Impact Day for Deloitte volunteers

The morning of 27th November saw the coming of enthusiastic Deloitte volunteers to Puttenahalli Lake as part of their yearly  'Impact Day event'.  Around 30 of them gathered at the gazebo to know more about the lake, how it was brought back to life and to find out how they could help.

Mr.S. Sundaresan from Deloitte kickstarted the proceedings by telling the others about our struggle to revive the lake and all the hard work that has gone behind it. As a resident of the neighbourhood (Mr. Sundaresan lives in South City), he had clearly kept himself abreast with the progress updates that are regularly sent out by PNLIT trustees. Mr Ramaswamy (Trustee, PNLIT) elaborated the challenges faced by the PNLIT team and about the long road ahead to complete the transformation. Mrs.Nupur Jain (Trustee, PNLIT) briefed the volunteers about the work that was planned for them to make an "impact" - repairing of broken benches in the gazebo, planting of saplings around the lake. The volunteers divided themselves into teams and set out to work with great excitement. Our neighbourhood volunteers Kalai and Divya, our manager Susheela and gardeners were actively around to coordinate their work. 

Some of the volunteers helped repair the benches which had been broken by miscreants a month ago, guided by the mason who had been called. The volunteers lifted the heavy stone slabs and placed them on the bases, brought bricks, mixed the cement and so on. They also cleaned up the gazebo area. 

Others were immersed in gardening work. From mixing the soil and manure to pushing the wheel barrow loaded with plants and tools, they enjoyed every bit. The hot sun above them did not dampen their spirits and they worked hard till it was lunchtime. It was a joy supervising them and listening to their talk. 

Deloitte had arranged for a quick but tasty lunch for all and then it was back to work. By 3:30 p.m. the volunteers completed all the work that had been planned for them. They were exhausted but deeply satisfied with what they had managed to accomplish that day. 

In appreciation of all their hard work, the volunteers each received a PNLIT wristband. Till their next visit to the lake, these bands that celebrate lakes and the group selfies/ photographs that they took would remind them of their Impact Day at Puttenahalli Lake. 

Sincere thanks to Deloitte volunteers for their contribution to Puttenahalli Lake.

- as reported by Nupur Jain with minor edits

Order your PNLIT Calendar 2016!

Our Puttenahalli lake is a little world in itself, of the best kind because it includes birds, butterflies, trees, flowers and more. Showcasing these is our calendar for the new year, "Life at Puttenahalli Lake."  Take a sneak peek at the gorgeous photos taken by experienced photographers who are also from our neighbourhood.

Each of these photos shows the miracle that is Nature. We are printing a limited number of copies. If you would like to have a copy or two, or more, please place your order in advance. 

Calendar details

Format - Desk top 

Size - 5.7" x 8.5" (roughly A5)

No. of sheets - 8 (16 pages)

Paper - 300 gsm art paper

Binding - Spiral 

Cost - Rs. 220 only

Place your order with: Ms. Nupur Jain <nupur21@gmail.com> (nupur21 at gmail dot com); mob. +91 9886629769

Let Life at Puttenahalli Lake adorn your desk and remind you how precious, how beautiful life is. 

Can you get us CSR fund to clean our lake?

Dear Friends, 

Even if you do not visit our Puttenahalli lake too often, our updates would tell you of the trials, tribulations and thrills we experience as citizen custodians. We are much more than a mere watchdog body. Slowly but surely we have been taking several steps to improve the quality of the lake and sensitizing the locality about its importance. 

The rain and regular inflow of excess treated water from the South City STP are increasing the level beautifully in our lake but growing profusely along with it is the alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides; honagone soppu). This is a weed that grows lush on land and in water. Just a bit is enough for it to multiply! We need to remove it before it covers and kills the lake. The amount we need for this is between Rs. 10 to 12 lakhs. To ensure that the weed doesn't recur we want to enter into an annual maintenance contract for at least three years with the lake cleaning team. This will cost about Rs. 3 lakhs a year. 

While BBMP is supportive and in fact, they cleaned the lake only in March this year, they do not have the funds. Even if they do, procedural delays will lead to the weed growing some more. We need corporates to pitch in through their CSR. Can you get us CSR fund to clean our lake? 

Indeed, do please share this request with as many of your friends and contacts as you can. Together let's tackle this menace. After working so hard to rejuvenate the lake we don't want to surrender it to an obnoxious invasive weed!

Many thanks

Regards

Usha

Chairperson, PNLIT

mob. 72597 22996

What a shower!

The rain yesterday took all by surprise. Not us though since we are in the habit of looking at the sky for rain bearing clouds. Nevertheless, we hoped and prayed, that the dark clouds would not glide away but show their mercy on the lake. It did and how! 

It is good news and bad news really since the rain is washing away the soil on the slope but this is a far easier problem to solve than how to prevent vandalism!

Usha

Pics: Nupur Jain

Evil or Empty Minds?

Last Tuesday, on 27th October, when our gardeners came to work at 9 a.m., they saw four of the Cuddappa stone seats in the Gazebo smashed, 15 out of the 20 heavy Sadarahalli granite seat of benches along the walking track were upturned and one broken into two. See the pix. We are used to vandals breaking the glass windows of the cabin, ripping apart our signages, pulling down branches of trees, even uprooting them but this incident takes it to another level altogether. Who did this in the dark of the night? Evil minds or empty minds? 

We informed BBMP immediately who in turn filed a police complaint. BBMP provides security with Home Guards. On that fateful night, the guard was on leave and no replacement had been provided. As citizen custodians, we have been maintaining the lake to the best of our ability. The lake is for the benefit of the community and we have never stopped anyone from entering the premises, day or night. BBMP may be the owner of the lake but it belongs equally to all of us. We need to come together and protect it from such vicious, meaningless acts. 

To ensure that you who visit the lake are not inconvenienced, we have put back the granite slabs. The broken seats will be replaced as soon as we are able to raise the money. For your part, we urge you to be vigilant. Don't let anyone misuse the lake or damage government property. Remember, it is OUR lake. 

We look forward to your support to maintain and protect Puttenahalli Lake.

PNLIT team

Cisco volunteers at Puttenahalli Lake

On 8th October 2015, a group of 34 volunteers from Cisco livened up Puttenahalli Lake with their good humored banter, comments and most of all, with their swift and efficient planting of saplings to form a protective hedge along the side of the walking track. This was done to prevent stray dogs from going down the embankment and chasing the birds away. By planting the saplings the Cisco volunteers saved a great deal of labour for us and our gardeners. By sending us the report below, they saved us the trouble of writing one as well! Sincere thanks to Cisco's Jagadeesh Maiya and Sudarshan Ganapathi, who led the volunteers and special thanks to Girisha Shankar for the report. - Usha (Trustee, PNLIT)

Puttenahalli Lake plantation drive (A CSR initiative by CSG-CNX India team)

- Report by Girisha Shankar (with minor edits)

When was the last time that the CNX engineers dug out live bugs? And when was the last time that a white-breasted kingfisher got spotted within city?

It was a sunny afternoon threatened by the evening rains. Thirty four (34) engineers from Cisco (where long-time PNLIT-donor Jagadeesh Maiya works) decided to spend the afternoon planting saplings by the walking track on the Puttenahalli lake shore. We all assembled around 2.30. Ms. Usha Rajagopalan, a trustee from Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust gave us a brief overview of the lake and how it was restored. Her inspiring speech was all that we needed to get into the act. Teams were formed from the assembled group. Equipped with spears, pick-axe and shovels we set out. As one person dug the hole, the second one removed the plastic cover of the sapling, the third planted the sapling, the fourth watered the plant and off to the next one. A few volunteered to transport saplings and water for the small teams that were ahead. It was an example of multiprocessor, with pipelining!!! The recent rains helped by keeping the soil loose and easy to dig. 

As the enthusiasm soared, the sleeping earthworms and beetles rushed out of their safe haven to see what was happening – scaring some of the engineers in the process. But were relocated safely without getting harmed. Some of us were lucky to spot some birds – such as white-breasted kingfisher. With all the saplings that we planted, may be we have increased the possibility of sighting more birds in this park in future.

The weather was helpful – by not raining. As many as 450+ saplings were planted by the team in the session. But soon, most of us, not accustomed to this kind of work, were

all tired. Sudarshan brought home made Puliyogare and Mamtha brought Ginger tea from Cisco campus. They were devoured by one and all in that park. Rejuvenated by the delicious food, digging/planting/watering continued till we planted all 700 saplings.

Our team got a boost when Junior Sudarshan (Sumukha), Junior Jagadeesh(s) (Sriram and Arjun) joined to lend their hands. The evening ended with an enthralling speech from Jagadeesh. With a few blisters in hand, yet with great satisfaction, we dispersed.

This is the beginning of continued volunteering. For ease of communication an internal alias (volunteers-pnlit) is being created with all the 34 volunteers included. The alias is open for more volunteers to register.

Puttenahalli Lake and Navaratri

We are wary of festivals because of the toll they take on water bodies in general and our lake in particular. Navaratri, however, became special for us since 2013 when a South City resident Raji decided to make our Puttenahalli Lake part of her "Golu." Invited for haldi kumkum, we walked in and stopped short. What? Our Lake in the Golu? The lake made of chart paper and little figures was almost an exact replica of Puttenahalli Lake. Raji and her son Aditya had anticipated it full of water and their model had an expanse of blue when in reality the lake bed was more green with weeds. This unusual representation during a festival of dolls caught the eye of the press and Jagran City Plus carried this story.

At Navaratri last year we had another heartwarming surprise when a Brigade Millennium resident, Anjana Shivakumar decided to revere Mother Nature by donating to PNLIT the money she would otherwise have spent on gifts for her haldi kumkum guests. We returned her kind gesture by "gifting" her and her 40 odd friends with an Indian Rosewood (Sheesham) growing tall and stately in the Viewing Deck. You can read this story here. 

(Pic: Nupur Jain)

This year Anjana has once again decided to pay her respects to Nature, the Supreme Mother, through Puttenahalli Lake. The photograph above shows the pride of place Anjana has given the lake and also indeed, how much the Sheesham has grown in this one year. 

Raji's dream of seeing the lake full of water is also slowly and steadily becoming a reality with the inflow of excess treated water from South City Sewage Treatment Plant. 

Our major challenge now is to remove the invasive alligator weed and reveal the water in all its glory for our communities of humans and birds. This is a huge challenge and expensive as well but with the prayers of people like Anjana and Raji directed towards the welfare of the lake, we shall overcome this hurdle. 

Navaratri greetings to all from PNLIT.

Usha

Prakrti Mitra Award for PNLIT

PNLIT is happy and thankful to be honoured with the “Prakrti Mitra Award”, instituted jointly by BNM Institute of Technology, Bangalore and Heritage, a non-profit NGO. 

The award was received on behalf of PNLIT by trustee Nupur Jain, former trustee Prasanna Vynatheya and volunteer Divya Shetty, at a function held at the BNM Institute of Technology campus during the institute’s Srishti Sambhrama Festival on 23rd September 2015. 

A beautiful citation was given to PNLIT:

“In recognition of the exemplary service rendered to the community, and to the Nation, extending itself to protecting, preserving, and promoting the cause of the Environment and Mother Nature in JP Nagar.

… For effectively giving a new lease of life by rejuvenating and maintaining the Puttenahalli Lake through inlet feeding, water treatment and sewerage elimination, thus regulating and restoring the lake, to benefit the citizens of Bengaluru.”

Srishti Sambhrama, or the Earth Mother Festival, is an annual forum that gives an insight into our Natural Heritage. As a part of the festival, the Prakrti Mitra Award is given every year to “people with excellent achievement in the field of conservation of environment and protection of wildlife, who have displayed an outstanding level of motivation, enthusiasm and leadership qualities with a relentless effort beyond their call of duty”. Apart from PNLIT, Mr V. Balasubramanian and Kiran P. Kulkarni were also awardees.

The focus this year was “Sacred Waters” – all water is sacred and the life giver and sustainer of Planet Earth. Held over two days (23rd/24th Sep), the festival included contests, screening of documentaries and inter-active talks with renowned scholars, scientists and environmentalists. 

During the inauguration of Srishti Sambhrama (Pics: Nupur)

How the Boy got his Drum at Puttenahalli Lake on 12th September

Thank god it didn't rain! We never thought we would say this but it was important that the early evening of Sat. 12th Sept remained nice and dry. "Keshavraju Thippaswamy" wanted a drum above everything else. Would he get it was the question in the minds of the 30 odd children who had gathered in the Gazebo at the Puttenahalli Lake in South Bengaluru. The occasion was a celebration, though a little delayed, of International Literacy Day with a story telling by Geetu and team from the Snehadhara Foundation in an event organized by PNLIT. As part of its One Day One Story campaign, Pratham Books had chosen the engaging tale of "The Boy and his drum" written by Umesh P N and illustrated by Rajiv Eipe.

Together with the Snehadhara team, PNLIT trustees and volunteers hung banners, spread durries on the floor and completed the arrangements for the fun to begin at 4.30 p.m.  But where were the kids? Except for the organizers' children, there were hardly any others! Once Geetu began the narration, however, children from the neighbourhood flocked in, their feet gathering speed when they heard the clapping, singing and loud laughter from the Gazebo. 

With Geetu and her friends becoming the characters in the play, no one in the slowly growing audience could remain aloof. Under the spell of the artists, they became Keshavraju, the cheerful, large hearted boy and his mother who gifts him with a piece of wood instead of the drum that he yearns for. The rapt audience became in turn the grandfather, the potter's wife, the washer man, the bridegroom and among others, even a horse all of whom he meets along the way. He gets his drum at last but the children and their parents didn't want the fun to end. The versatile artists obligingly led the group to sing a couple of songs together.

Literally shouting their thanks to Geetu and her friends and wishing that they get another opportunity soon, the children and their parents left with grins still plastered on their faces. 

For some the excitement of the story was heightened by walking around the lake and spotting birds before it became too dark. Six year old Niranjan resolved that he would come soon to see a bird's nest. If he also gets to hear Snehadhara tell another story, well, that would be the icing on his cake!

Here's hoping that for the next event at the lake, more children will join and that they will reach the venue on time. Punctuality is best taught in childhood!

Best regards

Usha

Time transforms

With tender loving care and good intent, the saplings at Puttenahalli Lake are now trees!

Coconut grove side avenue

Road side avenue

How much water entered the lake?

It rained heavily in Bangalore last night.

"How much water entered the lake last night?" This is the question we've been asked since morning. Well, this is the first thing we checked ourselves. The answer - take a look at the photos. For a comparison, we've attached an aerial view of the lake taken by Geetha Srikrishnan on 17th August 2015, after the rain the previous night. Her aerial view of the lake taken today is attached as well. Thanks to Geetha and Amod for helping us answer The Question with their photographs.

17th August 2015  (Pic: Geetha Srikrishnan)

5th September 2015 (Pic: Geetha Srikrishnan)

5th September 2015 (Pic: Amod Malviya)

It is said to have been a stormy rainy night when Sri Krishna was born and hence it invariably rains on the eve of Janmashtami. Or perhaps the downpour last night was the precursor to the North East Monsoon, well ... 

:-)

Janmashtami greetings to all from us at PNLIT.

And happy Teachers' Day to our teachers.

Best regards

Usha