Articles by Usha Rajagopalan

A week has sped by but the story telling event we had on Sept. 6th in collaboration with The Storywallahs is so vivid in our minds as if it took place, well, today. The occasion for special too - celebrating International Literacy Day.  The day was murky from morning and when it began to rain at around 2 p.m., we were relieved. If it rains now surely it won't during the story telling. We reached the lake well in advance, set out the registration counter and ... it rained. We took the table to the gazebo, wiped it dry and…

Our Puttenahalli lake never ceases to surprise and delight us. Usually it is a new bird that we spot in the water or flying around, doing a recce. The water level rising gives us another high. Trees shooting up, especially during the rainy season. A new flower, butterfly, dragonfly, an insect never seen before, a snake crossing the path.... the list goes on but this is about the Water Lily.   We'd planted pink water lilies at various places in the lake late last year and watched with delight when they caught on and started flowering. Our ecstasy turned to agony…

Our Puttenahalli lake never ceases to surprise and delight us. Usually it is a new bird that we spot in the water or flying around, doing a recce. The water level rising gives us another high. Trees shooting up, especially during the rainy season. A new flower, butterfly, dragonfly, an insect never seen before, a snake crossing the path.... the list goes on but this is about the Water Lily.   We'd planted pink water lilies at various places in the lake late last year and watched with delight when they caught on and started flowering. Our ecstasy turned to agony…

What a truly delightful evening it was on the 9th, celebrating the magic of monsoon with some 30 children!  The 20 member team from Snehadhara Foundation (SF) led by Geetu had come well in advance to welcome the children. Despite the fact that only 4 or 5 kids had arrived on time, we began the event at the scheduled time of 5 p.m. The late-comers missed the warming up and sing along. Adult and child alike sat on the floor of the Gazebo and introductions began with each participant adding an "O" or "Aa" to their names.    Geetu dramatized…

What a truly delightful evening it was on the 9th, celebrating the magic of monsoon with some 30 children!  The 20 member team from Snehadhara Foundation (SF) led by Geetu had come well in advance to welcome the children. Despite the fact that only 4 or 5 kids had arrived on time, we began the event at the scheduled time of 5 p.m. The late-comers missed the warming up and sing along. Adult and child alike sat on the floor of the Gazebo and introductions began with each participant adding an "O" or "Aa" to their names.    Geetu dramatized…

The monsoon is a love - hate season. You may hate the wetness, the puddles, the sniffling noses, darkness of the skies, the difficulty in waking up, but you can't deny that it is magical time with the cooing of the cuckoo, dancing of the peacock, crispy pakodas, hot chai ... the list is endless! Let's celebrate the Magical Monsoon!! Paint your favourite monsoon scenes!! Tell your rainy day tales!! Date: Saturday August 9th Time: 5 pm to 6 30 pm Venue: Gazebo, Puttenahalli Lake (of course!) Admission is open and free, however, we do welcome your donations to PNLIT!…

The monsoon is a love - hate season. You may hate the wetness, the puddles, the sniffling noses, darkness of the skies, the difficulty in waking up, but you can't deny that it is magical time with the cooing of the cuckoo, dancing of the peacock, crispy pakodas, hot chai ... the list is endless! Let's celebrate the Magical Monsoon!! Paint your favourite monsoon scenes!! Tell your rainy day tales!! Date: Saturday August 9th Time: 5 pm to 6 30 pm Venue: Gazebo, Puttenahalli Lake (of course!) Admission is open and free, however, we do welcome your donations to PNLIT!…

With the sun's heat accelerating the rate of evaporation, the water level has fallen sharply in our Puttenahalli Lake and there are no more than four or five pools of water left. We have been consoling ourselves with the thought that this is still far, far better than this time last year when we had literally a few buckets of water in the entire lake. Fish had died in scores then and the lake bed was hard and with cracks and crevices. Encouraged by the monsoon filling the lake somewhat, in September we'd released 3000 fingerlings and the birds returned once again. …

With the sun's heat accelerating the rate of evaporation, the water level has fallen sharply in our Puttenahalli Lake and there are no more than four or five pools of water left. We have been consoling ourselves with the thought that this is still far, far better than this time last year when we had literally a few buckets of water in the entire lake. Fish had died in scores then and the lake bed was hard and with cracks and crevices. Encouraged by the monsoon filling the lake somewhat, in September we'd released 3000 fingerlings and the birds returned once again. …

The Dance at Dusk organized on 26th April by PNLIT together with the Snehadhara Foundation was truly an event with a difference. Attended by over 60 people, most of them adults, the Gazebo was cramped for space. Some mothers held back their children for safety but ironically, the evening began with a three year old running into the middle of the ring of dancers and twirling her yellow frilly frock. Geetu of Snehadhara persuaded the child to join the group and the music began to play.   After a warming up slow number, Lakshmi from Snehadhara engaged the participants in a brief…