Society

Sekar, popularly referred to as the birdman of Chennai, is an environmentalist at heart. His Facebook by-line says it all – let's grow trees and feed lives, a loose translation from Tamil. A cameraman by profession, he pursues a rare passion, of feeding thousands of parrots everyday in the morning and evening. I had read about him a lot, but didn’t pay much attention, until one day, I decided to meet him along with my friend Subhashini. He had asked us to come by 3.45 in the evening. We trudged through the urban concrete jungle of Triplicane, with an odd…

Karnataka government just amended the Karnataka Industrial Employment Standing orders, giving itself power to invoke the law so that Kannadigas are prioritised for employment even in the private sector. For some time, BBMP has mandated that the display boards of establishments in Bengaluru should have at least 60 percent Kannada. And thus, the outsider vs insider debate continues. The general perception is that increasing numbers of Bengaluru residents don’t know Kannada. But in the 2011 Census, nearly half of Bengalureans listed Kannada as their mother tongue while only less than five percent mentioned Hindi as their first language. In fact,…

It was the year 1935, when the idea of widening Race Course Road was being discussed. The project would destroy the guardhouse of one the older buildings 'Poorna Prasad' in the stretch, that was built in memory of the first Diwan of Mysore Mir Miran Purnaiah in 1910. So the-then Diwan of Mysore, Mirza Ismail, decided to translocate the portion that would have to be destroyed, brick-by-brick, to another part of Bengaluru. Today we see it at Lalbagh West Gate entrance. I open with this anecdote, because when the powers-to-be put their mind to protect a city and its history, options…

On a Monday morning, I planned to visit the Moore Market to see if I could get a hard copy of the autobiography of Ansel Adams. Moore Market is famously known as the Mecca of used and old books. The place is an ode to reading, with close to 150 shops and more than 1 crore books for sale, according to sellers. Students of various disciplines -- science, arts, commerce, management, medical and engineering -- have been known to frequent this place. However, this Monday looked different. There were hardly any people in the market and most shops had not…

We have all grappled with the question of dipping into our provident fund contributions for various expenses. However, there are preconditions to be met and procedures to be followed in order to make a withdrawal. The processes and caveats to make withdrawals from your EPF account are detailed below. What is EPF? The question of providing for the future of industrial workers after their retirement or for their dependents, in the event of their premature death, engaged the attention of the Central Government for a long time. This resulted in schemes for instituting provident funds for industrial workers now commonly…

One summer day in 2015, Rakesh Kanwar, a young IAS officer who was then deputy commissioner of Kullu, happened to walk past a dilapidated old government building on his way from his office, located next to the historic Dhalpur, also called Dassehra ground. Known for his innovative ideas and public outreach efforts, Kanwar was shocked and dismayed seeing the dirty building and its poorly maintained interiors. But the building was full to capacity. It was Kullu’s public library and was filled with the town’s reading enthusiasts, both young and old. The building and its contents were crying out for attention,…

The Karnataka state women's team is battling it out in the ongoing National Women's Football Championship in Arunachal Pradesh. For the talented team and their captain Tanvie Hans, it's a constant struggle for opportunities, yet they give the game their best. In the concluding part of this series on women's football, we look at the professional women players. It’s Wednesday, which means that Brishti Bagchi, 25, only has three practices today. In less than two weeks, she will be on a plane headed to Madrid to play professional football, a dream she has had since she was a little girl.…

It’s still dark out, the roads are as quiet as you’ll ever hear them in Bengaluru. The relative peace and quiet here is disturbed only by an energetic herd of 10 young girls. Monisha Mercelline leads this pack of girls - some barefoot, others in flip flops - to a dirt field by Sri Chamundeshari Park in Koramangala 8th Block. Monisha is a programme coordinator at the non-profit Maarga which works with children from slums. She had woken up around 4 am to round up the girls aged between 12 and 18, visiting each of their residences. “Initially, we used…

Over 100 girls descended upon Bangalore Football Stadium on a July evening for their chance to make the Karnataka state women's team. Twenty two of them took the field in a scrimmage, in hopes of impressing the scouts and earning a spot on the roster. Others sat in the stands, taking off shin guards and cleats, sweat dripping from having just played. Some others wait down by the field for their turn. A few huddle in small groups, laughing and taking pictures, while others sit alone, stoically watching the game. All of them there for one reason - their love…

This month, the Karnataka state women’s football team is in Arunachal Pradesh, in high hopes of winning the Women’s National Football Championship. As the national championship enters its 25th year, the women’s game in India and Karnataka is at a turning point too. More women than ever are playing the game, and the official machinery is keen to support them. Playing for Karnataka at the national championship is 15-year-old Tanya Gupta, who scored the winning goal in the Independence Day Cup in Bengaluru last month. That tournament was opened to women just this year, for the first time in its…