Good morning, Bengaluru!
⛈️ Today’s weather: Thundershowers and light winds.
🧐 Did you know? Batte or cloth market in Ramachandrapura, where export surplus is sold, was a chindi bazaar where rags were sold half a century ago. It was a traditional recycling market.
👮 New police commissioner
Bengaluru’s new commissioner has several feathers in his cap, including nurturing a passion for bike riding.
Story so far: B Dayananda, Bengaluru’s new police commissioner, is known for his penchant for fitness and technology. He belongs to Ranebennur and holds a Bachelor’s degree in public administration. Previously, he served as the commissioner of transport and road safety. He was also the Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime and Traffic, in Bengaluru and the Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) in Karnataka since August 2020.
- Dayananda has earned medals for his role in counterinsurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir while being under training.
- In 1998, he earned a medal for outstanding performance as a sub-divisional police official. His most recent achievement is from 2022 when he bagged the President’s Police Medal for distinguished service.
International stints: Commissioner Dayananda has worked as a civilian police officer in the United Nations Mission in Kosovo and was awarded the UN Medal for international peacekeeping.
💸 CSR funds for C-Camp
Global biotechnology company Cytiva plans to fulfil its corporate responsibility through C-Camp.
Story so far: The Bengaluru-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) has received Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) financing from the biotech giant Cytiva to back early-stage startups in India. C-Camp is backed by the government of India and has helped over 350 startups.
- The latest infusion will be utilised to identify promising ventures under the umbrella of agriculture, environment, and mental health.
- The funds will also go into incubation, technical assistance, mentorship, pilot-scale development, guidance on regulatory approvals, and networking opportunities with investors and industry players to expedite the startups’ commercialisation.
What they said: Dr Taslimarif Saiyed, Director-CEO at C-CAMP, said Cytiva’s investment will accelerate innovation in India’s deep science sector. Rajan Sankaran, Commercial General Manager at Cytiva, said the company looks forward to contributing to India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat vision.
🖼️ Generative AI art on display
The Social Cafe is keeping with the current through its ongoing NFT art exhibition.
Story so far: There’s a special place in Bengaluru for artists generating art through code. And it’s the Social Cafe on the new BEL road. In collaboration with Tezos, the cafe is organising ‘Art of Code’, an exhibition where ten artists showcase their complex non-fungible tokens (NFT) art created using refined coding techniques.
- The exhibition began on 27 May and will extend until 27 June. It begins every day at 2 pm.
- The exhibition offers access to some of the big names in this space, like Karthik Dondeti, Pixelkar Nitant, Beardcoded, Aranya, KALA, and Varundo.
Tell me more? The exhibition offers a chance to assess art for its creativity and techniques. NFT Artist Jaalibandar collaborated with a Mexican artist to explore the possibilities of generative art.
🌳 The importance of proper pruning
Experts believe the BBMP’s delayed pruning will worsen the situation of trees uprooting in monsoons.
Story so far: The scene of uprooted trees blocking roads after the recent spells of rainfall in Bengaluru clarified the importance of proper pruning. According to experts, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) efforts have been too little too late. While the BBMP’s Forest Department has been removing debris and pruning the green cover after every spell of rain, it might not be enough to make a difference.
- Experts believe that the department should have been on its toes about maintaining the city’s green cover all year, not right before monsoons.
- A senior scientist at the Centre for Ecological Sciences chastised the BBMP’s ignorance. The Palike has concretised areas around their roots to install poles, neglecting to provide enough space for water to reach their roots.
The future: Experts believe the problem will worsen as Bengaluru heads into the monsoon. As for the BBMP, it is following scientific measures of pruning and trimming for the time being.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you visited the Nehru Planetarium?
- Yes, I’ve visited the Nehru Planetarium.
- No, I haven’t visited the Nehru Planetarium.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s a recent random act of kindness you performed?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- After 49 days of summer vacation, schools reopened on Monday for a new academic year.
- CM Siddaramaiah said polluting children’s minds through texts and lessons cannot be condoned.
- The Raman Research Institute completed a month-long programme in practical electronics.
- On World Environment Day, the VIMOVE Foundation will launch a documentary video.
- The Free Bus Travel for Women decision will be taken in Thursday’s cabinet meeting.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I’m part of a club in Bengaluru: 8.3%
- I’m not part of a club in Bengaluru: 91.7% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
Which was the last show you binge-watched?
Sriranga: “The Diplomat – Netflix”
Dharna: “Grace and Frankie”
Simon: “Fauda Season 4”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!