Z-Blogs

Folks at Whitefield Rising have gone super-creative, by choosing artistic means to express their worries and describe the problems. A rap song released on SoundCloud asks God Mahadeva (Shiva) why the state of affairs in his 'Pura' are in such a  mess, and asks BBMP where the money paid as taxes has gone. Whitefield lies in Mahadevapura zone of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara palike. Apart from this every Friday, people in Whitefield observe Black Friday by dressing up in black. Through the hashtag #WhitefieldBlackFriday on Twitter, they tweet to draw the attention of the authorities and political parties. Here is a…

Meet the JDS and BJP candidates on Wedensday, August 19th.  Venue: Gopalan Atlantis. Click here for the map. Time 7 pm - JDS 9 pm - BJP To know who the candidates are for the various wards in Mahadevapura zone, click here or the names of the wards below.  Bellandur | Doddanekkundi | Hagadur | Kadugodi | Varthur In the interest of holistically approaching the civic issues of Mahadevpura, we announce the above meet-the-candidates session, where candidates of the wards (Varthur, Hagadur, Doddanekkundi, Hoodi, Kadogudi, Garudacharpalya, Marathahalli) of Whitefield will interact with the public. Also in attendance will be Shri A C Srinivas, Congress MLA candidate for Mahadevpura. All are…

It is a sad reality that nowadays, by the time it's 26th Jan or 15 Aug, the flower displays are wilting and well past their prime at Lalbagh. Why do the displays have to open so much before the actual dates? Or if more days are needed for the general public to attend, surely the display could start fresh on Republic or Independence Day, and go on for a few days thereafter?

Should moms be expected to dress like, well, moms? Meaning, they shouldn't look like attractive women, avoid “sexy” clothing, and only wear shapeless outfits and er, those dreaded “mom” jeans. On the other hand, if a mom is comfortable with herself and, her body, shouldn't she wear exactly what she wants? Even if it is to pick up her child from school. Actually, the answer is not so simple. Because sometimes, a mom in sexy, figure-hugging clothing, is considered “inappropriately-dressed” and her parenting skills, called into question. Because sometimes a mom in a sphagetti top and shorts can be considered…

Dear reader, who I may know well or not at all, you are going to get to know all sorts of strange things about me. Let’s be forward with each other, shall we? Today, for instance, I am going to write about my toilet. Of all of the things I’ve been itching to share with you, I think I need to talk about my toilet. And while I’m at it, I might throw in some interesting details about the rest of the bathroom as well. You see, this isn’t really the type of restroom I’m used to. Pic: Holly Thorpe Had…

The BBMP Election office has issued a public notice on model code of conduct to be followed by candidates and political parties during the BBMP Election-2015 scheduled for August 22nd. The model code of conduct has come into effect from July 17th and will be in force till August 28th. The code of conduct is applicable to only those areas within the limits of BBMP. Model code of conduct will not prevent the continuation of already existing works, but new developmental works cannot be sanctioned. Some of the regulations include: ban on meetings chaired by ministers and MLAs, use of…

In the past 10 days, two people have had life-changing experiences. And been written about, because of social media. One was hounded and shamed online. The other was hailed as heroic, again, online. One lost his job. The other was praised for doing his job well. Chirag Mittal is the man who lost his job. Because of an unthinking comment he made on Facebook. An “outsider” working in this city, he posted a few lines about coming here and employing the “locals”. According to a report on the incident in Bangalore Mirror, his post soon drew the ire of many…

In the United States, I’m never really forced to think about the colour of my skin. I suspect very few white, middle-class girls are, although I may be wrong there. This is a privilege, a luxury that, despite its pricelessness, society rarely reminds me of. However, in Bijapur, a small town in northern Karnataka, I was constantly reminded of it. A naturally introverted person, especially while travelling, I really do my best to blend in. Neutral colours, quiet voice, don’t stray from my group. This would be easier if I were not so pale; I give off glare in sunlight.…

The nice thing about having teens, is that you get to meet a lot of exciting young people - many of whom are musically gifted. I hope to bring you stories of these young musicians who are chasing their dreams and in many ways paving a new path for themselves & others. In this column, we'll meet one classical musician who juggles a full time career with her music and a disc jockey (DJ) who's building a career out of his passion. Priyanka Prakash is a popular singer in the Carnatic music circuit.  Music has been an integral part of…

I have enjoyed my transition back to Bengaluru, the city I carry very close to my heart. As I start meeting people and understanding local surgery referral patterns, the irregularities are glaring. I have been blatantly asked by doctors how much I would be willing to pay the referring doctor for a patient. Take for example a patient who is referred for an advanced procedure that costs 10 lakhs. The referring doctor in Bengaluru asks for a percentage, commonly referred to as a "cut". In plain words, a bribe. This is completely unethical and against the standards that doctors agree…