Tag Archives: Bangalore

Choosing a Home Water Purifier in Bangalore, India

June 19, 2016 Rajesh Naik 9 Comments Category: Musings, Updates Tags: activated carbon, AquaGuard, Bangalore, domestic water filter, India, Kent, MF, micro-filtration, nano-filtration, NF, Permionics, rajesh naik, reverse osmosis, RO, sediment removal, selection, Tata, UF, ultra violet, ultra-filtration, Unilever, UV, water purifier

A few months ago, it was time to replace the water purifier at home. The present one was difficult to maintain – the model was discontinued and its replacement parts were no longer available.

We thought it would be a simple task of selecting from one of the popular brands (like Kent or Aquaguard).

Little did we know that it would become a whole big project that required deeper research and evaluation of many alternatives based on criteria. Our task was made easy by the details available at achawater.com – a comprehensive site that covers water purification in great depth.

Typical impurities that need to be removed

As the first step we had to figure out the possible impurities to be removed. Our water is supplied by the municipality in Bangalore (BWSSB).

Here is a list of possible impurities in this water.
Continue reading Choosing a Home Water Purifier in Bangalore, India →

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Cartoon: Keep Bangalore Clean

November 29, 2015 Rajesh Naik 8 Comments Category: Cartoons, Musings, Updates Tags: Bangalore, cartoon, garbage, landfill, rajesh naik

Keep Bangalore Clean

Do share your comments in the space provided below.

The Other Side of MG Road, Bangalore (the boulevard is back!)

February 3, 2014 Rajesh Naik 1 Comment Category: Places, Updates Tags: Bangalore, boulevard, karnataka, mg road, namma metro, places, rajesh naik, tourism

Normally, when we visit MG Road on a Sunday (usually to buy something or see a movie in one of malls), we walk along footpath on the side of the road with the shops. This side is crowded with shoppers, and hawkers selling goggles, used books, trinkets, and forex (sometimes). The sidewalk is narrow for the crowds, even on a Sunday.

MG Road Boulevard Old

Last Sunday, we decided to cross over to the other side at the Brigade Road junction and investigate the boulevard (that had re-opened some time in end 2012) – we were not sure what to expect.

For those who are new to Bangalore, there used be to a walking path on that side of MG Road for a very long time (see photo). This path was at a level slightly higher than the road and used to skirt the Manekshaw Parade Grounds and Cariappa Park.

The path was demolished some years ago to enable the construction of Namma Metro. A new boulevard was constructed along with the MG Road Metro station and was opened sometime end 2012. Here is a NDTV news report from around the time it was inaugurated.

If the youtube video does not load, click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBijk6FY79E.

MG Road Boulevard Both Levels The new boulevard has two levels – one is at the level of the road and the second is elevated. From the elevated portion you get a better view of MG Road, and can see office sign boards and the structure of the buildings – things that are not noticeable when you walk right next to those buildings. The elevated part is mainly for walking, though there is a snack joint run by Dasaprakash. On one side of the elevated path is the Cariappa Park and on the other side we have the lower level of the boulevard and the main MG Road.

The lower tier of the boulevard a has a few enclosed exhibition halls, an amphitheatre and children’s play area (including a giant snakes and ladders board). There are also semi-open stalls meant for display and sale of handicrafts (these were mostly empty). Between the boulevard and MG Road there are plants and some garden statues made of metal, cement, etc. You can also read an abbreviated history of Bangalore on a curved wall.

In one of the exhibition halls, we saw some innovative metal sculptures (called Katuri Sculptures) made out if waste metal parts like nuts, bolts, washers, rivets, tool boxes, tools, etc – all neatly welded together. Here are some photographs. The use of bicycle chains for mane of a lion was amazing (reminded me of the Alien creature with dreadlocks in the 1987 movie Predator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger).

There were two things that surprised me – one was the breadth of the boulevard (especially the lower tier) – it is likely to be half as wide as MG Road – though it does not seem so broad when viewed from the other side of MG Road.

The second aspect was that one could forget the hustle and bustle of MG Road, even though it was just a few meters away and the traffic was visible (if one cared to look at it).

(And yes, there are “pay-and-use” toilets too, right next to the metro station :-)).

All-in-all, a very pleasant experience and worth a trip for all – those visiting Bangalore as well as those who live here. People who miss the demolished walkway may be pleasantly surprised at the replacement!

Here is another youtube clip:

If the youtube video does not load, click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaG30-qBv4o.

In case you do visit this place, please do share your experiences in the space below.

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There are no dead ends in Bangalore

September 1, 2013 Rajesh Naik 4 Comments Category: Musings, Updates Tags: Bangalore, dead end, directions, roads

Dead End Image
“When you reach a dead end, turn right” was the baffling instruction I got, when I asked for directions to some place in Jayanagar. We had just moved to Bangalore (from Delhi) in mid-2004, and I was trying to get used to the roads and places in Bangalore.

To me a ‘dead end’ meant an end (as of a street) without an exit, a cul-de-sac, or a blind alley, so how could I turn right?

Eventually as I drove to the alleged ‘dead end’, I figured that I was approaching a T-junction (where I could turn right or left). In the next few weeks, it became clear to me that T-junctions are also called ‘dead ends’ in Bangalore.

Over time I realized that ‘dead ends’ in Bangalore lingo mean many more things – like a sharp right or a left turn, or bend in the road or an intesection (Bangalore has many of them with 5, 6, and sometimes 7 roads). So, ‘dead end’ in Bangalore could mean any of them.

Dead End All Image

I thought I had figured out all possible versions of ‘dead ends’. So, I was stumped when last year (2012), someone gave me directions on New BEL Road – “go straight for 100 meters, at the dead end turn right, and the buiding is the first tall one…”. Well, I knew that the new BEL Road was straight for the next kilometer and I could not remember any ‘dead end’ for a while, at least not the kind of ‘dead ends’ that I was now familiar with.

Dead End New Image After I walked the 100 meters, I did come across a new kind of ‘dead end’ – a small road meeting the main New BEL Road. Well, one lives and learns.

Since my initial encounter with Bangalorean ‘dead end’ I have come to know that others too have been baffled with the usage of this term in Bangalore. Here is a post Rickshaw Drivers and Vampires by Anand Ramachandran. I reproduce a relevant excerpt from the post:

“Give up, fool. This is a dead end, there is no way out. I have you know.”, said Gangrel.

The human smiled. “Nope. You forget – this is Bengaluru.” he shot back, before suddenly taking a left turn and vanishing.

– from Rickshaw Drivers and Vampires by Anand Ramachandran

Maybe ‘Dead End, Right’ is a new metaphor for ‘there is always a way out of tight corners’ 🙂

[There is also a horror movie titled a Dead End. I have not yet seen it, but have put it in my long ‘maybe someday’ list. (the DVD is available at Amazon.com). In case you have seen it, please the comments below this post.]