citizen matters 20oct2012

LocaL news Like no one eLse does

Bangalore in crisis What yourministers say

(or don’t)

Vol-4 Issue-19 20 Oct - 2 Nov 2012bengaluru

JP Nagar-BTM-Jayanagar

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5 BBMP becomes ‘powerful’ suddenly

7 Palike wants you to ‘Bag it’8 How to buy a water puri-

fier

13 FAQ: How to segregate waste - II

14 Raising money for ‘Chuskit’

17 Flowers you can eat

18 Why moms take an entire day to pack

Columns: Health, Garden-ing, Nature, Parenting

Citizen Matters Vol-4 Issue-19, 20 Oct - 2 Nov 2012 KARENG/2009/28904. Published & Printed by Meera K for Oorvani Media Pvt Ltd. Printed at Lavanya Mudrana, 19, 15th cross, Vidyapeeta Circle, BSK I Stage, Bangalore 560060 Place of Publication Oorvani Media, #98/1, MMR Plaza 1st Floor, Sarjapur Main Road, Jakkasandra, Koramangala 1st Block, Bangalore 560034. editor Subramaniam Vincent.

No time to read? Listen to the books thenA really good idea. It is of great help for the elderly and persons with ocular disorders. You may also consider getting them in pendrives so that it can be used on the move also.Congrats and good luck.

L.Robert Lewis

Congratulations to Vaishnavi on her achievement of getting an award for Investigative reporting. Citizen matters is doing an yeomen service in bringing out what ills Bengaluru and why ? In fact, every woman member of Citizen matters should be awarded for their non stop service to make Govt.agencies understand their responsibilities to the common man. Congratulations to all.

Srinivasan

BBMP cornering apartments, legal-ity questionedHave to completely agree with this article. The philosophy of governance seems to be to find groups like apartments and dump all responsibilities on them. Let me try to elaborate. For a relatively large apartment, today, there are myriad responsibilities. (a) Sewage treatment and 100% water recycling (b) DG maintenance (Sewage treatment needs 24 hr power, so DGs cannot be avoided) (c) transformer and electrical panel maintenance (d) Electrical inspectorate inspections and compliance (e) Post distribution and now (e) Wet waste treatment. Hello... what gives? I am not contesting that all these are not essential activities. However, when individual home owners do not

have to deal with any of these aspects, why do apartment owners have such a huge load upon them? They all pretty much pay the same tax rates. There is this notion that apartments are flush with money and people have nothing else to do in life. It is extremely unfair.

Sanjay Vijayaraghavan

BTM Society fights back, stops land grab It is good to see responsible action by BOCOHS taken over time as required. Not only RWAs but also all citizens must act against the nexus between corrupt officials and vested interests against the citizens rights and safety. Thanks to Deepthi for reporting the matter so that others may draw their inspiration to act in a rightful manner.

Mhmd Salahuddin

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Tuberculosis affects eyes too

When there is primary Tuberculosis infection in the body, the eyes get affected too. The involvement of eye is an allergic response to the tuberculosis bacteria elsewhere in the body.

Ocular manifestations of Tuberculosis are:

1. Phlyctenular Conjunctivitis: It is seen as a small grey nodule on the conjunctiva (a thin layer on white coat of the eye) surrounded by redness (congestions).

2. Scleritis: The white coat of the eye (Sclera) also sometimes show inflammation - this is Scleritis. It is painful and recurrent. When Scleritis occurs, the Ophthalmologist usually recommends blood investigations and finds tuberculosis as the cause. Treating systemic tuberculosis relieves swelling of sclera and the recurrence rate decreases too.

3. Iridocyclitis: Inflammation of iris (brown portion of the eye) called as iridocyclitis is also caused many times due to tuberculosis. This inflammation is usually of longer duration and the treatment takes longer too. Repeated attacks of iridocyclitis can cause secondary complications in eye such as Cataract and Glaucoma.

4. Tuberculous choroiditis: This is manifested as small choroidal tubercles (miliary tubercles) or large sub retinal choroidal mass.

The presence of miliary tubercles (three or four small round pale yellow spots near the optic disc) is diagnostic evidence of tuberculosis in cases of Meningitis.

The patient is treated with oral anti-tubercular medications for a period of six to nine months.

The ocular manifestations are treated with steroid drops.

Tuberculosis is very common in India.

Tuberculosis affects many organs in the body like lungs, brain, intestines etc.

dr.ApArnA dunungsenior Consultantshekar nethralaya

Vol-4 Issue-19 20 Oct - 2 Nov 2012 CITIZEN MATTERS 5

EdItOrIalBangalore’s

own interactive newsmagazine

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©Oorvani Media Pvt Ltd. No part of this publication can be reproduced without the permission of the publisher.

[email protected] Ph: 080 — 41737584Longer versions of all articles are available online.

Citizen Matters is published by Oorvani Media pvt Ltd to chronicle current affairs of india’s cities, in depth, with a focus on governance, community and culture. More at: citizenmatters.in/main/about. editors note: the advertisement features in this issue are paid-for articles. they are presented by the advertiser to readers for information and promotion. no journalists were involved in preparing them. www.citizenmatters.in, [email protected]

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how a ‘powerful’ BBmP overruled state government to transfer top forest cop

Just as the R P Sharma case has gone into the background temporarily, Citizen

Matters has broken a story on yet another transfer that shows BBMP in very poor light. (Read this online on www.citizenmatters.in).

In August, a standing committee in the BBMP council got the city commissioner to transfer Brijesh Kumar, the top forest officer for the city area. Kumar, a top ranking Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer was posted in May this year as Chief Conservator of Forests for BBMP. The state government did this on the grounds that Bengaluru had become an environmental mess in all three major areas - lakes, trees and horticulture. Worse, litigations were flying around.

The CCF position in the forest service (state level) is a powerful one with decision making powers. Unusually for a bureaucrat these days, Kumar created a draft policy for lake development in Bengaluru premised on citizen participation. He proposed the creation of neighbourhood level bodies with citizens, BBMP and NGO members. This authority would have the power to maintain and protect lakes. Furthermore, he set afoot serious moves to protect 14 of Bengaluru’s lakes in coordination with the Lake Development Authority.

But Kumar did not stop there. He exposed unnecessary spending of Rs 21 crores for the city’s parks by BBMP’s contractors. Kumar says he submitted his expose to BBMP Special Commissioner Niranjan on

October 10th. His packing orders were signed by Commissioner Rajneesh Goel on October 11th!

For more on this, read our expose online. But BBMP’s reason was partly this: the `5 lakhs extra salary cost of paying for a CCF level officer instead of deputy conservator was a burden to the city! It did not matter that the approved budget for the works Kumar was going to oversee was a whopping `250 crores. Connect the dots yourself. Clearly our councillors did not want this man.

What is also interesting is the city council’s exercise of power. A body that long been only willing to act as a mere puppet of the state government struck out with a never-before-seen authority to scrap a state government appointee.

Town planners are appointed all the time into BBMP by the Karnataka government. Many of these officials have been exposed to be ill-qualified and collude with the powerful. And yet, no city council resolutions ever came to cancel their appointments.

One forest officer decides to take on the establishment, and he’s pushed out. Kumar knows if he takes the case to the Central Administrative Tribunal, he will win, like R P Sharma did. But he isn’t up for a fight. That is another story.

subrAMAniAM vinCent(Findings by Navya P K - read the expose

online at www.citizenmatters.in)

Vaishnavi Vittal wins laadli award for citizen matters article

Vaishnavi Vittal, former staff journalist at Citizen Matters, has won the Laadli Media Award for the best Web Investigative report - “Government ignores us because we aren’t educated and rich”. Citizen Matters ran the article in July 2010.

6 CITIZEN MATTERS 20 Oct - 2 Nov 2012 Vol-4 Issue-19

jayaNagar jp Nagar & BtM

ciTizen rePorTs

residents “care for jayanagar”, organise Waste Management workshop

green car rally for a cause

‘We care for Jayanagar, a voluntary group, organised a waste management awareness session, at

Jayanagar 9th Block, on October 9th. Local Jayanagar East (Ward 170) corporator, Muni Sanjeeviah also attended. We care for Jayanagar is a group of residents from various apartments and neighbourhoods of Jayanagar including Adarsh Residency and Chitramala apartment (Byrasandra). Modeled after the “We care for Malleswaram” group, they help local residents get started with responsible waste management practice.

Residents presented information on various aspects of waste management. Suma Rao presented information on what is considered as waste, types of waste and how these wastes are generated. Jayanthi Tirumale spoke about recycling kitchen waste into manure

using terracotta pots. Usha Shetty demonstrated segregating dry waste in the kitchen and how plastic, paper, medicine sheets and used bottles could be stored at home to be handed over to the BBMP waste collectors when they come over.

David S R from E-Cure Charitable Trust, a group of green enthusiasts, spoke about e-waste. BBMP posters about waste segregation and classification were handed around.

Nalini Shekar spoke about her experiences with the ragpickers and how waste segregation is carried out by them under supervision and its benefits.

The corporator promised support for the programme. He suggested such programmes can be be organised in the rest of the ward so everybody can get to know the importance of waste segregation and recycling waste.

dAvid seLvArAj is a resident of Jayanagar XI block.

“I took to street driving (just) a year ago, it was a moment of pride holding the trophy with my team”

says an elated Rathiga B, winner of the ECO car category in the 6th Car Rally for the Blind 2012 held in June, in Bangalore. The rally is organised to foster friendship between visually challenged people and other citizens.

The organisers, 90 degree (an event management firm) and the National Association for the Blind, Karnataka teamed Rathiga with Keshava Murthy, an employee of Columbia Asia Hospitals and a visually challenged person. He was also the braille route reader for the rally.

Rathiga’s co-driver was Mitresh S, a class VII student of Baldwin Boys High School. The co-driver is responsible for calculations based on time, speed and the distance to reach destination correctly, without penalties.

The blind car rally was a different experience for the participants with the event proceeds going towards many projects of the National Association of Blind.

The route was on normal city roads and Rathiga drove 55 kms to close the rally with 12 penalties. Rathiga says she bought an electric car, as it is easy on her purse. “I spend about Rs 12 a day”. She says she can independently travel to office, shop or visit friends. She adds, it is easy to drive and small, “I never feel guilty occupying too much space in traffic” and that it causes no pollution.

Rathiga signs off with a request to Bangaloreans, “Let’s be the leaders in reducing pollution. Save fuel by using public transport or eco vehicles and don’t forget - car pool”.

s srikArunyA (kArun) is an architect and likes adventure, motorsports, nature and travel. He is a resident

of kudlu gate. He is joint secretary, national Association for the blind, karnataka and part of 90 degree.

We care for Jayanagar volunteers. Pic courtesy: Usha Shetty

Navigator Keshava Murthy all set with his Braille route to start off the Rally. Pic courtesy: S Srikarunya


It was the Joy of Giving Festival Week from October 2nd to 8th

all over the the country. Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA) volunteers from Bangalore South Zone felt it was a good idea to put up a sale and generate some funds for the activities of CMCA.

Apart from the usual gift items, there were loads of hand painted diyas, dupattas, sarees, wonderful homemade eatables like chaklis, kadale puri, cakes, chocolates, etc. on sale. Needless to say, it all disappeared in a jiffy and there was a demand for more!!

The sale was held at three places

– at Jayanagar 9th block and at Mantri Elegance and Mantri Paradise apartments on Bannerghatta

Road. Though it was exam-time in most schools, the enthusiasm and fervour of the volunteers was

commendable.

For volunteering with CMCA, you can contact us through www.cmcaindia.org

rAvikALA bALigA is a CMCA volunteer based in Hulimavu,

bannerghatta road

lOcal MattErs

ciTizen rePorTs

Palike asks Bengaluru residents to ‘Bag it’

cMca volunteers organise garage sale fundraiser

A cardinal principle in administration and policy

making is that one should never introduce a rule or law that cannot be enforced. The dangers are manifold - those who flout the rule get away with impunity, and the rest of the citizenry get the message that laws mean nothing and need not be obeyed. Take BBMP’s latest decision on dog poo.

Residents whose dogs mess up the pavements and public places, are now warned that they will be fined and penalised.

Every morning, one can see a steady stream of residents from the well-off residential neighbourhoods, walking their dogs (fancy breeds, some of them) on a leash, and stopping every now and then, to let their pet do its business, at the base of a lamp post or on the concrete

slabs of the pavement. While the animal is at it, the owner will look the other way, as if pretending that

he or she has nothing to do with the quadruped that is messing up a public place. And then they push off, dragging the animal along, till it decides to stop again, a few metres on.

It is disgusting, revolting and unacceptable - but how is BBMP going to enforce the rule about fining the offenders? Will there be inspectors standing along all pathways, to keep track and nab the offenders and collect a fine? Round the clock? And what about the lakhs of strays? Who is BBMP going to fine when these strays relieve themselves all over the place?

Isn’t the proliferation of stray dogs connected to the other obligations of the city’s municipal corporation?

Instead of announcing a ‘rule’ without ensuring that it is enforceable, the BBMP is only making a fool of itself. Have they thought about the

possibilities of enforcing the rule?

Abroad, people have pets too, and they do relieve themselves, but I have seen even well-to-do owners picking up the mess and putting it in a bag and dropping it in the appropriate bin. Can we have cameras, perhaps, as an experimental measure to catch the offenders whose dogs mess up the place, and penalise them? Perhaps, RWAs can lend a hand through vigilance (again, by capturing pictures) and ensuring that the offence does not go unpunished.

Volunteer Chaya with customers. Pic courtesy: author

cIVIc rEflEctIONs

sAKunTAlA nArAsimhAn


chEck Outs

all aBout Water PurifiersIs your tap water safe or do you need to purify it? Or should you just buy bottled water? How do you decide? Here is a quick guide to water quality and water purifiers.

Sharad and Sheetal Agarwal, a young couple living in South

Bengaluru spend more than 500 Rupees on drinking water every month. They bought a water purifier from a reputed company three years ago but felt it wasn’t safe after frequent stomach problems.

“Our building receives water mainly from tankers and we weren’t really sure of the source and how effective our purifier is, so we felt buying the 20 litre Bisleri bottles was a safer option,” Sheetal says. The couple plan to acquire a new water purifier but are not sure which system would give them foolproof protection against contamination and water borne diseases. Terms such as activated carbon, reverse osmosis, ozonisation, etc., can also be confusing in this case.

Citizen Matters approached S Ramani of Consumer Association of India, to find out how to buy an effective water purifier for your home. We also got some inputs from India Water Portal, an initiative of Arghyam, an NGO working in the water sector.

Test your waterIf you really want to be sure of the quality of water you are drinking and be thorough in your pre-buying research, then the first thing to do is to test the water your receive at home, says Ramani. The process isn’t difficult. You can contact water testing labs in Bangalore such

as Essen Labs in Malleswaram (080-23341230/1567) and give them two litres of water sample in any clean bottle washed with hot water. They conduct a total of 33 tests to check for chemical, bacterial contaminants and give you the report in 12 working days. You could also contact Ion Exchange in Indiranagar or Aqua Diagnostics in Hosur Main Road for the same.

Choosing the right filterOnce you get the test results, find out what is the desirable water quality. According to Arghyam, the common c o n t a m i n a n t s in Bangalore’s d r i n k i n g

water supply are bacteriological contaminants, nitrate and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS). Bacteria is usually found in water from Cauvery and borewell water, while nitrate is mainly found in borewell water. TDS is also found in borewell water supply.

Next thing is to find out the kind of technology you need to remove contaminants from water. “The water purifier needs to remove undesirable chemicals, materials, and biological contaminants from raw water and make it fit for human consumption,” Ramani adds. What the purification process does is reduce the concentration of particulate matter including suspended particles, parasites, bacteria, algae, viruses, fungi; and a range of dissolved and particulate material derived from the surfaces that water may have had contact with.

Technologies AvailableActivated carbon: This is a form of carbon (usually charcoal) that has been processed to make it extremely porous providing large surface area for adsorption or chemical reactions. Activated carbon filters use granular carbon or blocks of powdered carbon that can remove pesticides, chlorine, and other chemicals found in tap water.

reverse osmosis (ro): This is basically filtration at molecular level. Mechanical pressure is applied to an impure solution to force pure water through a semi-permeable membrane. It is reverse because under normal osmosis, pure water moves into the contaminated water without any pressure. RO is required in your home if TDS

Good old boilinGif you find that buying a water purifier with the requisiste levels of purification costs too much and you cannot afford to spend on packaged drinking water as well, then a good measure is to get an inexpensive system with simple filtration and boil that water, says Ramani.


exceeds the upper limit. RO is also recommended if you live close to an industrial area and your water may possibly be contaminated with sewage, pesticides, heavy metals, industrial effluents.

distillation: This involves boiling water and evaporating it. Contaminants, bacterias and viruses having a higher boiling point than water, do not evaporate and remain solid. Then the vapour made to pass through tubes and filters where the solid contamination gets separated from the vapour. Then the vapour is removed from the heat source and condensed back to water. This process removes most minerals, most bacteria and viruses, and any chemicals that have a higher boiling point than water from drinking water.

electro deionisation (EDI): This involves ion exchange and electrolysis processes, working simultaneously during the operation. It uses s e m i - p e r m e a b l e membranes and Direct Current to

purify water. The positively charged ions in the solution are drawn through the membranes towards the negative electric charge, and visa versa, leaving behind a purified water.

ultra Violet Purification: This method is used mainly for disinfection and to make water containing any disease causing micro-organisms safe for drinking. Passing ultra violet rays makes these micro-organisms unable to reproduce.

Usage of iodine, chlorine and plain and simple boiling water also achieve similar effect, Ramani adds.

ion-exchange filters: This is used to remove hardness in water. Ion-exchange filters can remove iron, lead, copper, barium, radium and nitrates and are usually integrated into the water purifier along with other methods.

What is the best technology for you?The most popular and in-demand technologies are

Reverse Osmosis and UV purification as they have the highest ability to purify water according to drinking water standards. According to a research done by Consumers Association of India (CAI), the water purifier you select should ideally depend on the extent and type of contamination together with the TDS level in the water.

Depending on the water quality, it is best to choose UV or RO technology to purify the impurities in the water you get.

The most popular water purifiers are Pureit and Kent as they incorporate advanced technologies in water purifiers and fit a small budget.

The store manager of one of the leading outlets of Girias, says, “Mostly people prefer Pureit or Kent as they are best suitable to purify drinking water from sources such as bore-wells and pumps.”

The Croma sales manager also agrees that these two are the most chosen brands because of their durable bodies and they also require much lesser amount of servicing.

this article is based on an earlier work by resHMi CHAkrAbOrty with ad-

ditional inputs from AnisHA nAir

Annual Maintenance Contracts usually covers the following points. There will be differences depending on the brand chosen and their policies.

Two periodical service visits per year during the period of contract, when the waterguard/Ro will be thoroughly checked, cleaned serviced and adjusted.

Any additional visits during the contract period, as and when required,

in the event of any breakdown/malfunctioning of the equipment when intimated by the customer.

Free replacement of filter cartridge upto once every year depending on the condition of the existing cartridge during the service contract period.

Free Replacement of worn-out/exhausted parts with new or rectified spares during the periodical servicing or breakdown visits during the service

contract period.

chEck OutsAMCs list of brands and

approximate pricePureit - Hindustan Unilever, Kent water purifiers, Eureka Forbes - Aquaguard, Tata Swach water purifier, Whirlpool water purifiers, Philips water purifiers, Permionics, Fabiano, Usha brita, Godrej, Pigeon, Zero b water purifiers,

The prices of the water purifiers range from Rs 800 to Rs 34,000 depending upon the brand and technology used to purify water.


cOMMENt

Bengaluru stinks, ministers blink

Among the top issues

that worry Bangaloreans

are water, transport and

garbagecollection. Will

voter views and concerns

matter in the not-far-

off assembly elections for

Karnataka?

With assembly elections less than a year away, what is topmost on

Bangalore voters’ minds? Garbage has been raising stink for the last three months, Cauvery is the bone of contention again, even as the Phase II, Stage IV, shows signs of materialising and traffic woes still top all discussions about the city. What are our ministers in-charge saying and doing about these issues?

Unconvincing ministersDeputy Chief Minister R Ashoka who holds the Home portfolio also the minister in-charge of Bangalore was in the news when villages like Mavallipura and Mandur located near landfills protested against garbage dumping in their backyard. In the effort to clean up the city, there was a move to have police escort the garbage trucks to Mavallipura and ‘divert’ some of it to Mandur (ToI Aug 24).

The health minister Aravind Limbavali, was conspicuous by his absence during the entire episode. After all, the residents of Mavallipura and Mandur were citing health issues caused by the illegal dumping of garbage.

All Limbavali had to say was, “Garbage cannot be dumped here in my constituency.” Mandur happens to fall under his Mahadevapura constituency. By his own admission, the garbage is being dumped in

Mandur since 2005 (BM Aug 28).

The only time, we saw the current chief minister Jagadish Shettar, (third in four years), in action on the garbage mess, was when he intervened and convinced Mandur villagers to allow the garbage to be dumped there. The Mandur residents agreed to this only for a month though.

Even ex-chief minister B S Yeddyurappa tried to use the garbage issue as an agenda of his political comeback vehicle, (TOI, Sep 11). But apart from criticising the earlier governments and serving platitudes on the importance of ‘scientific disposal of garbage’, nothing much came of it.

HC governing the city?Nothing seems to move in Bengaluru without PILs or protests off late and garbage mess was not an exception. Even the grand waste segregation plan was a result of a PIL.

Even earlier, it was only HC’s intervention that set things in motion for waste management. Urban Development Minister S Suresh Kumar had said “We are in an unusual situation where HC has to interfere and direct the public to segregate waste,” (NIE Sep 12). Why did the waste management not figure in the urban development agenda in the first place?

Cauvery nammaduChief Minister Shettar, however garnered much press on the issue of Cauvery. Statements like ‘Manmohan Singh is acting as an agent of TN’ and ‘injustice of centre’ have been issued over the release of water to Tamil Nadu. While the finer details of the


cM spEcIal

Bengaluru stinks, ministers blinkwater situation remains obfuscated by official machinery, closer home, Cauvery water connection is still a pipe dream for many.

Originally meant to be launched by March 2012, the revered Cauvery Phase II, stage IV, will now hopefully be launched in November. Will this be the answer to all the water woes of the city? Hardly. But BWSSB has already listed this under ‘achievements’ on its website.

In July 2012, Centre for Science and Environment released a report on untreated sewage water and the enormous leaks in drinking water supply. According to the report, a staggering 40% of the water is lost in leakages. The reason? Nearly a century old piping system. In the same meeting where the report was released, Gaurav Gupta, Chairman BWSSB said “little money is available to replace the assets...”

While the farmers in Mandya protest for weeks, face lathi charge, call for bandhs to retain water on this side of the border, 40% of the 900 mld water allocated is wasted in Namma Bengaluru. None of the ministers have so far resolved to fix these leaks. But Cauvery Stage IV is definitely going to be the voter calling card in the coming election.

Will the traffic ever land government in a jam?The infrastructure

projects going on the city was one of the reasons cited by Gaurav Gupta for damaged water pipelines. But, despite all these infrastructure projects which largely include road widening, flyovers, underpasses and Namma Metro, there are very few motorable roads or

j a m - f r e e stretches in the city and public transport commute is still an expensive nightmare.

The Metro project that has practically turned the city inside out has only managed to connect MG Road to Byappanahalli, a mere 6.7 km, so far. The other p h a s e s are still in v a r i o u s

stages of implementation with the Phase II completion date set for 2017. While citizens wait to see if all the trouble, including loss of tree cover is worth it, it sure is going to

f e a t u r e o n politicians’ report card, under their ‘achievements,’ till 2017

and many elections after.

But the real heartache for Bangaloreans are the never ending road widening and flyover projects and the not fully efficient public transport

system. Minister Ashoka who is also in charge of Transport Department, has made plans to build nearly 50 Traffic and Transit Management Centres (TTMC) in the city. TTMCs are nothing but fancy name for large bus stops. Of the 10 already built, only a few are fully functional and generating revenue

as per the minister’s predictions. But that hasn’t stopped him from announcing more of them.

Plans for flyovers on the other hand are aplenty. Some of the plans sound like they are straight off a Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi movie sets. In May this year, BDA floated tenders to build two flyovers - one six-lane one from Hotel Le Meridien till Cauvery Junction and one from

Airforce Main Gate, both these will stand above and over the new flyover at the BDA junction and the railway bridge near Windsor Manor., (TOI, May 13) New age

transport, literally reaching the skies!

There are many more such projects in the pipeline. And each of these project is under

one or more ministers’ must-flaunt list.

But is the ordinary, tax paying Bangalorean happy about any of it? Is the Bangalorean going to express frustration through his or her vote? Or are the politicians hoping that the ‘public memory is short,’ theory, will hold up this time too?

pAdMALAtHA rAvi

Suresh Kumar, Urban Development Minister. Waste management did not figure in his department’s agenda.

Arvind Limbavali, Health Minister. He said, “Garbage cannot be dumped here in my constituency.” Mandur falls under his Mahadevapura constituency.

Jagadish Shettar, Chief Minister. He convinced Mandur villagers to allow the garbage to be dumped there. The Mandur residents agreed to this only for a month though.

R Ashoka, Transport Minister. He has plans to build nearly 50 Traffic and Transit Management Centres (TTMC) in the city. TTMCs are nothing but fancy name for large bus stops.


You have gone through your physician’s examination and investigations, and he declares that you do not suffer from heart disease. Before you start celebrating, please understand that it may mean “for the time being”. If you are at risk, you still need to modify your lifestyle, lower your risk factors, and have a periodic reassessment programme.

Your physical examination and investigations suggest that you have coronary artery disease, and you need to undergo Angioplasty, or a Bypass Surgery. You may plan it, and get it done.

The third scenario, is critical. You are aware that you are at risk, but before you can undergo

your physician’s examination and investigations, you suffer one of the symptoms, which we discussed in previous article, namely chest pain/backache, pain in upper abdomen, “gas” like features, with/without sweating, weakness, giddiness, light-headedness, or any other feature that can signal heart disease.

What to do in such a case Firstly do not panic. When you are

excited, worried, or frightened, your heart starts beating faster. This is the worst thing for a heart with deficient blood circulation. Take a few deep breath, and stay composed.

Take rest. It decreases the oxygen

demands of your heart. Call emergency services of

the hospital where you go for your checkups, or your family

doctor, or in states where 1-0-8 Services are available, call 1-0-8.

Take an Aspirin, unless it has been forbidden on medical advice for some other condition.

Keep your medical folder updated at all times, because cardiac events do not give you time. Ensure that it contains a list of medical conditions you are suffering of, the medications you are on, and a list of drugs you may be allergic to.

Ensure that your medical folder invariably has documents and details pertaining to your medical insurance.

Other easy to use fertilisers for acid-loving plants

note: It is suggested that one exercises caution while using fertilisers. All of these are nutrient-rich and concentrated and plants and soil need only a small dose to boost their growth/fertility. Too much can be counter-productive and even harmful to plants.Coffee

groundsSun-dry the coffee grounds thoroughly

Can be used for rose and other acid loving plants by sprinkling around the base of the plants.Coffee grounds are a good source of nitrogen magnesium and potassium.

Vinegar Dilute 1 tablespoon of white vinegar in 3 litres of water

Water acid-loving plants with this solution once in 3 months.

Egg Shells

Air dry the egg shells and mix in a blender till it becomes a fine powder.

A good source of calcium carbonate (the main ingredient of lime). Good for tomatoes, capsicum etc. Eggshells deter slugs too

fOr yOur INfO

chlOrOphyll cONVErsatIONs

ViniTA suryAnArAyAnAn

hEalth MattErs

col (reTd.) dr muKul sAxenA

What to do if you have heart disease

easy and safe nutrients for the garden (Part iii)In this last part we’ll look at other options to provide nutrients to your green friends in the garden

In the previous two articles, we have discussed how to assess if you are at risk of heart disease, and how to confirm or rule it out. This will result in one of the three scenarios

Some sources for ready to use organic fertilisersPanchagavyasai Kiran: [email protected]/919880811542Garden Guru/Manikan-dan: #4, Krishnamurthy Complex, 60 feet Road, Shanbhough Nagappa Layout (Opp Eagle Offset Printers) Bilekahalli. Ph: 080-42121000Meera Rajesh ([email protected], 9731912522) or Soumya Thontesh (Ph:9449834718) and provide your total quantity requirement / time

of pick up. Tungabhadra Block, National Games Vil-lage , Koramangala.crushed eggshell powderVriksh organic stores: No:88, 3rd Main Road, Vyalikkaval, Near Police Station. Contact Manjula : 9845033735iha naturals: Shop No.2, No.141, Bassappa Layout,Pattangere, Omkar Hills Road, BHEL Layout, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Ph: 9901520061Contact Annadana to buy their organic plant enzyme and bio fertilisers.


fOr yOur INfO

understanding how to segregate waste Clarifying all you wanted to know about waste segregation - the what, why, where and how to do it! From food waste to recyclables, e-waste to biomedical waste.

e WASTEWhat is e-waste?E-waste or electronic waste consists of batteries, computer parts, wires, electrical equipment of any kind, electrical and electronic toys, remotes, watches, cellphones, as well as bulbs, tubelights and CFLs.How do I store e-waste?Store them in separate container which is kept closed, away from moisture and in which nothing else is put.WET WASTEWhat is wet waste?Wet waste consists of kitchen waste - including vegetable and fruit peels and pieces, tea leaves, coffee grounds, eggshells, bones and entrails, fish scales, as well as cooked food (both veg and non-veg).Can I compost at home?Of course. Home composting can be easily done in Daily Dump’s pot system, or in any aerated container.I don’t have time to compost at home, what are my alternatives?If you live in a large

apartment building, a community composting system like tank composting or an OWC could be set up for all the wet waste from the residents. If not, the wet waste can be given out every day to the BBMP.If I don’t use a plastic liner, how do I dispose my food waste in the bin?Before the advent of the bin liner, we would all put our garbage directly in the bin, and wash it everyday. That is what we will have to do now. The bin can be lined with a newspaper liner or a layer of sawdust if you don’t want to put the wet waste directly into it.BIOMEDICAL WASTEWhat is biomedical waste?This includes used menstrual cloths, sanitary n a p k i n s , d i s p o s a b l e d i a p e r s , bandages and any material that is contaminated with blood or other body fluids.How do I dispose sanitary pads, diapers, condoms/soiled cotton??They should be wrapped in a newspaper, marked with a red cross, and given everyday to the BBMP.What do I do with waxing strips?Used waxing strips are sanitary waste - they should be wrapped in a

newspaper, marked with a red cross, and given to the BBMP.How do I dispose human hair/nails?Sanitary waste. Wrap in a newspaper, mark with a red cross, and give everyday to the BBMP.

HAZARDOUS WASTEWhat are hazardous wastes?HHW or household hazardous wastes include three sub-categories – E-waste; toxic substances such as paints, cleaning agents, solvents, insecticides and their containers, other chemicals; and biomedical

wastes like used syringes, expired m e d i c i n e s , thermometers, used cosmetics etc..How do I dispose expired medicines/ injections?E x p i r e d

medicines and injections, used syringes come under HHW or household hazardous wastes. They should be stored separate from other categories of waste and given to the BBMP once every quarter.What about razor?It is HHW or household hazardous waste, like used syringes, etc. It should be

stored separate from other categories of waste and given to the BBMP.I have just painted my room. How do I dispose half used paint

cans?They come

under HHW or household

h a z a r d o u s wastes. They should

be stored separate from other categories of waste and given to the BBMP once every quarter.Under what category do I place cosmetics?They come under HHW or household hazardous wastes. They should be stored separate from other categories of waste and given to the BBMP once every quarter.What about pesticides, cleaning solutions, mosquito repellants?Same as above.What do I do with my tube lights and other bulbs?Same as aboveGARDEN WASTEWhat do I do with garden waste?Garden waste will be collected by the BBMP on specified days or can be dropped off at the nearest specified park for composting. Leaves can be composted in your house itself.

This guide was provided by the Solid Waste Management Round Table, a

forum of organisations and individuals working to improve Bangalore’s waste

management practices. Meera K also provided inputs to the article.

Part II

For part i of this FAQ, See Citizen

Matters issue dated october

6th.


INtErVIEW

chuskit turns her into a feature filmmaker

chuskit turns her into a feature filmmaker

Feature filmmaking is a hard profession to break into. But after

more than a decade of documentary filmmaking the transition is rather smooth, especially when the subject is as exciting as a little girl in ladakh and her efforts to go to school. Priya Ramasubban, who calls herself a storyteller has made films for National Geographic, Discovery, History Channel and other major international broadcasters.

Priya is now raising funds to make her first ever feature film ‘Chuskit’

based on the children’s book ‘Chuskit goes to school,’ published by Pratham Books. The book is authored by Sujatha Padmanabhan and is inspired by the work of Priya’s sister Vidhya K Ramasubban’s work in Ladakh. In an email interview, this Bangalore based documentary filmmaker talks about why Chuskit’s story inspired her to change tracks, even if temporarily. Edited excerpts.

You have been a documentary filmmaker all along. Why a feature film now?I love making documentary films because I get to travel all over the world, meet people whom I’d never have crossed paths with and tell the stories that are based in reality! It is a very i n t i m a t e way of getting to know the world around me, and to pass on those stories through my work is very special. But this story is better told in a feature setting, because the plot and characters here call for the telling of the story in the present tense. In the end I am a storyteller and, in this case, the form I use to tell the story is not as important as how effectively the story is told.

Is this a film for film’s sake-

expression of artistic, creative urge etc., or do you hope to send out a message with this film?Definitely a bit of both! I’ve never made a fiction film though I have done a lot of recreations for my documentaries about historic figures or events in history. And so jumping into the fiction world is really new and exciting for me. But I wouldn’t have done a feature film if it didn’t have a larger meaning or if I didn’t think it was going to push the envelope in some way.

The crossover from documentary to

feature - how easy or difficult is it?

There are things that are very different - the

money you need, the number of people on

your crew, the writing of a screenplay versus writing a

script/treatment, having to direct actors, the scale of post production, figuring out the distribution of the film, etc. I don’t see it as easy or difficult. I see it as different and hugely exciting!

You have traveled quite a lot for your documentary films. Which

are the most memorable ones?If I had to pick, I’d say my shoots in Gaza would have to be at the top of the list. I was there a couple of times during the second intifada and the proximity of life and death there was so palpable and heightened that everyone I met seemed to be living their life to their fullest knowing that there may not be a tomorrow for them. There are so many wonderful memories. I’m going to add some from the Chuskit film to this list...

pAdMALAtHA rAvi

‘Chuskit’ tells the story of a 6 yr-old prankster living in a remote village in the mountainous region of ladakh. Chuskit can’t wait to be old enough to go to school the next year. in a sudden twist of fate, she falls down an icy mountain ledge and becomes a paraplegic. living in rural ladakh, in rugged terrain where life is bound by the dictates of extreme weather, life for Chuskit and her family becomes complicated. The twists and turns her life takes, spurred by her burning ambition to go to school and her eventual mental triumph over her handicap forms the rest of the story. Go to http://www.kickstarter.com and search for ‘Chuskit,’ if you want to contribute to the making of the film.


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pHySIoTHERApy CLINICDr. Akshata Nadgir mpt (pediatrics), CMT Consultant at G1-Vidhata residancy, 7th main, 19th cross, BTM 2nd stage, ph-9741115687Visiting time: 10.00Am to 1.00Pm, 5.00Pm to 8.00Pm

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the ngO, A Hundred Hands is organising the Handmade Collective—iii on October 31st to november 4th at #4, Ashley road, Off brunton road (behind Hotel Ajanta), near trinity Metro station.This year, event will have a special section on Karnataka crafts especially celebrating Rajyotsava Day. It aims to bring back into focus the local crafts, foods and lesser known side of Karnataka.From delicate Kasuti embroidery of North Karnataka on trendy clutch purses to bright Channapatna lacquerware on modern household products like kitchen towel holders and bedside lamps to Khadi weaves from Melkote transformed into Kurtis to Lambani embroidery of the

tribals of

Sandur showcased side by side with the stunning white metal tribal jewelry from Bijapur to the famous handwoven Ilkal saris. Diwali tealights and Diyas from Shivarpatna showcase the beautiful

stone sculpting, typical of Karnataka, banana fibre offerings for modern homes created by disabled youth in Sirsi, while Hase Chitra Mud paintings from Shimoga celebrate the earthiness of

Karnataka.“Discover Karnataka” also includes a look back in time with old Bangalore captured by city artist Paul Fernandes. Prabha Narayan’s paintings portray the flora and

fauna of Karnataka exquisitely painted emphasis the natural heritage of the state.An interesting array of books on Bangalore and Karnataka are also on display ranging from Mahesh Bhat’s Bengaluru-Bangalore to Aditi De’s Multiple City. The homemade food stalls this year

will also focus on Interesting Karnataka foods.

info and pic courtesy:

A Hundred Hands

Exquisite crafts for the home


Vocal Recital by Pavan RangacharDisciple of Padmabhushana Dr T V Gopala Krishnan and Sangeeta Kalanidhi Dr. Semangudi Srinivasaiyer, accompanied by H M Smitha (violin), B N Chandrmouli (mridanga). Organised by Malleswaram Sangeetha Sabhasat 20 Oct, 6 pm, sri rama Mandira , east park road, Malleswaram

Vocal by g.RavikiranG Ravikiran-Vocal, Nalina Mohan-Violin, K U Jayachandra Rao-Mridangam, Phanindra Bhaskara-GhatamRavikiran is one of the rising stars in the carnatic music horizon. He has had his musical training from Sangeetha Kalanidhi R K Srikantan for over a decade. Since 2003, he has been under the tutelage of Vidwan TM Krishna. 4.15 pm, 21 Oct, indian Heritage Academy Hall, koramangala

nadasurabhi Annual Music Festival20th to 25th November 2012. Performing artists include Mysore Nagaraj and Manjunath, Maharajapuram

Ramachandran, Abhishek Raghuram, Priya Sisters, Ranjani and Gayathri and Sanjay Subrahmanyan. The award of Sangeetha Surabhi will be bestowed upon Flute maestro Dr.N.Ramani followed by his concert.

navaratri Utsav 2012 - Dandiya and garba niteMuch awaited Gujarat’s festival of music and dance. Traditional Dandiya, Garba and Sanedo - Orchestra from Gujarat - Weekend spl. Neon light Dandiatue 16 Oct -tue 23 Oct, gopalan signature Mall, Opp. rMZ infinity, Old Madras road, benneganahalli, bangalore

Bombe habbaThrough the Bombe Habba, Children will learn about the legends of Navarathri as it is celebrated in different parts of the country, the significance and story behind each celebration, the dolls exhibited and the artwork related to the festival such as rangoli, making the kalpavruksha and some cultural training in dance and divine chants. Contact Vasantha on 9916888007tue 16 Oct - sun 21 Oct, saplings preschool, jp nagar 6th phase

JP nagar Durga Puja 2012sat 20 Oct to Wed 24 Oct, jp nagar Cultural and Welfare Association’s Open theater, 11th b Cross, 25th Main, j. p. nagar 1st phase, LiC Quarters, near r.

v. dental College, next to HOpCOMs & nandini Milk parlourTheATrethE iMPRoVHCG Foundation presents THE IMPROV in Aid of Breast Cancer Awarenesssunday, Oct 21, turquoise bar & grill, koramangala (next to sukh sagar)...8pm onwards.For reservations pls call: +91 9880445430 or +91 9620304745.

Rangashankara Plays20 Sat: Mukkam Post Bombalawadi21 Sun: Papa-Hindi, (also at 3.30 pm)23 Tue, 24 Wed: The Seussification of Romeo & Juliet25 Thu: Jokumaraswamy26 Fri: Kuberanigenirabeku?!27 Sat to Sun 11 Nov: Ranga Shankara Theatre Fest ‘12 - It’s Shakespeare!

RASAloKBimba Art Foundation presents Rasalok, still theatre of miniature art. A unique and rare Karnataka Classical Theatre Tradition.Rasalok is performed four times every day all through the festival.Aanjaneya .... An obedient escapadeBy artist Uma Nagraj. Hanuman who is ever abiding by purity of word sets off on a flightganga ......An ethereal Tryst By artist Deepika Dorai.. Heaven and earth await the descent of a

Goddess with bated breathrasalok Mini-theatre. bimba the Art Ashram 42 ratna vilas road ( dvg road corner), near nagasandra circle basavangudiOct 16th to Oct 24th, start 11.30am, 4pm, 5.30pm 7pmDuration: Repeat parallel shows of the above two, each lasting 75 mins. Seating: Floor-, also chairs for elderly. For adults and for children 6 years+.Ph: 41489354, www.bimbaartfoundation.org

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navrathra 2012Dhaatu Navaratra Mahotsava, Oct 17- Nov 11, 3- 8pmCultural Evenings from Oct 17 -Oct 24 at 6:30 pmStory telling for children Oct 16 - Oct 20 at 3:30 pm18-Oct Shadow puppet play - Aaneya garva bhanga19-Oct Harischandra, by

Dhaatu Puppet Theatre20-Oct Bharatanatyam recital by students of Chithkala School of Dance21-Oct Bhakta Prahlada, by Dhaatu Puppet Theatre

22-Oct Premiere show of the revived Echanoor style, String Puppet theatre; Raajasuya Yaaga, by Dhaatu Puppet Theatre23-Oct Bharatanatyam

recital by Kum. Divya Hoskere, 24-Oct Vijaya Nagara Vaibhava, a string puppet show by Dhaatu Puppet Theatre

We often tend to think of flowers as a thing of beauty,

only to be admired. They look very pretty, whether cultivated carefully in the garden, or flowering in the wilderness...and often, they cast a beautiful scent around them, too. Right now, we have the Akasha Mallige trees in full bloom, a heady fragrance wafts through the air when we pass by them.

But there are flowers which are good to eat, too! One such flower is the bloom of the banana (plantain) tree.

The banana plant produces a single inflorescence, also known as the banana “heart”. It is the actual rows of flowers between the “leaves” (called b r a c t s )

that are used in

many cuisines. The flowers have hard stamens, which must be removed before using the rest of the flowers. Banana flowers are very rich in iron, and are reputed to be

good for digestion.

I recently came across another flower, that tastes great!

I had always heard the name “Sweetpea” for this kind of flower, but had not thought about it...but then, I was given one of these flowers, whose beauty I admired. I was then asked to eat it! I tried it...and it was crunchy and sweet. The Sweetpea is an annual climbing plant, grown in many of our gardens.

But we cannot gorge ourselves on the flower...the seeds

can disagree with us, and be toxic

if eaten in large quantities!

T h e Cauliflower, of course, is

not a flower at all, only

called so because of its shape, “flowering out” from its stem. An interesting fact is that

the cauliflower we eat is a tropical cauliflower used in both China and

India. It was developed in India during the 19th century from the now-abandoned C o r n i s h t y p e , a n d includes old v a r i e t i e s Early Patna and Early B e n a r a s . The cauliflower “head” that is eaten is called the “curd”.

Several other flowers in our gardens, such as the Rangoon Creeper or the Desert Rose, may not be fully edible, but they have nectar stored at the base, and if you pinch the end of the stem and put it in your mouth, you can actually taste the sweet nectar that the Sunbirds, bees and wasps come and harvest so regularly!

In our traditional cuisine, even the flowers of the Neem tree are used in cooking, as are the flowers of the Moringa (Drumstick) tree.

So, the next time you look at flowers, you can think of them in terms of taste as well as colour and aroma. And remember that the flowers provide a lot of food to many insects.

fEaturEs

NaturE fEaturE

deePA mohAn

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flowers you can eat

Pics: Deepa Mohan


There was a time in my life when a vacation meant packing a few clothes in a bag, a couple of books, camera, a brush, toothpaste, cream, comb and a few other essentials. It was usually done in about an hour the night before the said vacation, even if there was an early morning flight.

That was then. And there is now. I have spent the entire day packing and it isn’t even done yet. And the flight? It isn’t until Saturday.

Yes I know. That sounds extremely scarily organised. But I’m no longer packing for one. I’m packing for two, no three, which means myself and the two brats.

I have made a list. Checked the weather at our destination. Laid out the appropriate gear. The trouble comes when I’m about to throw it all in. Isn’t that red t-shirt one size too small? Out it goes then. Now do I see a hole in that sock? Oh and have I only packed one jacket? One? Yes I know it is rather warm where we are going but I am carrying kids

along. And as we all know their chief purpose in life is to prove Murphy’s Law right.

What if brat junior decides to throw up on the one jacket he has on the one day when it is windy and I’m stuck in a one jacket kind of situation?

Do I have enough diapers? Yes dear husband, I know they are available in every medical store around the country but what if they run out of the size he wears?

Children demand back up plans more often than not. You think they are old enough to go without the

stroller and plan to do short walks followed by rest during a city tour during a vacation. That’s the day he decides to latch on to your shoulder.

You try to outgrow the diaper days and carry a regular bag with baby’s minimal stuff instead of the Gorilla size bag you usually tag along. That’s the day of multiple nappy changes, soiled pants and repeat biscuit requests, something you haven’t been able to fit in much in your mini bag.

Is it any wonder then that I take an entire day to pack? Packing for kids is equivalent to planning for an emergency landing in an uninhabited island where you are likely to be stuck for three whole years.

Paper pads and crayons. YesBooks. Of course Electronic device not otherwise given to child. Now what to do about it.Favourite soft toy.Favourite snack/biscuitFavourite sipper. Extra diapers (hand baggage only)

Toys that will survive airport security and save your sanity. (Ma’am could you please open the suitcase spilling out your haphazardly organised things and locating the toy that’s making this strange beeping sound because the brat switched it on behind your back while you were packing)?

There, I have said it. There was a time when I packed, grabbed a book and went on vacation. Now I’m a mom. I just drag myself behind a suitcase that contains half the household. Wish me luck.

last WOrd

cONfEssIONs Of a sEcONd tIME MOM

Reshmi ChakRaboRty

Why moms take an entire day to packThere was a time when I packed, grabbed a book and went on vacation. Now I’m a mom. I just drag myself behind a suitcase that contains half the household.

Pic: wikimedia commons

citizen matters 20oct2012

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