December 2018

Dear Friends,

Let me begin this note wishing you all a very happy New Year and Happy Pongal. This is the last on the series dealing with Planetary Boundaries: atmospheric aerosol loading. We would try to understand:

• What are Aerosols and Aerosol Loading?
• Why should this be considered as a Planetary Boundary?
• What can we do to reduce Aerosol Loading?

Regular MSWM and Behavioral Change Communication (BCC)activities were conducted during the month:

Door-to-door awareness campaign was conducted in the Municipality on 28th December at Visvasu Nagar – Ward no: 13, wherein 106 households were sensitized on MSWM.

Botanical Name: Spondias pinnata (L. f.) Kurz L.
Tamil Name: Pulima
Sanskrit Name: Amraatakah
English Name:Indian Hog Plum or Indian Wild Mango

M. Subramanian
Project Officer
C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre
Chennai

Habitat

Deciduous trees, to 25 m high, bark 15-25 mm thick, surface grey to pale brown, smooth, vertically striated; outer bark 1 mm thick, dead, corky; inner bark semi fibrous, pink, streaked with white; blaze pink; exudation colour less, gummy. Leaves imparipinnate, alternate, clustered at the end of branches, estipulate; rachis 25-45 cm, slender, glabrous, swollen at base; leaflets 5-21, opposite or sub-opposite; petiolule 2-8 mm long, slender, glabrous; lamina 4-23 x 2.5-10 cm, oblong, elliptic or elliptic-oblong, base obtuse, sub-acute, oblique or round, apex acuminate or obtusely acuminate, margin entire, glabrous, chartaceous or membranous; lateral nerves many, parallel, close, slender, prominent, connected by an intramarginal nerve, intercostae reticulate.

Location and Form

On the way to Mount Gandhamadhana Parvatham. Approximately 2.5 KMs from Sri Ramanathasamy Temple.

Mythological Story
It is created by Angatha, Son of Vali who has the unique power of mind to treat both good and bad equally. Angatha after Sugriva ruled the Vanara country for several years but renounced his life in search of want of peace, did his Tapas at Gandhamadhana Parvatham and attained several sidhis and when he understood his Tapas is going to lead to Indira position he wanted his powers to be useful for the common people hence he created this Teertham and installed Shivalinga in the middle of the Teertha. It is also believed that Indira head of Devars regained his powers after bathing in this Teertham.