Benson Town Citizen Matters, Blogs

Volunteer Diary

Creativity from the coast

March 30, 2013 Pushpa Achanta

Godson Samuel, a pastor from coastal Tamil Nadu, now working in Pune was a student of a lady professor in Bangalore’s United Theological College some years ago. Hearteningly, the woman’s courage and ability to break

Freedom – what’s that?

November 11, 2012 Pushpa Achanta

"Freedom is another word for nothing left to lose", said someone. But, for many people who often lose the little that they have, freedom is another wor(l)d. And that wor(l)d did not appear on 15th

Environment

Branched out

June 5, 2012 Pushpa Achanta

There was a shower That shook a treeA branch broke free And shut out the power Kids gathered noisilyAdults responded quickly The police arrivedThe loggers followedThey sawed the wood But left the leaves Tea was

Society

Womanhood: Reflections and celebrations

March 27, 2012 Pushpa Achanta

Enjoy these visual glimpses of the programme held at United Theological College (UTC) on Millers Road, to mark International Women’s Day (IWD) 2012. Shahina K K, a popular mediaperson, highlights caste, class, religious and gender

Volunteer Diary

Mining the earth away

January 22, 2012 Pushpa Achanta

Goa. The name evokes images of beaches, Konkani and Portugese heritage and the good life. And perhaps of drug peddling, sex trafficking and other vices. However, over the last few years, the state has been

PuRa forever?

December 23, 2011 Pushpa Achanta

We wanted a home mate But could not confine dogs, birds or fish to the indoors So we consoled ourselves Observing neigbours’ pets Watching stray creatures And recalling childhood companions Until Ms. Columbidae came visiting

‘Food’ for thought…

July 27, 2011 Pushpa Achanta

Among the many times that I wonder about how the extremely marginalized cope with an empty stomach is when I hear the words "Mummy, I am hungry" on television. It is the ad jingle for

Economy

A ration(ed) card?

May 23, 2011 Pushpa Achanta

When we were children, the term ration card (or family card) meant something crucial for survival. From our family’s short stint in Mumbai, I recall that it was mandatory for school admissions too. Well, it

Editors' Blog

Two years of Citizen Matters print news

January 31, 2011 Subramaniam Vincent

The January 30th print issue of Citizen Matters hit the stands and homes in south Bengaluru exactly two years after our first issue of January 30th 2009! That maiden issue we had covered the HSR

A demand for smarter roads

December 13, 2010 Pushpa Achanta

“Bangalore is not a garden city any more!” is a common refrain that I have been hearing for over 3 years. It is definitely not the cool town that we had visited a few times

Society

Saying it with Pride!

November 20, 2010 Pushpa Achanta

Love Across Boundaries, the first event of Bengaluru Pride and Karnataka Queer Habba 2010 provided space for people from diverse backgrounds to express their interpretation of love. Around 40 people from across Bangalore gathered at the

Society

At Vangpui Kut 2010

October 9, 2010 Pushpa Achanta

On Gandhi Jayanti, as I was walking past the United Theological College (UTC) on Millers Road, I was delighted to see a banner regarding its centenary celebrations still displayed. Although I was aware that this

Another piece of the past….

October 7, 2010 Deepa Mohan

I had to be at Cantonment Station early one morning, and I was happy to see that an old friend still exists there: There was a time in the not too distant past when one

Education

Only a week for children?

November 15, 2009 Pushpa Achanta

At DSF’s R.T. Nagar centre As evident in the pictures, some kids from low income families and those connected with them through Dream School Foundation (DSF) celebrated on November 14, this year. (Actually, since

A Class Apart…

June 15, 2009 Pushpa Achanta

Have you ever observed or interacted with children from low income families (and sometimes first generation literates) studying in private or government aided English medium schools, in their school or outside? Who are their friends?