Articles by Pushpa Achanta

If you have been in Cubbon Park opposite the Bangalore Press Club entrance between 2.00 PM and 4.00 PM on the month's last Saturday, you have probably noticed a group of around fifteen or twenty people discussing the RTI Act (Right to Information) and relevant laws. This could be the free RTI clinic that several Civil Society Organizations (CSO's) in Bangalore like the South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM), Urban Research Centre (URC), Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR), OpenSpace, Mahiti Hakku Adhyayana Kendra (MHAK), Anti Corruption Forum (ACF) et al, have been organizing jointly since…

If you have been in Cubbon Park opposite the Bangalore Press Club entrance between 2.00 PM and 4.00 PM on the month's last Saturday, you have probably noticed a group of around fifteen or twenty people discussing the RTI Act (Right to Information) and relevant laws. This could be the free RTI clinic that several Civil Society Organizations (CSO's) in Bangalore like the South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM), Urban Research Centre (URC), Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR), OpenSpace, Mahiti Hakku Adhyayana Kendra (MHAK), Anti Corruption Forum (ACF) et al, have been organizing jointly since…

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…

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…

Heard that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has been spending thousands of crores of rupees on 'development' projects? And awarding contracts to various private consultants? But, who are they? Bangalore based Anti Corruption Forum (ACF - a group of social activists who have good experience and knowledge of the RTI Act and many other legislations) decided to find out. According to information ACF has obtained, a total of 97 consultants throughout India have been appointed for the 'development' work out of which 18 are from Bangalore. The ACF filed an RTI application with the BBMP in December 2009, requesting details…

Heard that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has been spending thousands of crores of rupees on 'development' projects? And awarding contracts to various private consultants? But, who are they? Bangalore based Anti Corruption Forum (ACF - a group of social activists who have good experience and knowledge of the RTI Act and many other legislations) decided to find out. According to information ACF has obtained, a total of 97 consultants throughout India have been appointed for the 'development' work out of which 18 are from Bangalore. The ACF filed an RTI application with the BBMP in December 2009, requesting details…

...to question whyshe needs permissionto answer nature ...to wonder aloudwhy 'adults' oftendiscuss kids' issueswithout consulting them...to inform 'leaders'that their needsare critical too...to remind eldersthat they maybecitizens of tomorrowbut are around now!   Inspired by what I saw and heard from and about the young during the Civil Society Summit 2010, a commemoration and re-examination of 60 years of the Indian Republic and its constitution, held in Bangalore from 24th-26th January. 

...to question whyshe needs permissionto answer nature ...to wonder aloudwhy 'adults' oftendiscuss kids' issueswithout consulting them...to inform 'leaders'that their needsare critical too...to remind eldersthat they maybecitizens of tomorrowbut are around now!   Inspired by what I saw and heard from and about the young during the Civil Society Summit 2010, a commemoration and re-examination of 60 years of the Indian Republic and its constitution, held in Bangalore from 24th-26th January. 

Early last week, I heard of the consultation with children and other stakeholders to frame guidelines on play spaces in Bangalore's parks that BBMP had approached Kilikili to help develop. I was glad that this event included kids but expected adults to hog the limelight. So, it was a pleasant surprise to see that the latter, namely, Kavita Ratna and Roshni Nuggehalli from the Concerned for Working Children, Prarthana Unkalkar of iVolunteer Bengaluru, Usha Bala from the Association of People with Disability, Kavitha Krishnamoorthy and Kanika Mittal of Kilikili, Joy Srinivasan from Makkala Jagriti, Amrutha, a consultant for children with autistim and other…

Early last week, I heard of the consultation with children and other stakeholders to frame guidelines on play spaces in Bangalore's parks that BBMP had approached Kilikili to help develop. I was glad that this event included kids but expected adults to hog the limelight. So, it was a pleasant surprise to see that the latter, namely, Kavita Ratna and Roshni Nuggehalli from the Concerned for Working Children, Prarthana Unkalkar of iVolunteer Bengaluru, Usha Bala from the Association of People with Disability, Kavitha Krishnamoorthy and Kanika Mittal of Kilikili, Joy Srinivasan from Makkala Jagriti, Amrutha, a consultant for children with autistim and other…