Parks

I would like to share my joy and happiness on visiting the Lalbagh Flower Show organised by the Horticultural Department of Government of Karnataka.Every year, they focus on a theme - this year the idea was to celebrate Republic Day and the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. The department has put in a great deal of hard work in the excellent arrangement of flowers, vegetables and potted plants. Lalbagh Flower Show January 2013‹ › $(document).ready(function(){ $('.carousel .carousel-inner .item').first().attr('class', 'active item');}); The show was inaugurated on January 18th and is open till January 28th.Feel free to share the pictures with…

Vetiver is a perennial grass (Binomial name Chrysopogon zizanioides, commonly called Khus) that has a very strong root system which grows deep and binds the soil wonderfully, preventing soil erosion. The island at Puttenahalli Lake already has some mature clumps of vetiver that were planted way back in 2010. Vetiver clumps on the island (May 2011)With the rains finally making an appearance, we've stepped up our gardening effort. This morning there were many gardening volunteers at the lake, from different complexes around the lake and even Jeanne all the way from Richmond Town and Pankaj from Whitefield. The volunteers planted vetiver along the one of the boundary…

National Geographic Traveller India (Indian edition of the American magazine) was launched in India in July 2012. The August 2012 issue cover story is on "Quiet Places, Spaces of serenity".  While skimming through the magazine, we found a page for Bengaluru/ Bangalore where there is an article on the Someshwara Temple in Ulsoor, and below this there is a mention of "4 other spots for quiet time". One of the spots named is Puttenahalli Lake!   We would love to think that it is our JP Nagar Puttenahalli Lake that the editorial team means, but given that there is a Puttenahalli Lake in…

During the early days of PNLIT, an anonymous comment was left in our online Guestbook:  "unless until lake is filled with water 365 days, i do not think we are achieved everything. yes, i appreciate all effort. however need to plan for connective filtered rain water reaching from surrounding area."  Others would jokingly tell us that they'll help in arranging water tankers to fill the lake.  Yes, two water issues have always been bothering us at Puttenahalli Lake: - getting rain water into the lake, to raise the water level  - getting water outside the lake, for watering saplings, toilets, drinking.…

PNLIT has been adjudged the Green Star 1st Runner-Up of the People's Green Award at the TCS World 10K Bangalore 2012! The winners were announced at a crowded press conference at ITC Windsor Manor last evening. Prasanna, Usha and Nupur received the award from Kannada actor Mr. Puneet Rajkumar and Mr. Atul Ballal of ITC Windsor Manor.  Prasanna K. Vynatheya, Usha Rajagopalan and Nupur Jain of PNLIT The TCS World 10K which was held on 27th May had launched the People's Green Awards as "a platform to admire and acknowledge people who share this dream to make earth greener and better place to live in."…

Steps and Seat  What scenes have these steps seen?Who are the people who've sat upon that seat?How many have rested their backs there?On the steps, how many feet?How many suns have cast their lightUpon the steps and the seat?How many misty winter mornings?How much of summer heat?How many quarrels or scoldings?How many newspapers unfurled?How many people have used seat and stepsTo get away for a while from the world? ⊕

Another visit... I went to Lalbagh on Friday evening, because a friend wanted to try out the 300mm prime lens. I've not often been to Lalbagh in the evening, and was freshly amazed at what one can see and observe, in spite of many more people being there than in the morning. Apart from the sights and sounds....were the smells, that cannot be replicated, at the present state of technology. The air was redolent of the scent of the entire lane of Sampige (Champa, Shenbagam)...Michelia champaca, belonging to the Magnolia family, says the scientific mind...but my mind was thinking of how the…

Parks have turned out to be the new ‘play' area for BBMP. Work order was issued in 2008-09 for installing play equipments for twenty lakh rupees at the first block park (earlier known as Wipro park). The equipments were however not installed till December 2011. The palike has spent over one crore rupees (1,30,48,825) on the Koramangala 1st block park between 2007 and 2010. Most of which is for the work that was never done. The play equipments in 1st block Park were not installed for three years. Pic; Padmalatha Ravi In the era multi-crore scams this might seem like…

  As you go around the city, don't forget to see the flowers of spring and summer, in all their glory.....here they are:Tabebuia argentea (or Tacoma argentea), the Golden Bell or Trumpet: Couroupita guianensis, the Cannonball tree (Nagalinga):The flower has a faint and lovely smell:Milletia ovalifolia, Moulmein Rosewood:Grevillea robusta, Silver Oak:Ceiba pentandra, a variety of Silk-Cotton:In this tree,the silk-cotton has burst through the pods:Tabebuia rosea, the Pink Poui:Erythrina indica, the Indian Coral Tree:Jacaranda mimosaefolia, the Jacaranda:Firmiana colorata, Coloured Sterculia (this is not a very common tree though)Plumeria species, Frangipani:, Colville's Glory:Spathodea campanulata, the African Tulip:Check out my Nature Guru (S.Karthikeyan)'s list…

Two unusual plants in Lalbagh are in bloom again, and those interested can go and view them near the Office of the Deputy Directorate of Horticulture. The first one is the exquisitely-coloured, and beautifully-shaped,JADE VINE:and the other is the CROWN OF THORNS (Euphorbium milii)which is a kind of banana plant, but much taller:The infloresence, indeed, resembles our own plantain flowers:The third lovely plant is what is called the "Shrimp" Plant, which has lovely ballon-like flowers:All these plants are within a few feet of each other...go and enjoy the sight of the blooms! ⊕