Fwd: Working on public spaces involves patience. Arathi Manay | Bengaluru
PNLIT Lake Trust
Date: Fri, Apr 10, 2026 at 7:16 AM
Subject: Working on public spaces involves patience. Arathi Manay | Bengaluru
To: <pnlit...@gmail.com>
Working on public spaces involves patience. Arathi Manay | BengaluruInterview: Gangadharan B
Puttenahalli Lake is a 13-acre lake in JP Nagar, South Bengaluru. Rapid urbanisation and pollution have heavily degraded the lake, but local residents have come together to revive it over the years. Arathi Manay is one such resident. Thanks for reading The Active Citizen! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. She is a founder-trustee of the Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT). The trust, through sustained efforts of citizens and constant advocacy with the municipality, has now brought the lake back to life. Over the years, Arathi has grown into a passionate lake conservationist who also advocates for a deeper involvement of citizens in managing Bengaluru’s lakes. Recently, she launched a children’s book, The City That Learnt to Catch the Rain - The Story of Bengaluru’s Lakes, which explains how Bengaluru’s lakes were built, why they are important and why citizens must safeguard them. You can fill this form to request a copy of the book. Tell us about yourself and the community you call home.I’m a Bangalorean at heart. I was born and brought up in Bengaluru and grew up in the CBD [Central Business District] area, close to Cubbon Park. The neighbourhood looked very different then. Close by was Akkithimmanahalli Lake — which we called Mud Tank. Even in my childhood, there was still some water in it. Today, the lake has disappeared, and the space is occupied by structures like Divyashree Chambers, the hockey stadium and a playground.
For us, community was never about apartment complexes. It was the street itself. We knew every house on the road, and as children we would run up and down between homes, playing together and growing up with a strong sense of neighbourhood belonging. In the mid-1990s, I started working and moved out of Bengaluru. Except for a brief four-year period, I spent nearly 25 years living elsewhere, including some time in Singapore. When I eventually returned and began living in an apartment complex in JP Nagar, I got my first real exposure to organised apartment community life. I joined the apartment association’s management committee at the time, and that experience opened my eyes to what it takes to manage a large residential community. Behind the scenes, an apartment complex functions almost like a small ecosystem where many systems have to work together. Alongside work, I have always had an interest in community and social activities during my college days. Those early experiences shaped my interest in community engagement. What first made you pay attention to Bengaluru’s lakes? Was there a specific moment that pushed you to act?Growing up in Bengaluru, I was aware that the city once had many lakes. For instance, Akkithimmanahalli Lake near my childhood home had already disappeared when I was young. As a student athlete, I also spent time at the Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, which stands on what used to be a lakebed. Seeing such changes, I knew lakes had been reclaimed over time as the city expanded.Honestly, it didn’t affect me deeply then.
My involvement [with Puttenahalli Lake] happened almost by accident when I was living in Brigade Millennium in JP Nagar. I didn’t even realise there was a lake nearby until Usha Rajagoplan, another veteran lake conservationist, started a “Save the Lake” campaign and reached out to us. At that time, I was the president of our apartment association, so a few of us joined the effort. Eventually, four of us came together and formed a lake trust. I wouldn’t say I consciously set out to work on lake issues — the opportunity simply presented itself, and I felt it was worth supporting.  When you decided to act, what did you actually do first? Why did you choose that approach?The lake is a public space, so our role was largely to ensure that the restoration work was being done properly. When the lake work began, contractors were excavating and preparing the bund. We would visit the site regularly and observe what was happening — whether the work was being done correctly and if the process made sense.
We felt that if the work was done right at the beginning, it would save a lot of effort and money later. Since we had formed the Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT) specifically to ensure that the lake was restored properly, it felt important to stay engaged during that stage. For me personally, it also fit into my daily routine. My children studied nearby; so after dropping them at school, I would often spend time at the lake — walking around, observing birds and insects, and thinking about what kind of trees could be planted there. In many ways, my involvement was quite organic. I simply had the time and interest to be present, and that made it easier to contribute consistently. What obstacles did you face? How did you navigate them?One challenge is the common mindset that public spaces are solely the government’s responsibility. In reality, a lake can remain healthy only if the community takes some ownership of it. A lake is not just a water body — it is a shared ecological and social space. Another challenge is that people have very different ideas about how such spaces should be used. Some residents want bright lighting or concrete walking tracks around the lake. But from an ecological perspective, too much lighting disturbs birds and other wildlife, and excessive paving prevents rainwater from seeping into the ground. Balancing these competing expectations can be difficult because everyone believes their perspective is reasonable. There are also practical challenges on the ground. In our case, parts of the lake edge had long-standing encroachments, and waste dumping sometimes became an issue. At times, pollutants from nearby activities also entered the lake. Addressing such problems requires constant monitoring and dialogue with authorities and local communities.
What do you think has changed so far with respect to Bengaluru and its lakes?I think there is much greater awareness today about the importance of lakes in Bengaluru. People increasingly recognise that lakes are not just scenic spaces but also important urban infrastructure. Even if many people initially see them as recreational spaces, that itself helps bring attention to their value as ecosystems that support birds, fish and other forms of life.
One gap, however, is that many people still don’t fully understand why Bengaluru historically had so many lakes. Earlier, they were crucial for water management and sustaining the city’s ecology. Even though they are no longer the main source of drinking water, they still play an important role — something we are reminded of whenever heavy rains lead to flooding in areas where lakes once existed. That realisation eventually led me to write a children’s book about Bengaluru’s lakes, to explain in simple language why the city had so many lakes and why they still matter today.
What advice would you give someone who wants to start but feels unsure or overwhelmed?Today, there are many resources available for people who want to get involved in protecting lakes in Bengaluru. There are simple guides and step-by-step information on how citizens can begin — including resources on Citizen Matters. The first step is simply to be aware and to understand whether a place you see is actually a lake and its status.
I often think of it in very simple terms. If someone stops you on the street and asks for directions, you can either say you don’t know or you can ask someone nearby and try to help them. Civic engagement is similar. You may not always succeed, but if you care enough to try and to learn, that itself is a meaningful first step. What’s next for this issue and for you?Today, all lakes in Bengaluru are managed by the Greater Bengaluru Authority following court rulings that ended earlier citizen management arrangements. Going forward, I hope authorities will continue to involve local communities in lake stewardship. Every lake has its own ecology, topography and challenges, so the people living around it often understand its needs best. Decentralised participation can make lake management more effective. For me personally, the next step has been focusing on awareness. That is how the idea for my children’s book on Bengaluru’s lakes came about.
We wanted a simple way to help young people understand why the city had so many lakes and why they still matter today. The book is being distributed free through nature walks, lake events and schools for children in the primary grades. We are also planning to place copies in libraries and make a digital version available so more people can access it. Editor’s note: You can also fill this form to request a copy of the book. The aim is simple — if children grow up understanding the value of lakes, they may help protect them better in the future. This is the second in our series on Active Citizen Profiles — ordinary citizens working to make their cities better. Want to nominate someone to be featured? Email us: ed...@citizenmatters.in Thanks for reading The Active Citizen! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This newsletter is brought to you by the Editors of Citizen Matters, an initiative of Oorvani Foundation.
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