City: Bengaluru

The amiable and witty K K S Murthy, the face and voice of one of Bengaluru’s oldest and iconic landmarks took around 20 of us down an enchanting memory lane on October 10th, a pleasant Saturday evening.It was part of Jamming through October festival organised by Maraa , a community media collective based in Bangalore.Murthy's bibliophilic father K B K Rao practised as a lawyer in Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh). "Father would visit Bangalore on merely receiving a post card from auctioneers in Bangalore about families leaving the city selling used books. I have seen people from Kerala carrying and selling…

Hampi – this word alone is enough to bring to mind pictures of grandeur, vastness, architecture, history and  destruction. The magnificant scenes of Hampi were captured  in more than 30 paintings by artist Ganesh P Doddamani. The paintings were on display and sale at Chitrakala Parishat last week. Artist Doddamani with his paintings of Hampi. Pic: Deepa Vaishnavi. Ganesh Doddamani, a native of Ramdurg Village in Belgaum, hails from a family of artists. He first began painting when he was around 12 years of age and further honed his skill in Shantiniketan, West Bengal. The peace and  tranquility there led…

That Bangalore is fast gaining recognition (long overdue, some may argue) as a hub for art related activities was further reinforced when ‘Art Etc’, a magazine of contemporary art and culture, published by Emami Chisel Art, Kolkata, was released at Chitrakala Parishat on  November 4th 2009.Dr Annapurna Garimella, art historian specialising in India, released the magazine. While addressing the gathering, she spoke about the importance of art journalism. She also spoke about the history of art journalism in India and mentioned about the trends in it during the colonial period and post independence (which saw the rewriting of Indian history…

The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of the BBMP will soon begin to decide and approve all major road projects in Bengaluru’s limits. This is confirmed by the Technical Advisor to the BBMP Commissioner and Member of TAC, H Raja Simha. So far, the TAC was approving grade separator and road widening works for the BBMP along the 12-arterial corridors (major roads going out of the city) only. For grade separator projects outside the corridors, TAC was not involved. But now, Simha says a decision has been taken for all such projects to be sent to TAC for approval. Additional Commissioner…

Following a long wait, Bengaluru inaugurated its very own National Gallery of Modern Art earlier this year. Functioning under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, National Gallery has its head quarters in New Delhi, and another centre in Mumbai. Originally established in 1954, NGMA developed as a premiere institute for the housing and display of modern and contemporary art objects, of which they currently have more than 17,000. Over 500 items from this collection – paintings, sculptures, prints - were selected to be part of the inaugural exhibition at the Bengaluru centre with the title of ‘Signposts of the…

The city of Bangalore is constantly changing. With the numerous flyovers, the metro which promises to be completed in a few years, the shopping malls coming up every day and the ever changing urban population of Bangalore, the city seems to be transforming every minute. However, nestled in between the green locales of the city, Bangalore’s foreign cultural centres seem to have endured the test of time. Call it a quiet escape to an art exhibition or a keen desire to learn new languages; Bangaloreans still take that trip to these centres; even if it means travelling from one part…

Her eyes well-up as she speaks about the notice she received from the Karnataka Forest Department dated September 1st 2009, informing her that her house is illegal as it is on forest land. She was to appear in court on September 14th with all her property documents, as per the notice. Forty-year-old Baby Saroja is a resident of the Rajiv Gandhi Nagar Slum in Devasandra, Krishnarajapuram Hobli, of East Bengaluru. This area falls under Ward No. 55 - Devasandra*. The slum is crammed with tiny houses – mould, thatched and tiled roofs can be found, and water flows through the…

Every once in a while things fall in place. The volunteers turn up, the media opens its ears, the funding starts flowing in and the world sits up and take notice. Every once in a while, strangers who have no obligation or responsibility step up and make that tiny dent in the universe. 350 formation by cyclists. Pic courtesy: Sohan Maheshwar. This Oct 24th, Bangalore was witness to one such event. Indian Youth Climate Network (IYCN) in association with a 17* government and non-government organisations pulled off a successful international day of climate action. The activities carried out on the…

In the world of food reviews, multi cuisine restaurants – with varied foods struggling to come out of one kitchen – usually get a rap on the knuckles. Oak Leaf, the new restaurant in town, does not meet that fate. At least, not just yet. Launched just a week ago, it’s early days for this unit of Green Oak, a company that is keen on establishing a presence in the city’s hospitality landscape. Oak Leaf 278, 7th Main, Mico Layout, BTM 2nd Stage Tel: 42166666/ 7 Meal for one: Rs 300 to 350Food: ***Service: ** With 12 rooms and a…

In a significant first, The Embassy of Sweden, Delhi, in association with RV QuizCorp, RVCE presents "Sweden India Nobel Memorial Quiz 2009" on November 3rd. The renowned engineering college has joined hands with The Embassy of Sweden to bring to college students a quiz on Alfred Nobel and The Nobel Prize. Conducted to commemorate the Nobel Week in Sweden, this is one of the many events being organised by the Embassy, in India. This national level quiz is especially exciting as the all-India winners get to go on an all expenses-paid trip to Sweden to visit major Swedish companies. The…