So apparently, our CM of a 100 odd days is not happy with the new airport.

In his list are a few reasons why including the fact that it’s not up to international standards and the facilities for customers are not good enough. Of course, the fact that the airport was not built under his government might just be another reason.

But does he have plans to do anything to make it better is what he didn’t say much about.

I have not travelled to the new airport as yet. But I know the travel times have been anything between 1-3 hours for people depending on where they live, time of day and the state of the roads.

The other slightly alarming news I came across the other day is the number of deaths on the road to the new airport. Since it’s possibly the only remaining good stretch of road, vehicles speed up way out of the limits mowing down animals and pedestrians on the path. Maybe they need to install some kind of speed monitors on this stretch to stop this loss of lives.

Though we wrote a lot about the airport when it was being constructed, there hasn’t been much about the “post-opening” experiences.

Anyone with interesting experiences to share on their travels (to) and travails (of) the new airport?

Its a pity every time you hear the sound of the roaring [sometimes quite feeble] ambulances in Bangalore. There is nothing much , you , as an driver can do, nor the ambulance. That’s the sorry state that we all go through time and again. First of all, for a driver, there is no room to move whichever way, and to add to the predicament no one really knows, which side to move. Till date I haven’t personally seen any rules to guide an driver, as to which side of the road should he/she move.

Abroad, especially in the US, there are fixed rules that all vehicles should move onto the slowest moving lanes and leave the fast moving lanes for the Ambulances or Police etc as soon as one hears the siren. So everyone knows which side to move and so does the Ambulance Driver.
Here everyone is clueless. Its only when one hears the siren next to your ear, you start panicking and start looking for place to move. Please post your opinions and views and any rules which already exist on this front.

Worse, people don’t even bother to give them the right of way. Guys, just think that someone from your family is in the vehicle and you can save a life.

I just hope and pray that first of all the RTO makes some fixed rules and secondly makes everyone aware that these rules exist. The sole link that I have found on the web makes no mention as to where should a vehicle move. Please post your views or ideas on this issue.

Anita Gracias is a special volunteer at Sahai

In Bangalore, there is a dedicated suicide helpline that you can call and hope to find a friendly, helpful voice that gives you hope, courage and strength. To take that one step backward, turn around and face life square in the face. And that helpline is called “Sahai”.

I was talking to Anita Gracias, who also sits by the phone at Sahai as one of their special volunteers. She is ready to answer the phone and listen – as if someone’s life depended on it. She will then forge a relationship with a voice that cries out for help; and gently take it from darkness, to the light at the end of the tunnel.

There’s a lot of good work they do there, so I requested Anita to answer a few questions that could raise awareness levels among people. Hopefully, this interview will get people to work as volunteers as well.

The interview is a long post so I have hosted it at this link.
Please click here : Interview with Anita Gracias

If Metblogs is a city, hub.metblogs is the playground. We kept hearing from people that one of their favorite parts of Metblogs was meeting and interacting with readers and writers from other parts of the world, as well as getting requests for more ways that readers could be involved besides just posting comments. We thought about this for a while and decided that with a network like this, a giant community area where folks from all over the world could hang out, post photos and videos, talk with each other, form groups, play games, send messages, and do about a million other things was probably a pretty fun idea. The Hub is that.

If you have any tech ideas or suggestions join this group and speak up. See you on hub.metblogs!

The latest report is that there were 7 blasts in the city. As of now, they seem to have been low-intensity. The areas are Nayandahalli, Madivala, Adugodi on the outskirts, near Mallya Hospital, Langford Road and Richmond Circle. Two blasts were reported in Madivala.

The news is still coming in from different sources. But do try and stay calm. Networks might be jammed so try and be a little patient if you’re trying to get through to your near and dear ones.

The first blast took place at Madiwala check post near Forum Mall. The reported toll so far is 1 and several injured. Gelatin sticks, used for mining etc. was apparently used for the blasts.

Read More:
- Rediff.com
- IBN Live
- BBC

3.00 pm > CNN IBN reports > Five low intensity blasts Bangalore outskirts at 1.30pm afternoon in a matter of 12 minutes

One in Madiwala check post - (Hosur road), (several injured and one women dead) another in Nayandhahalli (Mysore road) and Ashok Nagar, Langford town(Raja Ram Mohan circle), Audugudi. ( all in south Bangalore)

Police sources said that these are low intensity blasts (gelatin sticks with timer device) and are cause to create fear panic.

It’s that time of the year when I call for new authors for Bangalore Metblogs (BM). After changing to the new look and feel, we haven’t had a chance to recruit fresh blood. So if you’re looking to come on board the Metblogs team, here’s your chance.

The system works slightly differently now. You need to be registered on Bangalore Metblogs and commented a few times. If you have done so in the past, and are now interested in being upgraded to an author, you need to leave a comment on this page.

BM is looking for enthusiastic, committed and interested authors who are passionate about the city. The basic criteria is basically an interest in the city (events, activities, projects etc.), an ability to post a few times a week and of course, an inclination and ability to write decently well.

You can write on topics as diverse as events, politics to food and architecture. But they need to be related to the city or have some connection with Bangalore - that’s the basic requirement.

If you’re interested, please leave a comment and mention how long you’ve been following the blog and if you have commented earlier.

I guess I conducted my first two “celebrity” interviews….first, Lillette Dubey and then, yesterday evening, Girish Karnad .

Both of them are very articulate people, and having organized my questions well, I got quite a lot of info about them, and wrote a curtain-raiser to go with this “reminder” post for Metblogs, to follow up for the earlier announcement of Girish Karnad’s new play, which is being staged today and tomorrow.

You can see the curtain raiser….

click here to see it

with my photograph of Girish, too.

Here’s another one I took of him yesterday:

This photo comes with its own funny anecdote. For the first photograph, he didn’t smile, so I said, “Just think of ‘The Wedding Album’ and smile!” At this, he looked very startled and asked, “Have you already seen the play?” “No, I said,”why?” “That’s the first line of the play!” he exclaimed. “It’s ‘Think of the wedding and smile a little!’ ”

So do go and watch the play, which promises to be intriguingly interesting! It’s at 7.30 pm both days, at Chowdiah Memorial Hall.

Art has become fairly big business now, and Bid and Hammer, who are fine art auctioneers, are presenting an auction of modern and contemporary Indian Art in Bangalore.

The preview of the works, which include such well-known artists as Souza, J.Swaminathan, and our own Balan Nambiar, will be from 4 June to 14 June 2008,

at

Bid and Hammer Preview Hall
226-1/1, 39th C Cross, 8th Main Road, 5th Block,
Jayanagar, Bangalore 560041

and the auction proper willl be on the 15th June at

ITC Windsor Sheraton
Sankey Road

at 7.00pm sharp.

For general enquiries:

info@bidandhammer.com

+91 80 2211 0684

To place an order for catalogues:

catalogues@bidandhammer.com

+91 80 2211 0681

For registration: Bidders who wish to participate, either in person or through absentee or telephonebidding, will have to register all details, such as id proof, bank information, security deposit, etc.) that is required by Bid and Hammer, prior to the start of the auction.

The registration form is available on the Bid and Hammer website

www.bidandhammer.com

and it can be filled and sent in by post, email (registration@bidandhammer.com) or fax (+91 80 2227 2223), at least 2 hous before the start of the auction.

This is the second auction that Bid and Hammer is conducting.

Even if one is not a bidder, one can go and look at the art, and watch the fascinating process of the auction…but do make a prior appointment.

When Radio Indigo sent Zubin, a Marketing Manager from Aztec on an all expense paid Formula 1 weekend to Monza, Italy, he became the most envied among F1 fans. For Zubin not just got air tickets, stay at the Four Season’s Hotel but also exclusive Ferrari Paddock passes to watch the race last September. Now what’s lying in wait has got to be the biggest ever treat for a music buff. Radio Indigo and Hard Rock Café is sending one Bangalorean with a friend on an all expense paid weekend to London to watch some of the biggest artists live in concert. ‘Hard Rock Calling’ at Hyde Park, London will have Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, K T Tunstall, The Police and Starsailor performing live! Imagine a chance of an all-expense paid trip all the way to London to watch them perform. What’s even better is the STAR treatment. Air tickets, posh hotel accommodation, a limousine to go around town and seats at the VIP grandstands to watch the stars perform up close and personal!

On the contest, Geoffrey Thomas - National Programming Director, “Radio Indigo has always brought the best of International music - on-air and by bringing diverse International talent to perform here. The Indigo experience has always been about bringing the best to our listeners. This is one chance that any music buff will absolutely cherish”

Stay tuned to Radio Indigo for the details.

This post is from an email sent to me by Radio Indigo