Society

How many of us realise that they might be a bloodsucker at large in our gardens? Don't panic, this is just our Common Garden Lizard (Calotes versicolor) which most of us mistakenly call ‘chameleon'. During the breeding season the head, shoulders and parts of the foreleg of the males turns bright scarlet and this is how they have acquired this rather 'derogatory' name - Bloodsucker. The Chameleon is a totally different species, well-known for its ability to change colour to match its surroundings. The Common Garden Lizard. Pic: Vikram Nanjappa The Common Garden Lizard is the most common Agamid lizard…

"Uplands" in High Grounds, Bangalore became the residence of Sir MV after his retirement.  When the owner wanted the bungalow, he shifted to No. 5, Cubbon Road, a small bungalow placed at his disposal by the Mysore Government. . . . Sir MV lived alone in those days except for his cook, his personal assistant, Sadgopalachar, and12 servants. At the instance of Advani and other friends that he should have somebody to look after him in his old age with love and affection, he permitted only M. R. Krishnamurthy, his nephew and his wife to stay with him in "Uplands."…

"Uplands" in High Grounds, Bangalore became the residence of Sir MV after his retirement.  When the owner wanted the bungalow, he shifted to No. 5, Cubbon Road, a small bungalow placed at his disposal by the Mysore Government. . . . Sir MV lived alone in those days except for his cook, his personal assistant, Sadgopalachar, and12 servants. At the instance of Advani and other friends that he should have somebody to look after him in his old age with love and affection, he permitted only M. R. Krishnamurthy, his nephew and his wife to stay with him in "Uplands."…

We all are familiar with the various facets of our religious festivals, going to temples, churches or mosques, or celebrating at home, eating traditional food , wearing new clothes and visiting family and friends. One other thing many of us, just observe in passing, occasionally grimacing at the noise, is the public functions and cultural programmes in the weeks following. Often organised by groups of young men, mostly from poorer neighbourhoods, these functions provide avenues for them to prove that they can "do something". School and college students have their culturals, those working in corporates have similar opportunities too. Residents…

We all are familiar with the various facets of our religious festivals, going to temples, churches or mosques, or celebrating at home, eating traditional food , wearing new clothes and visiting family and friends. One other thing many of us, just observe in passing, occasionally grimacing at the noise, is the public functions and cultural programmes in the weeks following. Often organised by groups of young men, mostly from poorer neighbourhoods, these functions provide avenues for them to prove that they can "do something". School and college students have their culturals, those working in corporates have similar opportunities too. Residents…

Since I have a BSNL broadband connection and since this is India, the connection does cause problems once in a while, and I lost all connectivity for a couple of days.In such situation, I have two alternatives: register a complaint on the phone, and wait for action...or just take my modem and laptop, and go to the (luckily, nearby) J P Nagar 3rd Phase Telephone Exchange, where I have always found the staff very helpful and friendly. Here are the two Junior Telecom Engineers, Ms Padmaja and Ms Nagarathna: There is also Pushpa, who is on a contract basis; all these ladies…

Toto Funds the Arts an organization that recognizes, awards and encourages young artists in their endeavours, had organized their September reading atCrossword Bookstore Here's the blurb from TFA: Sharanya Manivannan's first book of poems, Witchcraft, was described in The Straits Times as "sensuous and spiritual, delicate and dangerous and as full as the moon reflected in a knife". Her poetry and fiction have also been published in Drunken Boat, Ghoti, Softblow, Pratilipi and elsewhere, and a personal column, "The Venus Flytrap", appears in The New Indian Express. Sharanya lives in Chennai.www.sharanyamanivannan.comSruthi Krishnan is a Chennai-based journalist. Previously, she reported on technology…

Since I have a BSNL broadband connection and since this is India, the connection does cause problems once in a while, and I lost all connectivity for a couple of days.In such situation, I have two alternatives: register a complaint on the phone, and wait for action...or just take my modem and laptop, and go to the (luckily, nearby) J P Nagar 3rd Phase Telephone Exchange, where I have always found the staff very helpful and friendly. Here are the two Junior Telecom Engineers, Ms Padmaja and Ms Nagarathna: There is also Pushpa, who is on a contract basis; all these ladies…

Toto Funds the Arts an organization that recognizes, awards and encourages young artists in their endeavours, had organized their September reading atCrossword Bookstore Here's the blurb from TFA: Sharanya Manivannan's first book of poems, Witchcraft, was described in The Straits Times as "sensuous and spiritual, delicate and dangerous and as full as the moon reflected in a knife". Her poetry and fiction have also been published in Drunken Boat, Ghoti, Softblow, Pratilipi and elsewhere, and a personal column, "The Venus Flytrap", appears in The New Indian Express. Sharanya lives in Chennai.www.sharanyamanivannan.comSruthi Krishnan is a Chennai-based journalist. Previously, she reported on technology…

I am fortunate to live on Cookson Road in east Bangalore. It is well-shaded with an excellent density of roadside trees. My apartment block is in a cul-de-sac and my immediate neighbor is a lady well-known for having the best garden in the city .In front of her bungalow (the last few remaining in the area) is a Lantana bush which is visited by a lot of butterflies, one of which happens to be the Common Banded Awl. The Common Banded Awl belongs to the family of butterflies called Hesperiidae, commonly known as Skippers. This is the third largest family…