Good morning, Bengaluru!
🌦️ Today’s weather: Cloudy intervals and thundershowers.
🧐 Did you know? One of the pink trees lining up the city streets is called Pink Pouis, or Tabebuia Rosea. It blooms throughout the year and was possibly brought to India in the 19th century by the British.
🚀 Renowned physicist’s life archived
Renowned physicist’s life and works are now available at the NCBS.
Story so far: On March 15, Indian physicist TSG Sastry’s life and works, including research papers, scientific manuals, correspondence, and photographs, were archived and made public at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS).
- It is reportedly the first non-biology collection at the NCBS. Sastry’s family donated the documents and photographs included in the archive.
- The physician’s professional and personal correspondences shed light on the space science history that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s.
Why it matters? Sastry’s contributions to space science include helping found India’s first rocket launching station in Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram. His work on sounding rockets advanced space research in the country.
🐘 Silent Valley ecosystem exhibit
A photographer from Wayanad exhibits his photographs of the Silent Valley National Park.
Story so far: For wildlife enthusiasts who cannot make the trip to the famous Silent Valley National Park in Wayanad, Kerala, the Si-Lens wildlife photography exhibition at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath will be revelatory. The show is open from 10 am to 7 pm till March 19.
- Organised by photojournalist NP Jayan, the exhibition features diverse optics into one of the richest biodiversity hotspots in India. A hundred pictures are displayed, chosen from over a thousand shots.
- The pictures capture the mountain forests, flow of rivers, snakes, ants, elephants, and rare species like the lion-tailed macaque.
The photographer: Jayan is from Wayanad. He has been a journalist for almost 30 years. Passionate about wildlife photography from the get-go, he believes that luck is as important in photography as one’s mindset. For him, photography is a powerful medium to tell real-life stories.
📱 Truecaller comes to the city
Truecaller opens its biggest office space outside of Stockholm in Bengaluru.
Story so far: Truecaller inaugurated its first executive office space outside of Sweden in Bengaluru. It is the caller ID verification company’s largest establishment outside of Stockholm. Truecaller aims to use the new office as its primary hub to serve users in India and globally.
- The new facility inhabits 30,443 square feet of renovated space. It can host around 250 employees.
- Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship & Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who inaugurated it, believes it shows India’s growth as a trusted technology hub.
Why it matters? Truecaller positively views India’s digital society and economy. According to its CEO and Co-Founder Alan Mamedi, Truecaller’s expansion in India is due to the increasing use of smartphones and the internet.
- Last year, several reports suggested that Truecaller’s growth is also linked to India’s inadequate privacy laws.
🚭 Tobacco control fetches rewards
Bengaluru wins a cash reward for improving public health at a summit in London.
Story so far: On Wednesday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) awarded Bengaluru a $150,000 award for curbing tobacco consumption in the city and reducing smoking in public places. At the Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit in London, cities were awarded for preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries.
- Other cities that received the award are Athens, Mexico City, Montevideo, and Vancouver.
- Mayors and officials from over 50 cities gathered at the summit in London. They discussed urgent public health concerns and ways to improve their citizens’ health.
Why though? The inaugural Partnership for Healthy Cities is a global network of 70 cities that aim to prevent NCDs and injuries. Heart diseases, cancer, diabetes, respiratory diseases, and injuries account for over 80% of all deaths.
- Since more than half the world lives in cities and towns, public health is a global imperative.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Watch Pah-Lak, a Tibetan play with English subtitles, and explore the future of non-violence.
- Experience the ‘5 Stages of Heartbreak’ through music at the Indiranagar Social on Saturday.
- Forms of People is a boutique festival for artists to showcase & express their art in a safe space.
- Enjoy rewatching Rockstar in SCC’s open-air cinema at Forum Shantiniketan.
- Conclude your weekend with the Social Sunday Sundowner at Koramangala Social.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I prefer texts: 33.3%
- I prefer calls: 66.7% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
Which smell or scent takes you back to your childhood?
Yogita: “Eraser”
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!