SPARE A THOUGHT AND REGRET!

BY MUHAMMAD WAJIHULLA

“In previous generations, America’s standing economically was so much higher than everybody else’s that we did not have a lot of competition. Now you have got billions of people from Beijing to Bangalore to Moscow, all of whom are competing with you directly.” 

This statement by Obama made Bangalore one of the most distinguished cities globally. This not only gave a boost to the already flourishing city but through this, it recognized India as a major threat to the developed Nations. Today Bangalore is known by various names, it is globally recognized as the Silicon Valley of India. A place blooming with IT companies and educational institutions we have people pouring in from every corner of the world to get a job in this city. 

The city has seen development and progress like no other city in the country. Economically speaking, there is no end to the way this city has progressed. Today Bangalore makes it as a major economic centre with an economic growth of 10.3%, second fastest metropolis in India. Forbes considers Bangalore as one of the fastest growing cities in the world.

A never seen sight in 1990s Bangalore!

But all this fame and recognition that this city enjoys came at a heavy price that pinches every Bengalurean. Was it really worth it? A question that haunts every Bangalorean. I have been a part of this city from the time the doctor cut of that umbilical cord. My entire childhood grew up watching this city transfer from a garden city to a globally frustrating city. During the Pre-Independence era Britishers visited Bangalore to relax and enjoy its lush green beauty and today people from all across the world travel to witness the city sweating with increase in Temperature and Pollution.

Bengaluru houses more than 1.25 crore people, from 2001 to 2011 the population of the city is increased by a whopping 41.7%. What is more depressing is that more outsiders have seeped in than the rightful inhabitants. We today are roughly 30% of the total population. The immigration that has taken shelter in this city has not valued it or taken care of it like they should have - you can call it ignorance or typical immigrant mentality! 

The Bangalore I knew was a clean, beautiful and quiet place. It was known for its pleasant weather, the lush green atmosphere that surrounds you. The journey from my house to my cousins house in BTM Layout was like a once in a month family picnic. We never knew what traffic was, our small roads were sufficient for us. But today it all looks like a dream. If we spare a thought we realize that the city has thought us three things- its three core values ‘Live, Love and Forgive’”. The city has learnt to live with those who don’t belong here, love them despite their ignorance and forgive them for they know not what they have done. 

Sorry if I have hurt the sentiments of anybody with this piece, all I wanted to convey was my frustration seeing this city melt every day. It hurts to see that this is no more the place where I grew up. And for those reading, if you are not from here- treat the city as your own and see the difference! The embrace you will feel is more peaceful than any you would have felt before.

MISHIKRAFTS- A LAUNCH

BY MADHUMITHA NATARAJAN

Shopping, especially for women, is undoubtedly the best stress-buster. But sadly we live in an era where many are gradually migrating to online shopping. A handful of santhes are organized in cosmopolitan Bengaluru every now and then, but they fail to attract too many visitors.

I happened to bump into one such santhe a few days back. It was organized by MishiKrafts and exhibited a variety of hand-made specialties. The best part, everything was dirt cheap. It was then and there that I decided to write about this one, and I guess I’ll be helping a few with some great gifting ideas!

I would call it a neighborhood santhe, because it was organized in an apartment building corridor; it gave me the feel of ‘home-shopping’, not your home of course. Though  the santhe wasn’t too spacious, one wouldn’t complain as it kept the shoppers in a close-knit gathering, interacting with each other and appreciating each others’ picks. I was surprised at the kind of collection this place had. It practically covered everything that a street-shopper would dole out his/her bucks on! All in one place, without having to walk through sinfully long streets!

If you are a person who loves shopping but your pocket is not so deep, I would suggest you check this out. It has everything: from cosmetics, sarees, dress materials and accessories, to lots and lots more!

But there was something that squarely stole the limelight: homemade soaps! Actually it was the aroma that drove me to them. These are little soaps made of rose petals and other natural scents without any kind of chemical adulteration; they come in unusual flavours like wine, jasmine, cinnamon and lavender, and are also very cutely shaped - hearts, butterflies, bedbugs, roses and designs that your valentine will surely love, if you choose to gift her one! (Oh yes! Valentine’s Day is round the corner; why not try this one out?) 

The prices vary depending on how much it weighs; I paid 50 Bucks for 70 Grams soap and I’ve been using it for over 10 days now and still have half-a-portion left. It saves you the energy of using a scrubber as the rose petals do that job fabulously and the experience is rejuvenating I must say!

I also picked up this homemade and flavoured salt - apparently soaking your feet in warm water mixed with a pinch of this salt, helps relaxing them after a long day in office. (I tried this and trust me; I would suggest this alternative against any pedicure treatments where you shell out hundreds!) These are priced around 40 Bucks for 100 grams and you can use each packet for about 4 sittings! So technically you are spending 10 Bucks for your pedicure, Wow! Isn’t that amazing?

And this little piglet and fish you see, are incense-stick holders. These are about an inch in size and extremely adorable. Your mum or aunt would love it, if you gift them one! Apart from these, there are a lot of branded stuff that are organic and also reasonably priced, compared to many stores in the city. This santhe has handpicked products that are chemical-free, and ones that have the right components that suit every skin and hair type. 

And the bonus, these are not just for women but for men too, so rest assured your spouse/boy friend wouldn’t mind getting you here. Considering the fact that nothing can cause you as much trouble as deciding what to gift a guy, this place will surely help with hassle-free and limited-budget shopping, for stuff that are purely organic and harmless. 

The footfall at the santhe was decent and I saw many passers-by stop, to get a glimpse of it. I actually realized that Bengalureans are always open to such ideas of having homemade, handmade and eco-friendly products!

Overall, the experience was extremely delightful and worthy. We should encourage more such santhes and make the city a unique shopping destination, something that is not seen in other cities. 

STOP SELLING AIR GUNS WITHOUT LICENSES!

BY NOLAN PINTO

2 playful monkeys were shot dead on the 18th of January in the premises of the posh Raheja Residency in Koramangala. The individual who did this was an educated man, a techie.

Picture courtesy- lite.epaper.timesofindia.com

Since he allegedly felt troubled by these monkeys, he shot them using his air gun. As of today, he is absconding and neither the police nor the forest officials have been able to track him.

Whats even more surprising is that he is just a techie and not some big shot executive, politician or the lot for the police to be unable to arrest him or maybe he is actually somebody! Imagine, in today's India, getting arrested and being answerable to the law many a time depends on who you are or who you know, sad.

Now what we have gathered is that while one monkey died on the spot, the other struggled for a good 30 odd minutes. I thought to myself why nobody bothered to do anything about it. One good Samaritan who found out about this incident and whose father was in the ICU actually called a Vet and in his car took the poor injured monkey to the Vet's clinic but unfortunately due to the delay and traffic on the roads, it passed away in his car. For so many people out there, only one man decided to do something, one man still had humanity left within him.

Again it’s tough to blame the others. We are not trained from school what to do when an animal is injured or ill treated. Nobody bothers about them and for those who do, they are seen as soft or that they have no other better work to do. Maybe the rest were confused about what to do. But for those who wanted the media to come first before they did anything, it’s just disgusting to say the least. 

Picture courtesy- indiansforguns.com

I remember when a close family friend of ours got his air gun from Coorg to Mysore in 2001 and showed it to me. I was so thrilled then and immediately went about using the air gun. He taught me how it’s important to stop breathing or to hold my breath for that second before the trigger is pulled. Now one afternoon, I saw these monkeys moving near my neighbor’s compound. I rushed inside and got the air gun out. And taking aim, I fired one shot. The monkeys immediately went searching for cover. Till today, I can still see those monkeys peeping from behind the trees to watch me. They were scared and were waiting for me to go before they proceeded. Every now and then, they kept looking at me to see if I will shoot or not.

I stopped then and there when I saw this. I could not do anything to hurt them. Today, even if they come into our garden, we let them pass by and never stop them from plucking fruits or flowers. So much so, that some even come to our kitchen window where we feed them with slices of bread.

We have taken over their homes for crying out loud and complain when they come into our compounds or near our flats. The least we can do is grow fruit bearing trees so that when they pass by they will have something to eat and some place to rest. If all of us do that, not only will we be helping them but also the bird population that has dipped tremendously in Bangalore.

People For Animals (PFA), an NGO headed by Maneka Gandhi had sometime back filed a case arguing that air weapons were being used to kill animals and birds. The Delhi HC had passed an order making it mandatory for air weapons to have licenses. But a two-member bench of the apex court in early 2012 granted the National Rifles Association of India (NRAI) interim relief from the HC order dated May 7, 2011, which struck down the exemption given to air weapons from license under the Arms Act of 1959.  It was stated that the ruling was difficult to implement since thousands of air weapons are held without licenses and the HC order was seen as hampering development of the sport at the grassroots level.

I firmly believe that the time is right for another serious look into this considering what has happened in Bangalore. Why not make licenses compulsory along with the number of pellets sold? How will it hamper the sport? So what if they have to pay some fees to acquire an air weapon? At least the government will have an idea as to how many air weapons are out there. 

What do you think about this? I would like to know if something can be done. Do share your opinions with us.

HERITAGE WINERY TOUR REVIEW- JUST A WASTE OF MONEY

BY NOLAN PINTO

Picture courtesy- mudnigga.blogspot.com

Absolutely, one hundred percent, take my word, we went there with a lot of excitement, that we would get to see how wine is prepared, maybe pluck some grapes, see the storage facilities and more.. but all we got when we got there was the sight of huge steel drums in a huge open storage area with the guide explaining to us the processes at the speed of sound.. And within 15 minutes, you are done.

At the end of it, while traveling back home, I kept thinking, we all could have got all that information from google and seen the videos on youtube. All this in the comfort of our homes, avoiding spending on the bus travel, taking the auto which took us on a bumpy dusty road to reach the winery and what not.

Well, since it was a weekly off, and my friends decided to head over there, I was invited to join them. As a matter of fact, I was always curious as to what this place was, considering that while traveling to Mysore and then back to Bangalore, I would always see this place, but never went there. Now I wish I never had gone there.

Heritage winery is located on the Mysore Bangalore Highway a few kilometers from the Channapatna Bus Stand. If you travel by bus like us, you get into an auto from the bus stand and it takes you some 10 minutes to reach the winery. It is at a distance of about 8 kms but the last 2 kms are just horrible. There is a loose-stone road and if you have a back problem, you are going to have a terrible night.

So, we all decided to meet at the Mysore Road Bus Stand in the morning and leave early in order to beat the heat. But as usual, we all woke up late. We left when it was blazing outside. Anyway, the trip to Channapatna was fun. Sitting in the front row of the bus, behind the driver allowed us no chance at all to catch a nap. And this was because the bus driver had a penchant of utilizing his horn every few minutes that would make the hair on our skin stand up!

Well, we reach the bus stand and decide to take an auto. The driver first demands Rs. 130 and after a lot of bargaining, we settle for well, Rs. 110, savings of Rs. 20. Yes, a big saving it was!!!

In about 10-15 minutes, we reach the winery and are all excited. We were three of us and were really looking forward to this wine tour. But since one batch was already being shown around, we decided to have our lunch.

After about 45 minutes, finally, the tour begins. We three were first made to watch a video espousing the benefits of wine, its history, and then a good number of minutes publicizing Heritage wine. Free publicity after we paid Rs. 150 per head for this so called gala tour.

When the video was almost done, the grand tour begins. The wine guide kept talking right from the beginning and only ended when we said goodbye. The tour was this- we enter this huge building that is a factory in common terms. They show us the machine which gulps grapes into it and spits out the stem part. That’s done.

Next, he showed us some 20 odd huge steel storage tanks and goes on his own trip about how the wine is made. What happens in one tank and then in another and another and another. All the while, we keep looking at the clean steel storage tanks. Oh, he did allow us to take a good deep smell
of this liquid concoction that could give anybody a royal kick in the head.

Then, he showed us how the bottles are filled, checked for impurities and then packaged. All this happens on a single line with ladies sitting and doing the work. So, one part done. Then, we are taken to another part of this huge building to see another set of huge steel storage tanks and explained that table wine is prepared here. Oh, this time there is some practical stuff to do. (Touch the steel tank and feel how cold it is) since the steel tanks on the other side where sweet wine is prepared is stored in normal temperature.

That’s the whole tour. But wait, we are told that we could taste some wine. That we thought would be exciting. But wait, he gets out 4 bottles that contained maybe half a glass of wine in each. He poured like a sip of wine into our glasses and explained how to taste wine and so on. I wonder who taught him the art of tasting wine. Does he not know that after each wine is tasted, we need to eat something to get a proper taste? The cheapness was unbelievable.

We left the place highly disappointed. We expected something nice but got something real crap. The only saving grace was that we three managed to get out of the city, talk and talk and talk and enjoy the journey, tiring as it was.

Take it from me; a journey to the Heritage Winery is just a waste of time and money. For the amount of money we spent on the trip, we could have bought ten bottles of Heritage wine and come away much happier & higher!

We do not recommend the use of alcohol or tobacco

LET THEM TAKE A BREAK!

BY NOLAN PINTO

Picture courtesy- www.ksrtc.in

Ever since accidents have been reported at frequent intervals, the very thought of traveling in a bus is extremely scary. And that Volvo buses have been involved in most of them was especially shocking. 

I have been traveling on the Volvo buses of KSRTC regularly since 2007. That year, I would travel in one almost every fortnight to and fro Bangalore. Never once did we meet with an accident but then, the buses were new and the drivers were still a bit more careful. It was a new toy in the hands of KSRTC. There was this one incident when the driver tried to overtake a truck but erred in his judgment. The rear mirror rammed into the back of the truck and shattered into pieces. No harm done to anybody there.

I was traveling to Mysore on the same day a Vovlo bus toppled on its way to Bangalore from Nellore. The thought of that accident was still very fresh in my memory considering that as an anchor, this story was very big for the channel I work for. 5 people died and many were injured.

While the reason given by the travels owner was that the accident was because a pack of dogs ran across the road, eye witnesses said that the driver was fast and reckless. According to some reports, the drivers in these travels are overworked and hence reaching their destination on time means some extra rest before they head out again on a long journey.

Many a times I have noticed drivers speeding just in order to be on time. They struggle to head out of the jam packed city and then while on highway speed up. It is nothing but scary. Many passengers do not mind that speed since they too want to reach their destination on time.

The bus I was in while on the way to Mysore was supposed to be this Volvo non-stop. Commonly known as the Airavat, passengers are ready to pay a bit more for the comfort and speed. Sometimes the drivers do stop on the way to allow passengers to drink some tea/coffee or even relieve themselves and nobody complains. The drivers too get a small break and it’s necessary. But this was the first time I heard some passengers yelling at the bus driver. They were angry that he stopped to get something to eat and drink.

The passengers started barking that this is a non-stop service and that they were getting late. Some even yelled that the driver should have taken a break before starting and more. But when the driver regardless of the yelling and shouting parked and got off, the passengers who yelled and screamed also got off for a tea break!

I remember saying to myself, what was the use of all that? The driver required a break and hence he stopped. It’s best he did so rather than falling asleep at the wheels and putting all our lives in danger!

My point is that non-stop or no non-stop service let the drivers stop when they feel like doing so. It is not easy to drive a big bus especially with such terrible traffic and horrible roads. Add to their misery, the constant worry that cars, bikes and autos cut in. We want to be safe and maybe half an hour late is better than never reaching your destination at all ever!

BOARD TO DEATH?

BY ADITHIMANASA

If you are not new to Bengaluru then you definitely know where the freedom park is. And if you know where the freedom park is, then you also know where Maharani College is. And if you happen to be one like me who commutes by bus, then you will surely know the Maharani College bus stop just before Kaveri Bhavan stop. The stop at Maharani College does have shelters, not one but two. But have you ever seen people under those shelters? 

Picture courtesy- www.hindu.com

May be once in a blue moon we get to see people under the shelter, or say when it’s pouring heavily!

Most of the time, you can see a huge crowd covering half the road during peak hours of the day; which  happens to be around 10 AM to 01 PM and 4 PM to 7 PM. School children, college goers, senior citizens, office people and a few who are new to namma city; all throng the stop. One would mistake them for protesters who take to the streets!

What could be the reason for such ambiguity among the commuters? Well, it’s because the BMTC buses never stop at the stop! Only a handful of prompt drivers stop the bus right in front of the shelter and wait for passengers to board. The rest just zoom away, to avoid getting trapped by a red signal. The road is not reserved for BMTC buses alone. There are four-wheelers, two-wheelers and three-wheelers honking throughout the stretch when the confused passengers run behind buses in vain, attempting to board them.

When you are in a hurry and you miss your bus thrice, you get into an auto rickshaw assuming that you’ll reach faster. But those same buses that sped away without stopping at Maharani College get stuck in traffic congestion just a little further, on the way to the corporation stop. So, even the auto rickshaw you are in has to wait for the buses to make way!

The competition between the buses and the trail of agitated passengers running behind it often leads to accidents and chaos. People yell at each other. Bus drivers and conductors hurl abuses at passengers.

But the drama never seems to cease. The ‘mega’ soap continues on a daily basis and many a passenger has become immune to the issue. For it has become his daily routine.

A few friends and I decided to do something about it. We surfed the internet and found a forum where we could lodge complaints about poor bus services. Euphoria! We were thrilled that we finally found a solution. We felt like we were some sort of change-makers!

But after reading all the complaints posted on the forum, we were totally blank. So many people had filed complaints on the very same issue. The complaints dated back to 2009! That meant… the forum just got more complaints as the days passed but no action or measure was ever taken. Would our complaint make any difference at all? Or would it increase the number of posts in the forum alone? We understood that searching for a solution was such a waste of time. We went back with a heavy heart.

It was time for us to leave for work and I had to catch a bus which would never stop at the Maharani College bus stop.