Blogs

In the previous article we discussed about handling pests in general. Here are a few examples shared to show how pests can perhaps be dealt with, without the use of chemicals and dangerous pesticides. Powdery Mildew Caused by fungi, the leaves in this case develop cloudy whitish spots are a common problem faced by several terrace gardeners. Starting out as a few spores on the leaves, powdery mildew quickly spreads, ultimately yellowing the leaves and causing leaf drop. It stunts plant growth, distorts the flowers and fruits and weakens the plant in general. Spores never stop producing more spores, so…

In a city of vanishing lakes, PNLIT is a small team of ordinary citizens who campaigned successfully to rejuvenate Puttenahalli Lake in J.P. Nagar and has now become its official caretakers. PNLIT's goals are to recharge the water table, indirectly providing water for an increasingly parched locality and to transform the lake into a secure bird habitat though in the middle of an urban jungle. Within two years of restoration, over 200 tree saplings have been planted and over 50 bird species spotted in and around the lake. PNLIT meets expenses from voluntary donations, mostly from residents in the area.…

     Overflowing bookshelves are a delight to the sight of a book lover. Something about the badly kept shelves suggests there you will stumble onto something you did not expect.Picture at Blossoms Book House, Church Street.Pic by Ravi Kaushik⊕

The aroma of the coconut oil being heated on a pan, the tempting curries and payasam dishes spread across the table is what God's Own Country's food is about. Here are some of the restaurants that serve the best of Kerala cuisine in Namma Koramangala and HSR layout.When you set foot into Kumarakom in HSR layout, it feels like you have stepped into open courtyard house in Kerala with all the woodwork and high ceiling. It has with some typical kerala features like the chuttu vilakku and some fine cane and wood furniture. Meen. Pic courtesy: Oyster Bay The pearl…

Dr B N Vishwanath of Garden City Farmers Trust, in his talks gently but firmly reminds you that we humans are just one of the species on this planet. There are several hundreds of insect species, we have no right to try and exterminate insect-life in the garden or even indiscriminately refer to them as 'pests'. At the National Seminar on Organic Urban Gardening in 2010, Dipak Suchde (www.prayogpariwar.net) made a pointed observation that when insects affect a particular plant in the garden, they are a sign that the given plant is not fit for our (human) consumption. This was…

The movie 3 Idiots, has this famous scene with Kareena Kapoor and Aamir Khan that refers to Gujarati dishes - Dhokla, Faafda, Thepla, Haandva. Watching the movie again made me yearn for those yummy delicacies. I set out to find some in Jayanagar. Khandvi. Pic: Wikipedia free A typical north Indian village setup where you are welcomed with vermilion on your forehead. Village, Jayanagar, has the perfect atmosphere for a wonderful dining experience. Such an unusual welcome in a restaurant! You can play Dandia-raas in the open space. The puppet shows will definitely keep the children engrossed. The Mehendi counters…

Brief background: Spark the Rise is a platform built by Mahindra "for ordinary people to take charge of India's future". Anyone with a plan could submit it to http://www.sparktherise.com/ to get volunteers, advice or donations. From August 2011 to March 2012, 1346 projects were posted on the site. For six months, Mahindra awarded monthly grants of Rs 4 lakh each, to 8 outstanding projects. "PNLIT - Nurturing Puttenahalli Lake back to its pristine glory" was one such awardee, and one of the 18 projects in the Grand Finale, where additional grants were at stake.   20th April 2012 was an eventful day for the Spark…

There will be no power supply from 11 am to 3 pm on April 26th, Thursday, in the following areas of NRS 66/11KV MUSS, 66/11KV A Station, 66/11KV Victoria Hospital MUSS, 66/11KV Chandra Layout MUSS, 66/11KV Telecom Layout MUSS, 66/11KV Vijajnagar MUSS and 66/11KV Brigade Gate Way.Affected areas:1) NRS MUSS: All Blocks of Rajajinagar, Mahalakshmi Layout, Gayatri Nagar, Prakash Nagar, Lakshminarayanpura, Srirampura, Amarajyothi Nagar, Bapuji Layout, Marenahalli, Okalaipuram, BWSSB HT, Shankar Mutt Circle, Manjunathnagar all Phases, LICColony, Magadi Main Road, Agrahara Dasarahalli, KHB Colony, Basveshwara Nagar, Thimmaiah Layout.2) A Station MUSS: Anand Rao Circle, Binny Mills, Railway Station, Cottonpet, Akkipet,…

 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…

There will be no power supply from 10 am to 5 pm on April 19th, Thursday, in the following areas of 66/11KV Naganathapura MUSS.Affected areas are Bande Palya, Singasandra, GB Palya, Kudlu Gate, AECS Layout A and B Block, Hongasandra, Cikka Begur Gate, Chikka Thogur village, Basapura village, Symphone Apartment, Naganathapura village, Meenakshi Layout, Central Jail (HT), Hosur Main Road, and surroundings. ⊕