A memorable "Doosra"

Those familiar with cricket would know that "doosra" is a cricket term that refers to a type of delivery bowled by off-spin bowlers (just like a "bouncer" is bowled by fast bowlers). Off-spinners generally bowl off-breaks. A doosra is the opposite of an off-break, i.e. it spins in the direction opposite to an off-break, taking the batsmen by surprise because the delivery he receives would not be what he expects. 

"Doosra", an English play written and directed by Anand Raghav and performed by Paradigm Creations seems to have lived up to its name and surprised many who saw it.

Sanjay Mysoremutt, a JP Nagar resident who who attended one of the two charity shows staged at MLR Convention Centre, JP Nagar in aid of PNLIT, said, "The play was brilliant, enjoyed it more than watching a good movie! Excellent use of video and live performance. And I expected it to be a good comedy but it was deeply thought-provoking as well beyond the topic of cricket, especially the parent-child relationship and discussion on values."

The 90 minutes of "Doosra" very vividly depicted the changes in the game of cricket - from 'the' gentlemen's game to a commercial venture. The humour throughout the play had the audience in splits while also touching them in a more serious way. Video projections of cricket match scenes as a backdrop made the play unique in that it felt like watching a real match.   

A scene from Doosra (Pic: Harish Mahendrakar)           

Ganesh, a 20-year old ambitious cricketer finally gets selected to represent India. With this, his life sees significant changes, driven by power, politics, money and pressure. Ganesh's parents try to guide him onto the path that they see as the right path. To know how Ganesh's life progressed after the brushes with fans, teammates, bookies and politicians, wait for the next show of Doosra! 

This was the first time that PNLIT was organising a fund raising event of this magnitude. It would never have been possible without the support of the Paradigm Creations theatre team, the team from Brigade Hospitality's MLRCC and the volunteers from the Puttenahalli Lake area. PNLIT is sincerely thankful to all those who helped in reaching out to people, talking to them about Puttenahalli Lake, PNLIT and the play, getting donations, spreading the word and doing everything else to ensure that the event went off smoothly. A big thank you to all the donors.   

The Doosra team (Pic: Harish Mahendrakar)

Chander, who attended the play wrote, "It was a superb double whammy and has inspired my family to join in your cause for the development of the lake.We are on standby for any help and assistance and would consider it as an honor and privilege to be a part of this great effort that you have initiated with the other trust members." 

PNLIT hopes that many other Bangaloreans have also been touched in the same way as Chander and will help in the rejuvenation efforts at Puttenahalli Lake and other lakes in Bangalore - by supporting, volunteering, donating. 

Photos of the evening, taken by PNLIT Shutterbug Harish Mahendrakar can be found here.

Other photo links 

OP Ramaswamy

Sanjay Mysoremutt

Anush Photography (Facebook link)

Smitha Chandan (Facebook link)

Please walk past the lake on 13th to reach MLR

Please use "Doosra" as an excuse to walk through the lake and reach MLR Convention Centre. You'll see that the water level is low. It is covered with Salvinia Molesta. BUT don't miss the birds. It is likely that you can id the birds yourself but just in case you want to know - Purple Moor Hens are plenty. So also pond herons. The Purple Heron (we have a pair) take a little spotting. They are big but sit so still while waiting for prey, you may not even notice them. The Ashy Prinias are plenty too but they are small, and not easy to spot either unless they fly out into the open. They are also called warblers and you may hear their cheerful "tweet ... tweet." Other birds to look out for are: White breasted Kingfishers, White breasted Waterhens, Bronze winged Jacanas, Tailor birds, sun birds and mynahs. All these are our resident birds - Salvinia or no Salvinia. Bless them!

Going from South City, please take the walking track on the left. (The pathway on the slum side has been dug up further ahead for the BWSSB to lay a bigger Under Ground Drainage pipeline.) As you walk along the track, look at the assorted trees. The smaller ones near the turning were planted only a few months ago. Those towards the Gazebo were planted from July 2010. Some are very tall and some have begun flowering as well. As part of the 3rd phase, the BBMP has laid an irrigation pipeline all along the fence. To prevent miscreants from ripping it up, it is laid underground. However, you will see a short length of blue - grey plastic occasionally jutting out of the ground. A valve will be fixed to these ends. Once water connection is given, we will fix a hose pipe and draw water from these points. When it becomes operational, we intend to plant shrubs between two trees within the inner grill. The shrubs will serve the dual purpose of attracting butterflies while deterring trespassers from crossing the fence.

As you come out of the lake premises, the huge concrete pipe lengths outside are for the diversion channel to harvest rain water from Brigade Millennium (BM) road into the lake. The contractor wanted to begin work last week. We requested him to do so after the play on Sunday (so that you can walk through to reach MLR). Our lake is one of the very few in the city to be free of sewage inflow, hence the low water level. With the new diversion channel in place, we hope more rain water will enter the lake. Well before monsoon, the contractor will remove the Salvinia from the surface of the water. More birds will then return to the lake making it once again a little bird sanctuary in our neighbourhood! 

After this walk or after seeing the play, if you feel peckish please visit the MLR Snacks counter. Kai Ruchi will be serving Hot Bhajji, chaats, hot and cold beverages at reasonable rates.

On your way back from MLR, take another good look around the lake and its premises. Together with the BBMP we are slowly inching towards transforming the lake with lots of clean water, birds and butterflies. We need your support to sustain our work. Come to the lake as often as you want, help us effect the transformation!

Oh yes! If you didn't get donor passes in advance, it doesn't matter. You can get them at the venue. Two shows: 3.30 and 7 p.m. Each pass goes to nurturing the lake and remember, you can claim IT exemption u/s 80G. Go for it! See Doosra! Help our lake!

Those from BM side (who can reach MLR without crossing the lake) can still take a walk to the lake before coming back to MLR!

PNLIT Team

A "Doosra" in aid of PNLIT

"Doosra has a strong script and an unwavering focus on the theme. The subject is new and the dialogue well crafted, scoring sixes quite often with punch lines. Mention must be made of the several humorous moments. The exchange between Ganesh's parents on cricket as a career is particularly endearing." - The Hindu

"The play is worth watching for its appealing cast, humorous and witty dialogues. As the Video footage of Cricket is used in the play, one feels that one is watching cricket live."  - Deccan Herald

Doosra’s protagonist is the Game of Cricket. The changes in the game are depicted through the life of Ganesh, a 20 year old lad who gets selected to represent the country. The young cricketer's metamorphosis is driven by the forces of power, politics, money and pressure and is depicted in the 90 minute play which, through its various characters, illustrates the changing phase of the game which over the years has grown from a sport to a commercial venture.

The play offers the perspectives of - a father who still believes in the values of the game, an obsessed fan with a love and hate attitude, a Captain who is victimized, a Bookie who represents the darker side of the game and a Politician who patronizes the game for money. The highlight of the play is video projections as back drop - a feature that one is unlikely to have experienced in plays in India.

The play will be staged by Paradigm Creation, in aid of PNLIT.

DATE: SUNDAY, 13th JAN 2013                TIME: 3.30 p.m. and 7.00 p.m.

VENUE:  MLR CONVENTION CENTRE, BRIGADE MILLENNIUM,

JP NAGAR 7^th PHASE, BANGALORE 560078

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FOR DONOR PASSES PLEASE CONTACT

Sujata - sujathaleo@yahoo.com, Cell 9880054070
Usha - puttenahalli.lake@gmail.com, Cell 7259722996 
Nupur - nupur21@gmail.com, Cell 9886629769
Ramaswamy - opr.sulo@gmail.com, Cell 9845079076

DONATIONS TO PNLIT ARE EXEMPT u/s 80G OF THE INCOME TAX ACT

Will your donation cheque be valid after 31st Dec 2012?

Till about a week ago, the answer to this would have been, “Only CTS-2010 Standard cheques will be valid after 31^st Dec 2012”. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the date for banks and consumers to meet the standard to 31^st March 2013, vide circular dated 14^th Dec 2012.

What does this all mean?

CTS = Cheque Truncation System

The basis of CTS technology lies in the use of images of cheques (instead of the physical cheques) for payment processing. So cheques will not physically travel to the originating bank for clearance, but instead, scanned images will be transmitted. This will also eliminate the concept of ‘outstation cheques’ as all cheques will be multi-city/ payable at par all over India.

The new ‘CTS-2010 Standard’ for cheques by the RBI is now scheduled to come into effect on 1^st April 2013. 

From 1^st April 2013, only CTS-2010 Standard cheque leaves, with certain prescribed features, will be generally accepted by banks. However, residual non-CTS-2010 Standard cheques that get presented beyond this date would continue to be accepted for clearing but they would be cleared at less frequent intervals, and possibly at a fee.

Give your cheques a check

If your cheque book was issued after August 2011 it is likely that your cheques are already compliant. If your cheques do not have the features of either of the cheque leaves below, then you will need to get a new CTS-2010 Standard cheque book before you can issue cheques to others for presentation, 1^st April 2013 onwards. Non-CTS-2010 cheque leaves would still be usable for withdrawals at the home branch.

Features on CTS-2010 Standard cheque leaves

Exciting times for our lake!

The Salvinia Molesta covering the surface of our little Puttenahalli Lake has not deterred all the birds! Our regulars, the Purple Swamphens, Purple Heron, Pond Herons among others had refused to leave the lake even though the invasive aquatic fern was spreading on the water. They have now been joined by a Grey Heron, a couple of Cormorants and Kingfishers! The Kingfisher especially is good news. It means that the water below the Salvinia is still fresh and alive. These were just a few of the birds we spotted in the midst of what seems like a 1001 tasks we have to do at the lake. Not that we are complaining about the tasks since we mooted them ourselves. :-)

These are exciting times for our lake. On our request the BBMP has issued a work order to execute a number of initiatives which will infuse new life into the lake.

The first of these is the Diversion Channel to draw surface rain water from the Brigade Millennium avenue road into the lake. The Channel will be laid from the BM arch to the lake. According to a Total Station survey done in Sept 2011 to assess the feasibility of diverting this water, the quantum entering through this new feeder channel will be quite substantial. The first of the massive (45 inches inner diameter) pipes have been unloaded and will be kept in place soon. The channel will be put to test during the next monsoon.

Pipes for the Diversion Channel

The contractor has also been entrusted with de-weeding the lake. Getting rid of the Salvinia Molesta is not going to be easy. It has to be removed manually from the water, dried and then disposed appropriately. The contractor's men are clearing another lake and once that is done, they will start de-weeding ours. We had only heard of Salvinia Molesta but not seen it at close quarters before. It is a beautiful aquatic fern, so decorative that it is sometimes used in home aquariums. However, the smallest fragment of the fern can double its dry weight in about two days, spread like a blanket over large water bodies and is known to have killed lakes across the world. We have learned our lesson with Salvinia Molesta. Any time in future that we spot a piece in our lake, we will pluck it out of the water. We have geared ourselves very well for this with a variety of rakes to snatch out the smallest bit of this hateful fern.

Gardeners at work clearing the slopes

While waiting for the Diversion Channel pipes to arrive, the contractor got his men to start digging a trench and laying an Irrigation Pipeline all around the lake to facilitate watering the plants. At present we get water tankers to fill the tanks and the gardeners use the wheel barrow to ferry filled buckets to water our 320 trees, many shrubs and other plants. A laborious task to say the least not to mention an expensive one. The bore wells around the lake are recharged thanks to the lake but the well operators do not reduce their charge one bit! The Irrigation Pipeline will enable us to plant two more rows of trees on the slope, countless small flowering plants between trees on the embankment, shrubs, creepers, climbers and what have you to give ourselves a green nice cover in the neighbourhood.

Irrigation Pipeline trenches

If you think these are just pipe dreams, please visit the lake and see the work happening. Perhaps you can supervise the workers and relieve us of that chore? Perhaps you may like to join us in our effort to maintain, or rather, transform a lake with people power?

Usha Rajagopalan

13th Jan 2013, A play fundraiser: Doosra - The Story of Cricket

SAVE THE DATE: Sunday 13th Jan 2012 

Two shows - 3:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Doosra - The Story of Cricket is being staged at MLR Convention Centre, Brigade Millennium, J.P. Nagar 7th Phase. 

Come watch this quality English play and also help in the cause of lake restoration and maintenance.

For donor passes, in aid of PNLIT, contact:
 - Sujata, Usha, Nupur, Ramaswamy (details on the poster).

Encouraging the bicycle

“The provision of secure, well located cycle parking is essential if people are to be encouraged to use a bicycle as a means of transport. By indicating to the public that cyclists are welcome, cycle parking facilities act as a message to motorists to consider cycling in the future.” – “Cycle parking” Information Sheet - Apr 2004, issued by Sustrans and Cyclists’ Touring Club, UK  

Cycle stand installed at Puttenahalli Lake (Pic: OP Ramaswamy)

Cycle parking at public spaces has never been a priority in Bangalore, and for that matter anywhere in India. Most residential and commercial spaces are designed with no consideration for cycle parking and often, cyclists have to scuffle with security guards to get space for their cycles at offices and hotels. Even a much patronized place like Lal Bagh got its first proper cycle stand only in July 2011.

Cycle stand installed at Lal Bagh (Pic: Mayank Rungta)

In contrast to India, in many other countries, such as Japan, where I recently spent a few days, cycle racks and parking lots for cycles, formal and informal, can be found just everywhere! The Japanese model where cyclists and pedestrians share the same space is one that could work well in India – the cycle-paths and footpaths are one, and often, the seating spaces provided for people are designed to double up as cycle parking spaces. So people on cycles and people walking use the same infrastructure.              

Cycle rack on the ground level of a small apartment block, Tokyo

 

Cycle rack at Ueno Park Lake, Tokyo

Sidewalk, Tokyo

Bench-cum-cycle-stand, Tokyo

Cycle parking lot, Hiroshima

A common practice: cycles chained to poles on the sidewalk, Kyoto

Cyclists and pedestrians share the sidewalk, Hiroshima

(Pics in Japan: Arathi Manay) 

Our gardeners at the lake (who come to work on cycles) had mentioned that they were worried about the safety of their cycles while at work, so they would often keep them inside the shed. Some of the visitors who cycled to the lake would chain their cycles to the chain-link fencing, poles or growing tree trunks while they went around the lake for walks or jogs. While these are practical options, we felt that we really did need to give some dedicated space to cycles so that those who use them will know that we want to encourage their use. What we needed was a place for about ten cycles to be parked and secured, usually for short periods of time.

At Puttenahalli Lake, we've been constantly looking at how we can reuse discarded material and minimise cost (cost often comes down with discarded material 'cause you get it for free or at very low prices - as people usually don’t value what they're going to junk). One example is a water tank that we have installed using old tyres as the base, that cost us a fraction of what it would have if we used metal and concrete.

Water storage tank supported on discarded tyres (Pic: OP Ramaswamy)

Apart from the cost aspect, the reuse of discarded material has environmental benefits 

- reduces pollution caused by the process of manufacturing/ recycling
- reduces transportation pollution
- takes away the need to find a place to trash it
And it enables us to be more creative!

So we were looking at how we could make a cycle stand using reusable material. Maybe discarded tyres or wheels or even cycle rims. We also thought of a simple horizontal bar (metal/ casuarina/ bamboo), to which the cycles could be chained. People often chain cycles to poles and trees, so another idea was to provide something tree-like - like 3 ft high casuarina/bamboo poles fixed firmly in the ground. We found many other design ideas on the internet which could be adapted to suit our need. However, innovation does require some time and effort to think through and then execute. So we got in touch with those involved in Ride A Cycle Foundation and Nammacycle, who are familiar with the bicycle scene in Bangalore. After getting a couple of quotes, we went ahead with a cycle stand similar to what Nammacycle is using at IISc, but made to accommodate cycles placed in one line. The total cost to set it up (including manufacture, delivery and fixing) was approx Rs 12,500/-. 

In future if we find the need to expand the cycle parking facility at Puttenahalli Lake, we hope we will be able to implement one that reuses, or, as is now often heard, one that upcycles! 

Painted on Stone

PNLIT volunteers at Puttenahalli Lake were clearing the area around the water body and they stumbled on this big stone. It took the might of four-five men to move it after digging it out of the ground.

Moving the big stone, Aug 2012 (Pic: Nupur Jain)

The shape of the stone resembles the shape of the PNLIT logo, so we decided to keep the stone. After a good scrub, see how Shana Gokul (artist, lives in the lake neighbourhood) has transformed it. PNLIT is now painted on stone!

  

PNLIT Stone, Nov 2012 (Pic: Nupur Jain)

Stone art has been around for thousands of years, almost as long as humans have. Early paintings on stone were most commonly done using the pigment ochre, sometimes mixed with binding agents such as blood, egg, fat and plant juices. Charcoal, clay and manganese oxide were other materials often used. Our stone was spray painted in silver and then hand painted, using enamels.

A search on the internet reveals that Stone Art/ Rock Art is a popular art form among both professional artists and hobby painters these days. One can pick up stones for free and they provide a unique surface to paint on. To know more about painting on stone, check out Artists that Paint on Stone. You may just find yourself a new interesting profession or hobby!

Increased Speed Post rates could give courier services a boost

With the presence of the PNLIT Store on eBay Charity, I've become a regular user of India Post and courier service companies – to dispatch purchases that have been made by donor buyers. We've had buyers from all parts of India, from large cities like Delhi and Mumbai to small towns like Chittoor and Soraba. To minimize our costs, I've always been on the look out for the cheapest way of shipping the products. So I've had the opportunity of experiencing the different India Post products and those of courier service companies too.

We're all aware that recently there have been price increases for various things. So when I visited the local post office on 1^st Oct, I wasn't really surprised when I was told that the Speed Post rate had been increased. While an increase was not surprising, the quantum of increase certainly was.

With effect from 1^st October 2012, local Speed Post (within the city) for packages upto 50 gm increased from Rs 12/- (inclusive of taxes) to Rs 15/- (exclusive of taxes). This works out to Rs 17/-, a 42% increase.

In keeping with its 'One India, One Rate' scheme where a package, weighing upto 50 gm, could be sent anywhere within India for a flat rate of Rs 25/- (inclusive of taxes), India Post has retained its single pricing upto 50 gm, but the increase is steep - the cost is now Rs 35/- (exclusive of taxes) which works out to Rs 39/-, a 56% increase. For packages above 50 gm, Speed Post has introduced differential pricing depending on the destination. More information is available on the India Post website.

With the increase in Speed Post rates, the price difference between courier service companies and Speed Post has narrowed down. One can get intra-city courier delivery at about the same rate as Speed Post. In fact, a courier service could actually be cheaper. For example, a 250 gm packet from Mumbai to Bangalore presently costs Rs 50/- by DTDC Courier, while through Speed Post one would pay Rs 60/- (exclusive of taxes) which works out to Rs 67/-.

Also, Speed Post has not been fully reliable, for me. Why is Speed Post not so reliable? In May, I'd sent a packet from Bangalore to a buyer in Delhi by Speed Post at Rs 25/-. In ten days, the envelope came back undelivered with the scrawl "Address not found". After rechecking with the buyer on his mobile, I was assured that the address was complete so I used a courier service to send the packet to the same address. It cost me double the Speed Post rate, but the packet was delivered in a couple of days. A written complaint to India Post received a written reply from them with a weak explanation of how the neighbours could not direct the postman to the address. There was no response as to why the Speed Post postman had not followed the delivery regimen – where more than one visit was to be made and the contact number provided was to be called to in case the address could not be located.

Rates remain unchanged for Ordinary post (Rs 5/- for upto 20 gm), Registered Post (Rs 22/- for upto 20 gm) and Registered Parcel Post (Rs 36/- for upto 500 gm). Registered Post and Registered Parcel Post have both worked well - for very light (under 20 gm) and heavy (close to 500 gm) packages respectively. Ordinary post, however, is avoidable. The days of separate boxes for local mail (green box), metro mail (blue box) and other mail (red box), when ordinary post was not so ordinary, seem to be over. It seems as if ordinary post is now only for those who cannot afford the 'premium' Speed Post or a courier service. If your packet doesn't reach its destination, there's no way of getting one's grievance addressed here, so one would be considered lucky if it reached at all.

All things considered, India Post is likely to to face stiffer competition than before, from reliable courier service providers, especially in places that have a keen presence of courier companies and/or if the post office is not within walking distance.

The Indian letter box through the years, depicted on a miniature sheet

Workshop well enjoyed

The Nature Journalling Workshop on 7th October morning at Puttenahalli Lake, JP Nagar, was filled to capacity (limited to 15 participants) and was well enjoyed. The workshop was conducted by award winning illustrator Sangeetha Kadur and Shilpashree of Greenscraps, as a part of the "Nature in the city" event organised by ATREE, INTACH, Citizen Matters and Red Frames.

Pics: Vijay Kumar, PNLIT volunteer

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Nov 16: Read a report on the workshop here.