As part of the globalGreat Backyard Bird Count2026, a morning bird walk was conducted on 14th February atPuttenahalli Kere, led by Dr. Ishita Das (sincere thanks to her).
We had over 30 participants including students from Jain University and residents from the lake area and beyond.
approx 2 hours (roughly 7 - 9 a.m.) 0.8 km (Traveling count) 37 species recorded
From wetland specialists to tree-top songsters, the lake was buzzing with life. The observations indicate a healthy mix of resident waterbirds and common urban woodland species.
Indian Spot-billed Ducks & Coots (suggest healthy open water habitat)
Gray-headed Swamphens & Little Grebes (reflect stable marsh habitat)
Cormorants across three species (indicates healthy fish availability)
Herons, Egrets & a Glossy Ibis (reflect shallow water zones and abundant aquatic life)
Brahminy Kites circling overhead (suggests an active predatory layer within the lake ecosystem)
Three species of sunbirds (reflect nectar availability in flowering trees)
Insectivores such as Greenish Warbler and Ashy Prinia (suggest active foraging habitats)
The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) 2026 will be held worldwide 13-16 February, bringing together people across countries to observe and record birds as part of a massive citizen science effort.
As part of this global event, PNLIT is hosting a community birding session in the Puttenahalli Lake (Puttakere) neighbourhood, and we warmly invite you to participate. Over 120 species of birds have been identified at the lake by different people over the years, so let us see how many we spot ourselves.
Our Event Details Date: Saturday, 14th Feb 2026 Time: 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. (free to join anytime and continue beyond that as well) Starting point: gazebo at Puttenahalli Lake
Participants will join the PNLIT birding group to identify and count birds found around the lake and neighbourhood. No prior experience in birdwatching is required — this event is suitable for beginners, families, students, and nature enthusiasts of all ages. Please bring water, cap, binoculars, cameras, paper and pen to record observations.
Participants are also encouraged to observe birds beyond the lake neighbourhood and record sightings from other locations during the GBBC period.
After the full GBBC event, GBBC will issue downloadable certificates to all participants who record lists with ebird/ Merlin for GBBC.
We look forward to celebrating Bengaluru’s rich birdlife together while contributing to a global conservation effort.
Do you know how does Puttenahalli Lake talk to the groundwater?
Lakes contribute to groundwater recharge. Our Puttenahalli lake (JP Nagar 7th Phase) is an example of water circularity where treated wastewater from Southcity apartment is let into the lake and it recharges the groundwater contributing to the yield of borewells in the neighborhood.
Join us to know the groundwater aspect of our lake.
Followed by the discussion on Sustainable Water Management practices in adherence with the bylaws.
We’ll start at 7:30 a.m. No registration required. Just land up at the gazebo @ Puttakere.
Bijoy Venugopal - a communications professional, travel writer and nature educator. He is the founder editor, The Green Ogre, a narrative based story telling initiative.
Event details:
ð Sunday,16th Nov
Walk begins at 7:00 AM
Assemble by 6:45 AM
ðMeeting Point: Gazebo at Puttenahalli Lake (JP Nagar 7th Phase)
near Brigade Millennium entrance
Walk details:
Duration: Till around 9:45 AM
Terrain: Level, approximately 1 km around the lake
Suitable for all ages
What to wear:
Dull-coloured clothes
Hats/caps
Comfortable walking shoes (avoid slippers or thin-soled sandals)
It is with a heavy heart that we inform you that PNLIT has withdrawn from protecting and nurturing Puttenahalli Puttakere from 03 July 2025. We were issued a notice to do so by the Lakes Division, BBMP (Notice can be seen in Kannada and English translation). It will come as a shock to you, our associates, well-wishers and supporters, but we had been trying to diffuse and avert a showdown for the last two years.
PNLIT was registered in June 2010 but our endeavour to save the lake began earlier. We shall be as brief and precise in summing up our experience of nearly two decades.
Moved by the plight of the dying lake in our locality, we wanted to moot a public campaign in 2008 to get the municipality to save the lake. Residents in the area tried to dissuade us that government officials would not listen to ordinary people; that lakes were the responsibility of the municipality, not ours, tax payers, etc. We didn’t listen to them and were glad we didn’t.
BBMP rejuvenated the lake in 2009/2010 and their Environment Cell team was so encouraging and cooperative that it led to our signing an MoU with them on 17th May 2011 and we became Bengaluru’s first citizen caretakers of a lake. With regard to financial assistance to meet maintenance expenses, we were told, “If we (BBMP) had the money, why would we give the lake to you?”
Indeed, as per the MoU 2011 - 2014, Section 1. Role of PNLIT item xvii, we had to “Bear the full cost of all the above (maintenance) activities (i to xvi).”
We were also told that if anyone complained about the bad condition of the lake, we would be held responsible.
We took our new assignment seriously and involved the neighbourhood. People’s skepticism gave way to enthusiastic participation. They pitched in with volunteer and fund support through donations. [Note PNLIT is a registered charitable trust with 80G exemption for donors, and fully audited and tax compliant.]
We hired the staff and carried out developments which, over the years transformed the lake into a thriving, rich ecosystem. This would not have been possible without the unflagging support of the then Environment Cell and indeed, several other government departments and the community. PNLIT was the bridge between them. We were deeply grateful for their support.
In 2020, the 10th year of PNLIT, we gifted longtime supporters with a tree in their name and the next year, 2021, our nomination fetched BBMP the Earth Day Network Star Municipal Leadership award for its work in restoring 18 lakes in Bengaluru and initiating work on seven more. Following the Lakes Division notice, we have removed the name boards.
Board names
Removing the board names
Star Municipal Leadership Trophy
In Mar 2020, BBMP did not renew their MoUs with us, citizen groups, citing a High Court order in WP 38401/2014 passed on 04 March 2020 which read “...the State Government shall not execute any such MOU with any Corporate Entity (emphasis added). However, this order will not prevent the State Government from taking funds from the Corporate Entities for rejuvenation of lakes.”
Four of us, citizen groups, were admitted as respondents to the writ in 2021 and we waited to tell the Hon’ble Court about our role and contribution to lake conservation. On the strength of the support from the then Lakes Division, we continued to maintain Puttakere for the next two years and then they turned volte face. We were unable to find out the reasons for this sudden loss of trust and breakdown in communication. We started suspending our volunteer engagements, environment awareness programmes, requested donors to withhold their contributions for lake maintenance, and reduced our activities to essential gardening chores. In the belief that the biggest threats to a lake were sewage influx and encroachment, we continued to protect the lake from these. After 17 years, we were on the verge of achieving the seemingly impossible goal of rehabilitating those residing illegally in the lake premises when we got the marching orders. Links to Prajavani reports in English of 27th and 30th March 2025. https://keremanju.blogspot.com/2025/05/puttenahalli-lake-neglect-of.html;
This notice was the second from the Lakes Division. The first (Ref. No. AEE/Lakes (South)/PR/25/2023-24 dated 09/10/2023) asked us to stop treated water inflow from the STP in South City with immediate effect as it was ‘polluting’ the lake. We were served the notice even after sending photographs and documents to show that the toxic pollutant was leachate from the garbage trucks outside the apartment complex and that the treated water in fact, was diluting it. We continued to be questioned till we resolved it once and for all in March 2025 through MLA Shri M Krishnappa who got the garbage transfer point shifted.
Though uncertain about the future, we decided to celebrate the 15th year of PNLIT with our stakeholders. We had already invited, in person, the heads of government departments when we received the notice on 19th June. We went ahead with our celebration on the 28th. Two days later, we sent our response to the notice and withdrew our staff.
We hope that the court will not delay its verdict and that it would enable BBMP to renew their MOU with us and our fellow citizen groups. Meanwhile, our Trust Deed permits other initiatives to improve the areas surrounding the lake. We will consider these in due course. For the present, we shall take a break from community service, surely well-deserved after more than 15 years of “living with the lake” each day!
Having expelled us, the Lakes Division is bound to take excellent care of Puttenahalli Puttakere. We’d like to urge them to take equally good care of all the lakes that still exist in the city and which are in their custody because every lake matters.
Puttenahalli Lake was a triumph of collective action. This video captured the essence of the endeavour.
With heartfelt thanks to all for your tremendous support to PNLIT and Puttenahalli Puttakere.
Of our three gardeners, Ramu has been with us the longest and recently completed 10 years of service at the lake. They are all good in their work with each one using a special skill which he has honed over time at the lake. If the lake and the premises look so clean, it is because of these three men.
In addition to Kannada, Ramu speaks Hindi, and understands English. In our absence, he briefs visitors about the lake and PNLIT. He has developed an interest in photography and keeps us visually updated of happenings at the lake. Today we surprised him with a gift cheque for Rs.10,000. Former trustee, Prasanna, showed his appreciation with Rs. 1,000. It was indeed a happy moment for all of us.
We wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a great new year.
We wish ourselves the same too! For, truth be told, 2023 was a period of endless challenges for us at PNLIT. Puttenahalli Puttakere sailed through the year but we had to fight hard to protect it, help it thrive. Officers changed and we had to brief them on what we'd had done, build rapport with them. They changed once again and the cycle started once again. In short, 2023 was a test of endurance!
We did overcome a few challenges such as getting our FCRA certificate renewed two years and six months after submitting it for renewal. Arathi can rightly pat herself on her back for this achievement.
Usha continued the struggle to protect the lake from encroachment. Just when the light seemed to glimmer, the tunnel grew longer. The High Court had ordered eviction of the encroachers in July 2022. As soon as they got the notice, they obtained a stay order. On behalf of PNLIT, she filed an IA to implead in the writ and place the facts before the court. The Judge rejected the IA in Oct 2023 because, in his opinion, 'the Trust would not be a necessary party to the proceedings' as the petition was 'only for a mandamus for rehabilitation of the petitioners who are alleged encroachers by way of allotment of sites, so that they could vacate the encroachment.'
Who's going to allot the sites? When? Two questions for which the answers have been wrapped in layers of uncertainty from 2019.
The many crises through the year brought OP Ramaswamy out of his semi-retirement to avert what would have led to the termination of two of our gardeners. Without Ramu, Jayanna, Seena and Soma, we wouldn't have been able to maintain the lake. Ramu has been with us since 2013!
Nupur put an end to our vacillation on whether to revamp our website or go with a new one. With tech help from her husband Pranshu and text assistance from Usha, she launched a colourful https://www.puttenahallilake.in/ rich in photos and comprehensive in contents in June 2023.
Our garden expert Sangita was luckier this year with the mealy bugs and borers and other pests lying low. The trees, shrubs and climbers are growing so lush and thick.
But for Divya's meticulous updating of our timeline, scrapbook of newspaper clippings, and quarterly reports, we would have forgotten half of what we had done in 2023! Time flies not only when one is having fun but also when crossing hurdles!
Our treasurer, Nandhini, is the one to thank for the receipts to your donations. Give her more work. Donations (and volunteer support) are how you can help our Puttenahalli Puttakere.
Our core volunteers deserve special mention - Vijayalakshmi Kutty, editor, Ripples and Sapana Rawat, events coordinator. They are irreplaceable. Jayashree Govind is a welcome addition to the editorial team!
Nurturing a public space like a lake is always going to be difficult. Our prayer for the new year is for less stress with old issues and more strength to tackle fresh ones. Together let's preserve and protect our little neighbourhood lake.
All things considered, there was subtle alchemy infused in the evening of November 18the at Puttenahalli Lake - A young magician, all of 13, a glorious evening with the sun catching the soft ripples on the lake and a large enchanted crowd that included a throng of spell-bound, wide-eyed children.
Young Jayant is a whiz of a conjurer; an illusionist with a deceptive sleight of hand and a charmer who combines his magic with theatre and subtle humour. Whether cuffed up tightly with strong clamps or bound and bundled in a bag, Jayant would emerge grinning and free of all shackles in a few minutes. As the ‘Blind Surgeon’, blindfolded Jayant had the head of a headless clown fixed with a swipe of towel! And congratulations to all the volunteers who courageously put their fate in Jayant’s hands; like the five year old who was wholly willing to have his head chopped off into a basket he held! Macabre! But rest assured your life is safe with Jayant! And in between all this fascinating wizardry, Jayant pulls out confetti and silk ribbons out of his mouth or a hat!
Our appreciation and compliments go to Jayant’s parents whose staunch support and encouragement have nurtured this child prodigy who is a national awardee, author of “Covid Thief’, a magician and a kidpreneur. Do get to know more about him at https://www.instagram.com/just.be.jayant/
A long time ago, I saw a live show by a great Magician, Illusionist par excellence PC Sorcar Jr. The show is etched in my memory and I vividly remember many interesting illusionary tricks. Sorcar was famous for performing magic shows in Fish Market and busy bazaars of Kolkata. Once he and a locomotive and the famous Taj Mahal disappeared in front of a large audience. I saw a blindfolded Sorcar correct algebraic expressions and once corrected the famous E=mc2 as well. He performed an Aladdin-style Indian rope trick in which the blowing of Pungi (an Indian pipe instrument) moved the rope up, suspended in the air. He climbed the rope as well. We also read about Harry Houdini and his famous escape tricks.
When 13-year-old Jayant Patwari put up a show in front of a live audience in our Puttakere (Puttenahalli lake), no one would have expected Sorcar’s tricks and Houdinisque escape. I thought he would pull Rabbits out of the hat (pigeons if rabbits are expensive to procure for a free show) and a few more cards and stick-becoming bouquet tricks. On the contrary, our young magician turned out to be a master illusionist, a great stage presence and mesmerized the audience kids and old alike. He performed blindfolded tricks and a couple of escape sequences with aplomb and panache. He identified numbers and played with numbers with a blindfold, removed handcuffs, brought back Clown’s head with his head inside a bag and in the finale, he escaped truly Houdini-style, and came out of a tightly closed sack in less than 2 minutes!
I wonder if he is an adult but created the illusion of 13 years. Who knows? Let's see what new trick he has up on his sleeve.
approx 2 hours (roughly 7 - 9 a.m.)
0.8 km (Traveling count)
37 species recorded
Indian Spot-billed Ducks & Coots (suggest healthy open water habitat)
Gray-headed Swamphens & Little Grebes 
Cormorants across three species (
Herons, Egrets & a Glossy Ibis (reflect shallow water zones and abundant aquatic life)
Three species of sunbirds (
