Latest news with #Bangaloreans
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
41st anniversary of The Times of India, Bengaluru: Welcome to walkaluru; a walkable city is not just a ‘nice-to-have' idea to be discussed in conferences, it's a basic need
It was a typical chilly Bengaluru summer morning in May 2005 as I welcomed 15 sceptical Bangaloreans on the first Victorian Bangalore Walk on M G Road. They walked for three hours on a road they all thought they knew, and the unfiltered joy of discovery they expressed all along the way (OMG, I didn't know that!) convinced me that I was on to something special here. Anniversaries are a time to reflect and that walk 20 years ago was a life-changing moment for me, and dare I say, for the concept of walking tours in my wonderful city. I had just quit my corporate job and decided to do a startup by becoming a walking tour guide full-time. This was seen as a lunatic idea, especially in a city like Bengaluru, where, as everyone knows, 'there is nothing to see' and 'where is the place to walk?' I had been running and walking the city's streets for years, and I always felt that the best way to explore a city is on foot. I was considered crazy then. Twenty years later, I see that there are multiple options for walking tours on varied themes (from heritage to food to nature to whatnot), and exploring on foot is not only going mainstream, but also acknowledged as perhaps the best way to experience the city. I couldn't be happier. We forget how our sleepy little town has changed in 20 years. The city's first mall (Forum) opened in 2004 (yes, that recently!) while ORR was still being built through the rural countryside of coconut plantations and ragi fields, with a few tech parks popping up on ancient lake beds (Manyata 2001, EGL 2004), and the city's first international air connection (Lufthansa from Frankfurt) suddenly making namma ooru the international gateway to 21st-century India. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru And just like the city exploded and embraced global business practices and trends, I found there were lots of takers for my 7am weekend morning walks – from die-hard locals to recent immigrants to those who had just landed at 3am on their first-ever visit to India! And when the audience is global and diverse, the content and delivery standards need to be global, and I soon found myself becoming a cultural ambassador for my beloved city. It's not so much about hyperlocal stories like the best dosa in town, it's more about how Bengaluru rose to become a tech powerhouse and its role in shaping and being shaped by global events over the centuries. As Bengaluru became the showcase for a new India, the period from 2005–2010 was boomtime for software companies, hotels, and anyone hitching their wagon to the rising BLR star. And with the boom came the political and diplomatic visits, endless delegations of business visitors, and an entirely new set of people who wanted to understand India, in Bengaluru. And as there is 'nothing to see' in Bengaluru (no Taj Mahal, no elephants, no 'touristy' spots), the need for storytellers and quality curated city walks and tours skyrocketed. Being one of the few tour guides in town and being in the right city at the right time, I was fortunate to host the who's who of the global business world on my walk and got a ringside view of how my city welcomed and wowed those who came. And with it came the realisation that our entire tourism industry focused on keeping visitors 'inside' hotels, 'inside' cars and gated communities, and far away from the madding crowds and filthy broken footpaths. I was determined to change this – by literally walking the talk. No part of the city was offlimits, no delegation too VVIP to be made to walk the streets. Things have come a long way. During G-20, Bengaluru hosted more than 15 high-powered international delegations, and I worked extensively with the govt to design short walks and visits showcasing our city. And it is only when decision makers in govt step out of their cars and offices and go out and walk, and experience a city on foot, does the realisation dawn that a walkable city is not just a 'nice-to-have' idea to be discussed in conferences, it is a basic need of the city that can have huge second-order benefits. We have worked hard to make our tech parks 'world-class' and succeeded, and now that the world is here, how about making the public areas outside our tech parks walkable! Sounds like a crazy idea today, doesn't it, but stranger things have happened. On a visit to Europe, I found their cities highly walkable, and most of their cultural infrastructure – from walking tours to museums to tourist spots – are based on a foundation of excellent pedestrian infrastructure. I am convinced Bengaluru has the potential to become a walking city, given its wonderful weather and shade-giving tree-lined avenues, and I have been on a mission to prove that the city is walkable by curating walking tours all over the city. Last December, I conducted the inaugural BLRWalkFest in partnership with BBMP, BMRCL and BTP – a series of 15 themed walks over 15 days covering 100kms of the city's footpaths (10,000 steps per day). I aimed to showcase the various parts of the city and also get a focus on pedestrian infrastructure. And how Bengaluru responded! More than 1,500 citizens joined me over 100 km (more than one crore steps were cumulatively walked) and the walkers included senior govt officers and ward-level footpath maintenance teams. It was the ultimate celebration of the city's stories and its walkability, as well as a shared desire to explore the city and enjoy it. I spoke at a Mobility Symposium and arrogantly presented myself as the self-appointed 'Footpath Mayor of Bengaluru' (till someone else takes on that mantle!), and declared that I would walk the city's footpaths, one footpath at a time, telling its stories and rating the footpaths. Surprisingly, nobody seems to want this post (I keep offering it to anyone interested). Rather, I have received huge support from the govt and citizen groups who work to improve footpaths. Because let's face it – everyone wants better footpaths. And I am thrilled that walkability has moved from an afterthought to a focus area. Over the past two months, and most unexpectedly and happily, I have been leading footpath walks of the city with Maheshwar Rao, chief commissioner (BBMP) and his senior colleagues, all of whom are avid walkers, and we have covered some 50 km of footpaths over 15 walks, touching each zone of the city. And when officers and policymakers walk, change happens, as they get a first-hand view of the pedestrian infrastructure issues. I am an optimist and am confident that by December, I will be able to showcase far more than 100 km of walking trails on the city's footpaths. It's been a wonderful 20-year journey – from starting heritage walks as a new idea to a point where this activity can have an impact of making Bengaluru a Walkaluru! If you are wondering where you can walk in the city, trust me – this city has excellent walking routes and public spaces. You just need to get out of your homes and vehicles and go and discover them. Hint – go out before 7 am, when the weather is great and the twitter you experience is from actual birds.
Hindustan Times
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
‘What North Indians think…': Bengaluru woman's viral reel on language row gets laughs on social media. Watch
In the midst of the ongoing language row in Bengaluru, popular content creator Deesha Umesh has taken the internet by storm with a viral video that offers comic relief on the issue. Titled 'What North Indians Think Bangaloreans Do Every Day', the reel is a full-blown parody that playfully exaggerates the stereotype of native Bengalureans "attacking" outsiders for not speaking Kannada. ALSO READ | 'If this is becoming normal…': Bengaluru student after non-consensual video goes viral Titled 'What North Indians Think Bangaloreans Do Every Day', the reel is a full-blown parody that playfully exaggerates the stereotype of native Bengalureans "attacking" outsiders for not speaking Kannada. The video amassed over 19,000 likes at the time this article was being written. The video showed Deesha saying the typical lines 'Kannada baralva?' and 'Kannad alla Kannada', said by pro-Kannada people and locals targeting Hindi speakers. It showed a satirical day-in-the-life where the 'Bengalurean' behaved amicably with Kannada speakers and differently with 'North Indians'. ALSO READ | 36 days to go: Tejasvi Surya launches countdown to Bengaluru Metro Yellow Line, seeks accountability The parody has received widespread praise for its humour. Many applauded the video for breaking the tension around the issue. 'So true! Bangalore is so different than they are trying to portray on SM! If it was so intolerant, we wouldn't be having so many North Indians here,' a user replied. ALSO READ | Nikhil Kamath invests in Bengaluru's Cafe Amudham, rival to Rameshwaram Cafe 'Damn! The urge to send this to all my northie friends,' another reply read. "They love watching "Emily in paris" learning French, they watch "English Vinglish" Sridevi is learning English n give award but Kannada kali antha book kotrenu kaliyalla," a user commented. 'I don't think any of these instances are wrong I have faced this type of behavior,' another said.
Indian Express
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Karnataka HC issues notices to govt, BMRCL as Tejasvi Surya seeks release of report behind Bengaluru Metro fare hike
The Karnataka High Court on Monday issued notices to Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), the state government, and the Centre on a petition filed by Bangalore South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya seeking immediate publication of a fare fixation committee (FFC) report that recommended metro fare revisions earlier this year. Justice S Sunil Dutt Yadav directed the respondents to file their replies within two weeks. During the hearing, the court orally remarked, 'You are so powerful; you cannot get the BMRCL to do that much also?' Responding to the observation, Surya's counsel submitted that while the MP had raised the issue multiple times, BMRCL had not responded. 'The maximum we can do is write to them. Even the public is behind this. We met the BMRCL managing director directly, but they are not responding. They say they are awaiting the state government's approval. The Act does not give them any such discretion,' the counsel submitted. In his petition, Surya contended that as an elected representative of Bangalore South—a constituency served extensively by Namma Metro—and as a daily commuter, he had made three formal requests to BMRCL, on April 28, May 8, and May 15, seeking the publication of the FFC report. However, BMRCL had failed to act on these demands. The plea points out that the FFC, headed by former judge R Tharani, submitted its report on December 16, 2024, after studying fare models of Metro systems across India and abroad, including visits to Singapore and Hong Kong. On February 8, 2025, BMRCL publicly announced that it had received the report recommending fare revisions. Based on the committee's recommendations, BMRCL implemented a steep fare hike from February 9, 2025—increasing fares by up to 100 per cent, with the maximum fare rising from Rs 60 to Rs 90, making Namma Metro the most expensive metro network in India at that time. Following strong public backlash and interventions by Surya, BMRCL revised fares again on February 14, capping the maximum increase at around 71 per cent. The petition argues that as a state entity, BMRCL must adhere to principles of fairness, transparency, and natural justice, and ensure that its decisions do not cause undue hardship to the public. It further states that metro rail corporations in other cities, including Mumbai and Hyderabad, have published such reports for public scrutiny, promoting transparency in governance. 'Despite multiple reminders and follow-ups, BMRCL's refusal to release the report is arbitrary and lacks rational justification,' the plea states. The matter will be next heard in two weeks. Taking to X, Surya said, 'Bangaloreans have been reeling under steep fare hike enforced by BMRCL, as recommended by Fare Fixation Committee Report. Public deserves to know the contents of this report.' He added, 'Ideally, it shouldn't require High Court interventions. But such is the unreasonable behaviour of BMRCL in not making the report public, it warranted a stern push. BMRCL must realise it is a very simple demand and release the report at least now.' Bangalore Central MP P C Mohan, also from the BJP, wrote on the social media platform, 'Transparency shouldn't require orders from the High Court of Karnataka. Bengaluru commuters deserve to know how fares are set. BMRCL must release the Fare Fixation Committee Report now. Public trust is built through openness, not secrecy, silence or stonewalling.'
Hindustan Times
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Bengaluru's long relationship with its 280 lakes
Recently, I saw the premiere of 'My Otter Diary' by acclaimed wildlife filmmaker and National Geographic Fellow, Sugandhi Gadadhar and her producer-husband Rana (Raghunath) Belur. Filmed over five years, the film explores the symbiotic relationship between otters and the river Kaveri. Otters, says Sugandhi, are to the river what tigers are to a jungle: they are apex predators who preserve and enhance the ecosystem that they belong to. The worst time for our lakes was in February 2017 when Bellandur Lake caught on fire, thanks to the large amount of toxic waste released into it (File photo) The screening was held at Shankar Nag theatre in MG Road and the entire wildlife community was in attendance. Through the film, I got to know the river Kaveri in all her glory. Kaveri looms large in the minds of this city and state. For Kodavas in particular, Kaveri is their home and reigning patron goddess. Which made me wonder, is it because of the river Kaveri that Bangaloreans love their lakes so much? Lots of things fail in civic activism in our city, but stray dogs and lake restoration command passion, witness the rejuvenation of Puttanahalli lake and others. Why do Bangaloreans love their lakes so much? Architect Naresh Narasimhan has a nifty narrative to explain this. He says, Bengaluru is perhaps the only large city in the world that has developed on a plateau with nary a natural object nearby. Most civilisations were established beside rivers. Ditto for large cities of the world: the river Seine flows through Paris, the Hudson through New York and the Nile through many great African cities. Bengaluru, on the other hand, became a city because it was at the crossroads of trade routes. This is why, says Naresh, the old city area or Pete (pronounced pay-tay) is full of trading communities including Marwaris, Settys and Mudaliars. To protect the Pete, Bengaluru's erstwhile rulers built a kote (ko-tay) or fort. Once Bangalore thrived, the rulers began building thottas or gardens including Lal Bagh and Cubbon Park. In order to water the gardens, they established lakes or keres. This nifty pete-kotte-thotta-kere model of Bangalore's development is something Naresh speaks about often. Bangaloreans love lakes because we built them. They are all man-made with bunds holding the water in, and sluices to connect one to the other. Civic evangelist V Ravichander quotes the legend of Kempe Gowda as an additional reason. The story goes that when Kempe Gowda decided to establish his dream city on the plateau with hillocks where Bangalore exists today, his mother is supposed to have told him: 'Keregalum kattu, maragalum nadu' or 'Build lakes, plant trees.' Kempe Gowda did just that, building hundreds of lakes and gardens. By some accounts, Bengaluru used to be a city of a thousand lakes – one crowdsourced initiative put it at 1521 lakes. What is more reasonable is that we used to have some 280 lakes of which only 80 currently remain under the ambit of the Bangalore Bruhat Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Even calling them lakes is a misnomer. In an evocative 2014 paper by Professor Meera Baindur, titled 'Bangalore Lake story: reflections on the spirit of a place,' she talks about a holy man who used to come and sit under a tree beside a kere to conduct rites and rituals. This tight and daily connection that Bangalore's early people had with the kere in their neighbourhood does not exist anymore. In public presentations and in paper, researcher Rohan D'Souza has stated that a kere refers to an ecosystem rather than a mere water body. It is literally larger than life in the Kannada imagination. The good news is that Bengaluru's keres are slowly making a comeback, thanks mostly to Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) that have taken it upon themselves to improve the ecosystem. The worst time for our lakes was in February 2017 when Bellandur Lake caught on fire, thanks to the large amount of toxic waste released into it. Cut to 2022 when the 'Lakeman of India,' a Bangalore resident, Anand Malligavad, helped to restore Kyalasanahalli Kere. As an aside, let me ask if part of the problem is the fact that most of these lakes have long, barely pronounceable names? Malligavad, even today, continues to be at the forefront of lake restoration. D'Souza documents how government bodies treat water bodies such as Rachenahalli Kere, thus making them accountable. Civic activism has also kept real estate developers away from lakes, not always and not always successfully, but not for nothing either. What next? As an immigrant to Bangalore, although one who has lived here now for nearly 20 years, I remain fascinated by the hold that these lakes have on the city's collective imagination. But in order for lakes to revive or even survive, people need to have a connection with it that goes beyond just morning walks. Unless people are able to relate to each kere as a living ecosystem that gives them something, why would you want to save it? (Shoba Narayan is Bengaluru-based award-winning author. She is also a freelance contributor who writes about art, food, fashion and travel for a number of publications)
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
No rains but 3 hours for 12 km. Bengaluru resident calls traffic nightmare as ‘preparing for war every time'
In a city that prides itself as the Silicon Valley of India, commuting just 12 km shouldn't feel like a full-blown expedition. But for many Bangaloreans, that's the reality — a slow, daily unravelling masked as routine. A recent post by a frustrated city resident has gone viral for painfully articulating what lakhs quietly endure: Bengaluru's commute isn't just inconvenient, it's emotionally draining. The resident took to social media and shared that he left the office at 6 PM and reached home at 9:15 PM, sharing how his evening was derailed by not rain or traffic jam, or protest — just the city being its usual self. The regular bus on his route didn't turn up. There were no updates on Tummoc or Namma BMTC . Eventually, he had to take a different bus, only to be dropped midway and forced into an exasperating 'auto hunt.' Namma Yatri didn't help either — no driver accepted the ride unless a Rs 50+ tip was added. The so-called 'optional tip,' he said, has become a cruel joke. With meters rendered meaningless, he ended up paying more for a local auto than for a full intercity bus fare. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Build Your Dream Villa Near Bengaluru Airport Sumadhura Group Learn More Undo But what stung most was how unsurprised he was by it all. 'Just… drained,' the user wrote. He pointed out that in a city filled with startups promising to 'solve urban problems,' basic commuting remains an unsolved puzzle. He further added that delays are expected. Charger backups and water bottles are part of the urban commute kit. And every evening feels like preparing for battle. The post ended on a note of tired hope — that perhaps, one day, things might improve. Until then, Bengaluru continues to wear down its people, not with one big failure, but with a thousand tiny ones every single day. Netizens react The viral rant about Bengaluru's gruelling commute struck a deep chord with city dwellers, sparking an outpouring of similar experiences online. Many pointed out how the situation has worsened with the removal of bike taxis, which once offered a more affordable and faster alternative for solo travellers. Some feared that the government's next move might be even more punishing, with predictions of increased road taxes and fuel prices adding to the burden. Frustration about poor planning was a common theme. One user lamented that the city's most crowded areas are still not connected by the metro, and with slow construction and unclear timelines, hope feels distant. Another detailed the exhaustion of commuting over 30 km every day, switching between multiple buses and spending more than two hours just one way. Construction bottlenecks like those near Hebbal, worsened by simultaneous metro and flyover work, only added to their despair. Some users shared how the commute was just one part of a bigger spiral, dealing with toxic workplaces, constant fatigue, and deteriorating mental health. For a few, the experience has prompted a shift in priorities. They are now saving up with plans to move to quieter cities like Mysuru, or return to their hometowns in search of peace and purpose.
