bangalore Press Club entrance between 2.00 PM and 4.00 PM on the month's last Saturday, you have probably noticed a group of around fifteen or twenty people discussing the RTI Act (Right to Information) and relevant laws. This could be the free RTI clinic that several Civil Society Organizations (CSO's) in Bangalore like the South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM), Urban Research Centre (URC), Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR), OpenSpace, Mahiti Hakku Adhyayana Kendra (MHAK), Anti Corruption Forum (ACF) et al, have been organizing jointly since…

National Institute of Advanced StudiesIndian Institute of Science Campus, Bangalore 560 012Tel. 080-22185000, Fax: 080-2218 5028URL: www.nias.res.inDOCTORAL PROGRAMMEThe National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) is one of the uniqueinstitutions in the country, conducting advanced research inmultidisciplinary areas that bridge the gap between the natural andengineering sciences, social sciences, humanities and the arts. A limitednumber of research scholarships are available in the Institute for brightand committed postgraduate students interested in pursuing independentresearch across disciplines towards a doctoral degree.*AREAS OF SPECIALISATION*The specific areas of research in which students may be admitted for theyear 2010-2011 are the following:- Education- National Security, Strategic Studies-…

When I went to the IISc (Indian Institute of Science) campus, I was meeting a couple of cyclists there, so, while walking with me, Pradeep B V pointed out a red-and-yellow cycle that was sailing past us."That's the initiative of the IISc campus, one which our cycling community particularly likes," he said. He explained that every year, outgoing students dump the cycles that they use while here...and the present students had the great idea of painting them yellow-and-red, and allowing anyone to use them on the campus!If you see a red-and-yellow cycle anywhere in the IISc grounds, you can use…

In my locality, Sadashivnagar, BBMP has suddenly started concreting of pavements. This would normally be a laudable activity, but  for these problems:1. The pavements are not used by pedestrians at all. The streets in the locality have sparse vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Pedestrians walk on the edge of the road comfortably. The picture below shows one such street at peak traffic time of 5:30 PM. So concreted pavements are unnecessary in this locality.2. Concrete pavements are not only unnecessary, they are actively harmful. Concrete and tar are the chief causes of a phenomenon called Urban Heat Island - the city…