We have some excellent news for you. Every year the Knight fellowships program at Stanford University awards eight international fellowships for journalism innovation. This year, one of the eight is our own newsmagazine’s co-founder, Subramaniam Vincent. Read the report.

Here is the latest news from Bengaluru, before we get into our stories:

• Amid the hue and cry of residents, BBMP and BDA carried out a demolition drive at Sarakki lake bed. As many as 78 illegal structures were demolished through the week.
• The Bengaluru traffic police have put forth a proposal to reverse the flow of traffic on Richmond Road and Residency Road in order to aid decongestion of traffic in the Central Business District.
• Bengaluru city police commissioner’s Twitter account got a feather on its cap, when it hit the mark of one lakh followers. On the occasion, the city police have announced of venturing into other social network apps like Whatsapp and Instagram too.
• Newly appointed Administrator to BBMP, Vijay Bhaskar in a recent meeting with Palike officials, has directed the officials to upload information related to all developmental work (completed, ongoing and yet to start) on the website for public view. He has also introduced a three-step mechanism to inspect completed work before the payment of bills to the contractors.
• India Biodiversity Portal has initiated the Neighbourhood Tree Campaign where groups of youngsters make a note of the number of trees, species and condition of the tree. The campaign is taking place in various parts of the city including Jayanagar, Hebbal and Whitefield.
• A 64-year-old woman was killed after she was moved down by a speeding BBMP garbage transportation truck on Akkipet main road near Chickpet.
• The bandh called by pro-Kannada organisations last Saturday was total, with vehicles remaining off the streets, and shops and malls remaining closed.

This week’s highlight: In pictures – Bengaluru, through the years…

Standing 108 metres above ground level, Utility Building was at one time Bangalore’s tallest building

Have you ever visualised how the cityscape has changed through the years? Here is a comparison between the Bengaluru of yore, when it went by several flattering sobriquets, and the Bengaluru of today, which seems to be bursting at the seams with its population of 10 million.

Here’s a look at Bangalore, through the years.

Also read: Bengaluru’s old buildings shine in first ever INTACH Heritage awards.

City News

BBMP election controversy has reached the final stage in the court of law. All eyes are set on the judgment. Read: High Court to pronounce judgment on BBMP election on April 24th.

Also read: HC stays declaration of BBMP election temporarily

Most BBMP councillors will not be able to contest election in their current ward under the new reservation rules. Read more: The list of old, draft and new reservation categories.

It costs Rs 337 per head (for a meal, tea and snacks) to feed the corporators and officials who attend BBMP meetings. And in the 150 council meetings that were held in the past five years, BBMP has spent Rs 1.6 Cr for food.

The High Court wants water channels to Bellandur and Agara lakes restored. Read the full report

The heroes among us

The anti-plastic awareness campaign kicks off. Pic: Sonika Jindal

A group of children from SJR Verity is changing the way people think about plastic with their anti-plastic awareness campaign. Read on and be inspired! Read: Children pave the way for a plastic-free Bengaluru.

Life changed for this man who wanted to end his life, when he fed a monkey at Lalbagh. Our intern, Rahul Ravi follows the monkey man of Lalbagh. Read: The main man for Lalbagh’s monkeys.

Though Earth Day is celebrated once a year, is one day enough to be conscious of our impact on our planet? To truly make a difference, one  must Celebrate every day as Earth Day!

Citizens speak

A man reported to be driving crazily and perhaps even hurting a cop, is chased and finally stopped. Then, in an instant, the crowd becomes a mob, and is on the verge of losing control. Ammu Joseph writes on the incident she witnessed. Read: “Please don’t beat him; let the cops take him to the police station”

Deepa Mohan cautions about a theft on the premises of a lake: Theft at Hebbal Lake in the morning

Leisure

This summer, plan a fun, educational schedule for your children. Inexpensive alternative options to summer camps beckon! Fun things to do with your children this summer

In case the theatre buffs among our readers have been busy the past week, check out Deepa Mohan’s reviews of the dramas: The Other Side of History and Bogola Charit Manas.

Events this week

• Bangalore International Centre is hosting a talk on Surrogate motherhood with Gita Aravamudan and Sonali Kusum this evening at 6 pm.
• Vijay Thiruvady will trace the individuals and institutions who were involved in the development of Bangalore as a Garden City at Greening of Bangalore,  a talk on April 24th at Bangalore International Centre.
• Short + Sweet, the annual theatre festival enters its semi-final round this weekend. Head to Alliance Francaise on April 24th and 25th for your dose of 10 minute plays.
• On International Dance Day 108 dancers will be performing non-stop from 10 am to 10 pm. Head to Alliance Francaise on April 26th to be a part of this dance-a-thon.
• Explore the supernatural with Shweta Taneja at the book reading of Cult of Chaos on April 26th at Humming Tree.
• Parents with children on summer vacation, here’s are the summer camps lined up in the city across April and May.

Click here for the complete list of events happening in Bengaluru.

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