On PNLIT fund drive

We would like to express our deepest gratitude for the support you have extended to our Puttenahalli Puttakere especially in the last two months. We are happy, and relieved, to tell you that your contributions will enable us to meet our lake maintenance expenses for 2022-23 if not to execute the pipeline project.  It would be great if you can get us a CSR grant to do this. 

To all - You are welcome to make a contribution to PNLIT at any time. Combine it if you will, with your wedding anniversary or your child's birthday.  What better, more lasting, gift can there be than a tree? We have enough and more (in 76 species!) for you to adopt. 

Even otherwise, come over to see the trees (and the birds, the butterflies, terrapin, etc. etc.). With sincere thanks to all. 

Here are a few sample boards 

Bird watch update - Mother duck, stilts, storks!

This seems to be a good season for birds. Several lake groups have reported sighting flocks of Pelicans and Storks. Our Puttakere is too small for such big species and numbers. Nevertheless, we are delighted to tell you that for the first time a Spot-billed duck laid eggs and hatched them at the lake! And to think we had no clue till last week when our gardeners sent photos and videos of the mother duck tagged by eight little fluffy balls! 

Spot-billed duck and ducklings 

Pic: Muktha Baliga, 29-Mar-2022

When the lake was closed due to the pandemic last year, the chicks of the White-breasted waterhen used to wander off on their own, much to the obvious panic of the mother.  

White-breasted waterhen chicks

Pic: Ramu, 22-Oct-2021

These little ducklings are more obedient. They swim behind their mother in a line, looking pretty much like the wavy tail of a kite.  Only when she stops, do they scatter but never too far. In spite of this, two fell prey to a Brahminy kite who herself has a chick to feed. Such is the way of nature. We can only be observers. However, we plan to make the lake safer by planting more reeds where the duck (and other species) can nest, hatch and protect their young ones. As of now, there are six ducklings left. Heartbreaking. 

On a happier note, we have had at least seven Painted storks at one time, four Black-winged stilts, Wood and Green Sandpipers. These migratory birds are still around and blending well with the resident ones. 

Black-winged stilt 

Pic.: Madhurima Das, 27-Mar-2022

Do visit the lake, see the birds and share their photographs. Who knows, you may get to see a visitor that we missed or has just arrived? 

To know more about the birds spotted at the lake, please see the Puttakere hotspot on eBird here.

- Usha Rajagopalan

Event Report of the musical evening organized by PNLIT and South City Karaoke Club March-2022

After a two-year long hiatus, our Puttakere came alive with music. We resumed our activities at the lake with a tribute to the legendary Lata Mangeshkar. This event held on yesterday (13th March) had singers from the neighbourhood of Puttenahalli Lake such as South City, Brigade Millennium and V S Cozy Apartments, 24th Main coming together to give a memorable performance.

The event which began with the prayer 'Ae Malik Tere Bande Hum' had the audience humming along with the talented artists who presented Lataji’s evergreen songs in Hindi of course but also in Bengali and Tamil. Rendering in flute by Mr. Bala and Mr. Raghavendra Shanbhag’s whistling added depth and enriched the programme.

While Jayashree Govind and Srinivasan Venkataraman (‘Sawan ka mahina’) transported the audience to the classic Nutan and Sunil Dutt starrer, Preeti Kadni and Harsha Anand sang the melodious ‘Kora kagaz tha ye man mera.’ Jayashree Govind’s narration of how Kamal Hasan got Lata Mangeshkar – SPB’s duet song in his Tamil film made the presentation of 'Valai osai kalakala' by Siva Columbus and Priya Ramakrishnan even more interesting. These duets had South City singers teaming up with co-artists from Brigade Millennium.

‘Sagar kinare’ sung by Renu Sadasivan and S. Vijay and Priya Ramakrishnan’s Bengali song ‘Ja re ud ja re panchhi’ seemed particularly suited to the ambience of the venue with Puttenahalli Lake looking fresh and clean with birds in the water and overhead, the leaves of the trees fluttering in the breeze.  

Roli Saraswat introduced the singers with interesting trivia about the composition and sang the classic 'Yeh zindagi usiki hai' beautifully. One of the highlights of the event was a medley of Lata Mangeshkar songs from 1949-2009. A fine selection, well sung by six lady members of the South City Karaoke Club. The finale number 'Ae mere watan ke logo' was not just a truly fitting tribute to the Nightingale of India but a reminder to us all of how much we owe to those brave souls protecting our country and us, the people.

In her brief talk, Usha Rajagopalan from PNLIT thanked the BBMP and BWSSB for rescuing the lake from sewage influx and bringing it to this pristine state. This was made possible by the constant follow-up of the trustees with the government departments. She called upon the 100 odd residents who had come for the event to extend their support to the lake as well. Sapana Rawat welcomed the artists and the audience.

Here are some moments from the event taken by various residents.

(Report inputs provided by Usha Rajagopalan and Vijaya Balasubramanian)

-Sapana, PNLIT Events Coordinator

Nature Walk at Puttenahalli Lake

We are delighted to tell you that Mr. Samuel John and Ms. Chetana Purushotham, co-founders of https://www.spidersandthesea.com/ will be conducting a nature walk for beginners at our Puttakere on 26th and 27th March 2022. 

This is part of their series called Urban Nature Walk to make people aware of the wonderful natural treasures in our city. In this instance, in our own neighbourhood lake!

Duration of the walk, participation fee and contact details are given in the poster below. Please note that they will take only 10 participants each day on a first come first served basis. Avoid disappointment by booking your place early!

Homage to Mr. Bhoja Shetty, IFS (retd)

Usha Rajagopalan pays homage to a friend of PNLIT 

A fallen flower on the pathway at the lake stopped me short two days ago. I looked up at the tree and saw one big cluster of flowers way above and buds a little lower. Our mentor Mr. Bhoja Shetty who had retired as the Chief Conservator of Forests in Tamil Nadu used to say that a proper identification of a plant would only be made from a flower. I knew exactly what this orange specimen shaped like a parrot's beak was. In fact, for the last few summers my friends and I had searched in vain for the flowers among the big leaves. When it did flower, it came as a shock, too good to be true. To be doubly sure, I sent the photograph below to a botanist who confirmed that it was indeed the celebrated Flame of the Forest (Butea  monosperma). 

The first flower of the Flame of the Forest, 5 Mar. 2022

I shared the excitement with other tree lovers, my family and friends to whom the Palash in flower meant the arrival of spring. Mr. Bhoja Shetty now lived in Pollachi so I decided to send him a print of the photograph by post. This was not to be. Yesterday morning I got to know that he had passed away. He would have been 100 years old in Sept. 2022.

I had had the good fortune to meet Mr. Bhoja Shetty almost soon after I settled in South City in 2006. My father who had been in the IFS himself had died a few months earlier so when I got to know that Mr. Bhoja Shetty had retired from the forest service, I went over and introduced myself. I was delighted to find out that they were of the same age, belonged to the same batch, and undergone training in Dehra Dun though they hadn’t known each other. They looked similar too - tall, lean, and active. 

When the rejuvenation of Puttenahalli Lake was underway I would update him often and seek his advice on the trees we could plant around the periphery. On 16^th Sept 2010, he planted a Peepal tree in the viewing deck cupping the ball of roots packed in soil in both hands. 

Mr. Bhoja Shetty planting the Peepal tree sapling. 16 Sept 2010

Also seen Mr. Vedanthan (R), Mr. N Ravi (L) from South City and Ms. Padmini (B), Brigade Millennium

We lavished care of the tree and installed benches around so that someday people would get to sit and listen to the rustling leaves. Barely a year later, on 11^th Oct. 2011, a political leader got the tree chopped down. (Read about it in this link).

In great anger and anguish, I narrated the incident to Mr. Shetty who merely smiled as if shrugging it off. He saw the replacement, a Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo, Indian Rosewood) and extolled its value as a timber wood. 

Mr. Bhoja Shetty beside the Indian Rosewood, 10 April 2013

I couldn’t forget as easily and a few years later got Mr. Shetty to plant a white silk cotton tree in the safer confines of the South City complex.

 

In June 2020, we celebrated the 10^th year of our trust, PNLIT. As a small measure of our gratitude to the large number of people who had helped us on the way, and continue to do so, we invited a few well-wishers to adopt a tree of their choice. By then Mr. Bhoja Shetty was in the loving care of his relatives in Pollachi. We did not give him a choice. Instead, along with a letter thanking him for all the help he had given us, we sent him a photograph of a Peepal tree growing lush by the water side. On it were the name boards of the species and of its adopter, Mr. Bhoja Shetty, IFS (retd). 

The Peepal in Mr. Shetty's name, 7 Mar 2022

Enjoy a musical evening at Puttenahalli Lake

After a long 'Corona' forced silence, PNLIT is excited to be hosting its first event of this year with rhythm and songs!

The talented singers of South City Karaoke Club will be paying tribute to our much loved and admired the Nightingale of India - Late Lata Mangeshkar.

On Sunday, 13th March, 2022

From 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM

At Puttenahalli Lake

Entry is free, no registration is required and all are welcome. Covid protocols will be strictly followed.

Wrapping up the year at Puttenahalli Lake!

Yet again this year, Puttenahalli Puttakere taught us the importance of perseverance and the need to stay hopeful. When it seemed as if our 'trial by sewage' which had begun in 2017 would never end, BWSSB came through in April 2021 and plugged the leaks in the underground drain they had laid last year. The lake, as of now, is free of sewage. We pray that it stays this way!

Monsoon 2021. It seemed as if the southwest monsoon merged with the northeast and the rain would simply not cease. On the one hand, we wanted dry days that would allow BBMP to complete the lake cleaning, strengthening the bund, relaying the track, etc. On the other, we were delighted that the the sewage residue was getting diluted. However, the surface runoff had also brought in new invasive weeds. We'd battled with Salvinia molesta and realized that the pesky alligator weed had its uses. We now had to get rid of submerged weeds (Chara sp and Ottelia alismoides), emergent ones (water lily) as also the pervasive water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) and others. Since birds need vegetation patches to shelter, nest and forage, we needed to leave enough for them. 

A little decoration

Gathering weeds with a trash boom

BBMP removing weeds, 9-Jul-2021

Persicarea pulchra

Polygonum, Alternanthera

In July and August, BBMP's workers along with our four gardeners were engaged in this but they had few sunny days and the weeds grew quickly. Nevertheless, the lake had rippling water but by November became a bed of green. Since the last one week, we have resumed clearing the water again. The almost immediate sighting of the Common Kingfisher is encouraging since it is found only where the water is clear.  We will control the weed growth even though the monsoon may bring in more next year. 

Common Kingfisher, 21-Dec-2021 (Pic: Satishchandra Karanth)

This confidence doesn't extend to knowing if the BBMP will renew our MoU  in the new year or if the authorities will take action to protect the lake premises from the encroachers at least in 2022. Both matters are sub-judice. 

Following BBMP's guidelines, the lake was closed for several months in 2020 due to the pandemic. This year it remained out of bounds for longer due to the repair work that seemed to go on and on. We are happy to tell you that from Wed, 22nd Dec., the lake has become accessible to the public once again. Timings are 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Visitors, especially bird watchers, naturalists and photographers, have a treat in store. 

A royal Grey Heron on the perch (Pic: SK Srinivas)

Seesaw for birds (Pic: Ramu)

With footfall reducing, the lake has turned into a nursery. Chicks swimming with their parents is a common sight but we were taken aback to see five little black blobs on the walking track on 22nd Oct. Sunning themselves in the open were the chicks of the White-breasted Waterhen. And to think that the adult birds scuttle away at the sight of humans! 

White-breasted Waterhen chicks, 22-Oct-2021 (Pic: Ramu)

Little Grebes "piggy backing" (Pic: Satishchandra Karanth)

We welcome you to visit and enjoy the natural treasures in Puttakere. Let's nurture the lake together as a rich ecosystem in the days, months and years to come. 

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a great new year. 

Best regards

PNLIT team

Citizen lake groups left in the lurch

Greetings to all on Karnataka Rajyotsava Day. 

The continuous assault on hundreds of Bangalore’s famed lakes by vested interests prompted concerned citizens to raise the issue of our deteriorating water bodies with the state government, and the city administration. BBMP’s Lakes department lacked the funds and bandwidth to both rejuvenate lakes, and maintain them thereafter. The stress on the system was visible as rejuvenated lakes went back into various states of disrepair over time. 

In 2009, the team under the leadership of Mr. B.V. Satish, then Chief Engineer, BBMP Lakes, took the extraordinarily progressive step of inviting neighbourhood residents  to participate in lake rejuvenation through discussions, and incorporating suggestions  from community representatives during rejuvenation. They then signed MoUs with these resident groups to maintain the rejuvenated lakes. Between 2011 and 2019, BBMP had signed MoUs with citizen-led, not-for-profit trusts such as PNLIT, MAPSAS, JaLaposhan and Iblur Environs Trust to maintain and nurture eight lakes in all. Under the stewardship of each group, these lakes began to thrive, becoming rich in biodiversity, and enhancing the quality of life of people in the neighborhood. With public interest mounting and leading to the formation of other groups, registered and informal, it seemed as if there was finally hope for the rest of the city’s lakes.

In 2020, based on a direction of the hon'ble High Court, against a WP 38401/2014 dated 04/03/2020 which read “... the State Government shall not execute any such MOU with any Corporate Entity”, BBMP stopped renewing MoUs with these citizen groups, even though the High Court explicitly forbade BBMP from engaging with corporate entities.

The court was unaware of the existing partnerships between BBMP and citizen groups for the upkeep of rejuvenated lakes, and BBMP did not seek the court’s permission to renew our MoUs.The citizen groups filed Interlocutory Applications on 29/06/2021 to the above-mentioned WP; these, however, have not been heard and admitted because of the elevation of the concerned Chief Justice to the Supreme Court of India.

To resolve this impasse, we met Mr Gaurav Gupta, Commissioner BBMP, and top officials from the BBMP Lakes department on 25th October 2021. He appreciated our contribution, and welcomed community participation, especially since we ensured continuity in lake upkeep even as officers within the BBMP were shifted constantly. However, till the hon’ble High Court resumes the hearings in WP 38401/2014, listens to our submissions and gives due directions, we have to remain ‘unofficial’ lake custodians. Even as BBMP struggles to resolve the issue of formal MoUs with citizen groups, we continue to oversee the upkeep of these precious water bodies.

Usha Rajagopalan, Chairperson, PNLIT 
Mukund Kumar, Trustee, Iblur Environs Trust Annapurna Kamath, Trustee, JaLaPoshan Trust Subramanian Sankaran, Managing Trustee, MAPSAS Trust

Related recent newspaper reports dated 30/10/2021 and 31/10/2021

 

Award for BBMP Lakes

Based on our close association with the BBMP, Lakes, for over a decade, we had nominated them for the Earth Day Network India's Star Municipal Leadership Award, 2021. 

The  Earth Day Network India is an environmental organization that  "aims to help Restore our Earth with initiatives that focus on ways to regrow green cover, rejuvenate aquifers, restore soil, refresh air, reduce and manage waste, encourage a switch to clean and green energies, and build environmental stewardship among youth. We are inspired by the global NGO EARTHDAY.ORG™ that grew out of the first Earth Day on 22nd April 1970, and today engages with over 50,000 organizations in some 190 countries to take the environmental movement forward."

We are pleased to tell you that the Chief Commissioner, Mr Gaurav Gupta, received the Star Municipal Leadership Award trophy at a small function in his office yesterday (29th October 2021).

BBMP Commissioner Mr Gaurav Gupta with Chief Engineer Ms Suguna, receiving the award on behalf of BBMP from Ms Neela of Earth Day Network. PNLIT Trustees Usha, Nandhini and Divya are also seen. 

Ms Leela, Ms Usha Rjagopalan, Mr Gaurav Gupta, Mr Mohan Krishna, Ms Suguna

Along with PNLIT, several other lakes groups such as MAPSAS, JaLaposhan Trust, Iblur Environs Trust have also been partnering BBMP with their respective lakes. We are all very happy with the recognition that BBMP, Lakes, has received, a well deserved one indeed. 

Here are the links to a couple of newspaper reports that were carried today. 

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/lake-rejuvenation-bbmp-wins-award/article37245040.ece

https://www.deccanherald.com/city/top-bengaluru-stories/lake-developer-bbmp-gets-award-1045529.html

Celebrate International Literacy Day 2021

8th September 2021 - We will be celebrating the International Literacy Day with Snehadhara Foundation and Pratham Books by hosting an online interactive session for children aged 10 years and below. Event details are attached below.

Pratham Books' stories this year are Satya, Watch Out! written by Yamini Vijayan and illustrated by Vishnu M Nair for younger children, and Puchku Seeks a Song, a Level 3 book written by Deepanjana Pal and illustrated by Rajiv Eipe for older children.

Entry is free but registration is a must! 

So do register here - https://bit.ly/2Y9wW0T

The registered email ids will get Zoom meeting ID. For any queries, contact pnlit.events@gmail.com .