Event Report of Family Fun Gardening Day @ Puttenahalli Lake, J.P Nagar, on June 3rd 2023

"Bringing the community together" gardening session happened at the lake today (Saturday, June 3rd). It was a great start to a sunny day in a beautiful place. A snakebird (darter), a purple heron, a grey heron and many small and mid cormorants were out and about. Maybe a large school of tiny fish was the reason for these large birds' diving sorties. Privy to all this was a 3.5 yr old, who enjoyed this and more while raking with his tiny hands!

The young child had come with his parents to the gardening session as he loves to de-weed. In his kindergarten he is incharge of de-weeding so here he was! Unfortunately the soil was hard, so we couldn't de-weed much and turned our attention to raking the fallen leaves in the garden and the lake entrance. For an hour he was immersed in raking with his parents and had to be told to take a break.

With kids like him around, it is heartening to think that our natural resources could have a chance of a safe and flourishing future.

We invite you to bring your children next month. Let them have fun and learn to care for nature.

Pic credits : Ramu ( PNLIT gardener) and Meena ( PNLIT volunteer)

Warmly,

-Sapana

PNLIT Event Coordinator

Report of Family Fun Gardening Day at Puttenahalli lake, JP Nagar, Feb 4th @ 9:30am

We had 4 young kids and 4 adults taking part in this month's Family Fun Gardening Day at Puttenahalli lake. The youngsters were excited to see different types of leaves and insects around them, while we adults - who raked, trimmed and added manure to the plants - enjoyed their innocence and remembered our own childhood days!

Here is what one of the participants has to say:

The gardening activity along the banks of the Puttenahalli lake this Saturday (4 February 2023) took me back to my roots for a few hours - to our ancestral home in a remote island in the Sundarbans surrounded by lush green and waterbodies. It brought back memories of those wonderful days of innocence, when I was closer to nature and often overwhelmed by its sheer beauty. I felt like one of those little ones who had joined us -- curious and excited about our surroundings. And I felt very happy from within. I am glad that I took part in the activity.

Thank you to the entire team of PNLIT that is driving this initiative. You are doing an incredible job of improving our environment and making our world a better place to live. I look forward to joining you in future activities. Thanks again.

---Supriyo, a resident of South City

Thank you,

Sapana

PNLIT Event Coordinator

(Pic credits - Ramu, PNLIT Gardener)

February Family Fun Gardening Day at Puttenahalli Lake JP Nagar

"Bringing the community together" gardening session at the lake will happen on 4th Feb 2023 (Saturday).

The first Saturday of every month is open to you to exercise your green thumb; to introduce your children to gardening; to work together with your family; to de-stress; to discover the small pleasures of plants; to be one with nature, and more.  

Make the most of your neighbourhood lake. Join us on Saturday, 4th February between 9.30 a.m. and 11 a.m. for the Family Fun Gardening Saturday.

No registration required. Just come and enjoy nature!

Report on the first Family Fun Gardening Day of 2023

We are happy to share with you this report on our first Family Fun Gardening Day for 2023. It has been written by Mihika (14 yrs) who lives in the vicinity of Puttenahalli Puttakere. 

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After a gap of 4 years and more, this Saturday on 7th January 2023, we woke up early in the morning, excited to visit Puttenahalli Lake. In spite of the cold weather my sister, mother, five of my friends and I were gung-ho about spending our weekend sweating it out for a cause. We had attended the Family Fun Gardening Day at Puttenahalli Lake a few years back, before Covid, and we were really excited to go again.

At first I was nervous to meet new people and socialise but when we arrived, Sapana, Divya and Rashmi aunty from PNLIT, made us feel at home and the head gardener Ramu uncle guided us on the proper ways to complete the tasks at hand. Though there were not as many people like the earlier times we were eager to get going, so with a jump and skip we started.

The lake has become more beautiful since the last time we visited! It was now filled to the brim due to good rainfall over the past 4-5 months. We saw so many different birds enjoying the sun. I still remember the lake being dry earlier and this was such a happy contrast! I am not a regular visitor to the lake and I was soaking in the atmosphere but there was work to be done!

We started off with raking the dry leaves to clear the garden a bit, then we cut off the excess leaves growing off the hedges, after that we removed the weeds growing in the garden area. Ramu uncle guided us throughout and showed us how to do each of these tasks. It was hard work but we did take the customary selfie breaks and photo sessions.

After finishing all the tasks we were really tired but we truly enjoyed our time here. We had been so engrossed that we hadn’t looked at the clock! Those 2 + hours of work just didn’t feel like 120 minutes of raking, cleaning and deweeding. All of us had so much fun and didn't want to leave. This was the best start to a weekend!

We will surely attend the upcoming gardening events as it is truly great fun. I will also visit the lake on a regular basis. Thanks a ton to PNLIT for a memorable experience.

Mihika

Restarting our Family Fun Gardening Day in the new year

After a gap of almost 3 years, Bringing the community together gardening session at Puttenahalli lake, JP Nagar is back from January 2023!

PNLIT has made the first Saturday of every month open to you to exercise your green thumb; to introduce your children to gardening; to work together with your family; to destress; to discover the small pleasures of plants; to be one with nature, and more. So make the most of your neighbourhood lake.

Join us on Saturday, 7th January between 9.30 a.m. and 11 a.m. for the Family Fun Gardening Saturday.

No registration required. Just come with your water bottle, cap and comfortable shoes to enjoy the outdoors!

Report on the Feb 2020 Family Fun Gardening Day

8-year old Adarsh was at the lake with his grandmother, much before the start time of 9:30 a.m. for the family gardening fun!

Our main task was to prune the overgrown hedge in the viewing deck, then clear the leaves to add to the compost bin. Adarsh was up for all of it and along with his grandmother he set to task. After having done more than a quarter of the deck, we all felt a bit tired and started to rake the leaves to rest our palms. Pruning and clearing the whole deck today looked impossible.

When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it - goes a saying. And the universe did conspire and out of nowhere came an army soldier to help us!

He was doing his run around the lake, saw a young kid and two ladies going chop chop and getting tired. He politely asked if he can also join in and went about pruning half the deck and more around the area. Seeing him we were also filled with new energy and finished all our tasks.

Turned out the soldier is on leave from his posting in J&K, he is in Bangalore to help his parents settle and has been visiting our lake for his daily runs as he has to keep fit. We had to ask him to stop as it was over 11 a.m.

Salute to the soldier, and to Adarsh and his grandmom, and their helping spirit. May their tribe increase.

Warmly,

Sapana

Event report - Family Fun Gardening Day at the Lake on 4th Jan 2020

One could not have asked for a better start to the new year at the lake. 

Four young boys - Aryan, Arjun, Aadarsh and Rohan with their respective parents came with smiles and enthusiasm which only a child can bring to our world. There were four children and five adults who enjoyed the sun lit lake while doing their bit in helping the lake.

The children loved pruning the hedges, then raking the leaves and wheeling it away in a wheel barrow. They shared their pruning scissors, the wheel barrow and rakes with each other (the pictures say it all!). The excitement in finding a red powder puff flower, a green color spider and a snail shell was contagious. At the end, each couldn't stop asking for more gardening time and made their parents promise to bring them again to the next Family fun gardening day.

We hope to see them and more children, and you in our next session.

Family Fun Gardening Day at the Lake - 7th Dec 2019

Bringing the community together gardening session at the lake is back!

The first Saturday of every month is open to you to exercise your green thumb; to introduce your children to gardening; to work together with your family; to de-stress; to discover the small pleasures of plants; to be one with nature, and more.

Make the most of your neighbourhood lake. Join us on Saturday, 7th Dec between 9.30 a.m. and 11 a.m. for the Family Fun Gardening Saturday.

No registration required. Just come and enjoy the outdoors!

Cheers,
Sapana
PNLIT Event Co-ordinator

Family Fun Gardening Day at the Lake - August 3rd @ 9:30am

Our lake is going through a bad phase presently. Let's show we care for our Puttenahalli Lake by coming together for the gardening session at the lake  on August 3rd 2019.

The first Saturday of every month is open to you to exercise your green thumb; to introduce your children to gardening; to work together with your family; to de-stress; to discover the small pleasures of plants; to be one with nature, and more.

Make the most of your neighbourhood lake. Join us on this Saturday, 3rd August between 9.30 a.m. and 11 a.m. for the Family Fun Gardening Saturday.

No registration required. Just come and show that you care!

Warmly,

Sapana
PNLIT Event Co-ordinator

Family Fun Gardening Day at the Lake , July 6th - Event Report

Our new lake manager Rashmi had made all the arrangements and welcomed the volunteers to Family Gardening Fun day on 6th July. 

Darsh, a teenager who is doing Social Action Program for his school involved himself in every gardening activity for more than an hour. Along with another volunteer Dinesh, Darsh pruned the hedges and removed the dead leaves. They then transferred all the leaves to the composting bins. Overall a very satisfying day at the lake.

See you all at our next Family Gardening Fun day on the first Saturday of next month i.e 3rd August.

Cheers,
-Vijaylakshmi

Family Fun Gardening Day at the Lake - June 1st @ 9:30am

"Bringing the community together" gardening session at the lake is back after the summer break!

As you would know by now, the first Saturday of every month is open to you to exercise your green thumb; to introduce your children to gardening; to work together with your family; to destress; to discover the small pleasures of plants; to be one with nature, and more.  

Make the most of your neighbourhood lake. Join us on this Saturday, 1st June between 9.30 a.m. and 11 a.m. for the Family Fun Gardening Saturday.

No registration required. Just come and enjoy nature!

The March Family Gardening Day

There is no better way to get away from a sterile digital world and into the wonderful elemental world of nature than to spend some time at our neighborhood  lake. Therefore, the soaring day temperatures did not keep away the 13 odd children and adults from participating in an enjoyable, full-fledged gardening session yesterday morning at the lake. We had a pleasurable two hours of weeding, clipping hedges, shoveling dead leaves and sweeping the walkways clean, all in the backdrop of the sparkling lake.

The boundless enthusiasm and energy of the young ones was heartening. One mother who had come with her two young daughters told me: "Nothing can be more healing than this. We city people need it."

This echoes what the famous naturalist Rachel Carson said- " city dwellers need to find some place to open up the disused channels of sensory perception." I am sure she would recommend Puttenahalli lake! 

Our next Family Gardening Fun Day will be on April 6th @ 9:30AM.

Vijayalakshmi

PNLIT volunteer

Pictures: Divya Shetty  

2019's first Gardening Day - a report

The first family gardening on Saturday 5th January was a great start to 2019. 

It was a glorious winter morning at the lake. The sun shone brightly on the trees and the water, one could see only sparkles everywhere!

Schools of fish could be spotted at various points making the cormorants a happy lot. A Spot-billed Pelican which has been visiting the lake regularly of late, came around to enjoy the sun and the lake much to the delight of our "Family Gardeners."

Trees like the White Silk Cotton and Ball Badminton are flowering. The deciduous Mahogany is still fully barren but the Thespesia is growing new leaves after shedding all their old ones on our avenue side!

They had provided enough work for the volunteers today - 5 adults, 4 children and 2 young adults. They all raked the fallen leaves and collected them for composting. When this was done, some of them set to trimming the hedges while others watered the plants. No one noticed how the hour and half went by!

One of the first time participants, a 5 year old introduced her aunt who had brought her because, as she said, her mom and dad are at home. Dad was watching television.

Keeping a straight face, I told her to get her dad to bring her the next time. 

She said, "He doesn't listen to anyone. He is a naughty boy."

Childhood is like no other phase in one's life because it is filled with wonder and curiosity. Nurture it!  Join us with your children in our next Family Fun Gardening Day on Saturday 2nd February.

Warmly,

Sapana

Event Coordinator, PNLIT

Family Gardening Day at the Lake - 6th October

The overcast weather kept most of the interested volunteers away from the lake last Saturday, which was our monthly Family Gardening Day. But it did not deter Mrs. Vijayalakshmi, a young at heart senior citizen residing in the neighbourhood. She came on time and worked through the drizzle till 11 a.m.!

Here is what she has to say.

"I went home feeling refreshed and relaxed. Picking up dead leaves, digging the soil, trimming hedges and just gazing at the turning colours of the lake on a rainy day are great stress busters! I would recommend this for all the senior citizens here. It's a cure for all old age ailments."  

Thank you so much dear Vijayalakshmi. We wish to see you again and again! 

And to those who couldn't make it, do join us on 3rd November, the next Family Gardening Day at the Lake. 

Cheers,
-Sapana

PNLIT Event Coordinator

Report - September Family Gardening Day at the Lake

The family gardening session was very productive this morning. Fourteen residents from the neighbourhood (7 children and 7 adults) deweeded the sidewalk area and sheared the hedges.

Ritvik (Christ college student) did a great job in pruning the hedges uniformly for more than an hour and wanted to keep going beyond 11 a.m.! It felt wonderful to have a young adult like him contributing his Saturday morning to nature.

Everyone enjoyed the bright morning watching Greater Cormorants (4 of them!) take off and land on the water. Guest appearances were made by a tiny snail, a skink, small beetles,spiders and other insects much to the delight of the little ones.

Vishu (RVCE student) who has been volunteering with PNLIT since he was in 7th Standard delighted the little ones more with the close up shots of the Greater Cormorants taken on his DLSR camera.

In our next Family Gardening Day (Oct 6th) hope to see more of you.

Family gardening day July 7th - Report

A lovely morning at the lake started with 2 adults and 1 child assembled at 9:30 am at the gazebo to do their bit for their lake.We, the PNLIT members, wondered what tasks we can do with just 3 of them, but 5-year-old Avani solved our problem as she was all for deweeding and  wanted to remove "bad" plants first, like she did last month.

So off we went with our mini trowels, shovels and rakes and started pulling out the "bad" ones. By 10 am we were 7 adults and 13 kids de-weeding the sidewalk area, raking the dry leaves and pushing them around the trees, shoveling the soil and shearing the hedges. It was a pleasant surprise to see what 13 kids can do when they get to doing!

A loud shout-out to the parents who brought their kids and their friends to work at the lake today. We hope other parents and kids will also join us in the family gardening day on the first Saturday of every month. Next one will be on Aug 4th. 

Sapana
Gardening activity volunteer