Z-Blogs

We saw a jostling, zealous crowd #ForTheSakeofBengaluru on Oct 15th, Sunday at Freedom Park. A numerous and highly diverse people cast their demands on the Beku Beda wall, and ballot boxes and brought demands as lists from schools, colleges, RWA, civic and social organizations. These demands must shape Bengaluru. The city must become "of the people", not of political whim! Accordingly, we will have a #BekuBedaSanthe demand consolidation event on the very special Rajyotsava day. Volunteers are invited on Wednesday Nov 1st to Loyola Hall, St Joseph’s College, Langford Road from 3 PM-5 PM. The idea is to determine what…

Since I have enjoyed the work of Tahatto for many years now (you can read my review of another of their plays, here (written on a rainy evening exactly 5 years and 3 days ago!) I looked forward to watching "remember Remember" by this young and talented group, on another rainy evening, (12 Oct '17) and neither my friends nor I were disappointed. Pic: Thomas Kadavil Abraham The play had a good house, too considering that it was the middle of the week, and the audience had braved weekday traffic and heavy rain to get to Ranga Shankara. The assistant…

As I was on the Outer Ring Road, I saw the welcome sight of a tree being translocated. http:// It was good to see the tree being moved so carefully, with even its chopped branches bound up. http:// I do hope this tree, and several others like it, survive in their new "homes" and help keep our city green. A salute to those who are doing such work. I would like to know, however, what the averages are for the survival of such translocated trees.

A large number of civic and social organizations of Bengaluru are coming together to organize a unique ‘Beku Beda Santhe’ on October 15th, 2017 to commemorate the first anniversary of the Human Chain for the #steelflyoverbeda. That campaign saw a  saw massive outpouring of citizens, democratically expressing their demand. The #SteelFlyoverBeda movement inspired citizens to come together and exercise their right to actively participate in governance. The “Beku Beda Santhe” will serve as a platform for citizens from across Bengaluru to express what they want for their area and city (ಬೆೇಕು) and what they do not want for their area…

Our roads are public, and parking, where it is legal, should be available to all. But our vehicle users and and homeowners both seem to think that the parking space is something they have ownership of. Many buildings display notices outside which say, "Parking for XYZ customers only". Many homes (private ones, not clinics) have signs outside that say, "Ambulance may come at any time, no parking"....a patently false declaration. I can understand signs that say, "Don't park in front of the gate", but privatising the road in front of a residence is surely unethical if not actually illegal. Some…

I am part of the Idex Global Fellowship Programme.The programme seeks to help social intrapreneurs from across the world secure the best possible start to their careers. I would like to share some of my experiences on the programme and explain why I think relationship-building is the one key quality every future leader needs. The Idex Global Fellowship Programme is, in my view, one of the most exciting opportunities of its kind in the world – but it is also one of the most challenging. I joined the Idex straight from Zimbabwe in July 2017; with no previous international work…

Two months ago, my life changed as I began my first ever overseas work experience. On 1 July 2017, I stepped off a plane at Bengaluru Kempegowda International Airport. I’d never been to Asia, let alone India before. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. However, over the past 2 months, I've learned and  experienced so much, that I'd like to share a few of my thoughts and reflections on 2 months in India.   The African perception of India is so far off. For example, it's not all massive cities with skyscrapers or rice paddies with…

As a theatregoer, one is used to several constructs as part of an evening of theatre. For example: Theatre is either fiction, or fictionalized fact (the very word 'dramatic" has come to mean, something that is emphasized more than is ordinary). The audience is a passive receptor for what happens on the stage. The audience and stage areas are mutually exclusive. All members of the audience get the same narrative. The narrative in a theatre experience has a buildup, a climax and a denouement. It's not usual to attend an evening of theatre where all these concepts are challenged and,…

Silver Talkies is an e-magazine for senior citizens, and one of the many useful articles I've seen is the one written by advocate Shiv Kumar about why one should write a will, and how one can do it. Shiv Kumar consults with the Elders Helpline in Bangalore and can be contacted via the Nightingales Medical Trust (NMT). You can contact NMT on 080-42426565 or reach the helpline on 080-22943226. Shiv Kumar is a Senior Advocate with 40 years of active practice at the Karnataka High Court. He has been actively involved with the Elders Help Line since its inception 10…

We are delighted to tell you that our low cost, low maintenance Artificial Floating Island (AFI) has been introduced at Madiwala Lake! Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA) plans to introduce these in Agara lake as well. Last month, on 12th July, Ms. Seema Garg, the new CEO of KLCDA  had visited Puttenahalli Lake and shown great interest in our floating wetland platforms. She informed the officers in charge of setting up the Bio-diversity Park at Madiwala Lake about our innovation and they in turn visited our lake on 21st August 2017. We took Mr. Chidananda, Dy Range Forest Officer and Dr. Padmavathi, Project Coordinator, around…