Good morning, Bengaluru!
⛅Today’s weather: Sunny temperatures and partly cloudy skies in store.
🧐 Did you know? Whitefield, a haven for the city’s leading MNCs today, was a self-sufficient Anglo-Indian village back in 1882. It earns its moniker from David Emmanuel Starkenburgh White, who contributed to building the village in concentric circles around a common field. The aim was for settlers to work for the common good without owning property.
🚗 CAEV Auto Expo 2023
Bengaluru will host the Connected, Autonomous, and Electric Vehicles exhibition on April 13 and 14.
Story so far: CAEV Auto Expo 2023, Asia’s biggest exhibition for connected, autonomous, and electric vehicles, will be held in Karnataka Trade Promotion Organisation (KTPO), Bengaluru. At the Telematics Wire event, the limelight will be on clean and sustainable mobility, automotive connectivity and security, electric vehicles, and ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems).
- Over 60 speakers, 150 exhibitors, and 5,000 delegates will launch the future of sustainable and intelligent mobility. Nine planned sessions will compose of keynotes, lead talks, and panel discussions on the hurdles and trends of the automotive and mobility industry.
- The expo hopes to facilitate industry partnerships, investments, and acquisitions. Its B2B set-up has been a pillar of the CAEV ecosystem in India. For its seventh edition, the expo has opened its doors to the general public.
Why it matters? The exhibition comes at a time when connected cars are likely to become more commonplace in India. A rise in the demand for advanced and smart systems is painting the landscape more favourable for the growth of connected cars.
- According to Toyota Connected India’s CEO, connected mobility must evolve from luxury to convention. The CAEV expo is an exciting opportunity to learn about predictive & AI/ML-based technologies that bolster safe driving.
- The CEO of SecureThings, a cybersecurity startup, pronounces the CAEV expo as the hub of innovation in the industry. The firm will launch its latest security product, the ‘S-factor’.
🚍 The ‘Bus4us’ BuzzFest competition
A non-profit think tank has launched an inter-college competition to promote bus usage.
Story so far: The Urban Works Institute (UWI), partnering with the Centre for Sustainability at Ramaiah Institute of Management, has launched ‘The Bus4us BuzzFest’ competition to promote bus usage among the youth and invite suggestions on ways to improve its image. UWI has also proposed doubling the bus fleet to meet the city’s travel demands.
- The BuzzFest features photography, poster-making, and reel-making competitions for which submissions are due by February 12. Any college student in Bengaluru is eligible to participate and scoop the ₹25,000 cash prize.
Origin story: On Monday, MA Saleem, Special Commissioner of Police (traffic), launched the larger ‘Bus 4 Us’ campaign. Considering that the BMTC plans to increase its fleet and introduce e-buses, the city’s youth could help relieve traffic congestion by availing of the transport.
🪧 BBMP approves Sankey road project
The Palike will move forward with the much-protested Sankey road project.
Story so far: BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath has announced that the Palike will go ahead with the widening of Sankey Tank Bund Road and constructing a flyover from T Chowdaiah Road to 18th Cross, despite repeated protests of Malleswaram and Sadashivanagar residents.
- Alleging that the flyover cannot remedy traffic congestion, the residents had formally requested Giri Nath to conduct a public consultation before cruising through the construction plan.
- An online petition, too, was initiated while 2,000 students mailed postcards to CM Bommai opposing the project.
Criticism: The Bengaluru Nava Nirman Party alleged that extending vehicular capacity through road widening and flyovers has proved inadequate in alleviating traffic congestion.
- Citing that the project was unsustainable, the party wrote to the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority.
Now what? Giri Nath said that while the project has seen some resistance, it has been backed too by other residents in the area. Meanwhile, residents decided to organise a discussion on Tuesday with experts chiming in on the details of the project and possible alternatives to it.
✈️ BEL at Aero India 2023
Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) will showcase its products and systems at the air show.
Story so far: The 14th edition of Aero India will display an array of BEL’s products and systems across 12 domains, including air defence and surveillance, futuristic technologies, and radar systems. The defence PSU will demonstrate its R&D capacity by showcasing the new products.
- In the air defence and surveillance category, BEL will showcase Hexacopter, tethered UAV, robotic surveillance, Shallow Water Remotely Operated Vehicle, and D4 anti-drone systems.
- In the radar systems and futuristic technologies category, BEL will showcase its Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast System and the Hand-Held Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System.
Other RSVPs? Over 731 exhibitors have registered for the global airshow that will focus on innovations in the aerospace and defence sectors, forging partnerships, and boosting exports. Aerospace stalwarts like Boeing (USA) and Airbus (Europe) will participate.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you prefer travelling alone or in a group?
- I like travelling alone.
- I like travelling in a group.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
Which movie, or movies, make/s you laugh out loud?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- The water supply to Indira Canteens was disconnected for non-payment of bills.
- Retired Anganwadis’ protest reaches the 8th day, as the government remains unresponsive to their demands.
- Here’s a piece about a Virginia Woolf-inspired feminist show ‘Orlando’ which will come to Bengaluru on February 2.
- By the end of 2023, Boeing India will open its second-largest campus at Aerospace Park in Devanahalli.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I am a light sleeper: 30.0%
- I am a heavy sleeper: 70.0% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
Have you ever been held captive by a book and couldn’t move until you reached its end? Which book was it?
Divyaraj: “The Myth of Human Supremacy by Derrick Jensen”
Vedant: “Shoe Dog by Phil Knight”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!