Articles by Deepa Mohan

At certain places in the city, I've seen boards that say Gas Authority of India (GAIL) is providing piped cooking gas to residences, so digging is being done. But at many other places, wholesale digging of roads and lanes is going on without any explanation at all. On one small lane (40thA Cross, leading to 18th Main, Jayanagar 4th T Block), as I walked, I counted...yes...25 across-the-road cuts, with a trench having been dug along the length of the lane on one side, too. No boards,no explanations, no names of the agencies involved, no date of completion mentioned. The problem…

I saw this beautiful moth on the staircase of my apartment building,  day before yesterday.... I called it the military camouflage moth, but the correct name for this is the Oleander Hawk Moth, in the Sphinx moth family Sphingidae. The scientific name of the moth is Daphnus nerii. Military camouflage moth was simpler, perhaps? The caterpillar of this Moth, like that of many others, has several "instars" or forms. Here's one: The head of the caterpillar is actually towards the right...the "eyes" are probably to fool a possible predator with that appearance of fierceness. These caterpillars actually feed on the Oleander…

...Mostly, without any courtesy, is my sad answer. I do not own a car, and use public transportation (read buses...the Metro is yet to be within useful reach for me). I know that senior citizens are entitled to a 25% discount on all BMTC fares, except on Vayu Vajra (presumably, the assumption is that if I can afford to take a flight or even visit the airport, I can pay the full fare!). I also know that there are two seats reserved each for women and men senior citizens. However, over the two-plus years that I have been using the…

Every now and then, a glimpse into lives very different from our own, brings us up sharply against alternate realities. I am used to the notion of auto drivers as rough, rude people who will generally not co-operate with passengers. This preconception got a jolt when I noticed this man driving his autorickshaw in the traffic.   It cannot be an easy life when your own mobility depends on a pair of crutches. I realized that this man, and many others like him, battle many disadvantages to earn their living. I have learnt to try and remove my prejudices, and…

The problems of caring for oneself in one's old age are not just limited to finding a good old age home and settling in there. Senior living is probably the most pleasant part of one's "golden" years; when one is in good health, when one can afford to invest in a senior home or facility, and can still manage one's finances. With old age, however, comes illness which is often chronic. When repeated illness strikes, one may need geriatric nursing care. When physical illness escalates, or when mental illness supervenes, one may reach a point when one can no longer…

I went to watch Kriyative Theatre’s presentation of “Where The Shadow Ends” after having read the theatre group’s introduction to it, with an open mind...and that open mind was truly filled with sights, sounds, concepts both abstract and concrete, in the one hour and twenty minutes that the play lasted. The narrative, as the group says, is surreal;  the play travels through myths and history that are common across cultures. The play (mainly in English, but with touches of Kannada and Sanskrit here and there)   uses contemporary movement and text to explore the space between reality and shadows of the…

When I read that "The Cut" had been shortlisted for The Hindu Playwright award in 2016, I was keen on watching it; so off I went to watch the play, staged by Theatre Nisha, a Chennai-based group, on Saturday, 27th May 2017. I'd read two reviews of the play, by Karan Pillai for The New Indian Express, on Jan 27, 2017  by Parshathy J Nath for The Hindu, on 30 Jan, 2017   I was expecting the sepia tones referred to in one, and the brilliant performances mentioned in the other (see photo below, from an earlier performance.)   The…

Manidip Mandal shows how it's more expensive to travel from Majestic (Kempegowda Bus Station) bus terminus to Hulimavu (15 km) than to travel from Mysuru to Bengaluru (148 km).     BMTC has become an exploitative and expensive organization, and urban commuters have no choice. I only use public transport, and as a general commuter and a woman citizen, I generally find the drivers and conductors very rude, harassing passengers.

One of the wonderful things about Varsha Ritu and Grishma Ritu in our city is still the wonderful carpets of flowers that the trees lavish upon the ground beneath them. Here are just three flowering trees, the Copper Pod (Peltophorum pterocarpum), Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia) and Honge (Pongaemia pinnata). Here is how one of the small roads looks after the Copper Pod flowers have fallen: This is a closeup of the Copper Pod flower and the seed which gives the tree its name: Here is the carpet of Honge flowers: A closer look: Honge carpet: The purple of the Jacaranda is…

I thirst...Not for love, money orEven happiness.I thirst for waterTo quench the parched earthTo bring green to the brownTo bring fresh hope to those Who raise crops and food for us.I need waterTo fill the potsOf each slum-dwellerWho puts her (it's never a he)Vessel in a long line of colours,Waiting to drink, wash and live.I have had enough of grishma ritu.I want varsha...not just the odd showerOr thunderstorm, but a steady,Cloudy, drumming seasonThat will replenish the depletedPlateau,that we live onAnd call home.