Observer issue 20

The Observer An IIJNM Publication

Underground mkt will uproot us: Vijayanagar street vendors | P 2

Vol 19, Issue 20

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

The Observer

@theweeklyobserver On the web: issuu.com/ theweeklyobserver/docs/the observer

KR Market parking lot has no respite from trash | P 2

Non-Kannadigas rush Indian cinema has lost many of its to learn Kannada

leading ladies early

Say it will help their children too

Pracheta Panja

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Manikankana Sengupta

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he Kannada Language Learning Act, 2015, implemented in October 2017, has sent a number of nonKannada-speaking parents into a frenzy. They are struggling to help their children with the language and monitor their progress in class.

The Act makes it mandatory for schools to teach Kannada as the first or second language.

Schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations also come under the purview of this mandate. The Act affects those who have managed without knowing the local language and its script.

A Kannada teacher from Abhigyaan Knowledge Grooming, HSR Layout, informed The Observer: “We get at least one or two queries every day about classes from adults. Earlier it used to be mostly employees or MBA students who felt that learning the local language was crucial. But now we are getting queries from parents as well.”

Good To Excellence, another centre providing Kannada lessons, has been receiving requests from parents to learn Kannada as well. Mr. Satish, who works there, told The Observer that they expect the enrolments of parents to increase further.

“Since the government has made Kannada compulsory, we knew a lot of parents who do not know the language will find

Kannada writing on a blackboard in the Golahalli Primary School | Credit Manashaa G. it difficult to help their children with the subject. Our classes will be helpful as it will help them to supervise their children’s performance in school,” Satish said.

Prashanth Ekbote, one of the founding members of Kannada Gottilla, an organization that teaches spoken Kannada through WhatsApp, said: “We started our work three years ago for people who wanted to learn Kannada. Currently, we have over 9,000 students globally. All the teaching is through WhatsApp. It is based on the learner’s availability and convenience. A large number of parents have joined after the Act was enforced.

We have three levels – basic to expert. Non-Kannada-speaking parents generally opt for the basic levelWe have classes Monday through Friday and assessments on Saturdays. The assessment is usually one-on-one. We encourage them to send voice notes so that they can work on their pronunciation. The trouble is that we do not have written Kannada classes. That would have been

very helpful for the parents. We are thinking of expanding the course to include written Kannada as well after seeing the huge demand for it.”

Rupali Singh, who has a daughter studying in St Joseph’s Indian Primary School, finds it difficult to help her child with Kannada. “Neither my husband nor I can speak or write Kannada. This affects our daughter as we cannot provide her much guidance at home. We have not joined any coaching centre yet, but I think it is only a matter of time before we have to.”

Mousumi Banerjee, feels that spoken Kannada classes are a necessity. “I have lived in the city for seven years without knowing the local language. I have a son who does not speak a work of Kannada; now he has to learn the language. So I have been looking for Kannada classes. As a working woman, it will be very difficult for me to find time for the classes. I would prefer online classes.” manikankana.s@iijnm.org

Weren’t informed of plan to build statue of KC Reddy, says family

Pracheta Panja

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he family of KC Reddy, the first chief minister of the erstwhile Mysore state, on Tuesday said they were not informed of the plan to build his statute at Vidhana Soudha.

“We are glad that the government has taken the initiative to build a statue in memory of KC Reddy, but we would have been happier if we had been sent a letter about this earlier,” said his granddaughter-in-law Vasantha Kavitha Shrikar Reddy.

“His progressive thoughts

have made Karnataka progressive. He was a pioneer of the ‘Mysore Chalo’ Movement that sought a state government in Mysore state,” Mrs. Reddy said at the release of a special postal cover in his honour at General Post Office, Bengaluru.

MLC MV Rajasekharan praised Reddy’s contribution to bringing industries to Bengaluru. “Bengaluru became an industrial belt due to get the encouragement from him.”

“He supported freedom of speech. Politics means human science. He made us understand

how a politician should devote his life for the people,” former Supreme Court judge Gopala Gowda said.

The Karnataka government has sanctioned Rs 2 crore to build the statue at Vidhana Soudha.

The KC Reddy Sarojamma Welfare Foundation, headed by Reddy’s granddaughter-in-law, is looking forward to commemorative stamps being released on the freedom fighter’s birth anniversary on May 5. pracheta.p@iijnm.org

he sudden death of actress Sridevi Kapoor has left her fans worldwide in shock. She was in Dubai attending her nephew Mohit Marwah’s wedding along with her husband Boney Kapoor and younger daughter Khushi. Her husband found her body in a bathtub in the hotel they were staying at.

Dubai police on Monday said the 54-year-old drowned in the bathtub after losing consciousness.

The Indian film industry has lost several popular actresses at an early age.

Reema Lagoo, who worked in films like ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’, ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ and ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’, died on May 18, 2017, following a massive heart attack. She was 58. Lagoo had also acted in TV serials ‘Khandaan’, ‘Shriman Shrimati’ and ‘Tu Tu Main Main’.

Parveen Babi, one of Bollywood’s most glamorous actresses, passed away on January 20, 2005, at the age of 55. Her body was found 72 hours after her death. The reason suspected for her death was complications from diabetic condition. She worked with leading heroes like Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Dharmendra and Rajesh Khanna.

Divya Bharti died very young.

She was just 19 when she fell to death from her fifth-floor apartment in Mumbai in April 1993.

During her short career, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She acted in 21 Hindi, Tamil and Telugu movies.

The legendary Smita Patil died from post-childbirth complications on December 13, 1986, at the age of 31. Once a newsreader, Patil became a leading light of parallel cinema. Her roles in ‘Manthan’, ‘Bhumika’, ‘Aakrosh’, ‘Chakra’ and ‘Mirch Masala’ won her critical acclaim.

Meena Kumari, a leading heroine of the 1950s and 1960s, died on March 31, 1972, at the age of 39. She acted in 92 films. Her work in ‘Baiju Bawra’, ‘Aarti’, ‘Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam’, ‘Pakeezah’ and ‘Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai’ won her great popularity.

She started her career as a child artiste and won four Filmfare awards.

Madhubala, considered one of the most beautiful actresses of Indian cinema, died in February 1969 when she was 36. She had a hole in the heart that was

Actress Sridevi | Credit: Sridevi’s Instagram account detected when she was shooting for a movie in 1954. She essayed memorable roles in ‘Mahal’, ‘Mr & Mrs 55’, ‘Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi’, ‘Howrah Bridge’, ‘Mughal-eAzam’ and ‘Barsaat Ki Raat’. Her performance in Mughal-e-Azam’, opposite Dilip Kumar, established her as an iconic figure in Indian cinema. pracheta.p@iijnm.org

Filmdom mourns Sridevi on Twitter Rajinikant (@superstarrajani): I’m shocked and very disturbed. I’ve lost a dear friend and the industry has lost a true legend. My heart goes out to her family and friends. I feel the pain with them #RIPSridev ... you will be missed.

Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan): Have witnessed Sridevi’s life from an adolescent teenager to the magnificeint lady she became. Her stardom was well deserved.

Many happy moments with her flash through my mind including the last time I met her. Sadma’s lullaby haunts me now. We’ll miss her.

Madhuri Dixit (@MadhuriDixit): Just woke up to the terrible news of Sridevi passing. My heart goes out to her family. The world has lost a very talented person who left behind a huge legacy in film. #RIPSridevi.

Ram Gopal Varma (@ RGVzoomin): One of the main reasons for me coming into films was my desire to see her up close in real.

Kshanakshanam film was my love letter to Sridevi.

CITY

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The Observer Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Underground market will uproot us, complain vendors Rayan Mitra

K.J.George( @thekjgeorge): A city’s environment is shaped not only by people who have an important influence, but by everyone who lives or work there. Let’s join hands to make a dream city. That’s our mission to clean & green Bengaluru city. Let’s put trash in its place! #CLEANBengaluru

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he Vijayanagar street market, west Bengaluru, is on the verge of extinction as the BBMP plans to replace it with an underground air-conditioned market that will be constructed on the lines of Delhi’s Palika Bazaar.

The street market, which has functioned for over four decades, offers a wide variety of items in a stretch of nearly 500 meters.

From shoes to tomatoes, one can buy anything.

Nearly 150 vendors will have to leave if the BBMP’s ‘Palika Bazaar’ plan is executed. Proposed by housing minister M Krishnappa, the new market will have 45 shops.

Ahmed, owner of a juice stall, informed The Observer: “We have been asked to vacate once, but nobody moved. There has been no development since.”

A middle-aged woman who owns a fruit stall said she has done business there for 27 years.

There is nowhere she can go if asked to leave. Shops on the opposite side of the road are safe because they are not included in the Palika Bazaar plan.

Asif, owner of Galaxy Communications, a shop on the other side, said: “BBMP has asked them to vacate the place. I think

Twitterti’s take on Bengaluru

A regular afternoon in the Vijayanagar street market, which will soon become history | Credit: Rayan Mitra it’s a good decision. These people block the road. Congestion will be avoided if it’s replaced with an underground market.”

The Palika Bazaar plan has been severely criticized. Activists say the proposal will destroy a blooming micro-economy.

BBMP executive engineer Bheemesh said: “There are hightension wires under the streets.

We have approached BESCOM for approval (to remove them).

As soon as we get the green sig-

nal, we will begin the process.”

Asked about the deadline to complete the work, Bheemesh chuckled, “No idea”.

BBMP PRO L. Suresh said: “It is still in a discussion phase, so I cannot provide much information on this.”

Amit, who runs his father’s shop after his death, remarked: “The city is full. Where will we go? This is all we have. Malls have reduced our business. An underground market will rob

our source of income.”

Jahagirdar, owner of one of the stalls, said: “I don’t think we will be allotted shops. We will leave when we are asked to.” A customer in the shop said: “There are people who depend on these vendors for their livelihood. The city has already been commercialised to a great extent.” It would be criminal to destroy a thriving micro-economy, he added. rayan.m@iijnm.org

UNESCO(@UNESCO): What can a community do when its own heritage is being forgotten? In Bengaluru,India, citizens decided to act to protect their local heritage with the help of local authorities. We all have a heritage to care about & to protect that is what unites us.

Amit Malviya (@malviyamit) : If potholes in Bengaluru won’t kill you, chances are a Congress politician’s son will! #BeSafe

City Market parking space receives no respite from trash dump G. Manashaa

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espite repeated requests to the BBMP, months ago, to clean the parking area of KR Market, it seems to have done nothing. Every day, a large amount of solid waste is dumped in the parking area.

Nobody knows why.

More than hundred vehicles can be parked where the garbage lies.

There is a space earmarked behind the market to dump garbage. But many vendors use the basement to dump the garbage because it is easily accessible.

Some throw trash from the first floor. A stench has enveloped the vicinity.

BBMP sanitary worker Nagamma told The Observer: “I don’t know where the garbage that is collected here is taken to. It is very hard for us to go there to clean up. The place is extremely dirty. I sometimes get a headache after breathing the air.”

Accumulated garbage is a breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies. The flies lay eggs on food items humans consume.

This increases the risk of people contracting diseases like typhoid and suffering food poisoning.

Another BBMP sanitary worker, who requested he not be named, said: “It is sometimes really hard to clean the parking area due to the stench. The gar-

Animals feed on the garbage dumped in the KR Market parking ground | Credit: Manashaa.G bage is collected by the BBMP garbage van. Even after the garbage is disposed of, the smell remains.”

Ramesh, supervisor of the parking lot, said: “I do not know why they dump the waste in the parking area. Our senior official can be contacted for further information regarding this.” The officer was also unaware of why garbage is dumped there.

Mayor Sampath Raj said: “I am not sure if I am in charge of the KR Market ward. But I can say this: It disturbs not only the people who stay there, but also commuters and especially children and senior citizens. ”People who come in contact with garbage have a high risk of con-

tracting illnesses.

Medical Health Officer of BBMP West Zone, Dr MN Lokesh informed The Observer: “For waste-collection staff, the risks of picking up and handling overflowing garbage include infections, chronic diseases and accidents. Direct contact with waste can result in skin and blood infections through infected wounds, various illnesses resulting from the bites of animals feeding on the waste, and intestinal infections transmitted by flies feeding on the waste.

Picking up overflowing garbage is risky due to sharp objects, needles and potentially hazardous waste.” manashaa.g@iijnm.org

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah flags off a Saviruch Sanchari Canteen at Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday. The mobile canteens, which will serve traditional food of Karnataka at low price, will be driven and run by members of the Stree Shakti scheme in Bengaluru and other districts of Karnataka. The CM distributed 110 retrofitted motorized vehicles among the differently abled at the venue | Credits: Rachel Dammala

Observer Team Editor:Manikankana Sengupta Desk: Rayan Mitra, Ayushi Singh Reporters: Athul.M, Manashaa.G, Rachel Dammala, Pracheta Panja