Last Saturday morning, when most Bengalureans were still in their beds, around 40 people assembled under the flyover opposite Manyata Tech Park along the Outer Ring Road in Nagawara, north Bengaluru. By 8.30 am, they started scraping the about 20 pillars that propped up the flyover. They were enthusiastic children, senior citizens and youngsters and the target: the ugly pillars.
Within a few hours, they had not only scraped off the posters and filth that covered the pillars, but had also painted colourful 3-D pyramids interconnected by triangles. Another mission accomplished: the citizen group had reclaimed the space below yet another flyover.
In the past two months, The Ugly Indian, an anonymous group of citizens with the motto “Kaam Chalu Mooh Bandh”, have fixed more than 250 pillars of about 15 flyovers through their UFO (under the flyover) project. During the weekends, they have been removing the posters that dot the pillars and outer walls , and clearing the waste and garbage piled up around the base.
The UFO project is bringing in a change as well. The pillars that have received a face-lift continue to remain clean with no new poster or filth. For, there is a method to all the spot fixing done. As Vinay Unnikrishnan posted on the Facebook page of TUI: “The design and colours used here make a poster almost redundant due to the excessive clutter. A plain wall would attract posters but this design keeps them away. Brilliant idea and fantastic execution.”
As a result, these spaces have become models for other cities as well, with citizens replicating the model there. Bhumika GV, a student volunteer from Mallathahalli in west Bengaluru, said, “Many of our friends and relatives in other cities such as Kanpur, Mumbai and Gwalior etc are adopting the methodology to remove the ugliness of flyovers.”
The volunteers have brought workers of civic agencies such as BBMP on board. In a way, the spot fixes are a joint project done in partnership with the government.
For these spot fixes, volunteers come empty handed as they are provided with all the tools, materials and instructions on the spot. Besides, the project is self-funded, as citizens themselves contribute for the material costs.
Want be part of UFO spotfix?
Date: Saturday January 9, 2016
Time: 9 am
Spot: Nagawara Flyover, opposite Lumbini Gardens, near ‘Manyata Tech Park’, Outer Ring road.
For more details visit The Ugly Indian Facebook page or write to theuglyindians@gmail.com.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bangalore / by Rohith B R, TNN / January 07th, 2016
After completing the solo golden quadrilateral nationwide ride, covering nearly 7,000km in 2014, Esha Gupta, 37, aka Lone Gal Traveller, from Bengaluru has set her eyes on another mighty trip in this year.This time, she will attempt at creating a new Guinness World Records (GWR) for the longest journey on a motorcycle in a single country by a female. Esha will start the tour of 17 states, crossng 110 townscities, in an equal number of ing 110 townscities, in an equal number of days on January 10. Her faithful companion of 2014, Mike – her Bajaj Avenger 220DTsi will again carry her desire and hunger and to prove a point that “India is not an unsafe country” for women or women travellers.
Esha says: “By doing a solo ride across the Golden Quadrilateral, touching four metropolitan cities, I wanted to send a message out that India is not unsafe country for women. This time around, I will visit smaller towns and cities to put across the same message that India is safe. I plan to ride 38,000+ km in 110 days.” Esha says she is not challenging miscreants with the ride. “It is just to remind people that we are concentrating so much on the negativity that we have forgotten the positivity and good people around us. My solo ride is meant to shift people’s focus towards positivity,” she says.
She started preparing for the record in September last year by contacting GWR.”They have certain stringent rules and regulations that I have to meet to get my name in the GWR, which includes daily log in entries of my ride from start to end time apart from proof that I have visited the cities,” says Esha.
Her ride position and route will be tracked by twin GPS provided by OSS Technologies, which will also provide her a safety net. “The twin GPS is to avoid any complications in case one of the units fails. I cannot take any chance,” she says.
The expenses towards this ride will be al most 10 times that of her 2014 one. “I still have not got sponsors. I hope to get help from philanthropists if sponsorship does not materialize,” she asserts.
Esha quit her job as a senior facility manager four years ago, planning a small break, but never joined back.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Mangalore / by Stanley Pinto, TNN / January 05th, 2016
The Yadahalli Chinkara Wildlife Sanctuary will be spread over 9,636.91 hectares in villages of Bilagi and Mudhol taluks.
Karnataka will get its first wildlife sanctuary for chinkaras (Indian Gazelle) at Yadahalli in Bagalkot district.
Karnataka will get its first wildlife sanctuary for chinkaras (Indian Gazelle) at Yadahalli in Bagalkot district.
The government, in its notification, said the sanctuary is spread over 9,636.91 hectares in villages of Bilagi and Mudhol taluks. The region has a lot of wildlife significance since it is the only habitat for endangered Indian Gazelles.
The forests with beautiful mosaic of shrubs, grasslands and rocky patches are the habitat for critically endangered wolves, jackals, wildcats, stripped hyenas, and a variety of other mammals, reptiles and birds, the notification said. The area has numerous seasonal nalas, which drain into river Krishna in the north and into the Ghataprabha on the southern side of the sanctuary. “It acts as an important catchment for the two rivers,” it said. The sanctuary does not cover patta lands and revenue lands.
M.R. Desai, Honorary Wildlife Warden of Bagalkot, said the notification now provides a complete legal backing for habitat improvement of the region as well as ensuring the population of the endangered chinkara population remains on the upswing.
“This is a shrub forest that has seen some damage owing to plantations. For the past two years, we have tried to halt these activities. A sanctuary status will ensure that the commercial exploitation of the region stops,” he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / Nagesh Prabhu / Bengaluru – January 01st, 2016
Celebrating Life In Namma Bengaluru Photo: K. Murali Kumar
Bengaluru immersed itself in a world of music, books, and theatre this year. IT city also became app-city, becoming very dependent on them to get anything from cabs to food. Here’s looking back at some highlights…
BOOKS
Writers etch their mark
It was good year for Bangalore authors. Anjum Hasan’s The Cosmopolitansfollows 53-year-old Qayenaat in a changing world. The author says she didn’t set out to write a novel about art, she set the novel in the art world because it is a world of imagination. She sees Qayenaat as a rasika, a lover of arts. The colourful Hari Majestic is back in Zac O Yeah’s A Hero for Hire. The erstwhile Tout of Bengaluru returns as a detective and with his cronies including Doc, Triplex and AC Gaadi sets out to rid the world of evil doers including shady hospitals and manic goons.
The end of the year saw Anita Nair’s Alphabet Soup for Lovers, telling the story of Lena Abraham and the movie star Shoola Pani partly through the eyes of the cook Komathi as she learns the English alphabet through ingredients from the kitchen. Preeti Shenoy’s Why We Love The Way We Do, a collection of essays that explore the various aspects of love and relationships was launched at The Park. Nandita Bose’s Shadow and Soul, revolving around the lives of Devika and her younger lover, an artiste, Shaurjyo, was launched at Atta Galatta.
PERFORMANCE
The city a stage
This year there was the usual run of theatre festivals. The sixth edition of The Hindu Theatre Fest saw the staging of three plays in Bengaluru. God of Carnage, written by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton and directed by Nadir Khan, about two sets of parents meeting to sort out an issue between their children, which eventually devolves into chaos. The Government Inspector, presented by Akvarious Productions, Mumbai, and directed by Akarsh Khurana, a satirical play on political corruption. Two to Tango, Three to Jive, about a middle-aged man going through mid-life crisis, who decides to spice up his love life, marked actor-director Saurabh Shukla’s return to theatre after 18 years. Bengaluru was also the only city where Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre performedHamlet in October.
The Ranga Shankara Festival was another success with plays staged from all over the country. Among the plays staged were Main Huun Yusuf, Aur Yeh Hai Mera Bhai, directed by Mohit Takalkar, who won the Shankar Nag Theatre Award 2015.Still and Still Moving, a production by Delhi-based Tadpole Repertory, directed by Neel Chaudhuri, a love story between two men against the backdrop of the cities they inhabit, Delhi and Gurgaon. Sharanya Ramprakash’s Akshaya Ambara, presented by Dramanon, which explores gender in Yakshagana, a traditional Karnataka folk theatre form and Abhishek Majumdar’s Dweepa, written originally in Bengali, premiered in Kannada, at the festival. Gender Bender, presented by Goethe-Institut in association with Max Mueller Bhavan, was a series of performances, a video presentation and installations, which brought to the fore the undoing conventional notions of gender and sexuality.
The first ever Bengaluru Comedy Festival, presented by Comedy Wagon, brought together stand-up comics from different cities, including Bengaluru — Sundeep Rao, Praveen Kumar, Kenny Sebastian, Sanjay Mankatala, Saad Khan, Sumukhi Suresh and Richa Kapoor.
TECHNOLOGY
Pehle App!
For IT city, apps was the buzzword in 2015 as it changed the way we commuted to work, ordered in food and groceries, worked on our fitness regimes and much more. If you were fed up with overcharging auto drivers and irregular bus services and wary of taking the car out, apps such as Ola and Uber made commuting within the city a breeze at the swipe of a smartphone. Ola, Uber, Meru became one of the most convenient ways to travel back home after a late night party or head to work for a early morning assignment you could not afford to miss.
In the later part of the year, motorbike rentals and ridesharing apps such as Lyft and Ridingo made commute something you did not dread about much on a weekday. As more and more app based services offer ridesharing options, urban experts feel that it will lead to lesser traffic snarls and bring down pollution levels in the city. Self driven car rentals, lead by companies such as Zoomcar and Bla Bla car ensured that you do not need to own a car to drive in the city.
Ordering in food got a new dimension in Bengaluru in 2015, as a plethora of food apps, ranging from those that just deliver food such as Swiggy to apps that make and deliver food such as Freshmenu. You no longer needed to call a restaurant, pour through reams of paper menus. You could just download one of the apps and get food from your favourite restaurant or service provider in quick time Customers also had the option of getting hot breakfasts via apps such as Brekkie. Home cooked food also became very popular and saw home sick youngsters using apps and the internet to connect with homecooks across the city, for a taste of homemade dal and parathas and much more. Apps such as Easydiner were also launched, allowing customers to book tables at a restaurant by a swipe.
MUSIC
The city’s sonic trailblazers
While 2015 marked several significant changes in the city’s soundscape, it was also the year in which Bengaluru bands etched their mark on the international music circuit.
Here’s a look at some of the city’s sonic history makers.
Peepal Tree
Rooted from trailblazers like Bhoomi, Thermal and a Quarter and the Raghu Dixit Project, Peepal Tree emerged as a rapidly successful band with their infectious high energy and distinct sounds making them very popular. They went on to make their international debut at the Asia-Pacific Broadcast Union Radio Song Festival in Yangon, Myanmar. The band was selected by All India Radio to represent India at the festival, which featured artistes from countries ranging from Pakistan and South Korea to Australia.
Moonarra
The world music band is often attributed to be synonymous with the city’s vibrant potpourri of music. While they have been making inroads in the global music circuit for close to a decade now, their most recent venture took them to Morocco for the Tangier’s Jazz Festival featuring the jazz of five continents as the only Indian band from Asia. Moonarra performed not once but twice in front of international artistes with a unique collaboration with Moroccan ensemble Gnawa Express. The expert artistes also conducted a workshop at the fest where they shared about their world jazz Indian classical fusion backgrounds.
Thermal And A Quarter
Fresh off their sixth studio album The Scene, the Bangalore Rockers embarked on a new direction with an album that took them to Bonn, Germany. What started as a conversation with Dr. Mathew Kurian, a scholar at the United Nations University in Dresden, Germany, evolved into a full-fledged album titled No Wall Too High commemorating 25 years of the collapse of the Berlin Wall. The album, a work that dwelt on divisions, also saw a collaboration with a German choral singer and took the band to Bonn to launch the record and perform at the United Nations Day celebrations along with other European bands.
The Raghu Dixit Project
The city-based folk rock band, best known for their infectiously addictive songs and lungi statements, returned earlier this year from yet another international tour. From the Kala Utsava in Singapore and Bangkok’s Festival of India to showcasing for the Indian community by the Indian Consulate in Jakarta and performing at the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta, the unofficial ambassadors of Bengaluru’s music culture left a lasting impression on the international circuit.
Inner Sanctum
Fresh after an eight-city tour of Europe and releasing their full-length album, the death metal giants headed to Oslo, Norway, to play at the Inferno Metal Festival on its 15th anniversary. Sharing stage with metal legends like Behemoth, Enslaved, Arcturus and Bloodbath, Inner Sanctum delivered a charismatic show with some tight metal work that went down well with the metalheads.
Sulk Station
The trip hop duo headed to the UK to perform at the Southbank Centre’s Alchemy Festival, with shows in London and Glasgow, along with sets at the Great Escape Festival in the beach town of Brighton, going along the coast to Bristol as well. Comprising vocalist-keyboardist Tanvi Rao and producer Rahul Giri, the band delivered their eclectic alternative electronic music to packed audiences in every show.
Space Behind The Yellow Room
The four member, post metal and rock band won the Pepsi Unbox hunt this year out of 450 bands and went on to perform in Singapore at Music Matters Live 2015, an independent music festival featuring over 70 bands. Apart from playing in front of an international audience, they also attended a conference at the Music Matters Academy.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Mini Anthikad Chhibber & Sravasti Datta & Nikhil Varma & Allan Moses Rodricks
Ajit SN recently completed a 45-day world tour where he dived with humpback whales, great white sharks and bull sharks.
Bengaluru :
This Bengalurean spends more time underwater than on land.Ajit SN, a diver and underwater photographer, has completed 190 dives in two years and surprised most dive masters around the world.
It started two years ago when he took a diving course in Sri Lanka with a friend. “It was a spontaneous decision. I knew nothing about underwater photography or diving but I was determined to learn both,” he said.
But it wasn’t as easy as he imagined it would be. “I had to make a huge investment in underwater photography equipment because it wasn’t available in India and had to order it from the US,” he said.
While his friend left after four days into the course, Ajit stayed three more days and completed the advanced open water course which takes divers 30 metres deep.
“I wasn’t allowed to take the camera first.When I did, water leaked into a very expensive camera. Fortunately , the lens wasn’t damaged,” he said. Then followed trips to remote islands off Cambodia and Sri Lanka and Ajit was certified in technical diving. He also got a wreck diving licence but the first time was a near-death experience when he entered the HMS Hermes, a World War 2 British aircraft carrier in the waters off Sri Lanka.
“It was pitch dark and I was 45m below sea level. I had a blackout and began taking in water. I couldn’t even see my dive buddy . I was inside the wreck and saw a beam of light through a hole and began waving my torch.My buddy saw me and quickly put my mask back on my nose. It had got dislodged when I was entering the ship,” he said.
That experience didn’t stop Ajit from exploring other wrecks near Sri Lanka. And snorkelling was on his bucket list. He spent a week in the ocean in the Maldives with certified divers.
“I was in the middle of the ocean when I saw a manta ray circling around the boat. I grabbed my camera and jumped into the water at 9pm. It brushed by me many times. I got a brilliant shot and when I came back to the deck, it was 1am,” he said. That shot was among the top four trending photos on National Geographic Daily Dozens.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bengaluru / by Aditi Sequeira, TNN / December 14th, 2015
The centuries old Kayani at Hinka village which is being renovated by the Yuva Brigade and the villagers.
Mysuru :
Villagers of Hinkal on Hunsur road in the city have pledged to save the centuries old Kalyani (water pond), a portion of which was about to become the property of someone else due to the negligence of MUDA authorities.
The historical Nanneshwara Temple of the village originally had an area of 42 acres, out of which only about 3 acres is now remaining with the temple. The MUDA after acquiring a portion of this land, sanctioned it to an educational institution. The land sanctioned by MUDA included centuries old Kalyani (water pond) measuring 100ft x 100ft.
The Kalyani had shrunk to a large extent as time went by, with mud and shrubs covering more than half of the pond, posing a threat to the very existence of the Kalyani. The villagers drew the attention of the people representatives about the status of the pond. But the people’s representatives including the MLA, MP and other local leaders did not pay much attention to saving the Kalyani then.
The Yuva Brigade along with Hinkal villagers taking keen interest in saving the pond, visited almost every household in the village seeking co-operation.
A few days later, the villagers led by Yuva Brigade leader Lohit Urs, started a voluntary Shramadan to save the pond.
MP Pratap Simha who came to know of the villagers resolve to save the pond, visited the spot and summoned MUDA officials, who later took up works on cleaning the pond of weeds, mud and filth by deploying excavating machines.
But the MUDA which began renovation works with great enthusiasm a few days ago, stopped the works all of a sudden yesterday, which angered Hinkal residents.
Strongly condemning the MUDA’s action of abruptly stopping the renovation works, thousands of Hinkal residents staged a demonstration at the site yesterday.
MUDA member Rakesh Papanna, who hails from Hinkal, held talks with MUDA officials and asked them to resume renovation works immediately, it is learnt.
MUDA Commissioner Dr. N. Mahesh reacting to the protest, admitted that the CA site allotted to the education institution included a portion of the Kalyani and added that the confusion arose as the Kalyani’ appeared to be a small water pond.
Meanwhile, MUDA Chairman K.R. Mohan Kumar speaking to SOM said that “As soon as we came to know of the existence of the Kalyani, we cancelled the allotment of sites around the pond and took possession of the Kalyani. The MUDA sent a JCB to excavate the pond for development and added that measures are taken to develop the Kalyani.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / November 29th, 2015
The more than 360-year-old monolith of Nandi, located mid-way on Mysuru-Chamundi Hill Road, was today, bathed in more than 30 items like milk, honey, curds, kumkum, ghee, dry fruits, tender coconut, sandal, turmeric, rice flour, etc., as devotees performed ‘Mahabhishekha’ to it.
It may be recalled that the event is being jointly organised annually by the members of ‘Bettada Balaga’ (a group of regular morning walkers to the hill) and ‘Srikshethra Chamundi Bettada Sri Nandiya Puja Mahotsava Samiti’ since 2006.
Legend has it that performing the ritual on third Sunday of Kartikamasa of the Hindu calendar enhances the life of the stone statue. It is also said that the practice of performing Mahasbhishekha to the monolith existed during the reigns of Wadiyars.
Prior to the Mahabhishekha, the statue was cleaned with water before a group of over a dozen priests conducted the abhishekha, which was witnessed by thousands of devotees and tourists.
The ritual, which began at around 10.30 am with Suttur Seer Sri Shivaratri Deshikendra Swamiji performing the ‘abhishekha’ in the presence of Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, Datta Vijayananda Swamiji, Junior Pontiff of Ganapathy Ashram, Chidananda Swamiji of Hosamutt, Jamanagiri Swamiji, Vyaghramukharudrapada Cave in Nandi premises and others, continued for more than four hours.
Interestingly, both Pramoda Devi and Yaduveer also performed abhishekhas.
It is said that this is the 10th Mahabhishekha being performed by the ‘Bettada Balaga’ which spends more than Rs. 2 lakh for the ‘Mahabhishekha’ annually.
Organisers had arranged lunch for more than 5,000 devotees and visitors while the employees of JSS Hospital have organised a Deepotsava at the Nandi premises on Nov.30 at 6.30 pm.
Samiti Convenor S. Shivakumar, Balaga President S. Prakashan, Working President N. Govinda, Secretary H.S. Jagannath, Treasurer V.N. Sundhar were among those present.
Scenes of foreign tourists and locals clicking pictures of the celebrations on their mobile phones and cameras were common at the venue which had been provided tight security with vehicular traffic being restricted.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / November 29th, 2015
Millions of differently-abled Indians are technically qualified with the necessary skills to be employable.
But most remain jobless since there are no vehicles to take them. A Bengalurean’s effort to bridge this glaring gap with a fleet of vans modified to accommodate wheelchairs has been grounded for long. Reason: No one wants to fund this initiative, even if the brains behind it is a startup activator himself.
The irony can’t be starker: Wheelchair-bound V Shakthi has been an inspiration for dozens of startups, linking them up with venture capitalists and startup activators. But he has been struggling to realise his vision for five years. Shakthi commutes in a modified cab, a prototype of sorts that could be replicated.
Shakthi explained the rationale behind a modified cab service: “Forty-eight per cent of the estimated 20 million differently- abled people in the country have the necessary skill sets needed to land a job. There are not even 100 of them employed across Bengaluru. Even the employed are stuck at one level, they never go up. Potential employers are ready if this commute issue is addressed.”
But modification is a costly affair. “If the vehicle cost is Rs 7 lakh, you ought to spend another Rs 6 lakh configuring it to accommodate three to four wheelchairs. Add the cost of engaging a driver who is sensitive to the needs of the disabled, maintenance and fuel, and it gets heftier,” said Shakthi. The total cost per vehicle could exceed Rs 12 lakh.
The project plan is modest: A fleet of two to three vehicles, which could be scaled up later. But no one wants to invest the Rs 25 lakh required to get it going. Investors, said Shakthi, insist on a mobile-first, app-based version. Some have even declared it impractical without giving it a thought. Others say it is a service line and not worth an investment.
Undaunted, Shakthi wants to go ahead even if it means hard self-financing. “Even if it takes five to six years, I want to do it for the differently-abled but skilled people,” said the man, who is also the most followed differently-abled Indian on the Internet. He has 1.65 lakh Twitter followers.
Buildings and public infrastructure in Bengaluru are notoriously inaccessible to the disabled. Footpaths, bus stops and other public spaces pose mounting challenges to the visually challenged and the physically disabled. Access audits have repeatedly drawn attention to these glaring lacunae with little effect.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> States / by Rasheed Kappan, Bengaluru / DHNS – November 19th, 2015
The country’s first national landscape fest is all set to begin from November 11 to 15 in Lalbagh under the joint endeavour of the horticulture and agriculture departments that would demonstrate and exhibit several aspects of landscaping, urban horticulture and spiritual gardens.
A unique initiative, the fest would showcase the biggest vertical garden in the history of Lalbagh – at 7 feet tall and 1000 feet wide, covering an area of 7,000 square feet all around the glass house at Lalbagh.
Dr Jagadeesh M, joint director of horticulture department, said, “Bengaluru being known as the garden city and losing the grandeur of its name in recent days, we have tried to organise this fest to drive the city more into landscaping and beautifying a spot. The show will be arranged inside the glass house. In addition to that, the concept of organic urban roof gardening will also be explored outside the glass house, by which the bio-waste from each household will be used to produce organic manures. This method of growing vegetables and fruits ensures the consumption of organic plant products.”
“The Bonsai Garden will host exhibition on spiritual gardening which will have Nakshatravana, Raashivana, Navagrahavana, Shivapanchayatvana and several other spiritual plants. It would have landscape technology stalls as part of the show,” he added.
The fest would receive more than 3,000 landscape experts and architects and over 3 lakh visitors are expected to visit Lalbagh during the fest.
Dr Krishna Chavan from Belagavi, an international landscape architect, who has organised the fest, said, “The fest will enable Bengalureans to explore and balance nature and colour their lives with plants and flowers. I have used the concept of five elements of nature – water, air, soil, stone and plant for beautifying the landscape.”
Speaking to TOI about police security to be provided in Lalbagh during the fest, DCP Lokesh Kumar, said, “More than 400 cops will be deployed for security and traffic in and around Lalbagh. Tickets will be available till 6.00 pm and visitors can stay till 7.00 pm in the garden. Only two-wheelers can be parked in Alameen College and both two-wheelers and cars have to be parked at Shantinagar Bus depot, JC Road and near Lalbagh HOPCOMS stall.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bengaluru / TNN / by Sreemoyee Chatterjee / November 09th, 2015
The footloose too need a place to recoup and resume their journey. While stakeholders in tourist destinations have always seen in overnight stays only an opportunity to mint money, a backpackers’ hostel is coming up in Mysuru with a minimalist mission: keep that spark in wanderers alive.
The backpackers’ hostel is the brainchild of Bengalurean Hiren Sreenivasan, and is set for a November 1 launch. After graduating in mechanical engineering, Hiren decided he needed a break, packed his bags and moved to Goa to help a friend with his real estate business in 2013.
“A lot of my foreign backpacker friends had a hard time finding a hotel that would fit their tight budget. It made me think how tough it must be in my own state!” says Hiren, 25.
After working for two years with setting up backpackers’ hostels in Vagator, Panaji and Anjuna, Hiren returned to Bengaluru in 2015. “The traffic and fast life got to me so I travelled to Mysuru in July, looking for some solace. The hostel idea was at the back of my mind, but I had to find a place to start,” he recalls.
And he did. Walking around Mysuru, he stumbled into a massive abandoned house about 2km from Mysuru Palace, and built around the same time as its magnificent neighbour. “I stood outside and stared at it for a few minutes. It was perfect. The 16,000 sqft property amid greenery was going to be my backpackers’ haven.”
The excited young man found out from neighbours that the property belonged to Sahukar Siddanna Memorial Trust. “I managed to get in touch with the house owner, who was intrigued by my idea. He told me the house was lying vacant and I could do something worthwhile with it.”
The bungalow, though, was in bad condition, and needed to be completely restored. The sewage line had to be redone and toilets built. Hiren worked tirelessly on the house for four months, doing everything from buying furniture to adorning the walls with paintings.
Virtually from scratch, he’s come up with a backpacker hostel with 20 bunk beds that can accommodate 40 people. There are also four private rooms upstairs. Hiren tied up with Zostel, a chain of backpacker hostels across India who will launch the property for him.
“I’ve already had thousands of visitors calling up, excited about staying here. From their stories, I know this place will benefit many backpackers who absolutely love travelling and don’t want to spend too much hard saved money on expensive hotels,” Hiren asserts.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bengaluru / by Aditi Sequeira, TNN / October 26th, 2015
