Karnataka Wine Board had a concerted effort to promote wine tourism, a very first a three day wine festival which was organized in Lalbagh this weekend, people took this opportunity to test and buy different types of wines from leading wine manufacturers like Grover, Kinvah and Naka…

The State wine policy allows individuals, groups, companies and to organize wine festivals. However, there’s a strict no-no to fortified wine (alcohol-added wine) during these festivals. Karnataka has 600 acres under grape cultivation, with Nandi Valley in Chikkaballapur and Krishna Valley in Bijapur with the highest cultivation.

ABIDe, which stands for Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure and Development Task Force is an initiative of Chief Minister, Karnataka, Mr B.S Yeddyurappa and comprises of several noted citizens and leaders who have come forward to build a better Bengaluru. Member of Parliament Mr Ananth Kumar is the Vice Chairman of ABIDe, Member of Parliament,Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar is the Convenor.
Since its inception, ABIDe members have put together a series of recommendations before the Government on specific issues
Ø  Regional Governance
Ø  Traffic and Transport
Ø  Heritage
These recommendations are contained in the reports published by ABIDe, and available online at www.abidebengaluru.in.  The recommendations also contain a blueprint for action by the government, to create rapid changes in the areas of focus.
At this juncture, the government is considering the Task Force’s recommendations to strengthen regional governance, and will very likely introduce legislation based on the recommendations in the coming months. At this time, we are keen to therefore seek the citizen’s inputs to refining the recommendations further, and to have your voice heard by the lawmakers as well. A series of public consultations is being scheduled in the city. The first such consultation will be held at the following venue:
National Games Village, Builder’s Club-Koramangala.
Date & Time: Sunday 12th July 2009 at 11 am
We hope you will attend this upcoming event, and help members of the ABIDe Task Force in gathering citizen inputs for subsequent action to build a better Bengaluru.
I look forward to seeing you this Sunday at the venue of the first public consultation.

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..

There is some handy info like basic legal information and precautions to be taken etc. available on baware.in – spread the word around.

Maraa is part of this campaign too and these are the few things it is doing…

• making radio spots for FM channels
• making posters
• street theatre
• making short videos
• website support – updating blog, audio clips etc.
• photography

These things have to happen fast, in large numbers and in a short time. Many hands are needed to implement these actions.

Where do you fit in? How can you help?

• Participate and get others invoilved in the Take Back The Night Campaign on March 8th, at Majestic (call us for more details)
• Know your facts, read press reports everyday
• Come to maraa from 2nd – 7th at 4:00pm to work on above…
• Create a buzz about this around your neighboruhood, office communities, corporate offices, colleges, schools, apartment complexes etc… and inform them about how they can participate
• If you want to express and respond in any way about the current situation, please let them know, you can fit into the larger framework
• If you can translate this information in any language please do – try to make it as local as possible. ALl communication and publicity material can be in Kannada, Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and the rest.. This is crucial, since there is very little work done in this area
• Any financial contribution will be useful
• Forward this to people you know..

Please try and feed into, connect and link up with the same campaign and initiatives that have already begun.. localise it as much as possible.. Even if you are not from Bangalore, feel free to share your expression, maraa will try and present it at events and gatherings.

Many of us have known Bangalore differently from what it has become now, let’s reclaim our space in it.

Contact Team Maraa on 080-4148-8264

PS: Please spread the word around, blog about it and support and participate. That’s the only way these cowardly folks can be beaten.

This young boy is cleaning sugarcanes for his family owned sugarcane juice stall nearby market. Many such individuals start learning tricks of the trade quite early in their lives ‘hands on’ as kids and evolve & engage themselves working independently running business of their own….

As anybody and everybody is welcome here (and that’s the beauty of this place) for relaxation, unwinding. Also for the health concious, fitness freaks who do not enjoy the ambience in a gym, don’t worry Cubbon Park is the best place to walk, jog or even do your yoga / general exercises. The kids love this place due to bal bahvan and the mini train…

If you thought this is only for the old or the kids, think again! There are many groups involving youngsters who hit this place to maintain themselves and connect with the environment. Now when Cubbon Park has so much to offer, this place needs to be maintained well. The government authorities do take care of the basic requirements in this place but seems they do need a helping hand. That’s when a voulntary organization called the Cubbon Park Mitra Sanga has stepped in. It is a group of caring citizens who have come forward to maintain this place. They play the role of the catalysts who remind the Government to do their job also take charge of few things when they fail to get a response. And this group works solely on the interest and efforts from the Bangaloreans.

Cubbon Park Mithra Sangha is small group of environment conscious people formed by Mr. Narendranath an architect three years ago. It has started the task of spreading awareness among the users by picking up garbage over week ends. It also periodically interacts with the officials of Government horticultural department and brings home issues like, fencing, protecting the flowerbeds and lawns, repairs and improvements. It also invites volunteers from various organisations to participate in litter picking and spread awareness.

It has chosen the children park (bal bhavan) to focus area for demonstrating the entire sequence of collection of litter, sorting out into biodegradable and non biodegradable, carting it out to towns outskirts, handing over convertible part to conversion agents and compost makers and disposing the rest scientifically in sanitary fills. This it does in association with SAAHAS which is in the area of waste disposal since 1901. SAAHAS is registered as a society in 2001. They are based in Bangalore and committed to find solution to problems related to solid waste. They believe in providing suitable guide lines for solid waste management

Objectives of SAAHAS..

SAAHAS is working towards
• Implementation of Solid waste management rules
• Encouraging waste segregation at source and retrieval of recyclable items
• Introducing regulations in the use and disposal of plastic and other household hazardous waste like batteries, light bulbs and electronic waste
• Encouraging the composting of organic waste at local level
• Strengthening recycling sector

The aim of the Cubbon Park Mithra Sangha is to catch the young visitors to Balbhavan and inculcate them the need for control in generating garbage and its proper collection, segregation and handing over to Corporation garbage collection system in a proper manner. They need volunteers like you and me to carry out activities which would retain a balance in this place. They have many successful activities to their credit and they are still looking forward to have enthusiastic individuals who can contribute with their presence for their activities or just being a well wisher.

If you wish to volunteer for their activities, please mention your name, email id and phone number and send it to this email CPMS_Bangalore@yahoogroups.com. ( Read more here) Once registered to this yahoo group you will get advanced notifications of programs calling volenteers and can help you join the cause…

Together let’s make a difference in a small way so that this makes a great path for the rest to follow !!

A range of Indian sarees displayed in the center of a art gallery of Chitrakala Parishat, housing an exhibition of traditional Indian sarees. Artisans and traders from various parts of the country participated to showcase their expertise and range.

A must visit for those who seek interest in the designs, colors and patterns on cotton, silk materials…. More Pictures here…

Showcasing work of more than fifty artists across photo categories as well as winning photo documentaries, Bangalore Photography Club is delighted to welcome you its third annual photography exhibition, Frames of Mind 08.

Hope to see you there..
Dates : 29th – 31st August 2008 (10am – 7pm)
Venue : Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Race Course Road,Adjacent Chalukya Hotel, Bangalore-01
Phone : (080) 22267303/22265746/22267421

a new 53-city survey, including Bangalore and Chennai, conducted by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) indicates that most of those studied are using untreated or partially treated wastewater for agriculture. In over 70 per cent of the cities studied, more than half of urban agricultural land is irrigated with wastewater that is either raw or diluted in streams with wide ranging implications. Less said the better for the health hazards due to heavy metals, a wide spectrum of pathogens and organic compounds that are hazardous to the environment and human health.

“In areas where infectious diseases due to enteric pathogens are common, these pathogens are found in very high concentrations in the sewage water. When this water is used for irrigation without any treatment the pathogens are applied to the agricultural land. This is a potential health risk to people exposed to it, such as field workers and their families, consumers and handlers of wastewater-irrigated crops and people living in the neighborhood, passing the fields frequently” says this report.

Venue, Gothe-Institut Bangalore @716, CMH Road witnessed an interaction with four participating artists ( photographers) who are part of the workshop that was conducted by German photographer Andrea Künzig and was designed to document the changes wrought by urbanization in Indian cities – through the lens of photographers from the South Asian region.

Three of the seven participating artists were from Bangalore and thus perhaps the event helped Bangaloreans connect better…

The topic „Urban Changes” has a large canvas as such and the approaches of photographic exploration are manifold. In their endeavor to present their perception of “Urban Changes” the photographers got an opportunity to identify their individual forté in this field and develop his/her own stylistic approach in photography.

The exhibition was inaugurated with four of the photographers sharing their view along the captured moments to a large audience here….

(Vivek M, Mahesh Shantaram, Sohail Abdullah,Clare Arni)
I was glad to meet up with them and share some excitement,,,,

The online exhibition can be viewed here..
More snaps here…