Z-Blogs

I've written about the Tabebuia argentea and the Jacaranda blooms welcoming summer into the city....but another sight, that is full of colour, but that is far less welcome, is one that's started staring me in the eye: Water and power shortages are here, with no apologies on the part of the Government.⊕

A very old, traditional eatery in the heart of Basavanagudi, in the middle of Gandhi Bazar, is Vidyarthi Bhavan We went there this Sunday, and the most popular dish seems to be their masala dosa. This is an incredibly heavy dish to eat, being practically deep-fried, with oil and ghee and "kempu chutney"being smeared inside the dosa, and with a filling of potato palya. These dosas are served by the waiters on plates that are stacked, eight or nine deep, on their arms! Here are some of us, waiting patiently for a table..even at 10 am on a Sunday, the…

Feel like performing? rafiki is seeking women actors for a programme titled What do you Say to a Dragon. The programme for children will roll out in July and run till September.Prior acting experience is not a criteria. Workshop-audition Ashirvad Off St. Mark’s road Saturday 12th March, 2011 10am to 1pm Call Ravindra on 9986371543 for further details.⊕

It was a preventable fire that took nine lives and injured scores of others. On February 23rd, the Beyond Carlton trust, co-founded by a parent of one of nine who died in the Carlton Towers fire, conducted its memorial service at Manipal Hospital Auditorium. Shankar Bidari should have attended this memorial service. Not just in honour of the people who lost their lives, but in honour of the high-minded notification he issued in March 2010, just a week after the tragedy. Bidari in an exercise of police power unseen in Bangalore till then, had asked owners and leasers of all…

One of the conveniences of living in an Indian city is that one can get excellent value for money. Let's take the example of coffee...if one wants a quick shot of the drink, there's always the ubiquitious neighbourhood Darshini to provide a "baitu" thimbleful. But if one wants some freshly roasted and ground coffee powder to take home, there are plenty of shops to cater to that, too. Here's the signboard of one shop in the Jayanagar 9th Block market area: I go in, and the shop owner asks me which kind of coffee powder I want, and whether I…

I was travelling back from Delhi when I saw a young man, also boarding for the same flight, who had an interesting looking trophy with him: I said hello to him, congratulated him because he had obviously won something, and asked what it was about. "This is the trophy that Karnataka won this year, for the best float in the Republic Day Parade," he replied. "We've won it a few times in the past, and if we win three years running, the rolling trophy will become ours." Having, rather uncharacteristically, missed watching the Republic Day Parade this year as I…

Bengaluru is seeing churn and activity in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Recently, I have come across a couple of mid-size and small companies seriously looking at options to merge. The world is changing rapidly and entrepreneurs want to seize the moment. M&A is seen as one option for the smaller companies to consolidate and address the challenges ahead. Some deals work and some do not succeed. Here is a quick first-cut of the framework that I have put together when looking at any investment/M&A planned; the PBRT framework. It is so named, because of the memory tag... PBT (profit before tax)…

A new firestation has come up on Sarjapur Road opposite Kaikondrahalli Lake. The firestation has been built by CREDAI, in a Public-private partnership (PPP) model, on government land of about an acre. B K Hampagol, Deputy Director (Technical), Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services says his department did not have to spend any money. Firestation on Sarjapur Road. Pic: Meera K. Two fire engines and about 14 firemen, will be stationed here initially. The department plans to purchase more vehicles in the future and station more personnel.The firestation has been ready from late last year but could not be inauguration due…

Two unusual plants in Lalbagh are in bloom again, and those interested can go and view them near the Office of the Deputy Directorate of Horticulture. The first one is the exquisitely-coloured, and beautifully-shaped,JADE VINE:and the other is the CROWN OF THORNS (Euphorbium milii)which is a kind of banana plant, but much taller:The infloresence, indeed, resembles our own plantain flowers:The third lovely plant is what is called the "Shrimp" Plant, which has lovely ballon-like flowers:All these plants are within a few feet of each other...go and enjoy the sight of the blooms! ⊕

  I caught this picture of a 'Bird of Paradise' Flower at the horticulture training institute maintained by the Association of People with Disability.Pic By Ravi Kaushik