City: Bengaluru

Every day we produce tonnes of organic waste – banana peels, potato skins, egg shells, and wasted food – that all get dumped into the dustbin. Most of us give no second thought to where this garbage is going, let alone the people who come to whisk it out of our lives. Pic: Sanaya Katrak A candid chat with the group of garbage collectors doing their rounds in Green Glen Layout, Bellandur every morning, offered a peek into their daily encounters. They were immensely grateful for even the chilled bottle of water given to them as they willingly talked of…

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Priya Dilip, a research scholar in the field of Gender and cultural studies, is originally from what she calls a 'sleepy town' in Kerala. She talks about her childhood, her love of reading, and authors who left an impression on her. She 'recognises' herself in the characters of Alice Munro and sways with Carson McCullers. She has travelled extensively for her doctoral research paper on Devdasis of Kerala, and has many an anecdote to narrate. She also talks about the changing academic sphere, the struggles a woman goes through, and life.  

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The best feeling that one can have is the happiness that comes from within. Add to that acceptance by family, and the happiness just expands manifold. Karan Kariappa, the founder of Amour, an LGBTQ+ dating platform, talks about how he met Abdul Rahman Khan. Rahman shares his poetry and talks about his coming out, and about how his family accepted his preferences.  

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The Karnataka government passed an order on May 2, 2017 capping prices of movie tickets at Rs 200, based on the proposal made in the 2017 budget. A lot of Bengalureans whine about the exorbitant prices of movie tickets in multiplexes, and were happy with this move. Prices of movies tickets were quite high in Bengaluru, sometimes reaching 700-800 rupees for a blockbuster release on a weekend. Though, more commonly, one would have to pay Rs 300-400 for a movie ticket in a multiplex. Many people found this unaffordable as they could not make as many visits to the multiplex…

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One of the wonderful things about Varsha Ritu and Grishma Ritu in our city is still the wonderful carpets of flowers that the trees lavish upon the ground beneath them. Here are just three flowering trees, the Copper Pod (Peltophorum pterocarpum), Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia) and Honge (Pongaemia pinnata). Here is how one of the small roads looks after the Copper Pod flowers have fallen: This is a closeup of the Copper Pod flower and the seed which gives the tree its name: Here is the carpet of Honge flowers: A closer look: Honge carpet: The purple of the Jacaranda is…

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With an area of 272 acres, Madiwala lake is one of the three largest lakes in Bengaluru. Located in South Bengaluru, it comes under the administrative control of Karnataka Forest Dept (KFD) who is responsible for its upkeep and maintenance. Butterfly park with the scientist for design and planting butterfly attracting plants. The lake had a lot of hyacinth growth and sewage inflow, directly and indirectly from the open storm water drain (SWD) that runs inside the lake from South-west corner to North-east corner. Karnataka government decided in 2016 to develop it into a bio-diversity park, on the recommendation of…

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RJ Padma Priya recently interviewed Dr. Vedamurthy from Victoria Hospital for the weekly radio programme 'Manocharche (Mental Health)'. The topic was 'Understanding Psychopathology and Assistance For It'. In this interview, Dr. Vedamurthy explains the various conditions that are included under the umbrella of mental disorders / disabilities / illness, the criteria that distinguish such conditions, and the government benefits that are available.  

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As the last stretch of Bengaluru Metro’s Phase I nears completion, there are high hopes that the city’s commuting woes may finally be eased. With a Phase I network covering 42km and 40 stations, Namma Metro is the second longest operational metro system in the country, after Delhi’s. Work on the 72.1km Phase II has already begun. What now remains to be addressed is the mobility transition that needs to occur among urban commuters - away from a growing trend of private vehicle use towards modes of public and shared transport. Part of the solution lies in enabling end-to-end transportation…

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May 30th is the last date for paying your property tax in advance, if you want to avail discount. But the problems in your account have not been fixed in the BBMP portal to collect taxes, in spite of having a complete year at their (BBMP) disposal. So in all probability, you will end up paying inaccurate amount this year as well, if your account had a problem last year. The wrong calculations of last year are being carried forward this year as well. Those who paid as ‘early birds’ with highertaxes due to revision in tax as well as…

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The ongoing case at the National Green Tribunal (and the frequent fires!) has helped keep the Bellandur lake in the news. The hearings on the petition filed by D Kupendra Reddy and another suo moto case when the fires happened some months ago, have resulted in a number of directions to the respondents including the state, and agencies like KSPCB and KLCDA. In its latest order on April 19, 2017, the NGT said: “All local authorities shall ensure that no untreated sewage water is permitted to enter into Bellandur Lake” - sounds familiar? Here is the chronological summary of developments…

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