Articles by Deepa Vaishnavi V M

There are cubes and cylinders here. But this is no maths class. There are bugs and a big scorpion too, yet this is no forest. Buddha and Christ almost facing each other, not in any place of worship though. This is Bengaluru’s most famous cake show, that happens at St Joseph’s Grounds every year, in this season. If you are a Bengalurean or have been here for a couple of Christmas seasons now, chances are that you would have visited this show. It was sheer chance that saw me near the gates of St. Joseph's School on a Thursday evening…

For many years now Sarvesh (name changed) has been living in a kind of emotional seesaw that makes him swing like a pendulum between deep depression and manic excitement. He is afflicted with Bipolar Affective Disorder (BPAD) and life has not been easy for him or his family members. The latter have however accepted his condition and are supportive. Stated in simple terms, BPAD is a psychiatric disorder that makes it very difficult for people to control their mood swings. Medication is an essential part of the treatment. How did it begin for Sarvesh? 13 years ago, as an alcoholic,…

Namma Bengaluru has been going through rapid transition these past couple of decades. From a sleepy pensioner's paradise, it has morphed into a bustling metropolis causing and caused by the city’s neighbourhoods growing, changing and evolving. Yet, each locality, each neighbourhood has many stories to tell – it could be of the park that was built over five decades ago or of the place where authors of the city would meet to chat or of the place so far off that autos would charge 1 ½ times the metre rate to go there. There are so many stories that these…

On Saturday, February 18th, Prof. Rajeev Gowda, Member of Parliament, spoke on ‘The Regulation of Risk’ at the Beyond Carlton Annual Memorial Lecture. The Carlton Towers Fire on February 23 2010 claimed nine lives and injured over 60 people. Family members of those affected by this accident got together to form Beyond Carlton which focuses on advocacy, accountability and creating awareness about the hazards of fire accidents in India. For the past few years, Beyond Carlton has been conducting an annual Memorial Lecture in February. Speakers in the past have included the likes of Swati Ramanathan, Co-founder Janaagraha;  R.A.Venkitachalam, Managing…

Lalbagh has been conducting Flower Shows twice a year - during the period preceding Republic Day (26 January) and Independence Day (15 August) - for many decades now. The theme for this year's flower show is the Mahamastakabhisheha of Gomateshwara, an event that is held once every 12 years, and is scheduled to be held between 17 and 25 February this year at Shravanabelagola (http://mahamasthakabhisheka.com). The 57-feet tall monolithic statue of Lord Bahubali consecrated during the 10th century is considered one of the seven wonders of India. In addition to a replica of the Gomata, the flower show also has…

Nearly a kilometre of a busy road blocked for transport an entire day in Bengaluru! And there are thousands of people if not lakhs, who do not mind that - they look forward to it, in fact. Barring the residents of the said road, of course :-). Sounds surprising? Not if you have been in Bengaluru during the first Sunday of January these past decade and half. This is the day reserved for the renowned Chitra Santhe organised by the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath. The 15th edition of the Chitra Santhe (Painting Fair) was held on Kumara Krupa road whose both…

It is that time of the year again. Of Devi puja, and bombe habba. Of Garbha and Sindhoor Khela. Of celebration and food. I was a 11-year-old in the steel city of Vizag when I first experienced Durga Puja celebrated the Bengali way. For a Kannada / Tamizh speaking girl used to dolls being arranged in homes during Navaratri (and being prodded in the back to sing a carnatic song while visiting others’ homes for Golu), the community celebration of Durga Puja was a revelation. During the next few years of my stay there, my friends and I learnt to…

Citizen Matters and ApartmentADDA invite citizens of Bengaluru to submit articles on the topic “If I were the Bengaluru Mayor”. Entries can be in Kannada or English and between 800 to 1200 words. The best entry in each language has a chance to win a cash prize of Rs 10,000, sponsored by ApartmentADDA. The contest, which is open to all citizens above 15 years, is an opportunity for participants to articulate their vision for Bengaluru, and a plan that they’d execute if they were the mayor. The contest encourages Bengalureans to think on and engage with issues of importance to…

Saturday (10 June 2017) morning saw me at the Kengeri railway station. I was there to see the Science Express - Climate Action Special. This was a special train exhibition that had reached Kengeri the previous day after a 3-day halt at Whitefield. The first thing that met my eyes was a queue that appeared to be almost never ending, especially as it was a serpentine queue spanning at least 2 platforms and an overhead bridge. This was something I had not expected. In my naivety (or should I say arrogance as I had believed that not many would be…

February 23, 2016 marked the 6th anniversary of the Carlton Towers fire accident which claimed the lives of nine people and saw over 60 being injured. A function to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the Carlton fire accident was held on Saturday, 27 February 2016, at St. Joseph’s College of Commerce Auditorium. Justice Santosh Hegde was the speaker of this year’s Beyond Carlton Memorial Lecture. Since its inception a few years ago, Swati Ramanathan - Co-founder Janagraha, R A Venkitachalam - MD Underwriters Laboratories, Rajeev Chandrasekhar - MP, and V Ravichandar - Civic Evangelist, have spoken on topics relating to…