Deepa's Jottings

I've been interacting, on FaceBook, with the MD of BESCOM (Bangalore Electricity Supply Corporation), Mr Manivannan (though our interaction is not mainly on civic issues..he's quite a poet!). I have been getting the sense that he's shaking up this behemoth and making them more accountable and user-friendly.I realized that if I was going to be away for a long time, I could ask for minimum billing on my apartment. I wrote to the contact email (Ms Jayanathi) on the BESCOM website...and promptly got a return email from her, telling me whom I had to contact, and the phone nos...and additional…

On Friday, 11th Jan 2013, a few of us were going for a birding trail, and we were waiting at the chai shop at Mantri Residency Apartments, on Bannerghatta Road, for a couple of others to arrive.Suddenly, in the pre-dawn dark, my friends (all young men) said there had been an accident, and rushed on about 10 yards ahead. Then one of them came back and told me that it was a girl who had been hit. A Tata Sumo driver had started the car and speeded up, and a young woman (about 19 or 20, I'd guess) had suddenly…

I've been interacting, on FaceBook, with the MD of BESCOM (Bangalore Electricity Supply Corporation), Mr Manivannan (though our interaction is not mainly on civic issues..he's quite a poet!). I have been getting the sense that he's shaking up this behemoth and making them more accountable and user-friendly.I realized that if I was going to be away for a long time, I could ask for minimum billing on my apartment. I wrote to the contact email (Ms Jayanathi) on the BESCOM website...and promptly got a return email from her, telling me whom I had to contact, and the phone nos...and additional…

On Friday, 11th Jan 2013, a few of us were going for a birding trail, and we were waiting at the chai shop at Mantri Residency Apartments, on Bannerghatta Road, for a couple of others to arrive.Suddenly, in the pre-dawn dark, my friends (all young men) said there had been an accident, and rushed on about 10 yards ahead. Then one of them came back and told me that it was a girl who had been hit. A Tata Sumo driver had started the car and speeded up, and a young woman (about 19 or 20, I'd guess) had suddenly…

Some of the BULBs (Bangalore Urban Lady Birders) decided to meet up for lunch at Halli Mane on Sankranti Day:The decorations were beautiful...made of palm fibre:made of palm fronds: This is the menu, as displayed on the board:kharabUjatha rasa (Musk Melon juice)eLLu--bellA-kabbu (Sesame seeds-jagger-sugar cane)hesaru beLe pAyasA( Mung dal payasa)mAvina midi uppinkAyA (Maavadu, small mango pickle)chOLada kOsambari (Salad with corn and grated carrots)moLagekkALu, dAdimba kOsambari (Salad with sprouted green gram and pomegranate)Alu gaddE palyA (potato curry)dondekkAi, gOdambi palya (...... curry)mAvina kAyi chutney (mango chutney, not sweet)sihi pongal (sweet pongal)khArA pongal (savoury pongal)avarekkALu usli (preparation with winter beans)avarekkAlu bAth (rice with avarekkAlu…

Some of the BULBs (Bangalore Urban Lady Birders) decided to meet up for lunch at Halli Mane on Sankranti Day:The decorations were beautiful...made of palm fibre:made of palm fronds: This is the menu, as displayed on the board:kharabUjatha rasa (Musk Melon juice)eLLu--bellA-kabbu (Sesame seeds-jagger-sugar cane)hesaru beLe pAyasA( Mung dal payasa)mAvina midi uppinkAyA (Maavadu, small mango pickle)chOLada kOsambari (Salad with corn and grated carrots)moLagekkALu, dAdimba kOsambari (Salad with sprouted green gram and pomegranate)Alu gaddE palyA (potato curry)dondekkAi, gOdambi palya (...... curry)mAvina kAyi chutney (mango chutney, not sweet)sihi pongal (sweet pongal)khArA pongal (savoury pongal)avarekkALu usli (preparation with winter beans)avarekkAlu bAth (rice with avarekkAlu…

Posting for all children, on behalf of Hari Someshekar : The theme for this issue of the WWF Panda Magazine is Big Cats (tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard and so on), which we hope will be exciting and interesting for children. Please do encourage your children/ children you know. who write/draw well, to submit their articles, experiences, stories, poems, photographs and illustrations on the topic by January 21, 2013. We are also open to entries in regionallanguages/vernacular and would prefer submissions in soft copiesPlease email entries tohsomashekar@wwfindia.net ⊕

Posting for all children, on behalf of Hari Someshekar : The theme for this issue of the WWF Panda Magazine is Big Cats (tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard and so on), which we hope will be exciting and interesting for children. Please do encourage your children/ children you know. who write/draw well, to submit their articles, experiences, stories, poems, photographs and illustrations on the topic by January 21, 2013. We are also open to entries in regionallanguages/vernacular and would prefer submissions in soft copiesPlease email entries tohsomashekar@wwfindia.net ⊕

Ganjam in association with Bangalore Little Theatre presents `Tiger ! Tiger ! ‘ by (the late) Dina Mehta, a site-specific theatre exploration that is being performed at the Bangalore Fort. The performance is a part of the prestigious History of Ideas programme of Bangalore Little Theatre and is in partnership with the Centre for Public History as a part of the `Tiger comes to Town'.The performance marks the first time a heritage site in the city will open itself out to a unique experiment that will enable an audience to experience a historical event at its very location.`Tiger ! Tiger…

We are talking a lot about banning plastic bags now, and in BTM Layout, I came across this sign (at Disney Bakery):This (apart from the multi-spelling of "environment") set me thinking. There seems to be a lot of greenwash going around. How, if plastic is banned, are we willing to sell it? Is this not just one more way of making money? I think it's time to BAN plastic bags, not just SELL them. ⊕