India, March 13 -- While there is a glint of adventure in her eyes and a chuckle in her voice, there is also an unshakeable determination to achieve her goals which, she says, she has had from her college days. That's Usha Rajagopalan, well-known Bengaluru-based author.

But these days her writing has taken a backseat as lake conservation has become her passion. The 67-year-old spirited senior citizen has made it her life's mission to save the Puttenahalli Puttakare lake near her home.

Usha Rajagopalan likes calling herself a "lakeika" - a lake activist and a writer ('lekhika' in Hindi). "I am a writer by choice and lake conservationist by chance," she says with a smile. Creative writing has always been a passion and she has published se...