As a creative writer I am constantly discovering new things about places, people and myself. Since the last four years though I have been privileged to tackle perhaps my greatest discovery – the Puttenahalli Lake in J.P. Nagar, 7th Phase. What began as a wish to prevent misuse of the lake gathered momentum and led to the formation of the Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT) in June 2010. Eleven months later, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the BBMP to formally maintain the lake, the first citizens’ group to do so.

Every time we visit the lake, my fellow trustees and I find something or the other to exult over – a hundred nomadic Whistling Ducks (where did they come from?), varieties of fish (how do they enter the water in the first place?), fluttering butterflies (where were they all this while?). We are also faced with new challenges – how to remove the invasive aquatic weeds (what are they called anyway?) without dislodging the homes of the Common Coot or the Purple Swamphen, how to stop trespassers from cutting the fence, etc. etc.

We post these in our website and still get requests from family, friends and their friends to know more about our “lake stories”. This new column is to share with you our experiences not just with Puttenahalli Lake but also about PNLIT initiatives to maintain the areas around the lake.

You are welcome to give your suggestions and comments as much as to laugh at us as we confront new problems or stumble upon more refreshing discoveries at Puttenahalli Lake. 

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