Here is a New Year gift to Mysurueans from Kukkarahalli Lake connected NGOs. Led by Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) in association with Wild Mysore, a Coffee Table book titled “Namma Kukkarahalli Kere” will be released on Jan. 1 at  the Pergola near the main entrance to Kukkarahalli Lake at 8.30 am by the students of Environmental School Warden Project of Kautilya Vidyalaya. 

The book covers all aspects like history, steps to preserve the lake which is on its deathbed, discussion of flora and fauna through hundreds of photos to mesmerise all about the lake. 

Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Sankar and Mysore University Vice-Chancellor Prof. G. Hemantha Kumar will be the chief guests. The first page of the book, reproduced below gives a brief description of the background and objective of the book. 

“Like Chamundi Hill, Kukkarahalli Lake is an iconic symbol of Mysuru. However, we have neglected to take care of it just as we have been negligent of Chamundi Hill. Unless we take urgent measures, Mysuru will lose its beloved Kukkarahalli Lake in the next few years.

Since its inception in 1989, MGP has been involved in preserving the Lake first by filing a PIL, then protesting from time to time to stop the encroachment of the feeder canal. This Lake has inspired poets and authors like Kuvempu, R.K. Narayan, etc. When Narayan, who was living at that time in Chennai, was contacted by MGP he wrote a letter to MGP expressing his support in its efforts to preserve the Lake.

MGP along with NGOs like Kukkarahalli Kere Ulisi and city’s concerned environmentalists have been on the forefront of trying not only to preserve the Lake, but also to bring back to its previous glory.

Kukkarahalli Lake is spread over 104 acres. It has 400 species of trees and plants, along with 189 species of birds of which 45 are migratory species, 14 species of mammals, 85 species of butterflies, 37 species of spiders, 20 species of reptiles and millions of insects which play a major role in the environment. Readers will have a feast seeing photos of some of these in this book.

The Lake was constructed in 1881 that was fed by Poornaiah Canal which was once 25 km long. As a result of it being encroached upon in several places today it is just 2.5 km long.

Our main goal in bringing out this book is to educate the public on the importance of the Lake not only to preserve its aesthetic beauty but also to protect the environment in and around the Lake. It is unfortunate that our protests have been projected as a zero-sum game between the developers and environmentalists. However, our objective through this book is to show that it is a win-win situation by keeping the pristine beauty of the Lake in its natural state and restoring the encroached Poornaiah Canal through innovative engineering, following in the footsteps of Sir M. Visvesvaraya.

MGP appeals to all Mysureans to join in our efforts to save Kukkarahalli Lake for future generations.”