Saturday, December 31, 2016

As the year comes to a close

Greetings to you and your loved ones in this new year from all of us at PNLIT. The year 2016 comes to an end but several highlights made each month this year a memorable one. To recap them briefly:  

Jan. Eco Art for children conducted by Vicky Smith, U.K.

Feb. Qigong for senior citizens with Silver Talkies
Mime and theatre workshop for children with ASMI Instt. of Art, Culture and Theatre. 
Visitors from Indore Municipal Council, TARU and a lake group. 

March - Spot-billed Pelican spotted at the lake for the first time. The species is listed "Near threatened" 

April - A team of fishermen remove the thick overgrowth of aquatic weed exposing the expanse of water to the amazement of all. Lake Cleaning Project made possible with fund support from Deloitte Shared Services India Pvt. Ltd. 

May - The first showers increase the water level.
Storm water drain on south west boundary of the lake covered with concrete slabs thanks to Bosch CSR. 

June - Prototype of Artificial Floating Island to purify the water introduced; 
MoU signed with BMS College of Engineering to conduct a monthly test of the water quality.
Irrigation system pumping water from lake is installed with fund support from VMWare 

July - The lake overflows for the first time. Even passersby stop to see this wonder of a dry lake now brimming and spilling into the waste weir. 

Aug. - Radio City felicitate PNLIT at the lake with a plaque instituted by popular Kannada actor Ramesh Arvind. 

Sept. - International Literacy Day celebrated with the highest number of young participants. Conducted together with Snehadhara Foundation
PNLIT awarded a Certificate of Merit for "Contribution to Social Cause & Empowerment" by the National CSR and Leadership Awards.

Oct. Origami workshop for children conducted by Ravi Acharya.
Black drongo and Cotton Pygmy Goose spotted at the lake. 
PNLIT Trustee O P Ramaswamy steps down from the post of Treasurer. Long time volunteer Sangita Agrawal, from South City takes over from him. Divya Shetty from Brigade Palm Springs is inducted as Trustee bringing our strength to six members. 

Nov. Children's Story telling by Lavanya Prasad, founder of TALEscope. 

Dec. Our Artificial Floating Islands are a great success. 
Extensive press coverage in The HinduMagicbricks NowNews MinuteNews9 (1)News9 (2)
Several lake groups visit to see the AFI. 
PNLIT helps Biome make an AFI model for a forthcoming Kere Habba at K K Halli. 
Bird watching at Lake led by Madhurima Das
Successful trial of Trash Boom and Weed Cutter procured from Agastya Buoyant Pvt. Ltd. Howrah, West Bengal. Both are used for demonstration at various other lakes in the city. 

You can see pictures and read detailed accounts in http://plog.puttenahallilake.in/.

With but a few hours left for the midnight to usher in a new year, it is time to wrap up this one. The lake is full of surprises and nurturing it, an opportunity of a lifetime. We would not have been able to accomplish anything without help from very many quarters. Our heartfelt thanks to each one. We look forward to your continued support in the new year as well. 

A special announcement for music lovers - PNLIT is proud to announce a Carnatic vocal recital by Padma Bhushan Smt. Sudha Ragunathan at MLR Convention Hall on Sat. 25th February 2017. Save the date and watch this space for more details. 

Best regards
PNLIT team

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Bird watching session to be held on 11th December 2016

See the birds at Puttenahalli Lake

To spot birds at the lake now's the season 
Residents ho ya migratory, there's no division.
Let Madhurima show you the feathered ones
Flying, feeding and having their own fun. 


Bird watching on Dec 11th (Sunday) from 7:30 AM to 8:30 AM
Led by Madhurima Das at our own Puttenahalli Lake.

This is a free event for adults BUT seats limited to 15 only. 
Please register with Sapana <sapana_rawat@yahoo.com> asap to avoid disappointment. 

We'll organize one exclusively for children very soon! So ... Chin up, Kids!! 

About Madhurima

A birder for the last four years, her training began when she was in Michigan, USA. She has been tracking the birds at the Puttenahalli Lake from September 2014.