Articles by Arun Patre

The Indian Youth Climate Network (IYCN), a coalition uniting Indian youth and organisations concerned about climate change and 350.org, an international movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis present a day long set of events to take a stand on the International Day of Climate Action – today, October 24th.Check out the twitter feeds for live updates of all the happenings today. The event include gatherings at colleges , tree plantation drives, distribution of CFL bulbs and cloth bags, cycle rallies, electric car rallies and more. There will be a human formation of the number ‘350’…

Have you ever seen your grandmother or mother being possessive and nostalgic about their first Mysore silk saree? Just as today’s girls go ga-ga over a Swarovski, it was the Mysore silk saree which used to be considered an evergreen gift for a special occasion a few decades ago. It is no surprise that it has an interesting history as it was a thriving industry in itself in the state. Silk material and saris (Pic: Madhu Niranjan) The state sericulture industry saw successful highs in the past before it went down due to several reasons, including lack of technology upgrade…

International World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of fresh water and advocating for the sustainable management of fresh water resources. An international day to celebrate fresh water was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day. Infrequent BWSSB water supply. (Illustration: Madhu Ramaswamy) It is an irony that in Bangalore, water gets significantly more expensive the poorer you get. Water is a subsidized commodity for those who…

Soul revival, that's the feeling one was left with at the conclusion of the Biennial dance festival in Bangalore. The first festival in the city with contemporary dance as its theme, Biennial hopes to have two shows annually and justify its name! It was hosted by Attakalari, a trust formed in 1992 by artistes from different disciplines to have a platform for contemporary physical expressions in India. Attakalari Bienniale (pic: Arun Patre) The ten day dance festival (6th February-15th February) hosted shows of dance troupes from India and abroad at multiple locations in Bangalore which included the Chowdiah Hall, JSS…

Our last article on Bangalore's history talked about its electrification, the first city in Asia to be electrified. Continuing with our series on Bangalore's development, we will now see how a sleepy town was transformed into a robust city by industrialisation. Mysore Lamps factory at Yeshwantpur (pic: Gopal MS) The medium and large scale industries started to appear in Bangalore in the mid 19th century. We owe much of the origin of the Government Press (operated in Wesleyan Mission Society), which was the first one to start the trend in Bangalore, to Rev. J Garret. Later, he not only set…

Ever wondered why Bangalore has several firsts to its credit? Be it industrialisation, automation, machine-tools, aviation, aerospace-research, advanced studies, information technology, the city has been the Mecca for trying out developmental projects. It sure speaks of the progressive nature of its people and their innovative spirit. In a series of articles, Citizen Matters will try to cover the various innovations that the city has pioneered through recent history. Receiving Station, MG Road (pic: Gopal MS) Ask the citizens of Bangalore to name the city's biggest problem and they are sure to say either traffic and/or power cuts. They will surely…