Deepa's Jottings

It's always very enjoyable to watch the colours and festivities at a temple, whether or not one is reliigiously inclined. Standing across the road from the Sai Baba temple in Jayanagar 4th T Block, I caught the saint looking out over the votive bell and the heads of devotees.   Vishnu and His consort, too, were decked up for the festive occasion.   The temple looked beautiful in the chilly night air.   In the kalyana mantapa next to the temple, I spotted this beautifully decorated idol of Alarmelu Manga, the consort of Tirupati Venkateswara.   The flowers, the colours,…

It's always very enjoyable to watch the colours and festivities at a temple, whether or not one is reliigiously inclined. Standing across the road from the Sai Baba temple in Jayanagar 4th T Block, I caught the saint looking out over the votive bell and the heads of devotees.   Vishnu and His consort, too, were decked up for the festive occasion.   The temple looked beautiful in the chilly night air.   In the kalyana mantapa next to the temple, I spotted this beautifully decorated idol of Alarmelu Manga, the consort of Tirupati Venkateswara.   The flowers, the colours,…

On Sunday, the 10th December, 2016, the Lake Census effort across the lakes(kere) of Bangalore got under way with an orientation program for those who had registered to take part as volunteers in this month-long initiative. The event was held at the Venkatappa Art Gallery on Kasturba Road, from 1.30pm to about 5.30pm.   Dividing the lakes that could be observed and documented under 22 different areas, those who are organizing this year's effort welcomed the gathering, introduced the sectors and the lakes falling in each of them. At this stage, a lot of the water bodies came under discussion…

On Sunday, the 10th December, 2016, the Lake Census effort across the lakes(kere) of Bangalore got under way with an orientation program for those who had registered to take part as volunteers in this month-long initiative. The event was held at the Venkatappa Art Gallery on Kasturba Road, from 1.30pm to about 5.30pm.   Dividing the lakes that could be observed and documented under 22 different areas, those who are organizing this year's effort welcomed the gathering, introduced the sectors and the lakes falling in each of them. At this stage, a lot of the water bodies came under discussion…

All schools have festive occasions when the parents and children celebrate with the school. But at Magic Puddles, a playschool in J P Nagar in Bangalore, the annual mela this year, on the 5th of December, 2016, recycled a lot of stuff that would otherwise end up in waste dumps."This year, we decided to set 'Skills' as the theme," says Nandini Rammohan, of the playschool. "Rather than an activity which the children started just before the mela, we decided that we would teach them some skills throughout the year, and have them teach it to the parents, and instruct them,…

All schools have festive occasions when the parents and children celebrate with the school. But at Magic Puddles, a playschool in J P Nagar in Bangalore, the annual mela this year, on the 5th of December, 2016, recycled a lot of stuff that would otherwise end up in waste dumps."This year, we decided to set 'Skills' as the theme," says Nandini Rammohan, of the playschool. "Rather than an activity which the children started just before the mela, we decided that we would teach them some skills throughout the year, and have them teach it to the parents, and instruct them,…

For some time now,    eBird     has emerged as an application that is easy and convenient for birdwatchers (commonly referred to as birders) to record their bird-lists and allied observations."We are working (through a partnership called Bird Count India) to promote birding and bird documentation in India," says Dr Suhel Quader. "We suggest that birdwatchers use eBird as a convenient tool; and we also advise local/regional groups who wish to implement more systematic projects."The idea is to develop a country-wide database of bird sightings and observations, on an open platform, which can be used for analysis or research. Each birder's use of the tool is…

For some time now,    eBird     has emerged as an application that is easy and convenient for birdwatchers (commonly referred to as birders) to record their bird-lists and allied observations."We are working (through a partnership called Bird Count India) to promote birding and bird documentation in India," says Dr Suhel Quader. "We suggest that birdwatchers use eBird as a convenient tool; and we also advise local/regional groups who wish to implement more systematic projects."The idea is to develop a country-wide database of bird sightings and observations, on an open platform, which can be used for analysis or research. Each birder's use of the tool is…

I thought about how we house our pets when we have to travel or cannot take  care of them for short periods for any other reason. Enquiring for one friend, I found that two others mentioned that they had put their dogs in the following kennels:   Petstepin #38, Rustam Bagh, Behind Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, Bangalore – 560075 +91 98865 84925 | +91 97422 79644 petstepin@gmail.com and 666 Kennels #34/2, Kanakapura Road, Adjoining Nice Road Bangalore-560062 +91 9740007070 666kennels@gmail.com Both do mention cats, but I do wonder how other people manage to arrange for the stay of their…

I thought about how we house our pets when we have to travel or cannot take  care of them for short periods for any other reason. Enquiring for one friend, I found that two others mentioned that they had put their dogs in the following kennels:   Petstepin #38, Rustam Bagh, Behind Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, Bangalore – 560075 +91 98865 84925 | +91 97422 79644 petstepin@gmail.com and 666 Kennels #34/2, Kanakapura Road, Adjoining Nice Road Bangalore-560062 +91 9740007070 666kennels@gmail.com Both do mention cats, but I do wonder how other people manage to arrange for the stay of their…