Z-Blogs

I feel that a large part of what children – especially teens – see on television governs their lives. I would know as I watch girls re-enact scenes from the movies 'Mean Girls' or 'Wild Child' over and over again in school. But for them it is not acting, it is part of living. Television shows to some are simply entertainment but some seem to take it way more seriously than what it is. I mean, they practically live off the TV. When I was just in second grade, I made the mistake of letting my mother join the parent-teacher…

As some of you know, ABIDe member and urban affairs strategist Ashwin Mahesh is running for a seat in the Karnataka Legislative Council under the graduates constituency this month. He is campaigning on a Lok Satta party ticket.We must also let you know that Mahesh is one of the directors of Oorvani Media, the firm that publishes Citizen Matters (this print and online magazine covering Bangalore) and India Together, the national e-magazine covering public affairs and development. All over the world, it is true that politicians starting media outfits, and media, have tended to play a dubious role in politics.…

The waiter opens the door for me with a warm smile. It is a breezy rooftop restaurant at the four floored Tibet Mall. Though the ambience is simple, Hotel Tibet serves some of the most popular and authentic Tibetan cuisine. Tibetan Veg Platter. Pic: Anisha Nair Though this restaurant serves continental and Indian cuisine too, Tibetan cuisine is definitely the first choice. Tingmo is the Tibetan soft bread rolled and baked with orange colour on the sides. This is the bread that is used by Tibetans regularly. What stands apart is the Silky Noodles with vegetables soup, also called Thenthuk.…

With all the traffic around it is easy to miss Star Briyani near Silk Board junction. But once you step inside the food will definitely catch your attention. The menu seems too short. But the taste more than makes up for the length of the menu. They have only three types of briyani - chicken, mutton and egg. In fry or kebab we were left with limited chicken, mutton and fish items.Ambur Briyani has a royal legacy.  It is said to have evolved from Arcot briyani, from the kingdom of Nawab of Arcots.  Ambur is a small little town in…

We are delighted to tell you that PNLIT has been shortlisted for the People's Green Award instituted as part of the TCS World 10K. Public voting and Jury assessment will together decide the final three winners. PNLIT is a local people's initiative to tackle the problem of dying lakes and water shortage through public participation. We were instrumental in getting the Puttenahalli Lake restored and are the first citizens' group in Bangalore to officially maintain a lake. We work within a very tight budget from donations made mostly by individual well wishers. The People's Green Award will help us get…

Women Safety Awareness on Modern Crime, Psychological Preparation against Fear& Israeli Krav Maga Self Defense Tactics Sessions against Molestation, Eve-Teasing & Rape. Why do you need this?In the past few years, Bangalore ranks 2nd in overall crime rate reported in India beating Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai & Kolkata. Rape on Indian women has increased 763% from 1972. Kidnapping has increased 543% since 1953. Our India stands at the top three countries with the highest sexualy abused children in the world. Blaming the polities, police or our legal system is not enough. Women have to stand up and get educated & prepared…

 Prashanth Nuggehalli Srinivas writes on Facebook:   "Bangalorean friends - For sometime, I have been following MD Bescom. You will be amazed at how Manivannan, the present MD has used facebook to provide an open platform to directly address queries to him. Indeed, the same person who put up a live video feed of his office to make an example of transparency in public service and the also the same officer who in his earlier assignment used to personally supervise medical audits of infant and maternal deaths.Just reading the exchanges on his wall is so informative. An amazing initiative by a…

A couple of years ago, we talked about some of our writers who had authored books. We are now happy to share that more Citizen Matters writers have jumped into the bandwagon of published authors.The latest (and youngest we may add) is Malini Srikrishna. Malini writes a blog online on Citizen Matters. Malini, 14, has just published a book of her poems on Amazon. It is said to take the reader on a “roller coaster ride of a teen girl's life. It talks of best friends and bitter enemies that sometimes you can't tell apart. Of dreams, death and loss,…

In the previous article we discussed about handling pests in general. Here are a few examples shared to show how pests can perhaps be dealt with, without the use of chemicals and dangerous pesticides. Powdery Mildew Caused by fungi, the leaves in this case develop cloudy whitish spots are a common problem faced by several terrace gardeners. Starting out as a few spores on the leaves, powdery mildew quickly spreads, ultimately yellowing the leaves and causing leaf drop. It stunts plant growth, distorts the flowers and fruits and weakens the plant in general. Spores never stop producing more spores, so…

     Overflowing bookshelves are a delight to the sight of a book lover. Something about the badly kept shelves suggests there you will stumble onto something you did not expect.Picture at Blossoms Book House, Church Street.Pic by Ravi Kaushik⊕