Articles by Deepa Mohan

Raja Bandi writes: A couple of my friends went birding at Hebbal lake on 21st October 2014 at around 6.30 am. There were people around jogging and walking etc. While birding, a guy turned up with a broken bottle and a wooden stick and demanded money. He emptied their wallets and then started checking their belongings. They were carrying dslr camera and binoculars. Luckily, one of them took the courage to turn against the mugger and grabbed the stick off him. In the process the mugger fell down. After taking a couple of hits to his shoulder the mugger then…

Ajit Lakshmiratan writes:"Long long ago...precisely in 1977..when 27, I had parked my bike (Jawa MYM 2877) in front of Prince Hotel in Brigade Rd extn.Bangalore for a short time (No Parking zone).When I returned, a constable asked me to come to the nearby Police Station (Shoolay PS, now renamed as Ashoknagar PS). Shoolay PS was at that time known for the strict rule book, no nonsense Inspector. My father was there with me and I was sure that he would bail me out at the Station like all fathers do when sons are in trouble. But at the station, my…

From: angarika@maraa.in 2 manhole cleaners suffocated to death in Bangalore recentlyArmed with a bottle and a stick, a man descends: into the dark sulfurous depths of the city. Vanishing acts, made possible by the labour of workers who live and die below the surface. This man, we call the “scavenger”.Join us on 11th Oct for a walk, along the Chambers of Ward 88. To lift the lid and see who lurks beneath. The walk is olfactory. The walk is a provocation. The walk is a call to introspect. This walk will be guided by Angarika Guha and Ekta Mittal as part of Horaata,…

 Tree Felling in Kanataka is governed by the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976. Section 8 (1) of the act states: With effect on and from the appointed day, notwithstanding any custom, usage, contract or law for the time being in force, no person shall fell any tree or cause any tree to be felled in any land, whether in his ownership or occupancy or otherwise, except with the previous permission of the Tree Officer Thus, whether the tree is in private land or government land, the permission of the Tree Officer is essential before a tree is cut. On what grounds can…

Dr M B Krishna writes:   The birthday of Dr Joseph George who started the group birdwatching activities in Bangalore falls on the first of October. It is now over two years since his demise. So it was thought to have a memorial talk for theoccasion. Since Dr George did so much to show that non full time professionals too could be contributing to our knowledge of birds, it was thought Shyamal would be the best person to give the talk for the day. Especially so since Shyamal's recent visits to the museums in London and Tring have given him new perspectives and hearing bits and…

My friend Vandana Murthy writes: "My son has to go to school tomorrow 5th September, 2014)  from 12.30 noon to 6.30 pm. It is compulsory to attend...to hear the PM's speech!!! Even their test has been postponed. This is unprecedented political marrketing/brainwashing...Orwellian!"   How is it that schools are taking this kind of political mandate to the students? They have not given parents any time to protest, either. There should be a protest against such tactics by the schools, and the government that mandates it.

Frog Identification Workshop hosted by Eco-Edu Date: August 9th and 10th  We will meet the participants at the turning towards the farm on Kanakapura Main Road at 5 PM on the 9th of August and proceed to the farm. The workshop will come to a close at 9 AM on the 10th of August 2014. Venue: Ravagodlu, on Kanakapura Road. The course will be held within the premises of a private farm and its surroundings. The Suvarnamukhi River, which takes birth in Bannerghatta National Park, flows close to the farm. It is also surrounded by agricultural fields and forms an…

The second Sunday outing of the Bird Watchers' Field Club(BWFC) in Lalbagh had an unexpected event, with a happy ending. U Harish Kumar writes: On Sunday, the 13th July 2014, at our usual 2nd Sunday Birdwatching outing at Lalbagh, an incident happened. A Flying Fox got entangled to a strong thread (probably that of a kite) - and it was dangling down from a top branch of Bottle Brush Tree by a strong thread. It was struggling to get itself free. Just then, the birdwatchers group was passing by. They stopped, and for a change, they stopped looking at the…

Once in a while, instead of attending intense, issue-based plays, it's good to go and have an evening of pure, unadulterated fun in the theatre! And so it proved, when I went to watch "Bade Miyaan Deewane", staged by Rangbaaz Group, in association with Rashmi Sharma Telefilms.     A scene from the play, "Bade Miyaan Deewane", staged at Ranga Shankara on 7 and 8 June 2014   Directed by Imran Rasheed (who also essayed the role of Mir Saheb), the play is an adaptation of Shauqat Tanvi's novel "Budhbas", written in a lighter vein in Urdu. Thanvi's sure touch…

Does it move? Kill it! Does it sting? Squash it! Does it grow? Cut it down! Done with it? Throw it out of your window! Need to go somewhere? Take the car! Have some money? Consume more!     Then, have plastic posters printed, saying, "World Environment Day", with the photos of prominent pols, put it up in a public place, and feel happy that a praiseworthy effort has been taken.