GENRE: Voices

Akrama Sakrama is a complete fraud. There are many things wrong with this scheme. Sadly, Congress, BJP and JDS appear to be united in their attempts to destroy the city. Regularisation may be unavoidable, given the scale of what has happened so far, but if it's not done right even now, that will be an open invitation to let things carry on as they are in the future too.(a) The proposal does not include any penalty for the officials who connived in the illegalities. In fact, they have not even been identified.(b) There is virtually no transparency. Which are the…

It’s been a while since my last post. I have been travelling with a friend. My friend owns a grooming salon for dogs and she was participating in a contest. I went with her for moral support. What’s life without friends, right? The same holds true for dogs as well, as Tigger’s story will demonstrate. In November last year, I got involved with an animal welfare organization called Precious Paws Foundation (PPF). As part of my involvement I fostered a puppy called Rackles. Rackles stayed with us for a few weeks and soon found a home. Rackles became Mishka in…

It’s been a while since my last post. I have been travelling with a friend. My friend owns a grooming salon for dogs and she was participating in a contest. I went with her for moral support. What’s life without friends, right? The same holds true for dogs as well, as Tigger’s story will demonstrate. In November last year, I got involved with an animal welfare organization called Precious Paws Foundation (PPF). As part of my involvement I fostered a puppy called Rackles. Rackles stayed with us for a few weeks and soon found a home. Rackles became Mishka in…

I remember arriving in India for the first time, into New Delhi almost 10 years ago. I would liken it to a bull calf walking into the ring for the first time. A million things hit you; heat, light, shouts, screams, arms, signs, men, women, men, more men, a million people telling what you want and what you need, a million people trying to sell you food and get you into their cab or their friend’s cab, or their uncle’s cab, or their friend’s uncle’s cab. Arriving in Bengaluru was nothing like that. If my first arrival in India was…

I remember arriving in India for the first time, into New Delhi almost 10 years ago. I would liken it to a bull calf walking into the ring for the first time. A million things hit you; heat, light, shouts, screams, arms, signs, men, women, men, more men, a million people telling what you want and what you need, a million people trying to sell you food and get you into their cab or their friend’s cab, or their uncle’s cab, or their friend’s uncle’s cab. Arriving in Bengaluru was nothing like that. If my first arrival in India was…

Scarcity creates corruption. Therefore, regulating availability is not the way to tackle it; that will only make things worse. In our country, there is a massive deficit of many things that people want. Affordable houses, good schools and hospitals, water supply, waste management, and so on. This causes intense competition for what is available. Those who can bid high have a chance of gaining, and also those who can rig the bidding itself. Housing is a very good example of this. To buy a house in any of our major cities now, you either need a lot of money, or…

Scarcity creates corruption. Therefore, regulating availability is not the way to tackle it; that will only make things worse. In our country, there is a massive deficit of many things that people want. Affordable houses, good schools and hospitals, water supply, waste management, and so on. This causes intense competition for what is available. Those who can bid high have a chance of gaining, and also those who can rig the bidding itself. Housing is a very good example of this. To buy a house in any of our major cities now, you either need a lot of money, or…

This New Year, I'm determined to work at being a better person and parent, to be calmer, happier, healthier. Apparently, I'm not the only one resolving to do this. Psychologists say many of us make similar promises to ourselves. A psychology professor writing in Psychology Today, an online journal, notes that the most popular resolutions are: Work balance (less work) Lower alcohol consumption Eat less fast food Pay off credit debt Learning something (Guitar, French) Be more patient Be happy (accomplish small things) Read more books Exercise Lose weight Academic-related goals (good grades, study more, graduate, get into a master’s…

This New Year, I'm determined to work at being a better person and parent, to be calmer, happier, healthier. Apparently, I'm not the only one resolving to do this. Psychologists say many of us make similar promises to ourselves. A psychology professor writing in Psychology Today, an online journal, notes that the most popular resolutions are: Work balance (less work) Lower alcohol consumption Eat less fast food Pay off credit debt Learning something (Guitar, French) Be more patient Be happy (accomplish small things) Read more books Exercise Lose weight Academic-related goals (good grades, study more, graduate, get into a master’s…

As 2013 draws to a close, we look back on key events that made a difference to our lives in the city. Read: Swalpa Sihi, Swalpa Kahi: 2013 - the year that was! Earlier this year, we did a series of hard reports on scams unearthed by the CAG followed by investigative pieces on the violation-riddled Bellandur-Agara SEZ project. We did a special project on the MLA performance reports, interviews, candidate and constituency profiles that was welcomed by all readers. We have also continually reported on how many of our local government's claims, from fixing potholes to solving the garbage…