Desi News Corp - Index

Desi News Corp - Desi News - May 2009 - Index

get GROWING!
MAKE YOUR
NEIGHBOURS
GREEN WITH
YARD ENVY
Victoria Day weekend
marks the unofficial
start to the gardening
season: a time to become reacquainted
with the neighbours
and get the yard back into shape.
A well-maintained yard not
only shows the homeowner in
a good light, it also improves
property values and has environmental
benefits, but getting
started can sometimes be
the hardest step because of the
ongoing debate: should I use
seed or turfgrass sod.
Admittedly, a bag of grass
seed costs less than a pallet of
turfgrass sod, but that is like
comparing the cost of raw wool
to a sweater.
Turfgrass sod is a finished
product that provides nearly
instant use, beauty and environmental
benefits.
MAY 9: Gardening Day. Presented by Lakeshore Environmental
Gardening Society (LEGS) and the Assembly Hall. 9 am to 1 pm.
Meet neighbours and friends to “talk dirt”...or soil or compost.
Bring plants or seeds from your garden to trade with other
gardeners. Pick up environmental gardening tips and other
information on gardening in the city. Bring your green thumbs or
garden gloves and help us with the spring clean up of the Assembly
Hall’s gardens. Call 416-338-7255 or visit www.legsetobicoke.ca.
22 Desi News May 2009
Gardening workshop
Seed, on the other hand,
requires nurturing to reach
maturity.
Should you decide to go with
turfgrass sod, here is some
information to get you off on
the right track.
• How much water does
my lawn need a week?
When first installed, your new
lawn will require watering every
day for the first four days; three
times during the second week.
Starting in the third week, reduce
irrigation to 25 mm or one inch
of water a week during the summer,
including rain, to encourage
deep, healthy rooting.
Tip: One litre of water in
the first hour after installation
is more effective than six litres
three hours later.
• When should I begin
mowing my new lawn?
Generally, newly sodded
lawns need mowing after six or
seven days. Take special care on
slopes; make sure the mower
wheels do not disturb the new
turfgrass.
• How often should I mow
my lawn?
Never remove more than
three cm of the leaf height at
once. Don’t let the grass grow
so tall that it falls over, and
remember to keep your mower
blades sharp. Dull blades leave
ragged brown tips.
• How short should I mow
my lawn?
Mow Bluegrass and Fescue
to a height of four cm.
Tip: When setting the height
of your mower blade, place it
on a flat, even surface, such as
a driveway or side-walk.
– Information from
MANDERLEY TURFGRASS PRODUCTS
bookWORM
Imagining India
By Nandan Nilekani
Viking Canada, $34
Nandan Nilekani’s
insight
that the global
playing field was being
‘levelled’ by technology was the
inspiration behind The World is
Flat, reveals Thomas Fried-
man in his foreword.
For the past several years, the
world has been transfixed by India’s
meteoric rise on the global
and political stage.
From debates at outsourcing
at Indian call centres to headlines
covering the nation’s incredible
economic growth, India
has captured the world’s attention.
But this unstoppable growth
has triggered tremendous social,
political and cultural change and,
according to Indian software
entrepreneur and founder of
Bangalore-based Infosys Techno-
IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES
logies, Nandan Nilekani, it’s
now time to examine India’s
recent evolution, solve its current
challenges and move forward
as a nation into the future.
In Imagining India: The Idea of
a Renewed Nation, Nilekani delivers
the definitive book about
modern India and provides a
fascinating new perspective on
what’s really at stake in the
world’s largest democracy.
• Nandan Nilekani will speak at
the Rotman School of Business
and Schulich School of Business
inToronto on May 4 and 5.
Nilekani uses his unique
global experience and understanding
to discuss the future of
India and its role as a global citizen
and emerging economic
giant. Though India has only just
begun to inhabit its role as a
thriving nation in the world,
Nilekani cautions that its future
rests on more than economic
growth; it also depends on
reform and innovation in all
sectors of public life.
With Imagining India, Nilekani
charts the ideas that are crucial
to India’s current infrastructure
revolution and quest for universal
literacy, urbanization and
unification; maps the ideological
battlegrounds of caste,
higher education and labour
reform; and argues that only a
safety net of ideas – from social
security to public health to the
environment – can transcend
political agendas and safeguard
India’s economic future. A visionary
look into the future of India
by one of its business leaders,
Imagining India reveals the central
ideas and challenges that face
India today – from within and
as a part of the global economy.
Nandan Nilekani was
listed as one of the 100
most influential people in
the world by Time in 2006, and
was named Forbes “Businessman
of the Year” for
Asia in 2007.