The weekly observer edition 4

The Weekly

BSERVER An IIJNM Publication

Volume 16 Issue 14

Thursday, 02 February, 2017

Themes of Budget 2017-18 Infrastructure

This year’s Budget will transform, energise India & clean the economy from impediments that affect growth.

Narendra Modi @narendramodi A perfect sum up of the #Budget2017.

India in trusting and worthy hands.

Kiran Bedi @thekiranbedi This #Budget2017 is inclusive, participative and will take our nation to the next level of development! #BudgetForBetterIndia Devendra Fadnavis @Dev_Fadnavis Big industry not happy: Wanted a corporate tax cut. But where is incentive for honest, tax compliant citizens like you and me? #Budget2017 Rajdeep Sardesai @sardesairajdeep A controversial #Budget2017 which is clueless, useless, baseless, missionless and actionless.

Heartless Mamata Banerjee @MamataOfficial It is good to note despite 5 assembly elections around the corner, #Budget2017 has not been used to blatantly deliver sops to these states Chetan Bhagat @chetan_bhagat Income tax halved and now at 5% for those who earn between 2.5 and five lakhs #Budget2017 Barkha Dutt @BDUTT Indian Railways to further promote tourism through dedicated trains #BudgetForBetterIndia Suresh Prabhu @sureshpprabhu

Rural Population

Ease of taxation a priority: Jaitley Nivedita Naidu nivedita.n@iijnm.org

The Poor and the Underprivileged ‘Tax administration,’ one of the ten

Tax Administration

Public Service Prudent Fiscal Management Financial Sector

Youth

Farmers

Digital Economy

“distinct themes,” structuring this year’s budget focuses on making taxation rates more reasonable, administration fairer and expanding the tax-base in the country.

“The present burden of taxation is mainly on honest tax payers and salaried employees who are showing their income correctly,” finance minister Arun Jaitley said as he presented this year’s budget.

“I would like to assure everyone that honest, tax-compliant person would be treated with dignity and courtesy,” he added.

To encourage new tax payers the budget proposes that a person in the slab one category of income (i.e with an income of Rs 2.5 lakhs-5 lakhs) filing taxes for the first time would not be subject to scrutiny unless there is specific information available with the department. Mr Jaitley also proposed a slash in the rate of direct taxes to 5 percent for people earning Rs 2.5 lakh to 5 lakh per annum.

Conitnued on pg 3

2017 budget aims at ‘energising youth through education’ Romita M romita.m@iijnm.org On the auspicious Day of Saraswati Puja (Goddess of Learning) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, announced the Union Budget 201718. Jaitley mentioned, “Energising the youth through education, skills and jobs,” as one of the ten themes of the budget.

An initiative to measure annual learning outcomes in schools has been proposed. It will focus on creativity, local innovation and science education. In addition, an innovation fund for secondary schools will be introduced. It will focus on using ICT (Information and Communication Technology) to encourage access and innovation in learning. 3479 educationally backward blocks have been identified for the same.

Ajay Seth, Principal Secretary of Primary & Secondary Education in Karnataka, appreciated

the budget for recognising the challenges in providing quality education. He said basic school level evaluation falls short of assessing what a child is learning.

Seth was however concerned about how “innovation” will be funded by the Rashtriya Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (RSSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan(RMSA) programs.

“Considering that the budget allocation has barely increased by 130 crores to RMSA, if the budget turns out insufficient then some existing programs might have to be rolled back to facilitate new schemes,” he added.

Mita Das, retired government school teacher says, “It’s appreciable that they have focused on innovation but how do they plan to implement it? Teacher training has to be taken seriously for these schemes to succeed.”

These measures have however failed to address the urgent

need for primary level learning revolution. NGOs like Pratham and Accountability Initiative have been campaigning vociferously for an overhaul in the primary learning schemes that affect students below the age of 10.

Ministry of Human Resources’ Microsoft-powered online platform SWAYAM presently offers 287 courses. The platform will be scale dup to launch 350 courses. It will allow students to access online learning in various fields. A major requirement of CBSE has been answered as a National Testing Agency has been proposed that will undertake the common entrance tests.

While Jaitley mentioned the Skill India initiative, there was no update on its accomplishments to date. An additional 600 vocational centres across various districts have been proposed for the existing Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra (PMKK) that provides

vocational training to people. 100 international skill centres have been proposed that will offer advanced courses and foreign language training.

Schemes for employment generation like Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE), Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion programme (SANKALP) with budgets of Rs. 2,200 and 4,000 crores respectively.

Two new AIIMS centres will be established in Jharkhand and Gujarat to facilitate medical education and low-cost treatment.

The other themes of the budget included rural population, infrastructure, financial sector, digital economy, public service.

Sadly, the budget held more sops for Saraswati’s siblings Goddess Laxmi (Personal Finance) and Karthik (Industry).

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Thursday, 2 February, 2017

Metro

The Weekly Observer

Cultural exchange or xenophobia?

Is Bengaluru safe for migrants from northeast India Arunava Banerjee arunava.b@iijnm.org

Racial discrimination and violence are frequent occupiers of news space in almost every city in India and people under the ‘northeastern’ umbrella often find their identities questioned when they settle in the major metropolises of the country. This is particularly due to their distinct mongoloid features that are different from people living in most other parts of the country. The word ‘north-eastern’ is a race-based separator that has less to do with the geographical region that lies in the north-eastern part of the country than with the distinct facial features that differentiate a large section of the population from the seven north-eastern states, neighbouring Sikkim and the northern region of West Bengal.

A series of such incidents of discrimination prompted the filing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by lawyer Karma Dorjee to ensure the rights of ‘northeastern’ Indians living in cities across the country. A three judge bench of the Supreme Court that included chief justice T.S. Thakur, justices D.Y. Chandrachud and L. Nageshwara Rao passed a judgment in December last year, asking the government to formulate a committee to monitor and address issues related to racial discrimination in metropolitan cities. “Mindsets have to be changed in the universities, colleges and educational institutions, places of work and in society. Sensitivity and inclusion have to be fostered,” the bench observed— an observation that many feel needs immediate redressal.

K. Bhutia, a dentistry student from Sikkim said that she has faced discrimination on several occasions after she came to Bengaluru four years ago. “I had a neighbour who asked me to go back to my state or follow ‘their’ rules,” she said. “Initially it was difficult. I feel the open culture of northeasterners does not go well with a lot of conservative locals. A large section of people, not just in Bengaluru but all over the country tend to look at people with Mongoloid features as outsiders,” she added.

“Discrimination happens. Not always, but with certain people. Like recently an incident happened with my fiancé: a man tried to grab her by the hand when she was returning from her office. The man imprudently replied that he doesn’t care if she calls people. The matter was eventually dealt with properly as she managed to call her manager who in turn informed the police,” Savio, a manager at a local restaurant in Koramangala who hails from Kohima in Nagaland, said. He however believes that Bengaluru and other cities in South India have mostly been welcoming.

Although India is a multilingual, multicultural country with people living in harmony, for a nation that was once divided into over 500 princely states, and has its citizens conversing in over 150 different languages, governance without conflict is a difficult proposition. Several parts that were initially princely states merged its borders with India later, and portions that were less explored and exploited like the states in the northeast remained so and developed for a long time after independence.

“As Indians we are often foreigners in our own country. Not just in the northeast, but if you go to any interior village here, huge differences in terms of language and culture can be seen. In case of people coming in from the north eastern states, sometimes a racial xenophobia can be seen existing within a confined group, probably due to their different facial features. However the city facilitates a linguistic and cultural exchange necessary for eradicating the ignorance that lead to such xenophobia,” Colonel (re-

tired) Christopher Rego, who served in the army as an engineer for seven years in Mizoram, said. “The northeastern states are one of the most vibrant states in the country. This diversity, however, often leads to inter-tribe conflicts, slowing down development.

Development of the northeastern states have not really been at par with the rest of the country, but with more access to education and more people moving out of their states, the northeastern part is learning more about the rest of the country,” he added.

As major cities in India are becoming melting pots of different cultures of the country, an exchange of the country’s linguistic and cultural diversity can be seen happening at a rapid pace in cities like Bengaluru. Over half of Bengaluru’s residents are migrants, and a large portion of them hail from states that have their own distinct language and culture.

Unlike Delhi, which has seen several incidents of racial violence against citizens who hail from the North Eastern states of the country that include Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura, Bengaluru as a city seems to be more tolerant with ‘non-localites’ immigrating into the city. “I like Bangalore. It has several facilities that I would not receive in my home state,” Savio says.

“I have been here (in Bengaluru) for the last 27 years and my experience is completely positive,” Rini Ralte, president of Northeast Solidarity, an organisation comprising of other groups working to ensure the rights of Indians from the North Eastern states of the country, said at a recent discussion on the rights of northeasterners in Bengaluru.

Col. Rego, who presently works with an NGO that aims to educate and empower underprivileged children, said, “Of all the people I know who hail from the northeast and have settled in Bangalore, the experience of living in the city has largely been positive. They get more advantages and facilities here, and enjoy the more modern lifestyle. That is why more

people are coming to work and study in Bangalore every day.”

Rego feels that mainstream media mostly chooses to portray the rare incidents of racial discrimination rather than the more progressive cultural and linguistic exchange that is brewing well in Bengaluru. “People are victimized in the city, but their numbers are few. In the larger picture, people feel more welcome and free here, which is why they advise their near ones to move here too,” he said.

Incidents like the 2012 exodus of northeasterners that prompted thousands to leave Bengaluru even though no incident of violence had been recorded in the city, portrays the insecurity prevalent in the minds of people from the northeastern states.

Although the situation has greatly improved, this insecurity and a sense of being unified on the basis of physical features have prompted people from the seven northeastern states to develop solidarity, in spite of their cultural and linguistic differences.

Savio feels that solidarity between northeasterners is important in ensuring their rights. “People should work in places where they would be comfortable. If there are 35-36 northeasterners working in the same place, it becomes easier for them to settle down and at the same time it also makes the workplace much safer,” he said.

A local beauty parlour owner who did not wish to be named has mostly northeasterners working in his outlet. “The people are comfortable working here and their work efficiency makes me employ them,” he said, adding, “For the last 12 years I have been employing people from the northeast only. They are very professional in this field and their integrity makes them better employees,” he said.

While Bengaluru, with almost half of its population comprising of migrants, seems to be growing a tolerance towards outsiders, the question remains on whether the rest of the country, hitherto ignorant about cultures of the northeastern states, is educating themselves about this still unexplored part of the country.

3 Thursday, 2 February, 2017 The Weekly Observer Metro Karnataka tops the list in vision and hearing impairment in infants when compared to other Southern states Divya Renganathan divya.r@iijnm.org BENGALURU: Vision and hearing impairment and motor delay increased among Karnataka children below 6 years of age last year, according to data from the government.

Vision impairment cases rose by 22.34 percent in 2016, while hearing impairment and motor delay in infants younger than 6 years of age also increased by 4 percent and 2 percent, respectively.

Motor delay is a developmental condition where the child does not develop skills in the expected age range. The problems could be related to crawling or walking or even the way the child grasps objects like plates, spoons, etc.

Cognitive delay is a lag in the child’s development against standardised milestones. According to a study of emotional development of infants and children by researchers, a 6-month-old child should be able to understand his or her name. While each child has their own time of development, experts say, cognitive

delay can occur even if a child who is more than a year old cannot understand his or her name.

Karnataka has the highest cognitive delay cases in 2016 when compared to other Southern states.

“When the child is born, the mother needs to spend two-and-ahalf to three years of good bonding with the baby. The nutrition of the mother while she is pregnant and during breast feeding is important for the child’s brain development,” said a specialist at the Centre for Child Disabilities, Bengaluru.

“Young brains develop with the number of activities it involves. The child needs to be given attention all the time,” said Nandini, a therapist in infant developmental delays. “Just singing or talking to them all the time teaches the child that communication is an important skill. All these are not happening as parents leave for work and spend less time with their kids. Also, a child is supposed to attain certain milestones in social skills periodically and needs early attention for any disabilities observed,” she added.

“Childhood vision impairment has an adverse effect on growth, development, social, and economic opportunities. Severe visual impairment (SVI) and blindness in infants must be detected as early as possible to initiate immediate treatment to prevent deep amblyopia,” says a research from National Institute of Health

Motor delay is a developmental condition where the child does not develop skills in the expected age range. The problems could be related to crawling or walking or the way the child grasps objects like plates, spoons, etc.

(The data here is registered before Dec 1, 2016).

Budget to counter non-compliance on filing taxes Contd from Page 1 He proposed a simpler single page income tax return for an individual with an income up to Rs 5 lakhs for incomes coming from sources other than business.

Appealing people to contribute 5% of their income towards nation building, the finance minister said that the country is presently a non complaint tax society. He exemplified his statement by contrasting the number of tax payers with the total number of cars sold and people who travelled abroad for business or tourism.

Mr Jaitley said that among the 3.7 crore individuals who filed the tax returns in 2015-16, 99 lakh showed an income below the exemption limit of Rs.2.5 lakh p.a., 1.95 crore showed an income between Rs 2.5 to Rs 5 lakh, 52 lakh

showed income between Rs 5 to Rs10 lakh and only 24 lakh people showed an income of above Rs 10 lakh. He added that of the 76 lakh individual assesses who declare income above Rs 5 lakh, 56 lakh are in the salaried class and only 1.72 lakh people have shown an income of over Rs 50 lakh. He contrasted this with the fact that in the last five years, over 1.25 crore cars have been sold, and 2 crore Indian citizens flew abroad, either for business or tourism suggesting “a non compliant tax society.”

As the taxation drop will provide double benefits through rebates, the finance minster suggested to reduce the available rebate to Rs 2,500 for assessees up to an income of Rs 3.5 lakh. Other categories of tax payers in the subsequent slabs will get a uniform benefit of Rs12,500 per person.

“This budget can be termed as an inclusive budget for the common man who will be motivated to file income tax returns and pay

taxes because of a mere 5 percent tax on income between Rs 2.5 to 5 lakhs. The statistical analysis can also be used to identify tax evad-

ers,” Said Mr Malpani, a practicing chartered accountant. The total amount of tax foregone would be around Rs15,500 crores.

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Thursday, 2 February, 2017

Metro

The Weekly Observer

Demonetisation: The morning after Pallabi Sutar pallabi.s@iijnm.org Bengaluru - Geeta sat with her daughter, Akshaya, prodding her on the assigned math homework.

A 30-year-old, class six dropout, Geeta has a tough time interpreting her daughter’s homework, but

she hopes her child will have a bright future. Meanwhile, Geeta’s husband Raghu was busy counting the day’s earnings. A small TV sat in the background, mute.

The couple, who run a tea shop in Kumbalgodu, was oblivious to the developments

Graphic Courtesy: Coupondunia.com

taking place that night in meeting rooms and offices all across the nation, a development that brought a swirling change to the economy of the world’s largest democracy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation, a move that rendered all high denomination currency notes illegal overnight.

They are just one among countless Indians who were in some way or the other unaware that on the morning of 9 November 2016, they would wake up to empty pockets. Small time vendors and shopkeepers were jolted into reality when they learnt that their earnings were suddenly no longer valid due to demonetisation and that they would have to go through the alien process of exchanging their money.

Geeta and Raghu went about their business on that warm Wednesday. Oddly, an unnaturally high number of customers purchased goods using Rs. 500 notes.

Only after three full days they learnt that the notes were useless.

Immediately, Raghu set off for the bank to exchange the notes. But by then, the bank had acquired long, snake-like

queues outside them. Choosing to not wait in line, they settled for an ‘in black’ exchange, losing Rs. 800 out of a total Rs. 8000. ”I did not know what was happening at all,” says Kantaraju, a vegetable vendor in Chikkaballavara. ”A customer explained to me what demonetisation was about. I think it was a good idea but it gets messy for the public.”

The situation forced Kantaraju to create a bank account. Now he’s even hoping to own a smart phone to make digital payments.

Raghavendra, 34, a tea shop owner in Chikakaballavara, felt a little tug at his heart on the night of November 8. The next day, his fear was confirmed when customers did not have adequate change and neither could he produce change for Rs. 2000 notes.

Umesh, 30, a roadside food vendor, faced the same problem.

“Most of my customers are daily wage labourers and since they are facing trouble in receiving their wages, they hardly visit my shop.

Hopefully the move is good and this cash crunch will be solved.”

Almost three months after demonetisation, thousands of other small-time vendors and shop-

owners continue to face tough times due to the non-availability of small denomination notes.

According to The Wire, more than 90 percent of shops accept cash or small credit, and a large number of labourers and small value suppliers are paid in cash. Most lower-middle class businessmen do not possess a card or a card swipe machine to run their shop, and neither do they own smart phones.

A Pew Research Centre survey showed that only 11 percent of Indians with lower incomes used the Internet occasionally or owned a smart phone and 22 percent do not own a phone at all.

The initial days following the night’s announcement generated a collective panic among the masses. If the richest of the rich were worried about black money, the poorest of the poor were worried about the cash crunch and the lack of technology to deal with it.

For many villagers and small business owners, P Chidambaram may have put it best when he said: “The pain that rural India is facing is indescribable. It is worse than what a natural calamity would do.”

Photo Courtesy: indpaedia.com

Thursday, 2 February, 2017

Metro

The Weekly Observer

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More than half the posts for pediatricians in Maharashtra tops deaths Karnataka lie vacant Mitali Goyal mitali.g@iijnm.org In Karnataka, 51.9 percent of the posts of pediatric doctors are vacant at Community Health Centers, according to statistics provided by the government of India.

Due to the shortage of pediatricians, villagers in many communities cannot give their children access to the right medication at the proper age, medical experts say.

According to a nurse at a Community Health Center (CHC) in Krishnarajapuram, the pediatrician assigned to the center has never really attended office. “I know that a pediatrician has been assigned to this center but I do not know the reason behind his absence,” the nurse said, who asked to not be identified.

“It was some months back when a woman came along with her son who was extremely unwell and needed treatment but there was no pediatrician available,” she added. “When there are no doctors here, we refer them to Primary Health Centers (PHCs) and if they, too, have [a] lack of doctors they refer people to a governmental hospital.”

Pediatricians also play a very important role when it comes to anganwadis, which are govern-

ment-sponsored schemes that aim to provide nutritious food to children and healthcare facilities to mothers in villages, as they have to monitor the children’s’ diets.

Only 36 percent of children receive any kind of service from anganwadi centers and only 17

to 18 percent of children receive health checkups, according to report prepared on malnutrition of children by the government of Karnataka.

An anganwadi situated at Nandi Durga Road is a tiny one with no facilities for children, except for a tiny kitchen.

“There are times when we can’t afford to cook food for the kids. It is because we do not get the food packets on time for the same. It is sad, but

true,” said Roma, who works at the Nandi Durga Road center.

Roma also doubts if health checkups were ever organised for the kids. “I do not recall a time when any doctor visited our place for a health checkup,” she adds.

The report also mentions that around 44 percent of children are stunted, 38 percent are underweight and 70 percent are anemic.

It was in 2015 when the Women and Child Development Ministry planned to provide anganwadi centers with softwareenabled tablet devices which would allow the center’s supervisors to record data of nutritional diets supplied to a child and track malnutrition.

Dr. Ravikiran, a Pediatrician with more than 13 years of experience, said that if programmes like the anganwadi system are implemented well, there wouldn’t be any malnourished children.

“I believe the main reason behind the problem is that the schemes are not being implemented well,” said Ravikiran. “Also, there is a high possibility that kids don’t eat meals on time. Under the anganwadi program, the supervisors are supposed to feed the children 15gm of protein, which I do not think is happening.”

As February 1st marked the World Hijab Day, Theresa May, the Prime Minister of Britain emphasized upon the need to feel free to wear a hijab. Women in some of the countries are prohibited from wearing hijab, Muslim women’s religious dress. Britain outlawed Muslim face veil while France banned hijab in public institutions such as schools and universities.

“What a woman wears is a woman’s choice.”

May said supporting Muslim women’s right to wear a hijab.

Photo courtesy: Keyur Joshi

in police custody

Rishiraj Bhagawati rishiraj.b@iijnm.org Maharashtra lead the chart of deaths in police custody by a significant margin, with 22 deaths recorded in the period between January 1, 2016 and December 7, 2016. This was followed by Gujarat which recorded 12 deaths. A total of 133 deaths in police custody were recorded in the country, with all 34 states and union territories recording at least one death.

The information was released

corded as a police custody death.”

A total of 591 deaths were recorded in police custody between 2010 and 2015. A recent report in the Times of India about a police custody death around the turn of the year revealed that no charges have been levelled against the six suspended policemen yet, even after an FIR clearly indicted the policemen for hatching a conspiracy to destroy evidence and get the body declared “unidentified” by dumping it in a deserted area.

An article in the Human

Graphic Courtesy: visme.com by the National Human Rights Commission as a reply to a Right To Information (RTI) query.

A senior police official with the Mumbai Police suggested that the numbers are not a cause for alarm. “I don’t think the situation is particularly bad here. It can also be because of the sincerity of a police force in keeping records- we generally are too efficient in putting everything on paper,” he said.

“Sometimes, the numbers are actually misleading. Recently, our men helped a dying beggar on the streets and moved her to a hospital, but the doctor declared her dead on arrival. Now this gets recorded in the list of police custody deaths in Mumbai,” he added, “Another incident that happened recently involved a very sick prisoner. Since the jail was under-staffed, they requested us to send a man to guard the prisoner in the hospital. When the prisoner died in the hospital due to his sickness, the death got re-

Rights Watch observed that police custody deaths in India usually go unpunished. A report quoted in the article examines the disregard for arrest regulations by the police, custodial deaths from extreme torture, and impunity for those responsible, and states how those involved work around the law to ensure minimum consequences. In 67 out of 97 deaths in police custody in 2015, the police either failed to produce the suspect before a magistrate within 24 hours- as regulated by the law- or the suspect died within 24 hours of being arrested.

The RTI reply also contained information about increasing reports of deaths in judicial custody in the country. The total number of judicial custody deaths recorded in 2016 is 1,538, with Uttar Pradesh leading the list with 376 deaths. This was followed by Punjab and Madhya Pradesh, recording 147 and 140 deaths respectively.

Unwind

Thursday, 2 February, 2017

Upcoming Events

British Bangalore Walk Get to know the significance of the magnificent British era buildings.

Explore the rich history hidden in hedges and araucarias of the lush garden of Cubbon park on 5th of February from 7:30- 10:30a.m @ Queen Statue Of Cubbon Park .

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Bengaluru International Film Festival to commence tomorrow Yogita Chainani yogita.c@iijnm.org

Talk me Not @ Trippink Tattoo Studio “Talk Me Not” is a warm heartwrenching 10 minutes story between two souls trapped in the void of an altercation. Catch the screening on 4 Feb’ 2017, 7:00PM - 7:30PM at Trippink Tatto Studio.

The Weekly Observer

Bengaluru International Film Festival has celebrated its glorious 8 years and the 9th year of Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFES) is going to start from February 3rd. The screenings of the films will take place from February 3rd through February 9th. The inauguration will take place on 2nd February The film festival will screen 230 films across 1 1 screens from 45 countries in Bengaluru and across four screens in Mysuru. This year the theme is ‘Women power in film making’ and breaking the record of their 12 categories, the festival will showcase films under 17 categories this year. Special focus will be on countries like Egypt, Vietnam

and Luxembourg. . Following its cultural tradition; films will be screened in 17 film categories,for ex: Asian Cinema, Indian Cinema and Kannada Cinema.

Aasika A. Ram, organizerof BIFFES said, “This year we are going to introduce a new category called ‘Popular Entertainment’ where award-winning Kannada

films will be screened and these films will be chosen by Karnataka Film Chamber.Alongwith these we will also have a documentary on Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar on account of his 125th anniversary. “ Apart from the film screenings, the festival will also host various forums for academic interactions like seminars, workshops, Master classes etc., for the

REVIEW

Dining in White Space

Pallabi Sutar pallabi.s@iijnm.org The White Room in church street, Bangalore, gives a feeling of winter warmth in a backyard patio. But true to its name the cafe’s sitting room is painted white. It also has a patio outside, so smokers have the option of sitting outside. The decor is kept minimalistic and the theme inside the room is very ‘English’. It has cardboard cut outs of the double-decker red buses

and vintage pocket watches drawn on the door and window knobs. Pity the fireplace is not real. The colour theme of the cafe is white and light turquoise and is majorly

muted (matt). The tea comes in a tea set wit h cups, teapot, sugar (both brown and white) biscuits and small bowls for butter and jam. The earl grey black tea was lightly brewed but is nothing out of the ordinary.

The biscuits along with a dash of jam or butter on it tasted good. The sweetness of the biscuits is maintained so that the jam and butter doesn’t make it too sweet or savoury. The vanilla and cinnamon toast was lightly toasted and like the biscuits, was accompanied by jam and butter.

The plain omelette was cooked to perfection; it was neither too dry nor poached. The toast and omelettes are a little overpriced.

The chicken sausages were on the ordinary side. The servers are efficient and respectful.

The white room is a quaint little place, perfect for breakfast or brunch. A lazy day out with friends or even a lone outing can be spent perfectly.

Address: #33, High Gates Hotel, Church Street Phone:080 4022 2999 Hours: 9AM–11PM

benefit of film professionals, discerning audiences and students on different aspects of cinema.

Keeping the theme in mind, the five films nominated under International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) are directed by women. The special thematic sections include “Cult Comedies” from France and “Women Power”, a bouquet of films by women directors from across the world will enhance the film festival.

Delegates, students and others need to have a pass to watch the screenings. The passes will be available via desk registrations and for more information you can log on to: biffes.in Where to go?- The screening of these films will be held at PVR cinemas, Orion Mall, Bengaluru.

1. What were the names of Chandler and Monica’s adoptive twins? a) Jack and Erica b) Ben and Emma c) Erica and Anne 2. WE WERE ON A BREAK! Who ? a) Ross and Emily b) Ross and Rachel c) Rachel and Joshua 3. What was Robin’s celebrity name in Canada? a) Robin Sprinkles b) Robin Twinkles c) Robin Sparkles 4. What is the first thing we see Sherlock doing? a) Looking through a magnifying glass b) Whipping a corpse c) Playing an instrument Answers 1. a 2. b(no,you didnt!!!)

3. c 4. b

Brunch at Terra’s

Cathline Chen cathline.c@iijnm.org

“Cafe Terra” in Indiranagar specialises in breakfast and brunches and the crowd is mostly attracted to this cafe for tgese meals. But, if you are in the mood to go out for dinner ,this place would certainly suit you. It consists of two floors, both beautifully designed with artworks from American movies and television shows. The idea is to give a western feel to the setting.The ambience is definitely worth cherishing and quite peaceful as many of the people who come to eat just want to indulge in a peaceful conversation with their friends and family or work quietly.

The breakfast is quite affordable.

At the price of Rs 250-300, you can buy yourself a full breakfast with toasts, omelette, bacon and sausages and a cup of tea or juice. They have different combos, where you can choose either waffles or pancakes or just a simple bread omelette breakfast. The prices for the food is quite affordable .The quality of the food is pretty impressive compared to the prices. There’s another cafe similar to this one in New Delhi, which serves the same menu at a higher price.

Cafe Terra’s full english breakfast is splendid with a combination of some hash browns and creamy mashed potatoes. The bacon was finely done, although the sausage didn’t really taste like a regular pork sausage(try a chicken sausage rather than the pork). The service, sadly was quite poor as they took a long time to serve.Also if that’s the first meal of your day then waiting would feel like a punishment. The fresh juice came with a surprise as they added no extra sugar and kept it as close to natural juice.

Address: #846, Ground & 1st Floor, Double road,1st stage , Indiranagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560038 Phone:099166 87418; Hours: 8AM–10PM