Whitefield Rising

Varthur lake is the second-largest water body in Bengaluru. The 440-acre lake is located on the eastern periphery of the city, surrounded by villages and all the big IT companies. Over the last 20 years, a lot has changed and the lake has become infamous as one of the most polluted lakes in the city. From a pristine water body where people used to fish and bathe, it has now turned into a cesspool that froths and foams. It even catches fire! Concerned by the encroachment and degradation of the lake, residents came around to start a rejuvenation campaign. The…

Bembala is a Bengaluru-based organisation – an initiative of the citizens group, Whitefield Rising– is a free and confidential volunteer-run support center for women and children who face abuse or violence. The alarming rise of violence against women and children is of critical concern for Bengaluru today. A group art show “Oorja” will be held at The Art Corridor Taj West End, Bengaluru from 23rd Feb to 2nd March 2020 in association with Mr. M G Doddamani. “Oorja” or Energy in Sanskrit is the defining expression of the human spirit, that energy or life force which inspires and unifies us to reach…

As the country observed Teacher's Day, it was time to celebrate a fundraiser held recently in Bengaluru. The money collected through the first-of-its-kind initiative in Whitefield will help renovation of Government Lower Primary School at Chikkanakundi in Anekal Taluk. On August 24, Forum Neighbourhood Mall hosted InnQuizzitive 2019, a quiz for a cause organized by Inner Wheel Club of Bangalore IT Corridor (IWCBITC). As enthusiastic quizzers vied for the honours in the atrium on the ground floor, scores of visitors watched the spectacle from the sidelines. On a Saturday filled with fun and brimming with questions, Mr Hrishikesh Varma of…

The inter community quiz contest organised by Inner Wheel Club of Bangalore IT Corridor in association with Forum Neighbourhood Mall and Community Partner Whitefield Rising is just 2 weeks away! Date : August 24th Time: 3 pm onwards Venue: Forum Neighbourhood Mall, Whitefield. The first of its kind in Whitefield, the event has a youth and adult category, 3 to a team. - The event is open to communities and the workplace too! - Encourage your teens to participate in the youth section, forming a team either with friends from the community or from schools for this cause. - Get…

Step back in time, before the explosion of construction and traffic, learn about the heritage of Whitefield. It is a rare privilege to bring back Krupa from Saythu, a collaborative heritage practice led by professionals specialised in heritage conservation and management for a guided unusual walk in Whitefield. Saythu is partnering with Whitefield Rising through this special walk to explore questions like: What is a neighbourhood? Is it a place that locality residents make? Does local history and geography play a role? Does it have any correlation with local area boundaries drawn by planners? How is it connected with communities?…

It was a show of creativity and colours in Whitefield on Saturday morning. As the sun and clouds played hide-and-seek, scores of children made a beeline for Nallurhalli lake to use their imagination and depict their natural surroundings. 'My Halli, My Lake', an initiative of Nallurhalli Rising, brought together more than 160 children, aged between three and sixteen years. Many students from Poorna Prajna International School were part of the enthusiastic crowd. The citizens’ group Whitefield Rising was the community partner. Oracle India Ltd provided the materials for painting - drawing sheets, pencils, erasers, water colours, crayons and pads. For…

The Kundanahalli junction is "the" gateway for lakhs of commuters going in and out of Whitefield. People from across the city come in for work in the area as this is a tech hub while school children traverse in their buses to head to the multitude of schools in the Whitefield/Varthur area. Across Bangalore and in fact outside too, people know how bad the traffic is this side of town. We have therefore engaged in the Traffic warden program for years to contribute our time and effort to help manage the traffic. An underpass was to come at the junction 5…

In mid Feb 2019, we were shocked to observe a very old tree having been cut down on Whitefield Main Road. The construction behind seemed ominously like the reason for the felling. Having seen other beautiful old trees been felled as mercilessly, we decided to take action this time and filed a Case.  Turns out that the Forest Department had themselves felled it citing disease. We had the well known Vijay Nishanth come and inspect the tree stump and declare that clearly this was not a diseased tree that needed cutting. We also investigated by asking people living right next…