Z-Blogs

I emailed Mr Pandey, the MD of BESCOM, as follows: Dear Mr Pandey,  I am a very ordinary consumer, and here are the details about me.  Name: Mrs Deepa Mohan,  Address: xxxxx  Consumer no: xxxx For the past several years,  I  have been using the ECS facility to pay our power bills, and have never once been in arrears. Also, we took the ECS option to prevent our power supply being disconnected, since we travel a lot.  On the 25th of October,  when I was  abroad,  our power supply was disconnected, and five days later, a lineman appeared at our…

For the past three occasions that I have arrived at Bengaluru International Airport at 1 am, I have had a major problem, because the Vayu Vajra bus services now start only at 4 am, and the earler services have been withdrawn. Earlier, the withdrawal was not even showing up on the BMTC Vayu Vajra website, but now, here is the updated schedule for the bus that I take (which actually stops at my front gate on the way to the KuVemPu, or BTM Layout, Bus Terminal). BIAS-12: Kuvempunagara Btm Layout - Bangalore International Airport / Bengaluru International Airport  Departure from Kuvempunagara…

  Women of the Tigala community looking their best during the Karaga festival at the Dharmarayaswamy Temple. The Tigalas, also referred to as Vanhikula Kshatriyas, are by tradition, gardeners and flower traders whose contribution in nurturing many of the city’s parks including Lalbagh is widely acknowledged. They believe that are the descendants of Veerakumaras –‘hero-sons’, a warrior clan that the mythological princess Draupadi put together to fight the demon Timarasura. A section of the Pete (old Bangalore) area is called Tigalarapete, recognising the predominance of the community in the region. They celebrate what is arguably Bengaluru’s biggest and most well-known…

World music - as it's been termed has continued to gain popularity. The term today encompasses, practically anything that's not of Western European or North American origin. Whether Ravi Shankar in the sixties, Sting's flirtations with Moroccan music in the 70s through Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Yanni in the 80s and 90s, an endless stream of regional or world music has gained a global audience. My own exposure to world music began with Gregorian Chants, in many ways reminiscent of my childhood experience of vedic chanting and grew thanks to my husband's interest in Qawwali. I have been exploring how…

At my local park, I sometimes see two young women (sisters, I assume), taking their elderly grandfather for a walk. The gentleman is very unsteady on his feet so the two women have to grip his arms to support him. Also, he cannot walk fast, so this little group's progress is very slow. But I've never seen or heard the two young women complain. Instead, they go silently round and round the park, patiently leading their grandfather. And after about half an hour or so of this, the three of them head out of the park and make their way…

Bellandur Buzz Issue #22 Date: 7th November 2014 This fornightly newsletter is published by the citizen group bellandur-forum@googlegroups.com   Green Diwali celebrations In SJR Verity, an apartment complex on Kasavanahalli road, it all started with the idea of encouraging people to say “NO” to crackers this Diwali. This would have been enough if the residents had believed that the atmosphere is the only thing that makes our environment; however, they believed that our environment included everyone who is impacted by crackers- from the people who buy the crackers, to those that fall sick because of them, to the firecracker retailers.…

Raja Bandi writes: A couple of my friends went birding at Hebbal lake on 21st October 2014 at around 6.30 am. There were people around jogging and walking etc. While birding, a guy turned up with a broken bottle and a wooden stick and demanded money. He emptied their wallets and then started checking their belongings. They were carrying dslr camera and binoculars. Luckily, one of them took the courage to turn against the mugger and grabbed the stick off him. In the process the mugger fell down. After taking a couple of hits to his shoulder the mugger then…

Bellandur Buzz Issue #21 Date: 22nd October 2014 This fornightly newsletter is published by the citizen group bellandur-forum@googlegroups.com   Lake activists meet with Upa Lokayukta A meeting presided by Upa Lokayukta Justice Adi Subhash was held on 17th October to discuss lake rejuvenation and preservation. Attendance was hearteningly high, with representatives from various lakes including Kaikondrahalli, Kasavanahalli, Halanayakanahalli, Ibblur, Saul Kere, Puttanahalli, and Chikkanasandra adding their voice to the discussions. Representatives from the BBMP, the DC’s office and villagers from Halanayakanahalli village were present as well. Where officials were not available, the Justice made notes to follow up with them…

Javalis are lyrical compositions with Shringara rasa or romantic love being the central theme of the composition. Veteran musician Neela Ramgopal gave a lecture demonstration on Javalis at the morning session of the 46th annual conference of the Bangalore Gayana Samaja on 14th October 2014. A frequent performer in the Bangalore concert circuit, Neela Ramgopal is a much sought after teacher and is the recipient of numerous state and sabha awards such as the Sangitha Kala Acharya and Sangeetha Kala Rathna. Her lec-dem delivered in a very accessible manner, brought to life what could have otherwise easily been a dry…

Ajit Lakshmiratan writes:"Long long ago...precisely in 1977..when 27, I had parked my bike (Jawa MYM 2877) in front of Prince Hotel in Brigade Rd extn.Bangalore for a short time (No Parking zone).When I returned, a constable asked me to come to the nearby Police Station (Shoolay PS, now renamed as Ashoknagar PS). Shoolay PS was at that time known for the strict rule book, no nonsense Inspector. My father was there with me and I was sure that he would bail me out at the Station like all fathers do when sons are in trouble. But at the station, my…