Beware! Those carrots could make you sick

Niranjan Kaggere writes in today's Bangalore Mirror...

The fresh and nutrition- rich vegetables sold in the markets of Bengaluru have left the state government worried! In a major shock to veggielovers several vegetables and fruit sold in the markets of Bengaluru tested positive for pesticide residue, particularly organo chlorine pesticides that can take toll on your nervous and digestive system and weaken muscles! 

A random check conducted by the Horticulture department run Bio Centre in Hulimavu on different vegetables has revealed shocking details about the 'freshness' and nutrition value of vegetables. 
Fruits like papaya, vegetables including cabbage, green chilli, capsicum, carrot, tomato, bottle gourd and ginger were found to contain considerable amounts of the banned pesticide. 

Acknowledging the results of the test, Horticulture minister Dr Shyamanoor Shivashankarappa said, "In a random check conducted recently at our centre on vegetables and fruits available from Bengaluru's markets, traces of the banned organo chlorine pesticide were seen. 

"The department has been advising farmers not to use these pesticides and use only those pesticides suggested by the department." Shivashankarappa added, "Dicofol pesticide was preferred by farmers to prevent flies and pests in Bhindi (okra), brinjal, bitter-gourd, chilli and beans crops. But the demand for these pesticides has drastically come down after awareness drives by the department."
Sources in the Horticulture department said that even though the number of farmers using organo chlorine pesticide has come down, a few still use it. 

"The government has already banned pesticides with these contents. Yet farmers continue to use them. Even though it safeguards the crop from pests and insects, the residue will remain in the vegetable. 

"Proper washing in warm water will help remove the content," revealed a senior official from the Horticulture department. 

Meanwhile, a consulting physician from a leading hospital told Bangalore Mirror that a short-term exposure to organo chlorine pesticide would result in convulsions, headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, slurred speech and sweating. 

"Long-term exposure due to consumption of such vegetables may damage the liver, kidney and central nervous system," he said. Senior BJP Leader and MLC Ramachandre Gowda caught the government's attention about this trend at the Legislative Council and urged the government to discourage the use of pesticides with any of these harmful contents as they are a health hazard. 

Best green building project of the year

Best emerging developer in Bengaluru

House with a big tree!

In today's fan art...

I want a Samskruti Builders home because I want plants, lots of play space, a big tree, natural light and loads of blue sky around my house. Can you paint my house blue? I like blue!

Five year old Rithu drew this to show what she expects from her home at Samskruti.

#SamskrutiHoysala #BuildingSmartCommunities #TheSamskrutiWay

Smart security

CC TV can be only one of the solutions for security. Though we have IR beams, motions sensors, solar fencing, we at Samskruti Builders believe in having a change in design to give semi private and public spaces for community interaction thus allowing an inclusive community led solution.

What do you think?

Choose happiness

Stay close to work, school and do whatever it takes to spend more time with your family. 

Sometimes we miss calculating the loss of valuable time spent traveling, negotiating through traffic and pollution. Continue the pursuit of happiness. Stay in a home that encourages family and community interaction.

#TheSamskrutiWay

Grow Share Grow

Access to clean, unadulterated, fresh vegetables at home, you can grow what you like and share them with friends and family.

Grow Share Grow #TheSamskrutiWay

In today's fan art!

In today's fan art!

"Those are apples in my balcony. The floor on the balcony is full of grass and plants. We have many flowering plants and one big fruit bearing tree in or balcony. I am playing with my doll."

When you have a 4.5 year old draw this and show you of her house which is getting ready with the same concept @ Samskruti, you feel proud :)

Art by Namya!

Reconnect with the nature

Stay close to the nature. Stay close to soil, grass, plants, trees, fruits, vegetables, food, fresh air, chirping of the birds, insects where you can interact, learn and teach. 

How many trees do you have in your project?

How many trees do you have in your project? 

It is not the number of plants you have but the kind of plants that is important. Plants which would not just add to the ambiance but being more value. Plant fruit bearing trees that help bring in birds and provide food apart from providing shade and visual appeal. 

At Samskruti Builders, most of our trees are either fruit bearing or herbs with medicinal values.

#thesamskrutiway

Disposing waste

Disposal of waste is a major issue in Bangalore. We need to dispose waste responsibly to ensure the city, community and your home stays clean.

At Samskruti Builders, we try to solve this problem by:

1. Sort out wet, dry, recyclable and reusable waste
2. Wet, vegetable waste to be processed in the recycling plant to generate manure, natural gas...
3. Recyclable materials to be used accordingly - given away, recycled
4. Other waste is disposed responsibly

Reduce clutter, sort waste and dispose responsibly to help create a cleaner greener planet!

#thesamskrutiway

The importance of utility

Very often we ignore the usability factor in our floor plans. A well designed plan would look at usability and maneuverability. Sometimes you might need a separate space for storing things apart from your kitchen.

We have seen clients who want a big kitchen, a small (cozy) kitchen, open kitchen, closed kitchen and many more such options. But there is one common factor among all - they need more space! Kitchen being one of the most frequently used spaces in a home, it is important to plan it well. Utility has its own usage and is extremely important to any house. A good storage space to keep away things that you many more require very often (you would be surprised to see how many redundant items have crept in to your kitchen and how rarely you use them).

Assigning a space for utility helps you to declutter your kitchen and have enough space to move around. At Samskruti, our designs are aimed at bringing in more flexibility, leg space and storage space along with ample natural lighting and ventilation.

To know more follow us on facebook, read our blog or call us @ 99162 17777.

Tankers and life - water woes in bangalore

If you do not pay attention to the water problem now, you would have to survive on water tankers and God knows where they get their water from and how.  The other alternative is to opt for the Samskruti Way and don't depend on bore wells, tankers and Cauvery water but build systems to store, purify and use rainwater and focus on recycling grey and black water. 

Prashanth G N's article in Deccan Herald shares the growing problem in Bangalore. Read on. 

One of the most crucial factors to consider while buying a house should be the availability of water, writes Prashanth G N

Availability of water is the most crucial factor while deciding to buy a home — be it an independent house or an apartment. South Bangalore, ironically, is the most vulnerable region to water shortage despite the Cauvery River being closest to it. Scores of residents in and around J P Nagar 8th Phase and Sarjapur are put into hardship because they have no Cauvery connection or even borewells.

In general, with no option left, people continue to stay where they are and even go to areas where houses are being built with no guarantee of water. The need to have a permanent house in Bangalore is very crucial and hence people are willing to take houses wherever they are allotted, even if it means facing acute water shortage.

Industrialist and a resident of J P Nagar 8th phase, B Y Ramesh says, “We live in an independent house in T K Deepak Layout in J P Nagar 8th Phase. And our house is just 500 metres from the Cauvery water pipeline, but we still have no Cauvery connection and we don’t get a drop of water despite the water line running so close. On top of this, borewells have gone dry. So we have to depend on water tankers, which have become our lifeline.”

Different sources

Ramesh’s family needs a water tanker every three days. “When the tank is 3/4th empty, we seek a tanker, which on average works out to every three days. Over a month, we roughly need 10 tankers. Each time we get a tanker, we pay Rs 350. The water that we and our tenants consume amounts to about 3,000-4,000 litres.” 
The absence of water is not just Ramesh’s plight, but of almost all the houses in Deepak Colony of J P Nagar 8th Phase.

You ask people in the area as to why there is no connection, they tell you the reason is obvious: “People in the middle have to be paid the moolah and since it is for the whole layout, the money to be handed out would be high. Otherwise, how can you explain why we don’t have the Cauvery water connection when the water line runs just 500 metres from our houses. We don’t think it’s a technical issue. It’s a ‘financial’ issue,” say the residents.

Nagaraj Reddy of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (Credai) says Bangalore South is one region hit by water problems despite the Cauvery pipeline running in the area. “Bangalore North anyway doesn’t have the Cauvery pipeline coming into the region, but in the South, there are some regions which get water and some regions which don’t.”

South Bangalore is typically identified with Jayanagar and J P Nagar, but when you take into account the entire region up to Kanakapura and Marathahalli, the belt falls under the southern region. And the worst area hit by lack of water is Sarjapur, home to WIPRO. There are hundreds of flats and gated communities in the area which depend on water tankers because borewells are dry and there’s no Cauvery connection.

A resident of Sarjapur area, Shravanthi S, says the region they are staying in is a rocky terrain where borewells cannot be dug. A cluster of apartments around 500 depend purely on water tankers and the number is nearly 70 to 80.

There is yet another cluster of over 1,000 apartments which depend on water tankers. The average rate of water is higher than in J P Nagar with tankers charging anywhere from Rs 450 to Rs 600, resulting in a spending of over Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 per month by an average four- member family.

While the crisis with regard to apartments has been highlighted well, the water shortage for independent houses is also severe and has not received due attention. A youngster, Anurag Rakesh, answers to why his family is still staying in J P Nagar despite water shortage, “This is our own house. How can we sell it?”. Further adding, he says, “ We will stay here till we can afford this. The water problem may get addressed soon.”

Tanker mafia

Shravanthi points to a very deep malaise in Sarjapur. “My assessment is that the water tanker owners pay off the corporators to pile pressure on the BWSSB not to provide Cauvery water supply to residents. This increases dependence on tankers, who make a killing selling water. In our complex, we need 20 tankers a day. But in the heart of summer, an artificial scarcity is created and we now get only five tankers a day. There are blocks a little away from my complex which require 50 to 70 tankers a day. You can estimate the money that is flowing into the pockets of tanker owners.”

“There is actually a tanker mafia in operation. They pay the water owner a sum, who may be a farmer. They then draw water, fill tankers and supply the same to residents. Nobody knows how much they pay the farmer who has water. There is also no guarantee that the tankers will keep coming. So there are plenty of issues with water in Sarjapur area.”

Homes for senior citizens

NDTV reports that senior citizens are emerging as a new customer segment for property developers as well as other allied services providers for creating a proper assisted living environment for them, say realty experts.

As the number of the elderly population is expected to grow to 173 million by 2025, senior citizens are now being looked at as a potential real estate market, according to a report by property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle.

At Samskruti our communities are designed to allow personal spaces with privacy as well as community spaces which encourage community interaction, sharing, caring and conversation among the members of the community. Several facilities like community kitchen, street designs, placement of parks, amenities like swimming pools with hot water, jacuzzis, walking tracks, play areas, movie theaters and many more. Accessibility to faster medical care while encouraging an indulgent, inclusive and active lifestyle is the secret to build a wonderful community. 

Slow poisoning of India and why you should grow your own food

At Samskruti we emphasize on growing your own food and work towards sustainability of food, water and energy. Our designs facilitate a dedicated area for growing your own food using modern technologies to produce pesticide free healthy food.

I will recommend is to see an excellent documentary ‘The Slow Poisoning of India’ , a 26-minute documentary film directed by eminent Ramesh Menon and produced by the New Delhi-based The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). It deals with the dangers of excessive use of pesticide in conventional agriculture in India which is so rampant that people are eating a ‘cocktail’ of pesticides. India is one of the largest users of pesticide in Asia and also one of the largest manufactures.

The toxins have entered into the food chain and into our breakfast, lunch and dinner. The film showcases startling case studies from Kerala where villagers in Kasaragod district are paying a heavy price as it has been exposed to pesticide spraying for many years. It talks of the health impacts in other parts of India and also on how the magic of the green revolution in Punjab is fading as land and water bodies have been poisoned.

Saluting the nurturer

“To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man's injustice to woman. If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is woman less brute than man. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man's superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing, has she not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage? Without her, man could not be. If nonviolence is the law of our being, the future is with woman. Who can make a more effective appeal to the heart than woman?"

[To the Women of India (Young India, Oct. 4, 1930)]” 
― Mahatma Gandhi

To know more about our women friendly homes write to us at: info@samskruti.in or call: +91 99162 17777.

Home grown vegetables

There is no more joy than growing your own food. Waiting for the hydrophonics, vegetable gardens to come up and have some home grown food.

Samskruti Builders

Explaining organic gardening to wonderful kids as the golden rays of the evening sun beats down on you Samskruti Builders

What should you look at before buying a home?

What should you look at before buying a home? This is a widely discussed topic and there are many items on this checklist but here are some top things you should look at before buying a home.

1. The structure: Look at the structure, its strength. Check if there is any standard for Seismic Zone 1, 2 or more. After all it should be safe and should match the minimum requirements of safety
2. Water control: Check about drinking water, storage, purification, back up, bore-wells, government water connection, ground water level in the project, surrounding areas, water quality and so on
3. Natural lighting & ventilation: Are all rooms naturally ventilated? Do you have enough natural lighting?
4. The roof: Is the roof in good shape? Does it look neat? Water leakage? Is it only being used as a place to dry clothes or something else is planned there? Like a garden, pool... is there enough water proofing, insulation?
5. Detailing: Do you see signs of quality workmanship in the finish details such as moldings, tile work, hardware and paint? In paints, are they zero/low voc paints?
6. Kitchen & bath fixtures: Are sinks, toilets and tubs quality fixtures? Do they work properly? Is the water pressure good when you turn on the faucets and flush the toilet?
7. Electrical systems: Are the plugs and switches placed in decent/intuitive places? Are there enough outlets? Are there enough lighting outlets, i.e., at the point of usage?
8. Water heater, plumbing: Is the water heater solar or electric (solar is much more efficient)? Is the hot water supply to major taps?
9. Heating: Where is the central heating system located and what type is it? Are any rooms not heated? Does the house need air-conditioning or it is naturally controlled?
10. Indoor air quality: This is an extremely important factor. Read more on how to improve indoor air quality here.
11. Plants, plants and plants: Are there enough plants/green cover in the property? There can never be enough but still you should have a decent number for visual comfort and food.

Speak to us to know more:  Call +91 99162 17777 |   www.samskruti.in  |  Follow us on facebook for updates!

Lalbagh flower show

Visit our stall at Lalbagh flower show and learn about Samskruti Builders fruggiescaping techniques and how to convert your home to a healthy abode with plants!

#fruggiescaping #thesamskrutiway 

Write to us to know more about how we can set up hrdrophonics in your apartment/villa.

Speak to us to know more:  Call +91 99162 17777 |   www.samskruti.in  |  Follow us on facebook for updates!