Society

Last Sunday I took a friend and her nine-year-old daughter to Bull Temple in Bangalore. It’s the place with the country’s largest monolith bull - known to be Nandi, the servant bull of Shiva. The majestic Nandi far surpasses the tiny Shiva (who you almost miss in a small alcove behind the bull) in size, structure and sheer architecture. I promised this little nine-year-old lady who was too sleepy to be excited about a temple, with a true story after she had seen the Nandi in the temple. Once she was slightly woken up (and I was fast realising it was hard to…

We invite volunteers to join us in making 100% segregation happen at source by empowering the garbage collectors in Konanakunte, ward no. 195. What you have to do You will begin by shadowing an existing team who is making segregation happen. After that, we will connect you to a garbage collector with whom you will work closely on making segregation happen in the locality alloted to him. As the garbage collector goes from door to door, you will be accompanying him in informing residents on how to segregate and making sure that only segregated waste is collected. In general, wet…

We invite volunteers to join us in making 100% segregation happen at source by empowering the garbage collectors in Konanakunte, ward no. 195. What you have to do You will begin by shadowing an existing team who is making segregation happen. After that, we will connect you to a garbage collector with whom you will work closely on making segregation happen in the locality alloted to him. As the garbage collector goes from door to door, you will be accompanying him in informing residents on how to segregate and making sure that only segregated waste is collected. In general, wet…

I went to the Passport Seva Kendra at Outer Ring Road in Bengaluru to submit the application for the reissue of my minor daughter’s passport on tatkal. The lady at the front desk, G (name withheld) told me, “A single parent cannot apply for the reissue of her daughter’s passport on tatkal.”  I was asked to get my daughter’s father and the reason for the separation, all this in full public view. Being informed, I told her candidly that was not a reason for rejecting my daughter’s application for reissue of her passport on tatkal, and that she was not eligible to ask personal questions that violate decency…

I went to the Passport Seva Kendra at Outer Ring Road in Bengaluru to submit the application for the reissue of my minor daughter’s passport on tatkal. The lady at the front desk, G (name withheld) told me, “A single parent cannot apply for the reissue of her daughter’s passport on tatkal.”  I was asked to get my daughter’s father and the reason for the separation, all this in full public view. Being informed, I told her candidly that was not a reason for rejecting my daughter’s application for reissue of her passport on tatkal, and that she was not eligible to ask personal questions that violate decency…

Nearly 100% segregation and separate collection is now happening through the BBMP in the area covering 850 individual homes in Chunchaghatta. This transformation has been possible in just three weeks! This write up is intended to share the story of how this happened. When Bhaskar and I decided to initiate action towards getting residents to segregate waste in one part of Ward No. 195, we did not anticipate the amount of time it would take, the methods which would work best or the challenges that lay in store for us. We just got started with a madness to do whatever…

Nearly 100% segregation and separate collection is now happening through the BBMP in the area covering 850 individual homes in Chunchaghatta. This transformation has been possible in just three weeks! This write up is intended to share the story of how this happened. When Bhaskar and I decided to initiate action towards getting residents to segregate waste in one part of Ward No. 195, we did not anticipate the amount of time it would take, the methods which would work best or the challenges that lay in store for us. We just got started with a madness to do whatever…

One of my early disappointments with gardening in containers was my first lot of carrots. The leaves looked lush and amazing, but when the time for harvest came the carrots had not grown at all underneath! Unfortunately at the time I didn’t yet know that carrot leaves, like those of other root veggies like beetroot and radish, could also be used for cooking, so it all went into my compost! After a few years of gardening and quite a few such experiences along the way, I have realised the following really important tips for growing root vegetables: Sow directly: Root…

One of my early disappointments with gardening in containers was my first lot of carrots. The leaves looked lush and amazing, but when the time for harvest came the carrots had not grown at all underneath! Unfortunately at the time I didn’t yet know that carrot leaves, like those of other root veggies like beetroot and radish, could also be used for cooking, so it all went into my compost! After a few years of gardening and quite a few such experiences along the way, I have realised the following really important tips for growing root vegetables: Sow directly: Root…

It was a magical morning at Puttenahalli Lake on 7th September. The occasion was a nation wide story telling event promoted by Pratham Books to celebrate International Literacy Day. PNLIT signed up to engage children in the locality with Surabhi Herur, a young and versatile theatre person who lives in Elita Promenade, Priya Ramakrishnan, carnatic music teacher and her daughter Sukanya a budding story teller from Brigade Millennium.         The children and their parents began assembling a good half hour before the programme began and whiled the time by walking around and seeing the Coots and Cormorants in the…