Seven attacks in ten days. In response to the recent attacks against women in the city of Bangalore, many individuals and organsiations have come together to form FEARLESS KARNATAKA or Nirbhaya Karnataka to reclaim public spaces and promote safety for all.

In the wake of a series of attacks in Mangalore (the latest one was reported on February 24, 2009), women have been targeted in the name of morality, culture and “public decency”. The attacks in Bangalore seem to be a continuation of those that took place in Mangalore and coastal Karnataka regions – even though the identity of the attackers (and the organizations they belong to) could have differed.

In an attempt to fight against the climate of fear, the Fearless Karnataka collective would like to announce the following activities:
1. A protest march to the office of Dr. Ajai Kumar Singh, DG & IGP, on March 7, 2009.
2. A ‘Take Back the Night’ campaign on March 8, 2009
3. A poster campaign asking bystanders who witness attacks on women to act

There are several other efforts, including signature campaigns, art exhibitions, etc which are happening simultaneously..
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A lot of such things probably keep happening every day here in our city but not many get highlighted and make much news. But these incidents need to get shared to create awareness especially among the vulnerable – the elderly, women & kids.

These two incidents involve folks from my neighborhood. Both elderly, one involves a man & the other a woman.

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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.

Lokayukta has done it again; surfacing the bemani properties of corrupt sr.govt officials… this still seems to be the tip of the iceberg …

Lok Ayukta sleuths swooped down on the Bangalore residence of Davangere assistant commissioner (commercial taxes) Amanulla Sharief on Friday morning, They unearthed documents for property worth Rs 1.35 crore and cash from his house, whereas his entire 30 years’ earnings would have come to just Rs 30 lakh.
The Lok Ayukta also raided residences of nine officials, including an IAS officer, a deputy superintendent of police, commercial tax department officers. The raid yielded properties worth Rs 20 crore, disproportionate to their known sources of income. Read more..

What’s happening is not something new; the corruption has deeper roots in almost everything in our country, the lac of drive from political and administrative fronts to uproot the same. The need of hour perhaps is to protect the public wealth and interest rather than compromising our democratic principles and maintain the ‘chalta hai attitude’. The legal framework though has noted this down the ‘suo motto’ actions from political arena must be deep asleep over these cases for sure…

Here’s a delightful scene I snapped last Saturday in Lalbagh:

Are those women picnicking in the park? (Couldn’t see if there was food inside the circle.) Do they have a more serious agenda? What could have brought so many of them to the park, so early in the morning, away from their households? I preferred not to go up and ask, and leave explanations to my imagination…

Here’s to women everywhere. I don’t say we are always the angels that all those internet forwards talk about; we are human, we have our vices and failings, too…but in general, it’s a sisterhood that I am proud to belong to, and here’s wishing for the day when each woman will be able to realize her full potential…..when gender will not be an issue worth discussing, and we don’t have to have a special Women’s Day, because every day will be one.

The report in the Monday issue of Times of India about yet another person getting killed by a BMTC bus caught my attention. It was the typical news piece, picture of the boy who had been killed, pictures of damaged BMTC busses & some startling statistics. What is the reader’s typical reaction to a news piece like this? Read it, feel sorry for the people affected & move to the next page.
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What’s a regular feature in newspapers these days, is the increasing incidence of young people being stopped, late at night on city roads and taken at knife-point to ATMs. I’m wondering if banks are paying attention to this and are working on a security solution.

Here’s a thought that comes to mind.

What banks can do for instance, is include a panic code, that can be added on to the normal code. If your code is 4637 and you add 37 or a pre-determined number, the machine could go into “safe mode”; and maybe just allow the withdrawal of small amounts. It’s important here, for the system not to shut access totally, because the “hijacker” could get rough if he knows what’s going on.

Whatever the solution, the credit card / account holder needs to have the facility of activating a “safe mode” – especially if the security guard at the ATM has also been overpowered.

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!!

Recent news of an 11yr girl beaten up by teachers has created a storm, girl was beaten up by a group of teachers for not doing her homework properly, leading to injuries on various parts of her body. This act despite Supreme Court already banning punishments in schools is protested by Karnataka State Women Commission issuing a notice to the concern school.

Question is where, when and how can we stop these schools taking parents for granted?

There are many policies and procedures levied by school managements which violate fundamental rights in most of the schools and colleagues. This includes punishments, fines and even monopolizing education materials, books & uniforms to name few. The donations have gone roof high and so are tution fees. Parents succumb to these monopolies, not having choice of professionally managed schools or either government schools which match the standards of private ones.

On the other hand there are no proactive steps seen taken from education department / ministries in getting involved in school operations and conducting audits to safeguard that discriminations based on age, sex, religion and food will not take place. The education institutions thus prosper in their owners wealth, wisdom & dynasties and turn into profitable business houses that keep strengthening year after year. The poor students and their helpless parents have no where to go!!

Sometimes while on my digicam I get some pictures that ‘tell-a-tale’ great realities… here is one from the recent visit to lalbagh while the Annual flower show 2007….

The picture holds nice title of “Thandi Sadak”, symbolizing a ‘thunda’ attitude of police towards the beggar behind them or perhaps they have conveniently forgot that begging is still an offence under THE KARNATAKA PROHIBITION OF BEGGARY ACT, 1975