Deepa's Jottings

Dignity, and quality of life in one's old age is not something given to all of us; sometimes, for various reasons, people have to take up residence in an old-age home. I recently visited one such home, only for ladies, in J P Nagar.   I found that the number of ladies in residence had dwindled to only eight, but these ladies seemed quite peaceful and content with their lives. Indeed, one of them (name withheld on request) regularly makes rangolis in front of the gate each morning. However, life is not luxurious. There are, indeed, several "senior citizens" residential…

We often lament about our children using tablets and X-boxes all the time...but I find, often that even our urban children are quite in touch with the traditional games of childhood. Today, when I went to Kaikondrahalli lake for the kere habba, I found this pile of flat stones, with a young girl piling them up carefully.   I knew that a game of   Lagori was in progress, and waited a bit while the girls surrounded the pile of stones and began their game. The game involves a ball and a pile of flat stones, generally played between two…

Having heard about the   Dhaatu Puppet Festival   I went with my daughter and two grandchildren to watch the parade, which started from the Dhaatu Bus Stop in Banashankari,      and ended at the JSS Auditorium, where several shows are to be held over the weekend.   The parade was a riot of colour, as you can see from this video:   There were puppets and puppeteers from all over the world:   Here are two  home-made puppets...Vaishnavi, the young lady on the right, is looking as happy as her puppet !   The group all posed for…

We often nail signs to our trees, loop cables over them, and of course, think nothing of choping them off for the flimisiest of reasons, for example if one obstructs a hoarding. But even when the trees are allowed to live, all may not be well. I saw this tree with its leaves all lit up by LED lights. "An unnatural green!" I thought to myself, and decided to click.   At this point, my friend Sarrah Reshamwalla raised a valid point. "Trees carry on photosynthesis in their leaves when exposed to light," she pointed out. "Does this mean that…

On Christmas Day, I went to the 4th Sunday outing of BngBirds, which I had organized this month at Hoskote Lake. It was foggy, and I got some mist-erious shots: Amongst other things, I noticed this godman getting ready for his day, donning the accoutrements of his trade (sorry, religion seems to be as much a profession these days as any other more-usual one!)   He had an assistant, who did not seem to need as much adornment as he did.   I asked them if I could take photographs, and he and his assistant nodded and carried on with…

I bought some gulab jamuns at Shanti Sagar in Jayangar 4th T Block today, and I got a bag that says this: Truegreen 'biodegradable' plastic. Pic: Deepa Mohan Are such bags truly not made of plastic, and completely biodegradable? I googled for the website, here. The company name is Greendiamz Biotech Ltd., and they list, amongst their products..."Garbage Bags Roll, Flower Pot, Dog Poop Bag". However, I am not able to learn what the raw material is, and how it is biodegradable. Their "manufacturing process" page is...blank! So I am still left wondering if this, or is not, a plastic…

There are some eateries in Bangalore which have become quite renowned. Veena Stores is one such eatery...and I'd never visited in all the years that I have lived in this city I call home. So today, after our birding outing in Institute of Wood Science and Technology and Sankey Tank, even though Mrs Maneesha Sharma, whose husband is a scientist and who lives on the campus, had given us a delicious breakfast, we decided to go to Veena Stores. I was very glad to find that the eatery has not fallen for its own hype as has happened to many…

Last week, my group of nature-lovers and I visited both Lalbagh and Madivala kere. At both places, which are also public parks, entrance is clearly marked as free; up to 8.30am at Lalbagh, and 9.30am at Madivala lake. Visitors who enter before this time need not pay for their entry or for their cameras. However, ever since the collection of entry/camera fees has been given to private contractors, visitors are facing harassment. Rude, rough-speaking agents of the contractors ride up or walk up to unsuspecting visitors, and demand money for their cameras. Some people unsuspectingly pay up and this has…

It's always very enjoyable to watch the colours and festivities at a temple, whether or not one is reliigiously inclined. Standing across the road from the Sai Baba temple in Jayanagar 4th T Block, I caught the saint looking out over the votive bell and the heads of devotees.   Vishnu and His consort, too, were decked up for the festive occasion.   The temple looked beautiful in the chilly night air.   In the kalyana mantapa next to the temple, I spotted this beautifully decorated idol of Alarmelu Manga, the consort of Tirupati Venkateswara.   The flowers, the colours,…

On Sunday, the 10th December, 2016, the Lake Census effort across the lakes(kere) of Bangalore got under way with an orientation program for those who had registered to take part as volunteers in this month-long initiative. The event was held at the Venkatappa Art Gallery on Kasturba Road, from 1.30pm to about 5.30pm.   Dividing the lakes that could be observed and documented under 22 different areas, those who are organizing this year's effort welcomed the gathering, introduced the sectors and the lakes falling in each of them. At this stage, a lot of the water bodies came under discussion…