Articles by Deepa Mohan

Why are all the roads being dug up, without any apparent rhyme or reason/ The worst part of the digging is always the aftermath...the dug-up areas are left in mounds of dirt and earth, and pedestrians and traffic alike have to negotiate holes and mounds which can be very dangerous.   Why can we not enforce a rule whereby the name of the agency doing the digging, the purpose of the excacationn, and the contact no. of the contractor must be prominently displayed? The contractor must also be held accountable for the proper filling-in and paving of the dug-up area. …

Guiana chestnut | Pachira aquatica Now that's a sight worth spending a morning for, isn't it? This is how it came about. Nidhi Chawla and Reshmi Chakraborty, who founded an online magazine for seniors, asked me to conduct a nature/birding walk in Lalbagh, and I readily agreed. I've taken many mixed groups, but this would be the first time it would be an only-seniors group. I carefully thought out a trail that would touch on the iconic sights in this wonderful city garden, and yet would not tire our older friends. We started at the iconic tower of Kempegowda, and…

"Is your dog well tied up?" "Yes, he is." I found this picture amongst other dog photos, in Lalbagh.

On my train journeys, recently, I have come across this sign in the A/C 2-Tier coaches: I fail to see any sense or logic in this. The air-conditioner in the railway coach is running (or, is at least supposed to run...on the 21st of March, I travelled in an A/C 2 Tier coach where the air-conditioner did not run, and since the train started at 22.40 hrs and reached at 04.40 hrs, there was no way of getting a written complaint lodged, and hence a claim for fare refund....but that's another story). The fan is running, the lights are on,…

Method 1: I found this mobile number on Quikr mfor obtaining Senior Citizen Cards in the J P Nagar area: +91 9945837981. I called the number and after a while, the person called back. He wanted me to keep ready three passport photos, and the xerox of ONE of the following: Aadhar Card Voter Id Driving licence Passport He said that someone would come and collect these, and also bring the Senior Citizen card to my address. Method 2: The alternative is going to the BJP Office in Jayanagar Address:“Shasakara Kacheri”, 18th Main, 35th Cross, 4th ‘T’ Block, Jayanagar, Bengaluru 560…

Do they not look delightful Perched upon the wire, Chatting together Against the sky? When I see the same birds Through the twisted wire Of bird-cages, penned up... I ask..why? (Picture of Munias in a bird cage from the FB page of Gopakumar Namboothiri, with his permission) Why can we not just admire? The flower set upon the bush Or smiling from its tree? Why do we need to cage and tie down beings That look so much better, when they are free? The first photo was taken on Bannerghatta Road, near the Police Station; the second in a house…

It started with a few shopkeepers giving customers change in the form of boiled sweets or toffees; but now it seems to have developed into a form of payment! At most toll roads. Toll collectors don't even bother to give change, but hand over the receipt for the toll, with some cellophane-wrapped candy. They actually act affronted when one tells them that one will not accept this as change, and grudgingly part with the change in coins, which,obviously, they had all along.  Every "toffee" or candy may represent one rupee, but the customer is being shortchanged, because these sweets have…

Anand Sankar, who transported his two cats from Bangalore to Delhi by air, writes:  Just thought I should share my experience of transporting my cats by air (domestic, within India), could be useful for anyone! From a cursory reading online and through forums, I found that budget airlines don't have much interest in transporting pet animals. And I wouldn't trust a budget airline with my pets. The choice boiled down to Air India or Jet Airways. -- Air India has a strange policy of not allowing pets in cargo holds. They have to be carried in the cabin, but only…

Ameen Ahmed writes from his  home near Hebbal : I get a frantic call during a critically important meeting with a client in south Bengaluru, by my wife taking care of our child suffering from another bout of asthma for the past two days, alone at home about 2 hours away in North Bengaluru. Apparently a bunch of armed policemen, all but one in civilian clothing, behaving more like gangsters of a B-grade Bollywood flick were forcing their way into our home around 4:20PM today (Fri., 19 Feb. '15). Trying to piece the information collected from the building's security guards,…

Most of us shudder at the sight of spiders, but they are really fascinating creatures. Did you know that most spiders are solitary... and cannibalistic? Many female spiders eat the males after mating! However, there are some spiders that are more sociable. One variety called Social Spiders, spin whole "apartment" complexes, which can cover large areas, like long stretches of this barbed wire fence: Or over plants, as you can see here: However, there is another group of spiders which are commonly called Harvestmen or Daddy Long-legs (they have long, thin legs)! Scientifically their name is Opiliones, but they are also…