ForesterNeginhal, RIP

S.G.Neginhal (IFS reitred) who fell a victim to Covid-19 at the age of 92 on Sunday May 2, was a friend in the 1980’s who I lost touch with. I met him when some girls of a girls college nearby    protested when a huge banyan tree, which still provides shade to bus travelers at a stop at the  Malleswaram 18th cross and SankeyRoad junction was to be cut down. Editing a newspaper in that city, I took up the matter with him — the Conservator of Social Forestry in the state. He   swung into action to save that tree from the axe. Later when he took a Press party to some forestry projects, he diverted the route on way back and took us to a famous  sanctuary at Ranganathitoo for birds. Unlike many officers of his rank, he used to talk to rural people who told him,at a wayside teashop, about Kokkirebellur village. In Kannada  KokkIre means bird and being a nature lover, he went there to find a lake and an island (thittu) in it where storks from Siberia and places far away come every year to breed. Migratory birds are of great interest to wildlife lovers. As a forest officer he took steps immediately to start a sanctuary there to protect the birds even before the government sanctioned his proposal for such sactuary.
This shows that red tape and long delays in action by administration need not thwart a committed officer. He was backed by another such officer, Chief Conservator Pushpakumar. They made Bangalore India’s greenest city. The tree-lined streets and boulevards in the city are a tribute to how he went from house to house tto urge people to plant  trees and get involved in caring for them. He headed a task force for greening the city, set up by (then) CM, Gundu Rao.
Neginhal was well-versed in urban forestry,  trees, wildlife and biodiversity. His popular books are City Trees, Forest Trees of Western Ghats, Golden Trees and Urban Forestry, Sanctuaries and Wildlife of Karnataka. He has published research papers and popular articles in many publications.  He was also  a nature and wildlife photographer.  A forester with a flair for writing is very rare.If not people, at least a banyan tree and Ranganthittu birds shed tears for the man who made the city green.

It is only rarely that a Forester becomes so famous that tribuTes are paid to him on his death. Men (or women) of the jungle many of them fit the desctption of ‘junglee’

Neginhal, who fell a victim to Covid-19, at the age of 92 on Sunday May 2, was a friend in the 1980’s who I lost touch with. I met him when some girls of a girls    college nearby protested when a huge banyan tree, which provides shade to travelers at a bus stop at the  Malleswaram 18th cross and Sankey Road junction was about to be felled. Editing a newspaper in that city I took up the matter with him as the Conservator of Social Forestry in the state. He   swung into action to save that tree from the axe. Later when he took a Press party to some forestry projects, he diverted the route on way back and took us to a famous  sanctuary at Ranganathitoo for birds.Unlike many officers of his rank, he used to talk to rural people who told him, at a wayside tea stop, about    Kokkirebellur village. In Kannada  KokkIre means bird and being a nature lover, he went there to find a lake and an island (thittu) in it where storks from Siberia and places far away come every year to breed. Migratory birds are a field of great interest to wildlife lovers. As a forest officer he took steps immediately to start a sanctuary there to protect the birds even before the government sanctioned his proposal for such sactuary.
  • This shows that red tape and long delays in action of the administration need not thwart a committed officer. He was backed by another such, Chief Conservator Pushpakumar. They made Bangalore India’s greenest city. The tree-lined boulvards and streets in the city are a tribute to how he went from house to house urging people to plant  trees and get care for them. He headed a task force for greening the city, set up by R. Gundu Rao (the CM).

Neginhal was well-versed in urban forestry,  trees, wildlife and biodiversity. His popular books are City Trees, Forest Trees of Western Ghats, Golden Trees and Urban Forestry, Sanctuaries and Wildlife of Karnataka. He has published research papers and popular articles in many publications.  He was also  a naature and wildlife photographer.  A forester with a flair for writing is very rare.If not people, at least a banyan tree and Ranganthittu birds shed tears for the man who made the city green. RIP friend.

Holi:A Lession in Ethics

by B Someswar  Rao 

Holi teaches us that a gift or talent should not be misused. A boon  is to be used too save someone and  not to kill.  Prahlada and Hoika are just symbols.                  This lesson is significant today : technology, a gift to humanity,  is being misused.
Most terrorists are highly ‘educated’ people who use their knowledge wrongly as their religion does not teach value of  vasudaivakutunbakam and justifies killing of kafirs’ and destruction other religions’ idols. Fanatics are not alone in using  knowledge of technology wrongly. A computer virus is a wrong program code written by someone with IT knowledge; so are cloning of ATM cards and other cyber crimes. Education today only means degrees and not imbibing of ethicsal values.  Holi is not just smearing colors, abuses or gambling which North India associates with it today. Unfortunately ritualism crept ireasons Hinduism  and we follow only when the colour of religion or custom is  smeared on a practice, ఏచరవచ without understanding. All Hindu festivals have scientific . It is a  distortion of idiom that Northerners believe gambling on Holi day is a MUST. Taking liberties with women and using abusive language are later distortions of the need to shed inhibitions.  Holi is a colourful lesson in ethics.

Selfie Time

While exploring the fair this visitor found this place an interesting one to have a selfie probably for the background.

Selfie Time

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Holi, a Colourful Lesson in Ethics 

by B Someswar  Rao Holi teaches us that a gift or talent should not be misused. A boon  is to be used too save someone and  not to kill.  Prahlada and Hoika are just symbols.                  This lesson is significant today : technology, a gift to humanity,  is being misused.
Most terrorists are highly ‘educated’ people who use their knowledge wrongly as their religion does not teach value of  vasudaivakutunbakam and justifies killing of kafirs’ and destruction other religions’ idols. Fanatics are not alone in using  knowledge of technology wrongly. A computer virus is a wrong program code written by someone with IT knowledge; so are cloning of ATM cards and other cyber crimes. Education today only means degrees and not imbibing of ethicsal values.  Holi is not just smearing colors, abuses or gambling which North India associates with it today. Unfortunately ritualism crept ireasons Hinduism  and we follow only when the colour of religion or custom is  smeared on a practice, ఏచరవచ without understanding. All Hindu festivals have scientific . It is a  distortion of idiom that Northerners believe gambling on Holi day is a MUST. Taking liberties with women and using abusive language are later distortions of the need to shed inhibitions.  Holi is a colourful lesson in ethics.

Fake Secularism Just For Fashion

While

‘Didi’ Mamata Banerjee who refused to address a meeting along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi simply because she was greeted with shouts of protest when she objected to ‘Jai Sreeram: but chose at another meeting to recite a Muslim prayer, has written to Sonia the boss of dynastic Congress and other parties to come together to eradicate BJP and it’s communalism. For her being Hindu is communal but seeking Muslim votes is very secular. At the same time she can flaunt her Gotta and Brahmin origin to get Hindu votes which she fears losing in the polling being held today. Whether the electorate will see through this game will be known only on May 2. However, the scourge of fake seculars and liberals playing vote bank politics is a serious issue. They pretend that all Muslims who stayed back in India when the country was split on communal basis did so to reject the 2 nation theory ad were secular. That their choice was for the sake of property and their social contacts alone is not accepted. If this is true why did they vote for pro-partition forces is not explained. How did only Muslims get elected from seats where they had majority or ‘secular’ Congressmen only when there were no Muslim candidates,, or why so many terrorist ‘sleeping cells’ exist with local Muslim suoport in states like Kerala??

Many such questions reain unanswered. The ‘sickulars’ object to the ‘remote’ being in the hands of highly qualified agenda me who gave up everyting for the cause of RSS but do not mind a semi literate Italian who amassed wealth due to dynasty support or some mullahs holding it. This is taking a fashion fad too far Can they deny that India never tried to spread it’s faith though it had great impact on many nations, that it was once a predominantly Hindu country or that the Constituent Assembly had debated at length on calling it secular. When the Saudi kung visited the country, Nehru had all idols in Kadhu covered, but namaz on roads, blocking them, continues in India. But indians are not secular!