Deepa's Jottings

Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has started a unique and interesting citizen science programme to collect and share information on the status and distribution of HouseSparrow in India.By logging on at the CitizenSparrow website and spending 5 minutes documenting the presence or absence of sparrows in localities you know well, both at present and at any time in the past, you will join enthusiasts all over the country in helping sparrows.For more details and to record your knowledge please click here   Karthik K. is looking after this initiative, along with Dr Koustubh Sharma and Dr Suhel Qader. They will…

Some info on what to do:  Trees on public and private land are protected by the Karnataka Tree Preservation Act , accessible here- click here If you feel trees in your area are under threat, please call the tree officer responsible fr Bangalore South, Mr.Chaudhary and report them.94806 83842, 2657 8423Office - in the BBMP southern zone office, Jayanagar 2nd block, close to Ashoka pillar.and at any point of time if you see someone cutting a tree, please see below for what can be doneStepsApproach the contractor/workers cutting the tree. Ask them if they have the approval of tree officer, BBMP…

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE), Bangalore is organizing a 'Vacation Training Program on Bio-Resources' for students from 7th May to 26th May 2012.Funded by Department of Bio-Technology, Government of India, this program consists of lectures and interactive sessions with eminent scientists and experts in the field of biology and bio-resources, visits to research institutes, orientation to skills required for field-biology and out-door camps. Students who have appeared in Class X examination in 2012 from recognized schools in Karnataka are eligible to apply. The application forms and other details are available on our website. Please visit http://atree.org/vtpLast…

A message from Sangeetha Kadur:    Hello, "GREEN SCRAPS" , Nature journaling workshop !! We are happy to announce yet another exclusive "GreenScraps" workshop this Summer 2012!   April 30th to May 4th, at Lalbagh For all the details about the workshop, click here   If you need to know more about the workshop, please call the numbers;  Sangeetha: 98868 12598 Shilpashree: 92414 49073     The registrations are limited to just 12 participants. With best regards, Shilpashree & Sangeetha Kadur -- http://sangeethakadur.blogspot.com/   ⊕

An effort to bring the House Sparrow back... Today is World Sparrow Day, and I too will be taking part in a panel discussion on the topic of these lovely, perky birds, that suddenly seemed to vanish from the Bangalore urban scene. click here to see the schedule for today.However, they do seem to be making a comeback lately, and that is probably what I will mention during the discussion this evening.I'd posted some time ago about the "Building-a-House" Sparrow:http://deponti.livejournal.com/467396.htmlAnd, from the same area, posted this video of a sparrow and the rear-view mirror:I do love sparrows, and was grieved, a…

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…

 At Casa Ansal, on Bannerghatta Road, opposite Shoppers' Stop, residents are deeply unhappy over their inability to do anything about the illegal garbage dump that seems to have come to stay, right against their compound wall. "The tip was in one of the side roads of the Mini Forest," says Suresh, the manager of the apartment, "where it was at least on common property." Then, for no known reason (though the residents opine that it was at the behest of the house-owners on the two roads of the Mini Forest), the garbage dump was shifted to the side wall of the Casa…

 When I heard that "Stories in a Song", created by Shubha Mudgal and Aneesh Pradhan, was going to be staged at Ranga Shankara, I was very keen to see what it would be about; because it promised something new. Both performances were sold out!The performance had been staged earlier, when it was created for Arpana, for the Baajaa Gaajaa music festival at Pune in 2011.It is very interesting to watch a practically new genre of theatre...one in which the music takes the centre stage, instead of being an accompaniment and an accent to the main performance, as it usually is.…

Today..An email from my young friend Anvitha Satish, whom I often exchange emails with...Just felt like sharing this with u.... :) I had told you that a teacher helped me in saving the black kite. That teacher not only told about the kite story in the assembly one day but also said it to her friend Meera. Meera is a wildlife conservator and she came to my school today. She is really passionate about saving forests and wild animals. She shared her experiences in the wild and showed many beautiful pictures of tigers, birds, snakes, leopards, gaurs, bears and many…

 Everyone feels festive, and rather generous, on an auspicious day...and many people like to tap into this vein of generosity. Here's the itenerant with his decorated cow...she walks through the streets on festivals like Sankranti (in fact, this was taken on Ekadasi day, on the 4th of March...the 11th day after the new moon)....calls out to householders that good times are coming. The cow is trained to nod its head to every rhetorical question that her  owner asks ("Is prosperity coming to this house? Will happiness rule in this place?") and when the children come running out to see the colourful…