Articles by Usha Rajagopalan

Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT) is trying to raise money for the recently revived Puttenahalli Lake through the Mahindra Spark the Rise competitive funding. The entry "PNLIT - Nurturing Puttenahalli Lake back to its pristine glory" is to serve as a template for reviving lakes with active public participation. Your support in the December preliminary round of voting, helped Puttenahalli Lake win a grant of Rs 4 lakh from Spark the Rise. Now a large amount of additional funding is at stake in the Grand Finale of Spark the Rise. Voting for the finale is from 2nd to 15th April…

It is not only the number of birds in our lake that is growing but also our team, slowly but steadily! We are happy to induct two teams of volunteers PNLIT Mitra and PNLIT Young Rangers. As of now we have three supporters in the Mitra (Friends) category and four Young Rangers who make up for their lack in years with youthful enthusiasm. To those of you who had suggested names for the PNLIT juniors - "PNLIT Young Rangers" was the name that the child members chose for themselves. With these new volunteers to assist us, we shall soon be…

Last year ended on a high note and the new year began on a higher note for PNLIT! December was when our project was open for voting in Mahindra Spark the Rise Project Championship. Those were hectic days of campaigning and canvassing for votes. From among the submitted projects, Times Now channel chose PNLIT for their Amazing Indians series. We combined our monthly Nature Walk with the film shoot and invited some 75 school children to visit the lake. The kids' excitement at seeing the birds was incomparable.Spark the Rise result announcement was postponed from 4th to 9th January, prolonging…

Enzen Water Solutions, a Bengaluru based company, unveiled a possible solution to improve the quality of the water in the city lakes. This subsidiary unit of Enzen Global Solutions Pvt. Ltd announced the experiment results of the six week trial conducted at the Puttenahalli Lake in JP Nagar, 7th Phase. In a first attempt of its kind, Enzen collaborated with the BBMP and the Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT), the citizens' group that is maintaining the 13 acre lake which was restored recently by the BBMP. Puttenahalli Lake water after purification (left). Original murky water (right). Pic: Ramasasthri. The…

One doesn't always get an opportunity to do something extraordinary. When you do, you've got to grab it! This is what we did when we saw the Puttenahalli Lake dying. We campaigned and lobbied for the BBMP to rejuvenate the lake. This is what PNLIT did when we saw the Mahindra Spark the Rise announcement inviting projects ("Sparks") for a competitive funding. We submitted "PNLIT - Nurturing Puttenahalli Lake back to its pristine glory" as a template for reviving lakes with active public participation. Click here to vote. Pic: PNLIT The many activities and events we conduct, such as the Children's Day Nature…

The Nature Walk on Sunday, 13th November. went off very well with participants mostly from South Bangalore and one enthusiast who came from Malleswaram. The 40 odd participants including children and adults came early to see the sun rise and light up the lake and its inhabitants. They were amply rewarded - sighting several species of birds, insects and even a couple of water snakes. They had a whale of a time and, with Deepa Mohan as their guide, got a very good introduction to the beautiful flora and fauna at our lake.  Observation drawings by Ria(8)-top row, Nishka (5)-bottom…

Peepal or Bo trees are large and erect with shining heart shaped leaves that flutter in the slightest breeze. Seeds in bird droppings let out roots quickly and they grow everywhere, even in little nooks on walls. As its botanical name indicates, Ficus Religiosa is a sacred tree revered in our country. Reluctant to throw away their broken idols or pictures of gods, people leave these at its base. Occasionally they build a temple beside it. Peepal tree planting at the viewing deck 16 Sep 2010. Pic courtesy: PNLIT We planted a Peepal tree in the viewing deck at Puttenahalli…

PNLIT is organising a Nature Walk to explore and discover the rich flora and fauna at the newly revived Puttenahalli Lake in J.P. Nagar 7th Phase. The Nature Walk will be led by Ms. Deepa Mohan of the Bird Watchers Field Club, Bangalore. Date & Time: Sunday 13th November 2011 (6 a.m. to 9 a.m.) Venue: Gazebo, Puttenahalli Lake (near the MLR Convention Hall, Brigade Millennium)Registration Fee (Includes Breakfast): Rs.200/participant. Each additional member from the participant's family: Rs.100.  Children between ages 7 and 10 to be accompanied by at least one adult family member. Children below age 7 are not allowed in this Nature…

Some 25 members of the Bird Watchers Field Club, Bangalore, led by ardent bird watcher, Deepa Mohan visited the Puttenahalli Lake on 8th Oct. After spotting the juvenile coots, little grebes and pheasant tailed jacanas and seeing a coot couple building a nest, Deepa called our lake a "nursery." This was the nicest thing to hear about the lake we have been trying very hard to revive and sustain. The nesting shows that the birds feel safe to raise their young ones and the presence of large shoals of fish means that the water is clean enough for them to…

Bird watching at Puttenahalli Lake today was a huge success. At least 30 people attended. One family came from Jayanagar 4th Block because their little daughter is fascinated with birds and someone had told them about our outing! The very first people to come though were TV9 cameramen and reporter! We asked how they got to know about the bird watching and they said simply that "they have their sources." From 7 am to about 8.30 am, they filmed the lake, the birds, the bird watchers and wanted to know how PNLIT ever thought of organizing a bird watch in…