Deepa's Jottings

Tandem Cycles….

   I got a reference to this on another mailing list, and have been singing this:http://ingeb.org/songs/daisydai.htmlThere was supposed to be a tandem initiative in Bangalore:http://www.bangaloremirror.com/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=10&contentid=20100909201009090155111273efd521dwhat happened to it? I didn't hear anything more about it.....who stocks tandems in Bangalore, and do they hire them out?How wonderful it would be if we could have someone like Chris Gerli whom I've met often in St.Louis:http://citycyclingtours.com/We could have specially painted cycles and tandems (to prevent theft, like they have in IISc...perhaps they could even have embedded chips for location?) for hire in Cubbon Park and Lalbagh; surely it would popularize cycling? ⊕

Read more

The Aftermath….

When we have a party at home, we take good care to clean up every trace of it afterwards, to return to a spic-and-span home...so why do we not take the same responsibility in our city?Here is a photo taken by Girish S V, in HSR Layout, of an open area, the day after Deepavali:We blithely assume that "someone" will come and clean up the mess that we've made, in the process of enjoying ourselves. All it would take is a little effort, to clean it up ourselves...but we seem to lack the civic sense, the sense of pride that…

Read more

  We got out of the train after a birdwatching trip to Dandeli, and as we were lugging our bags out, I looked up into the Eucalyptus tree in the City Station parking lot...and ....there were CHESTNUT-TAILED STARLINGS in the tree! (Click on the name for the Wiki entry.)Chestnut-tailed Starlings are local migrants and I usually enjoy seeing them feasting on the Silk-cotton flowers on that gigantic tree in Lalbagh.But who expected to see them at City Station? Not me!I promptly pulled out my MLC (Mary's Lamb Camera...my Canon SX10) and took two quick shots. Now that is a very satisfactory…

Read more

  We got out of the train after a birdwatching trip to Dandeli, and as we were lugging our bags out, I looked up into the Eucalyptus tree in the City Station parking lot...and ....there were CHESTNUT-TAILED STARLINGS in the tree! (Click on the name for the Wiki entry.)Chestnut-tailed Starlings are local migrants and I usually enjoy seeing them feasting on the Silk-cotton flowers on that gigantic tree in Lalbagh.But who expected to see them at City Station? Not me!I promptly pulled out my MLC (Mary's Lamb Camera...my Canon SX10) and took two quick shots. Now that is a very satisfactory…

Read more

Art Workshops….

Hobitute Art Foundation is conducting a series of art workshops focusing ancient fine-art forms of India at its Center for Art Education, No. 109, 2nd Floor, ADA Rangamandira Building, JC Road, Opp. Ravindra Kalakshetra, Bangalore 560002.First in the workshop series is Madhubani Painting which is from 25th to 30th November 2010, excluding Sunday. This workshop should be attended by Interior designers, fine-art students, housewives with painting interests, and art lovers with some touch in painting or taken painting as hobby. For registration and details, pl call at 96631 03600 or 9611543543 or email at contactus@hobitute.comAlso, there will soon be weekend…

Read more

Art Workshops….

Hobitute Art Foundation is conducting a series of art workshops focusing ancient fine-art forms of India at its Center for Art Education, No. 109, 2nd Floor, ADA Rangamandira Building, JC Road, Opp. Ravindra Kalakshetra, Bangalore 560002.First in the workshop series is Madhubani Painting which is from 25th to 30th November 2010, excluding Sunday. This workshop should be attended by Interior designers, fine-art students, housewives with painting interests, and art lovers with some touch in painting or taken painting as hobby. For registration and details, pl call at 96631 03600 or 9611543543 or email at contactus@hobitute.comAlso, there will soon be weekend…

Read more

I had been to visit Kalanjali, a music school in J P Nagar, to talk to people for an article I am writing; and while I was there, I was privileged to see two ladies who are coming there for music lesssons: The lady on the left is Malathi, who is 76 years old; she comes to learn Carnatic music. Her husband brings her over, holding her carefully by the hand, and comes back to pick her up when the hour's class is over.The lady on the right is Sudha; she holds a doctorate in Physics, was working at IISc…

Read more

I had been to visit Kalanjali, a music school in J P Nagar, to talk to people for an article I am writing; and while I was there, I was privileged to see two ladies who are coming there for music lesssons: The lady on the left is Malathi, who is 76 years old; she comes to learn Carnatic music. Her husband brings her over, holding her carefully by the hand, and comes back to pick her up when the hour's class is over.The lady on the right is Sudha; she holds a doctorate in Physics, was working at IISc…

Read more

Bribes…

 We had taken some schoolchildren to Shivansamudra Falls, (about 120 km from Bangalore)  and were in a hired bus. At both the entrance from the main road, and at the Shivansamudra Police Station, we were asked to pay up money. When we refused to pay money without a receipt being issued for the amount, and we said that we were a school group, we were allowed to go without being charged. What a greasy culture we have! Tourists are always people to be fleeced as much as possible. I wonder how many people give in to the pressure and pay?⊕

Read more

Bribes…

 We had taken some schoolchildren to Shivansamudra Falls, (about 120 km from Bangalore)  and were in a hired bus. At both the entrance from the main road, and at the Shivansamudra Police Station, we were asked to pay up money. When we refused to pay money without a receipt being issued for the amount, and we said that we were a school group, we were allowed to go without being charged. What a greasy culture we have! Tourists are always people to be fleeced as much as possible. I wonder how many people give in to the pressure and pay?⊕

Read more