GENRE: Features

The south Indian state of Karnataka has over 29,000 villages spread across a 190,000 square kilometres. Anyone who travels a little in the state quickly realises that there are common village names that keep recurring. In Bangalore in particular, lakhs of people from all over India have  settled down and many travel from Bommanahali to Kodihalli or Marathhalli everyday. There is a story here.  Here’s a comprehensive look at the most common village names in Karnataka, prepared using the Census 2011 village directory for the state. Click on image to enlarge It turns out that the most common village name…

It’s twilight, and as you walk, you suddenly see a flapping movement in the air. It’s too late for it to be a bird;  and you suddenly think of a bat. Most of us then repress a shudder, or even squeak in fear... we grow up not liking the idea of bats, and popular films reinforce that idea, associating bats with horror stories. But do take a minute and see the wonderful mammal that the bat is! Bats are the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight; others, such as “flying” squirrels, only glide from one place to…

Sometimes, a rare plant can be found practically at one’s own doorstep! I’d gone with a few friends to the Arikere Reserve Forest, which is just about 4km from where I live. There, we spotted these unusual-looking flowers, which made us feel that it might be a carnivorous insect-eating plant, like the Venus Flytrap, and we took some photographs. Ceropegia Candelabrum. Pic: Deepa Mohan When my friend Poornima Kannan googled out some information about the plant, we realised that it was not a carnivorous plant... but even smarter than that! The scientific name of the plant is Ceropegia Candelabrum (the…

When we watch birds, one of the fun things to do is to observe them and trying to figure out what they are likely to eat. How, you may ask, can one find out what a bird is likely to eat, by looking at it? The answer is, look at the bird's beak!Bird's beaks come in different shapes and sizes, and each is designed to help the bird get the kind of food that it is used to.All predatory birds (raptors) have sharp hooked beaks that help them tear up the flesh of their prey, which could be other birds,…

Over the past three years, the Rosy Pastor (Madhusarika in Kannada) a migratory bird from Europe has chosen to enter Bangalore earlier than the previous years. For instance, in 2011, bird watchers in Bangalore reported spotting the species in early March. Again last year, the bird was reported to be spotted by mid February. Thereafter, in 2013, the bird made an appearance by mid January in Bangalore. Considering the difference in timings, the avian's early appearance could be linked to the impact of climate change on bird migration patterns.  The Rosy Pastor. Pic courtesy: Antony P UA recent article in…

In early January, an NGO that focuses on reuse and recycling of clothes sent out an urgent appeal to people on their mailing list to contribute woollens and blankets for homeless people who were suffering the harshness of a prolonged winter. Quilt-making in progress. Pic: Lalana Zaveri What would most of us do, on receiving such an email? Possibly spare a thought for these poor people and then mark the mail unread with the intention of doing something about it at the earliest opportunity, or perhaps gather our spare blankets and woollens and set off in search of a collection…

"Put yourself in your teenager's shoes," the firm voice told an expanse of riveted ears, "but first remember to remove your own". Such were some of the profundities shared by Dr. Ali Khwaja, during his talk on raising teenagers earlier in March at the Parish Hall of Ascension Church in Bangalore's Cooke Town. aaaA Heart for the Youth: Dr. Khwaja elaborates his serious points in a most engaging way - with jokes, anecdotes and voice role-play. Pic: Jatin Prabhu Khwaja is a professional diploma-holder in Behavioural Sciences, and founder of Bangalore's Banjara Academy on interpersonal skills; his credible musings on…

Electronics City on the fringes of Bangalore may be better known as the Silicon Valley of India - home to the likes of Infosys and Wipro - but what fewer people recognise is that it is also a shining example of growth that brought inclusive development in its wake.Governments of the world, NGOs, economists, civil society, school-children, college-professors, and the UNO are all busy trying to figure out a way in which development can take place without marginalizing certain sections of the populace. They've all tried to solve the pertinent puzzle of how we can acquire land for development, and…

The warm weather is here, and it's a great time to look for some of the very common butterflies as we walk around. The butterflies that I've photographed were all clicked in either gardens near my home, or in the Valley School campus, off Kanakapura Road; so you don't have to go very far to find them!"BLUES" are small butterflies, so called because we can see the blue colour when they are flying. Here's a 6 line Blue 6 line Blue Pic: Deepa Mohan Some of the butterfly names, of course, have no "why" to them. This on, the Pioneer…

Malatesh Garadimani stands over the desk in Gallery No. 1, at Bangalore's beacon of fine art - Chitrakala Parishath. His straight face doesn't melt to my greeting smile, but instead exudes an intense self-belief. I am not as yet aware that he is a polio-victim who is being bolstered up by prosthetic apparatus. But, the infirmity of his lower limbs hasn't stopped him from excelling with his upper ones. It is such self-empowerment that induced CKP alumni and art teacher at Bangalore's Association of People with Disability - Shivubodha - to invite Malatesh into this prestigious space. After our introductions,…