A gardener’s enemy are pests. They can destroy your entire garden by the time you finish reading this article! To see that you continue reading this fortnightly column, we’ve listed a few tips that will keep that smile on your face. The column stresses on Organic practices because it not only helps you, but also the beneficial insects, your plants, the soil and birds. World pesticide use exceeds 5.0 billion lbs at a total cost of approximately $ 64.5 billion but less than 0.1% actually makes it to the target pest, the remaining either enters the food chain, seeps into …

Many a times you’ll notice that, especially, as a beginner that your plants have shrivelled and died or have become someone else’s food (pests). At such times you need to realize that such things are natural and not to be hard on yourself. It’s ok. Learn and re-plant. Gardening is fun, healthy and one of the most popular hobbies. Through this column we plan to make you a well informed gardener so that correct methods, precautions and care can be practiced. For every plant, the most vital ingredient apart from Sunlight, Air and Water is Soil or Dust. This contains …

The first thing you notice when you drive down to “Our Native Village” is how dramatically a landscape can change. You might begin stuck in a long beeline to get past Mekhri circle, but an hour later you find yourself off the tar, on a dirt road charting through an endless expanse of grassland. Positioned ahead against the horizon is a small passage through a vast expanse of trees. This longs to sound as a narrative from a Tolkien book, but it isn’t. It is the surprisingly unique entrance to the eco-resort, “Our Native Village”. Located roughly 30 kms from …

We have all heard of composting. It was taught to us in school. Ever wondered how powerful that concept is? It is so simple and easy to implement and can make such a huge impact on the environment. All it requires is that you dump your organic waste into a compost pit and see it transform into healthy manure. If you are still clueless, meet the Daily Dump. It is a Bangalore based organization that helps you set up the composting in your house. After the setup is done, they can even do ‘crisis visits’ to your compost corner to …

At about 3200 mt above the sea level rests a wonder of nature. The only way to get there is by trekking. Imagine a place, in the midst of snow capped mountains, full of colorful flowers for as far as you can see. The only sounds that you can hear are the chirping of the birds, with no signs of human encroachment in sight. It’s only in dreams that we can relish a place like this but Uttarakhand boasts of the Valley of Flowers, a nature’s magnum opus. Situated in the Chamoli District of the Garhwal Mountains, the valley was …

Kavita Saharia, a passionate blogger who writes about North Eastern India, shared this beautiful article on Kashmira Kakati and her amazing work in the field of wildlife conservation. This post is from her personal blog. Just few days back I told Kashmira  that she is one of  those extraordinary women who made Assam (India) very proud globally by her work. When I expressed my desire to write a post on her, the initial response was, ‘Thanks for saying such nice things about me, but it’s really the animals and still-remaining forests that Assam should be proud of! My role has …

Farming practices traditionally were of the natural and organic kind, whether it were huge hectare’s of land or just a small little garden. It kept the entire ecosystem in balance. It maintained a systematic balance between the soil, insects and birds, water and air. The total ecosystem around each plant is really one living system, one organism. And the health of each of the parts impacts on the health of the whole. The current practices of farming has direct implications on each of these parts, resulting in the once self sustaining soil being completely dependent as the organisms that made …

Deepak Amembal, a Mumbaikar to the core, puts together a delightful photo-blog of the Maharashtra Nature Park for Ek Titli Maharashtra Nature Park – Had heard and read a lot about this place being ‘the’ place for a nature lover. I love nature and I wanted a peek into this heaven. Conceived by the WWF-India in the late 1970s, an area of about 37 acres in the “H” Block of Bandra-Kurla Complex, which was earlier a garbage dump or land fill, was decided to be ecologically restored and developed as a Nature Park by MMRDA.   It is located on …

Deepak Amembal, a Mumbaikar to the core, puts together a delightful photo-blog of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park for Ek Titli At the northern tip of Mumbai, in Borivili, lies the magnificent Sanjay Gandhi National Park. It encompasses an area of 104 sq km and is surrounded on three sides by India’s most populous city. It is noted as one of the few national parks existing within a metropolis limit in Asia and is one of the most visited parks in the world. The rich flora and fauna of Sanjay Gandhi National Park attracts more than 2 million visitors every …

While it is an architectural delight, it is also a recharging port for your gadgets. You can even relax on it on a sunny, winter morning or just laze around with friends. That’s what Architecture students at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have given form to, under the mentorship of Prof Sheila Kennedy. The unique piece of furniture uses the human power to create 1.5 axis 35 watt solar tracking system. It utilizes a 12-amp hour battery that stores the solar energy gathered during day-hours. This allows for energy availability even when it’s dark. It is a commendable innovation on part …