Blogs

Pelican Bay, California, USA is synonymous with solitary existence. In recent months, the Pelican Bay State Prison has been hitting the news, with inmates and social activists challenging the use of isolation to hold prisoners. The residents of the Alahalli Lake neighbourhood in Anjanapura-JP Nagar 9th Phase, South Bangalore, have been spectators to solitary existence of a different kind. A real pelican has been observed in the lake for the past two weeks, and yes – all alone. Given its large size, it is difficult for the naked eye to miss. Solitary Spot-billed Pelican at Alahalli Lake (Pic: Vikash Kumar)…

In my previous post I wrote about sleep. So I think it makes sense that this blog is about the things a dog does during her waking hours. Like last week, I am reaching out to some good ol’ wisdom “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. Well, frankly all play and no work does not, in most cases, do Jack too much good either. When it comes to our Fido, it’s pretty much the same. So is there a concept of “work” for dogs. Well…I am not talking about finding an income source using our dogs.…

In my foray into the world of kitchen gardening, I have undergone many eye-opening changes along the way. In the early days I would buy seeds wherever I got them, and I would still recommend this to beginners as it can get a bit overwhelming at that stage to try to search for a particular type or origin of seed. With a bit more experience under my belt, I began to realize why it is important for farmers (even small time ones like us) to opt for native or heirloom varieties. The No. 1 reason for this of course being…

Dear all,    After doing a series of pedestrian events called "Come, Cross the Road" to observe and highlight the issues faced by pedestrians on Bangalore roads, Hasiru Usiru is  now ready to release the final draft of the report with our findings and observations.   As part of this event, we would like to showcase photographs emphasising the different problems faced by pedestrians on a daily basis. The problems could be any of the below or ANYTHING you perceive to be a problem for pedestrians in the city.    Difficulty in crossing the roads Bad footpaths Dimly lit subways,…

In the past, people lived in small, isolated communities where artisans and farmers bartered goods and services among themselves. Distribution was limited to how far people could walk, and advertising to how loud they could shout. Today, things are different. Our ways of communicating have taken new forms. As you go through the City, you see advertisements painted on walls, posters of election campaigns, hoardings that hide heritage buildings or that become facades of contemporary buildings. The city has become our canvas for communication. Signages, messages and markers We could categorise these ways of communication into Signage, Messages and Markers.…

I don’t really know his name. Never need it I guess. The conversation with him happens because we cannot find a parking spot. It is eight in the night on a road near Commercial Street. The shops are still open and cars fill the tiny road. Me and husband are hungry and want to buy a burger from a shop nearby. A rickshaw driver stands parked on the road, blocking the space our car can fit it. I get down, request him to back it a little and direct my car in triumphantly. While the burgers are being ordered, since…

Annually, many countries observe International Car Free Day on 22nd September to encourage people to leave their cars or reduce their use. Since 2011, ESAF, a city based non-profit that works on making Bangalore more inclusive, has been reminding Bangaloreans to lower or eliminate dependence on cars. As per Senior Programme Officer Manju George, the campaign which started on September 21st this year, will last until the 30th. This is being done through flyers, posters and discussions in offices, residential neighbourhoods, street corners, eateries, stores, colleges, et al. The message is to consider walking, cycling, taking public transport or at…

Maintaining our Puttenahalli Lake is really so full of challenges which tax, vex and worry us at times but it also springs surprises that make our hearts sing! Today morning was one such great day. Yellappa, the fisherman contractor called to say that his men were on their way to the lake to plant the stakes, remove the new shoots of weeds, clean the water of stray plastic, etc. They had come at 5 a.m. and left the fibre glass coracle at the lake.   My friends and I swung into action. We had already bought the casuarina poles, three of…

One week. One well-planned week is all it will take to make an entire locality having around 1000 households to start segregation. So if we had just about 10 interested people in each ward, we could get the whole of Bangalore to segregate at source in just one week. I mean it. This begs the question – Why on earth is it not happening? It is after all not so difficult to get 10 people in each ward to get this going, right? Ah, that’s where we are completely missing the point; the garbage crisis here has nothing to do…

Some of the happenings about Bangalore's lakes this past month. Click the links to read the full stories and reports. Ganesha immersions  The days of Ganesh Chaturthi are usually high tension for lake lovers in Bangalore. A couple of weeks before the festival there were reports of how BBMP was gearing up, given that 3 lakh idols were expected to be immersed. There was a lot of publicity to persuade people to get eco-Ganeshas and encourage immersions in mobile tanks. Worshippers though seem to have had other ideas to please God. While there is no accurate record of the actual number of Ganeshas sold or…