Articles by Poornima Kannan

  Neralu invites all schools to engage in an exciting project to explore the world of trees and connect with nature. These trees, stand tall as our silent neighbours, and bear within them endless stories to share. From measuring trees to painting a wall with trees, this could be a fun and informal way of learning about our city’s rich natural heritage.   We encourage each and every school in the city to register, pick a suitable activity from the list provided, execute it with the help of students, teachers and parents; document it, and share it back with us.…

Come February, Bengaluru’s trees burst into spectacular blooms, and the play of colours continues through the year. The second edition of Neralu, a citizen-led Urban Tree Festival will be organised on February 7, 8 and 14 February at multiple venues. Neralu, which translates to ‘shade’ in Kannada, has been planned to coincide with the blooming season in the city. It will bring citizens together to celebrate the garden city’s glorious natural heritage. Bound by a common love for trees, naturalists, ecologists, artists, technologists, storytellers, homemakers, photographers, students and citizens from all walks of life have come together to put together…

  Neralu Tree Festival is a crowd-funded event that brings the community together to celebrate Bangalore’s rich heritage – its trees. During the festival, the citizens engage in a variety of interactive sessions to learn about trees, ecology, urban planning and a lot more. Through tree walks, workshops, talks, dance, drama, art displays and photography exhibits curated by experts in the field, Neralu brings trees and people closer. For Neralu 2014, renowned photographer Vivek Muthuramalingam curated an elaborate photography exhibition. Vivid images that highlight the beautiful flowering avenue trees of Bangalore were displayed, as were artistic renditions of forest trees.…

Caterpillars are creepy? Each time I saw a worm or a caterpillar wriggling, I would let out a shriek that would stun people around me. They sniggered when they found the reason. Times change and I now adore caterpillars. I got into the company of some ardent butterfly watchers, who did not mind lying on slushy ground or walking miles together in pursuit of butterflies. With them, I started to learn fascinating facts about butterflies. Butterflies exhibit mimicry, they migrate, plan amazing strategies to avoid predators; the list goes on. One life time is not enough to learn about them. To understand butterflies better, one has to…

One evening I heard a buzzing sound near my glass door overlooking the garden. I did not pay much attention as I did not expect anything unusual. After a while I noticed two bees in my living room. One of them was lying on its back and was desperately trying to come back to its normal position. It took some time and started flying all around the house. I was scared of its sting—it took me a lot of courage to not swat it with a newspaper. After a long bee hunt, it was finally set free outside. These bees had started to build its…

I was sitting in the balcony and gazing at a copper pod tree on a Sunday afternoon. A tailor bird was busy collecting nesting material. Some butterflies fluttered around  looking for nectar. The resident squirrel came by to nibble a few grains from my balcony. The squirrel kept a watch on me, each time I moved, it went and hid itself behind the pots. Though these are routine sightings, they keep me entertained and refresh me when I need a break from the countless chores at home. Yes, I do get pleasant surprises too when something very different happens in…

Former Olympian, Nisha Millet and Kannada actress, Anu Prabhakar are true blue Bangaloreans. They, like many other Bangaloreans, have been brought up around the numerous trees that adorned the city. With time and urbanisation, the cityscape has taken a turn for the worse. Urban forests have given way to apartment complexes and tree-lined promenades have been turned into roads. Does this spell the end of Garden City? Not by a long shot; especially considering that Neralu is around the corner.   On February 8 and 9, Bangalore will witness an event that is the first of its kind. Neralu, the Bangalore Tree Festival will be…

Sweet Indrajao (Wrigtia tinctoria) is a small, deciduous tree with flowers that look like snow flakes. Native to India and Burma, Wrightia is named after a Scottish physician and botanist William Wright. The leaves of this tree yield a blue dye called Pala Indigo. The wood of this tree is used for making Channapatna toys. The wood is suitable for matchboxes, bobbins, engraving and printing-blocks, mathematical instruments and rulers. It is also suitable for stained wood inlay-work. Medicinal uses: A survey conducted showed that tribal people in Chhattisgarh district control diabetes with their own drugs prepared from plant sources proving…

It was my New Year resolution to do something different on weekends that led me to these boulders of Turahalli. I responded to an email from the Wanderers, an adventure and outdoor events group, on a day long rock climbing and trekking program at Turahalli, 10 kilometres from namma Bengaluru. On the scheduled day, I was surprised to see so many people at the meeting point - the Adigas on Kanakapura road. I later learnt Turahalli is a popular place for rock climbing and many groups visit this place on weekends. Turahalli is very close to the city. This is…

Happy New Year to everyone. I'll greet you with the same wishes in March-April (twice if you celebrate both Sankranthi & Vizhu/Baisakh in Bangalore). We have many new year days, dont worry. Somehow the charm of new year's arrival is lost on me. I'm not a cynic or philosophic, so please hear me out.In Western countries, which are predominantly christian, there's no confusion. The festival frenzy starts in mid-Nov (Thanksgiving), runs through entire December and early January. People plan their annual holiday around this time. There is festivities in the air the entire December which culminates with the new Year…