Deepa's Jottings

 Here's the email I got from Santosh: Dear Friends,Running, cycling and exercising has many benefits for a healthy lifestyle and anyone can develop a passion for it. The first step to exercising - running, walking, cycling, swimming etc. is to just get out and do it!! It doesn't matter for how long, how far or how fast - You are already a champion for gritting it out once you start! Welcome to Strides of Hope ( www.stridesofhope.com ) - this is the second edition of the first of its kind ever organized in India - a 48 Hour Endurance Run and…

  It was lovely to see the decorations at Bangalore Club for the New Year. Here's the main building, and the majestic 100-year-old conifers:  Brigadier Hill Annexe was also lit up:  And so was the passage between the two:  ⊕

 Found the year already inscribed on a rock: Let 2011 rock on! ⊕

 Of late, the rubbish dump near the Staples store has been attracting a lot of rodents...which is bad news. But the good news is that the rodent population is kept in control, by Shikras and Barn Owls, which I have been seeing regularly.  Here's a Barn Owl, sitting near the rubbish dump, waiting for prey: You can see the Shikra, too, most evenings, flying around. Shikras are crepuscular, and hunt at dawn and dusk. The Barn Owls are nocturnal.So...if your apartment has Barn Owls...don't worry about their chirring at night...they are taking care of your rat problem! ⊕

My friend Vishwas and I went to see an exhibition of Hollywood photographs at Tasveer Art Gallery I enjoyed the photographs on several levels. The first reaction, of course, was to the technical excellence of the photographs themselves. In the era of black-and-white photography, when photography was a cumbersome and tedious process, these photographers have yet produced such gems! Portraiture, to me, is one area where black-and-white photography still holds its own against colour.Portraying people noted for their looks, as well as their talent, can hold its own challenges. Which aspect would you highlight as a photographer? Some photographs, such…

Early morning, in the home of that elderly and typical Bangalore couple, Mr and Mrs.Rao....morning coffee, and the usual toast-and-butter, had just been eaten, and the newspaper read.Mrs. Rao went into the kitchen, and then peeped out and asked her husband, "So what would you like for lunch today?""Well, a little hot sambar in this cold weather would be great," he replied, smacking his lips."OK, then, I'll make some onion sambar and potato roast," Mrs Rao said, but was staggered to see her husband burst into the kitchen with a very alarmed expression on his face."Onion Sambar!" he exclaimed. "Did…

  "Security theatre" is "a term that describes security countermeasures intended to provide the feeling of improved security while doing little or nothing to actually improve security".This is particularly true of many security measures that our banks use. I really would like the cushy job of a security guard at one of the banks, or their ATM's. To demonstrate:On the 20th of December, I visited the ICICI Bank ATM at about 10.30pm, to withdraw some cash. I found this very alert security guard on duty:The radion was blasting songs at full volume, and I came in, finished my transaction, took the…

  Gopalan Innovations Mall has been more than 6 years in the building, and it opened a while ago, with Westside and just a few more shops to start with. Today, I noticed that there were multiple cinemas... and also, that they were opening today!I decided to go up and enquire. The weekday shows are priced at Rs. 150 and Rs. 180...I didn't find out the weekend rates. The number for the cinemas is6533 6764I was told that I could "book over the phone, but you must come and buy the tickets here, madam"...a statement I have yet to figure out! J P…

  When the law says, "Do not ride a two-wheeler without a helmet", this is how we choose to obey it.... Even at the cost of one's life, there seems to be some thrill in observing the letter of the law and flouting its spirit! ⊕

  I was pleasantly surprised, when I was walking back from Ranga Shankara, to see that a small park in J P Nagar 2nd phase has been designated a Senior Citizens' Park: In these days, when senior citizens have difficulty even walking on the roads and seem constantly under threat from all quarters...lack of servants, lack of family members sometimes, and lack of facilities...it was very heartening to see this! ⊕