Deepa's Jottings

On 25 Nov '17, at about 4.30pm, on Kengal Hanumanthiah (Double) Road, I found this van, based in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, with a number plate where the "TN" (denoting the state) was painted over. This was done both at the rear and on the side (which I clicked) of the van. How are such illegal number plates allowed to ply on our roads?

How often have we seen empty sites in a residential layout, not just going waste, but also being a source of worry for the residents? The worry arises from two main factors: dumping of waste, and the unwanted pests that the waste attracts. For some reason, all our vaunted civic sense does not seem to operate when there are handy empty sites. Whether it is the residents themselves, or their domestic help… an empty site seems to become a great place to throw one’s waste into...especially if it means avoiding segregation of waste. The waste could be building material, or…

Since I have enjoyed the work of Tahatto for many years now (you can read my review of another of their plays, here (written on a rainy evening exactly 5 years and 3 days ago!) I looked forward to watching "remember Remember" by this young and talented group, on another rainy evening, (12 Oct '17) and neither my friends nor I were disappointed. Pic: Thomas Kadavil Abraham The play had a good house, too considering that it was the middle of the week, and the audience had braved weekday traffic and heavy rain to get to Ranga Shankara. The assistant…

As I was on the Outer Ring Road, I saw the welcome sight of a tree being translocated. http:// It was good to see the tree being moved so carefully, with even its chopped branches bound up. http:// I do hope this tree, and several others like it, survive in their new "homes" and help keep our city green. A salute to those who are doing such work. I would like to know, however, what the averages are for the survival of such translocated trees.

Our roads are public, and parking, where it is legal, should be available to all. But our vehicle users and and homeowners both seem to think that the parking space is something they have ownership of. Many buildings display notices outside which say, "Parking for XYZ customers only". Many homes (private ones, not clinics) have signs outside that say, "Ambulance may come at any time, no parking"....a patently false declaration. I can understand signs that say, "Don't park in front of the gate", but privatising the road in front of a residence is surely unethical if not actually illegal. Some…

As a theatregoer, one is used to several constructs as part of an evening of theatre. For example: Theatre is either fiction, or fictionalized fact (the very word 'dramatic" has come to mean, something that is emphasized more than is ordinary). The audience is a passive receptor for what happens on the stage. The audience and stage areas are mutually exclusive. All members of the audience get the same narrative. The narrative in a theatre experience has a buildup, a climax and a denouement. It's not usual to attend an evening of theatre where all these concepts are challenged and,…

Silver Talkies is an e-magazine for senior citizens, and one of the many useful articles I've seen is the one written by advocate Shiv Kumar about why one should write a will, and how one can do it. Shiv Kumar consults with the Elders Helpline in Bangalore and can be contacted via the Nightingales Medical Trust (NMT). You can contact NMT on 080-42426565 or reach the helpline on 080-22943226. Shiv Kumar is a Senior Advocate with 40 years of active practice at the Karnataka High Court. He has been actively involved with the Elders Help Line since its inception 10…

While paying for vegetables, I learnt something. Shop owner: What job do you do? Young man: I don't have a job. Whoever prospered by having a job? Shopowner: Speculative look. (He himself runs the vegetable shop, he doesn't have a "regular" job!) Young man: I breed dogs and sell them. All kinds of breeds. I get Rs.20K per dog sometimes. Me (unable to stop myself): Which breed? Young man: Rajapalayam hounds. Me: Oh! Young man: But that includes Rs.8K for the licence, and another few thousands for the microchip (inserted in the dog's collar). The economics of the pet trade…

Some time ago, I documented a project by this name, where Jaaga and a team of volunteers made a determined attempt to beautify the space under Hebbal flyover. I was told that they'd also painted some other flyovers, such as the one on Richmond Circle. Here is another team, called the Ugly Indian, taking the initiative to beautify the area under other flyovers. The day I attended, we had a motley crowd of people.. from the local bigwigs, to the transgenders, to the police constables on duty... everyone had a say on how the space could be used, and everyone…

On the 17th of August, 2017, I was walking along, musing on the fact that we are now in the eighth decade of our existence of an independent nation. Everywhere there had been an outburst of pride and patriotism. My thoughts broke off abruptly as I saw this: Are we really proud of our country? Do we really love her if, after our display of love, we are willing to make her ugly and dirty with our refuse and discards? Would it not be true patriotism to clean up the country, rather than add to the trash? Patriotism, surely, more…