Deepa's Jottings

 Here is a report from my friend, Uma K, who was participating in the Bangalore Bird Race, along with other members of her team: At around 11 a.m. on Bird Race Day, Team Rosefinch (Suma Rao, Gayathri Naik, Garima Bhatia, Jainy Maria and I) was birding at Karenahalli kere, one of the lakes off Kanakapura Road, just past Somanahalli. Our attention was focussed on a flock of about 30-35 lesser whistling teals, when we heard a gunshot, and the entire flock took to the air. Right across the lake from us, we could see a lone injured duck flapping desperately in…

I am circulating Johan Enqvist's clarification on the several errors in the article about his speech in Bangalore. It is a pity that the article was so inaccurate. Dear all,I have just read an article in The Hindu published yesterday, regarding a presentation I did on January 9th of a study I am conducting on Hasiru Usiru and other citizen's groups (the text is included further down).The article is not representing what I said correctly, there are a number of errors that I would like to clarify in this forum since the article concerns Hasiru Usiru. These are among the more…

 Intriguing claims... I got this leaflet with the newspaper a day or two ago (I think the reason why newspapers are delivered late is because the newsagents need time to insert all the various leaflets into each copy!)At the top, it talks about Dr Arun, B D S, who runs a dental clinic, but midway through, he mysteriously turns into Dr Prakash who can carry out "rejuvenation treatment of mind, body and soul through herbal medicine". The clincher, and the point that will drive us immediately to consult this person is, of course, that he was a Film Producer earlier! What…

Some conversation... Quite unusual for me to be off for several days, as I subject myself (and the rest of you!) to the discipline of frequent posts. But it was a full weekend...Saturday morning, to Hessarghatta, getting back only by 3pm and then having visitors...Sunday morning, to Valley School, back at 1pm, and then off to JLR Bannerghatta (where neither mobile phones nor 3G seems to work) to volunteer for a nature trail with 49 students of Vidya Niketan, on an overnight camp. Got back yesterday evening, and was rather tired...and today all the home chores demanded attention, so had to…

Prem Sagar, a friend of mine,recently registered his photography equipment rental company with the MCA. It appears that MCA is leaking the addresses of such parties, because the postman called with a parcel, saying that Rs. 2,300 had to be paid. Prem immediately thought that it must be some legal documents that had been despatched, but luckily, he called up his advisor and checked. He found that there were no documents due. Many people are now reporting that this alleged firm, "Legal Book Supplies", is sending unsolicited books to such recently registered company addresses.  A site that lists complaints against "Legal Book…

A fully-sponsored course: Christ University, aleading college in Bangalore, is launching a fully sponsored 3 Year B.Com program for persons with disabilities. The program will be supported by a leading financial institution, which will also provide the internship and mentorship throughout the program in partnership with NGOs,Enable India & APD.Eligibility Criteria: •Educational qualification: Persons with disabilities who are pursuing PUC/XII in the stream of Commerce and Accountancy•Percentage in SSLC/ X examination: 60% and above•Total Family income: Maximum of Rs. 3.6 lakhs per annum (Rs. 30,000 per month)The candidates who meet the basic criteria will undergo the next level of selection process,…

  Here's what I just wrote to the egroup (bngbirds) of the Bird Watchers' Field Club of Bangalore just now:  Hi everyone,I'll be writing about the very enjoyable 2nd Sunday birding outing, especially with the children and teachers of Sri Vani School of Magadi Road....but before that, I have to tell you about events that unfolded just after we dispersed.When going back, I realized that the "birding bag" I carry (binocs, bird book, water bottle, camera, sketch pad) had been mislaid, and we narrowed it down to the area where we had seen the Spotted Owlet (near the Bamboo thicket). When we…

 An unusual play: "The Water Station" is a theatre production co-produced by The Japan Foundation, a Japanese government cultural agency, and Theatre Roots & Wings, Kerala. It is written by an award-winning Japanese playwright Shogo Ohta, and directed by Sankar Venkateswaran, with an all-India castselected by auditions across the country.The play will be premiered in Ranga Shankara, Bangalore on 29 & 30 November 2011, and is set to tour several cities in India and Southeast Asian countries including Colombo and Jaffna, Sri anka in 2012.Synopsis of the Play"The Water Station" is a two-hour, wordless performance. Walking through a barren andscape, eighteen…

Very urgent, just 20 hours to go.... Amit Gupta, an Indian entrepreneur in Newyork, a friend and a kind soul needs a bone marrow match for a Peripheral Blood Stem cells donation and you can help.If you live in Bangalore India, chances are you can help not only Amit, but the many, many other people around the world. South Asians have a dramatically lower chance of finding a match in the worldwide bone marrow registries than other populations. While this is a big and often tragic problem, it's one that can be fixed!So what can you do? Get to the nearest…

 A memorable meeting... On the 6th of November,2011, I was privileged to be at a gathering of some of eminent birdwatchers of Bangalore. The gracious host was none other than the doyen of birdwatching in Bangalore, Zafar Futehally who has been instrumental in popularizing birding as a hobby in our city; ironically, the hobbby seems to be catching on in ever-increasing numbers as the number of species of birds in the City's shrinking parks and vanishing lakes are steadily decreasing.Here's Zafar Sahib, whose long years of service to ornithology cannot be understated: Several other eminent ornithologists and scientists, all of whom share…