Environment

More than a month and a half have gone since the Ganesha festival, but the idols and trash at the Kalyani tank at Kaikondrahali Lake still make for a sorry sight. There are also the flowers and leaves which were collected in big trash bags. The Kalyani at Kaikondrahalli on Oct 8th. Pic: Rajesh Dubey. This is a negligence of duty from the garbage contractor. Lake monitoring committee members have been calling them continuously for weeks now. Each time, we are told that it will be cleared within a week. And weeks come and weeks go, the stuff remains. The…

Here is the first in a series of conservation-related activities at the lake approved by the Kaikondarahalli Lake Monitoring Committee.  We are happy to announce the first annual short story writing competition by A Better Word. This is a platform for young writers to showcase their writing talents. The competition is for children between grades 3 through 10. The categories are as follows:  Grades 3, 4 and 5 Grades 6 and 7 Grades 8, 9 and 10 Several schools in the area have already signed on and there will be several more sending their champions. Please encourage your children to participate and…

A few months ago, on 7th July 2013, more than 400 citizens of HSR Layout gathered on the Agara Lake bund for a walkathon and clean-up drive. Ever since the Lake Development Authority (LDA) took back possession of the lake in Apr 2012, various individuals and groups of people had been trying to draw the attention of the authorities towards the deteriorating state of the 98-odd-acre lake, through letters and representations. This was the first visible collective activity on the part of the public, with citizens making personal contributions to hold the event. Agara Lake is one of the rare…

In August last year, several individuals and groups working to save and protect different lakes of Bangalore met to exchanges notes and see how they could help one another. A report on this meeting can be read here. After interactions over the past year, Arbind Kumar Gupta and Balasubramanian Thirunavukkarasu, the two gentlemen who initiated this meeting, felt that the way forward was a formal platform - one that could bring different lake groups/trusts and social organizations/NGOs in Bangalore together, represent the voices and concerns of people of Bangalore, and work with government agencies for rejuvenation of lakes in Bangalore. The two…

Once again, it was time to shift; once again, it was time to fret over the collection of used/unused/sparingly used but ‘not being used’ items at home. That we were moving to a smaller rented house, made it evidently clear that I do away with some of that stuff. In the past I have been accomplishing this by donating the items to NGOs. During voluntary works, I have often noticed people adopting the easiest route to de-clogging their homes: they bundle all and sundry items together and dump at the nearest venue willing to accept their surplus. Concerned at this…

Ever since our volunteers heaved the dead tree down the slope and onto the lake bed it has been a favourite perch for some bird or the other. Mostly though, it was only for mynahs and a stray kingfisher. Some days ago, our gardeners set the tree upright and planted it firmly in the ground, well above the water mark. In the recent downpour, however, the level increased to such an extent that the dead tree was exactly as we had wanted it to be - in a foot or more of water. Since then it has become a perch for Little…

One of the highlights of Navaratri is the Golu (Bombe Habba) when dolls are displayed tastefully on shelves. It is also an opportunity for the family to show their creativity by setting up a park or garden with sprouts and little figures. What is less known about Golu is that in earlier times the celebration aimed at encouraging dredging of irrigation canals and river beds. The clay thus removed was used to make the dolls. One of the residents in my apartment complex invited me for haldi kumkum. Raji had arranged the Golu in the front room so I went automatically towards it…

Stockholm Resilience Centre, an international centre that advances transdisciplinary research for governance of social-ecological systems, has produced a documentary film on Kaikondrahalli Lake. The film showcases the community involvement in rejuvenating Kaikondarahalli Lake. The film titled 'Kaikondarahalli Lake — The Uncommon Story of an Urban Commons' shows how nature can thrive in cities, but securing the conditions for this to happen is a challenge in rapidly urbanizing cities. Follow the story of how a group of engaged citizens in Bangalore transforms a polluted urban lake into a co-managed, healthy ecosystem with rich biodiversity, to the benefit of all in the…

Saplings lined up for planting by BWRCA volunteers. Pic: Suryaprasad Following the footsteps of The Ugly Indian, on October 2, the Bruhat Whitefield Residential Community Association (BWRCA) volunteer team took an initiative to plant saplings in order to help beautify the city. This took place in Whitefield near Chaithanya Samarpan and Chaithanya Smaran. The team started off with an initial plan to plant around 150 trees for every kilometre and had a target of covering a stretch of 3.5 kilometres. In the days leading up to event, various factions of the community lent a hand in the preparation. The Seegehalli…

Pelican Bay, California, USA is synonymous with solitary existence. In recent months, the Pelican Bay State Prison has been hitting the news, with inmates and social activists challenging the use of isolation to hold prisoners. The residents of the Alahalli Lake neighbourhood in Anjanapura-JP Nagar 9th Phase, South Bangalore, have been spectators to solitary existence of a different kind. A real pelican has been observed in the lake for the past two weeks, and yes – all alone. Given its large size, it is difficult for the naked eye to miss. Solitary Spot-billed Pelican at Alahalli Lake (Pic: Vikash Kumar)…