It is said that ‘If it is Ramzan, it’s got to be Samosa. The popular snack will be the first on the list of most Muslims breaking their day long fast running dawn-to-dusk, with these delicious crowd pullers (ranging from Rs. 3-5 per piece).
Apart from many other fruits and dry fruits (like Dates), the busy commercial street area lines up food carts late afternoon offering these varieties which will finish off in next couple of hours after the dusk!!
I am over-whelmed, I mean which city would welcome you every morning with the red carpet…Here it goes, Since last few days/weeks when I start for my office the first thing I notice is the Red carpet laid for every one on the road…Certainly makes my day!!
And I feel saying loud and Clear, Love you Bangalore!!
One thing is for sure. With the onset of the monsoons, there is a section of people who smile with glee, rub their hands in anticipation & can’t wait to laugh all the way to the bank soon. These unique set of people, called ‘road contractors’, are those who lay Bangalore roads. Actually, lay is quite an apt term as those who get laid or waylaid - depending on which frame of mind you are in - by these ‘craters-in-the-guise-of-roads’ are poor sods like us, who accept these conditions with a philosophical shrug. Swalpa adjust maaduthivi, nodi!
Let me digress a bit here. Recently, I asked an acquaintance of mine, hell bent on emigrating, his reason for leaving. He thought for a while and said he’d give me just one example. According to him, there is no other country, he felt, where the same roads are laid and relaid upon year after year in cities such as in Namma Bengaluru!!! Is it worthwhile, he asked, to stay in a country where unscrupulous politicians & city administrators collude with contractors to siphon off public money year after year, with appalling regularity and consistency. Did I want more examples, he asked, to prove his point about corruption that is so endemic that we accept it all with nary a whimper of a protest? I shook my head.
To experience his frustration, join me on a bone jarring, earth shaking ride on a two wheeler (camera in one hand, the other on the accelerator & brake) on ‘Double Road’ in Indiranagar to guage its roadworthiness after a couple of rains. Do note that this is in a city that is dubbed the ‘Silicon City of India’ and is said to be emerging as one of the world’s fastest growing cities.
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How would you like to buy bread so fresh that it is manufactured not today but tomorrow…
I just did!! Yes, Manufactured tomorrow Sold today!! Check out for yourself…
Nilgiris ( Mfg by :Appu Nutrition Pvt Ltd, Hosur Road, Bangalore) Whole wheat bread purchased by me today from a local outlet in Indira Nagar displays tomorrow’s date 21/09/2007 as date of manufacturing!! What more one needs to prove that the big brands do take customers for a ride!!
A lovely, leafy lane in Vyalikaval shades a beautiful house…this is the setting for Avighna, an arts-and-crafts store that is being launched at 10.30 am on Sunday, 23rd September, 2007.
The Sankhlas are a family who run many successful businesses, and Indira Sankhla decided that she would use her lovely old home to house a great collection of crafts as a new venture; after all, everyone admired the objets d’art that she collected for her own home. She has travelled extensively in India, and made a few trips abroad, too, to bring her opening collecton to the discerning patron.
Check it out for yourself. The address is
“Sankhla House”
88, III Main
Vyalikaval, Bangalore 560003
and Avighna can be contacted at:
080 6567 0035 / 99809 22328
or on email at
avighna88@gmail.com
Their website is at
www.avighnacollections.com
On the 23rd of September, Evam is putting up “And Now For Something Completely Different”…a comedy says it all in the title.
We remember “Always Look On the Bright Side of Life” as a rollicking comedy that had us laughing even at the inanities, we just couldn’t help it! “And Now For Something Completely Different” promises just that….something new, that will keep us away from the stress and struggle of our everyday lives (for example, the struggle to find a parking slot in front of Chowdiah before the show, or the difficulty of finding an auto afterwards!)
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The present coalition government in Karnataka has been playing a game ever since it came into existence. It has kept everyone guessing & the rumor mills have worked overtime. Will it happen? Will it not happen? Who will not make it happen? So many questions but the answers are no where in sight. About 2 weeks remain for the JD (S) party to transfer the power to BJP. The big question is will the transfer happen.
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Some of us were lucky to have our lives only marginally impacted by the rain. But for several, the daily livelihood was affected. Daily wage labourers and small shopowners, who had been looking forward to increased sales during the Ganesha Chaturthi habba, were at best, disappointed, and at worst, lost their wares as well.
Here’s a picture of both sadness and hope:
I went back later, a few hours after I took the photograph, and spoke to this man, who said that sales were very poor yesterday and the day before that, due to the rain; but he was back again today, waiting for at least some persons to buy his colourful dolls during the visarjana ceremony…I am hoping sales will be better today, he said. He is the optimist…he hopes even though it’s been tough going, and he has no alternatives, either…he MUST hope that today, business will be better.
Let’s spare a thought for those whose daily lives, and economics, revolve around these kind of make-or-break situations. What is an extra cup of hot tea and a little inconvenience to a wealthy person, means slipping further into debt for a poor trader…..
We all enjoy celebrating the many festivals that are the mark of this season…and I thought I would check out what the post-festival scene looks like in the market area where the frenzy was apparent in spite of the extremely inclement weather.
The “sarvajanika mahotsava” (public festival) is over…
Here is the shamiana being dismantled, and the decorations being taken down at one community puja:
When was the last time you sat around discussing how things were never fixed? When was the last time when you wished the government did something.
Well, while we can sit around all we like, there’s also something else we can do - fix things that we can!
I came across this online and thought it was pretty amazing. A few friends have gotten together in Chennai and are now running the The Chennai I-Fix Initiative. And I am sure they will be all but ready to share their knowledge as to how to go about fixing potholes.
We definitely need a few Bangaloreans to get onto this. God knows, that after the recent rains, there will be many potholes that need fixing! Interestingly, anyone can take the lead and start it off.
So is anyone game?
