Z-Blogs

Centralised numbers released by Indian Railways for citizens' convenience       9760534983 : TTI, Reservation & Meals 9760500000 : cleaning 9760534057 : problem in coach 9760534060 : electricity problems 9920142151 : enquiry problems 9760534063 : RPF & Security 9760534069 : drinking water arrangement 9760534073 : medical   Please use these numbers and give the feedback on how useful you found them during/before/after your journey.   Clarification from my friend: "This was a news item  in India rail info.com site which normally is authentic. However after I managed to contact two of the 9760 series numbers I unearthed the real problem. Apparently it is the set of numbers of Moradabad division…

I took this picture from the top of Nandi Hill. Well, OK, technically, it's not Bangalore...yet. But remember the times when Whitefield, Sarjapura and Yelahanka were not Bangalore, either? The point I want to make is that a new layout has been created...and for all those homes, there is just one young tree, and perhaps some very small plants that one can see. What happened to our culture of planting trees on every road, so that we had shady avenues instead of bare streets? Why do we now have those in authority claiming that "Trees belong only in parks"? I…

It's called "koley basava" in Karnataka, and in Tamil Nadu, it's called the "boom-boom mAdu"...boom-boom, probably because of the sound produced by the drum the man carries and rubs with a stick. He also usually plays a long wind instrument called the naagaswaram; you can see it covered, slung behind his left shoulder. This duo were "off duty" when I clicked them, so the drum and the nagaswaram were not in use. The man will bring it to the front gate and ask it leading questions like "Is this house resident going to be prosperous and happy?" and the animal…

Christmas is over...spare a thought for those who sell knick-knacks like these cheap Santa caps, have so many of them left over...unsold, not putting even the meagre money in their pockets that they were hoping for. Street vendors are not like beggars; they are trying to make money honestly, and it is extremely hard at the bottom of the selling pyramid.

I took this photo on the 23rd of December, 2014, at the Banashankari temple.   With no safety gear, with no precautions, these two men are putting up lights that will illuminate the temple of the "Goddess of the Forest". Why are we so slack about safety precautions? Why do we always assume thatp accidents will never happen to us? The mess of wires atop the roof of the structure is nothing short of an invitation to an accident. Can the temple not provide its workers with insulated gloves at the very least?

Bellandur Buzz Issue # 25 Date: 19th December 2014. This fortnightly newletter is published by the citizen group bellandur.forum@googlegroups.com Meeting the minister - updates   Residents meet the minister to discuss various local issues Sri Ramalinga Reddy, the Minister in charge of Bangalore visited the neighborhood on Monday morning. A group of residents met him on Monday morning at 8 am at Kaikondrahalli Lake. He was accompanied by several BBMP officials. SWM Special Commissioner Darpan Jain also dropped in a little later. The following topics were discussed: Lake - Joint commisioner to get Kaikondrahalli lake boundary surveyed by Tahsildar within 1 week…

Soumya Geetha, a consultant by profession, is extremely passionate about photographing culture and the streets, besides being a rabid traveller. She captured the above bull at the heart of the city - in the Pete. She writes: "During my street photography exploits in the city, I have often encountered traces of other cities in Bengaluru. This particular scene, deep in the by-lanes of the Pete, reminded me of the narrow streets of Varanasi where cows had the right of way. It was also strange because I assumed that given the location of the neighbourhood and its obvious lack of space,…

The practice of charging the members of the public for cameras (aftear 8 am or 9 am)at many public spaces is irritating a lot of people. Joiston Pereira writes:"The entry ticket and camera fee....is the Horticulture Department's new money making racket. At Madiwala lake, which is.under the Brihat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)  and to an extent, the Horticulture Department, the tickets for cameras are a whopping 100 rupees and for video cameras it is  Rs.200, while entry is a modest  Rs, 10  Where all this money goes, God alone knows. The lake clearly isn't maintained very well. "As for the…

Litter along the railway tracks I travelled from Bangalore to Delhi and all along the tracks, I found vast quantities of plastic and other litter, thrrown not only by careless passengers, but, to my horror, dumped by Railway employees, especially catering contractors.  Does Indian Railways not believe that this is our country, and in cleanliness?  Shame, Indian Railways...you truly must "clean up your act"!  Disposal of waste must be (and is not) an essential part of travelling.

ook release of "The Song of the Magpie Robin. The autobiography of Zafar Futehally" by Dr K Ullas Karanth.    Wednesday 10, December 2014. 6.30    BIC Auditorium, TERI complex 4th Main, 2nd Cross Domlur II Stage, Bangalore 560071   RSVP 98865 99675