Deepa's Jottings

I went to Basavanagudi and was saddened to find that one more landmark, Cauvery Petrol Pump, had quite literally bitten the dust....In conjunction with BBMP's new policy of not planting any more trees, we are going to have a treeless, desert city of roads alone...⊕

Like many other participants, I too would like to add my thanks to the people.....Madhukara, Srihari, Subbu,Swarna (that was in alphabetical order!) and all the others, starting from Sunjoy Monga and HSBC... to the judges who probably had an intense session....who've made the Bangalore Bird Race a very enjoyable event. We had a very tiring, but extremely delightful day...and I think perhaps it's the motivation to spot that extra species which makes us look harder and see more birds. Certainly I peer into the reeds and weeds and foliage with greater concentration on Bird Race days!Here's Subbu speaking at the…

Yesterday I saw this group of men, in a tea-shop, playing this traditional "Ludo"-like game, which is called "Gatta": The game can go on all day, pausing while the players transact their business.  And later in the day, found this little boy running his tyre-hoop along the road...It's niee to see the pastimes that date to a time without electricity...without which we city-dwellers can't seem to survive even for five minutes!⊕

"[SIC]"AtRanga Shankara , J.P.NagarJan 14th, Thu & Jan15th, Fri (7:30 PM) Telebooking : 9880036611 / 9845017975 (Rs 150/Ticket)Online Booking : www.indianstage.inTicket Outlets : Ranga Shankara & K.C Das, St. Mark's RdABOUT THE PLAY : sic (adv.): thus, so.[sic] takes place primarily in the doorways and shared hallway of three neighbouring apartments. Meet Theo, the desperate & edgy amusement park ride theme music composer, the struggling and ever-broke writer Babette, and Frank, the queer, happy-go-lucky aspiring auctioneer. See them humorously trudge through the haunting morass of everyday drudgery and the biting emptiness of big city life. Watch, as the three of…

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In the well-designed brochure that Ligra distributed at the staging of Samuel Beckett's "Happy Days", at Ranga Shankara on the 12th and 13th of December, was a line by Chandran Sankaran, written to the husband of the actor who plays the lead, Winnie (Patty Gallagher) ...and it says, "I finally understood a Beckett play!"That's an important line to keep in mind as we approach one of Samuel Beckett's lesser known plays ( the better known ones, of course are "Waiting for Godot" and "The End Game".)Samuel Beckett won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1969, and it's amazing to think…

Its time again to reconnect with nature, and enjoy the flora and fauna around Bannerghatta.This month's Third Sunday trail will be on 20th of December 2009.Place : Ragihalli Village TankTime : 6.00 AMMeeting place : Govt Primary School, RagihalliGoogle Map Coordinates : 12.739328, 77.574592Group Leader : Mahesh ChandComfortable clothing,good walking shoes, cap, water bottle,binoculars ( if you have them!), a camera ( if you like to shoot)...these are what you need to join the trail. This outing is free and open to anyone who can walk the trail of around four to five hours . We recommend car-pooling between participants.…

The horticulture department is planning a foodcourt at Nandi Hills. The proposed location is part of the habitat of Nilgiri Wood Pigeon. The plan is likely to have impact on this I do feel that Government can use the present buildings at Nandi Hills, some of which lie unused and abandoned. I request each of you to email the concerned people and voice your concern. I received an email from Subbu, an avid bird-watcher of Bangalore. This should come as a shocker to all those who love watching birds at Nandi Hills. The proposed food court on top of Nandi…

Protest Against ID Card for Entry to Lalbagh and Cubbon Park Gains StrengthQueen's Statue, Cubbon park, Monday, 30th November, 2009Over 200 people rallied at Cubbon Park on Monday, 30th November 2009, to voice their outrage at the proposed plan by Karnataka Horticulture Minister Umesh Katti to restrict access to Cubbon Park and Lalbagh by imposing mandatory ID cards for anyone who wishes to enter in the mornings and evenings. This heinous violation of the Right of Access to Public Spaces transforms the two heritage sites into elite clubs which will require this new "membership card" for entry. It is an…

The logo of Karnataka that I had noticed, was very good indeed:There's a "abhinaya mudraa" at the beginning, followed by a waterfall, a musical wind instrument, pillars signifying architecture, a palm tree, a jungle creeper, a temple gopura, then an elephant, and last of all, what has put Karnataka on the world map...the computer mouse!Someone has done an excellent job of the logo design! A heart-warming sign to come across when away from home!Today, I clicked this logo on the BIG 10 bus:If you notice, you'll see that the "BIG" is also "big" written in Kannada script on the diagonal...very…