Environment

Despite the problems and challenges we have in maintaining our neighbourhood lake, each visit is such a delight and so full of surprises.Today morning even while walking briskly (for a meeting at the Gazebo), a Fig tree growing wild at the edge of the lake caught my eye. There was a white breasted kingfisher sitting on its branch. I went as close to the grill as possible but that little fellow was not bothered in the least. He calmly sat there and let me shoot him (with my camera).Our gardener Sivalingayya came hurriedly holding a white plastic bag carefully with…

On the 22nd of January, I met a friend for coffee in Indiranagar. Namrata is a new friend; we are still getting to know each other over our once-a-month cups of coffee. We spoke of current affairs (a largely demoralising conversation) and then, after coffee, she said that she would like to show me a public art project that she has been involved in and quite proud of. Something in her voice and eyes made me curious. Children painting the wall. Pic:Dhiraj Kacker We walked from the Gloria Jean's Coffee shop into Indiranagar's Defence Colony. A short walk into the…

25 students of class VI and VII, Kumaran's School, wrote to the Consumer Services Manager of the snacks company Frito-Lay, telling him what they thought of the packaging that the chips came in. They each posted a Lays chips packet back to the company along with the letter. This was done as a part of their school nature club extracurricular activity. They called this campaign "SEALED: Yours Truthfully" which taught them about the EPR (Extended Producers Responsibility) Law. Post cards by students of Kumarans School (State Board) to Frito-Lay. Pic: Shamala Kittane The recently amended Plastics (Manufacture, Usage and Waste…

"I am so glad I share a blooming passion with Tipu Sultan!" exclaims one of Bangalore's top florists Dr Norma Prabhu, while browsing through the blossoms at the city's Republic Day Flower Show 2013 in Lalbagh. A homeopathic doctor, Norma also devotes a lot of time to her flower retail outlet Simply Elegant and is a well-known name when it comes to marriage hall decorations across Bangalore. Her beautiful arrangements are partly fed with flowers that she farms herself. And just as her regal idol over 200 years earlier, she harbours an overwhelming affinity for flowers and a widespread knowledge…

Cartoon by Rohan Chakravarty. Bird Race time again! Or to be more precise,The HSBC Bangalore Bird Race is what it's known to the wise.As soon as the registration was declared open,Thirty-six teams registered, every person hopingThat he or she would be the one to sight so many birdsThat "You're the best!" would be the judges' appreciative words.The Bird Race team consisted of a lot of names with S's...Srihari, Subbu, Sunjoy, Swarna..to sort out all the messesAnd successfully stage the event.Thanks to their work, it all wentSmoothly, with sponsorship from HSBC...A day of being in the open air, sighting birds happily.One…

I would like to share my joy and happiness on visiting the Lalbagh Flower Show organised by the Horticultural Department of Government of Karnataka.Every year, they focus on a theme - this year the idea was to celebrate Republic Day and the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. The department has put in a great deal of hard work in the excellent arrangement of flowers, vegetables and potted plants. Lalbagh Flower Show January 2013‹ › $(document).ready(function(){ $('.carousel .carousel-inner .item').first().attr('class', 'active item');}); The show was inaugurated on January 18th and is open till January 28th.Feel free to share the pictures with…

Those familiar with cricket would know that "doosra" is a cricket term that refers to a type of delivery bowled by off-spin bowlers (just like a "bouncer" is bowled by fast bowlers). Off-spinners generally bowl off-breaks. A doosra is the opposite of an off-break, i.e. it spins in the direction opposite to an off-break, taking the batsmen by surprise because the delivery he receives would not be what he expects.  "Doosra", an English play written and directed by Anand Raghav and performed by Paradigm Creations seems to have lived up to its name and surprised many who saw it. Sanjay Mysoremutt,…

It's been my experience that when re-introducing people to Nature, two kinds of instruction are necessary. I call the process a re-introduction, because all of us are part of Nature; it's only that in the rush and stress of urban life, many of us lose touch with the environment that we were created in. We are fortunate to have Bannerghatta forest at our doorstep, with so much scenic beauty! Here's a photo of a pond near the Bannerghatta Zoo: Kingfisher Pond in the Bannerghatta Zoo area. Pic: Deepa Mohan On one hand, I feel strongly that a hands-on approach works…

Doosra's protagonist is the Game of Cricket itself. The changes in the game are depicted through the life of an ambitious and talented 20 year old Ganesh who gets to represent the country. Driven by power, politics, money and pressure, Ganesh's metamorphosis illustrates the changing phase of the game which, over the years has grown from a much loved sport to a commercial venture. The play offers the perspectives of a father who believes in the values of the game, an obsessed fan with a love and hate attitude, a victimized team captain, a bookie who represents the darker side of the…

The Salvinia Molesta covering the surface of our little Puttenahalli Lake has not deterred all the birds! Our regulars, the Purple Swamphens, Purple Heron, Pond Herons among others had refused to leave the lake even though the invasive aquatic fern was spreading on the water. They have now been joined by a Grey Heron, a couple of Cormorants and Kingfishers! The Kingfisher especially is good news. It means that the water below the Salvinia is still fresh and alive. These were just a few of the birds we spotted in the midst of what seems like a 1001 tasks we…