Deepa's Jottings

It's interesting to observe... Our pavements and footpaths are full of people who are trying to eke a living in a city that they have moved into. Amongst these are the immigrants from Rajasthan, who make these ceramic artefacts:Several of these patterns seem to be the most popular, including square containers for Tulsi plants, vases, and Shirdi Sai Baba statuettes. They certainly add colour to our footpaths, even as they block them for pedestrians! ⊕

It's interesting to observe... Our pavements and footpaths are full of people who are trying to eke a living in a city that they have moved into. Amongst these are the immigrants from Rajasthan, who make these ceramic artefacts:Several of these patterns seem to be the most popular, including square containers for Tulsi plants, vases, and Shirdi Sai Baba statuettes. They certainly add colour to our footpaths, even as they block them for pedestrians! ⊕

A fully-sponsored course: Christ University, aleading college in Bangalore, is launching a fully sponsored 3 Year B.Com program for persons with disabilities. The program will be supported by a leading financial institution, which will also provide the internship and mentorship throughout the program in partnership with NGOs,Enable India & APD.Eligibility Criteria: •Educational qualification: Persons with disabilities who are pursuing PUC/XII in the stream of Commerce and Accountancy•Percentage in SSLC/ X examination: 60% and above•Total Family income: Maximum of Rs. 3.6 lakhs per annum (Rs. 30,000 per month)The candidates who meet the basic criteria will undergo the next level of selection process,…

A fully-sponsored course: Christ University, aleading college in Bangalore, is launching a fully sponsored 3 Year B.Com program for persons with disabilities. The program will be supported by a leading financial institution, which will also provide the internship and mentorship throughout the program in partnership with NGOs,Enable India & APD.Eligibility Criteria: •Educational qualification: Persons with disabilities who are pursuing PUC/XII in the stream of Commerce and Accountancy•Percentage in SSLC/ X examination: 60% and above•Total Family income: Maximum of Rs. 3.6 lakhs per annum (Rs. 30,000 per month)The candidates who meet the basic criteria will undergo the next level of selection process,…

  Here's what I just wrote to the egroup (bngbirds) of the Bird Watchers' Field Club of Bangalore just now:  Hi everyone,I'll be writing about the very enjoyable 2nd Sunday birding outing, especially with the children and teachers of Sri Vani School of Magadi Road....but before that, I have to tell you about events that unfolded just after we dispersed.When going back, I realized that the "birding bag" I carry (binocs, bird book, water bottle, camera, sketch pad) had been mislaid, and we narrowed it down to the area where we had seen the Spotted Owlet (near the Bamboo thicket). When we…

  Here's what I just wrote to the egroup (bngbirds) of the Bird Watchers' Field Club of Bangalore just now:  Hi everyone,I'll be writing about the very enjoyable 2nd Sunday birding outing, especially with the children and teachers of Sri Vani School of Magadi Road....but before that, I have to tell you about events that unfolded just after we dispersed.When going back, I realized that the "birding bag" I carry (binocs, bird book, water bottle, camera, sketch pad) had been mislaid, and we narrowed it down to the area where we had seen the Spotted Owlet (near the Bamboo thicket). When we…

 Some innovation.... "Jugaad" means, "innovation", often thinking out-of-the-box. A mode of public transportation, with the engine of a tractor, has already taken on this name in several states of India. On Sunday, as we were heading out for our nature trail on Bannerghatta Road, I spotted this tricycle-cart that had been fitted with a two-wheeler engine, and was puttering along happily! I don't think this gives very environment-friendly emissions, however creative and innovative it is!What a pity that pedal-power is seen by the working people as something too difficult to sustain. I was actually thinking of an initiative to re-introduce cycle-rickshaws....  ⊕

 Some innovation.... "Jugaad" means, "innovation", often thinking out-of-the-box. A mode of public transportation, with the engine of a tractor, has already taken on this name in several states of India. On Sunday, as we were heading out for our nature trail on Bannerghatta Road, I spotted this tricycle-cart that had been fitted with a two-wheeler engine, and was puttering along happily! I don't think this gives very environment-friendly emissions, however creative and innovative it is!What a pity that pedal-power is seen by the working people as something too difficult to sustain. I was actually thinking of an initiative to re-introduce cycle-rickshaws....  ⊕

 An unusual play: "The Water Station" is a theatre production co-produced by The Japan Foundation, a Japanese government cultural agency, and Theatre Roots & Wings, Kerala. It is written by an award-winning Japanese playwright Shogo Ohta, and directed by Sankar Venkateswaran, with an all-India castselected by auditions across the country.The play will be premiered in Ranga Shankara, Bangalore on 29 & 30 November 2011, and is set to tour several cities in India and Southeast Asian countries including Colombo and Jaffna, Sri anka in 2012.Synopsis of the Play"The Water Station" is a two-hour, wordless performance. Walking through a barren andscape, eighteen…

Very urgent, just 20 hours to go.... Amit Gupta, an Indian entrepreneur in Newyork, a friend and a kind soul needs a bone marrow match for a Peripheral Blood Stem cells donation and you can help.If you live in Bangalore India, chances are you can help not only Amit, but the many, many other people around the world. South Asians have a dramatically lower chance of finding a match in the worldwide bone marrow registries than other populations. While this is a big and often tragic problem, it's one that can be fixed!So what can you do? Get to the nearest…