Friday, March 25, 2011

Powerbocking : Leaps and Bounce !



First to create a new design of stilts from Karantaka

Not many people can run like a gazelle, jump like a kangaroo and make
nine-foot-wide strides like a giraffe, all while balancing on stilts.
For Raghav Anil Kumar, an Engineering student of SJCE, Mysore, who has
learnt Powerbocking, it is not a difficult task. In addition to his
Powerbocking feats on stilts, he has also created a new design of
jumping stilts and fabricated it. Raghav is said to be the first from
Karnataka to do this.

Explaining about Powerbocking he said, "It is not yet famous in India.
Powerbocking is a sport of jumping and running using specially
designed carbon-fiber-graphite spring loaded stilts strapped to one's
legs. Each boot consists of a foot-plate with snowboard type bindings,
a fiberglass leaf spring and a hoof. The performer can jump upto a
height 6 feet. These jumping stilts were used in the closing ceremony
of the Olympic Games held in Beijing in 2008."

Says Raghav, "Powerbocking is an extreme sport and these stilts can
provide a full body workout, reducing cholesterol, helping to lose
weight and also build a great deal of strength."

Learning Powerbocking is very exciting and can be a lot of fun. It
generally takes a day or two to get balance and a month to get the
basics right. Speaking to Express, Raghav said, "At first I built my
own pair of stilts. I used scrap materials picked up from the junk
yard and fabricated it. I designed the stilts by studying their
structure and mechanism from a video that I came across on Youtube.
Once they were ready, I was eager to test."

"I practiced walking, running and jumping with them. Soon I realized
that they required some modifications, but the materials required,
especially the springs, could not be found here in the Indian market."

"Now I am regularly practicing with the stilts. It’s a great exercise.
Being a gymnast, I can now perform gymnastics elements on hard floors
using these stilts, with greater ease and power than I could do
barefoot. With the stilts tied, I could even jump over a car with a
little more practice."

"I would love to see more people taking up this sport and join hands
with me so we could form a team and make it popular in India. I'm very
fond of creating new designs and I dream about practicing on them. I
had the confidence that I could make my own stilts and I did it," he
explains. "Thanks to my father, Anil Kumar and his friend, Yogish who
helped me a great deal in some of the technical aspects of designing
the stilts. And my friend, Boraiah, who practices along with me and
helps me out in learning new tricks."

The future for Powerbocking in India looks quite promising as it adds
a new dimension for any sport. One can play Basketball, Volleyball,
Hockey and others, by wearing these stilts which give super human
abilities to the wearer. There is plenty information available on the
internet. You can also check out videos of Raghav on youtube/raghav91.

Donation menace in city school are in prowl




Violation of rules continues in Mysore despite strict warnings


If you have thought about waiting till April to get
your son or daughter admitted in school, then forget it. There will be no seats available as most of the reputed schools have finished the admissions process.

Parents have already begun to scratch their heads to find a good school for their wards. The parents have to stand in queue only to get the application from the schools they wish to get their child admitted. The average fees in Mysore for
the admission to LKG admission is Rs 40,000 which has caused good business for money lenders.

There was a time when the main emphasis of any academic institution was to disseminate knowledge to everyone irrespective of the financial status of the seeker. Education was completely off limits for money seekers. But with commercialization rapidly spreading its tentacles, even education was not spared, becoming just another kind of business to earn easy money.

Today the donation menace has reached such extremes that for parents to provide quality education to their children even at the Nursery or Primary level has become possible only for a privileged few. Though for affluent families it is not an issue, it is the middle-class and poor families who are affected most by this scourge called donation.

Providing education to children in prestigious schools and colleges has become a real nightmare for most of the middle class families as it is becoming expensive year after year. Most parents and wards are borrowing money, sometimes even from private money lenders at high rates of interest, in order to admit their children in prestigious schools with the hope of providing a better education.

Mysore is renowned as a centre for excellent academic institutions. But this city too, like other cities is plagued with the menace of donation which has reached to such extremes that it is spoiling the academic atmosphere.
Just as complaints started pouring in about donation menace in media and press, the government stepped in and formed a task force to ensure transparency in admission fees and to crackdown the donation menace in aided and unaided schools by insisting on providing reservation of seats for all categories of children.

To ensure fair distribution of seats it was made mandatory to announce on the notice boards all details like fee structure and admission procedures. Though most of them have provided these details in their application prospectus, no details about fees and reservation, or the pattern of allotment of seats are made public. Even today many of them continue to collect donations though it is prohibited under law.

Most of the private institutions have already begun to issue the applications for nursery and have been asking the parents to pay registration fees to book the admission for their children. Till now almost, all the private institutions expect for a few have almost completed the admission process.

While, some schools have started the admission process, the others schools claim to have not started the process, Baden Powell School Principal Sahdev said that the admission process would begin only after March 31.

When Express spoke to few people who have admitted their children after paying hefty donations, most of them complained about the bad education prevalent in government schools which forced them to go to private schools.

"If government schools also provide quality education like the private or aided institutions, we definitely dont mind enrolling our children to a government school. The level of maturity seen in a first grade student studying in a private school is often not seen in a 7th grade student studying in government school. Instead of introducing populist schemes like the mid-day meals, giving away free bi-cycles etc let the government concentrate more on imparting quality education. They should instead take steps to increase enrollment of children in government schools, as in most of these schools there are no infrastructure facilities, sometimes even good teachers, which the government should first concentrate upon."
- Prabhuswamy, Retired Teacher

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"Though it is every parent's dream to provide quality education to their kids for a better future by seeking admission in a good school, it ulitmately depends on our financial capabilities". - Sowmya

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"I am a middle-class family man. I brought an application from one of the prestigious school in the city to enroll my kid for pre-nursery. The fee is Rs. 45,000 per annum. As I don’t have that much money, I was forced to borrow it on interest and paid the fees. I always wanted my kid to study in a good school."
- Raghu, VV Mohalla

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"Parents should not pay any money for admission. They should strongly oppose it. Most parents are afraid to complain about donation menace, fearing that their kid may be refused admission in the school. People should start fighting against this menace. At least if some parents stand up against it courageously and fight the donation menace, then it can be controlled. Improving public awareness in this regard is the need of the hour".
- Prakash, auto driver
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Roaring business for money lenders
Money lenders usually have a roaring business every year especially during January to June, because that is when the the school admissions are held and also it is the time when the houses are relcoated nearer to school in order to better manage extra expenses.

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What DDPI say

Compared to last year, four new schools have come up this year and we have given instructions to both schools and parents alike, not to collect or pay any donation. But parents continue to give money in the form of contribution.

According to Section 39 of Karnataka Education Act, if any of school has been found violating the law and if any complaints come from the public that it is indulging in donation, then, such schools will be de-recognized and there licences cancelled. Also Application forms for admission should be issued only after the results are announced.

Public can call the following numbers to lodge a complaint regarding donation – 2490025 / 94489-99349. They can also submit written complaint to DDPI Deputy Director, Nagendra Kumar.

How schools are updating…
In today's competitive world, most schools are investing large sums of money in order to provide good education. Providing better computer lab facilities, introducing modern teaching aids and paying better remuneration to retain good teachers many more. At the end what we can say is all requires money.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Talent unleashed: An young champ creates history by dancing



Michael Jackson continues to inspire even today and here is one such young champ who is inspired by Prabhudev and MJ and has created magic through his non-stop dance and has mastered their steps with grace.

Learning new skills is very easy for Parash, an 10th standard student of CFTRI. He catches the step with extreme ease and has participated in many reality shows and desires to become Engineer and wants to start a dance school of his own in the coming years and to achieve in filmdom.

Parash has not only impressed the public and his fans but also film actors, directors and producers, who in turn have given him opportunities to perform in Kannada and Hindi films.

He has roleplayed in more than 20 films with heroes like Sahasa Simha Vishnuvardhan and Suhasini in the film School Master. He has also participated in the song ‘Barsore Megha Megha…’ for Aishwarya Rai in the lead role from the film Guru, which was shoot at Melkote. Apart from that he has worked in Ravishastri, Bandhu Balaga, Eee Bandhana, Mastim Male Brali Manju Irali, Olave Jeevana Lekkachara, School Master, Guru and others. He also remembers the friendly attitude of Superstar Akshay Kumar during the filming of ‘Bhool Bhulaiyya’.

He is a grandson of Ramchandra Rao an well-known classical Bharathanatyam dancer and a son of B Ravindranath and Padmini. He thanks his uncle Prashanth and brother Parag for encouraging him in all his activities.



Speaking to Express Parash said that he learnt the western style of dance under the tutelage of Chamaraj at Master and Blaster dance school. Participating in the reality shows is more hectic as he has to take leave at regular intervals to attend the shoots.

He joined dance classes at the age of 10. Since then, he is participating in various state and national-level dance competitions and has also completed level I training in Indian Contemporary dance style at Nritharuthya dance school and has come out with flying colours in contemporary dance style.

Parash has also represented Mysore at the International Children Assembly held in New Delhi under the auspices of Jawahar Balbhavan, department of Women and Child Welfare. He has also stayed at National Balbhavan for more than 12 days and has performed on the theme of promoting Gandhian values of bonding for truth, peace and non-violence.

Prizes Galore
Parash who has participated in various state-level dance competitions has bagged many prizes. He has won 1st prize in the ultimate state-level dance conducted by Udaya TV, Dakshina Kannada ZIlla Association, Sri Nimishamba Dance Promoters, Universal Academy and others.

Look-alike fake brand continues to cheat consumers



Somani College students have collected more than 60 fake brand products and are exhibiting it on March 17

While Consumer Day was observed on March 15 with various organizations and associations holding awareness rallies, speeches et al, but the students of Basudev Somani College in the city are observing it in a unique manner by displaying a collection of fake consumer products whose names resembled and rhymed with the popular original brands which made it difficult even for a discerning eye to note the difference at the first glance. All the products were painstakingly collected by the students themselves by searching every nook-and-corner in the city.

Mythri and Srilakshmi, both students of first year B.Com formed a troupe of 10 members and have collected around 60 fake brands of popular consumer products by personally visiting nearby villages in and around Mysore like, Mahadevapura, Srirampura, Baragooru, Hootgalli, Metagalli, Shivapura and others over the past one month and buying them from their own pocket money whenever they spotted a fake product kept for sale in the small kirana shops which the villagers frequently visit to purchase their daily needs.

These products are never sold in cities as the city dwellers being both literate and knowledgeable, do not easily fall prey to such tactics, but seeing the products that were displayed, they too were confused for a moment and failed to recognize which was original and which was fake. Such was the combination of colours used for packing and the name chosen that the difference could not be noticed so easily. Mostly it was Agarbathis, soaps, chocolates, biscuits, and several daily used consumer products that were faked and sold off as popular brands.

Apart from this, the Department of Commerce has also put on display charts on Consumer rights, its function, responsibilities, rights, protection acts, sales manages and much more.

Speaking to Express, students said that the exhibition will create awareness among consumers and the exhibition of fake products and demo on food adulteration will be held on March 17 at College premises in Kuvempunagar.

Students of Basudev Somani College belonging to the Department of Commerce, Language, Economics and History have exhibited their collections as part of `Somani Sambhram’ three-day Management fest.

History Department


The department of history have exhibited history of Shivaji and rare pictures of Dadabai Navroji, R C Dutt, V D Bavasarkar, R C Majundar; Social and Spiritual leaders like Ramakrishnaparamahamsa, Swami Vivkenanda, Mohan Roy, Sculpture, Hampi Virupaksha, Pattada Virupaksha temple, Kallina Ratha, Gomateswara, History of Vijayanagar empire.

Language departments
The Language departments have exhibited poems of Kuvempu, Dara Bendre and list of Pampa award winners also have been displayed. Apart from this the college has organized fun-fair fest on March 18 in which traditional games like lagori, Kuntebelle, and many other will be held.

Find which is fake and original:

Eyetex – Eyefair
Kracksnack – Krackjack
Sabena – Sabeena
510 soap -501 soap
Vasu – Vastu
Fair & Lovely – Fair & Fairy
Horlicks- Horicks
Commando – Commendo
Itch Guard – Itch Rock

Somani Sambrama concludes with fun and traditional games



No time limits, no hassles of classes. It was pure fun time. Students of Somani College experienced delightful moments on March 18 enjoying with friends sharing new experiences. The event Somani Sambhrama organized by Basudev Somani College gave students an opportunity to explore their interests, inculcate team spirit and build up confidence.

About 22 stalls setup inside the college premises, comprising 10 gaming stalls and 12 food stalls, attracted a lot of people to the venue to take part in the fun and frolic while savouring a tasty bite.



While the games included throwing darts and rings along with card games and several new themes the eateries ranged from ice-creams, cold-drinks, watermelon, burgers, groundnut and all type of chat items. This fair was open to all and attended mainly by school and college students.

The fair needed break for students from their daily schedule of rigorous college life and gave an opportunity to learn how to interact with customers in real life while selling products or purchasing.

Speaking to Express students who were trying to win over new customers to their stalls said that ‘our teachers and friends have supported whole-hearted and we feel happy we had a good break through from our hectic schedule work and enjoying a lot.’

Traditional Games



In present generation computer games and cricket are uppermost the minds of everyone, but this college students celebrated their annual fest in a different way by hosting traditional games like Lagori, Chinni Dandu, Kuntebille, which were once played so commonly on the city roads with lot of fervour and excitement. There were several indoor games too, like Chouka bara, pagade, Alli Gulli Mane and many more.

With the onslaught of television and video games these traditional games were disappearing fast. It was a competition with a difference, invoking curiosity among youngsters and nostalgic moments in older generation.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Adrenaline rush takes enthusiasts 6,000 feet in the sky

“Man’s small, why fall, sky’s call, that’s all”


When the sky is calling, man cannot resist the temptation, especially for two adventure enthusiasts from our city, Suraj R Krishnam and D.S.D.Solanki, Director, Public Relations, International Academy of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (IAMAS)as they embark for a sky diving course in Gujarat.

It was the tenth sky diving course organized by the Indian Parachute Federation, New Delhi, at the Dessa Air Port, near Palampur, Gujarat, between Feb 22 to Feb 27. The five day course teaches various aspects of sky diving. Solanki and Krishnan the only two people from Mysore jumped at the offer without batting an eyelid. Speaking to Express Solanki narrated his experience at the training centre.

The training session was conducted by a Jump Master named Surya Prakash of Indian Parachute Federation. Though he spoke in Hindi, they could follow his instructions well.


Around fifteen participants had registered for the course. As the course was conducted by ex-servicemen, military discipline was evident throughout the training. There were other participants too who had come other states.

The next day began with warm up exercises after which they started doing Para Landing Falls and other drills to get acquainted with the sky diving. The theory classes began immediately after that.

The theory classes dealt on various topics like, introduction to parachuting, ground training like Para Landing Rolls, basic safety requirements, introduction and familiarisation with parachute and their functions, checking adjustments and wearing a parachute, its design, construction & flying characteristics of a ram-air parachute, demonstration of packing and opening sequence of a parachute, parachuting aids, aircraft procedures with commands and signals, jump procedures, handling the parachute while dropping, identification of drop zone from the air, understanding wind speed and wind directions, landing procedures with Para landing falls, handling of parachute on landing, Automatic Activation Device and emergency procedures to be followed.

During the practicals they learnt tying parachute bags to their backs and had to perform a mock drill of sitting in the aircraft, followed by the dive in the air and then depending on the wind condition perform stunts like stall and spiral. They were also taught about making group formations in the air along with learning how to glide in the crosswind and down winds. In the last leg of the training they learnt how to land against the wind.

There are only two grades awarded, either a Superior or a Failure. While Superiors get a chance to jump, Failures do not. Fortunately both got through.

Finally it was time for the two dare-devils from Mysore to wear the parachutes, helmet and tie the altimeter onto their wrists. Both of them along with the jump master Surya Prakash, sat in the aircraft and took off to the air. They were shown the topography of the air strip and the drop zone area where they were supposed to land. The aerial view of the landing strip, aircraft hangars, looked very small and mesmerizing.

After reaching a height of 5000-6000 feet the the aircraft turned around to fly towards the target area. The Jump Master tied the static line to the hook in the aircraft and asked them to take position. With one leg placed on the right wing of the plane and other leg on the edge of the exit door, pat came the signal for exit. Without a moment’s hesitation, they jumped one after another in the air and started the counts to open the chute in time. The parachutes opened with slider sliding down and making sound that the chute was fully open. Solanki made three topples in the air and felt extremely happy doing the stunts, while Suraj jumped as if he is a Spider man and did spirals in air.

After the plunge, it was now time for to feel the controls. With toggles pulled down, we did a little bit of manoeuvring like left turn and right turn, as they were taught in the class room. They did some stalls and spirals. .
“That day I was an extremely happy man. With a lot of mixed feelings, it suddenly occurred to me that, alas, I have realised my dream which I once considered too difficult to realize. Thanks to Indian Parachute Federation, today I have realised my dream of soaring like a bird in the sky" said Soanki feeling elated.

Incase if any body is interested in doing static line or free fall sky diving for details you can write to tigersolanki@rediffmail.com or iamas@rediffmail.com.

People throng to temples on Maha Shivaratri

The occasion of Maha Shivaratri witnessed long queues in front of all Shiva temples in the city, especially in the century old temples Trinayaneshwara temple inside the Palace premises, Chandramouleshwara temple on Kalidasa Road, Sri Kanykaparameshwari Swamy Temple, Agrahara and Amritheswara temple on D. Subbaiah Road.

Apart from this Sri Mahadeshwaraswamy Temple in Sunnada Keri, Sri Amrutheshwara Temple in Narayanshastri Road and Sri Prasanna Swami Temple, VV Puram to witnessed a huge crowd.

The temples were seen decorated colorfully with flowers and lord shiva was offered with beelu pathre. Tight security was provided around the temples. To ease the vehicular traffic and to make a smooth snail for devotes many of the roots surrounding temple premises were diverted and barricades were placed to control the crowd.

Trinayaneshwara temple at Place
Speaking to Express pontiff MS Radhakrishna said that more than 18,000 devotees had already visited these temples to have darshana of Shivalinga and The temples will remain open till 12.30pm in the midnight.

The temple has a history of 1300 years and on account of Shivaratri Rudraparyana was held through out the day. The Swarna Kolaga (golden face mask of shiva) will be returned back to treasury on Thursday around 11 am under tight police security.

Avadhoota Datta Peetha
Maha Shivaratri message was given by Sri Swamiji, Rudra home Purnahuti, Abhisheka to shivalingam and cultural programs were conducted through the night at Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Ashrama

At Suttur
Kamsale on Sri Mahadeshwara Mahime was presented by Sri Mahadev Nayak and Troupe. Shiva Sankirtana on Bhookailasa was presented by Shivarathan Phalanetra and troupe, Bangalore.

Bhajans and satsang
There was on-going shiva bhajans, satsang, discourse, homa and cultural programs in all the temples. In some temples special pujas, archane, flower, fruit and ghee decoration for Lord Shiva was a common sight.


Prasadam was being distributed to devotees at the temple inside the Palace premises and the discarded plates were seen scattered all over the temple backyard creating an eyesore.

Buntings and banners: Sri Kanykaparameshwari Temple on Ramanuja Raod which has a history of 63 years was covered with the buntings and banners of the ruling BJP Government praising Yeddyurappa government.

Gangajal: There was a good response to receive Ganga Jal. It is learnt that it will be diluted with Kaveri water to make up for the shortage.

Average rush for theatres: Compare to other days, most of the theatres had an average response on Wednesday.

City's youngest Karnatak classical vocalist



SA Vinayak is probably the youngest Karnatak classical vocalist the city has ever seen. Though being just 12 years old, he can lucidly sing Kirthanas composed by Saint Thyagaraja and Saint Purandara Dasa.

He began giving public performances singing Kirthanas from his tender age. On one such occasion during the Navaratri festival, he performed a non-stop two hour concert at Dharmasthala. Having received rich accolades from the former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam after his Karnatak classical music concert held at Raj Bhavan in Bangalore in January 2010, this child prodigy has performed all over the State winning several awards and honours.

He was bestowed the Outstanding Achievement Award instituted by the Department of Women and Children's Welfare, at the International Women's Day celebration held in Sahakara Bhavan in city recently, which comprised a citation and cash prize of Rs. 10,000.

Vinayak began singing classical music when he was just 4 years old. When his mother Shashikala was attending classical music classes, Vinayak who was just a little kid then used to accompany her mother.

Instinctively he too began singing along with his mother and gradually mastered it without much effort. Though the family doesn’t have any tradition of classical singing, the only link to music is that about 30 years ago, the elders in the family held music concerts in the house during Ganesha festivals lasting a fortnight which was attended by neighbours. He perfected it by practicing it daily for two hours. Later his sister too joined him and sometimes the brother-sister perform together.

Vinayak is studying seventh standard at the CFTRI School in the city and is good in academics as well. He has won several awards and citations for his excellent singing of classical music. His programmes are aired by Akashavani and telecast by DD Chandana channel as well.

Music maestro, Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, spotted the latent talent in the lad and has accepted him as his disciple. He has invited him to Chennai for further training which will begin from May.
At present Vinayaka is imparting knowledge from gurus Vasantha Sundarajan and Vidushi Amrutha Subramanyam

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Son et Lumiere brings back to life the past glory of Vijayanagar Empire

Bringing back to life the past glory of the reign of King Sri Krishandevaraya in light and shade effects with music and narration in the background making dark night as the screen was a visual treat to eagerly awaiting audiences assembled in Scouts and Guides ground on Saturday. The show will also be held on February 27 between 7.30 pm and 8.40.

The history, achievements, administrative skills, heritage and glory of the Vijayanagara Kingdom and the life and time of it most famous rulers was showcased through Sound and Light show very beautifully and briefly.

Though seating arrangements were made only for 2500 people the crowd that had assembled to watch the Sound and Light show popularly known as Son et Lumieres far exceeded that number and had to stand on all stands to glean a glimpse of magic unfold before their unbelieving eyes making them spellbound.

Strobe lights of orange, red, green and water colour hues, more than 500 light fixtures consisting of halogen lamps of 500W and 1000W capacities, specially made light effect instruments like Water Rollers, Fire Rollers, Fire Projectors, Jumbo Strobes and PAR Cans were used to bring to life the golden rule of Sri Krishnadevaraya.

The sets were made using a special material called Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) along with wood and flexes with metal frames recreating historic monuments of Vijayanagar namely the Vittala Temple, Stone Chariot, Lotus Mahal, the statue of Ugranarasimha, Kadalekalu Ganesha, Sasivekalu Ganesha, Virupaksha Temple, Hampi Bazaar, Tungabhadra River and Two Storied Mantap.

The various structures when arranged on the ground spans 232 feet in length and 40 feet in height. 16 Trucks were deployed to transport them from one place to another. Completely controlled and run by computer software, the programme lasting 45 minutes was run by in-house generators and costs Rs.15 lakhs for each show.

Speaking to express Sujatha a resident of Brindavan Garden opined that ‘this type of program should be conducted regularly during weekends to add more glory for heritage city.’

‘Usually in weekends I go for a movie. But today this program made my day complete with a sense of relaxation. The hardship and trouble taken to project this sound and light show is really laudable,’ says Bharath a BBM student.

Mysore Zoo to sport a new look by March

Steps are being taken by the concerned authorities to improvise the century old Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens by modernizing some of the already existing facilities while retaining it’s natural environment. By the end of March, Mysore Zoo will get a facelift and become more people-friendly as a new library, enclosures for new arrivals, construction of new shelters and lawns, placing new benches and providing dustbins every 10-feet are some of things that are planned.

The zoo also has plans to construct an aviary on the lines of the famous Lorry Loft and Jurong Bird Parks in Singapore. The aviary will housing a large number of birds flying just over the heads of the visitors, while they can even feed them with a special honey mix placed in cups held in hand, indeed a great experience for the visitors.

About 200 specially designed sign boards are being erected at strategic places to provide information about wild-life conservation. They have slogans on subjects like environment, importance of plants, eco-system and others.

New animals in the Zoo
The famous Nile crocodiles of Africa will be brought from Madras Crocodile Bank Trust in Chennai and housed in the reptile enclosure. Special enclosures are being constructed to house pocket monkey. The zoo will also receive four Cheetahs and an Anaconda, all arriving in March.

Speaking to Express, Zoo Executive Director, Markandeya said that the work on the construction of a new library near Chimpanzee enclosure has already begun and will be completed by March end. As the present library was very congested, it will be housed in the new building coming up in the middle of zoo. The new library will be provided with six computers along with internet connection. Being more spacious than the previous one and with a large collection of books it provides a good ambience for the readers.

Presently there are more than 4000 books on flora and fauna, including journals, in the library’s collection and are planning to buy more books. With an annual membership fee of Rs.50, there are already more than 250 members. Some of the books here were received as donations dating back to 1950s and 60s.

There are books on all kinds of subject matters like wild life biology, zoological sciences, ecology and evolution, conservation of bio-diversity, veterinary science, botanical pants, wild life journals, News letters for bird watchers, Sanctuaries, zoos over the world, publications by the Bombay Natural History Society and National Geography and the India Green Files.