JP Nagar

The Salvinia Molesta covering the surface of our little Puttenahalli Lake has not deterred all the birds! Our regulars, the purple swamp hens, purple heron, pond herons among others had refused to leave the lake even though the invasive aquatic fern was spreading on the water. They have now been joined by a Grey Heron, a couple of Cormorants and king fishers! These were just a few of the birds we spotted in the midst of what seems like a 1001 tasks we have to do at the lake. Not that we are complaining about the tasks since we mooted…

The residents of Casa Ansal, J P Nagar 3rd Phase, Bannerghatta Road, have resorted to many steps to remove the illegal waste-dumping at their compound wall.The Corporator came and met them and promised action.But today, the refuse heap is as bad as ever (though the BBMP does clear it daily)..and now, cownferences are happening...Residents have taken to referring to their building as "kasa (garbage) Ansal" in frustration.When will the Corporator actually do something for this unfortunate building, which is well-maintained inside?  ⊕

"The provision of secure, well located cycle parking is essential if people are to be encouraged to use a bicycle as a means of transport. By indicating to the public that cyclists are welcome, cycle parking facilities act as a message to motorists to consider cycling in the future." - "Cycle parking" Information Sheet - Apr 2004, issued by Sustrans and Cyclists' Touring Club, UK  Cycle stand installed at Puttenahalli Lake (Pic: OP Ramaswamy) Cycle parking at public spaces has never been a priority in Bangalore, and for that matter anywhere in India. Most residential and commercial spaces are designed with no consideration for…

Mahesh Shantaram writes on his Facebook wall:On October 2nd, my mobile phone was stolen. The thief was caught on October 25th. Of the more than 40 phones he had stolen, he made the mistake of keeping mine for himself. My thoughts:1. I had to get a court order for the police to legally release the phone from their custody. This picture goes to the court as 'proof' that the transaction is complete. The System exists, and the System works, but I am amazed and amused by how the System sees photography as a tool for evidence gathering and documentation.2. Amongst…

I was looking forward very much to the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival this year, and was even happier to note that there would be a curtain-raiser montage of Shakespeare by Evam. Evam, to use a punning phrase, usually has its act together, and I was looking forward to some good pre-entertainment entertainment.Alas, I do not know who thought of using the entire ground floor space of Ranga Shankara (and the stairs, too) as a stage for the montage. Though the idea was a novel one, and intended to gather in the audience all over, with scenes being played at different…

There inature, conservation and bird-watching communities in Bangalore are deeply saddened  at the loss of one of their  champions, Deepak Arya.   Deepak Arya was well-known to the rock-climbing and birding communities of Bangalore; he had been quite active in protesting against the privatization of public commons, and his last major initiative was for the protection of the Turahalli Forest, which was under threat. He was also documenting the history of the common vegetables that we use.Under the email id of "z_axis" (he explained to me once that we had the 'x' and 'y' axis in a graph, so he wanted to…

Timber Depot, Dandeli, Karnataka, 251012The sun slants into the groveIn a million rays.The leaves take beautyIn a million ways.We, who see it, cannot hope to createA hundredth part of such a scene.We can only capture and share...And be awed by what we have seen.A salute to Karnataka, my home,my mother, and my muse...She came into being on this day. ⊕

I can certainly understand, and applaud, an effort by a police station to get the common citizens of Bangalore involved. But this mural, painted on the J P Nagar Police Station, seems to want the citizens to "join hands" with the Bangalore Police in committing as many illegal acts as possible!Well, I got the gist, but the mural made me smile all the way home! ⊕

Going around, visiting my friends and also checking out the condition of lakes, I got some images I'd like to share with you.One of my friends, Hema, has a simple "golu" this time, without the kalasha that would make it mandatory for her to stay home all the nine days and offer worship:Here she is, contemplating it:Here's the rangoli she's done for it:and the decorated plate for it:Another of my friends, Arun, helped his mother set up a traditional golu, with the village next to the steps, and all the dolls on them, being symbolic of the universe that the…

It was the Joy of Giving Festival Week from October 2nd to 8th all over the the country. Children's Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA) volunteers from Bangalore South Zone felt it was a good idea to put up a sale and generate some funds for the activities of CMCA. Volunteer Chaya with customers. Pic courtesy: Ravikala Baliga Apart from the usual gift items, there were loads of hand painted diyas, dupattas, sarees, wonderful homemade eatables like chaklis, kadale puri, cakes, chocolates, etc. on sale. Needless to say, it all disappeared in a jiffy and there was a demand for more!!The…