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Spirituality tells us of our life being a journey of soul through the sea of time, and our body being a mere vehicle which drives us through. In case of our worldly possession of a vehicle like a car, we ensure regular maintenance, regular servicing. Do we care similarly for our body? Diabetes is fast emerging as an epidemic. Bangalore incidentally, has second highest number of people afflicted with diabetes, according to a recent Indian studies. Hyderabad leads the list. Every 10 seconds, a person dies of diabetes related illness. Interestingly, 50% of diabetics are unaware of their condition. Also,…

A survey conducted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Government of India, Prayas and UNICEF shows that out of 12,447 children in, 53% reported sexual abuse and 21% reported severe sexual abuse in 2007. File Illustration: Neetu Shahi.   Contrary to popular belief, recent reports say that 52% of boys fall prey to ravishing sexual appetites, compared to 47% percentage of girls. Understanding CSA What is child sexual abuse? Touching the genitals Violating the child's privacy Exposing children to adult sexuality Behavior involving penetration and Exploitation One adult abuses several children. So it is essential to ensure…

The Indian Christian Cemetery on Hosur Road has been the stage for some of my more memorable wildlife moments in Bangalore; readers will be familiar with my encounter with a Praying Mantis going about its daily life. While I was waiting for the drama with the mantis to unfold I also noticed a lot of bird activity in the tree under which I had taken shelter. And during the long pauses that I encountered with the mantis, I kept myself busy observing the birds. Among the birds that I saw was a personal favorite - The Great Tit.  Pic: Vikram…

200 Suncity residents, an apartment community in south Bengaluru,  held a meeting on April 9th to remind the builders Corporate Leisure and Property development (CLDP) about the forgotten promises regarding ownership of common areas, maintenance fees and amenities. The project was launched by CLPD in 2003 with promises to provide various amenities such as club house / party hall/ swimming pool. It has nearly been 7 years and the project is still not complete and there are various other outstanding issues that current residents are facing. Suncity aprtment owners raising their voices. Pic: SAOA Though initially we had planned for a…

30 vendors, including ten women protested overnight (apr 7) at the BBMP office. They were told that the Mayor will meet them on April 8th at 3 pm. On April 7th, more than 400 street vendors from all parts of Bangalore city, under the banner Beedhi Vyapparigala Hakkotaya Andolana, began an indefinite sit-in at the BBMP Head Office. The organisations that participated in the protest today, included Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (Ambedkar Vada), National Alliance of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), Bridge network, Maraa, Sangama, Samara, Garment and Textile Workers Union (GATWU), People's Democratic Front(PDF),…

We Move Theatre, a drama group based in Bangalore staged their play ‘Namma Metro' at the Seva Sadan auditorium in Malleswaram at 7 pm on 12th March. The play was said to be about life in Bangalore, a city that has changed rapidly due to globalisation but still has a little bit of the old world left in it. Over a hundred people comprising a mix of all age groups had gathered in the stuffy auditorium despite the ongoing cricket world cup. From left to right - Rahim, Suresh, Communist Muduka and Rohini engaging in a discussion. Pic: Yougraj S…

500 Tibetans from Bengaluru held a candle light vigil at Gandhi Square on February 4th evening to protest the media speculation about Karmapa, and hurting the sentiments of all the Buddhists. Tibetan students in Bangalore light candles to say Karmapa lama is not a Chinese spy "Last week, the police raid found a few million rupees in the form of dollar, Yuan and two other dozens of currencies from the transit residence of H.H. the 17th Karmapa, at Sidharpur in Dharamashala, and the Indian government is suspecting him as a Chinese spy, and even the national media reported Karmapa, a…

Terming 'wholesale' construction of flyovers and underpasses and widening roads as ineffective, Praveen Sood, IPS, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) said that following rules while driving using public transportation is a better way to handle the traffic woes of Bangalore. Sood was speaking as part of a talk on 'Role of citizens in traffic management' at the  Rastrothana Hall in 5th Block Jayanagar. RWAs can play active role in checking illegal parking. Pic: Yograj S Mudalgi 'Road discipline and etiquette key to regulating traffic' Sood lamented on the lack of discipline among drivers of motor vehicles in the city. "We…

Citizen Matters and Just Femme organised a panel discussion on 'Making Bengaluru women-friendly' at the pEtE Maatu film festival last weekend. At the discussion, panelists engaged the audience with passion and assertion. Cutting across view points, almost all panelists laced their words with their own experiences and that made the entire interaction real and on the ground, as opposed an academic dialogue. However one issue that did emerge and did not get enough attention was the gap between the author panelist C K Meena and fellow panelists Deepika Nagabushan and Siri Srinivas. Deepika and Siri are youngsters in their twenties.…

The Rotary Bangalore IT Corridor released the winners in all sections of the Bangalore Midnight Marathon (BMM) on December 12th, Sunday evening. BMM 2010 was held Dec 11th midnight to early hours of Dec 12th. The awards function has been scheduled for 19th Dec from 11am onwards at Fortune Select Trinity Hotel, Whitefield.  Full marathon Men 1. Tsegay Hiluf     (Ethopia)       2:26:40    (Chest No. 123)   Rs.50,000 2. Yashewas Abet  (Ethopia)     2:27: 22   (Chest No. 122)     Rs.25,000 3. Bhaskar Kamble (India)          2:27:57    (Chest No. 118)  Rs.15,000 Women 1. Meher D'Mello          4:20:44    (Chest No. 075)  Rs.50,000 2. Dr. Amrita Mitra Basu 4:31:25   (Chest No.…