SOCIETY

Cartoon: Sridhar comaravalli Kavita D, 31, Sheeba Kumar, 29 and Anitha R, 31, have been friends for some years now. Despite diverse backgrounds, they have almost same requirements when it comes to finding a life partner. The guy should be of the “same wavelength,” with “similar interests, mindset and values” and “reasonably liberal.” Being from the same religion is important to Anitha, as it would “ease things out on the parental front” but the community doesn’t really matter to her. And while “well educated” and “established career-wise” are given, what matters most to these women is that the guy should…

The dust has settled down after the Karnataka elections. According to the pundits, BJP was booted out for corruption and Congress elected, for lack of any other options. Now the voters wait to see if their mandate pays off. In the midst of this, it is my job to ask - how did the women candidates fare in the election?First, the numbers. There were 2939 candidates contesting for the 223 of 224 seats. Little over six per cent of the candidates were women - 170. Out of them, only 58 were from major political parties. 13 of them contested from…

Disclaimer : Some autos are rented by the driver hence some of the logic explained below may not apply. However it is always the combination of these factors. These guidelines are for me and my type of folks, rest need to customize it or discard it. Obviously this isn't a scientific study and many are stereotypes created with my biases. But these are empirical observations which have worked for me. This is written with a need of self-preservation, of peace of mind and dignity and not to offend anyone. Finally this writing assumes the driver to be a male as…

Who doesn't love getting a chance to hear his/her own language, in a far-off place? Across the world today, niche radio markets have found a place, with some channels choosing to cater to non-native residents. Mauritius has Radio Plus Indiz that broadcasts in Hindi, Bhojpuri, Tamil and Telugu from 1 pm to 3 pm every day. Radio Punjab focusses on the South-Asian population in Canada. There are Italian and Spanish radio stations in the USA. Citizen Matters, through this two-part series, tries to explore why Bangalore, though tagged as being ‘cosmopolitan,' doesn't have any space for the music of other…

Who doesn't love getting a chance to hear his/her own language, in a far-off place? Across the world today, niche radio market has found its own place, some of the channels choosing to serve non-native residents. Mauritius has Radio Plus Indiz that broadcasts in Hindi, Bhojpuri, Tamil and Telugu from 1 pm to 3 pm every day. Radio Punjab focusses on South-Asian population in Canada. There are Italian and Spanish radio stations in the USA.Citizen Matters, through this two-part series, tries to explore why Bangalore, though tagged as being ‘cosmopolitan' and having seven FM channels, doesn't have any space for…

“Everyone should claim the city. What’s happening today is an outcome of many interactions between citizens. We need a collective and shared understanding of things” said Dr H S Sudhira, referring to the present situation of ‘commons’ in Bangalore in the Public Discussion Series organised by Hasiru Usiru, at the Alternative Law Forum on 18 May 2013. The talk titled 'Re-imagining Bangalore: Transcending the ‘Tragedy of Commons’ was moderated by Vinay K Sreenivas, Researcher, Alternative Law Forum and a volunteer for Hasiru Usiru. The audience voicing out their opinions. Pic: Nalme Nachiyar In the process of its evolution, the city has…

On the Sunday evening, the Temple Street, Malleshwaram appears to be normal, at least on the surface. People are moving as usual, shopping and chatting, while shoppers are busy in their business. Isn’t this the street that saw a bomb blast four days ago? You don’t get to confirm it until you go nearer, at least till the next cross, from where you can see the police barricade clearly. Majestic Jagannath Bhavan, the mansion that houses the BJP office, stands proudly, almost diagonally opposite to the blast site. Politicians and cops are seen everywhere in the scene. Next to that…

The recent trend of flowering trees blooming simultaneously has experts worried, though not panicked. Yet, this unnatural phenomenon is just one of the many warning signs that should be heeded. With its severe water shortage, rampant building activity, axing of beautiful, healthy trees and pollution of water bodies, Bangalore could be facing a disastrous situation. If this is not reversed, it could have severe repercussions.Whitefield is one example of how irrational and unscientific construction activity has severely affected the area. The sudden spurt in building activity began about 10 years ago despite no improvement or change in the water supply…

"Ticket!!!" he screams at me, looking scandalised about the fact that the bus had already left from the bus stop and I didn't have a ticket yet. "13 rupees. Ticket!!!" he exclaims, as I pull out a 20 rupee note, due to the lack of loose change. He throws me a look venomous enough to turn Medusa herself into a stone. Ashamed of myself for not carrying change, I quietly allow myself to be pulled, pushed and generally tossed in every direction as the driver ensures that the speed breakers don't fulfil their purpose. Volvo buses usually have some space…

In part-I, I argued that our planners, politicians and administrators put Bengaluru's development on steroids over the last 10 years, the way farmers sometimes do for agriculture, only to find that the soil dies later.I also argued that we have built a Bengaluru in the form of a giant shining saucer that is suspended at 10,000 feet above the real land of this city. There is one single pipe holding up the saucer and through this pipe, water, services, resources and low-income jobs are sucked through to the fast-paced life above. The pipe though is now bursting at the seams,…