Head constable Manjunatha Swamy was declared the hero of April
For five years, Aruna and Rajesh had a free run snatching necklaces of women across Bangalore. But last week, they were apprehended by the HSR cops who recovered 20 necklaces from them. What’s more, Dr Isha Pant, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East), gave away chains to six people who had lost them to these thieves.
“They had committed 20 chain snatching incidents, including four in HSR Layout police limits, one in Koramangala, 1 in Begur, 3 in Tilaknagar and 4 in Rammurthy Nagar, among others,” said one police official. The star of this investigation was head constable Manjunatha Swamy, who was declared ‘Hero of April’ by the HSR cops.
The thieves were produced before the court on May 8. The other recovered necklaces will be handed over to the rightful owners after a court order ascertaining their ownership. Both the apprehended thieves were residents of Banaswadi and Kammanahalli respectively.
Recently, I came across something that I had never heard of before: a chance to lighten my day over a session of salt therapy at Salt World in HSR Layout. Upon entering, I sat on one of the chairs for a while, wondering what they would do. I saw a few packs of Himalayan salts on display and I thought: Will I get drenched while getting this done? If I did, how would I get back to the office? Are they going to scrub me with this salt? Will it hurt?
A pamphlet on the coffee table caught my eyes; I went through it and laughed to myself. Does this even work? What’s the point of having thirty sessions and going right back into all the dust and pollution? By the time these questions took over my head, a few more people arrived and I stopped myself and decided to experience it first.
Chamber of salts
Before the workshop began, we were given scrubs to wear over our hair and feet for hygiene reasons. Dr. Poornima Shetty, our advisor for the day led us to a room made of salt. It looked like Snow World at first glance with salty walls and floors. Honestly, I felt I had killed the vibe of the room a bit as I was the only one wearing green and not white. The room smelt like nothing, but I have to tell you I had a sick urge to taste the salt. However, I quickly told myself to focus and forget the urge. There were a few chairs but I picked the floor since it felt cooler. Dr. Shetty began her session about yoga and essential salts. I was familiar with yoga but Salt Therapy was something I was completely intrigued by. I was intrigued when she said they use “pharmaceutical grade” salt that is 100% pure Nacl (sodium chloride) that is used in saline sprays for nasal congestion since ages.
Dr Shetty spoke about how it is important to regulate and be aware of our breathing, and how most of us have forgotten to breathe the right way. Being a professional dancer, I knew how much difference just breathing right could do on stage. The doctor stressed on the importance of holding your back straight and how it is linked to various other bodily aspects. My dance teacher had also said that the way you hold your back can tell if you are a good dancer at first glance. Obviously breathing and posture made so much sense to yogis, musicians and dancers, but it’s often neglected by the others.
We had a small practice of five minutes where we were made to observe our breathing pattern and were asked to control it by inhaling deeply and exhaling even more deeply. We were then directed to a room where the therapy actually began. Salt particles were injected into the atmosphere by using a device called the halogenerator. And just seconds into the treatment, I knew I was starting to doze off. It felt even cooler than the previous room and made me feel as though I was in meditation almost instantly. I was aware of the minute salt particles hitting my skin and the smell of it was building up. I looked around and saw it wasn’t just me who was in a trance, but everyone else too. At that point, I didn’t know if this healed anything at all, but it just felt surreal. I fell asleep imagining what it would be like had our bedrooms and classrooms been like this. I remember waking up after about half-an-hour and feeling as though I was under a waterfall.
Time was up. I reluctantly got out of the room, removed the scrubs, put on my footwear and was ready to go. I knew I was coming back though; less salt in just food is not the only thing that I was going to complain about from now on. I want regular salt room sessions too!
Salt World No 1, Sri Chakra, 2nd Floor, 18th main, Behind Sai Baba Temple Phone: 99863-88677, 98801-03741. Website
There’s sewage in storm water drains of HSR Layout. Who is to blame? The BWSSB, the BBMP or the residents letting sewage into the drains that are supposed to only carry rainwater into the drains? The fact is that everyone is to be blamed for this. In addition, the desilting is done in a haphazard non-systematic manner. The debris cleared is left to dry. When there is another spell of rain, the debris is back into the drains, nullifying the previous effort to desilt the drains. When will the BBMP get its act together? Here is a video of one such drain in HSR Layout to give you an idea.
“We have been emphasizing this point on several occasions to the civic authorities but to no avail,” says resident RS Hiremath. “There is a large scale racket by the authorities who are allowing huge PGs and apartment blocks to simply let their sewage into storm water drains! The result is more mosquitoes, vector spread diseases, ground water contamination and stink, all at the cost of honest tax payers.”
The BBMP officials blame the BWSSB for not conducting due diligence of all the new properties that have come up in HSR Layout. “When people dig borewells, they don’t take Cauvery connection. In such cases, they illegally let the sewage into the stormwater drains,” said one BBMP official. “Usually, when anyone takes a water connection, they have to take sanitary connection also from the BWSSB.” However, the BWSSB is failing to keep a check on who has taken a sanitary connection and who has not. Since they have a readymade list, it’s easy to detect who is letting the sewage into the drains. Sources tell us that the BWSSB is to be blamed for the mess. It is the job of the inspectors to go through the lists, penalise the residents and ensure compliance.
There are stiff fines from both the BBMP and BWSSB on people who are letting sewage into the drains. If you know someone who is doing this, you can report to the BWSSB or the BBMP with a video or photographic proof.
Yesterday’s continuous rains have wrecked havoc in HSR Layout, leading to several residents suffering power breakdowns. This has led to water shortage too as the sump and borewell motors need electricity to transport water to the overhead tank. With BWSSB’s schedule being erratic, the residents were far more inconvenienced as they were getting Cauvery water but there was no electricity to send that supply to the storage tank.
According to Bescom officials, over a hundred complaints were registered overnight. Strong winds led to many tree falls and pole collapses across HSR Layout. This has led to outages across the neighbourhood, causing much agony to the residents. These pictures will convey the story better than any words would.
Bescom officials are doing their rounds of the neighbourhood to fix the faults. In other places, there was sparking in the transformers that had tripped the MCB’s. After fixing the sparking, the power is now back in several homes.
While Bescom officials claim that they have begun trimming the trees, fixing the leaning poles and errant transformers to be monsoon-ready, much more needs to be done to avoid the entire neighbourhood going dark for over 18 hours, like it happened in several parts of HSR Layout, including Sector 3, since 5pm yesterday.
Dry leaves on roads and footpaths are being swept on different days for different areas in HSR layout. Here is how it works, according to garbage supervisor for BBMP, Anil Benni: “It’s once a week for every road in HSR Layout,” he says. “The entire sweepers team is divided into two groups. They work five days a week between 10 am and 2 pm.
The areas covered are as follows for different days of the week:
Mondays = 6th sector & Freedom school area of 4th sector.
Tuesdays: 7th Sector Adigas backside, Guntoop, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar & NH Narayana hospital area in Sector 3.
Wednesdays & Sundays: The sweepers work half the day where they sweep all the main roads across all sectors up to 10am.
Thursdays: Parts of 7th sector & 3rd sector near Twin parks area.
Friday’s: Parts of 7th sector & 3rd sector near HSR Club.
Saturdays: 6th sector BBMP, Lawrence school backside, and right until 5th Main & 4th Sector Muneswara temple & Samarthanam school area.
If the debris is not being cleared for more than a week, you can call the following garbage supervisors to address the issue.
An unswept road on 15th B Main in Sector 3
In addition, if garbage collection is not proper in your area or road, these are the people who can address your issue. And remember, dry waste is picked every Saturday and Wednesday while wet/kitchen waste is on other days in Sectors 1, 3,4,5,6,7. For Sector 2, the dry and wet waste is collected together.
Recently, a group of residents launched ‘Desh Ke Liye’, a voter awareness video at a function in Oxford College, Sector 4, HSR Layout. The beautiful Swabhimaana Tree Park in Sector 3 played host to it. Watch the video and spread the good word as Bangalore goes to polls tomorrow.
Yes, you can stream it big, and you can make the theatre your home. Welcome to Binge Club where you can binge watch your favourite TV soaps, movies or sporting events in a group of 6. It’s your very own private mini theatre in HSR Layout, complete with Dolby Atmos sound and a 135-inch giant screen.
If movie-watching is not your thing, you can game on. There are movable, cozy seating arrangements for you like beanbags, sofas and couches, so you can be the boss of everything you survey. With an in-house canteen, you can eat whenever you want, even while you are viewing the latest show of Game of Thrones. It just costs Rs 750/hour for a group of upto 6 people. It’s an extra Rs 50 for every additional person, subject to the maximum limit of 15 people.
The best part of this is that you can rewatch, replay and rewind as you can decide your breaks and your content. Book your slot now. For more details, visit the BingeClub on 27th Main Road in Sector 1, HSR Layout.
Thinking what to do on a Saturday? Show up on the stage to
weave magic with your words. If you are a poetry enthusiast, this is the place
you would definitely love! Lokl HSR is coming up with the first poetry open mic
in this neighbourhood. Couple it with some amazing coffee and brew your way to
a remarkable Saturday evening. Are you from NIFT? Because they have some
amazing discounts running for you, guys and gals.
Are you having a really hectic week? Are you planning to
party on the weekends and wake up with a hangover? This place will help you
sail through the hangover with its jokes and some refreshing drinks. They will
help you beat the heat and make your Sunday remarkable with some breezy drinks
and choke-your-lungs-out-laughter. Unofficial dress code for the event: Pyjamas,
boxers or whatever you have. Bring your friends. They have special discounts
for NIFT students.
WORKSHOP: Watercolor Pencil
Sun, 14 Apr 11:00AM – 2:00PM
Studio Pepperfry
Rs 700
Watercolor is a painting method in which the paints are made
of pigments suspended in a water-based solution. Watercolor refers to both the
medium and the resulting art work. It is one of the most difficult mediums as
it is tough to cover up the mistakes in watercolour. However, it is one of the
fastest medium and the flowing nature of the colours give the perfect look to
the painting. This workshop is for beginners. They will majorly be using watercolour
pencils at this workshop. The techniques involved will be layering, blotting
and glazing. You are expected to bring all the materials. The artist would be
providing the required guidance. This enables you to pursue the art form at
home with ease & throughout your life. No prior knowledge of watercolour
painting is required. Take home: One beautiful watercolour painting. Medium:
Watercolor Pencils. Base: 300gsm Hot pressed paper or Chitrapat paper. Size: A4.
Trainer: Vidya Viswanath, a certified artist and teacher.
WORKSHOP: Personal Development
Sun, 14 Apr 4:00PM – 6:00PM
Krispy Kreme, 28, Sector 4, HSR Layout
Rs 500
Personal Development Training is to help individuals who are
looking to bring the required changes in them and ultimately transform their
own lives. There are many companies out there who charge a huge amount of fees
to coach/mentor someone and end of the day provide very less value or no value
at all. This event is to add value to people through life coaching at a nominal
fee of Rs 500. This event will help you to set personal and professional goals
that will give you the life you really want; identify your missing links which
are the major cause of your worry; get rid of the confused state if any; support
goal-setting, personal growth, and behaviour modification; achieve your goals
by improving different actions necessary to take control of future plans; lead
a life of freedom without worrying about the daily hustle which many mediocre
people do, and attain the millionaire mindset which will eventually change the
fortunes for you.
Poetry Open Mic
Sun, 14 Apr 6:00PM – 8:00PM
Blend with Benefits, 1153, 22nd Main Rd, Garden Layout, 1st
Sector, HSR Layout
Free
An open mic for all poets. So if you’re a poet, rapper or a comic
or just want to express your thoughts, you can grace this venue with your
presence. All individual performers will have 5 minutes to perform unless otherwise
agreed upon. The organisers do not provide support for backing tracks.
Drawing is the process of creating an image on a surface
with a tool that leaves marks on the surface. It’s an old, enduring art form
people have used for thousands of years. Some artists make quick, rough
drawings called sketches to figure out how to render accurate likenesses, get
details right, or work out composition. Come in the club, pour your heart in
the sketches along with the other enthusiastic artists like you. Get inspired
and be an inspiration to others by being a part of the sketch club. If you’re a
beginner, no problem at all there’s always time to start new things in life. So
come join us to learn something new,
make new friends. Open for all beginners and intermediates. Paper and
pencils will be provided.
WORKSHOP: Digital Marketing 101
Sun, 14 Apr 4:00PM – 6:00PM
GreenBubbles Startup Services, L-165, Sri Gayathri complex,
Near Bhagavathi Hospital, Service Road, Sector 6, HSR Layout
Rs 800
Digital Marketing is critical for businesses and its
importance is growing day by day. Be it selling your homemade cakes, a multi-million
property, a high-end software or anything else, digital marketing can make it
happen. Coverage: What is digital marketing and why is it important? Content
Creation, Content Dissemination, Identifying and defining your target audience,
and Mapping your digital marketing efforts to the customer’s buying journey
About the Anchor: Anupam Dasgupta is a senior sales &
marketing professional with 15 years of experience across marketing, business
planning, sales, presales, sales enablement, business consulting. IIM MBA with
executive level experience across start-ups and large firms. Recognized as Most
Influential Martech Leader at World Marketing Congress 2017 & 2018. Member
of Editorial Board for Airport Focus International Magazine, UK. Author of 2
novels, featured in Times of India, New Indian Express, The Hindu, Deccan
Chronicle for the same.
A free orientation class on how to crack IAS exam in the
first attempt by IAS exam expert. Why should you attend? There are many myths
prevailing in IAS exam preparation like
1- Only students from IITs can clear the exam
2- Students need to study 14-18 hours daily to clear the
exam
3- Everyone needs to read all NCERT books from 6th to 12th
students
4- Everyone needs to read multiple books to gain sufficient
knowledge.
5- It’s not easy to clear the IAS exam in the first attempt.
This session is a must for those who are planning to appear
in IAS Exam 2018, 2019 and 2020. Early guidance always works in ones favour to
steer away from any mistake a person might commit in his/her preparation.
This workshop is free of cost and at the end of the session,
students will be given full strategy in a hard-copy.
Despite repeated reminders and warnings, the BWSSB did not follow the schedule it had put out recently. The result was that several residents of HSR Layout protested today at the BWSSB office on 24th Main in Sector 2. They were answering to the protest call given by the Federation of HSR Layout Residents Welfare Association.
Shouting slogans of ‘Beke Beku, Neeru Beku’ (We want water), the residents registered their protest even while meeting the engineers in charge of this sub division. The BWSSB officials said that they cannot help the situation until June 2019 as there is a water shortage due to the summer season. However, they promised to provide water supply every alternate day after that. But the residents are not sure about that as the officials only said that they would look into providing water every alternate day from June onwards.
When the residents demanded that the BWSSB immediately resolve the issue of letting water arbitrarily and not following the schedule set by the BWSSB itself, the officials promised that they will let water every four days in April (it’s every five days right now).
All the sector-wise resident welfare associations were present at the protest and we could see about 150 members who had assembled to register their protest at the BWSSB office.
“Our demand was for every alternate day, but the BWSSB officials said that they will release water every four days in April, and every three days in May for now. In June-July, they said they will try to provide water every alternate day, but they were not categorical about it,” said HE Chandrashekar, secretary, Federation of HSR Layout Residents Welfare Association.
