Citygritty 8212; Pune

Dagdusheth splendourLoud music, people dancing on the roads and plenty of gulal. A Ganesh festival scene. The mandals are all ready with ...

Dagdusheth splendour
Loud music, people dancing on the roads and plenty of gulal. A Ganesh festival scene. The mandals are all ready with their decorations for the festival starting on Monday. Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati mandal will celebrate the festival for the 106th time, this year. Every year, the mandal puts up a stupendous pandal in its unchanged vicinity off Laxmi Road, at one of the entrances to Tulshibaug. The mandal claims the place is pavitra. Every year, the theme attracts people in droves. This time, it is the replica of a temple being built in Pandharpur the Shri Vitthal Rukhmani Mandir.

8220;It is a tribute to Sant Namdeo and Sant Tukaram,8221; the organisers maintain. For ten days, this model will get more colourful in the evening when the whole temple will be lit up. The model includes four pillars, twelve feet high at the entrance with scenes from the saints8217; lives painted on them. The main gate depicts Sant Tukaram leaving for Vaikunth. The huge mahadwar, has four pillars twelve feet high and a beautiful painting of Garud and Maruti. On the left, there is an eye-catching scene of the palkhi and on the right is the dindi palki. The whole thing is a three-storyed decoration with a 50-feet long gallery. The second floor has a scene of Sant Namdeo8217;s kirtan and on the sides there are six temples, with six different gods. The third floor houses Krishna8217;s temple.

One with nature IF you wanted to be a part of the nature conservation process, here8217;s your chance. The World Wide Fund for Nature, Pune division, has announced a two-month certificate course in conservation education starting in the second week of October. The programme is aimed mainly at undergraduate students who strongly wish to contribute to conservation efforts in and around Pune. According to the WWF press release, 8220;The two-month programme followed by project work to help the participants to understand the basics of natural history and ecology, know the details of the global and local environmental issues problems and conservation efforts at all levels and develop skills to impart this knowledge. The commitment of completing the course and continuing to work in this field at their convenience will be asked for.8221; Evening lectures and discussions with environmentalists, outings and camps to get hands-on experience in communication methodologies and motivate people towards conservation and most importantof all can contribute to nature conservation. In exceptional cases, application of younger or older applicants will be considered.

Nominal fees will be charged for this course and the last date to apply with a bio-data is September 30. For those avid nature lovers details are available at the WWF- India office from 2.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. from Monday to Friday at 5674670 / 5674675.

Better or for verse
Calling all those who like to wield the poetic pen. The British Council and The Poetry Society India jointly invite entries for the ninth All-India Poetry Competition 2000. Each entry must be a poem in English by the competitor or his/her translation into English of a poem written by any recognised Indian language with a maximum length of 30 lines. The three categories for which entries are invited are young poets between 12-17, the new millennium poets 18-35 and the general category. The prizes should be tempting enough for those interested to give it a try 8211; the first prize is one excursion ticket to Britain. The second prize is Rs. 5,000 and two commendation prizes of Rs. 2500 in each category. A special prize of Rs. 5000 has been announced for the best poem in translation. For details, one could contact the British Library or download entry forms from britishcouncil.org/india/english. Those interested had better find their muse before the last date for entries January 1, 2000. Remember youcould do verse.

Brittle bones AS we move towards longer life expectancies, we will also have to live with diseases that go with it, like osteoporosis. Last week, the city saw a symposium on osteoporosis, organised by Nandalala Seva Samiti Trust. This disease that causes brittle bones was discussed by Dr K Yogam who is an obstetrician, gynaecologist and perinatologist in the US of A. Osteoporosis affects all the bones and a major public health threat as it was responsible for more than 1.5 million fractures per year. But the good news is that regular exercise and calcium supplements can help prevent this emaciating disease. The race hots up NOW that the racing season is on full throttle, a much-looked forward to the event comes in the form of the S A Poonawalla Million scheduled for September 26. And it promises to be bigger and better than before. Up for grabs this time is a Maruti 800 in the Free Contest of Skills8217; organised during the main race. Along with this a top band of Mumbai has been invited to play at the RaceCourse in between and after the races. The Poonawalla group has guaranteed a total stake of, hold-your-breath, Rs one million apart from trophies and cash prizes that will be given to the winners of the race. And of course the refreshments, a glimpse of Pune8217;s glitterati and an ambience one would probably not encounter anywhere else come along as a bonus. So, be prepared to take out your Sunday be st and trot to the races one Sundays hence for an exciting and racy afternoon.