The Weekly
BSERVER An IIJNM Publication
Volume 16 Issue 17
Thursday, 09 February, 2017
Ah, the Bowling Green Massacre. Adele Dazeem deserves the death penalty for that one. Jordan Peele @jordanpeele : I’m one of 100 million #SuperBowl fans that just went #Gaga for the Lady, & her message to all of us. Hillary Clinton @hillaryclinton “Baby” “Presstitute” “maika” “boyfriend”.. Trolls are offensive and sexist so as to avoid actually having a rational argumentDe3. Suhasini Haidar @suhasinih Elementary math under Betsy Devos- Q: Ned and Shryl each have 4 apples. Who has more apples?; A: Whomever Mike Pence decides has more apple Stephen Colbert @stephenathome Condolences on the sad demise of Mr. E Ahamed, a veteran parliamentarian & former Union Minister. May the departed soul rest in peace. Arun Jaitley @arunjaitley As I’ve said many times, it will be an Army of Comedy that brings him down. His skin is so thin, he can’t handle the humor or the ridicule. Michael Moore @MMFlint : My fellow film folk, if we do not unite now against these recurring incidents of bullying, it’s going to get much worse. #IstandbySLB Farhan Akhtar @Faroutakhtar Atal Bihari Vajpayee never went to Oxford, nor did Gandhi. For them, civility and decency were traits that were human, Indian, Hindu. Ramachandra Guha @ram_guha
SANS MONEY
A month and a half into 2017, cash seems to be steadily making its way back to the Indian markets.As old notes vanish into the background, will the printing of new notes reintroduce cash into the Indian wallet? || Pic by Leo Reegan
Turahalli forest: Into the receding wild
Air-India becomes first to have a female-only section
“Why do you want to go here?” Shivanna, a resident of Kanakpura road said pointing to the little, visibly infinite patch of green expanse of the Turahalli reserved forest, 20 kilometres away from the city, surrounded by concrete structures. This deciduous reserve is home to over a hundred different species of birds that primarily include those from the heron, magpie and mynah families and numerous reptiles and mammals like wild boars and jackals that are gradually decreasing in numbers. Multi-storied apartments surround it, and real estate construction does not seem to have slowed much. The tall Sobha Forest View apartment, towering over the trees at the periphery of Turahalli appears to be influencing its neighbours to match its massivity; animals and birds like peacocks have been pushed to the interiors which government laws and nature enthusiasts are trying hard to shelter and protect.The task , however, becomes more challenging as forest comes under
In a first for international carriers, Air India has decided to reserve six seats on all domestic flights for women passengers travelling alone. The seats, which the airline began offering on Jan. 18, the will be available at no extra cost, according to the Air India website. In an interview with The Hindu, Air India’s general manager for revenue management, Meenakshi Malik, said that it was the airline’s responsibility as the national carrier to enhance comfort levels for women travelling solo. The move comes after a recent incident involving a man who was arrested for sexually assaulting a lady on an international Air India flight. The man allegedly had moved from his business-class seat to sit next to the woman in economy class, and later allegedly groped her in her sleep. Managing operator of the Airport Passenger Association of India, Ms. Kavitha, called the move “a ridiculous one … aimed only at scoring brownie points.”
Arunava Banerjee arunava.b@iijnm.org
more urban influence each passing day. Turahalli forest continues to draw adventurers, bird watchers and environmentalists, whose concern and voices have helped this forest’s survival till now.For example, in 2012, when the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara palike (BBMP) decided to privatise parts of the reserved forest, a movement started by avid bird lover, Deepak Avri, helped preserve the forest’s purity. Although Mr Avri is no more, his cause remains, but the forest’s pristinity has become a matter of question for all concerned environmentalists in the city. Mr Avri’s wife, Kanthi, said that the space had always been very dear to her husband, and he dedicated
a large part of his life to ensure that the forest thrived and fostered the large eco-system in this small space of urban territory.But she is sceptical about how much her husband’s dream would remain considering the ruthless expansion of Bengaluru. However , increasing presence continues to contaminate the eco-system and adventure camps, occassional treks and bike rides into the forest has made it a favourite ‘picnic’ spot for the city dwellers. Walking along the Turahalli boulevard to reach a hill and observe the panaromic view of the city one can see the plastic covers on the bushes. “This is not a forest,” Shivanna had said, adding, “Go to Bannerghatta if you want to see a forest.” Varun Kumar,the Range Forest Officer(RFO), could not be reached for comments. Although the forest is reserved, rapid urbanisaition is pushing it towards oblivion. The broken fence around Turahalli needs immediate repair if city dwellers wish to preserve, arguably, the last standing forest of the ‘garden city.’
Sonal Agarwal sonal.a@iijm.org