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Kill bill update

On behalf of the #HeritageBeku Team and the citizens groups , we thank the Govt of Karnataka for the decision to withdraw the amendment to the Karnataka Trees Preservation Act.

The collective, collaborative energy of the people saw us gather over 65000 signatures in under a week. This was made possible with the jhatkaa.org team who partnered with us at #HeritageBeku

The #greysforgreen campaign that was inspired by the chipko andolan created a heartfelt digital response with many people standing up for Bangalore & sending in black and white images, of which our indefatigable freedom fighter Shri Doreswamy’s was the most poignant .

The powerful silent protest of citizens that went into the assembly proved that citizens are willing to be active participants in a democracy .

We worked seamlessly with ( & sincerely thank) the tweetathon from the Citizens for Bengaluru, revered presence of freedom fighter Shri Doreswamy & Project Vruksha. We would also like to acknowledge Namma Bengaluru Foundation, Citizens Action Forum and The Environment Support Group as well as media who have been relentless in their environment protection.

As we move ahead, we do hope that the elected representatives of government engage with us towards an inclusive development of Bengaluru and the State of Karnataka which does not infringe on our rights to clean air , clean water and a balanced quality of life.

These multiple campaigns that were executed in a matter of a week to a resounding response, shows us the power of what an active, vigilant citizenry can do to not only protect our cities and natural habitat, but all democracy.

On behalf of the trees and the conscious citizens of Bangalore... a heartfelt thank you.

Priya Chetty-Rajagopal

On behalf of Team #HeritageBeku

The Water Trail - lets not dilute it folks ;-)

  • Who is C Raghav Charlu and why do we find him next to the Turf Club at BWSSB?

  • Miller Tank, or Miller's Tanks?

  • Connect Jewell Filters, Piped Water and 1896

After the success of the co-created Postal Heritage Trail launch with India Post, our attention don't do something just as charming and perhaps a little more visible - the BWSSB offices- in the Central Bangalore vicinity.It is so wonderful to see government organisations which occupy heritage buildings taking such great in their history and physical heritage of their offices. What we want to do is to not only deepen that connect but also to make it aware and a matter of pride for Bangalore citizens who may have missed out on them.



We have all seen the beautiful, well preserved BWSSB building on Millers Road which is so unique to that area. But do we know about another little tucked away gem on Racecourse Road? Or the fact that there is the museum dedicated to history of water supply in Bangalore in their old sprawling premises in Malleswaram. There are always stories and sometimes there is a mystery but always there is interest, excitement about discovering heritage an old world charm tucked away in your very own neighbourhood. And the memory and history of something we take so much for granted. Water.



So - let's get going with the water trail and walk through three charming spaces that no one really told you about. Let's also talk about the reason why water is so critical, some of the problems in its distribution right from its start in our state of Karnataka and enjoy the visualness of these beautiful buildings sitting atop millions of litres of water that allow us to quench both our water thirst but also our thirst for heritage in beauty. Lets find out just how cool the water trail is .. So are you ready? Then let's find out!


The WaterWorks Trail:

  • A water museum and heritage park to educate the citizens about the importance of water conservation. This “one-of -a-kind museum” with a renovated pump house, a storage tank, and a watchtower will be located at the old BWSSB facility on 18th Cross Road, Malleswaram. Certain parts of the facility, which were built in 1896, will be renovated to retain and preserve history.



  • Heritage Building & Reservoir, Millers Road



  • Low Level Reservoir, Race Course Road



The Water Trail



Interesting Links

The Postal Heritage Trail 16 Jan 2023


A day to remember ...


The launch of the Postal Heritage Trail today with India Post & Heritage Beku was certainly an impactful milestone and a big event, linked as it were so many different aspects of India Post as well as celebrating the rich heritage that India Post has in Bangalore. It is also the first time that a citizen initiative and a government body have collaborated and created a memorable route and city destination for the citizens. We sincerely hope that this is the start of many such collaborations. As an exhausted but happy Heritage Walker said at the end of the nearly 4.5 km Heritage walking trail, 'My feet are killing me, but my soul is smiling'.

Yes, we know!

The Postal Heritage Trail Idea

Well, all great ideas have multiple routes and sources, it really started when a larger Palace Trail was being looked at for the ward level Heritage manifesto and Beau Lieu the chief postmaster general's office at No 1 Palace Rd what is the real start of this trail. A visit to the then postmaster who turned out to be a classmate resulted in more gems about the building and manyi ideas got germinated.. A series of correspondence on the focus on heritage spaces, postcards, trails, commemorative covers or heritage pride started the engagement.

On heritage week late last year it was decided to do the finale with India post given the dynamic and extremely collaborative chief postmaster general Mr Rajendra Kumar. Set as a more interactive fun zoom meeting, the many different aspects that came together during this illuminating chat, This then led to a fresh meeting in December with the team and more discussions on what could further be done between Heritage Beku and India post.



The Actual trail

The actual trail was it very carefully to highlight the gems in the India post Arsenal. Google map link of this trail is listed: https://goo.gl/maps/H4Mmkmg6s6nKytXC8

We started with the relatively unknown Mail motor service, an actual space where all the bright post to read melons are housed and serviced set in a gorgeous late 1800 bungalow which moved into an interesting history before it was taken over and ultimately purchased by India post. The training members gathered here absolutely thrilled to see the large banners for the trail held proudly by two uniformed post women as well as the actual bungalow set over half an acre of plain land. The director Kaiya Arora welcomed everyone, and then set the context while the founder of Heritage bagel Priya Chetty-Rajagopal gave a background on the Postal trail origins of and the different heritage spaces that made up this trail. The guide gave a background of the building while members walked around the outside and the inside of this beautiful space. The single largest feedback was this is so beautiful and we have never seen this before. Again a classic example of why heritage is so important and why we must delve further into our own neighbourhoods to find these heritage gems hidden in plain sight!


Feeling almost like a citizen morcha since we had a wonderful post women heading the group with the large Postal Trail Banner, we trudged in really hot winter sun to the West End to see our next heritage stop which was the oldest functioning postbox in South India, We heard the origins and story of this bright red , welcoming communication channel as well. As we stepped in you were greeted by Shruthi of the sales and marketing team welcome members with a quick background after touching won the history of the Taj West End itself and the doughtty old postbox. Seeing the old postcards, being able to write and post into this letter box was a joy and it was offset only by the magnificent hospitality and high tea set under a heritage Raintree on the west end lawns which was utterly charming and a welcome break for a first-round of walkers who had completed a little over a kilometre


The next trudge was to Beaulieu one of the oldest buildings in the city and one with so much of history. We at Heritage Beku call it the Ulta Pulta building tongue in cheek, given that not many know that the No 1 Palace Rd prestigious address actually accesses the back of the building! It has been with much requests, cajoling from Heritage Beku that the gate from the actual front of the building which is now in Seshadri Road has been opened up thereby giving us a true glimpse of what this building would have looked over, when it was first built on a 24 acre stretch s overlooking Cubbon Park. Looks that refer too Beaulieu were also lovingly laid in a glass shelf in the building,


Next was the Fake Heritage Stop - the Bangalore GPO! Considering it was built only in 1985, and inaugurated later by PM Rajeev Gandhi it may not qualify for heritage , but it is still an important and impressive landmark , mirroring the Vidhana Soudha and straddling the entrance to Parliament Square. An overview of the original post office here as well as the Karnataka postal story was quickly covered by the Chief Post Master General Mr Rajendra Kumar on its magnificent steps, , while we stocked up on refreshing cold water on a thirsty afternoon.

The last lap was to the Museum Post Office , with not only a rich evocative and exciting history, but with a great future as well. It was offset by the launch of the Evening Post office and then a walk through the Sandesh (that's what they call it ) building with glimpses into its past, the postal working, the tools and trades of the post , uniforms through the ages and so on.

The Virtual Reality Postcards _ Heritage goes AR Tech

While Vivek Jain of FlipAR is a proud #HeritageBeku member, the exquisite augmented reality postcards created was a lovely example of ideating and collaboration. We had suggested to the CPMG that a set of postcards could commemorate the milestone buildings in Postal Heritage Trail , and perhaps a AR version. It was quickly accepted and actioned. Vivek and team was hard at work in collating pictures and videos for the buildings to create the right illustrations - and you can see the result . These illustrations also have been put on to a memory card which can be sold or is a give away. What a perfect match, and how evocatively memorialised are both these heritage structures as well as the Postal Trail ! See for yourself.

The launch of the Evening Post Office and Coffee shop

India Post had been mulling this for some time, and their idea was further solidified in the Heritage Week 2022 event. While users and philatelists also were excited about this, but the exciting layer was to also showcase the heritage building built by Mr Balfour, while encouraging greater connectedness with a charming little coffee shop - where you could read, have a coffee and snacks, buy stamps, memorabilia and post cards, in a prime city area.


In addition, its funky bright logo (done in Kannada and English) not only exemplifies the new feel of a responsive, customer centric postal department but also showcases its inclusion focus. The wall paintings inside the evening post office are entirely done by Aravani Project, a transgender art community. This was a #HeritageBeku suggestion when we had sat down with the team, and we are so pleased and proud that it worked out. Given that most transwoman pensions are routed through the Post Office, there is an additional layer of ownership this

The People

Right from the Chief Postmaster General Rajendra Kumar, Director Kaiya Arora, the leadership team , staff across the heritage spaces, the enthusiasm, pride and sense of ownership was a joy to see. Being in a heritage building has its own challenges and constraints, but clearly the love of its history and the connect keeps the postal team stating heritage beku. From the postal lades marching with the Postal Heritage Trail banner to the officers who doubled up as guides , the many team members across the offices, we can see wy India Post was the first off the bat in the #HeritageBeku collaboration list. Long may this continue. and we hope other government bodies catch the same fever.

Press links

Look forward to more such initiatives..



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