An Open Suggestion to BBMP - On Parking & Living.

Every time I visit Bangalore, I feel an inner need to reflect on what particular work can improve life in Bangalore.

On this visit, one Bangalore fact that sticks out in my mind is its parking problem. Most roads in residential neighborhoods in Bangalore, are created by the Bangalore Developmental Authority, and have a 30' width, not including the space needed for drainage. So, if you leave about 5' on either side for pedestrians, you really only have about 20', or about 10' for traffic in one direction. (A frequently found sedan on Bangalore roads these days, such as the Maruti Suzuki SX4 Model, is 69", or nearly 6', wide).

But, the problem is that cars are frequently parked during the day on either side of the street, thus using up to 15' for the 30' width. Pedestrians thus are forced to walk on the asphalt, and this reduces the available asphalted portion for automobiles even further, to barely accommodate a moving car in a single direction.

What is the solution?

Birthday, July 4 and San Francisco.

At the Dosa on Fillmore.

It is always nice to be surrounded by people, and particularly if the occasion somehow relates to you as an individual. In this case, it was a celebration of my birthday, although somewhat belated¹. We made two trips from the South Bay to San Francisco, on July 3 and 4.

That we enjoyed dosa at the Dosa on Fillmore was particularly fitting for me personally; I belong to the select class of people who can eat, and have eaten, dosa for breakfast, lunch and dinner².

SF India Consulate hosts Honorable Janardhana Swamy, MP, in Silicon Valley.

L to R: Susmita Thomas, Janardhana Swamy, Ashok Sinha

Yesterday, June 29, the San Francisco Indian Consulate arranged a reception for Hon. Janardhana Swamy, MP, who is currently visiting Silicon Valley after a week-long series of diplomatic meetings in Washington, DC. Mr. Swamy is also a member of the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs of the Lok Sabha. Ms. Susmita Thomas, Consul General, and Mr. Ashok Sinha, Consul (Community Affairs), were the chief felicitators.

This event was an invitational-only event and the stated purpose of the community meeting was for Janardhana Swamy to get a better pulse of how the consulate is serving the public in this area. The San Francisco consulate serves 15 US states from Alaska to Wyoming.

This blog post is to capture my personal impressions of the event. Some media personnel were present at the event and you will probably see some reporting as well.

Some Important Improvements Needed in Bangalore.

In a separate blog post, I explained why I almost like Bangalore. As I prepare to depart from the city at the end of this excursion, I feel obliged to write down what is immediately needed in Bangalore. I am sure many have voiced their opinions on these matters before, and many will voice their opinions after.