Meltdown
Till a couple of decades ago Bangalore was a sleepy city -- running to the rhythm of old trading networks and retired people taking their evening …
Eyeing the coastlines
Further dilution of the rules safeguarding the Indian coastal ecosystem has just been proposed. Under the guise of providing land to poor …
Criminal waste
Reduced to filthy, foul smelling cesspools, with mosquito larvae arawing their lazy, intricate patterns on the green surfaces, the same takes …
Deep waters
Puducherry's plans for a new port have prompted unprecedented protests. Allegations of a huge land grab facilitated by procedural violations and …
Goa must grow...but how?
On January 26, 2007, the government of Goa withdrew its newest blueprint for the development of the state, called the Regional Plan 2011. …
How green is your building?
The building's green credentials have been recognised internationally, most notably by the us Green Business Council (usgbc). The Washington-…
Lavasa exposed
By its looks, the place could be mistaken for Portofino, a fishing village-cum-resort in Italy—multi-coloured buildings crowd a waterfront …
The revolutionary who transformed health care
ZAFRULLAH Chowdhury draws inspiration as much from Hippocrates as from Mao Zedong. To the first, he owes his medical ideals and to the second, …
Indian science must stop merely aping West
Cynicism is perhaps the natural fallout of a long career within the government machinery. But when Yash Pal, one of the country's leading …
Waters of life
Tarun Bharat Sangh of Alwar is well-known for its work on reviving traditions of waterharvesting. But few know about the economic advantages of …
India needs the science of the common people
It's a paradox that while the government is busy opening up the telecom sector to multinational companies, technocrat Sam Pitroda, perhaps the …
A Public Effort
Where the government has failed miserably in providing quality service to the people, some ngos have set an example on how urban waste can be …
Bogged Down
Waste generation is not rare in urban areas, nor any other part of the world. The only difference is in the management of wastes. An effective, …
On The Warpath
They prefer to be called the 'forest castes'. They are the 2,000,000-odd villagers living in some 10,000 villages across Orissa. After …
Aaj Ka Roadshow
Liberalisation in India has not only affected humdrum life, but also popular cultural forms. This is palpable in the changing dynamics of the big …
A belief in tradition
It was a unique ceremony for a unique award given to a unique rural community of India. In what is perhaps the first ceremony of its kind, …
Vitamin D complex
When sunlight falls on the skin, it forms an essential nutrient, vitamin D. For people in India, which has an average of 300 clear sunny days in …
Lives of others
Wildlife is more of an academic concern except when the charismatic tiger is wiped out from a protected forest or our favourite fish vanishes …
In a swelter over shelter
Besides highlighting some of the enduring concerns faced by today's urban planners, what else has the Istanbul 'city summit' -- Habitat II -- …
High on skyscrapers
Book>> Triumph of the city: How our greatest invention makes us richer, smarter, greener, healthier, and happier • by Edward Glaeser &…
Not so safe cities – role of urban planning
This blog highlights that besides other factors that contribute to lack of safety in Indian Cities, a particular approach to urban planning and …
Night under a winter sky
As night falls in Delhi and mercury dips, Meeta Ahlawat ventures out with her camera to make a warm conversation with the homeless in the city. …
India's urban renewal plan goes wrong
The Centre's ambitious urban renewal plan has one basic flaw: in the name of public-private participation it tries to give greater agency to …
Slum voices
BOOK>> TRICKSTER CITY, WRITINGS FROM THE UNDERBELLY OF A METROPOLIS • translated by Shveta Sarda • Penguin • Rs 499
Trapped in a quagmire
Pollution, disorderly urban growth and inadequate basic services are plaguing the Kathmandu valley and adversely affecting tourism, the valley's …