Good morning, Bengaluru!
🌧️ Today’s weather: High: 31 ℃ | Low: 21 ℃ | Cloudy with a chance of some rain.
🧐 Did you know? The Shivanasamudram Dam, located on the banks of the River Kaveri, is the single largest piped water source in Bengaluru. It’s also the site of South Asia’s first-ever hydroelectric power station.
🙌 Spotlight on mental health
India’s first Mental Health Festival in the city helped shine a spotlight on mental health.
What’s it about? The Mental Health Festival Mannotsava saw regular folks, celebrities, psychiatrists, and scientists share their experiences and insights on mental health. With over 100 speakers, stalls, exhibitions, and panel discussions, the festival aimed to bridge the gap between science and society.
- Following the pandemic, mental health has become a topic that has necessitated more discussion. According to Rohini Nilekani of the Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, there aren’t many public platforms and forums that bring together people from different walks of life and disciplines to discuss it.
- Across the two-day event, psychiatrists called for early intervention and support mechanisms in schools and offices. Workplace stress is a result of a high-stress environment where people aren’t able to thrive.
Women’s mental health: The session “Spotlighting Women’s Mental Health” highlighted how young women are at a higher risk of developing mental health issues. It’s a combination of social, biological, and psychological factors. Women are often met with “medical gaslighting” in hospitals when they seek treatment.
🎨 Public art initiative
The public art initiative GodeBlr kicked off in the run-up to BLR Hubba.
What’s it about? The GodeBlr initiative will begin next week and feature murals by 10 artists. The event is a pre-cursor to the BLR Hubba event from the non-profit platform UnboxingBLR.
- This year’s theme is “Bengaluru Hues”. The event aims to make art a tool to communicate with the city and create an open dialogue with its citizens.
- The public project is in partnership with the Bengaluru Metro. 10 metro stations will get murals. Among the proposed walls are Benniganahalli, Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road, Yeshwanthpur, and Halasuru.
Participating groups and artists: The shortlisted applicants include groups like Team Ghichpich, Aravani Art Project and Param Art Studios. The artists include Manjunath Honnapura, Manjunath H P, Rohit Bhasi, and Santosh Pattar.
🏞️ Felling trees for a movie shoot
Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre asked officials to take legal action against those who allowed the felling of trees for a movie shoot.
What’s it about? The dispute over the 599-acre forest land in the Peenya-Jalahalli area has taken a cinematic twist. Hundreds of trees were allegedly cut to facilitate the shooting of Yash’s new movie “Toxic”. Khandre said he discovered trees and vegetation were cut when he visited the land a few days ago.
- Officials said part of the land was rented out for the movie shoot by clearing trees. Khandre said the area was already declared a “reserved forest” through a gazette notification.
- The land is owned by Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) which has illegally given parts to private and government agencies for non-foresting activities.
What does the law say? Per the Forest Act and rules, axing trees in forest land without permission is a punishable offence.
👑 King Charles’ secret visit
King Charles and his wife Camilla came to Bengaluru for wellness treatment.
What’s it about? King Charles III arrived in Bengaluru on October 27 and will be at the Soukya International Holistic Health Centre (SIHHC) in Whitefield for wellness treatment. He arrived directly from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa. He has visited the centre on nine previous occasions.
- His visit was kept under wraps, and they were taken directly to SIHHC. Considering the high-profile visit, security around the facility was tightened.
- The day begins with a morning yoga session followed by breakfast and rejuvenation treatment before lunch. It ends with a meditation session before dinner.
About the centre: The SIHHC was founded by Dr Issac Mathai. The integrated medical facility combines traditional medicinal systems, including Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Yoga, and 30 contemporary therapies like Reflexology and Acupressure.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Learn Anuv Jain’s hits on the ukulele at Uke Date: Strumming Anuv Jain’s Hits this Sunday.
- Experience unique beats and sounds at Redroom Ft. Qtee Rue this Saturday.
- Celebrate the festival of lights with family and friends at the 2024 SoMAD Diwali Celebration this Sunday.
- An evening of creativity awaits at Karwan – an open mic presented by The Draft Page this Saturday.
- Cinephiles can catch Satyajit Ray’s masterpiece Charulata this Saturday.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I do plan to burst crackers this Diwali: 31.6%
- I don’t plan to burst crackers this Diwali: 68.4% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s your favourite non-Indian cuisine?
Yash: “Momo”
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!