Showing posts with label monsoon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label monsoon. Show all posts

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Preparing the lake for the monsoon

March and April are scorching months but that's also when we get our lake ready for the monsoon.  VMware volunteers came over on 31st March to help us.

In the past when the lake was largely dry with only little pools of water that shrank by the day, volunteers had to pick up plastic bags, stray slippers, bottles and the like from a much larger area. This year with most of the 10 acre lake bed under water, only the highest point was dry and piled with the alligator weed removed from the water. If left there, they would sprout with the first shower. Some of the quickly multiplying salvinia molesta were trapped in the trash boom waiting to be lifted out. We may hate the plant but the fresh Salvinia makes a good manure. It had to be mixed with the dry leaves heaped in rows. Further, we wanted some big boulders brought to the wetland.

Volunteers at work







Many tasks and many hands. From 9 a.m. to noon, the volunteers from VMware led by Guruprasad Cashikar slaved under the hot sun doing each one of these with great cheer even though sweat dripped from their faces. They finished all the chores assigned to them but there's still more to do.

More volunteers are welcome!  

Saturday, September 5, 2015

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

Sunday, August 10, 2014

A Magical Evening

What a truly delightful evening it was on the 9th, celebrating the magic of monsoon with some 30 children! 

The 20 member team from Snehadhara Foundation (SF) led by Geetu had come well in advance to welcome the children. Despite the fact that only 4 or 5 kids had arrived on time, we began the event at the scheduled time of 5 p.m. The late-comers missed the warming up and sing along. Adult and child alike sat on the floor of the Gazebo and introductions began with each participant adding an "O" or "Aa" to their names. 

Geetu dramatized the Search for a Rain Woman, her equally talented team members adding sound effects and prompting the shy ones to open up and mimic the falling of the rain drops and gurgling of the water flowing as a stream. More children came running followed by their parents. They joined the "train" that went hopping and skipping to the Viewing Deck for the next part of the event - giving free rein to their imagination through art. 

The team members got the children in sit in one of the four designated places along the walking track that curved around the deck. Volunteers handed out sheets of white paper and crayons and the kids were invited to unleash their creativity. The Quick to Begin and Slow to Start were soon deeply involved in their artistic efforts. They didn't see the birds in the lake behind or hear the call of the Common Coot. (If they, and you, would like to hear please click on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AvfgmUuxT0).

Pic courtesy: Snehadhara Foundation

Pic: Usha Rajagopalan

The children and we, trustees, were so caught up with the excitement that we lost track of time but not the SF team! By 6.15 p.m., the "train" was ready to return to the Gazebo, this time waving their sketches triumphantly over their heads. Some children who joined very late were still at work with a few team members keeping an eye on them. Geetu wrapped up the delightful evening and everyone dispersed though clearly loathe to leave! Chin up, folks! The next event is round the corner, on 7th Sept! 

On a personal note, I have a request and a regret: 
Request - please bring your children on time so that they don't miss any of the fun. This will also teach them the value of punctuality. 

Regret - with so many children living in our residential complexes close to the lake and whose parents have been informed repeatedly through emails, the attendance was still very poor. No entry fee, art material distributed free of cost, talented story tellers, clean environment, loads of teaching through fun and yet the majority of our kids missed it all. Unfortunate indeed!

You can see more photographs here and here.

Usha

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Lake Update

The monsoon this year has receded and the top of the stakes we'd planted in the water are showing already. This means the level is falling  but hopefully come summer, there will still be enough water for the fish to survive unlike the summer of 2013. It is indeed gratifying to see more birds at the lake. The Spot-billed Ducks are five now. You can see their exquisite close up photo featured for the month of March in our calendar

Spot-billed Ducks

We managed to "rescue" a drift wood plant display stand from being burnt and bought it off a maid for Rs. 100. It is now placed on the lake bed awaiting the birds to perch on it. Several egrets feed around but we haven't seen one of them sit on the drift wood yet. The birds in the photograph are not too clear to be identified but we hope they are Lesser Whistling Ducks (featured for May in the PNLIT calendar). 

Drift-wood perch

Purple Heron in the centre

Our trees, shrubs and other plants have grown well in the past few months. See a pic of the garden near the Gazebo. 

Garden 

The water lilies we'd planted at various places are blooming and one such patch has become a nesting place for a Common Coot! It chases away other birds that come near the water with angry splashing of the water. As for the lily blooms themselves, strangely enough, the common comment we hear from regular visitors to the lake is that the sight is "calming"!!  

Water lilies

With greetings for Christmas from all of us at PNLIT. 

Usha