Z-Blogs

From: angarika@maraa.in 2 manhole cleaners suffocated to death in Bangalore recentlyArmed with a bottle and a stick, a man descends: into the dark sulfurous depths of the city. Vanishing acts, made possible by the labour of workers who live and die below the surface. This man, we call the “scavenger”.Join us on 11th Oct for a walk, along the Chambers of Ward 88. To lift the lid and see who lurks beneath. The walk is olfactory. The walk is a provocation. The walk is a call to introspect. This walk will be guided by Angarika Guha and Ekta Mittal as part of Horaata,…

Bellandur Buzz…Issue # 20October 10th 2014 Shared fortnightly by: bellandur-forum@googlegroups.com   Celebrate cracker-free Diwali Seven year old Nurba isn’t playing, she’s working because YOU want to buy crackers. Source As Deepawali approaches we would like to remind everyone about why we shouldn’t burst crackers. Besides the obvious side-effect, that is, air pollution (Did you know air pollution increases by almost 30% during Diwali?), noise pollution, injuries and various health hazards, there are several other negatives of firecrackers. Did you know that there are millions of underage kids that are exploited by the firecracker industry, and that many of them get killed in…

 Tree Felling in Kanataka is governed by the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976. Section 8 (1) of the act states: With effect on and from the appointed day, notwithstanding any custom, usage, contract or law for the time being in force, no person shall fell any tree or cause any tree to be felled in any land, whether in his ownership or occupancy or otherwise, except with the previous permission of the Tree Officer Thus, whether the tree is in private land or government land, the permission of the Tree Officer is essential before a tree is cut. On what grounds can…

Dr M B Krishna writes:   The birthday of Dr Joseph George who started the group birdwatching activities in Bangalore falls on the first of October. It is now over two years since his demise. So it was thought to have a memorial talk for theoccasion. Since Dr George did so much to show that non full time professionals too could be contributing to our knowledge of birds, it was thought Shyamal would be the best person to give the talk for the day. Especially so since Shyamal's recent visits to the museums in London and Tring have given him new perspectives and hearing bits and…

Pic courtesy: CME and The Bangalore Conservatory If music be the food of life, play on... So said the Bard. What if music is life to you? What if, only the glorious notes and the wondrous chords make sense, what if everything else to do with everyday living, means nothing? What if you are Samuel Marcus? Samuel, or Sammy, as he is called, is 27 years old. He has an older sibling and he has loving parents. And he has, in the words of people who have heard him, the 'voice of an angel'. Sammy, you see, is blessed with…

Bellandur Buzz…Issue # 19September 26th 2014 Shared fortnightly by: bellandur-forum@googlegroups.com   Bhoomi Utsav at Prakriya School Like every year, 2nd october, Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated by Bhoomi network as a day long festival of organic food and produce, folk art and craft, music, dance and talk… Come connect with nature and hang out with friends amidst lovely trees and gardens! The festival features Stalls selling mouth watering organic eats and produce. Pollinated seeds and saplings for your kitchen garden. Talk sessions on composting, gardening and more. Crafts, music, dance and storytelling for kids. Venue: Prakriya Green Wisdom School campus, No:70, Chikkanayakana Halli Road,…

You are already composting your waste in aerobic method. As the logical next step meant to use the home-made compost, you have set up an organic vegetable garden. By now you are addicted to the fun of growing, eating, composting and re-growing. You want to maximise the yield, but don't want to spend on it. You have heard vermicompost is good for plants, but when you check the price for curiosity, here is how it looks.  On ebay, people sell a kg of vermicompost for 150 rupees! Sometimes it is even more - Rs 150 for 500 grams! In some…

Our good friend Avinash is a relieved man these days. His elderly father is just back home from hospital, after a debilitating bout of dengue fever. Avinash's dad is lucky to be recovering, because in AECS Layout near Whitefield where he lives, there are increasing cases of dengue fever. “My parents' neighbour, a woman, died of the fever. Now her 18-year-old son is battling dengue,” says a worried Avinash. And I know of other people affected by the virus. In my son's school, his class teacher's five-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, are slowly recovering (as I write this),…

Bellandur Buzz…Issue # 18September 12th 2014 Shared fortnightly by: bellandur-forum@googlegroups.com Mandur Landfill closes on December 1st With barely three months to go for the closure of Mandur landfill, pressure is building up on BBMP to manage city's waste responsibly. Special Commissioner (Municipal Solid Waste) Darpan Jain is banking on citizen's co-operation and the top Palike officials’ efforts. BBMP has taken up segregation drive in Bellandur ward on pilot basis. Kasa Muktha Bellandur, citizen volunteer group is proactively working with the BBMP officials in this respect. He hopes this model can be replicated in the other 198 wards with time. A new…

There will not be water supply in some areas of Bengaluru on September 18 and 19, as Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is conducting emergency maintenance of pumps and electrical circuits, in Cauvery 1st and 2nd stage water supply system, in T K Halli, Harohalli and Thathaguni. The affected areas, according to a press note from BWSSB, are: Jayanagar J P Nagar Basavanagudi Chamarajpet Mysore Road Wilson Garden Hombegowda Nagar Shanti Nagar Neelasandra K R Market area Johnson market and surrounding areas  Related ArticlesBribe the valveman to cut water supply, and make money selling water!How much are you…