Articles by Deepa Mohan

Have you ever wondered how important colours are, in the world of Nature, around us?Colour is often a way of attracting attention; for these flowers, it is their bright colours that attract bees which will pollinate them, and propagate their species. Colourful flowers. Pic: Deepa Mohan For animals and birds, too, colour is a way of saying, “Here I am!” Nothing depicts colour better than the prismatic plumage of the peacock, flaunting his wonderful tail: The peahen, presumably, chooses the most colourful peacock to be with. Peacock with tail. Pic: Deepa Mohan  Sometimes, colour helps the creature hide instead of…

Which one of us has not watched the house sparrows as they hop about, living their lives alongside us humans in our rural or urban homes? House sparrows (their scientific name is Passer domesticus, the very name saying that they are a part of our domestic lives!) are small and pretty birds which play a large role in our lives, though we are often not aware of this. Male House Sparrow. Pic: Wikimedia commons Can you imagine, these birds are supposed to have become associated with humans nearly 10,000 years ago! Stunning, isn't it?Sparrows prefer a hole to nest in,…

Dramanon (Short for Dramatist Anonymous) is a theatre group whose fortunes I have followed ever since they "set up shop" in Bengaluru six years ago. I have reviewed every one of their productions, except for "Reservoir Dogs". A scene from the play. Pic: Deepa Mohan Their latest production is the intricately-wrought, witty play, "This", written by Melissa James Gibson. It is is a poignant comedy about four urban people, who, past the first blush of youth, are examining what the rest of their lives mean. Jane is a single mother, who's lost her husband a year ago; Marell and Tom…

 We are a city of very knowledgeable people. We know exactly where we are, and we don't need to be informed about our whereabouts by some stupid signboard. In fact, the signboard is only there to stick posters on, and inform people about other events or goods on offer....until such time as those posters are legible. If a newcomer comes to Bangalore, s/he, too, will know instantly, just by looking at the name board, that this Billposterpuram or Stickernagar or Advertisment Layout.Of course...with maps on one's mobile phone, and being online all the time....name boards are now a quaint relic from…

Steps and Seat  What scenes have these steps seen?Who are the people who've sat upon that seat?How many have rested their backs there?On the steps, how many feet?How many suns have cast their lightUpon the steps and the seat?How many misty winter mornings?How much of summer heat?How many quarrels or scoldings?How many newspapers unfurled?How many people have used seat and stepsTo get away for a while from the world? ⊕

When we hear the word "parasites", we generally think of leeches. But there are other creatures and plants around us, that are parasites - living beings which live on other creatures. One of them, not often known, is the Braconid wasp. This wasp ensures a fresh supply of protein for its young, by laying its eggs on a caterpillar. When the eggs hatch on the caterpillar, they feed on the caterpillar, sucking its blood...and then, as all insects do, the larvae turn into pupae, still stuck on the caterpillar's hairs. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae end up eating the…

I was delighted with the last workshop I attended, so I would strongly recommend this!  *Introduction to Origami - Beginner workshop on Origami*Date: Saturday, 7th April, 2012Time: 4pm-5:30pm (90 minutes)Place: Jaaga, Double Road (www.jaaga.in)Age: 8-80 yearsFees: Rs 150 (inclusive of paper, you just need to bring your hands) ⊕

Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has started a unique and interesting citizen science programme to collect and share information on the status and distribution of HouseSparrow in India.By logging on at the CitizenSparrow website and spending 5 minutes documenting the presence or absence of sparrows in localities you know well, both at present and at any time in the past, you will join enthusiasts all over the country in helping sparrows.For more details and to record your knowledge please click here   Karthik K. is looking after this initiative, along with Dr Koustubh Sharma and Dr Suhel Qader. They will…

Some info on what to do:  Trees on public and private land are protected by the Karnataka Tree Preservation Act , accessible here- click here If you feel trees in your area are under threat, please call the tree officer responsible fr Bangalore South, Mr.Chaudhary and report them.94806 83842, 2657 8423Office - in the BBMP southern zone office, Jayanagar 2nd block, close to Ashoka pillar.and at any point of time if you see someone cutting a tree, please see below for what can be doneStepsApproach the contractor/workers cutting the tree. Ask them if they have the approval of tree officer, BBMP…

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE), Bangalore is organizing a 'Vacation Training Program on Bio-Resources' for students from 7th May to 26th May 2012.Funded by Department of Bio-Technology, Government of India, this program consists of lectures and interactive sessions with eminent scientists and experts in the field of biology and bio-resources, visits to research institutes, orientation to skills required for field-biology and out-door camps. Students who have appeared in Class X examination in 2012 from recognized schools in Karnataka are eligible to apply. The application forms and other details are available on our website. Please visit http://atree.org/vtpLast…