bangalore

One of the major challenges encountered in the maintenance of Puttenahalli Lake, JP Nagar is water weeds. Some months ago, the blog post "Grappling with Water Weeds" described the experiences of PNLIT in managing the weeds at Puttenahalli Lake, along with thoughts for the future. Read the full post here.     Weed control at Puttenahalli Lake is generally done by manual removal of weeds, though Biological control has been tried as well. Weed removal, if not done regularly, is expensive. Regular weed removal needs a regular labour force, which is difficult to get. Labourers and contractors are not interested in…

One of the major challenges encountered in the maintenance of Puttenahalli Lake, JP Nagar is water weeds. Some months ago, the blog post "Grappling with Water Weeds" described the experiences of PNLIT in managing the weeds at Puttenahalli Lake, along with thoughts for the future. Read the full post here.     Weed control at Puttenahalli Lake is generally done by manual removal of weeds, though Biological control has been tried as well. Weed removal, if not done regularly, is expensive. Regular weed removal needs a regular labour force, which is difficult to get. Labourers and contractors are not interested in…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUwxV7_pYyE&feature=youtu.be The film was taken in 2010 and the background music is a recording I made from the loudspeakers that played on Bull temple road during the Kadlekai Parishe (Groundnut fair) that same year. The purpose of the film had been a simple one - to record how people use space on an everyday basis. It was a time when the street vendors had not yet been evicted. That happened in Jan 2012. The reason cited by the government for the eviction was that the gandhi bazaar main road was becoming very congested. But, was this the only solution? In…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUwxV7_pYyE&feature=youtu.be The film was taken in 2010 and the background music is a recording I made from the loudspeakers that played on Bull temple road during the Kadlekai Parishe (Groundnut fair) that same year. The purpose of the film had been a simple one - to record how people use space on an everyday basis. It was a time when the street vendors had not yet been evicted. That happened in Jan 2012. The reason cited by the government for the eviction was that the gandhi bazaar main road was becoming very congested. But, was this the only solution? In…

My passport was expiring by May 2014, and I realized that one must apply for a renewal within 6 months of its expiry (Most countries require that the passport be valid for a period of 6 months after the dates of the proposed visit, which means that if a passport has less than 6 months' validity, you will not be able to visit a country even if you have a valid entry visa.) Not expecting much, I applied for the passport renewal online. Filling up the various forms took a long time, as I had to be very careful wihile…

My passport was expiring by May 2014, and I realized that one must apply for a renewal within 6 months of its expiry (Most countries require that the passport be valid for a period of 6 months after the dates of the proposed visit, which means that if a passport has less than 6 months' validity, you will not be able to visit a country even if you have a valid entry visa.) Not expecting much, I applied for the passport renewal online. Filling up the various forms took a long time, as I had to be very careful wihile…

On the 2nd February, 2014, some of the residents of Adarsh Palm Retreat, a residential complex near the Devara Beesana Halli Lake (D B Halli Lake, a small lake located in the Bellandur Ward in south-east Bangalore) , celebrated World Wetlands Day at the lake, with a variety of events. A part of the gathering at D B Halli Lake, 020214     The residents had noticed the deterioration of the lake some months previously. Four cleanup drives were  organized, in September and October, 2013.  By May 2013 a core group of seven residents of Adarsh Palm Retreat (Devarajan,Chandramouli, Jenny,…

On the 2nd February, 2014, some of the residents of Adarsh Palm Retreat, a residential complex near the Devara Beesana Halli Lake (D B Halli Lake, a small lake located in the Bellandur Ward in south-east Bangalore) , celebrated World Wetlands Day at the lake, with a variety of events. A part of the gathering at D B Halli Lake, 020214     The residents had noticed the deterioration of the lake some months previously. Four cleanup drives were  organized, in September and October, 2013.  By May 2013 a core group of seven residents of Adarsh Palm Retreat (Devarajan,Chandramouli, Jenny,…

In his book, ‘Sidewalk’, Mitchell Duneier describes the lives of people who “work the street”, the book vendors, the magazine vendors and the ‘men without accounts’ who guard the door to the ATMs on Sixth Avenue in New York. It is an intensive ethnographical study of the social structure of street life in the city. As I read the book, I’m reminded of my interactions until now with the street vendors outside Russell market in Bangalore. They also “work the street” some becoming entrepreneurs out of necessity and others by choice, in many ways living the same lives as the…

In his book, ‘Sidewalk’, Mitchell Duneier describes the lives of people who “work the street”, the book vendors, the magazine vendors and the ‘men without accounts’ who guard the door to the ATMs on Sixth Avenue in New York. It is an intensive ethnographical study of the social structure of street life in the city. As I read the book, I’m reminded of my interactions until now with the street vendors outside Russell market in Bangalore. They also “work the street” some becoming entrepreneurs out of necessity and others by choice, in many ways living the same lives as the…