Good morning, Bengaluru!
☁️ Today’s weather: It will be generally cloudy.
🧐 Did you know? The Rameshwaram Cafe’s name, according to its founders, is a tribute to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, as Rameshwaram was his birthplace.
📚 Celebration of diversity and culture
Bangalore Literature Festival captivates with wide-ranging themes.
What’s happening? The 12th Bangalore Literature Festival opened with a diverse exploration of Bengaluru’s cultural and historical aspects, offering over 75 sessions across five locations. The event attracted an estimated 12,000-15,000 visitors, immersing them in literary discussions and showcasing a vast array of books.
- Highlights included discussions on judicial transparency, the art of book curation, and Bangalore’s welcoming nature.
- Prominent authors and experts, including Abraham Verghese and Ganesh Shivaswamy, shared insights and experiences.
Dynamic culture: The festival’s sessions, ranging from in-depth legal analysis to personal stories about Bengaluru’s inclusivity, reflected the city’s dynamic cultural identity. This event served as a vibrant platform for celebrating the diversity and richness of literary and cultural expressions.
🥜 Groundnut festival
Bengaluru celebrates the groundnut with the Kadalekai Parishe festival.
What’s it about? The Kadalekai Parishe, or groundnut festival, is an age-old tradition in Bengaluru, marking the end of the Hindu month of Kartik. This year, the festival begins at the Kadu Malleshwara temple in Malleswaram (December 2 to 4) and continues at the Dodda Basavanagudi or Bull temple (December 11 to 13). Rooted in local history, the festival is closely associated with the Bull Temple, constructed by the city’s founder, Kempe Gowda I, in the 16th century.
- The festival includes historical practices like offering groundnuts to the Nandi idol and has a significant connection to local legends and heritage.
- This year, citizen groups partner with BBMP to eliminate plastic bags, focusing on sustainability and tradition.
Preserving heritage and environment: Efforts to make the festival plastic-free and initiatives like using LED lighting at Bugle Rock reflect a commitment to preserving both the cultural heritage and the environment of Bengaluru.
⛲ Open space crisis
Bengaluru grapples with the scarcity of open spaces.
What’s it about? Despite its ‘Garden City’ moniker, Bengaluru faces a significant shortage of neighbourhood parks, especially in its eastern suburbs. With only 1,240 parks within BBMP limits, excluding Cubbon Park and Lalbagh, the city lags behind others like New Delhi, which boasts over 14,000 such spaces. The lack of new park development in rapidly growing areas highlights a failure in urban planning and political will.
- Urban growth has outpaced the development of public parks, affecting community spaces and biodiversity.
- Constituencies like Chickpet, Gandhinagar, Pulakeshinagar, and Chamarajpet suffer from a severe deficit of green spaces.
More to be done: This issue underscores the need for more equitable distribution and development of open spaces to enhance the quality of life in Bengaluru’s densely populated areas.
🚽 Public toilet scheme
BBMP formed a committee to expand public toilet facilities in Bengaluru.
What’s it about? The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has established a committee to develop and maintain public toilets throughout Bengaluru. Headed by the BBMP chief commissioner, the committee includes officials from various departments and an NGO representative. The initiative aims to address the city’s need for more public toilets, with a current count of 820 and plans to add 600 more.
- The committee’s responsibilities include implementing projects and ensuring the maintenance of the new facilities.
- BBMP is exploring public-private partnerships and special ‘She’ toilets for women to enhance toilet infrastructure in the city.
Focus on accessibility: This move represents a significant effort to improve sanitation facilities in Bengaluru, focusing on accessibility and modern designs akin to airport restrooms.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you like getting drenched in the rain?
- I like getting drenched in the rain.
- I don’t like getting drenched in the rain.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s the one thing about your office that you like?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- More than 4,000 commuters used the free electric bus service to Bangalore Literature Fest.
- The increase in the guidance value of properties could raise the cost of BDA flats.
- A special team has been formed to probe the hoax bomb threat sent to schools in the city.
- A software to detect plagiarism has been deployed at the Bangalore University.
- The city’s first legal protest for Palestine drew hundreds of protesters.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!