Articles by Deepa Mohan

5.04 am. Wake up full of energy. Go off for my morning walk. Resolve to get active again in  trying to solve my city's and my fellow-citizens' problems. 6. 04 am. I come back from my walk to find that the milk has not been delivered (or it's been taken away by monkeys, either of the simian or the human kind.) 6.06 am. I go off to get some milk sachets from the vendor at the corner. 6.18 am. I return with the milk to find that the newspaper guy has delivered the wrong papers to my doorstep.  6.19 am.…

When is a footpath not a footpath?When it's a death-trap....There is simply no reason why we should have such awful pavements; it's just sheer negligence and an attitude of "don't care".This was taken in J P Nagar 3rd Phase, close to the Ramana Maharishi Academy for the Blind. If we have such difficulty negotiating our roads and pavements....imagine what it must be like for those without vision.⊕

Perch, a Chennai-based theatre collective, in association with Rafiki of Bangalore, will be premiering their new play, Ms Meena, inspired by Durrenmatt's The Visit. The play will be staged at Rangashankara from July 28 - August 1.here is the wiki entry about the play.For bookings, contactRanga Shankara36/2, 8th CrossJ P Nagar, II PhaseBangalore - 560 078P: 080-26493982 / 26592777E: rstheatre@gmail.comW: www.rangashankara.org⊕

Having been away from Bangalore for a very long stretch, it felt wonderful to go to the monthly (second Sunday of the month) birding outing at Lalbagh.Those who came for the outing included people who were coming to Lalbagh for the first time, and  those trying birdwatching for the first time, along with more seasoned birders. Apart from the regular birding group, Anil G T and Guruprasad also brought about 30 children from Rajarajeshwari Nagar, and they formed a separate group who went to the Lalbagh Lake first.By about 8am, an assorted group of people got together, with experienced birders…

We seem to not bother too much when things don't work...or when people don't work! Here's a busy, busy autorickshaw driver...We also like to make things work in our own way, to suit ourselves....the regular fence and gate will not have enough space for the car to fit in, so we customize it.. an ingenious construction which does not violate the letter of the law, as this is the driveway, even though the fence goes outside the dimensions of the residential plot!

As I walk around my home, I am struck by the brightness of the colours around me, especially since the monsoons have moved in, and the trees have shed their summer dust and sereness. Here is the COPPER SHIELD BEARER, the tree is almost done with its yellow blooms that carpet the ground below it...now the copper-coloured pods that give the tree its name are out, and the tree looks so beautiful...The tree of the summer, theGULMOHAR,also sports a lot of green, and some of the red blooms that brighten up the summer days are yet on the tree: Would…

I was intrigued by this "head meat"until I realized that it is probably "bheja" or brain....and that "kalu soup" is made from trotters....so you can truly eat, head to foot!However, I wouldn't find this veg very appetising...If, after eating all that, you develop a rash and can't drive...you have to go for some tharphy....but then, of course, you will get a headache trying to put your kid in this school:How rare to find honesty in this world...this auto describes itself as "dangerous".....And, living in an apartment building where milk sachets are delivered every morning and are often stolen (sometimes by…

To build a house,You clear the land;You clear out every blade of grass;Wipe out every insect in the sand.Cut down any neighbouring tree,Make sure that a single bird cannot seeEven a tiny green spot to sit.Have you completely achieved it?Congrats! No green, no creature, not even a mouse...NOW that your home's free of Nature... of every vestige..Call it "Nisarga"...and add to your prestige! ⊕

I had to visit theShanthi Polyclinic a small nursing home, in Jayanagar 4th Block, and it was a pleasant discovery to find a nameless, boardless canteen, tucked away under the road level!The canteen serves both breakfast items such as Uppittu and Idli, as well as rice items for lunch, and tea and coffee, starting from about 6.30 am to about 8pm, every day. It is a great boon for the families of patients who have been either admitted to the clinic, or are even waiting there for consultations or tests. The rates are extremely reasonable...so much so that I found…

Only when it comes to the Bangalore autorickshw can one find that a helping hand is often a helping foot. When one auto, for various reasons, refuses to move on its own, a fellow auto driver often lends a hand, sorry foot, and it's a typically heart-warming sight to see the two autos moving along, connected by the second auto-driver's foot pushing the auto in front:When, recently, someone started the initiative of the "Call Auto"...did they mean the ubiquitous service of the "kaal (foot) auto" after all?You can say some of the auto drivers in Bangalore are "pushy" people, and…