Weekend gardening at the lake

Do you know that gardening is good exercise? Gardening for thirty minutes daily has these benefits (to name just four):

1) Increases flexibility (loosening all those cramped muscles)

2) Strengthens joints

3) Decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels

4) Slows down osteoporosis

Not to mention the psychological boost you'll get about working out AND helping to maintain our neighbourhood lake. 

Even if you can't indulge in gardening everyday, you can do so this weekend at Puttenahalli Lake! 

Time: 7.30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Please bring a cap and drinking water. Gloves and gardening tools - optional. An email <puttenahalli.lake@gmail.com> to confirm your participation will be welcome. 

To know more about why gardening is good exercise, please do a google search and tell us too!  

Have a healthy, active weekend at our lake.

Usha

60 young visitors to the lake

Children from three branches of a play school visited the lake today. They had been learning about birds and flowers from books and had come to see them in real.

The first excitement was an insect in the gazebo and then the walk began. 

As if flowers in our garden, butterflies flitting everywhere and birds in the sky and water were not enough, the sight of the chicks of the Common Coot made the three year olds open their eyes wider. A couple of slugs and a wriggling earthworm added to their excitement. 

Despite their very young age, the children were so well behaved. All kudos to the teachers who kept them engaged by pointing out each little natural treasure that PNLIT guide Mr.Gopinath showed them.



(Pics: Nupur Jain)

We hope today's visit to Puttenahalli Lake will stay in their minds for a long, long time.

Usha

Pictures taken by Mr Gopinath can be seen here.

First discussion session at Puttenahali Lake

Bhargavi Rao, Trustee ESG leads the discussion 

The open discussion session on 24th August 2013, was the first of a series of talks-discussions on "Changing Bengaluru", planned to be held every month at Puttenahalli Lake by PNLIT in association with Saaphalya Pramukha Trust.

Read the report by Nikita Malusare, Citizen Matters here.

More pictures of the event can be seen here.

Discussion: Changing Bengaluru - In your voices

You've cribbed, you've ranted, you've tolerated, you've praised (even if rarely) aspects of our city, Bengaluru. Here's an opportunity to let everyone hear what you think about the way our city is changing.

PNLIT and Saaphalya Pramukha Trust are organizing an open discussion on how the city echoes with the many sweeping changes brought about by time and people. 

Leading the discussion will be Ms Bhargavi S. Rao, Trustee, Environment Support Group (ESG), Bengaluru and Mr G.V. Dasarathi who promotes sustainable transport (cycling, walking, using a bus). 

Venue: Gazebo, Puttenahalli Lake, Near MLR Convention Centre, JP Nagar 7th Phase

Date: Sat. 24th Aug 2013

Time: 10.30 a.m. (please assemble by 10.15 a.m.)

About the organizers:

Saaphalya Pramukha Trust was set up to address the issues that affect people and society at large. These are concerns voiced by Pramukh Raghunandan, a young journalist before his untimely demise. His articles along with views of experts on aspects that capture the soul of this city have been compiled in a volume titled "So The City Echoes" which will be available at the venue for a donation of any amount you make to Saaphalya.  

Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT) is a citizens' initiative to tackle the worsening water crisis in the city by reviving our lakes. PNLIT maintains the Puttenahalli Lake with donations from the public. 

For more information, please contact:

Usha Rajagopalan (from PNLIT www.puttenahallilake.in.) <puttenahalli.lake@gmail.com>, 72597 22996

Planning for Story Telling Day on 7-Sep-2013

To celebrate International Literacy Day on 8th Sept., we would like to introduce children to the exciting world of reading with a story telling session at the lake. This is under the aegis of Pratham Books "One Day - One Story" initiative and will be held on Saturday 7th September 2013.

The story chosen this year is about Paplu, the little Giant who does not like to fight. His parents decide that he's unfit to be a giant so they shrink him and leave him in a village where he lives happily till....

Can you bring Paplu to life for our lil' kids? The book is available in five languages - English, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu and Kannada. Choose your language. Please email asap <puttenahalli.lake@gmail.com>. Bring out the story teller in you, transport the children to another world! Volunteer. 

Plan to bring your children (age: 7+ ) to the lake on 7th Sept. Time will be intimated later. 

Usha

Volunteers this weekend

On both Saturday and Sunday, there were about ten volunteers (including a few school children from Kumarans on Sunday) who did a clean-up of flower patches and other de-weeding. One of them, Rohit, came all the way from Marathahalli.  

Volunteers on 17th Aug 2013 (Pic: Sanjay M)

More pics by Sanjay can be seen here.

Seeing is believing

We are often asked why the lake is not filling up in spite of good showers. Unless you visit the lake once in a while and reassure yourself with your own little level markers, our explanations as given below may perhaps ring hollow though being true. 

* The rain in South Bangalore, especially in JP Nagar/Puttenahalli has been less compared to other parts of Bangalore. After the first showers in end May, it has been raining in our area only for the past three or four days. If it continues for the rest of the monsoon (till end Sept/Oct in Blr), the level will increase beyond any doubt.

* The diversion channel is working very well and is one of the reasons why we do have so much water in the lake. In fact, the force has been so much that the granite stones placed below the new inlet got dislodged. To break the force and to collect floating plastic, we got BBMP to build a couple of steps. 

Steps to break the force, and for a stepped waterfall! 

* This year there is a substantial inflow from South City side as well. 

* The alligator weed is growing so rampantly on the lake bed that it covers the water. We are taking steps to get the weed removed. It could prove to be costly as we intend to get it done with our funds, and not through BBMP.

Several of our regular visitors have made it a point to visit the lake just after a shower to see the water flowing into the lake. One of them, Rajesh Agrawal from Brigade Millennium took a short video last evening, that you can watch on Youtube here.

Seeing is indeed believing!

Usha

The pix tell it all!

Delightful sights at Puttenahalli Lake, 12th Aug 2013.

Growing tall... the Sheesham tree at the viewing deck

In bloom... the Sampige tree near the security cabin 

Nesting waters... mother Coot with three chicks

(Pics: Usha Rajagopalan)

PNLIT loses an invaluable patron

It is with very deep sorrow that I bring the news of the demise of eminent bird watcher, long time Secretary of the Bombay Natural History Society, Padmashri Zafar Futehally today afternoon at Mumbai. 

He supported PNLIT at every step and we turned to him constantly for advice which he gave so readily. He had visited the lake in early 2012, first with his wife Mrs. Laeeq, ardent nature lover and writer. When he heard about the presence of the migratory Garganey Ducks at our lake, he came to see them, binoculars slung from his neck. He later brought his granddaughter to show her around the lake.

Zafar Futehally at Puttenahalli Lake, Jan 2012 (Pics: Sujesh S.)

Mr. and Mrs. Futehally shifted residence to Mumbai on March 31 but continued to take keen interest in our work at Puttenahalli Lake as evident in one of his last messages to me sent on June 23. 

----

From: Zafar Futehally

Date: 23 June 2013 22:02
Subject: Puttenhalli
To: usha rajagopalan 

At your convenience tell me about the progress of the lake. The rains must have made you happy. I hope the flock of Garganeys will show up in September.

We have a small lilly pond in our garden and a little Kingfisher sits watching the situation from a nearby guava tree, and at the right time swoops down over the pond and returns happily with a fish in its beak.

Hope to hear from you.  Zafar and Laeeq

-----

We will miss you, Zafar Sa'ab. R.I.P.

Usha

PNLIT Stall at Brigade Carnival

The Brigade School Carnival held on 8th Aug. at the school grounds was a huge, glittering affair. We used the opportunity to promote lake conservation and its advantages as experienced through our Puttenahalli Lake. The hidden benefit of the lake recharging ground water may not stick in people's minds but the fact about birds and butterflies having a new home at our lake made quite a few eyes pop out. :-) 

The PNLIT Stall (Pics: Nupur Jain)

The proof of this was in our latest product - tea coasters showing a selection of birds and butterflies photographed at our lake. Several buyers commented that they were too pretty to be used as tea coasters and that they would put them up as show pieces! Another product that flew off the shelf was the Magnet. PNLIT trustee Arathi had transformed discarded bottle caps into very attractive magnets. Its irresistible pull brought some children again and again to our stall where they browsed over each piece before making a choice. 

Our products on sale

Our sincere thanks to the Brigade management for giving us this opportunity and to Mrs. Githa Shankar and everyone who visited our stall. We value your support to Puttenahalli Lake! 

Please email <puttenahalli.lake@gmail.com> if you would like to buy the tea coasters (Rs.200 for a set of 6; Rs.40/single; Magnet @ Rs.30/piece). Samples below. 

Best,

Usha

Best value for money;
Best choice for a gift!