Z-Blogs

The BBMP is intent, it appears, on cutting down pavements wherever it can widen the roads for the ever-increasing motorized vehicle traffic of this city...but our pavements are areas where a lot of vibrant life exists. Instead of thinking of our footpath users (apart from pedestrians, who are, anyway, an endangered species), perhaps we should appreciate the way life is led along these urban spaces.Here are two young women that I photographed in Indira Nagar.The first is a bangle seller, vending the lac-and-mirror bangles that are so famous in Rajasthan.The second one is selling an assortment of bead necklaces:They both…

Using a car on Bangalore roads? Then,when you fill up petrol (at the petrol pumps in the city, you are generally given the "perk" of "Free Air"...that is, the car tyre pressure is checked and filled by an attendant, and it is supposed to be a service free of cost.However, over the years, the habit has been established, of tipping the attendant a couple of rupees. Quick to notice this, petrol pumps pay their attendants a little less, the rationale being that they will pick up the tips from motorists! So the attendants are keen that no one go away…

Gyan, the business advisor, was talking to Kiran, John and Chetan, who were planning to start a new business. One of the points they spoke about was the money each one would bring into the company and the possible equity structure of the new company. Gyan said, "In the recent past, I have seen many partnerships enduring and also many teams break up. Some partnerships and founding teams can stay through thick and thin; some founding teams break up over the smallest trifles.  I have seen friends start a company and become bitter enemies; on the other hand there are…

Most of you would have planned a holiday this long weekend. But are you leaving lesser carbon footprints? Here's an interesting quiz to test your green knowledge - Save the EarthI took the quiz and scored just 50%, however learnt a lot from the facts window that explains after each attempt. You can also set up a quiz question by clicking on the ‘Add a Question' window, embed this quiz in your blog or email it to a friend. ⊕

I spent a very pleasant morning at Lalbagh today....I started at the Glass House, where the floral exhibits for Independence Day are taking shape, and this Anthurium exhibit was stunning....As I walked around, both cultivated and "grow-on-the=tree" flowers caught my eye.Here's an insect pollinating one flower:The Seeta Ashoka tree still has some flowers, though it's strictly not the season:The water lilies on the lake are breathtakingly beautiful...The spider lilies, aptly named for their shape, bloom along the shores of the water bodies:But I couldn't identify this tree, which had such beautiful flowers:I walked past the old pavilion; what tales it…

I came aross a couple of interesting places for hanging out and recreation - active canvas and Doodleden. I have happily added these to my list of interesting places in Bangalore. Both are similar in theme but one targets adults and the other is more suitable for children. However, both can be entertaining spots for the entire family. All this reminded me a great deal about Ranga Shankara.Activecanvas is all about art, as the founders say - your very own space to unwind, explore, express, create, share and enjoy. It's a hub to get-together for like minded individuals interested in…

At the outskirts of Bangalore, many small-scale vendors try to beat the middlemen by selling direct-to-consumer....First one sees one basket of custard apples...Then a few..Then a few more...And if one takes the larger view, one can see that it is definitely custard apple season now, all down the road!I wonder..when the baskets are arrayed in serried ranks like that...is there a cartel that dictates the minimum price? How can the sellers hope to get a reasonable margin on their fruit? And an interesting point about those baskets is, they seem to be made from lantana twigs...surely a good use of…

Though Independence Day is only on August 15th, the preparations for one of the two annual flower shows that this City has, has already begun.I went to Lalbagh early this morning, and the Glass House area was agog with activity. Several vans and lorries had been parked close by and flowering plants were being "downloaded"....Flowering Plants downloaded from Lorry (Pic: Deepa Mohan)Some of the tables required were also being brought in.Officials were busy discussing how to put up the displays:Officials discussing about the Displays (Pic: Deepa Mohan)The staff were busy with the work:Staff busy with Flower Show work arrangements (Pic:…

I must disclose, I am just beginning to blog at citizenmatters and this is my first post. I will be posting about various types of Bangalore based businesses, right from startups to local businesses to bottom-of-pyramid ventures to single person owned firms or trades. The idea is to highlight what is unique in them, however small or trivial the case maybe. With that said, the theme for this post is about social investment. I have been always intrigued with the new breed of social lending platforms, currently operating in and around Bangalore, the ones that most easily come to my…

It is a pleasure to bring you another founder perspective, from an entrepreneur, who was one of the few handful of investors in India some years ago. He has shared some key some insights into running a business as an entrepreneur, as opposed to being an investor who is partnering in a venture. This is one that may interest investors as well as entrepreneurs. Who is this entrepreneur... he is K.Ganapathy Subramanian, the founder of MyDuniya Networks, a company that has a vision to facilitate "Beyond Voice" services for the mobile pervasive world. He has been part of the innovation…