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These tips are all super basic, and you are probably already doing them if you're at all environmentally-minded. But if you're not, then these are simple to practice but large in impact, so we encourage you to start them today. #1 BYOC/BYOB What's BYOC and BYOB? Bring Your Own Container or Bottle wherever you go. Recently, a Beautiful Bengaluru member calculated that his family of four saved forty plastic bottles by carrying their own steel/copper bottles on a five-day vacation. Think of how many you can save! Most people believe that using disposables is okay as long as they use…

After three months of freedom to grow, my hair needed to be contained. It now formed a curtain over my eyes and glasses. When the government allowed the opening of beauty parlours, I booked myself for a first day, first trim. This was a calculated move. I would be in a place cleaned thoroughly after months of lockdown.  The shop wasn’t quite ready, so I made it “second day, first cut.” The Aadhaar card was mandatory, I heard. Parlours had to check the ID of people they had “beautified” routinely for years? But it made sense. I did look unrecognisable. …

Being locked up at home during the long COVID-19 lockdown, I got to reminiscing about my childhood. For instance, as kids, we used to look forward to the monsoon rains. Splashing, making boats and wading through the water excited us and made us feel happy. We had to go to school in knee-deep water wearing raincoats. But this never interrupted our routine. Now, when a virus has engulfed the world, we are told to lock ourselves up in isolation. I pity the kids. They are the ones bouncing with energy. How this is going to impact them, I wonder. Today,…

First things first: The headline of this blog is not the title of an upcoming movie! This script was conceived during a pollution-free ride —amid a haze of smoke outside—from New Delhi (railway station) to Chandni Chowk—a buzzing marketplace in old Delhi that has withstood the test of time for centuries. These words echo the lore of a blockbuster that has been running to packed houses (read coaches) day after day, year after year, in one of the world's busiest urban agglomerations. Delhi Metro, as the phenomenon is commonly known, is not merely a means of mass rapid transit; it…

Students from Azim Premji University, Bengaluru gathered at their campus on September 17th to extend support to the struggle of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA). What is happening to the 178 villages in Madhya Pradesh, waiting for rehabilitation even as their lands and homes have been submerged while Sardar Sarovar Dam filled to its full reservoir capacity, is one form of structural violence caused by the State. The student-led meeting was held to show solidarity with the project-affected families, who held a rally in Madhya Pradesh’s Barwani district, demanding opening of the dam gates and rehabilitating the oustees. As Prime Minister…

After two successful shows – one in Amsterdam in March 2019 and the other in Bengaluru on August 24th at Courtyard Koota, Kengeri, the dance-theatre piece ‘Goddess and her Magic Broom’ will be performed at Vyoma Artspace and Studio Theatre on September 14th at 6.30 pm. ‘Goddess and her Magic Broom’ is a dance-theatre performance based on poetry and imagery created around a homemaker’s life. Rendered invisible or reflecting the form accorded to her by a patriarchal world, women do not have it easy – whether they operate from a space of choice or role-play. Juggling familial and societal expectations,…

Bangalore Little Theatre is ready to present our next production Six Dead Queens and an Inflatable Henry (SDQ). Originally produced by Foursight Theatre Group, United Kingdom this popular play which has been produced worldwide by various theatre groups will now be premiering in India. In keeping with BLT’s socially conscious character and commitment to an enlightened agenda, this  all-women’s production is a small endeavour towards highlighting women’s capabilities through a production where women are involved in the creation process right from its start to finish. To that end, the comedy which had been chosen was not only written by women…

A non-Bengali friend (we both majored in English) once told me, “I want to read Chandalika (one of Tagore’s greatest plays) right now.” I looked hapless. I had a Bengali copy with me. Where would I get an English version right at that point? I was rather amused that she went on to grudge - “You can read that great poet when you want. Maybe, I should learn Bengali.” I laughed, “His Bengali is not easy to grasp re…let me get you a translation ASAP!”. We, as Bengalis (of course a particular section of the society), have always had the…

The start of a new academic year brings a lot of things, new friends, new classes, an atmosphere of excitement. For the 11th and 12 graders at my school, it also brings along election frenzy. This year was my first time running for elections, and the process made me think about sustainability in a whole new way. It all started when I stood in front of the collection of stickers in my room, stuck to the side of my bedside cabinet. There were about 30 of them, all obtained from last year's campaigning, creative, colorful and shiny. But it made…

The ground thundered, the sound was deafening. The atmosphere was jubilant and the weather too kept up with it. It was festive celebrations in Sriharikota on 22 July 2019. It was this day when India soared into space with its second lunar probe mission Chandrayaan-2, which is a follow-up mission to Chandrayaan-1 launched in October 2008. Once the mission concludes successfully, India will become the fourth country -- after USA, Russia and China -- to soft-land spacecraft on the lunar surface. India will also become the second country to land on the Moon’s south polar region.  India launched its first…