Latest news with #MountCarmelCollege
The Hindu
12-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Commuters encounter broken benches, litter at bus stops in Bengaluru
As the summer picks up heat, commuters raise concerns about the condition of bus stops in Bengaluru. It's three in the afternoon, and a crowd has gathered around the HBR Layout bus stop, some waiting for the past 25 minutes for a bus. The broken benches in the shelter force commuters to stand among scattered litter piles. Just as they spot a bus arriving, two autorickshaw drivers decide to park right in front of the shelter. Since the introduction of the Shakti scheme, which provides free bus travel for women passengers, Karnataka has seen an increase in ridership, but various issues, like the low frequency of buses in certain areas and the condition and distribution of bus stops across Bengaluru, have made accessing public transport a hassle. The issue has affected the city's students, too, many of whom depend on buses as their sole means of transportation. 'The Vasanth Nagar bus stop is built right next to an open drain, making it difficult to stand and wait for a bus there. Most people don't even stand there because of the smell and the proximity to the drain,' says Ananya, a fourth-year student of Mount Carmel College. Many, tired after a long day, are forced to deal with broken seats, garbage scattered all around, and inconsistent stoppage by BMTC buses. Rajarshi, a 14-year-old student, says, ''At my place in Puttenahalli, BMTC drivers stop at the bus stop at their convenience. The bus stop is mostly surrounded by trash, even early in the morning. Garbage trucks dump the waste right there.' Locating bus stops Many bus shelters in Bengaluru face the issue of having little to no infrastructure, with crowds gathering at spots where they expect buses to halt. Preeti Mishra, a 49-year-old yoga instructor, suffers because of this daily, saying, 'We have to look at a crowd that has gathered and assume that's the bus stop. At Old Town, I have to catch the bus at the signal. It's the same at Santhe Circle as well.' Rajarshi said that a first-time commuter could experience extreme difficulty due to these untraceable bus stops, which are further complicated by several bus stops sharing the same name. 'There are three Puttenahalli's and 10 Dairy Circles. We need to be able to locate bus stops. We end up going to the wrong ones because they aren't updated on Google Maps.' Sarah R., a human resources professional, says that south Bengaluru has better bus stops in general because of better planning and well-marked lanes for pedestrians, public transport users, and private vehicles. She further adds that places like Whitefield, since it's constantly developing and focuses on the metro, fail to account for bus commuters. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) maintains approximately 8,500 bus shelters in the city. A senior BBMP official, in response to questions on poor condition of bus shelters in Bengaluru, said that the BBMP is not directly responsible for either the maintenance or construction of bus stops in the city, but rather entrusts it to three separate agencies. On areas that lack infrastructure, he said, 'We don't build bus stops unless people make a formal request to either us or the BMTC.' He further explains that areas which are currently undergoing metro construction may have to wait until completion of metro work to remedy their concerns.
Hans India
01-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
‘Chocopreneur' couple promises new international taste experience
Bengaluru: We have heard of many entrepreneurship dreams taking root across verticals like IT, finance, biotech in the silicon-valley of Bangalore. But how many of us would venture into chocolates? And how many of us would undertake chocolate research as part of a dissertation? Everybody does what everybody else is doing – coding and software most of the time. But here's a young couple who have taken some risk and veered off the track. While Anusha A Chowdaiah, Bangalore's local girl, took off from Vasanthnagar's vintage Mount Carmel College to Emlyon Business School, France, Zhejiang University, China, and the iconic Purdue University, USA, to do her Master's in Entrepreneurship, and eventually conduct research and write a thesis on chocolate studies at Purdue, her husband, Lijesh Vincent moved on from Bangalore's reputed Christ University to India's management Ivy League, IIM-Kozhikode where he did his MBA. Both of them set up a chocolate venture with the conviction that Bangalore being a global city should have chocolate delicacies on par with the famed, orig-inal, European Belgian and Swiss textures and varieties. Anusha and Lijesh believe that Bangalore's folks deserved the world's best chocolates made right here and have come up with L'inoui', a chocolate brand, that in French means, 'Incredible and extraordinary'. Up until now, the couple had reached out to Bangaloreans online, but felt the need to get people to experience chocolate first hand. So if one wants to experience a freshly baked croissant, right out of the oven, you are in treat at this Jakkur outlet. They plan on announcing the time when these goodies would be baked. And if you swing by their store at that time, you will get your stash. Anusha went abroad to pick-up experience on launching her own venture and to understand developments in the chocolate industry. She explains what prompted her to go abroad for her studies. 'I went abroad because my mum wanted me to see and explore the larger world be-yond Bangalore and get an experience of life, entrepreneurship and tastes in different countries. She encouraged me to explore multiple economic and cultural experiences abroad, which wid-ened my perspective and do something very different.' Lijesh is equally endowed in matters of business operations. He picked up solid experience in supply chain management working for top-notch companies, and while in Bangalore, got a call from Anusha, who was in China at that time, and she asked him why not launch an entrepre-neurial venture. This equation worked out and Anusha could easily team up with Lijesh be-cause they were both friends in Bangalore earlier. Having savoured the world's best chocolates, especially in Belgium, Anusha instinctively felt why shouldn't India, and Bangalore, have a chocolate that would be desired just like the Bel-gian counterpart? And why import them always or depend on others to bring them into Banga-lore? To ensure their chocolate's international stature and authenticity, Linoui sources its ingre-dients from around the world – California, Belgium, Switzerland, and little corners of Europe where chocolate making is a hereditary art. They have a manufacturing unit, which follows a zero- adulteration policy, which translates to using the best quality ingredients without adultera-tion. So, Indian consumers get to savour the best of treats without having to worry about the quality aspect. Linoui offers a variety of chocolates like chocolate velvets, truffles and pralines, Do It Yourself Hot Chocolate Dips, chocolate dragees and an assorted variety of Belgian dark chocolates, apart from pastries, cakes, croissants, cookies and macarons, all with chocolate infusions. Lijesh is very aware of health concerns and ensures that the sweet component in the chocolates is not excessive, the fruits used are authentic and trustworthy, the butter is 100% dairy (no mar-garine or vegetable shortenings) and that the whipping cream is 100% dairy - no artificial fla-vors or sweeteners. And the cocoa comes from Africa and South America, while the cream comes from Italy, and the butter to make the bakes like croissants comes from France – all of which ensures a real global touch to Bangalore's chocolate experience. Here's surely a chocolate experience worth trying. Head to Linoui, KCS Arcade, Jakkur, launching on May 4, 11.30 am.
The Hindu
27-04-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
As mercury level goes up, prices of tender coconut skyrocket in Bengaluru
Every summer, the price of tender coconuts has been going up consistently, and this year, it stands at ₹60 - ₹70 per piece in Bengaluru. Consumers who depend on them to keep themselves hydrated have been lamenting on skyrocketing prices, mostly attributed to its limited supply. 'I remember drinking coconut water for ₹30 or ₹35 two years ago, but it has increased to ₹60 or ₹70 now, which is essentially a 100% increase. If I want to drink it regularly now, it cuts a hole in my pocket,' said Vaibhavi Bhat, a 20-year-old student from Mount Carmel College. Tender coconut growers have cited declining yield and changing environmental conditions for the decline in supply. 'Earlier, we used to get 1000 coconuts from a tree. Now, we get only 500,' said Dayanand, a tender coconut grower at Shettihalli in Hassan district. 'Due to environmental changes, the outer shell of the tender coconut doesn't form fully, leading to lower quality yield,' he added. According to one of the discussions in the recent Legislative Assembly session, coconut trees on 1.48 lakh hectares in 14 districts (mainly 64,457 hectares in Tumakuru and 34,530 hectares in Hassan district) of the State have been affected by Whitefly disease. A grant of ₹15.31 crore under the Coconut Development Board Scheme has been provided for integrated nutrient management during the current year. Besides Karnataka, some sellers also get their supply from neighbouring States. Mohammed Habeeb, a coconut seller in Vasanthnagar whose supply comes from Tamil Nadu, said, 'The supply has been less. The coconut trees have dried up, and there is no more fruit on them. I still have enough to sell for this week, but I do not know if I will have enough for next week.' Despite high prices, some Bengalureans continue to buy tender coconuts owing to the benefits. 'When I'm travelling outside, I could buy a water bottle for ₹20, but I prefer buying tender coconut because it not only quenches your thirst but also gives you more energy to survive in the heat,' said Kriti Agrawal, a homemaker in Mathikere.
