Society

I've spoken before of my friend who has now developed into a professional wildlife photographer. He got together with a team, and directed this video; the images are all from Karnataka:   The lyrics are written by H S Venkateshamurthy, and Ricky Kej is the music director. here is the Deccan Herald write-up about it. It is being released today, on the occasion of Rajyostava Day. Congrats, Amogh, and may other such efforts follow! ⊕

There inature, conservation and bird-watching communities in Bangalore are deeply saddened  at the loss of one of their  champions, Deepak Arya.   Deepak Arya was well-known to the rock-climbing and birding communities of Bangalore; he had been quite active in protesting against the privatization of public commons, and his last major initiative was for the protection of the Turahalli Forest, which was under threat. He was also documenting the history of the common vegetables that we use.Under the email id of "z_axis" (he explained to me once that we had the 'x' and 'y' axis in a graph, so he wanted to…

Timber Depot, Dandeli, Karnataka, 251012The sun slants into the groveIn a million rays.The leaves take beautyIn a million ways.We, who see it, cannot hope to createA hundredth part of such a scene.We can only capture and share...And be awed by what we have seen.A salute to Karnataka, my home,my mother, and my muse...She came into being on this day. ⊕

As urban gardeners, we have several simple organic options for ensuring adequate input of nutrients to the soil and plants. Panchagavya One of the most effective and common liquid nutrients for the garden is Panchagavya. It consists of five main ingredients from the cow (ghee, milk, curd, cow dung and cow urine) and serves not just as a growth promoting hormone and immunity booster but also as a pesticide. It is also a good source of micronutrients for plants and the soil. The usage is as simple as spraying a three percent solution on plants every 10-15 days. Seeds can…

As urban gardeners, we have several simple organic options for ensuring adequate input of nutrients to the soil and plants. Panchagavya One of the most effective and common liquid nutrients for the garden is Panchagavya. It consists of five main ingredients from the cow (ghee, milk, curd, cow dung and cow urine) and serves not just as a growth promoting hormone and immunity booster but also as a pesticide. It is also a good source of micronutrients for plants and the soil. The usage is as simple as spraying a three percent solution on plants every 10-15 days. Seeds can…

Going around, visiting my friends and also checking out the condition of lakes, I got some images I'd like to share with you.One of my friends, Hema, has a simple "golu" this time, without the kalasha that would make it mandatory for her to stay home all the nine days and offer worship:Here she is, contemplating it:Here's the rangoli she's done for it:and the decorated plate for it:Another of my friends, Arun, helped his mother set up a traditional golu, with the village next to the steps, and all the dolls on them, being symbolic of the universe that the…

Going around, visiting my friends and also checking out the condition of lakes, I got some images I'd like to share with you.One of my friends, Hema, has a simple "golu" this time, without the kalasha that would make it mandatory for her to stay home all the nine days and offer worship:Here she is, contemplating it:Here's the rangoli she's done for it:and the decorated plate for it:Another of my friends, Arun, helped his mother set up a traditional golu, with the village next to the steps, and all the dolls on them, being symbolic of the universe that the…

It was the Joy of Giving Festival Week from October 2nd to 8th all over the the country. Children's Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA) volunteers from Bangalore South Zone felt it was a good idea to put up a sale and generate some funds for the activities of CMCA. Volunteer Chaya with customers. Pic courtesy: Ravikala Baliga Apart from the usual gift items, there were loads of hand painted diyas, dupattas, sarees, wonderful homemade eatables like chaklis, kadale puri, cakes, chocolates, etc. on sale. Needless to say, it all disappeared in a jiffy and there was a demand for more!!The…

It was the Joy of Giving Festival Week from October 2nd to 8th all over the the country. Children's Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA) volunteers from Bangalore South Zone felt it was a good idea to put up a sale and generate some funds for the activities of CMCA. Volunteer Chaya with customers. Pic courtesy: Ravikala Baliga Apart from the usual gift items, there were loads of hand painted diyas, dupattas, sarees, wonderful homemade eatables like chaklis, kadale puri, cakes, chocolates, etc. on sale. Needless to say, it all disappeared in a jiffy and there was a demand for more!!The…

"Krafff", staged by La Compagnie du Théâtre Romette ( a collaboration between an artistic director, Johanny Bert and a choreographer Yan Raballand) cannot be called a "play" in the usual sense of the term. There are a team of five "actors"who, on stage, create a life-sized mannikin out of lengths of craft paper and a few rubber bands. Four of them ,(whom I must designate as puppeteers, though they claim not to be) then bring the marionette to life, and it interacts, for a riveting 35 minutes, with the fifth member, who is a dancer and acrobat, with all the…