THE next time you board a bus at the sprawling Kempe Gowda bus stand at Majesic, stop. For, underneath the grease-stained. concrete was the Subhasnagm Tank. Studying the lay of the land at the Karnataka Golf Association near Airport Road? Well, that's the Cllallagbat. 14 Lake gone putt! Off to the National Games Village? That would be the Koramangala Lake. And if you are game for some more, Shoolay Tank IS a football stadium, Akki Thimmana, halli is for hockey and the Sampangi Tank is the an Kanteerava Stadium.

During its glory days halfway into the 2Oth century, Bangalore bad over 262 lakes. By 1985 the number had shrunk to 185. And today, after all those mouse-clicks, the City of Lakes is the IT Plateau of India. Yes, We were quick to log on to the futuristic potential of technology and even man. Aged to brand ourselves with an Infosys and Wipro, it weren't as smart in pre- serving and conserving the very source that nurtured this wonderful city.

Thankfully though, some of the remaining lakes are back in focus; and Ulsoor, Hebbal and Agaram are getting all the attention they deserve. The strategy is more or less the same for all such dean-ups. Drain, de silt, divert sewage pipes and then refill. Unfortunately, de-silting is what is holding things up as all these water bodies were clogged with weeds that have over the years mushroomed into thick undergrowth killing all aquatic life. In his Guide to Bangalore and Mysore D:irectory.1905, J W Morris describes Ulsoor Lakes dangerous to public health and recalls how many an unsuspecting European soldier had drowned while swimming in its weed-infested, 12 feet deep waters. Finally in 1901, the lake was drained and it took a full.month to dear the weed. It is said Kempe Gowda found "Hasur" in the 16th century while resting under a tree after chasing game from as far as Yelahanka. As he dozed off, Lord Someshwara." Wara appeared in his dream revealing to him the existence of a hidden treasure which he promptly dug up to later build the Someshwarapagoda.

Centuries later, we are faced with a similar reality; with the surviving lakes making up the treasure trove, And it will take a J W Morris of our times to chronicle how long it takes. for us to realize this. As for cleaning up Ulsoor, hebbal and Agaram, which is now filled with silt that's turned to slush thanks to the recent showers; it's now or never. Early this month, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board confirmed what we have know for long. Quality of life in the city has deteriorated substantially and it has now become a ghost of its former self." was its chairman's way of saying Bangalore is getting dirty. I know that Chief Minister Krishna for one would like to reverse this trend. The Bangalore City Corporation has too much on its ration has too much on its hands, and lake restoration isn't what Bangalore Development Authority was set up to do. As for the Lake Development Authority, why not broaden its vision by looking for expertise and hooking up with those who have it?

My first effort in this direction threw up a "Living Lakes" among a hundred other names. www.livinglakes.org states its mission unambiguously: LL is an international network and partnership whose mission is to enhance the protection, restoration and rehabilitation of lakes, wetlands, other freshwater bodies of the world... the partnership promotes voluntary international collaboration among organisations that carry out projects benefiting Lakes, wildlife and people,"
Now, isn't that what we are looking for?