Environment

We regularly moan about the lost lakes of Bangalore and reminisce about how the city used to be, even as "official" agencies have been identified as major encroachers in the recently released Legislative Assembly Committee report (headed by Koliwadi). While many of the lakes that have been sacrificed to development cannot be got back, an all out effort should save the ones that remain. Like the effort at Munnekolala Lake.  One of the early posts on this blog in 2013 was about the restoration of Munnekolala Lake, that can be read here. More than two years on, it was a…

When three women - a flautist, a violinist and a vainika - got together to give a Carnatic concert a couple of years ago it was the beginning of a new journey. The venu-violin-veena concert team of Vani Manjunath, Prema Vivek and Shubha Santosh has been making waves in the Bangalore concert circuit. Here's what they shared about their team dynamics and musical journey. How was this idea of forming such a team conceived? How did it develop? The concept of forming an all-women concert team was the brain child of mridanga vidwan H.S.Sudhindra of Bengalooru. The motivation for this…

The first part of this series looked at how Bengaluru expanded it self over the years, and how it has affected urban flood scenario in the city. This part explores how the surface water bodies have diminished and its effect on the flood scenario of Bengaluru city. By now you would know that Majestic bus station was a lake once - Dharmambudhi lake. And that Bengaluru was a land of lakes once. What changed this, and why? In a city like Bengaluru, lakes assume special importance. They provide lung space, groundwater recharge, biodiversity and recreational activities like boating and fishing.…

Over the past few years, we've done many things to raise funds for PNLIT, and we've realised that fund-raising is quite a challenge. To a social-cause fund-raiser who may knock on your door, the most disheartening experience is when you express regret and shut the door. Donations apart, we have often found it difficult to get people to part with Rs 220 for a PNLIT calendar, or even Rs 30, in exchange for a PNLIT wristband.     However, there are many generous souls out there, generous both in terms of time and monetary support, who share our dreams, who believe…

Right now, the rains are a distant memory, but it wasn't long ago that we felt our city was just soaking in water... and though we didn't have the major deluge that Chennai had, we too had our share of dampness and moisture. There are some organisms that thrive in this moist, humid environment, and though they have a short life, they still look beautiful, and intriguiging, when they appear. Mushrooms are a form of fungi... and in fact, the fruiting body of these organisms. Mushrooms come in varieties called bolete, puffball, stinkhorn, morel, and gilled mushrooms themselves are often called agarics.…

In the recent Marathi film Katyar Kaljat Ghusali the song "Ghei Chand Makarand" is sung by two singers in distinctive styles.The song which originally featured in a Marathi musical play or Natyageet was popularized by the late singer Vasantrao Deshpande. In the movie the song is first sung in a slow tempo by Shankar Mahadevan who also plays a lead character in the movie. Then the song is sung in a fast-paced manner by the character played by actor Sachin Pilgaonkar. The playback singer for Sachin is Rahul Deshpande who incidentally is the grandson of Vasantrao Deshpande. Both styles are…

ರಸ್ತೆಮೂಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾರೋ ಎಸೆದುಹೋದ ಪ್ಲಾಸ್ಟಿಕ್ ಕವರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನೀಟಾಗಿ ಸುತ್ತಿಟ್ಟ ಕಸ ಕಂಡರೆ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಮೈಯುರಿ. ಸ್ವಚ್ಛಭಾರತದ ಕನಸಿಗೆ ಹೀಗೆಲ್ಲಾ ಕಲ್ಲು ಹಾಕುತ್ತಾರಲ್ಲ ಅಂತ ಕೋಪ.ಅದರ ಫೋಟೋ ತೆಗೆದು ಕಸ ಹಾಕಿದವರಿಗೆ ನಾಕು ಉಗಿದು ಫೇಸ್ ಬುಕ್ಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಅಪ್ಲೋಡ್ ಮಾಡಿ ರೋಷ ತೀರಿಸಿಕೊಂಡರೆ ಮುಗಿಯಿತು. ನಾಳೆ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ದಿನ, ತಲೆಕೆಡಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಬೇರೇನಾದರೂ ಇದ್ದೇ ಇರುತ್ತದೆ.ತಮ್ಮ ಸುತ್ತಲೂ ತುಂಬಿದ ಕಸವನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ ನೋಡಿ ಬೇಸರವಾಗಿ ಇದನ್ನು ತಡೆಯಲು ಏನಾದರೂ ಮಾಡಬೇಕೆನ್ನುವವರಿಗಾಗಿ ಈ ಲೇಖನ. ಅಸಲು ಈ ಕಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವುದಾದರೂ ಏನು? ಕಸದ ವಿಧಗಳು ಹಲವಾರು. ಆದರೆ ದಿನನಿತ್ಯ ನಾವು ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಸುವುದು ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಮೂರು ವಿಧ - ಹಸಿ ಕಸ, ಒಣ ಕಸ, ಅಪಾಯಕಾರಿ ಕಸ. ಹಸಿ ಕಸ – ಇದು ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಸಸ್ಯಜನ್ಯ ಅಥವಾ ಪ್ರಾಣಿಜನ್ಯ. ಹಸಿ ಕಸದ ಪಂಗಡಕ್ಕೆ ಸೇರಿದ ಪದಾರ್ಥಗಳ ಮಣ್ಣಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಮಣ್ಣಾಗಿ ಹೋಗುವ ಸಾವಯವ ಪದಾರ್ಥಗಳನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿರುತ್ತದೆ. ಅಂದರೆ, ನೀವು ಅದನ್ನು ಒಂದು ಜಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಇಟ್ಟು ಒಂದು ತಿಂಗಳು ಬಿಟ್ಟು…

Posting below, a mail from Anvitha S (Undergraduate student, St Joseph's College) on <bngbirds@yahoogroups.com>, requesting for volunteers for the Waterbird Survey 2015-16. We are reviving the waterbird survey which was conducted between 1987 - 1996 by the Bird Watcher's Field Club Of Bangalore. We request experienced birdwatchers and others to contribute to this effort.  In the 80s and 90s the Mid-winter waterfowl survey proved to be a great experience for novices and specialists in sharing and learning skills. Since then the water scape of Bangalore has changed dramatically. So an initiative is planned to revive waterbird survey in atleast the surviving…

Kere Habba 2016! The first of the new Kere Habba season will be at Kaikondrahalli Lake on 9th January 2016. Lots has been planned for the day: - be regaled with story sessions for children- learn to play traditional games- hone up your general knowledge for a quiz- run a relay race for the lake (details below)- talk to farmers about natural farming- interact with native cow breeders to find out about medicinal and general benefits of our Indian cow breeds- test your mettle by swinging and balancing on a rope course- participate in cool science experiments revolving around water-…

Bengaluru is in the grip of rising air pollution. Official ambient air quality monitoring has already shown 57% increase in particulate matter in just 4 years (2010-2014) and 23% in one year (2013-14- 2014-15). In more than 85% of monitoring locations the levels have exceeded standards. CSE exposure monitoring has provided clinching evidence of alarming dose that an average Bangalorean breathes on a daily basis in different parts of the city – 3 to 12 times higher than the ambient level recorded by official monitors. With growing vehicle numbers and resultant congestion and dieselisation, air pollution is a growing concern…