Environment

One doesn't always get an opportunity to do something extraordinary. When you do, you've got to grab it! This is what we did when we saw the Puttenahalli Lake dying. We campaigned and lobbied for the BBMP to rejuvenate the lake. This is what PNLIT did when we saw the Mahindra Spark the Rise announcement inviting projects ("Sparks") for a competitive funding. We submitted "PNLIT - Nurturing Puttenahalli Lake back to its pristine glory" as a template for reviving lakes with active public participation. Click here to vote. Pic: PNLIT The many activities and events we conduct, such as the Children's Day Nature…

 A memorable meeting... On the 6th of November,2011, I was privileged to be at a gathering of some of eminent birdwatchers of Bangalore. The gracious host was none other than the doyen of birdwatching in Bangalore, Zafar Futehally who has been instrumental in popularizing birding as a hobby in our city; ironically, the hobbby seems to be catching on in ever-increasing numbers as the number of species of birds in the City's shrinking parks and vanishing lakes are steadily decreasing.Here's Zafar Sahib, whose long years of service to ornithology cannot be understated: Several other eminent ornithologists and scientists, all of whom share…

 A memorable meeting... On the 6th of November,2011, I was privileged to be at a gathering of some of eminent birdwatchers of Bangalore. The gracious host was none other than the doyen of birdwatching in Bangalore, Zafar Futehally who has been instrumental in popularizing birding as a hobby in our city; ironically, the hobbby seems to be catching on in ever-increasing numbers as the number of species of birds in the City's shrinking parks and vanishing lakes are steadily decreasing.Here's Zafar Sahib, whose long years of service to ornithology cannot be understated: Several other eminent ornithologists and scientists, all of whom share…

 A very nice walk.... I've been interested in, and involved with, Magic Puddles a daycare and children's activity centre, for a while now, since I did a project with the children about trees. And having done the Puttenahalli Lake Walk a little while ago, I wanted to take the children there, too; so this morning, Viji and I rounded up some children and off we went!We started at the Brigade Millenium arch entrance:And as we went, I pointed out various interesting things to them. Here they are, keenly observing a grasshopper! The children were full of curiosity...their sentences always seem to…

 A very nice walk.... I've been interested in, and involved with, Magic Puddles a daycare and children's activity centre, for a while now, since I did a project with the children about trees. And having done the Puttenahalli Lake Walk a little while ago, I wanted to take the children there, too; so this morning, Viji and I rounded up some children and off we went!We started at the Brigade Millenium arch entrance:And as we went, I pointed out various interesting things to them. Here they are, keenly observing a grasshopper! The children were full of curiosity...their sentences always seem to…

The Nature Walk on Sunday, 13th November. went off very well with participants mostly from South Bangalore and one enthusiast who came from Malleswaram. The 40 odd participants including children and adults came early to see the sun rise and light up the lake and its inhabitants. They were amply rewarded - sighting several species of birds, insects and even a couple of water snakes. They had a whale of a time and, with Deepa Mohan as their guide, got a very good introduction to the beautiful flora and fauna at our lake.  Observation drawings by Ria(8)-top row, Nishka (5)-bottom…

The Nature Walk on Sunday, 13th November. went off very well with participants mostly from South Bangalore and one enthusiast who came from Malleswaram. The 40 odd participants including children and adults came early to see the sun rise and light up the lake and its inhabitants. They were amply rewarded - sighting several species of birds, insects and even a couple of water snakes. They had a whale of a time and, with Deepa Mohan as their guide, got a very good introduction to the beautiful flora and fauna at our lake.  Observation drawings by Ria(8)-top row, Nishka (5)-bottom…

Out of sight, out of mind...that's what usually happens to the garbage that we throw out of our homes. I've been trying all yesterday, and up to now, to load some photos to Photobucket, so I can write about the Trash Trail I went on yesterday...but I think the internet connection is terrible, so I'll write about it and you can see the photos (with the narrative) at my Facebook account, here I'm sorry, but you need a Facebook account to be able to see the photos.I'm adding the few photos I was able to post...starting with this one...illustrative of the…

Out of sight, out of mind...that's what usually happens to the garbage that we throw out of our homes. I've been trying all yesterday, and up to now, to load some photos to Photobucket, so I can write about the Trash Trail I went on yesterday...but I think the internet connection is terrible, so I'll write about it and you can see the photos (with the narrative) at my Facebook account, here I'm sorry, but you need a Facebook account to be able to see the photos.I'm adding the few photos I was able to post...starting with this one...illustrative of the…

   Around mid August this year, 21 volunteers from 14 countries arrived in southern India to work and learn from marginalized communities about their challenges pertinent to health and sanitation. They were part of "Health on Stage", a six week project where they learnt to use forum theatre to initiate simultaneous dialogues on public health in low income areas of Bangalore, Mysore and Chennai. And on 30th September, the 3 groups of participants, their trainers and faciliators gathered in Bangalore to share their experiences with healthcare professionals, media persons and theatre artists.It is well known that water related illnesses are…