People

Want to be a corporator of your ward? Citizen groups want to help you!

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politics
Want to be a corporator of your ward? Citizen groups want to help you! 1

The residents are fed up of the immoral, greedy and illiterate politicians hogging the landscape and want to do something. They want to nominate people within their areas who are doing great work selflessly to become their next corporator and MLA. That is the only way things can get done in a systematic way, according to them. Towards this end, many such pan-Bangalore organisations are coming together in Bengaluru and HSR Layout, like the Bangalore Apartments’ Federation (BAF), Citizens Action Forum (CAF), Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB), Whitefield Rising, and Pothole Raja, among others.

The underlying idea is that the city’s infrastructure and civic amenities are being improved in tandem with the rapid growth of the city. The system is broken and no political party has the right people, particularly the corporators, who can make their wards the perfect models for the rest of the country.

If you have it in you or want to support such selfless individuals from within your area/ward/region, don’t miss this evening’s event in HSR Layout. It could change your life.

“We have decided that enough is enough and want to bring good people to contest elections and participate in governance!” says the collective’s press release. “

WHEN AND WHERE?

The meeting is at 4.30pm today (Nov 2), at the Club House of Nagarjuna Greenridge Apartment off 19th Main in Sector 2, HSR Layout. Attending this meetup will not only give you a detailed perspective on what the collective organisations have in mind, but also helps you choose the best candidates and manifesto for the HSR Layout ward.

Be there, if you want to make a difference. If you don’t want to stand for elections, you can support the right candidate monetarily or otherwise. If nothing else, you will understand how activism and electioneering works. It’s a good crash course in developing a civic conscience.

Join citizens’ yatra for the constitution from Bengaluru to Bidar from Nov 26-Dec 11

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yatra for constitution
Join citizens' yatra for the constitution from Bengaluru to Bidar from Nov 26-Dec 11 2
Join citizens' yatra for the constitution from Bengaluru to Bidar from Nov 26-Dec 11 3
Mountaineers and environmentalists Kavitha Reddy and Jigna Modh

Walk, run, and cycle for the constitution. Two city mountaineers and environmentalists, Kavitha Reddy and Jigna Modh, are calling everyone to join them in their ‘Yatra for Constitution’. The idea is to not only commemorate 70 years of the constitution’s existence but also to ensure that it’s sanctity is maintained. The Bengaluru to Bidar journey of 700 kilometres will cover 10 districts in 16 days. The flag off is on November 26 at 7am from HSR Layout. The funds raised during this initiative will go towards the conservation of lakes and the environment through the NGO, Kaagaz Foundation. Anyone from Karnataka can join this yatra.


For both these residents, it’s a journey of a lifetime. “November 26, 1949 is when India got its constitution penned by Dr BR Ambedkar,” says Jigna Modh. “It’s time to reaffirm our faith in it and stay committed to the holy book that we the people of India have adopted.”


The yatra’s agenda is make this aware to citizens, especially youngsters about the fundamental rights and duties that the constitution has bestowed on us and the need to stay committed to it and celebrate it.


“As our commitment to Article 51A (g), we are raising funds for the conservation of lakes and the environment,” says Reddy. “This is a self-funded journey, therefore all the funds we raise will go to the cause we are working for, and additionally will plant a sapling enroute for every Rs 1000 we raise.”


Their goal is to raise over Rs 10 lakh. If we believe in the cause, you can donate right now and help them with their journey in spirit. About 15 people have already confirmed their participation. People will join the yatra and leave as they see fit. At various places, an event will be organised by NGOs. The organisers are expecting about 50-60 people to be part of their journey, even if they are not with them from start to finish. Importantly, whoever joins them can raise funds for their own causes that align with Article 51A (g) of the constitution.

 

For more details, call 96865-59418.

Aamir Khan’s real-life Phunsukh Wangdu will be in the neighbourhood this weekend!

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sonam wangchuk phansukh wangdu
Aamir Khan's real-life Phunsukh Wangdu will be in the neighbourhood this weekend! 4
Aamir Khan's real-life Phunsukh Wangdu will be in the neighbourhood this weekend! 5


Innovator and educationist Sonam Wangchuk, the real life Phunsukh Wangdu of Aamir Khan-starrer ‘3 Idiots’ will be in town this weekend. Catch him at the Bhoomi International Conference whose theme is ‘In Search of Wellbeing’.

Sonam is just one among 15 pioneers and practitioners (see the image above) who are coming to inspire and motivate you. Make the most of this two-day affair from Sept 28-29 at Koramangala’s Satya Sai Convention Centre.

Some of the topics that educators and parents can listen in would include issues like climate change, safe food, economics, education and sustainability.

Be part of this enriching and meaningful conference. Take your kids along.

Register here.


Walkathon 5K
Closer home, NH Narayana Hospital is organising this run this Sunday (Sept 29) at 6am. If you want to walk for a healthy heart, this is what you should on your day off from work.

The location is the hospital in Sector 3 opposite HSR Club off 22nd Cross, 18th Main. Register now by calling 88849-49797 or 95139-65190. This event is organised to commemorate World Heart Day that falls on Sept 29. It’s all for the heart. Be there.

A Cycle Day in every sector. Interested?

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cycle day hsr layout


Cycle Day completed five years last Sunday. While the event stopped in April 2019 due to new legal requirements, the video above is a chronicle of the events in the past.

However, Cycle Day can now happen in every Sector of HSR Layout. In the new format, the organisers require a partnership with an NGO or RWA to conduct future events.

If anybody is interested, they can Whatsapp Shashidhar Kumaraswamy at 99720-20900. “If all RWAs come forward, we can have a Cycle Day every Sunday in their locality,” he says. 

74-year-old goes missing in Sector 2; found the next day by auto driver

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found hsr layout
74-year-old goes missing in Sector 2; found the next day by auto driver 6

 

Software engineer Ananth (42) is relieved to find that his father who went missing on the evening of August 27 was found the next night. He is indeed fortunate as several missing persons vanish for days before being found or never found at all.

His father Selvadurai left his home in Sector 2 to go for a walk and never returned last Tuesday. A missing complaint was lodged the next day. The same day, an auto driver found him lying on the footpath near Forum mall in Koramangala. He later admitted him to St John’s hospital where he is being treated.

However, Selvadurai has no recollection of the incident and how he came to be at Forum. “The CCTV footage showed five people surrounding my father on the footpath. The auto driver said that the people asked him to take my father to the hospital. We have to go by his word as my father is unable to remember anything about it,” Ananth told Residents Watch.

 

Resident nominated for international honour for environmental-friendly activism

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smita kulkarni hsr layout
Resident nominated for international honour for environmental-friendly activism 7
Resident nominated for international honour for environmental-friendly activism 8

 

Smita Kulkarni, a resident of HSR Layout until last year and now the inhabitant of Whitefield, is nominated for the coveted REX Karmaveer Global Fellowship and Karmaveer Chakra award. The honour is given by iCONGO in association with the United Nations. Smita is not only part of Whitefield Rising, one of the most proactive residents welfare associations in Bangalore but also a member of Swachh Doddanekundi.

According to the REX organisers, the recognition is for “champions of change who make a difference in our society with their ideas for action to be the change and REXchange mindsets by walking the path less trodden.”

The growth mindset of Smita lies in her anti-plastic campaigning she began in HSR Layout. To add to the environment-friendly gestures, she began selling cloth bags to dissuade people from using disposable plastic covers and bags. In addition, she campaigned for sustainable menstruation and sold products like reusable menstrual cups.

Smita is now recognised as an “architect of the RIGHT every WRONG, Karmaveer, REX Swacch Bharat Mission and the Joy of Giving initiatives”. The award will be announced and given away on November 25-27, 2019. We wish Smita all the luck.

Sector 5 businessman goes missing in Coimbatore!

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Sector 5 businessman goes missing in Coimbatore! 9
Sector 5 businessman goes missing in Coimbatore! 10

 

Another curious ‘missing person’ case was reported in the neighbourhood recently. According to software engineer Shwetha M (name changed on request), the 39-year-old wife of Shashank K (name changed on request), he left their Sector 5 home on June 16, 2019 for business.

Once he reached Coimbatore, he called her from there on June 18, 2019 to tell her that he’s coming back to HSR Layout on June 19, 2019. However, subsequent calls made to him by her did not yield any results as the phone was switched off.

Sensing danger, the wife has filed a ‘missing person’ complaint with HSR police on June 24, 2019. However, it has now transpired that he left home as he was depressed due to his financial condition. He owed money to many people and did not know how to repay them. It is also said that many people cheated him out of his money. So he’s purposely hiding from everyone, according to family sources.

 

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14-year-old goes missing; 42nd day of searching continues!

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14-year-old goes missing; 42nd day of searching continues! 11
14-year-old goes missing; 42nd day of searching continues! 12
14-year-old goes missing; 42nd day of searching continues! 13

 

Parents and guardians, be warned. Kids need to be handled with extreme care. Anything too stern and you could lose your sleep over them, and perhaps even lose them forever. This is precisely what has happened with 46-year-old Sundar, a resident of Sector 2.

 

Sundar, the father of Dhanush Deepak, a 14-year-old male, is searching for him ever since he went missing on the night of June 2, 2019. The kid is conversant in Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and English and is 4.5 feet tall. He was last seen in a sky blue shirt and cream colour pant.


Right now, Dhanush’s family members are looking for him in Anekal. They are also planning to visit Haveri as they have some relatives over there.
Says Sundar: “We are not able to eat ever since he left. His mother is a nervous wreck. Even earlier, he had got upset when we asked him to eat home food, but he had come back the next day. But now, he hasn’t come back yet.”


What went wrong on the fateful night? “We just told him to stop behaving in a manner that will bring disgrace to the family. He took it to heart and left home.”

 

If you spot this child, you can call Sundar at 96633-44478 or 99011-11237.

 

Support Community Journalism

For over seven years, Residents Watch has given information you can use and also news that created an impact on ground worth lakhs and crores. Now, we want to continue this endeavour further by no longer relying on advertising alone for sustenance with citizen-funded journalism. Please help us to help you: Donate. Click here to know more.

Residents fill up potholes by themselves; shame on you, BBMP!

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Residents fill up potholes by themselves; shame on you, BBMP! 14
Residents fill up potholes by themselves; shame on you, BBMP! 15
Residents fill up potholes by themselves; shame on you, BBMP! 16
Residents fill up potholes by themselves; shame on you, BBMP! 17
Residents fill up potholes by themselves; shame on you, BBMP! 18
Residents fill up potholes by themselves; shame on you, BBMP! 19
Residents fill up potholes by themselves; shame on you, BBMP! 20

 

When the going is tough, the tough get going. And that’s what has precisely happened last weekend from Vibgyor school to Somasandrapalya Main Road. When the BBMP turned a blind eye to the gaping potholes on this stretch, the residents pooled in the money to fill them up with their own funds.

Says Vilas Deshmukh of Harluru Somasandrapalya Residents Welfare Association: “This is a public-funded pothole filling project with major contributions coming from Navayuga, a small-scale construction firm whose proprietors – Nagarjuna and Narasimha – are residents of this area. The rest of the monies came from the volunteers of our road group.”

The residents spent around Rs 25,000 to fix the roads last week in addition to sweating it all out while the work was being executed. “The work is still pending and we will continue on the coming Saturday as we need to complete it right up to Chinmaya school. So far, we completed from Vibgyor school to ND Oliva apartment complex.”

‘Corporator was of no help’

When the residents approached HSR Layout corporator (Ward 174) Gurumurthy Reddy, he was of no help to them. “The potholes were in this state for the last eight months and only getting worse whenever it rained, causing many issues to school kids, office goers and the elderly,” says Vilas. “But our request to the authorities and the local corporator went unheard.”

About 20 volunteers managed the work from 10 pm on Saturday night (June 8) till 4 am on Sunday morning, including the diversion and management of traffic to protect the concrete filling. The residents involved included Ramakrishna Reddy, Rajesh, Srinivas Rajesh, Prasad, Durga, Kunal, Subbu, and many kids, among others.

Will this act shame the authorities and prompt them to do a thorough job of fixing all the potholes in the HSR ward remains to be seen.