Citizen Matters, Bangalore's own interactive newsmagazine

Being a mom means becoming a better manager

Reshmi Chakraborty — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Being a full-time mom teaches you all skills in life and makes you a better manager. Here’s why essential, everyday mommy skills would be an asset in any job.

When I quit full-time work to bring up the babies, I often wondered how difficult or impossible would it be to get back on the career track. Eight years and two brats have taught me how nonsensical that thought was. If you are a full-time mom (and all moms are full-time, whether working or staying at home), you have skills that are valuable in any and every work area. They just haven’t been discovered yet, or else every headhunter would be hunting for new recruits among moms. Here’s why essential, everyday mommy skills would be an asset in any job.…

Where does Bangalore get its water from?

News Desk — Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

How is the city’s water demand met? Why is it important to reuse water or not waste it? How can people make best use of treated water? Can treated water be used to recharge bore wells?

We all depend on groundwater. The single largest source of water that Bangalore has created apart from Cauvery, is actually a hole in the ground!

We are pulling water that has been down there for hundreds of years, that is somebody else's right as much as it is ours. Some use Cauvery water or groundwater to flush the toilets, while some others are not getting water even to drink.

Where does ground water come from?

We all live above common aquifers – spaces between soil particles and cracks, fissures and faults in the rocks. The spread of aquifer is…

Jurisdiction problem: No takers for garbage

News Desk — Wed, 22 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The garbage dumped in an area that falls in between S K Garden and Jayamahal remained untouched since 15 May 2013; The Congress councillors of both wards got busy shifting the blame on one another.
The garbage dumped in an area that falls in between S K Garden and Jayamahal has remained untouched since 15 May 2013; The Congress councillors of both wards are busy shifting the blame on one another.

What do garbage contractors do when they need to dispose of the garbage lying in a border area, in between two wards? Do nothing, leave the garbage where it is. The easy excuse is, it is not in their limit.

One such case was reported in Benson town, at a road that lies between S K Garden (ward 61) and Jayamahal (ward 63). The street in…

Discussion by Hasiru-Usiru analyses the tragedy of commons

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The discussion organised by Hasiru-Usiru at the Alternative Law Forum, went into the details of the cause and effect of the erratic development in Bangalore, and ways to counter it.

“Everyone should claim the city. What’s happening today is an outcome of many interactions between citizens. We need a collective and shared understanding of things” said Dr H S Sudhira, referring to the present situation of ‘commons’ in Bangalore in the Public Discussion Series organised by Hasiru Usiru, at the Alternative Law Forum on 18 May 2013. The talk titled 'Re-imagining Bangalore: Transcending the ‘Tragedy of Commons’ was moderated by Vinay K Sreenivas, Researcher, Alternative Law Forum and a volunteer for Hasiru Usiru.

In the process of its evolution, the city has been pushed and pulled in…

Students of an Actor prepares (aAp) showcase their talent

Nalme Nachiyar — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The Institute offers three-months weekend course on acting, as well as dance classes on weekdays. The first graduation ceremony saw eight students stealing the limelight with their talent.

The first batch of students from aAp - an Actor prepares Acting and Performing Institute (for film and television) in Nagarbhavi, graduated on 19 May 2013. The occasion was marked by a finale performance that showcased the talents of the first batch of eight students - two girls and six boys, who underwent a three-month course. The show was held at the City Central Library Auditorium, RPC Layout, Vijayanagar on Sunday.

aAp was started on 20th February, 2013 by Usha Bhandary, stage and tele-serial actress and Ravi Theja, actor and director. Usha is an alumnus of NINASAM…

The man who managed Bangalore's famous mills

Hemant Sirur — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Bangalore's Mysore Mills and Minerva Mills have faded into history. However, the entrepreneurial spirit of Dattatreya Narayan Sirur who managed them are ever-inspiring.

It was a warm week-day afternoon, around the early 1950's. I had just finished my school day and was crossing the road to pick up my father from the office of N Sirur & Company, at Kalaghoda, Fort, Bombay.

As I reached the other side I chanced upon Ramakrishna A Lajmi, who had retired from the firm a decade earlier. Relying on a walking stick, attired in his customary shirt, dhoti, coat, black cap and chappals, he portrayed the quintessential Saraswat gentleman of a past age. For some inexplicable reason, he held my arm and spoke to me in Konkani:"Vhai re…

Bangalore’s water crisis averted, temporarily

Navya P K — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The three-member committee formed by the Chief Minister has finalised plans to bring Hemavathi water to KRS to avert the water crisis in Bangalore, even as the rain blessed Bangalore last evening.
Bangalore's water crisis has been averted for now, with a newly-formed committee appointed to look into the water supply to the city. One tmc ft (thousand million cubic feet) of water will be diverted from Hemavathi river to the KRS dam; currently there is one tmc ft of live storage existing in KRS dam as well. "Together, this two tmc ft water will meet the requirement of Bangalore till monsoon. The water requirement of Bangalore is 1.2 tmc ft per month," says a senior BWSSB officer, on condition of anonymity.

The committee to oversee the process, was appointed after a meeting…

Encroachment of Bangalore’s lakes continues unabated

Priyanka Nadgir — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Though many lakes in Bangalore are dying a slow death, nothing much has been done concretely to stop the mindless encroachment. Kadugodi lake is the latest on the list.

One more lake in Bangalore seems to be nearing extinction. Kadugodi lake in Whitefield is the victim. And the encroachers belong to water mafia.

The catchment area of this beautiful lake is being encroached upon by local politicians. They supply water to Whitefield apartments. The water is extracted from the lake and supplied to the apartments at Rs 2,000 per tanker.

As if this is not enough, a new compound and buildings are coming up on the lake bed and catchment area. A few concerned citizens of this area have been trying to bring some limelight on the…

Helping less-privileged kids through dance performance

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The Chasse Dance Studio aims to spread dance as a medium of joy and empower the less-privileged kids through the funds generated.
Chowdaiah memorial hall in Malleshwaram witnessed dance in different flavors on Saturday, 18 May 2013. From tiny tots to the elderly women, everybody danced with awe-inspiring enthusiasm. Not just the performers that night, but the audience too fired-up the place by swaying to the beats.

All these efforts lionize the Chasse Dance Studio (CDS), Bangalore who explore the realms of dance and promote it as a medium of expression. The main aim of the studio is to explore the poetry of dance.

They want to engage people of all walks of life to learn dance not as an…

Memoirs of French heritage in India

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The images, black and white and sepia-toned and coloured, all captured the beauty of French architecture. The exhibition will be on till 20 May 2013.

The ecstatic French architecture has been collectively displayed in the National Modern Art Gallery, Palace Road in collaboration with Institut Français in India and Alliance Française, Bangalore, as part of the Bonjour India Festival 2013.

The exhibition was inaugurated on the 18th April with the photographs of French colonial edifices in India. Amid the verdant Modern Art Gallery are displayed the delightful photographs of the French Colonial Architecture, which expressed identity, power, superiority and indestructibility.

Delhi-based Conservation architect, Aishwarya Tipnis, who invited distinctive photographers like Anay Mann, Gigi Scaria, Rishi Singhal, Serena Chopra, Isabel Singhal and Jean-Pierre Dubois, brings…