Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Going Nuts!


Bengaluru is a city that will drive you nuts; if you are not from Bengaluru it’s difficult what you will associate with. But for a Bengalurean it’s all about everything, and one of those many things is the famous Kadalekai Parishe (Groundnut Fair) on Bull Temple Road.

Call it the demonetization effect the business looked dull and the heaps of groundnuts were less, but there was still a lot of glee and the touch of tradition attached to it. Puffed rice to beaten rice the vendors complained about less rains and note ban impacting their business and still hoped they will make their buck in 2-3 days of the fair.

Groundnut varieties from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh made way to the Kadalekai Parishe, roasted option was selling much faster as it was munching ready. Fruit Bowls, Pani Puri, Masala Papad, Sugar Cane, Boiled Corn, Sliced raw Mangoes, Cucumber and many more were lined up, but the Bombe Mittai and Cotton Candy seemed like hot pick as it brought back childhood memories for many, the parents were eagerly explaining the much amused children their favorites during their childhood.

What was the glaring and not palatable was the usage of plastic bags, as vendors packed groundnuts in the plastic bags the buyers seemed less concerned. An event like this brings in thousands of people from all over the city, a little effort from BBMP and local elected representatives to create awareness about plastic ban and to make Kadalekai Parishe eco-friendly would have gone a long way making it truly a great event.

Nevertheless, as evening passed the streets were filled with people, the main street and the cross roads turned colorful, with lights, noise and music. With people, food, toys, paintings, balloons, handicrafts and lots of groundnuts I lost track of time too.

Few hours and lots to capture through the lens, a fair like this needs more attention, it’s our heritage, our tradition, uniqueness of our city that needs to be celebrated, sadly very little has been done to showcase this event to the rest of the world. We boast of being ‘One State many Worlds’, but we do very little justice to that ‘many’.

Its time Cultural and Tourism department promotes Kadalekai Parishe as an event of the city that can give an opportunity to visitors to experience a different side of Bengaluru.  

Me & Jigna Modh enjoying our pick - Bombe Mittai

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Media Coverage of Nov 2016


Math Workbooks for Govt School Children






Learning made fun and easy, Math workbook were distributed to 335 students from 1st to 6th standard of Govt School Agara and 191 students from 2nd to 7th standard of Govt School Parangipalya. The workbooks sponsored by Syngene (a Biocon) as part of their CSR via BPAC & Civic Hub Ward 174, the objective of this initiative is to reach out to as many Govt Schools as possible across Bengaluru through Civic Hub Leaders who are working in various Wards on Civic initiatives. 

Each of the Govt School were audited few months ago and the interventions were planned in advance, some of these schools are also identified for Green & Safe School program.  

Civic Hub Leader Kavitha Reddy interacted with various schools to identify the synergies and gaps that can be bridged via initiatives of BPAC and CSR participation. 

Kavitha Reddy said, 'there is a lot more to do to improve the quality of education, along with the Govt even Citizen and Corporate participation can better the quality and also supply the required tools to make learning more effective'.