1. Lit Fest Opens With Debate on Patriotism
On the first day of the Bangalore Literature Festival, cricket legend Anil Kumble dazzled children with stories of how he had gone into the wild and shot animal pictures.
Speaking at the Lalit Ashok hotel, he showed his young audience photographs he had taken of tigers, sambars and birds. "Don't you get scared when you go near a tiger to take a picture?" a child asked with wonder. Kumble explained how pictures could be taken with the help of a long lens, and without having to go too close to an animal.
Another session took literature lovers from the present age, where women journalists battle trolls online, to the past, with a story of how the Kannada script and language came to be.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
2. Kowdenahalli Lake Transforms From Swamp to Ecological Haven
The 55-acre Kowdenahalli Lake, which was once a deserted swamp, is now a vibrant waterbody frequented by local and migratory birds, home to several species of fish and reptiles and with medicinal plants and fruit-bearing trees dotting its periphery.
Residents recalled how they would be scared to visit the lake 10 years ago as the water couldn't be differentiated from muck. Today, under the United Way Bengaluru (UWBe) flagship initiative, Wake the Lake, the waterbody has been rejuvenated, thanks to community, government and corporate collaboration.
C Narayanappa, president of the KR Puram Lake and Environment Protection Trust, is taking the lead from the community's side. From urging the local MLA to release funds for lake development to driving concerted community efforts like cleanliness, plantation, he hopes the waterbody will be a model for citizen participation in lake rejuvenation.
(Source: Times of India)
3. Heggade Urges Modi to Include Tulu in Schedule 8 of Constitution
Sri Kshetra Dharmastala dharmadhikari D Veerendra Heggade urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take initiatives for the inclusion of Tulu language in the Schedule VIII of the Constitution.
Heggade was speaking in the presence of Modi at a programme of Shri Kshethra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP) at Ratnavarma Heggade Stadium in Ujire, Dakshina Kannada district on Sunday.
Greeting the Prime Minister in Tulu, Heggade said Tulu, which is the mother tongue of lakhs of people, has not being duly recognised by the government yet. "Our mother tongue is Tulu. This language still has not got its due place among the other recognised languages of our country. We Tuluvas request the Government of India to include Tulu language in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution," Heggade urged Modi and reminded that a memorandum in this regard was already submitted to the PM in New Delhi earlier.
(Source: Times of India)
4. A Khaki That Can Take the Sweat and Stretch of Their Everyday Grind
The Karnataka police seem to be gearing up for a fight and this time it is personal and involves a bit of spandex. After receiving numerous complaints from its staffers on the poor quality of the khaki fabric, which leads to stuffiness and body odour, and limits movement, the Karnataka police have decided to opt for a better material for the uniform.
The new khaki material will have a dash of spandex too to ensure that the uniform allows quick reflex action. The trial run for the project is expected to start in the coming weeks as 500 sets of uniform in the new khaki is being readied for constables. Based on their feedback, it would be extended across the state. The project was taken up in April this year and a garment consultant was roped in for it.
“We want the uniform to be standardised. Many of our personnel end up buying their own material for the uniform and that’s why we see cops wearing different shades of khaki so often. Our men have also complained about body odour and sweating, especially when they are deployed on the field for many hours,” said Bhaskar Rao, Additional Director General of Police, KSRP.
(Source: Bangalore Mirror)
5. Ensure Appropriate Portrayal of Speech Disabilities in Indian Cinema: Online Petition
Tired of the way people with a stammer are portrayed in films, the Samvaad Institute of Speech and Hearing has launched a petition targeted at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to ensure that stammerers and those with disabilities are portrayed accurately, and in a positive light in movies and TV shows.
"Indian movies have in the past shown the person with stammering as a sidekick or an unimportant person, which has helped strengthen the myth, which stammerers are not smart, and can be ridiculed. Other movies, add another myth that people with stammering cannot talk but need to sing to communicate. Stammering comes with the emotional baggage of low self-esteem, perceived discrimination and the fear of being ridiculed," they said.
(Source: Times of India)
6. Residents Stage Protest Against Bad Roads
More than 200 residents of Ramagondanahalli near Whitefield staged a protest against civic authorities on Sunday demanding better infrastructure in the area.
The local residents including techies, children and senior citizens gathered on Borewell Road, holding placards expressing their ire against the civic authorities. The placards read: "Patchwork is for tailors, what we need is good roads," "stop stealing my tax money," "Pave roads, save life."
They said that the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board had dug the road in the locality indiscriminately, but did not restore it. Koshy Verghese, a resident, said that the recent rain had worsened the situation. " We can have a dirt rally on the road," he said.
Bengaluru Development Minister KJ George, who visited the area recently, promised to repair the road within 40 days. However, he is yet to fulfil his promise, Verghese added. The residents said that school buses and ambulances refuse to ply on the bad road and their children had to walk for around 1.20 km to board the school bus.
(Source: Deccan Herald)