Deepa's Jottings

Here's the heartening report from Leo Saldanha of ESG: Dear All,This morning, Mr. Appu Rao, IFS, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bangalore (Urban), Mr. Venkatesh, KFS, Asst. Conservator of Forests, Bangalore South Division, Mr. Nagaraj, KFS, Range Forest Officer (Kaggalipura Division) and various other foresters of the Karnataka Forest Department met with some of us atop the hill in Turahalli. Present amongst us were Venkatesh (Venky/NEFA), Ganguly (GETHNA), Vijay and Dimple (Architects), the Belurs, and some others whose names I do not remember, and my little daughter and myself. Deepak Arya is down with viral flu and thus could not make it.First…

Unnati, a Bangalore-based NGO, has acheived its goal of empowering youth, by imparting vocational training to 110 young people. These youths have been placed in good companies with decent salaries.Sarojini Bharadvaj KSWDC Chairperson attended the valediction function .She addressed the students and talked about time management and patriotism.We want to reach out to more youth through the media.The Interviews for the 35th batch will be conducted at the nati center this Saturday 15 September 2012. Candidates should be present at the center at 9:00 A.M. For more details regarding interviews please check our website:www.unnatiblr.orgAbout Unnati: Unnati, an initiative from SGBS Trust,…

M V Shreeram invites you to visit his first solo photography exhibit - A Window to Wilderness - from Sept 11-15 (Tuesday to Saturday). He will be exhibiting some of my best work in nature photography, and would be honored by your presence.Venue: Renaissance Gallerie,Westminster (next to Citibank ATM),Cunningham Road, Bangalore(Directions - http://goo.gl/maps/JZvN2) Shreeram M V9740083260Shreeram is an alum of IIM-Bangalore, who gave up the corporate world to pursue his passion for wildlife photography. He is also keen on documenting our heritage. ⊕

I wake up early, and I think it's usually the most wonderful part of the day. Yesterday's cares seem distant and behind me; the air, and my mind, are fresh and ready for today. It feels wonderful to stretch one's legs, and walk...not much, just about 4.5 km....and it's a great time to think one's own thoughts, introspect, say a few prayers....I also love to observe the people walking, jogging and running...and the various services that have sprung up to cater to them. Green leafy vegetables being sold to them...this has now developed into a small morning market (more expensive,…

Just in case you are bored with Bangalore Ganeshas, here's a good offer for you:If you walk down Jaya Chamarendra Road (J C Road), you can find a variety of images:Including this one, which I have not seen before, which is one of Ganesha as Balaji!I wonder if we will have some Olympian Ganeshas this time...must take another walk down J C Road!  ⊕

On Id-ul-Adha, the Moon, too, seems to have sacrificed some of Herself:The festival is also called Bakrid, and this is not because the Bakri (Goat) is beingvenerated, it's because it is going to be sacrificed...I was musing on how the concept of sacrificing something to appease a Higher Power came about... this is what the Wiki had to say.I wonder if the gentle, repressed people of today's urban societies realize that the pumpkins that they smash into the roads after smearing them with vermilion....are a symbol of blood sacrifice? I listened to one elderly gentleman ("I am proud to be…

 Please click here    to get the details of the WWF India Wildlife quiz online, from Oct 1 to 7, for children of Class 6, 7 and 8. For the offline quiz, which will be held in Bangalore as well as other cities,  click here for details.  ⊕

Instead of talking about it, I'll let these two photographs that I took (these were not on any small roads, but the main highway to the airport) do the speaking: Imagine having a child, without a helmet, asleep on a two-wheeler, and calmly carrying on!And this one:Imagine the plight of the child for whom that perambulator is meant, if this is the attitude that is being shown towards safety...  I'm sure these are educated people. The motto seems to be, "That accident will not happen to US, we can do as we please."  I'm frankly amazed that there are not more…

 We often go to the Arikere Reserve Forest on nature trails, sometimes our own group, sometimes taking children or adults.   But why do people have to dump trash and litter everywhere?   ⊕

   Piping hot BFK...Baitu Filter Kaapi. Baitu is a Bangalore institution...it's actually, "divide the coffee by two". This gives a lovely thimble-shot of piping hot coffee where one doesn't have to worry about the calories or the caffeine...and yet have the lovely taste of filter coffee on one's palate for a long while!      The fractions can get even more complicated...it can be 2 by 3 or 5 by 7, and so on....in Mumbai, such division of chai is called "cutting chai". We also have the concept of "Half Tea" or "Half Coffee" or "Mini Tea/Coffee" here in Bangalore. Adigas,…