Deepa's Jottings

We often see vendors like this girl I spotted at the Kanakapura Road/ORR junction, selling large balloons. It could be a variety of (usually Chinese) products: windshield shades, mobile phone charger cords, earbuds, dusters.   Spare a thought for the hardships these people undergo. Obviously, they want to make an honest living, and not beg at the street corners. They get their goods from an agent, and have to pay him a large part of what they earn. In the process, they eke out a very slender living. Do, occasionally, buy from them; you can donate the item you bought…

I've written earlier, in this post about artisans who make a living by repairing jewellery. On Sunday, two friends and I went to Commercial Street, a shopping area in Bangalore. Off this street is another narrow street, called, quite appropriately, Jewellers Street. Both of them had jewellery that needed repair, so we found a small shop. "Gun Short" is actually a "gunshot", using a staple gun to pierce the ear quickly and painlessly. "Manul" piercing could also be done. My friends showed the shopkeeper the work to be done, and negotiations for the amount to be charged were successfully concluded.…

Clicked2Help presents “Spirit of India”, an exhibition of photographs showcasing various facets of a vibrant and colorful India at Venkatappa Art Gallery (VAG). The exhibition will be inaugurated on 13 th May, 2016 and will go on till 22 nd May, 2016. The members of TGIS ("Thank God It's Saturday, a city-based photographers' group), have come together for the fourth year running to conduct this exhibition. This group represents a wide spectrum of the society including students, IT professionals, businessmen, and entrepreneurs etc. The amateur and experienced members all join hands to conduct this exhibition every year for a noble cause.…

My maid was talking to me, and telling me about the water situation in her home.  "We pay Rs. 5 per pot or Rs. 15 for a 'can' of water (referring to the large container of water that we often invert into our dispensers). We get 3 per week," she said. Then she laughed and said, "For the same can, you flat people pay Rs. 50!" Water is now a commercial commodity everywhere, and the rates we pay seem to vary widely according to our economic status. The sad part is that one never knows whether this water is indeed…

When we talk of conservation, we often think of trees, water, mammals and birds. However, Rohit Girotra, who, in the past few years, has popularized  butterfly walks, and indeed, has discovered several species of butterflies in and around Bangalore, writes: Bangalore is surrounded by beautiful spots for watching butterflies. Camp Gee Dee in Shivanahalli, is one of these havens. Camp Gee Dee is home to a host of birds, reptiles, mammals and butterflies. At last count we had recorded around 100 butterfly species in the Camp Gee Dee grounds. What makes Camp Gee Dee special is its proximity to Bannerghatta…

I saw this notice in the Arekere Reserve Forest today. What is "illegal dumping"? Is there any "legal dumping"?  And the amount of trash that lies behind the notice gives the lie to the message anyway. What the photograph shows is the apathy we have towards our surroundings... sad to see.

Bengaluru has a lot of flights landing and taking off in the early hours of the morning.  But if passengers are looking for Vayu Vajra buses, they will find that at precisely the hours when many international flights land or take off (and in order to get to and from the airport at the right time), there will be no Volvo buses plying. Let me take one example. British Airways out of Bengalurue departs at 7 am. This means that passengers must be at the airport by 5 am at the latest, preferably half-an-hour earlier. Let's say the passenger lives…

On Marth 8th, my maid borrowed money to take her alchoholic and hypochondriac husband to the doctor...the fourth time in a week. The lady who sells vegetables  in the local market told me how all the vendors were "cleared" last week and have slowly started drifting back...at increased "hafta" rates. The flower seller in front of the temple told me her 2-year-old daughter was suffering from high fever,and she had to come to sell flowers to be able to make enough to take her to the doctor. "Happy Woman's Day," we privileged ones say to each other. For many of…

I think it started inb the year 2000, when autorickshaws of Bangalore, the drivers of which love to add little touches to their vehicles, started adding the number "2000" to the back of their autosM Many autos also like to call themselves "Volvo" or "Innova" to their vehicles, and they would add the engine capacity (1000 cc or something like that) to it.  The two practices got united, and messages such ast "2000 cc", "2001 cc" and so on, and I've seen this go up to "2012 cc", here. I'm looking out for later years!    

Here is a news story about how a visitor's car wheel was clamped and she was fined Rs 500.   It's all very well for the Residents' Association to say that the rules warn that the car wheels may be clamped, but is such clamping, and levying a fine of Rs 500, legal?  Surely residents' associations cannot take the law into their own hands in this way?