Good morning, Bengaluru!
⛈️ Today’s weather: Thundershowers. Brr.
🧐 Did you know? The Bellandur Lake was a safe bed for landing three Catalinas from the Dutch Navy in the 1940s.
🕶️ Vision screening camp for the underprivileged
A Class 12 student organises a visual screening camp for socio-economically disadvantaged children.
The project: When we think of health camps, we often imagine government or big NGO initiatives. But this time, the one distributing glasses to underprivileged children is a young changemaker. Ramana Ramachandran, a Class 12 student, teamed up with the Bengaluru-based Sackhumvit Trust to organise a vision screening camp.
- Inspired by auto-refracting machines he encountered during a technology internship, Ramana wanted to help children with vision issues.
- Forus Health provided the slit lamp cameras and auto-refractometers used to catch corneal and refractive issues.
Largescale impact: Over 200 kids were screened, from which 38 received corrective glasses. The student emphasised that leveraging such technology on a larger scale is the need of the hour for helping the underprivileged segment of society.
🏪 Tough times for small highway businesses
Many businesses peppered across Channapatna report dwindling earnings after the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway became operational.
What’s it about? The row of lacquered wooden horses outside Jai Sri Navaneetha Krishna Toys Emporium in Channapatna looks forlorn as it gazes onto the eerily empty main road. Since the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway was inaugurated, K Channappa Gowda’s 50-year-old business has plummeted by 80-90%. Once a popular pit stop for travellers, now only loyal customers visit.
- Many inhabitants and establishments in the Ramanagara district have been struggling since the expressway opened operations.
- Karthik Vaidyanathan, the principal designer and founder of Varnam Craft Collective, complains of one blow after another – GST, Covid-19, and the expressway.
Contrasting visions: Larger toy businesses in the craft park and the small-scale businesses have contrasting outlooks for their future. Some are hopeful that plans for a government-sponsored hub on the expressway would attract more tourists and provide opportunities for artisans. Others are sceptical about whether the road from artisan to entrepreneur will be as easy.
🏦 Karnataka Bank brings its tech hub to the city
Karnataka Bank aims to make Bengaluru its technology nerve centre.
What’s it about? Karnataka Bank unveiled its ‘Technology & Digital Hub’ at Artisane RPS Tech Centre in JP Nagar, aiming to streamline and consolidate all its technological and digital operations in one place. The hub is set to revolutionise development, innovation, and execution within the bank.
- Pradeep Kumar, the Bank Chairman, who inaugurated the centre, believes that this state-of-the-art hub will be a game-changer for the bank’s growth journey.
- It will empower brick-and-mortar branches while expanding new avenues to attract and serve tech-savvy next-generation customers.
Expectations: Srikrishnan Harihara Sarma, the Bank’s MD and CEO, expressed that the new Technology & Digital Hub will enhance automation, digitisation, and leverage computing and analytics. It will increase their capacity for business, service, and collaboration with fintech start-ups.
🌊 Persistent sewage troubles
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is struggling to keep sewage away from Bengaluru’s first waterway project.
Story so far: Bengaluru’s first waterway project has hit a roadblock as the BBMP and the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) try to prevent sewage from flowing into a 12-km stretch of the stormwater drain (SWD) between Majestic and Bellandur. The issue persists despite their efforts to replace pipelines and clear secondary drains.
- The BWSSB has re-laid new pipelines and desilted the secondary drains. Along the lines of an Israeli technique, it has also used five kilolitres a day (KLD) of sewage-eating plants.
- BWSSB officials argue that it’s now up to the BBMP to prevent people from unchecked dumping.
BBMP falls behind: Small houses, garages, and nearby commercial places dump sewage into the stormwater drains (SWDs). A BWSSB official has requested the BBMP to spot these troublemakers and clear away encroachments.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Get your tickets for Identified Patient’s cutting-edge techno on Saturday.
- Enjoy a one-off art exhibition at the Yuck launch party on Saturday.
- Fia’s Pyjama Party is a cosy celebration of great food and great company.
- Barely Illegal is a one-hour comedy show at Glens Bakehouse on Sunday.
- Sunday Improv Jams are here to make your weekends more fun and less expensive.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I was affected by the recent disruption on the Purple Line: 0.0%
- I wasn’t affected by the recent disruption on the Purple Line: 100.0% 🏆
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!