Eureka!!

Election Commission, Karnataka has published in a website the draft voter list and hopes to publish the final voter list by 10th March. Hopefully, this site will help in updating the voter database. This site has been conceived and developed by some good citizens in the IT Sector. Kudos to them!!!

Frustrating!!!!

Today, by far I could say was the most frustrating half day of all in the recent past. The reason was I had to deal with some Government Officials on Election Duty of updating the Electoral Rolls. I had to get our names deleted from one place of residence and add it on in the list in another area where we live now though both the places are within the same ward, same Assembly Consituency. First to delete the names, the person on duty said, no your names are not there. But I have voted from there and so was sure our names were there in the list, so I sat down and searched the rolls and found our names at last. It took me an hour to do so. Then fill up the form to get the name deleted and get the acknowledgement. Then go to another place to add on the names in the rolls there. Here again, the exercise of filling in the form and as advised by the person officiating at the earlier centre, got a copy of my husband's passport for proof of address and went and submitted all our forms. The lady who was there at the Center was so haughty that she was screaming and shooing away everyone there. I waited for my turn and handed over the forms. She said that there were instructions that they were not to take passport copies which was truly frustrating. Information on this is not publicized widely enough. Anyways, I had a telephone bill which she said was perfectly all right as proof of address and handed over the same.

The lady behind the desk who was collecting the forms also let our a wail and started weeping and crying suddenly when one person asked her why the form he was handing over was not being accepted. She started saying, she is from some other department and this was not her work and that he should not ask her such questions. Come on!! Election duty is the duty towards your country. Towards ensuring your country remains a Democracy and you should be proud of it. I do not know why they post such people to do this work. Whether they get remunerated or not is besides the point here, (There is separate remuneration in addition to their regular salaries, howmuch ever it might be)it is about doing your bit for your country.

But this should be so frustrating an exercise for people who have to keep going up and down for things and also information as to what centre they have to go for adding/deleting names in Electoral Rolls. This should be made available to people. Though today, they say is the last day for this exercise, addition can be done till the date on which elections are announced. But bottomline, interacting and dealing such people is truly totally frustrating.

And I spent half a day doing, well, almost nothing. But achievement, Yes!! submitted the forms for deleting our names and also submitted the forms for adding our names in the list of voters in two different places. Now, have to patiently wait and see if the list is updated!

In the Software Capital of India, can this updating be done through computers or some online kiosks be set up to do the updating. Atleast in Bangalore? We have a long way to go!!

Smile and Drive

The expression on the faces of most drivers in India, well atleast in Bangalore is either a scowl or a grimace. We hardly find any drivers who smile. The reason for all this being the utter chaos on the roads with people jumping signals, lanes, honking incessantly and we all end up blaming our city and other road users for it.

What are some of the things that we can do to ensure calm on the roads and see to it that we are smiling drivers? Inter alia,One, follow traffic rules to the T, two, be caring towards our fellow drivers, three, dont jump lanes, four, dont honk unless necessary, fifthly, of all pedestrian pavement not to be used by two wheelers.

Check the "Smiling Drivers" who strive to make the roads a pleasant place to be on, to make the drivers smile as they drive and it is all about making Namma Bengaluru a better place to be in.

Visit their site and learn as to how this movement can be strengthened

Nann(mm)a Bengaluru

I am suddenly in a nostalgic mood...remembering the city as it used to be and the state it is in now..



I love Nanna Bengaluru very much. Bangalore has always been home though I have stayed in Bombay too for sometime and visited quite a few cities. Nothing to beat the charm of Bangalore. Much as I might crib about my city, it is more out of love for the city.

Those were the days I remember as a toddler we used to walk through M G Road to Cubbon Park. It was another story that my mother or father carried me most of the walk. I still vividly remember collecting the May Flowers strewn on the roadside pavements. The traffic, compared to today used to be next to nil then. Going to Bal Bhavan and going on the toy train, eating popcorn. I have relived all that again with my daughters though we have not walked on MG Road to Cubbon Park.

We used to go upto the top step of the Vidhana Soudha and peer inside through the sliding shutters and look in wonder at the painted roof and the chandeliers. Now all one can do is look at the marvel from the pavement. Well, security.. I can go on and on about Bangalore. Here is something about Bangalore.
When I read this, Oh yeah, Bangalore is definitely the best city. The phenomenal growth of the city has attracted many. However, political uncertainty seems to be putting people off too, per industry reports.

Climatically too, the "pensioners paradise" was very pleasant with nobody complaining about the heat, and most middle class houses did not need a fan. Now it is hard to see houses without air conditioners.

There are a lot of issues that I would like to mention here which I am saving for subsequent separate posts.

Whatever one may say, no other city (Call it frog in the well syndrome and I dont care) can beat the beauty of Bangalore. Well, it still IS the Garden City and can remain one if we strive to atleast keep it this way.

Pic - Me

Save Kannada and the Microsoft Connection

What is the connection between Kannada language, literature and Microsoft? The reports are that Microsoft has submitted a letter of intent to the Government of Karnataka (well, do we have one) to establish paperless offices. The opposers say that it is riddled with errors. They have started a Save Kannada Campaign. Is it save Kannada? Does Kannada need saving or is there an ulterior motive in just ensuring Microsoft doesnt do this project? The site itself seems riddled with contradictions

My question is, we have so many companies and agencies in India offering software solutions worldwide, cant we do what Microsoft has proposed to do?

ಕನ್ನಡ ರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವದ ಹಾರ್ಧಿಕ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು‌

BJP Rally

These were some sights witnessed in Bangalore on 31st October 2007 during the BJP Rally to pressurize the Governor to invite BJP-JD(S) combine to form the Government which put the traffic in total chaos. I was driving from MG Road towards Raj Bhavan where I asked a Policeman if I could drive past, he said sure madam, 'Democracy". If you can make space, you can drive by:)



This was near Minsk Square




On MG Road



Brisk business for some balloon vendors infront of Chinnaswamy Stadium


Infront of the Queens Statue, Cubbon Park, M G Road


Gathering for the Rally


Buses bringing supporters in hordes

Paan - The ubiquitous Spit

Paan or the betel leaf has a very important place in our society. Be it from offering it to the Gods or to offering to people after a sumptuous lunch or dinner it has its own significance. It is said to contain digestive properties and is also used as a mouth freshener.

These can be bought from any roadside dukaan. And we can find the spots or maps created by the paan chewers along every street, though it has considerably reduced in recent times. I remember in erst-while Bombay, the corners in staircases used to be the favourite places for paan-spitters and of late we see a lot of pictures of Gods or writings from holy scriptures to dissuade people from spitting.

In the City Civil Court Complex in Bangalore, all the walls are plastered with notices that anyone found spitting would be fined.

I found this site which has a good deal of info about paan.

This I picked from here
A simple Paan can be prepared in following way.

Betel leaf is washed carefully and then dried with cloth.
Mix spices such as cardamom, anise and katha with choona (lime paste), grated coconut, different kinds of supari (betel nuts) and small piece of various candies.
Add the mixture on the betel leaf.
Fold the leaf into a triangular shape and secure it by piercing a piece of cloves into it.
You can keep Paan fresh on ice with rose petals.


I have had a very bad experience with paan. When I was in School, I had participated in a parade of NCC,as is the practice, we were given our lunch and also on that day, in addition there was paan. I had eaten that and when we walked to Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore where the parade was to take place, I felt I was floating and felt extremely dizzy. It was my luck that it rained cats and dogs and hence the parade was cancelled. Imagine leading a contingent of floating and swaying cadets... I still cant fathom what was added in the paan and it gives me shudders to even think of that.

This episode was enough for me to stay away from paan totally, never to touch it except the once I tried it in Infantry Road's paan shop in the cellar of the Samarkhand complex recently. This Air-conditioned shop has a fine array of paan and lots of customers flocking in.

Graffiti

I have been wanting to blog for sometime, but due to time constraints ( I have been working for almost three weeks now without a break), could not even visit some blogs that I regularly frequent. Hope this kind of a hiatus doesnt happen anymore :)




On the 60th anniversary of our independence from the clutches of the colonial rule, it is imperative to ask and to assess how free are we today – to breathe clean and fresh air, to walk without severances in our own neighborhoods, to access drinkable water, to eat and live healthy and to choose our livelihood – in the city or village, we live in?

Are we becoming enslaved to an overpowering pursuit of globalization? - at the cost of destroying our local habitat and making it unlivable.




Can Bangalore leverage its advantages in research, IT and other technologies and its remarkable economic success to solve its problems – its unruly traffic; poor air quality and road safety; its dirty or disappearing lakes and ground water; and similar problems in managing its food supply chain, greenery, housing and land-use planning, electricity and waste ? Can it turn its impending crises on its head?

Building on its success as a Global Outsourcing hub, can Bangalore "upgrade" to become a Knowledge and Innovation Hub? Will Insourcing become Bangalore's new mantra?


Bangalore can leverage its advantages - in Research, IT/ITeS, Telecom, Bio-technology etc. - to solve multifarious problems of transport, air and water pollution, road safety, food supply, housing etc. At the same time, Bangalore can emerge as a national hub for IT-driven urban infrastructure and management and a global hub in the near future. For a city that has brought so much pride and glory to the country in recent times, can it rise up to the new challenges?

15 years of its glorious rise later, Bangalore's IT industry has tapped into a scarce pool of talent - engineers, graduates, post-grads and management professionals. Should it continue to primarily export all its services? Or should it contemplate developing solutions for the country beginning with Bangalore itself and self-regulate to commit 15-20% of its resources to the local needs, just as farmers are prohibited by law to export 100% of their produce even if agricultural produce prices become lucrative in the international market.

Just as the country would have a food crisis and millions would starve, export-oriented IT companies must realize how they are "crowding out" domestic market companies for skilled labour force, making it scarce or cost-prohibitive for companies which address local needs to hire good talent.

How do we gear up for a healthy and appreciating rupee that is close to its purchasing power parity and make it attractive to do business locally? In a remarkable way, a healthy domestic market will also provide a buffer for "outsourcing" export-oriented companies not to undercut each other on their billings to appropriate projects and upgrade to a new phase of Innovation-led growth.

As Bangalore introspects into its problems and develops pathbreaking solutions to become a truly world-class city, it can also package and export to rest of the world as its mantra to a new phase of growth and sustained profitability. This is what can be called - " Insourcing".



There is a seminar conducted on this in the Windsor Manor Sheraton on the 15th of this month from 3.30 PM. People interested in our city will find it interesting.

E-Judiciary

The sea change for the better being brought in with the computerization programme in the courts is laudable. Most of the courts, atleast in Bangalore are computerized and we can also check the status of different cases, cause lists, last action taken on a particular case etc online, though NIC does have a disclaimer which says it is not responsible for any wrong information.

The electronic display of cases in all the courts in the Karnataka High Court has also made life much more easier for us advocates to keep abreast of matters in different courts. The computerization in the different City Courts too is a tremendous effort in keeping up with the times and providing proper information to both advocates as well as the parties.

It is very heartening to read about the further computerization that is happening all over in the judiciary.

This is what President Abdul Kalam had to say....

"Our judicial system is dynamic and an institution which is throbbing with life catching up societal and technological evolution. As the ultimate protector of human rights and the final resort for dispensation of justice, the citizens of India look up to this institution with hope. Our Society is going through a unique dynamics due to the shortage of leadership with nobility. The only hope the nation cherishes and looks to is the judiciary with its excellence and impeccable integrity. We should do everything to make the judicial system succeed. It is said that a nation fails not because of economic progress but because of an increase in decision makers with small minds.

"This casts a very heavy responsibility on the entire judicial system to live up to the expectations reposed in it and to maintain the sacred aura attached to it unsullied. Qualities of honesty and integrity are synonymous with each member of the judicial system. e-judiciary will be an enabler in the realization of transparency, speed and equity in the judicial decision making process. With these words, I launch the Computerization of Courts by the Supreme Court of India. I am confident that with the effort taken, Indian model of e-judiciary can become the best in the world." (9 July 2007)

Interesting HR Practices

In today's Bangalore where software companies are still mushrooming by the hundreds, the HR in most software companies are trying their best to keep the employees within their brood and stem the attrition rate. The whole idea is that the HR is being quite innovative now a days to keep the employees motivated and though the companies grow multifold, they retain the personal touch.

It was very interesting to read that Aditi Technologies had brought in an elephant and the works on the day new employees were inducted into the company and they were welcomed within the fold by the application of tilak and the performance of aarti. The new recruits were really thrilled to be given such a royal welcome.

In iGate, the employees get together every monday for a music performance in which any employee interested can display their talent. This has become such a hit that the phrase "manic monday" does not exist for iGators.

Another company "Continuous Computing" takes a break from continuous computing at lunch time when the company switches off all lights and the employees relax and go to sleep in the office. Some of them also get their pillows, mattresses etc to have a good, undisturbed siesta for 45 minutes. Also the employees have different smileys which they display on their cabins as per their mood. If the employee has a weepy, then the grievance of that employee is taken care of. What with employees asked to sleep and clients instructed not to disturb the staff during the afternoon siesta :), one need not be surprised to find smiling smileys all around

Surely it seems like a dream working for these software companies. However, will these practices stem attrition? Will the employees be satisfied with what their employers dole out to them?

What a place!!!!

There are these small little tiny places strewn all around the city which dole out clean, tasty food from the usual traditional stuff that tingles one's taste buds to the really exotic ones which has us raising our brows in appreciation.

One such place I discovered when I went for my walk around the Malleswaram area is Sairam Juice and Chats on the 16th Cross somewhere between 6th and 8th Mains very close to MES College. I went back after the walk, drove to the place alongwith people from home.



They are very innovative with the chats there from Dahi Bhel to Nippat Masala to Chips Masala. And their churning out is so tasty that we were longing to eat more though we were full. It is all right I guess to sin once in a while. To top it, the people there are very friendly with pleasant faces and smiles that it is quite an experience though we have to stand on the pavement to eat (we sat in the car as it was drizzling). They are quite clean too. Bangaloreans should check out this place just like Veena Stores and Asha's in Malleswaram

Wishes for Sivaji

It was a surprise to see this hoarding wishing that the film Sivaji would run to a centenary (dont know what that means though.... 100 days??) infront of Cauvery Theatre which is showing Sivaji. Surprise to see Kannada fans pitching for a Tamil film. Is it the Rajnikanth-Bangalore connection? Or... well I smell something here :D

An Open letter...

After Bangalore, it is the turn of Tiruvananthapuram to ire the animal lovers. The CM's office is being barged by a flood of letters/mails.

OPEN LETTER TO THE CHIEF MINISTER OF KERALA -

chiefminister@kerala.gov.in


Mr.V.S. Achuthanandan,
Chief Minister,Kerala,
Government Secretariat,
Trivandrum 695001

Dear Sir,We are shocked and outraged by the savage and inhuman manner in which your Government and municipal corporations in your State have been killing stray dogs. Particularly revolting has been the role of the Trivandrum Corporation authorities who have been killing stray dogs with wanton and apparently pre-planned, savagery. What is absolutely unpardonable, an elderly British lady, Avis Lyons, who has set up an excellent animal shelter near Trivandrum and had been sterilizing and vaccinating stray dogs, was roughed up by your policemen when she came to intercede in a completely civilized and non-violent manner.

Should municipal and police authorities in your State deny these allegations, we are prepared to counter them with live video clips showing their obnoxious conduct.We would like to point out to you in this context that Article 51A(g) of the Constitution of India states that it shall be the fundamental duty of every citizen of India "to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life and have compassion for living creatures".

We, the undersigned, therefore, strongly urge upon you to take immediate steps to stop the killing of stray dogs, revert to the earlier practice of implementing Animal Birth Control (Dog) Rules 2001 and provide exemplary punishment to those guilty of roughing up Ms Lyons and inflicting unspeakable cruelty to innocent stray dogs, many of whom had been neutered and vaccinated against rabies.Hoping for immediate action

Yours sincerely

We had been reading that a number of children had been fatally mauled by dogs in Bangalore. However, my thought on this is, is sending the dog to the pound, the only solution to tackle this menace?

Proactive Bangalore Police?

Bangalore Traffic Police are advertising through their notices in the newspapers as well as hoardings across the city that they have fulfilled their early promises made through BTRAC.


They are harping on these-

1. The traffic information system: BTIS- This seems great. It has to be seen how thisis used by the cops in regulating traffic.

2.Putting up signage and lane markings is good. They have started doing it in certain roads with dedicated lanes to autorickshaws etc. But please, this dedicated lane to the autorickshaws..is it wise? I was driving on Saturday from near Minsk square alongside Chinnaswamy Stadium wanting to enter Lavelle Road. These auto drivers who were in their lane which is at the extreme left wanted to go to Kasturbha Road, and hence taking a right. It was utter confusion there with vehicles zig zagging across the road at the junction. My take on this is that the traffic police should do a rethink about this dedicated lane, or should regulate the traffic at such points. Some markings which are visible here and there seems good though,

3.Easy Auto - Sounds so good, hope it is true. We have all heard stories of auto rickshaw drivers fleecing people.

Hope enforcement too is as good with fine being imposed on the spot for traffic violations.

A Cobbler's Kiosk

Bangalore Mahanagara Palike or BMP had donated these kiosks to cobblers. One of them in disuse opposite Cauvery theatre near Sadashivanagar. No takers for this?


Picture - Rama