Z-Blogs

It was very nice indeed to use the new escalator in use at the City Railway Station, yesterday. This escalator is on the side opposite the underground passage, and takes visitors up to the overbridge spanning all the platforms.   Several escalators are also under construction at some of the platforms. Though large pieces of luggage cannot be taken on them, strolleys and smaller bags can be comfortably taken. This will ease the lot of several visitors and passengers at the station.   There are also lifts at the underground passage area, but at least one of them was not…

Bellandur Buzz…May 22nd 2014 This newsletter is shared fortnightly by the citizen group bellandur-forum@googlegroups.comMeeting the Corporator: Pathetic condition of Hosa RoadKasavanahalli main road or Hosa road connects Sarjapura road to the Electronic city phase1. It is home to 5000+ people. Daily 10,000+ people commute on this road. The whole road is full of deep potholes posing serious threat to the residents and commuters. Travelling on this road is a nightmare due to daily traffic jams, constant jerking and particulate pollution. There are no drains for the most part of this road and hence disposal of waste water is an issue…

Velu is a taxi driver my husband and I know well. He has two sons and a daughter. The good thing is he owns his taxi, he saved up to buy the car. But it means his life is tough--going on long distance assignments at a moment's notice, getting by with little sleep (or sleeping in his vehicle), missing regular meals, being plagued by backache, so on and so forth. But Velu doesn't mind the hard work. As the sole breadwinner, he is used to it. Besides, he wants his children to have a good education. Rani, a mother of…

One thing led to another. I was looking for feedback on sketches of the street life at Russell market and that led to the suggestion: “Why don’t you try meeting Mr.Zaffar Sait? He has been an old resident of the neighbourhood” So, that’s what I did and then couldn’t help but turn it into a post just so that others would have the chance to listen to this story as well. So, here is the account of life in Bangalore in the 50’s as narrated by Mr.Zaffar Sait, who belongs to one of the most well-respected mercantile families of the…

The residents of Casa Ansal, in J P Nagar 3rd Phase on Bannerghatta Road, have been suffering from the shifting of the trash area from the Mini-Forest area to their southern wall, where it was both an eyesore and a major health hazard. On the morning of the 17th of May, with the help of The Ugly Indian   a group dedicated to clean-ups, the residents took up the cleaning of the area. ' The cleaning program was announced on the Casa Ansal FaceBook group, and several volunteers turned up to help.     Two garbage lorries were positioned, one…

As long as I remember, the Shiva Bala Yogo Ashrama has had two locations, one in J P Nagar 3rd Phase, and one on Bannerghatta Road. A couple of years ago, I noticed that the trees in the Ashrama on Bannerghatta Road had been cut down, and the building was no longer being used.  Now it looks as if the building is going to be demolished. I wonder what will come up in its place! This has been a landmark for a long time (the bus stop nearby is still called the "Ashrama" bus stop).  Certainly, the loss of the…

Increasing the mass appeal of classical music has always proven a challenge globally. Carnatic music is no exception - this last weekend the Ideas Conclave 2014, held by the Arts for Life Foundation at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Bengalooru was an all day event titled "Karnatak Music - towards a mass appeal". The public event, brought performers, music editors and writers, organizers, sabha administrators and listeners together to brainstorm ideas and share experiences in making carnatic music accessible and appealing to a wider audience. The sparsely attended event offered numerous actionable ideas and lessons for all those interested in promoting…

In several years of visiting the Valley School area, I've passed this abandoned house so many times...but it was only yesterday, when we did "waiting" birding instead of "walking" birding, and when Mark went into the house to explore, that I also decided to walk around and in it. I do not know for whom this house was built. It seems a roomy, spacious house. The rooms seem to be of gracious proportions. The arches outside the house look lovely: In fact, with the date palms they give a slightly Islamic look: Were these sheds, next to the huge banyan…

Here are the blooms of summer...the purple of the Jacaranda, the yellow of the Copper-Pod Bearer, and the red of the Gulmohar...     Even the height of summer, a walk in my city is delightful because I am shaded by these trees and delighted by the carpets of their blossoms...

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