Society

In the recent Marathi film Katyar Kaljat Ghusali the song "Ghei Chand Makarand" is sung by two singers in distinctive styles.The song which originally featured in a Marathi musical play or Natyageet was popularized by the late singer Vasantrao Deshpande. In the movie the song is first sung in a slow tempo by Shankar Mahadevan who also plays a lead character in the movie. Then the song is sung in a fast-paced manner by the character played by actor Sachin Pilgaonkar. The playback singer for Sachin is Rahul Deshpande who incidentally is the grandson of Vasantrao Deshpande. Both styles are…

Given the premise of this series—stories of city people you run into, neither friends nor strangers—a tale garnered from an Uber ride (usually going back home for the night, for no normal person will be too conversant on a weekday morning) was going to turn up sooner or later. I live and work in (different) parts of old Bangalore, none of which are Uber hotspots. A good chunk of the drivers I get paired with point out how it is quite rare for someone in my part of town to use Uber. It usually is followed by "yaavoor saar nimmdu?"…

Given the premise of this series—stories of city people you run into, neither friends nor strangers—a tale garnered from an Uber ride (usually going back home for the night, for no normal person will be too conversant on a weekday morning) was going to turn up sooner or later. I live and work in (different) parts of old Bangalore, none of which are Uber hotspots. A good chunk of the drivers I get paired with point out how it is quite rare for someone in my part of town to use Uber. It usually is followed by "yaavoor saar nimmdu?"…

This week, I intend to have a stab at one of the most difficult tasks known to mankind: persuading an adult to part with a sum of money. Not a very large sum, but a sum nonetheless. This New Year's Day, I want to buy burgers, fries and a drink from McDonald's, for 1000 kids in orphanages around the city. And that, unfortunately, costs money. The first thing you'd wonder is probably, "Why McDonald's burgers?" Well, the thing is, I've worked at an orphanage before, and I remember that the kids at the orphanage really loved the burgers. I, like…

This week, I intend to have a stab at one of the most difficult tasks known to mankind: persuading an adult to part with a sum of money. Not a very large sum, but a sum nonetheless. This New Year's Day, I want to buy burgers, fries and a drink from McDonald's, for 1000 kids in orphanages around the city. And that, unfortunately, costs money. The first thing you'd wonder is probably, "Why McDonald's burgers?" Well, the thing is, I've worked at an orphanage before, and I remember that the kids at the orphanage really loved the burgers. I, like…

With young students like Anvitha Rao and Joiston Pereira taking the initiative, the annual Waterfowl Census, which had been suspended some time ago due to lack of support by the authorities, was revived again on some of the lakes of Bangalore. On Saturday, 26th Dec, 2015, the census was started at Agara Lake. Several concerned citizens,birders and environmentalists participated. On Saturday, lakes along Sarjapura Road were covered; on Sunday, the focus was on Hosur Road.  While doing the bird counts, participants were also asked to input data on the condition of the lakes. Here is an update from Joiston Pereira:…

With young students like Anvitha Rao and Joiston Pereira taking the initiative, the annual Waterfowl Census, which had been suspended some time ago due to lack of support by the authorities, was revived again on some of the lakes of Bangalore. On Saturday, 26th Dec, 2015, the census was started at Agara Lake. Several concerned citizens,birders and environmentalists participated. On Saturday, lakes along Sarjapura Road were covered; on Sunday, the focus was on Hosur Road.  While doing the bird counts, participants were also asked to input data on the condition of the lakes. Here is an update from Joiston Pereira:…

Posting below, a mail from Anvitha S (Undergraduate student, St Joseph's College) on <bngbirds@yahoogroups.com>, requesting for volunteers for the Waterbird Survey 2015-16. We are reviving the waterbird survey which was conducted between 1987 - 1996 by the Bird Watcher's Field Club Of Bangalore. We request experienced birdwatchers and others to contribute to this effort.  In the 80s and 90s the Mid-winter waterfowl survey proved to be a great experience for novices and specialists in sharing and learning skills. Since then the water scape of Bangalore has changed dramatically. So an initiative is planned to revive waterbird survey in atleast the surviving…

Posting below, a mail from Anvitha S (Undergraduate student, St Joseph's College) on <bngbirds@yahoogroups.com>, requesting for volunteers for the Waterbird Survey 2015-16. We are reviving the waterbird survey which was conducted between 1987 - 1996 by the Bird Watcher's Field Club Of Bangalore. We request experienced birdwatchers and others to contribute to this effort.  In the 80s and 90s the Mid-winter waterfowl survey proved to be a great experience for novices and specialists in sharing and learning skills. Since then the water scape of Bangalore has changed dramatically. So an initiative is planned to revive waterbird survey in atleast the surviving…

Kere Habba 2016! The first of the new Kere Habba season will be at Kaikondrahalli Lake on 9th January 2016. Lots has been planned for the day: - be regaled with story sessions for children- learn to play traditional games- hone up your general knowledge for a quiz- run a relay race for the lake (details below)- talk to farmers about natural farming- interact with native cow breeders to find out about medicinal and general benefits of our Indian cow breeds- test your mettle by swinging and balancing on a rope course- participate in cool science experiments revolving around water-…