SOCIETY

'Multiple City' is a collection of writings on Bangalore, edited by Aditi De, independant writer, columnist and editor. It includes a selection of Bangalorean experiences - with verse, translations, fiction, and non fiction accounts and as Aditi says "celebrates the spirit of Bangalore". Aditi De at the book reading of Multiple City (pic: Meera K) During the book reading at Crosswords book store, Aditi mentioned about how she got into compiling this anthology; a friend from Penguin publishers had asked her what she thought of Bangalore and she wondered if Bangalore could be considered a city at all. The stories…

Environment A memorial to a tree Officials of Lalbagh have come up with an idea to construct a memorial to a dead historical tree. If all goes well, Lalbagh will have a pigeon park around this memorial. The garden, which has a number of historical trees, recently lost a 95 year old Neelgiri tree. A beautiful memorial is now planned in its place. (Vijaya Karnataka, Tuesday, 30 December) 320 trees on Sheshadri road chopped Sheshadri road, once considered a cool place to walk, wears a barren look now, as around 320 trees were chopped for road widening works. Officials carried…

WE BELONG is a group of friends, mainly software engineers who are dedicated in bringing a sense of belonging to two of the most neglected communities- orphans and elders. Pic: AuthorIt is a shame that people who have lived their entire life for the sake of their children have been abandoned in old age, and children abandoned are devoid of love and security at an young age. They miss out on an environment of love and care, and thus have no idea of the value of relationships, and do not cherish their being. Old age homes tell another grim story.…

Business Now- an agency to safeguard vacant sites! Safeguarding a vacant site is a big task in Bangalore, especially if you live outside the city. The demand for land is so huge that encroachments have become common. So who will take care of your site if you are not in Bangalore? Vruddi Infrastructure Private Limited will! It is an agency that is providing this innovative service... for a nominal fee the agency will maintain your site and give you monthly updates. For details contact; 42994399, 42434445. (Udayavani, Monday, 22 December, Namma Bengalooru)Government Cops get trained for policing, opt for teaching!…

Thursday morning saw a subdued start to the wonderful & propitious day. The sun was tricky to sight through the thick drape of fog, and as the morning opened up, the visibility reduced further. As people decorated their Christmas trees with lights and snowflake decorations, to welcome Santa Claus with his goodies bag, nature had its own plan. It created its own Christmas trees for those who can not afford one. It decorated its trees across the periphery of the city, with frost.Frost over cobwebs and leaves (pic: Saurabh Mittal) The frost settled on all the roadside plants to create…

Government Minister and bureaucrat unaware of each others' names. Minister for Animal Husbandry Revu Nayaka Belamagi is known for his innocence. He is uneducated but respected by people. Speaking at the inauguration of a national seminar on animal husbandry, the minister said that he could speak neither English or Hindi. He was unaware of the correct name of his own department's Principal Secretary Shamim Banu. The latter too just addressed him as 'Honourable Minister' in her speech. This strange ignorance was a matter of discussion in the seminar. (Vijaya Karnataka, Monday, Dec 15) ATS chief on long leave In this…

The Ambedkar Community Computer Centre is situated in a slum area in the New Guruppanapalya, off Bannerghatta road, Bengaluru. In this IT city of multinationals, it is only one of the many slums in the interiors of Bangalore that is not well known outside. On the 13th December, the slum had a unique visitor who is well known in every part of the world as the founder of the Free Software Foundation. Richard M Stallman's visit turned the attention of IT professionals and media persons to the otherwise not-so-well-known slum. The Ambedkar team with Stallman. Pic: Aravind.Ambedkar Community Computing Center…

Government to strengthen ATC The ATC (Anti Terrorism Cell) squad is slated to get a new face with government deciding to strengthen this cell in the wake of increasing terrorist activities. Government approved a proposal to appoint 750 specialised personnel to the squad. A number of initiatives are taken to make working with ATC more attractive for the police, which they have so far been looked upon as as a punishment rather than prestigious. (Prajavani, Friday, Dec 5)Vidhana Soudha in danger? The state government does not seem to be bothered by terrorist activities in the various parts of country. Its…

As Mumbai was held hostage for over 60 hours, the world watched in silence. The three-day bloodbath claimed over 190 lives, wounded over 300 and left thousands across India scarred for life. Citizens across the country were outraged and angered at the inefficiency of those in power and the ignorance of intelligence information. Peace rallies, candlelight vigils, slogan-shouting and much more. The silence was finally broken.Music at Cubbon Park Bandstand meeting to show solidarity with Mumbai terror attacks (pic source : MS Prasad) The whole of India grieved with Mumbai and continues to do so. Including Bangalore. Peace marches, candlelight…

Arts and CultureOnly three witness Kannada programmeKannada Bhavana,adjoining the Ravindra Kalakshetra is the venue for numerous programmes pertaining to Kannada and Karnataka. To commomorate ten years of the building, a seminar on liberalisation, economic scenario and its effects on culture was organised last week. However there were just three people in audience. Organisers were taken aback with this poor response.(Prajavani,Sunday, Nov 30) Business Rice levy: burden on traders or common man?The price of rice has increased by Rs 4- 5 per kg as a repurcussion of the government's decision to levy rice traders. Traders have passed their burden on to…