Society

Arumugam, 19, is a school dropout. A machine operator at a shoe factory, he has learnt to take photographs. Along with his neighbours Asha, Mani, Saraswathi, Radha and Sita, Arumugam learnt to use a digital camera from Sumeet Malhotra, a volunteer from Association for India's Development (AID).A few technology savvy AID volunteers had transformed a dingy room in the slum of Sudarshan Layout, off Bannerghatta Road as their tuition centre. The Ambedkar Community Computer Centre (AC3) was started almost two years back. They have been equipping the poor children and youth in the nearby area with the basic computer skills,…

Gavipura, once possibly a pleasant village of gentle hills, water bodies, fertile fields is one the spots where the modern city of Bangalore has evolved from. Intach Heritage walk The rare cave temple dedicated to Lord Gangadhareshwara, the Kempambudhi tank built around 1540's by Kempegowda I, the watch tower built by Kempegowda II and the adjoining historic area of Sunkenahalli refer to the genesis of a town.Later developments at Harihara gudda, dhobi ghat, wrestling schools, swimming clubs, Maratha colony, social institutions like Udayabhanu Kala Sangha, SVYAAS, Rashtrotthana Parishad, Kala Mandir, Ramakrishna Ashram and such others have contributed to make Gavipura…

Unless you have been living under self-imposed exile, you have probably seen the ads. Bangalore's besieged by banners, hoardings, posters and mailers with your morning newspaper, announcing the vacation inevitable - The Summer Camp.Most camps start early April (April 5th) and continue till the end of the month. Some continue even in May. If you are reluctant to pack them almost as soon as the holidays begin, some also have batches starting from mid-April. Unless the camp aims to teach the child a specific new skill altogether and requires continued attendance, most camps give you the option of enrolling your…

The venue is Lalbaug, the time two in the afternoon. It's a hot day, the kind where you'd prefer to be in the cool confines of your home indulging in a siesta but, under the shade of a spreading tree, an enthusiastic group is getting ready for a session of food and fun. They settle down with glasses of pulpy grape juice to watch the magician among them perform card tricks. Once the informal show is over, the food that each has brought is laid out and collectively partaken of. There's a variety of items - things like samosas, pasta…

It has been less than two months since the Carlton Towers fire accident took place. A week after the incident, Commissioner of Police Shankar Bidari issued a notification saying that owners/lease-holders/occupants of such buildings must adhere to a set of rules and regulations, and report the same to the nearest police station by April 15th, 2010. In case the building is not according to the plan sanctioned by the local authority, the Commissioner has set June 30th, 2010, as the deadline to conform to the approved plan.The order says that these buildings must comply with the guidelines as prescribed in…

What are the helplines for women in distress?Vanitha Sahayavani initiated by the Bangalore police force helps women in distress, provides them counselling, helps them with short stay home facilities and rehabilitation. The helpline, in particular, comes to the rescue of women with marital problems or property disputes. Call 1091.Ashraya Women's Centre, Indiranagar is for women who have been physically and mentally abused and to those who have been abandoned. The organisation provides shelter, counselling, legal-aid and vocational training. Ph: 25251929. eval(decodeURIComponent('%64%6f%63%75%6d%65%6e%74%2e%77%72%69%74%65%28%27%3c%61%20%68%72%65%66%3d%5c%22%6d%61%69%6c%74%6f%3a%61%73%68%63%68%69%6c%64%40%61%69%72%74%65%6c%6d%61%69%6c%2e%69%6e%5c%22%3e%43%6c%69%63%6b%20%66%6f%72%20%65%6d%61%69%6c%20%69%64%3c%5c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b')). Which are the NGOs working for women in Bangalore?Stree Jagruthi Samithi focuses on the rights of domestic workers. They…

On the ninth day from Ugadi, in Srinidhi Srinivasa temple in Konankunte, Lord Srinivasa was transformed into Rama. This is a special art practised by deity decorator Sridhar K S, who says "I am doing this out of my own interest for the past eight years, and I derive happiness from it". Diety decoration. Pic: Chetan Boray. Sridhar K S. Pic: Chetan Boray. Sridhar also makes special decorations for occasions such as Narasimha Jayanthi, Gokulastami, Shravana Shanivara and other festival days, when the Sreenivasa or Vishnu idol is transformed into his many avatars. He uses simple natural materials like banana…

Jnanajyothi, the Senior Citizens Forum of Banashankari II Stage celebrated Women’s Day on March 15th 2010. It did so (for the 5th year running) by felicitating three women who have been contributing to the locality and society. The function, held at Bhageerathi Auditorium, BNM College, was conducted by the male members of Jnanajyothi. Those felicitated were: • Dr Arundhati Murthy – a doctor for over 50 years with a Fellowship from WHO, she taught many students at KMC and is one of the Directors of Anugraha Vittala Hospital. • Rajyashree Satish – an artist in AIR, an announcer in Doordarshan,…

Celebrating the International Women's Day centenary, the Network of Women in Media, Bangalore (NWMB), Network of Women in Media, India's (NWMI) local chapter and the Bangalore Press Club, co-hosted a lively and thoughtful exchange on the Changing Role of Women in Media for nearly thirty media professionals, social activists, freelance writers and students on 13th March 2010 from 3.00-5.30 pm. Tanushree Gangopadhyay, (veteran journalist previously at Deccan Herald, Indian Express and other national publications) and Anita Cheria (independent writer on human rights issues) NWMB's present joint coordinators, welcomed the participants and moderated the discussion respectively. NDTV anchor Vasanti Hariprakash, (formerly…

In the mid-eighties when I used to travel on Bellary Road from Bangalore to Vijayapura, a small town about 50 kms away from Bangalore, many things were different. There used to be a huge Circle called Mekhri Circle and the metro almost ended there. There were a few residential localities like Sultanpalya, Gangenahalli and Dollars Colony along the Bellary Road but these were not congested like today and the highway to Bellary/Hyderabad began at Mekhri Circle. There were very few concrete buildings along the highway like the Kirloskar Factory, AMCO Batteries, Larsen & Turbo and a few petrol pumps. Dinshaw…