Power lesons your child will teach you

BESCOM spreads the message of saving power through school children.

This story was a sheer luck when I had gone to shoot some file images at the BESCOM (Bangalore Electricity Supply Company) office on the exhibition on how to save energy, for our Bangalore Mirror library purpose. As I entered the hall where the exhibits were on display a lady walked up to me and requested me if I would be kind enough to also cover their education programe for the school children. I obliged and spend some half hour during the special BESCOM session for the children and cam up with the story. When I reached office Niranjan Kaggere, the correspondent who cover the energy beat asked me if I have any story since he did not have any on 15th January 2008. I told him about the story I was going to write and he requested me if he could do the writing bit and we take a joint byline. I obliged with Niranjan since this was not our first joint story as we had written many before this. But sadly what is happened to today’s journalism is that the reporters have to be spoon fed by the photojournalist community who are on the field most of the time. Gone are the days when the reporter and the photojournalist worked ‘hand in glove’ situation. This is not a very good trend for journalism and may end up in favour of the ever active photojournalists who have been deprived of their dues.

Parents don’t be baffled if your children return from school one day and ask questions about the monthly spending on electricity in your home.
Their gyan comes from the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM).
For the last one month, Bescom has been imparting knowledge on power supply to the students. Specifically, the DSM Center (Distribution Efficiency and demand Side Management) at the Bescom’s corporate office takes students on a day long tour and conducts a workshop which explains how to save energy by using CFL’s (Compact Fluorescent Lamps).
Awareness programmes on energy conservation have been on in full swing. Unlike its earlier methods of creating awareness, this time the company has decided that children could be instrumental in bringing about a change. Hence the DSM center is organizing activities like exhibitions, workshops and lectures on methods to cut increased power consumption and the use of CFL bulbs.

According to senior officers, the programme will make children the instruments of change.
Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, Chethan D, coordinator of the DSM Center at Bescom, said, “Our concern is to educate all our stake holders, residents’ welfare association and school children. Over the years, there has been an increase in the annual load growth by six percent and there is no new generation for the time being except to manage efficiently with currently available power. This is one such method to create awareness among people.”
The center, which was inaugurated a month ago, is the brain child of KPTCL (Karnataka Power Transmission and Corporation Ltd) and all its five electricity supply companies envisages to focus on promoting energy-efficient devices and energy conservation. When asked about the financial grants and budget allocation for the programmes conducted through DSM centers, Chethan said, “Even though there is no separate funding for the programmes, the center being the joint venture of both the organizations, will make use of funds pooled in by both KPTCL and Bescoms.” Around 1,000 children and teachers in various batches have attended the programmes and the number might double during the days to come, according to Bescom officials.

Murali Krishnan, student of a private school who attended the workshop, said he would go back home and ask his parents to change their regular bulbs to CFL even if they cost a little more. Murali also added that he will explain in detail how the family can benefit and also that state electricity board from this small change of bulbs.
Another student, Preeti, said that at her home they have been using only incandescent bulbs and normal bulbs along with tube lights. “This workshop has taught me a lot and when I get back home after school, I will advice my parents on this and request them to change al the bulbs to CFL,” she added.
Students will also be taught about various gadgets, besides CFL’s that could cut the unnecessary consumption. Gadgets and accessories have also been displayed at the center. The center the first of its kind I the country, is not just working on its own but getting help from other prominent energy companies like ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Commission). “The ONGC has agreed to provide us with resources and help us in conducting lectures by sending is resource persons,” Chethan added.

NSD readies its Stage for South

This story was written when I had visited a friend of mine during my stint at the Deccan Herald Bureau office at New Delhi some time in 1993. Since it had a south connect and more so with Bangalore I went back to the office and discussed it with my seniors who asked me to write it and send it for the Sunday pages.

Theatre: National School of Drama’s decision to open its first regional center in Bangalore augurs well for theatre in Karnataka, Writes S Shiv Kumar

After several years of debate on strengthening theater traditions in various regions of the country, and a recommendation of the Haskar Committee, the Delhi-based National School of Drama (NSD) has decided to open schools at Bangalore, Bombay, Calcutta, Guwahati, Varanasi/Patna and Chandigarh.
The first of these zonal centers is expected to begin functioning in Bangalore in March. It will be a resource-cum research center (RRC) which will conduct its activities in the local languages.
NSD Director Kirthi Jain told Deccan Herald that these regional centers were meant to rejuvenate local theater traditions. Bangalore has been chosen as the first center because “it has people from virtually all parts of the country. All languages of the south have a presence in the city, which will enable the center to turn mobile and access villages and tap the right potential”.
The Bangalore center- which will work in co-ordination with State level cultural bodies-will begin short-term courses of 15 days to two months, for serious students from all over south India to be chosen on the basis of entrance tests and interviews. Experts like G V Shivananda, B V Karanth, Prasanna, Raghunandan and Walter D’Souza are expected to guide the students and monitor their progress. Prominent NSD alumni in the State like C Basavalingaiah, Srivivas Prabhu, Jayatheertha Joshi and Chidambara Rao Jambe will be on the faculty.
The State Government has assured the NSD that it will provide the premises to house the regional center. “Otherwise, we will hire an apartment to start with,” says Keerthi Jain, which hopes funding agencies like the UNESCO will lend a helping hand later. Depending on the response in Bangalore, “we will start in Calcutta followed by Bombay. That would mean a center in each of the four zones.”
All these days, as she points out, people from various parts of the country came to Delhi only to realize that they were taught in Hindi. This will change now. The regional center will conduct training programmes, promote research, encourage children’s theater through workshops and activities in schools, undertake field work, mount exhibitions, take up documentation and data collection. It will also coordinate the activities of university drama departments assist them in their activities.
An advisory committee with representatives from all the States, the NSD, the regional centers and the repertory companies, and headed by the NSD chief, will be formed to achieve these objectives. A decision is yet to be taken on who will head the regional center.

Dave the American Farmer

The work displayed below was part of my learning at the PJ (Photo Journalism) school of University of Missouri on the fine art of essay telling through images.
These images were taken over a period of one week at the 49th Missouri International Cliff Edom Photo Workshop which was held at Carthage an small town in the Mid-West of US in Missouri state in 1997.
This Photo Essay is of David E Howard a American farmer who runs his own workshop for spare parts apart from taking care of his 200 odd cows in a 25 acre farm land. Dave relishes on his food with a mouthful and enjoys coffee with a scramble board.
Dave relishes on his food with a mouthful and enjoys coffee with a scramble board, while his day starts very early at 4.00 am and goes to bed at 10.00 pm.

Dave and his wife Nadine during their early morning walk at 4-15 am.

Dave prepares breakfast and Nadine washes the previous night utensils.

Dave has his breakfast even as Nadine packs his lunch for her husband.

Dave after driving down to town relaxes with his school mates over a cup of coffee.
Dave says that the payment is rotated every day among them and adds that it just feels great to talk to old school chums and feel young.

Dave's office entrance with his children's photo and the 'Who's Who' honor plate.

Dave gets down to work by holding the customary meeting with his senior employees.

After the meet and planning for the day Dave checks on the newly build bike by one of his employee and suggest a few changes.

'Time to clear all my bills' Dave clears all the pending bills and says that he never trusts an accountant and the more so the Judicial guys.

This sign board is a proof of Dave's Hatred for them including a host of other professionals.

Dave play's a game of solitaire on his PC after having his lunch which wife Nadine had packed for him.

After a lose in the game it's time for Dave to put his fingers to work.

Dave loves his Land Rover and listens to light music while driving down to his parents house.

Dave on his way to his parent's checks the old 1915 Austin car which he has purchased and now sprucing it up at a friends car shop.

Dave and his father try to finish a scramble board which they left unfinished the previous weekend as Nadine chat’s up her mother-in-law.


Dave on his way home checks up on his friends who were preparing for the 'stake night party' at the all men club premises.

It's feeding time for his horses and cows at his farm house after he picked up all the corn leaves from the club premises.

Every weekend between 4 to 5.30 in the evening the Howard family has their regular guests. Dave relaxes in his drawing room with his guests and family friends the Wakefield.

After supper and seeing their guest's off the Howard couple take a long walk in their farm with the dusk setting in.

Dave takes a loud yawn showing how hectic his day was and then says that it's time to retire to bed.
Well for 56 year old David E Howard this is 'one normal day work' and Dave says that though he knows he is getting old he feels younger as day's go by.
This photo essay was one great experience for me during the 49th Missouri Photo-Workshop, at Carthage Town, with a population of 10,000 people.
Since me being an Indian this experience of working with an American Mid-West farmer gave me the immense knowledge on the differences between the farmers in the West and Asia, in particular the Indian farmers.
David E Howard and his wife Nadine were very nice to me during my one week of stay with them and looked after me like one of their own kids.
I also thank Mr Bill Kuykendall, Mr David Rees, Mrs. Julie Elman, Mr.Kim Komenich and Mr Lois Raymond, and a host of others who spend their valuable time with me , ensuring that I develop the art of story telling through images, during the 49th Missouri Photo Workshop.