City: Bengaluru

An exhibition of artist Dr M S Murthy's work was held at ISRO layout on 11th and 12th June. The venue interestingly was not a gallery but a home, belonging to Satya Prakash Varanashi , a very well known architect. The two-day exhibition was part of INTACH Art Reach, first hosted in 2005. Art Reach aims to take art to the people even if they don't go to galleries. The exhibition was inaugurated by art connoisseur D K Chowta, Dr C S Vishwanatha (Chairperson, Task Force for Quality Control, Govt of Karnataka) and the artist M S Murthy himself. The…

It was World Environment Day last week and India had the honour of hosting the International World Environment Day 2011 for the very first time. Jairam Ramesh, our erudite and enthusiastic environment minister called trees ‘water pumps’ and paradoxically the event was devoted to ‘Forests: Nature at your service’. As a media fellow of UNEP, I was proud to sit in the audience and listen to the minister tell the world that India was among the developing nations working towards addressing the pressures of ecological change. He told us about India’s Rural Employment Act and the country’s encouragement of renewable…

The term emergency is derived from Latin emergere (e-, "from," and mergere, "to dip, plunge") and mean "unforeseen occurrence." However , it is in our interest to foresee emergencies , be prepared. This consists of : awareness of emergencies likely to occur, in special situations, or in special segments like children and elderly. The dos and don'ts are particularly relevant. Emergencies may not give sufficient time to reach Doctor/Hospital, and the response of person at scene can make all difference between life and death. You too can save a life. Emergencies at home can be classified as those arising out…

An urban space is like an immense melting pot into which something new is added and subtracted everyday, causing a perpetual sequence of reactions, and consequently changes. Five visual artists in Bengaluru express their encounters with the fluctuating urban, working in different mediums. Clockwise from top left: Krishnaraj Chonat, V.G. Venugopal, Murali Cheeroth and Clare Arni. Murali Cheeroth paints vividly coloured canvases that reflect the frenzied, throbbing sensations of urban living. “..my working process is a kind of extraction system, that draws on tiny concerns about uber (extreme) urbanisation” he says. He constructs his compositions in the manner of a…

It was a regular working day and I was on my way home on my scooter from college after a session of corrections of end of term answer scripts. The traffic lights were red at the Lifestyle junction and I waited till they turned green before I rode onto Richmond Road. As I took the turn I noticed a large pile up of traffic before me stretching backwards to the Sapphire Toy Shop. So riding up fairly slowly I came to a halt behind a large black car. Barely had I put my feet down and left my grip on…

What is the connection between dance, which is an art, and a martial art form like Kalaripayattu from Kerala, which is meant to develop defensive and offensive physical skills? Judging by its popularity in dance training, the connection is a strong one. Kalaripayattu is characterised by fluid acrobatic play, flexibility, sweeps, kicks, and the use of weapons and other elements of combat. It also instils a disciplined way of life that propagates a strong mind in a strong body. Inevitably, many dancers find it an invaluable for techniques that can be used in performances. Kalari is fast catching up as…

How many beggars are there is namma Bangalore ? No, not a few thousands, but the entire population of the city -- some six-odd million, at last count. Including you and me. Wondering if you read that right ? Yep. After following the latest media reports on the infamous beggars home and the responses from our city administrators, we all seem to have been reduced to the status of beggars -- begging for attention to our problems, begging to have our voices heard, begging for some accountability in public servants, and begging for some shred of ethical - moral considerations…

This is one question that arises in the mind of commuters travelling from BTM Layout via Maruti Nagar to Koramangala. For the last six months, BWSSB had made a mess of Thaverekere 1st Main Road. Now the vehicles coming from Forum to BTM Udupi garden are diverted via Maruti nagar. Due to this, traffic have increased during peak hours. Now commuters have to choose an alternate road to save time and avoid traffic in Maruti Nagar road.Recently Maruti Nagar Road had a traffic jam; adding more trouble to commuters were some private property owners who have left construction materials such…

BBMP demolished the disputed 400-metre-long compound wall of L&T South City in Mico-Arekere layout on Thursday morning (9 June) and threw open the 60-feet road going through the compound to the public, amidst protests from residents. This, even as cases are pending in the court between residents, builder L&T and original land owner Dinesh Ranka. Residents had alleged in the court cases that the builder and Ranka had relinquished the 60-feet road and area including the compound wall to the BDA, without their consent . BBMP had earlier made markings on the compound wall to acquire 30 feet of land…

Golden Jackal. Pic: kalyan Verma, courtesy: Nature Conservation Foundation. Nature Conservation Foundation has launched Jackals: Past and Present, a two-month, public, nationwide online survey to find out more about the golden jackal. Although jackals are distributed widely in India, very little is actually known about them. But at the same time, because they are also easily recognised, we hope to draw on what people already know about jackals to uncover trends in how widely or how often they are being seen, and learn about the threats they face across the country.To do this, we really need your participation. So, please…