Citizen efforts in local matters
Kingston Street, Richmond Town lies on my regular daily afternoon walking route. For months, I, and others would walk past one portion of broken footpath, and wonder what was keeping the BBMP from fixing it.
Our home in Richmond Town, in the heart of Bangalore, has been battling erratic supply of corporation water (from the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board BWSSB) for years. In the 1980s and 90s, our 3-foot wide, 15-foot deep open well would augment the corporation water, but the water table has fallen and the well has water only during the monsoons.
Water these days is released by the BWSSB valve-man every alternate day, so the water that comes on an appointed day needs to be enough to last two days. Looking back, most often, the water would come in a trickle, so much so that we barely received 5000-6000 litres the whole month. Those days I was living away from Bangalore and my mom would regularly call in the morning to tell me to lodge a complaint online with BWSSB saying that there was no water. I would religiously do this, but nothing much would happen. She would call the local BWSSB engineers and on and off, they would offer to send a water tanker to help, but the root of the problem was not addressed.
The Quit India Movement was launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th-9th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in India. This August is the 79th anniversary.
1992 was a special year in that it marked the 50th anniversary of the Quit India Movement. There were big celebrations planned all over the country, Bangalore included. It was but natural for the media, to search out people who saw 1942, and were still alive.
Don’t miss the YouTube video at the bottom of this post!
The Manay family residence in Bangalore had a close association with the Quit India Movement. Scindia House, at Sajjan Rao Circle, Vishweshwara puram, Bangalore, was the place where other freedom fighters of the city met and took shelter. My dad used to say that unknown people would be walking in and out of their house, through the day.
Ram Grover’s posts on Twitter yesterday vividly describe the situation in possibly every Indian city. In small towns they must be gasping and dropping.
This is the state of the common man.
If you are looking for any kind of Covid help, I’ve tried to compile things in one place.
Last edit: 30th April 2021
On this Rajyotsava Day (Karnataka State formation day), the Aam Aadmi Party has taken a unique step in Bangalore.
The Aam Aadmi Clinic, modelled on the Delhi government’s Mohalla Clinics, opened in Shantinagar (close to Richmond Town, where I grew up) this morning. It is being run with donations from the savings of volunteers and supporters through a registered Trust. Rani Desai, Sanchit Sawhney, J. Hariharan, V. Gopal and Renuka Vishwanathan are the Trustees.
This is a pilot project to show how primary health service should be provided by the government and BBMP.
The clinic is located at 54 Basappa Road, and will be open Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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Tanishq pulled down its Ekatvam ad from its YouTube channel today.
The ad shows preparations for a traditional Hindu baby shower celebration. The pregnant girl, visibly a Hindu, and her mother-in-law, visibly a Muslim have a conversation towards the end. The girl says to ‘Ma’, “You don’t have this type of ritual in your home, do you?” And Ma says, “The ritual of keeping our daughters happy is in all homes.” or something to this effect.
Visvesvaraya is a household name in Karnataka. There are roads, localities, educational institutions, manufacturing facilities, museums, among other things, named after him in the state.
Sir M. Visvesvaraya (1860-1962) was an eminent civil engineer, statesman and the Diwan of Mysore. He was responsible for the design and implementation of several irrigation, dam, water supply and flood protection projects all over India. For his contributions to the public good, the Queen knighted him in 1915.
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This article about the Solid and Liquid Resource Management (SLRM) model of waste management has been published on Citizen Matters, Mumbai. In two parts, it can be read on these two links:
> Let’s not waste ‘waste’: In pursuit of the ideal waste management solution
> COVID-19 lockdown: how waste segregation methods derailed in one Mumbai township
Today is World Senior Citizen’s Day.
Officially founded by US President Ronald Reagan in 1988, it is a day to appreciate our senior citizens and recognise their personal sacrifices and contributions to their families and to society at large.
“For all that, they have achieved throughout their lives and for all that they continue to do, we owe our gratitude and sincere greetings to our senior citizens. We can show our gratitude and appreciation better by making sure our communities are good places. Age and maturity, places where older people can participate as much as possible and find the encouragement, acceptance, support and services they need to continue living a life of independence and dignity.” – Ronald Reagan, 1988
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