Good morning, Bengaluru!
🌤️ Today’s weather: Hazy skies and sunny temperatures in store.
🧐 Did you know? Last month, the Karnataka Postal Circle inaugurated the city’s first Evening Post Office on Museum road.
✈️ Thousands witness aerobatics rehearsal
The Aero Show rehearsal dazzled onlookers and stirred up anticipation for the exhibition.
Story so far: On Saturday, thousands of people watched as Aero India 2023 defence aircraft undertook a full dress rehearsal in Bengaluru skies. The performances of LCA Tejas, Sukhoi 30 MKI, Jaguar, MiG-29, Rafale, C17 Globemaster, DC-3 Dakota, Suryakiran, P-8 Poseidon, Advanced Light Helicopter, Light Utility Helicopter, Rudra, ALH Coast Guard variant, Apache, LCH, Mi-17, Sarang enthralled the audience. As part of a novel initiative, the Indian Armed Forces (IAF) facilitated the attendance of students from remote and underprivileged communities.
- The IAF brought over 2,000 students from socioeconomically weaker sections, hailing from SC, ST and Backward Class communities to Bengaluru.
- The students belong to the Social Welfare Department’s government residential academies, which include Ashrama, Morarji Desai, and Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society (KREIS) Schools.
Why it matters? Today, the five-day Aero India begins at the Air Force Station in Yelahanka, Bengaluru. The IAF’s move to make the event accessible to students from weaker socioeconomic backgrounds hopes to encourage the youth’s interest in aviation, aerospace, and aeronautics. To this end, about 500 children are expected to witness the premium exhibition on February 14, 15, and 16.
🎭 Students booked for offensive skit
Bengaluru’s varsity students allegedly insult Ambedkar and Dalits and are called for questioning.
Story so far: The Bengaluru police registered an FIR against Jain University’s management and six students from its Centre for Management Studies (CMS). The students performed a skit that was allegedly tone-deaf to India’s caste inequality and ridiculed BR Ambedkar and the Dalit community. While the students were summoned for questioning, no one has been arrested yet.
- Once the controversy erupted on Instagram, where the college theatre group has posted the performance, the six students involved issued an apology.
- However, some Dalit organisations took offence to the skit that precipitated a case being registered against the accused under provisions of the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and sections 153A (promoting enmity), 149 (unlawful assembly) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).
Repercussions: The police have called students and faculty members for a thorough investigation. Meanwhile, CMS has suspended the students involved and formed a disciplinary committee to examine the matter. The youth festival that featured the skit was put on pause too.
About the play: The play appears to mock Ambedkar and Dalits, with dialogues that phonetically liken BR Ambedkar to Beer Ambedkar. According to Dalit organisations, the skit is casteist and intentionally humiliates the Dalit community and its leaders.
- The complainant has questioned the University authorities for allowing the play to pass through different checks and rehearsals that occur before the final performance.
🏛 Government Museum’s neoclassicism
The museum hosts a collection of historical artefacts spanning 3,000 years.
Story so far: The Government Museum on Kasturba road is built in a neoclassical Greco-Roman style, a recurring theme in several colonial buildings in the area. The building was designed by Colonel Richard Sankey of the East India Company and is flanked by Greek-style pillars and windows with Roman gods. The museum preserves a collection of historical artefacts that span almost 3,000 years.
- The museum was inaugurated in 1865 by Sir Edward Balfour in the Cantonment Jail. It was subsequently moved to Museum Road, after which it landed where it is today.
Noteworthy: The main gallery features dwarapalaka or door guardian Chalukya sculptures from the 11th Century CE. Archaeological artefacts include items from the Indus Valley Civilisation and Arikamedu. Distinctive Black and Red pottery ware date back to the 10th century BCE.
- The adjoining wing preserves Jain, Chola, and Hoysala sculptures, that date from the 10th to 12th century CE. Some statues, however, are around 2,000 years old.
Why it matters? The museum is one of the oldest in the country. It is a treasure trove of archaeological artefacts that one usually only reads about. The Government Museum captures Bengaluru’s cultural, sociological and historical currents. It also preserves the Halmidi inscription, one of the oldest examples of written Kannada.
Visiting hours: It is open from 10 am to 5 pm on all days of the week, barring Monday. The entry fee is ₹20, and the museum prohibits videography on the premises. Ticket holders can also visit the adjoining Venkatappa Art Gallery.
🚸 Are pedestrians unsafe in Bengaluru?
Overspeeding vehicles and blocked pavements endanger pedestrians.
Story so far: In January 2023, Bengaluru recorded 25 pedestrian deaths and 88 pedestrian injuries. Recently, a car hit a student near RV College on Mysuru road, raising concerns over pedestrian safety in the city. In the same month, the city recorded 433 road accidents, out of which 73 were fatal.
- Most pedestrian accidents are registered during weekends and at night. Despite several signs and laws to prevent overspeeding, most accidents occur because of vehicles going over the speed limit on busy junctions or roads.
- Pedestrians are compelled to walk on busy roads because of a lack of proper footpaths and well-lit streets and pavements blocked with vehicles, leading to pedestrian injury and fatalities.
Why it matters? A deep dive into the various possible causes of increased pedestrian casualties and road accidents is necessary to improve road safety in the city. Residents believe that BBMP and other authorities have been largely negligent and unaccountable in ensuring safe and impediment-free passage on footpaths.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Are you a minimalist, or do you like to collect material belongings?
- I am a minimalist.
- I am not a minimalist.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What were your favourite cartoons to watch as a kid?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- BWSSB released 120 million litres of purified wastewater into Nayandahalli lake.
- Despite a delayed opening, Namma Clinics experience a staff crunch.
- Anti-poaching watchers go on strike after not receiving salaries in the last five months.
- System glitches and non-compliant vehicle users pose a problem in addressing traffic violations.
- Former Kerala CM Oommen Chandy was shifted to Bengaluru for treatment.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!