We could do with a Bangalore-like 'Dhamaka' on OMR

Removing  a 100 kg. trash and giving the pavement a coat of whitewash took them two hours. As much of  calories-burning as you do at the gym. And then, at the end of it all, Oracle volunteers had a sense of having done something socially meaningful...More

My Bee Hive

The edge is now bare and I miss their activity which I used to watch often. How disciplined the bees were! Neither did I disturb them nor did they harm me. Read more here...

MASKS EVERYWHERE!

First it was the Japanese who always went around the World wearing masks and gloves long before this new bug called H1N1 came along. Now, it seems Indians have panicked (thanks to the high decibel, repeated screeching of anchors on news channels there) and loads of them were seen wearing these masks without knowing whether the masks they had on were really going to stop the infection from hitting them or not.

Mega land grab in silicon city

Law providing for special courts to try land-grab cases - the Karnataka Prevention of Land Grabbing Act, 2007 - has been awaiting the President’s assent for the last eight months...Now that the state is under President’s rule; and that the committee report is with the government, we, the people, hope that there would not be any further delay in the Presidential assent...More...

Bangalore media: Silly season is here

My sense is that ministers fed the secretariat reporters self-serving statements and lofty welfare announcements. What is spoon-fed is usually spin and hype, rarely, hard news. And officials, generally more reliable than their political bosses, can’t be expected to part with anything more than what they would want media to know...More...

Singapore-type car quota in Bangalore ?

In our democracy simplest of matters are settled through a long-drawn consultative process. It may be someone’s considered opinion that 2 and 2 make 4; but there may be others holding a different view...More...

Around Bangalore and in Kolar

As we drove into the city, his initial comments were that traffic in Bangalore was much more organised and less chaotic than in Delhi. But the next day, Friday, his impressions changed. He discovered how it had deteriorated since the last time he was in the city a year back...More...

Dussehra in Naama Bengaluru...

No words. Just some pictures...View them...

Of Bangalore's Gunboat Jack

Many who were in Bangalore during the 1940s and 1950s are likely to have seen Gunboat Jack, or at least heard of him. He had several roles in life: boxer, circus performer, speedster, bar fighter, street brawler, bouncer, tap dancer, perhaps even smuggler.. . .More. . .

Bangalore's NRI-funded police station

I spent rest of my auto-ride speculating who would want to fund a police station building to perpectuate the memory of the donor family in its native town. Maybe the NRI was once a policeman, or son of a cop...More...

Not been there, never done that

For example, I have never gone pubbing. Yes, I have lived in Bangalore for 27 years and yet. I was reading an article the other day on what pub culture has done to Bangalore and it seemed like another world that was being described in the article. I could not imagine it was all happening right here. . .More. . .

No-taker Gandhian studies

Old-time Gandhians have failed; worse still, pooh-poohed attempts to redefine Gandhi. Lage Raho Munnabhai may be dismissed by Gandhians as much too simplistic and masala-driven. But the Bollywood attempt does reflect the need for teachers to relate Gandhi to the nation's current concerns. . .More. . .

Bangalore memories (1951 vintage)

The only restaurant we could go to in the evenings was the India Coffee House on South Parade. Then came Parade Café on St. Marks Road, and later, Koshy’s on Brigade Road. All activities came to a stop by around 8 o’clock. Bangalore, the little town, used to go to sleep early those days. . .More. . .

My book-binder

Spencer’s supermarket had erupted next to his workplace—with flashy orange displays to attract customers. I don’t like such changes—a supermarket in front of a temple and next to a book-binder looks misplaced, but that;s the sad thing about Bangalore, everything is growing haphazardly…More. . .

PRAJA bangalore, a citizen’s network

It may not be worthwhile reinventing such website for Mysore; . .. Because, Mysore has relatively low broadband density (5000 connections, according to some estimates) and lower web browsing public. But those of us who are familiar with the potential of the web would benefit, if only Praja Bangalore could be persuaded to open a Mysore page on their site . . .More. . .

At Palm Meadows, Bangalore

It is a gated community of about 600 single family homes, with 10 or more security guards manning the gates at any given time. . . .has a club house (with three swimming pools including an indoor pool and a kiddie pool, two restaurants, a full-size gym, sauna, spa, salon, library, and indoor and outdoor children's play areas), three grocery stores (a convenience store and 24-Letter Mantra and Namdhari's, two organic food stores), two gift shops and a tea/coffee/juice shop. The community has 24-hour water and electricity supply. . .More . . .

Blog of the Day: Returned to Bangalore

Chitra Aiyer, Arch. graduate, IT professional and hands-on mom, more than anything else, blogs on experiences in the wake of her move-back to India, from California. . .To the blog . . .

Nettige Hogi

Ask for directions, the locals often joke, and the response you will get is, “Nettige hogi”: “go straight”. . . these directions are, at best, wishful thinking. . . . have lived half my life in Bangalore and the other half observing it from various points West. It's fifteen years since I was last in Bangalore. It's so long, in fact, that even the city has found the time to change its name. . . More. . .