Citygritty 8212; Pune

Have a wild timeWith World Environment Day on June 5, wildlife conservation organisations have got into the act. On its part, the Zoologi...

Have a wild time
With World Environment Day on June 5, wildlife conservation organisations have got into the act. On its part, the Zoological Survey of India, Akurdi, has a line-up of programmes to mark the day. Their museum will remain open for the public between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The exhibits on display include stuffed spotted deer, Malabar pied hornbill, scaly anteater and molluscan shells. 8220;These are animals found in the Western Ghats, which fall under our jurisdiction,8221; says Dr. M.S. Pradhan, deputy director and officer in charge.

Other features of the programme include a talk on illegal wildlife trade by Pradhan and another on pollution by Dr. B.E. Yadav, both to be accompanied by a slide show. A film on wildlife will also be shown in the afternoon. Just the place to head for if you are a wildlife buff.

Man, woman and God
There was a time when a woman explaining the ways of God to man would have been scoffed at. No longer. 8220;Today, women priests conduct religious rituals on an equal footing as their male counterparts,8221; says Prof. V.L. Manjul, a member of the Sanskrit Year committee. The committee, along with Shankar Seva Samiti, is organising the first ever convention of women priests on June 12 at the Udyan Prasad Karyalaya.

Says Manjul, 8220;In 1976, when the Shankar Seva Samiti started to train women to become priests, there were only 16 on the list. Today, there are over 6,000 women priests in the state. While the efforts of Phule and Karve helped give the issue of women8217;s education momentum, not much had been done in the sphere of women8217;s religious education, a need that the Samiti fulfilled. quot;The convention will discuss matters relating to aspects like the correct sequence to be followed in conducting rituals and the pronunciation of the shlokas.8221; Anna Lategeb, an Austrian conducting her doctoral research on women priests, will also talk on the occasion.

Twice the delight
She was last seen singing in the rain in the music video of her song, Ab Ke Sawan. Shubha Mudgal, classical vocalist who turned pop singer recently, will be in the city for a classical concert. The programme, organised by Pancham Nishad, will feature her along with Padmabhushan Pt. C.R. Vyas at the Balgandharva Rangmandir at 8.30 p.m. today.

Mudgal, the Hindustani classical singer trained in the Gwalior Gharana tradition, is equally at home in the world of pop. But then the language of music knows no boundaries, right?

They pop again!
Pop stars seem to find Pune irresistible. Today will see yet another bunch of them descending to the city. What8217;s all the song and dance about? This concert, featuring pop singers Mehnaz, Remo Fernandes, Milind Ingle, Tanya, and Nitin Bali, is being brought to the city by Smita Thackeray8217;s Mukti. The concert, to be held at the B.J. Medical grounds, will begin at 7 p.m.

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