By Anuksha Dey Criminal Lawyer turned environmental activist from Gujarat, Rupal Ralph has dedicated the last five years of her life to improving the lives of people in Bellandur. Rupal moved to Bengaluru from Gujarat in 2007 and was appalled by the condition of the roads, the garbage black spots and the polluted Bellandur lake. … Read more
By Chandrima Mazumdar From working in IT to becoming a champion of sustainable environment, Sarjapur Road resident Malini Parmar’s life is nothing short of an inspiration. The co-founder of Stonesoup is also part of the Solid Waste Management Round Table (SWMRT), 2bin1bag campaign (waste segregation), Bangalore Eco team (known for its campaign against plastic), Swacchagraha … Read more
By Aratrika Dey This pandemic saw the championing of the Stop India Spitting campaign, a national movement led by the citizens of Beautiful Bengaluru (also known as Beautiful Bharat nationwide). Established in 2015 and spearheaded by Bellandur resident Odette Katrak, a behaviour change professional, writer and changemaker, Beautiful Bengaluru is a voluntary citizens’ initiative working … Read more
By Anuksha Dey Mahadevpura Parisara Samrakshane Mattu Abhivrudhi Samiti (Mapsas), a citizen-driven organisation, is about to enter its 10th year of looking after and reviving Bangalore’s lakes and reservoirs. The organisation has been working closely with BBMP and the residents around Soul Kere, Kaikondrahalli Kere, Kasavanahalli Kere, Lower Ambalipura Lake and Devarabisanahalli to maintain the … Read more
By Zahid H Javali Kishori Mudaliar is a changemaker wearing many hats. She is the founder of Bellandur Jothege Foundation, a civil society organisation focussed on developing Bellandur, particularly pedestrianization. A communications and PR consultant by profession, Kishori is an electronics engineer by qualification, besides being a summertime Bharatanatyam dance teacher. Born in Mumbai, she … Read more
By Zahid H Javali Vinod Kartavya (36), a technical officer at Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and his team of concerned citizens, is on a mission to rid the city of nails from trees. After he got hurt while leaning on a tree, Kartavya, has been removing nails from trees with fellow citizens every … Read more
By Aratrika Dey ‘Nandi’ as he has been endearingly named, was rescued by the residents of HSR Layout. On November 26, resident Prabha Bhaktaram found him bleeding profusely around his head. It was right in front of her house in Sector 4, and she immediately took action. “I started making calls to CUPA (Compassion Unlimited … Read more
By Zahid H Javali Chetana Kulkarni (39), the co-founder of The Birth Home in JP Nagar, is on a mission. The resident of Indiranagar believes in natural birth and family-centred care to be her life’s focus. Though qualified as an engineer, midwifery has become her life’s calling in the last 15 months in Bengaluru. While … Read more
By Aratrika Dey Bengaluru boy, top-class batsman for Karnataka, your next-door neighbour (if you’re from HSR Layout), and now Chairman of the men’s state Senior and U-23 selection committees, Fazal R Khaleel has had quite the journey in the world of cricket. The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) announced early this year that Khaleel replaced … Read more
By Aratrika Dey The other day, Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC) member Raghavendra Poojari tweeted that he and a group of friends single-handedly removed 383 nails and over 2000 stapler pins stuck to a peepal tree near Vijayanagar bus stand… there are still many more to be removed. “Every time I went on morning walks … Read more
By Aratrika Dey The real India resides in the villages. Just three hours drive from Bengaluru stands Melukote where one organisation has been applying Gandhian principles to create an equitable society and promote sustainable living. From rehabilitating abandoned children, sustaining livelihoods of dozens of families, educating the local children and adults, and restoring local forests, … Read more
By Anshu Vyas Seetharaman COVID-19 has brought spirituality back into our lives, and yoga is one such form. Pranayama is made of two words: ‘Prana’ and ‘ayama’. Prana is the life force; it is more than just the breath. Ayama is to regulate. Pranayama means to regulate breathing, which is the life force. It is … Read more