Articles by Deepa Mohan

The Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival '12 is back, and is now in its ninth year! This year the theme celebrates one of the greatest playwrights of all time: William Shakespeare. So, gear up for two weeks of non-stop theatre starting from Oct 27 to Nov 11 '12, and come revel in the magic of the Bard of Avon!Our inspiration this year has been UK's recently-concluded Globe to Globe Festival. In store at the Festival are productions from different corners of the world, plus two from India. From Mumbai, there are Atul Kumar's "Twelfth Night" and Sunil Shanbag's "All's Well That…

Here's the heartening report from Leo Saldanha of ESG: Dear All,This morning, Mr. Appu Rao, IFS, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bangalore (Urban), Mr. Venkatesh, KFS, Asst. Conservator of Forests, Bangalore South Division, Mr. Nagaraj, KFS, Range Forest Officer (Kaggalipura Division) and various other foresters of the Karnataka Forest Department met with some of us atop the hill in Turahalli. Present amongst us were Venkatesh (Venky/NEFA), Ganguly (GETHNA), Vijay and Dimple (Architects), the Belurs, and some others whose names I do not remember, and my little daughter and myself. Deepak Arya is down with viral flu and thus could not make it.First…

Meet H Veeranna (30), who has now been working at “Park View”, a Darshini at J P Nagar III Phase (Mini Forest) for eight years out of the thirteen that this eatery has been in existence. He is certainly one of the reasons why this bustling eatery is thriving; he, and his colleagues, always deliver service with a smile, no matter how rushed it is. H Veeranna, who works in Park View Darshini, J P Nagar III Phase. Pic: Deepa Mohan Veeranna belongs to Kundapur, and came to Bangalore to make a living. “I am lucky and happy to be…

Recently BBMP, decided that it would put up an “adventure sports hub” on the hillocks of Turahalli forest on Kanakapura road. Nature lovers who regularly trek to the  forest decided it was time to protest.Old-timers of Bangalore will recollect Turahalli as a lovely forest, set with hillocks, where everyone could go, and did.Over a period of years, the pressure of population in Bangalore has meant that the once pristine forest has been “developed” into various layouts. All that remains is just a couple of hillocks. These are beloved to nature lovers, cyclists who organise downhill runs here, rock-climbers for whom…

I have been following rafiki, a theatre group, from the time when they used to stage the plays of Athol Fugard, South African playwright and novelist.They stage plays with ideological contexts and started working with children in the field of theatre, too. I have seen their struggles and their hard times, and so it was with even more satisfaction than usual that I noted that they collaborating with “Toto Funds the Arts” (TFA) to stage an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s work at Ranga Shankara, on September 6th and 7th, 2012. A scene from Rafiki's play. Pic: Nitye Sood At first,…

Unnati, a Bangalore-based NGO, has acheived its goal of empowering youth, by imparting vocational training to 110 young people. These youths have been placed in good companies with decent salaries.Sarojini Bharadvaj KSWDC Chairperson attended the valediction function .She addressed the students and talked about time management and patriotism.We want to reach out to more youth through the media.The Interviews for the 35th batch will be conducted at the nati center this Saturday 15 September 2012. Candidates should be present at the center at 9:00 A.M. For more details regarding interviews please check our website:www.unnatiblr.orgAbout Unnati: Unnati, an initiative from SGBS Trust,…

M V Shreeram invites you to visit his first solo photography exhibit - A Window to Wilderness - from Sept 11-15 (Tuesday to Saturday). He will be exhibiting some of my best work in nature photography, and would be honored by your presence.Venue: Renaissance Gallerie,Westminster (next to Citibank ATM),Cunningham Road, Bangalore(Directions - http://goo.gl/maps/JZvN2) Shreeram M V9740083260Shreeram is an alum of IIM-Bangalore, who gave up the corporate world to pursue his passion for wildlife photography. He is also keen on documenting our heritage. ⊕

I wake up early, and I think it's usually the most wonderful part of the day. Yesterday's cares seem distant and behind me; the air, and my mind, are fresh and ready for today. It feels wonderful to stretch one's legs, and walk...not much, just about 4.5 km....and it's a great time to think one's own thoughts, introspect, say a few prayers....I also love to observe the people walking, jogging and running...and the various services that have sprung up to cater to them. Green leafy vegetables being sold to them...this has now developed into a small morning market (more expensive,…

Just in case you are bored with Bangalore Ganeshas, here's a good offer for you:If you walk down Jaya Chamarendra Road (J C Road), you can find a variety of images:Including this one, which I have not seen before, which is one of Ganesha as Balaji!I wonder if we will have some Olympian Ganeshas this time...must take another walk down J C Road!  ⊕

We are taught, from childhood, to abhor and fear “creepy-crawlies”... those life-forms which we see under stones, on walls, or even on our vegetables! But it can be a revelation that these creatures, which we regard with fear and loathing, and usually kill at the first opportunity, can sometimes be on their way to becoming very beautiful beings!Take a look at this fat green caterpillar, for instance. Common Lime: Green Caterpillar. Pic: Deepa Mohan This may look gross and fat. It is fat, because it is, right now, a larva. It is eating enough to last it through the next…