Filed under: Bangalore | Tags: , 2007, Bangalore, Bangalore Book Festival, book festival, Dasara
The annual Bangalore Book Festival is on all this week, at the Palace grounds. The Book festival this year has been organised to co-incide with the Dasara festivities – and will last the entire duration of Dasara, which is the NadaHabba or State Festival of Karnataka.
Added attractions of the festival, apart from over a million books on show, are the cultural programmes that happen everyday – ranging from children’s dance programmes to carnatic jugalbandis.
Filed under: Bangalore
Someone who apparently reads the signs just right. Seen, at the Bangalore Airport.
Photo (c) Prasanna
I havent jumped a red signal ever – and apart from good traffic sense, an incident about a few months after I started driving served to instil the “Dont jump a red signal” rule even more forcefully.
It was at Tiffany’s junction where Kasturba Rd, Vittal Mallya Road, Raja Ram Mohan Roy Road from etc., – 6 in all meet.
I was right up on the line on my side. As was my wont then, I was the first one off once we got a green – and before I could blink, an auto came speeding from the Kasturba Road, slammed into my bike – missing my leg by an inch or so – and flew, yes, flew into the opposite side of Kasturba road. Luckily, for everyone else – it did not hit anyone/anything else. And the guy escaped (constable borrowed someone’s scoot to give chase).
Ever since – I try not to be first to get off on a green.
So when I read about an ACP breaking the law – and a red signal, at that, it incensed me.
Swaroop Srinath writes about a cop who he saw breaking a red light, and who later turned out to be the Assistant Commisioner of Police:
I was riding my motorbike on St. John’s Church Road and stopped for a red light at the junction where Cavalry Road ends, and Wheeler Road begins. (It is little known that this junction is called Prof.A.M. Dharmalingam Circle, for the only indication to this effect is a much vandalised, faded yellow board on a pavement. Note, there is also no circle.) All lights for pedestrians were green. On the opposite end of the junction (coming from Ulsoor Lake), I saw a traffic patrol car stop briefly at the signal. Tata Sumo, with “TRAFFIC POLICE” printed on the sides. In it was a constable (at the wheel), and an officer beside him. Defying all logic, and breaking the very rules they are meant to uphold, these guys just jumped the signal!! They turned right, onto Wheeler Road, and sped away!! My jaw dropped. I knew these guys were a degenerate lot, but this one was an officer, for god’s sake!!
And Srinath, on a rush of adrenalin followed the guy, and got these details out:
ACP M. Krishnamurthy
KA-03 G-24
Filed under: Bangalore
Via BangaloreMetblogs:
Peoples’ Union For Civil Liberties (Karnataka), Peoples’ Democratic Forum and Pedestrian Pictures are presenting an evening of films and discussion on the topic, “Reservations: Typecasting Dalit Rights?” on Sunday, May 7, 2006. This event is open to the public.
The venue is Ashirvad, SBI Circle , St. Mark’s Road, Bangalore – 560 001
Two films will be screened between 3 – 4.30 pm. The film showing will be followed by talks (4.45 – 6.15 pm ) by Indudhar Honnapura, Dalit Sangharasha Samithi, Shivsundar, Journalist, Lankesh, and discussions (6.15 pm onwards).
More info:
Call Pedestrian Pics on 94483 71389 or 99860 31428 or 98868 00642 . Email them at pedepics@yahoo.com.
The BMIC, or Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project was conceived around the mid/late 90's and work started in the late '90s. It intended to cut travel times between the two cities from 3-4 hours to about 2 hours(with 1 1/2 hr on the highway). At conception it was intended to house 5 townships along the highway/corridor as well – to decongest the city.
Among the big initial concerns were:
1. The highway cutting across highly arable land – and requiring lots of it
2. The cost of the project
3. The concern over the need for another expensive project(it came on the back of failed Enron), when doubling railway tracks, and the existing highway was undergoing upgradation(now completed).
From the start the project has been enveloped by controversy. The initial concerns listed above had environmentalists up in arms against the project and suggesting various other measures – including expansion, upgradation of the existing highway(since been completed).It was then followed by the Environment Ministry & High Court allowing for land acquisition for the highway but not approving the same for building the said townships.
Filed under: Bangalore
Sorry folks, we have been rather busy. And since my co-blogger has been dormant, handling all my blogs has been a bit of an ask for yours-truly. Hoping to change that shortly, starting with the post above. Sum is also likely to be more active, in here.
Cheers,
BG/Sukhi.
Radio City and me seem to have some weird connexion. Imagine my surprise when the late night Valentine Day special on Radio City happened to have almost the very songs I generally listen to in my car! Songs from Bon Jovi, Metallica, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Bryan Adams….! It was eerie!
Imagine switching from the CD to the radio and wondering if you had switched at all, for the radio is blaring the very same songs!!
So BMTC proves yet again why PSU public transport companies can be customer-friendly even when faced with little or no competition and for the first time on Indian roads, we see the Volvos on city streets. Its on a pilot basis, hopefully, it will succeed and we will see a lot more such (comfy) city buses. Currently doing duty on only one route – the one towards electronic city.
Had a peek at the buses today. The buses looked like the ones at the airport terminals, although more swanky than those in Indian airports anyhow! The bus had a very, very low ground clearance, I wonder why? Does the BMTC expect Bangalore roads to be suddenly smooth all over the city? Or maybe its going to run only where the roads are smooth?
One thing must be said about the bus – it was incredibly quiet (it was idling by the way)- the only noise I could hear was my vehicle’s engine as I passed by!
Amidst all the sports stories, there is one snuck in that reports that the Bangalore Lions have won the PHL, or Professional Hockey League.
The Bangalore Lions triumphed in the second edition of the Premier Hockey League after a brace by Hari Prasad helped them down local favourites Chandigarh Dynamos 2-1 in a pulsating third match of the best-of-three finals.
reports Sify.
Well, while yours truly is not a huge fan of sports that involve “goals”, well done Bangalore Lions.
Harish Bijoor wrote this for India Today’s Simply Bangalore* supplement:
Bangalore! Bengaluru!
What’s in a name? Plenty! Shakespearu was wrong!
For a start, the name is a brand. The brand is a name. And the name is a very important starting point in the voyage of discovery of a brand.
…Bangalore is a thought. A thought that is just about in the midst of a debate that seeks to re-christen the city to a name that aspires for the vernacularisation of an anglicized Bangalore to a Kannada-ised Bengaluru!
…There are really two Bangalore’s. One is what I will call “Real Bangalore” and the other “Virtual Bangalore”. Real Bangalore is really excited about the name change proposal from the 1st of November 2006.
…Marie Antoinette would be a very happy woman today. It they don’t have bread, let them eat cake.
The name change debate is an excellent opiate for the masses of Bangalore. Let’s discuss, let’s debate. Let’s forget all our other woes for the moment. If our bodies can’t be satisfied, let at least our minds be.
Personally speaking, I welcome the name change. Bengaluru is the city I was born in. Bengaluru is the city that I grew up in. Bengaluru is the city I want to be in.I would of course be very, very happy if, along with the name change you gave me better roads, better safety for my friends who work within BPO outfits and make Bangalore roads a 24X7 affair with no closing time, a planned city where my friends in the low lying areas don’t have to drown and use a boat to work, a better system of traffic management that does not have my clients from Germany and France stranded on Airport Road for two hours at a stretch, cursing the city in native German or exciting French!
(excerpts, all emphasis mine)
I’m as much a part of the “old” Bangalore as the newer one. And Harish’s arguments are perhaps the best articulated ones I have seen on the Bangalore becoming Bengaluru.
One reason I did not post much on the renaming saga is precisely because (as Harish says) the debate would suit this State government better, as it will deflect attention from their lack of administration.
*India Today does not allow a search or even a link-to on its online edition for non-subscribers(even though I PAY to get the mag). The excerpts were obtained thanks to Harish Bijoor.
