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.

The added sweetener for Book lover is the hefty discounts offered on all titles – including the latest releases!

There over 300 stalls in the book fair – with a sizeable representation of all classes and languages of books. I had gone there with my family – and there was something for everyone. My parents were rather delighted to find the range of Kannada books and magazines on display – and they bought quite a few, with discounts ranging from 10 to 20%.

There was a stall with Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings displayed – and with reproductions available for sale as well – at reasonable prices – starting from as low as 50 Rupees!

There was this gorgeous paiting – printed on Canvas, which I thought would fit right onto my wall, but at 4,000 Rupees was slightly beyond my means – so I bought a paper reproduction of the same! (Unfortunately no web link seems available!)

There are also various book publishers – Tata McGraw Hill, Prentice Hall India, Navkarnataka, Cambridge University Press, and many more!

For the spiritually minded, there are various stalls from publishers and spiritual organisations alike – Ramana Maharshi Ashram, ISCKON, etc., – although notable absentees were Art of Living Foundation.

Exclusive stalls on Islam, Gandhiji, on rare books etc., were among the niche stalls

Kannada Language book, littérateurs profiles are available in a wide range – stalls from Navakarnataka, Sahitya Parishad and the like display the best of Kannada literature available – so if you want to discover Kannada literature, head straight to the Book Festival.

The Bangalore Book Festival is on at Palace Grounds, off Mekhri Circle. 2 & 4 wheeler parking is widely available, and hassle free. Open on weekends till 9pm from about 11 in the morning

Someone who apparently reads the signs just right. Seen, at the Bangalore Airport.

Photo (c) Prasanna

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

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.

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.

Even as that was barely resolved, and the project near getting back on gear came the allegation of misuse of land, by Mr. Deve Gowda (against the S M Krishna Govt.). This was followed by denials, the subsequent change of government and finally litigation. The litigation was quashed by the Karnataka High Court, and then the Supreme Court – with an exemplary fine and castigation of the Karnataka Government for, as the honourable court put it, frivolous litigation.

And then the BMIC said this:

With the Supreme Court giving the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project the green signal, project promoter Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) said it is ready to commence work on the expressway from the Mysore side also if the government allotted the land required.

Things one would like to see change for the better:

1. Transperancy.

The Right to Information Act has enable some amount of transperancy in the deals, but has not been implemented. A lot of the confusion and litigation over the BMIC could have easily been avoided if the data was made available in the public domain – the environmental impact analyses for example. The reasons for denying approval to the townships, etc.,

2. Acquisition of Land.

Why should the Government acquire the land from the people? It should be the private parties who should acquire it – and, as a safegaurd, notify the local authorities, who are anyway better placed to handle any conflict of interest or litigations arising from that. That would ensure that there are no political agendas driving for excess land acquisition or accusations of the same! It would also ensure that the land owners themselves are NOT forced to sell, unlike now.

3. The speed of case disbursal.

It is nobody's case that the courts are facing huge number of cases, and backlogs. Issues that affect thousands of people – millions, even, should take the highest priority, and be disposed off, asap. The BMIC also involves a link road from Hosur Rd to Mysore Road – and the speed of activity in the days since the SC approval has been tremendous.

4. Continuity in policies.

There has to be a set mechanism that allows for continuity, and consistency in policy regarding on-going projects. In a democractic form of government, we will see changes in governments – so there has to be a mechanism to address continuity as well as for changes in policy. Most often, all we see is the 'Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram's ensuring policies change with each change of government – and that is ridiculous!
(Most links obtained was via Google. Yahoo! search proved rather unreliable)

BG/Sukhi.

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!

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.

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.