Bangalore Banter

Bangalore is so hot

2010-03-09T12:55:00.000+05:30

That's no understatement. This morning I walked around some places in the city and it was burning. And it's just March. People in other cities of India have a feeling that Bangalore is a paradise. That's almost the truth during the cooler months. But definitely not during summer.

Long back, I am, told this city was pleasant even during summer. Actually many houses did not even have fans. But now it's difficult to survive without fan or good ventilation. Feel like sitting and sleeping in A/c. But I don't know how good that is.

Petrol costly, but affordable

2010-02-27T12:39:00.001+05:30

With yesterday's budget raising duty on petroproducts, petrol and diesel prices across the country have gone up.

In Bangalore, because of additional local taxes, the burden on the consumer is much more. Petrol will cost Rs 53+ diesel Rs 39+. And yesterday night itself, people where filling up their tanks, creating artificial shortage and marketeers were hoarding it.

Ok it's really hard. But I don't think people in Bangalore are so poor that they can't afford to pay the extra amount. Look at the malls, pubs, restaurants: they are all overflowing with people. People are paying huge amounts of money and eating and drinking outside as if nothing is available at home!

Then, look at the sort of cars people have. One guy even told me he upgrades his car every 3 years. See, people have money. These are the people who are cribbing! Shame!

Indians have long been pampered. The rich Indians, that is. We have still not got out of the spoonfeeding culture. Rich just blow up the money for themselves but when govt asks for a bit, for the development of the society, the rich suddenly have problem. They have enough money to waste, but no money for the society's welfare.

This spoonfeeding culture has also bread lot of cynicism. If we need good quality public life, people have to be ready to pay for the benefits. The govt subsidies have to go. Let them be there, only for the really poor and the needy.

It's a good idea for the govt to remove the subsidy on petroleum products. The money saved can be used for real welfare measures.

Let us all -- rich, poor or whoever -- pay for the benefits comforts we enjoy. Free lunches are ok as a token one-off gesture. Doesn't help in the long run. This is the only way our city, our state and our country will develop.

Advertisements stuck on walls

2009-09-09T14:45:00.000+05:30

The sight of advertisements printed on paper and stuck on walls, lamp posts, tree trucks, etc all across Bangalore city is very irritating and ugly.

It just shows how small businessmen take the administration totally for granted. It also exposes the utter lack of efficiency of the corporation -- BBMP -- officials. This is not the way a great city like Bangalore should look.

The authorities should call the telephone numbers on these ads and ask them to remove the notices. In case of violation, they should levy a fine.

The policy should be well-publicised and officials should make sure it is adhered to.

Bangalore overcast

2009-09-06T14:00:00.000+05:30

Expecting heavy rains anytime or at least by evening. Must be the impact of depression on India's east coast. Bangalore gets good northwest monsoon, and it rains rather heavily September to November. I hope the Bangalore corporation has adequately cleared the drains. Or elese we are going to have massive flooding all over the city.

Ulsoor Lake

2009-09-06T12:50:00.002+05:30

The other day I was passing by the Ulsoor lake. It gives one such a wonderful site and a great place to relax and refresh oneself.

How I wish this place was promoted by the Karnataka Tourism Development Corporation as a tourist spot.

Wikipedia entry on Ulsoor lake is here.

The administration can spruce up the area; charge a nominal amount for entry to the area; have well-maintained food courts, play areas etc & print pamphlets chronicling the history and development the centuries-old lake.

Man falls into hidden drain, washed away

2009-05-24T11:47:00.001+05:30

A couple of days back, when it was raining heavily in Bangalore, and
the roads were flooded, an elderly gentleman had to rush back early
home from his office as his wife had taken ill.

As bad luck would have it, near Fraser Town, he steered his motorcycle
to an area on the road where there was water. Little did he realise
that there was a huge drain left open by careless civic officials.

Before he could realise, he plunged into the big drain in which water
was gushing. Some people who saw it, tried looking for him. But the
force of water was such, he and his motorcycle had been swept away.

The next day, the motorcycle showed up a few metres away. A search led
to the unfortunate man's body as well.

When I read this news in the paper, I was so moved. Still no one in
Bangalore has heard a word of apology or regret from any civic
official. No effort to find out how that drain was left open, or who
could be responsible for that.

If Mr Yeddyurappa and his BJP wants to make Bangalore a
well-administered model city, and if they want to score well in the
upcoming civic polls, then he must make sure that there is
accountability in city's administration. Remember, monsoon is
approaching and a number of roads in Bangalore are going to get
flooded.

Bangalore, Karnataka vote for BJP

2009-05-17T12:49:00.001+05:30

I am glad that BJP won in the three urban seats in Bangalore. No wonder, actually. The two other parties -- Congress and JDS -- are in a mess. Both, especially JDS, ruined the good city during the past 5 years. BJP during the past one year has been trying its best to develop the city.

It must now treat this verdict as one of confidence vote and deliver on the trust reposed in its MPs. It should put Bangalore and suburbs on the fast track to progress. It should also guard against anti-BJP forces, who are out to make life difficult for it.

BBMP elections are around the corner. Winning elections is one part. But Bangalore, being a global city, needs to look like one. And BJP should take it upon itself this comtment to the people of the city in particular and nation in general.

UPA wins; Manmohan Singh remains as PM

2009-05-16T13:16:00.003+05:30

Manmohan Singh will continue to be the Prime Minister of India. All
the results aren't out, but the ruling UPA and friends have
comfortably romped home, in India's first past the post electoral
system.

Result is not a surprise since exit polls predicted this. But I
thought, since there was no wave in favour of any group, NDA, headed
by BJP may just inch ahead. But that was not to be.

Advani's hopes of being a PM have also crashed. He would have been
better than Singh. BJP has a number of bright leaders. UPA has got the
benefit of doubt. NDA's campaign also wasn't effective enough to
counter the Sonia-Priyanka-Rahul onslaught.

Anyway, I am happy that there will be a stable govt. The results have
left no room for wheeling and dealing. Now let's hope, Congress will
infuse fresh blood and govern India efficiently.

Enrolling for voting

2009-03-16T12:59:00.002+05:30

Unlike earlier years, this time there is an increased awareness among the youth for voting. This is primarily because of the high-pitched campaign being carried out by the media -- both print and electronic.

The thrust of the campaign is that each citizen has a democratic right to exercise his or her franchise, and all of us must make use of that. By making use of that right, during the elections, we are actively participating in the governance process. Not that if all of us vote, all our problems will be solved. But at least we can feel satisfied that we did responsibly take part in the process which put a government in place.

Now with Lok Sabha elections coming up next month, a lot of people -- especially the youth -- are getting themselves registered for voting. There are a number of NGOs that are helping in the process. One of them is Jaago Re! One Billion Votes. It's helping a number of first-timers go through the process of enrolling themselves in the electoral process. I have an electoral card and have been voting in Bangalore during the past 10 years. Those who approached Jaago Re! said it's a wonderful site and people really help you out.

Good to see this enthusiasm in the the democratic system in India, which already is so vibrant, and an envy of the international community.

Bangalore getting hot

2009-02-24T20:39:00.000+05:30

It's just February. And afternoons are so hot. Yesterday I was on my way to my friend's house around 3 and I could feel the air so hot. Today evening there is no breeze either: hot or cold. April May will be really bad this way. I dread how places like Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi etc will be.

Bangalore was, I am told, once upon a time an air conditioned city. Greenery is gone, so many buildings have come up. Blaming urbanisation makes no sense. It's hypocrytical also. Since a good number of people of Bangalore are immigrants, not just from outside Karnataka but outside Bangalore itself.

The only way is to retain and promote greenery in the city as much as possible.

Enjoy your heart out on Valentine's Day

2009-02-08T14:46:00.000+05:30

This year's Valentine's Day in Bangalore will be unique. People never knew about, now know; boys and girls struck by love are going to curiously excited about mushing around specially on this particular day.

The guys who are opposing beautiful expressions of pure love, aren't humans. They could only be something worse than even animals. When the world is bing threatened by hatred and violence, what better than pure love.

The fringe right-wing groups like 8ajrang Dal and the new Ram Sene have people who are insensitive, cynical and personification of everything negative and retrograde in this world.

The forces of good are far stronger, that's the big hope we have.

Hope every day is so peaceful

2009-01-04T13:06:00.000+05:30

I opened my eyes. I was lying on my bed. It was dawn. It was very quiet. I realised it was Sunday. How easily recognisable the day is, because at least the early mornings are so peaceful. I am lucky that I live in an area that is not crowded though only less than 10 km from city centre.

The holiday mood is literally hanging there in the air, you can feel it. It's so relaxing. Don't feel like getting out of bed. This is the first Sunday of 2009. Hopefully this year Bangalore will be quiet and peaceful even as it grows. I dragged myself through the day, watch TV, talked on the phone to my friends. The day is over.

Looking ahead to 2009 with hope

2009-01-03T12:05:00.000+05:30

First of all, a happy 2009 to you... Thanks for reading my blog... Hope you will come back again and again.

How quickly 2008 went by... I don't know if you also felt the same... Some people say if you felt like that it means you had a good year. It was a good year for me actually. I got a promotion, a hike before the recession set in... Lucky that way since I dont think for another two years I am going to get anything.

People say 2009 can be bad for economy. Let us hope for the best. Bangalore will collapse if the economy collapses. Hope I will have my job even if I don't get a hike.

Biker shot dead in Bangalore

2008-12-29T11:35:00.000+05:30

That sounds alarming. Mohd Mukaram Khan was involved in speed racing late Satuday night. Police waved him down. He should have stopped. Instead he ran into an army compound, climbed the roof of an officer's house, hid there, made mobile calls, when asked to surrender, he ran away. He was shot by sentries.

I am least surprised. Tragic sure. But here is a lesson for all. He could have stopped and settled the issue with the police. Afterall he didn't commit any big crime. He wasn't doing something unusual.

I was telling my nephews and nieces, that if ever any cop or security man stops and questions, just be truthful. Just cooperate with police. If you have broken the rule or law just admit it. It's that simple. If you have to pay fine, pay it. It's not worth losing limbs or even life for these trivial things.

Polio panic at midnight

2008-12-22T20:31:00.000+05:30

I didn't know that when I was fast asleep last night, Bangalore was buzz with the polio rumour. The talk was that something drastically was wrong with the oral polio drops and many children had died. Worried parents then rushed with their kids to the nearest hospital even if the kids didn't have any symptoms.

Apparently at midnight there was massive traffic jams on the main roads as thousands of parents crowded the hospitals. TV9 channel is being blamed by everyone for this. Whether they really telecast anything like that or it is just a rumour I don't know. Papers are also saying that in Chennai it was worse. There Jaya TV is being blamed. Why is media doing like this...

How can a city like Bangalore can fall prey to rumours like this. This not the first time. Only a couple of days back, there was a rumour that city's water supply was poisoned. I didn't hear that, but some of my friends got sms, and I also saw that in the paper. But mercifully that didn't create any panic.

Some of my friends who saw the crowd last night, said most of the parents belonged to the Muslim community. I have heard of conspiracy theories. One of them is that the whole oral vaccination programme is a western plan to limit the population of Muslims. It seems the vaccine will create impotency. For laypersons like us, it is very difficult to know the truth.

Forget this, many of the allopathic medicines that we take contain many chemical that could have side-effects. But then we don't go and send sms and create panic. Why create panic like this. Poor children they would have been woken up in the night. And imagine the parents so worried they might have been. Sad.

I also feel for the Muslim community. It's so sad that the religion is passing through such a bad phase. Rightly or wrongly, people of that community seem to land in trouble. Not a pleasant thing. May be someday it will all pass.

Bangalore needs to grow

2008-12-16T17:32:00.000+05:30

That's one thing many Bangaloreans don't seem to understand. For a good many of them, Bangalore is the little old town. They are unable to come to terms with the growth of the city.

The other day someone was saying how trees are being cut. When I said that's inevitable considering the way the city is expanding, he said, not at the cost of nature. He simply wasn't getting the point.

Nature needs to be protected, for that one doesn't stop widening roads and building bridges. Conservation of nature can go alongside. But people just protest against cutting trees. No one thinks of solutions.

The point is greenery has to be preserved even while building infrastructure. If many other cities in the world can do that, why not Bangalore.

The same people who protest will only be cribbing about narrow roads and traffic jams. Basically no one in Bangalore has understood that the growth is a good thing, and we must develop infrastructure suitably to help the growth in the right way.

DNA newspaper hits Bangalore

2008-12-14T12:29:00.000+05:30

Bangalore has yet another English newspaper. It's the DNA. A very unlikely name for a newspaper. It's the abbreviation for Daily News and Chronicle. It is a joint venture of Zee networks and Dainik Bhaskar group, if my knowledge is correct. Its main edition is in Mumbai.

This morning I just flipped through it, will read in detail later. It looks great. Lots of pictures and colour, and plenty to read also. I didn't find too many ads, so lot of photos is okay I think. Otherwise too much of colour is ugly.

There is a section on books, which is good; since unlike popular perception, a lot of the Bangalore's young crowd buy and read books.

There was so much hype around DNA launch bec of the ad campaign 'I believe in Bangalore'. The paper has published results of a survey on this theme. About how much people relate to the city.

Going by the product, my first impression is that it is good, and it was worth the wait. I'm sure this will give competition to other papers like Times of India, Deccan Herald and Hindu. But Times I think is way ahead in circulation -- I can see it everywhere. Let us see what change will this new kid bring about.

Smokers fume in Bangalore

2008-10-03T13:22:00.000+05:30

Union health minister Ramadoss has made life tough for smokers. Yesterday, the day the smoking ban came into effect, I was looking around to see if anyone was lighting up. I spotted four people smoking. Mainly youngsters, on the pavement.

The cigarette vendor at the kiosk won't let you smoke there. He will tell you to move away and smoke. That's something he has never done. He doesn't want other people standing nearby to be affected by smoke. Okay, he couldn't do this before. He had to have Ramadoss tell that first.

Road is the only place you can smoke. That's bad. Imagine passersby. Wouldn't they be affected? He should have allowed special, separate smoking zones in pubs, bars and restaurants and other such other places where people get together. Imagine having a drink without a smoke! Okay let him have educative posters and similar warnings there. Next time I visit the pub, I don't know how it's going to be...

Rail line road, Sadanandnagar, opened

2008-09-18T15:29:00.000+05:30

I'm going in an auto on the rail line road at Sadanand Nagar near Baiyapanahally railway station and the NGEF. Right now it must be one of the best 500 metre stretch of roads anywhere in Bangalore. It's really good considering the pathetic state it was in. It's a great relief for people in Kasturinagar, OMBR Layout, Ramamurthy Nagar etc who use this road for commuting. But still the pavements and drains are still not okay. Imagine it took more than six months for this work to be completed. Slow pace of work is most frustrating.

Bangalore insecure

2008-09-15T19:26:00.000+05:30

It's two days since the blasts in Delhi. Bangalore too went through that phase on July 25. But I couldn't see any major security arrangements though papers are saying so. In places like Brigade Road and M G Road there are no policmen to make people feel safe. Even in malls there is good security. It should be really strong that we all should feel. I don't even some discomfort for our safety.

Onam scene

2008-09-12T22:31:00.000+05:30

Today -- the day this blog is born -- happens to be Onam. Hopefully it augurs well for this blog!

One point about this festival of Kerala is that it's virtually a national festival, since Mallus are scattered all over the place. A friend called up to say that his office here in Bangalore is virtually half empty, all Keralites having taken leave and gone to Kerala. It was no differerent in my office. All the Keralites would have gone home, if their bosses had given leave!

Soon, the government might declare Onam a national holiday like Diwali, at least going by the futility of keeping the office open with none in it!