Making zoo a more child-friendly place

The Oakland zoo in California has strollers for hire.Presumsbly, they were donated by animal lovers feeling philonthrophical. I don't know if they do this at Oakland zoo, but such strollers could also be a source of ad. revenue for the zoo management. Advertisers dealing in schooluniforms, toys, children's garments and shoes might be interested.

These benches, gifted by well-wishers, are conveniently placed at the tigers enclosure. At times it takes a while before you can sight a tiger. And the benches are helpful for the wait. Donated benches srategicallly placed at several spots makes the tour of the zoo less taxing on your calf muscles.
This one, put up in loving memory of Hong Y Tom is at the amusement area adjacent to the park. This space is accessible to all visitors, even those who have not paid the zoo entrance fee.

Apart from the designated amusement area there are play spots at many places within the zoo. This makes the going a lot more fun for children.



And then there is an interactive enclosure in which children can touch, feel, pat and fondle the animals - goats and cows.

This contraption, looking like a parking meter, accepts small change by way of donation. Attracts child donars.

WEDDINGS AND VIDEOS

A couple of days ago, I was present at a family wedding. Seated in the front row, this is what I got to see most of the time!


Our weddings are full of ceremonies and last well over two days, whittled down from the five day-ceremonies of yore. But celebrations begin much earlier and social get-togethers follow. Friends and relatives are invited days ahead and expected to participate in all events. For those who can’t, there are photographs and videos!

Videographers and their assistants – sometimes more than two pairs – stand in front of the dais where the marriage is being conducted, and manage to block everyone’s view of the proceedings. True, they have their job to do, and do it properly. But for those wanting to see the ceremonies live, and not a recorded version, it is frustrating. I saw many going up to the side of the dais to see the ceremonies. In some cases, close circuit TVs and screens on both sides of the hall (in one instance, even in the dining section) show the ceremonies ‘live’!

Which brings me to my gripe. Are videos really necessary? They are hours long, and I have not met anyone who is really enthused over seeing them. There are bound to be interruptions too. No one has the patience or time to sit through hours of these videos, unless it is to check out the few frames they are in - “Can we fast forward the next bit?” Most of the video players are defunct now, and the videos have to be converted to CDs. You need DVD players, and even in the remote possibility that someone actually wants to see the wedding ceremonies, you need to have power, and some nimble young fingers to operate the remote. I have to confess I haven’t viewed the wedding videos of my sons more than a couple of times.

I suggest that the videography be done away with. Instead let there be more photographs, as many as you like, in black and white (they are really far more glamorous), in colour, in sepia, whatever. Let there be many albums – one for each ceremony, a picture to a page. The albums can be held conveniently and one can look at the pictures peacefully, at one’s own pace. Convenient breaks can be taken, without having to hunt through frames for the last one seen.

I took a quick poll among those present, and was happy to find that everyone I asked was in agreement.

When so much is being spent on weddings, the budget allotted to the videography may not be much, and scrapping it may not be a big saving, so that is not my concern. It is just that it is an exercise in futility.

So... What are we waiting for ?...

The following photos were taken at train stations around the world:

Malmo, Sweden

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Tokyo, Japan

Leuven, Belgium

Niigata, Japan

Scandanavia

So… What are we waiting for?!...More in One Green Generation...

Go by bus

On a recent trip (See Bangalore: Flying in, flying out in Song of the waves - Parayil A. Tharakan Blog) I realized that that there is an excellent bus transport network between the Bengaluru International Airport and the City. This is run by Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) with a fleet of Euro3 compliant air conditioned Volvo coaches and non-A/C buses.

Why don’t passengers use this transport system instead of depending on taxis or own cars? Many well-to-do Indians seem to have a hang up about being seen traveling by public transport. If this mindset is changed, there would be fewer vehicles on the roads, less pollution and great saving in fuel.

The BMTC buses are comfortable, cheap, fast and punctual. They ply on 8 convenient routes. Tickets can be booked online and delivered to you. Also available is a unique Home Connect service. You can pre-arrange for a taxi to pick you up from or drop you at the chosen bus stop. (Log on to www.bmtcinfo.com or www.redbus.in). I understand plans are on to include auto rickshaws also in this pool.

It would be great if a few CEOs start using the bus for airport connection. Those who work with them are also likely to follow the example. Imagine the saving if pool transport is accepted instead of each one using his vehicle or a taxi. The transit time can be well utilized with laptops and mobile phones. Actually, at higher levels, most of the work is done in the mind. And, there is no compulsion that one should read a book while traveling.

What are the alternatives for traffic generated by the Electronic City, the farthest point in the Metropolis from the airport? I am told that a helicopter ferry was considered but had to be shelved because the cost would be something like USD100 per head per trip.

Another possibility is the companies in that area coming together to organize a captive bus system. After all, the people who provide solutions to others should be able to solve this one.

Use your car sparingly. Go by bus. Save money, reduce pollution, cut down gas consumption.

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Perhaps we can light a lamp instead?

Recent generations of Bhaaratvaasis adopted several practices from newer societies and cultures, with or without fully understanding (or even attempting to know about) the ethos of our own. Blowing out one or more candles is one such 'alien' custom. I for one never knew why the candle(s) were blown out, but found a possible explanation here "The blowing out of the candles on the birthday cake originated from an early tradition that believed that the smoke from the candles would take one's wish or petition up to God."
A senior citizen (can we call them Gen W or earlier?) - my mother - is amazed that most families follow and perpetuate such new 'traditions', come each red letter day.
In India, and likely elsewhere, the 'light goes out' to symbolise the instance of a transition from light to darkness. Even this Rabindranath Tagore explains as: “Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.”
Recently a family celebrated the 80th birthday of its matriarch who declined to blow out the candle, instead she lit a lamp. Let us salute this anonymous octogenarian-trendsetter.
Is the next red letter day due very soon? Get ready to light up, don't waste your lung power to blow out.

Filming locations

On any given day, they say, there are 70 film crews at work at various public places in New York. The city has in recent years been a favored location for Bollywood film-makers. A few of their films – Kabhi Alvida Na Kahna, Aa Ab Laut Chale – have extensive footage shot in New York.

City apartments, with backdrops featuring familiar NY sights, are in demand not only for film and TV shows but also commercials and magazine ads. Producers of prime-time TV serial, Central Park West, hired an apartment with Central Park views. Bathrooms and kitchens big enough to give moving space for a couple actors and a filming crew are sought after for film shoots. One such apartment owner hired out the kitchen for $500 a day to a company called A Cocktail Napkin Production. A professional studio with a kitchen could have cost them $10,000.

A New York-based company, AKA Locations, maintains a library of available homes and other private premises to suit specific needs of film and TV production companies. They work with the company location scouts in identifying private houses for film shooting.

There is scope for outdoor location search agency in my city Mysore, which has been a traditional destination for filmmakers from all over the country. Many of them are unaware that, locations-wise, there is lot more to Mysore than Lalith Mahal Palace and Brindavan Gardens. Scores of other lesser known mansions, not to mention Crawford Hall and Oriental Research Institute, provide equally impressive backdrops. A local heritage group has identified over 200 sites within Mysore city alone. Besides, there are locales in Srirangapatna, Nagarhole, Bandipur waiting to be discovered for outdoor filming.

This could be a project for stakeholders in tourism to promote Mysore. The Mysore locations agency could be a joint initiative of tourism dept., local authorities and enterprising location scouts.

Back to bicycles

Bike rentals, a fashion in Paris. His suggestion is to try out in Bangalore what is fashionable in Paris. It is easy to imagine the benefits if more people take to bikes instead of automated transport - exercise, cheaper transport, easing traffic congestion, saving fuel and above all, reduction of pollution. I hope that the business community and the citizens would give this a serious thought.

Once upon a time Bangalore was a town of bicycles. With the increase in the number of cars and buses and the eagerness of people to reduce transit time, the humble pedal vehicles were pushed to the background. But now we have come a full circle and often the bicycles can get you to your destination faster than an automobile.

Bicycle rentals were quite common in Bangalore fifty years or so back. In the early 1950s we had one next to St. Joseph’s College Hostel. An Anglo-Indian couple owned it. I forget their name now. The bikes were available any time on nominal rent. It was a great facility for the hostel boys because very few of them owned vehicles.

During a class on the importance of punctuation, the English professor at St. Joseph’s asked us a question. The owner of a bicycle rental had a new name board made for his shop. It included the caption ’Bicycles for gentlemen and ladies for hire’.

The painter put a comma at the wrong place on the board and that changed the entire meaning. I am sure that you can guess after which word the comma was inserted.

That was a lesson well learned.

Coming back to bicycles, I remember that in Kerala too, bike rentals were quite common in villages and small towns. At least in our area this service is making a comeback. Why wait for a bus or auto rickshaw? Take a two-wheeler and pedal away.

Ends.

Also see: Bangalore memories

Cross posted from

Song of the waves - Parayil A. Tharakan Blog