City: Bengaluru

I am the aam admi that these khas aadmis are talking about. Parties spend crores on their campaigns. Corruption starts right there. People should stop spreading hatred, as that is the source of all ills. These were some of the lines uttered by Lok Sabha candidates for the Bengaluru South Constituency at a debate on 14th April at Sathya Sai Samskruthi Sadan, behind Forum, Koramangala on Hosur Road. Candidates on the stage included Krishna Byregowda (INC), Prof K E Radhakrishna (JD(S)), Dr H G Jayalakshmi (SUCI), Capt G R Gopinath (Independent), K C Janardhan (Independent), Santosh Min (Independent) and H…

It was probably for the first time that candidates from a constituency came together, sharing the same stage, to speak about their agenda and plan of action if voted to power. Supported by Smart Vote, a campaign that provides information regarding candidates standing for elections, television channel News 9 organised a constituency-wise political debate for the Bengaluru urban area. Bangalore north candidates debate. (Pic: Naveen Ningaiah) The second session held in the afternoon on Tuesday, 14th April, had the candidates of Bangalore North debating. The candidates present at the event were C K Jaffer Sharief (Indian National Congress), D B…

Culture 40 'pallakki's, one festival One or two 'pallakkis' or chariots that carry the idol of God, are common in every festival. However Kodandaramaiah rathotsava in Hulimavu on Bannerughatta road is different. There will be about 40 pallakkis in just one festival held on Wednesday, 15th April. Kodandaramaiah temple is a historic, century old temple. There are many other temples in its neighbourhood. A pallakki from each temple will parade in this grand fest. Devotees of each temple compete with each other to make their pallakki attractive. The procession of pallakkis will continue throughout the night. (Prajavani, Monday, April 13)…

Meet Susheel Alexander Samuel – 22 years old and in his final year of mechanical engineering. From this picture, you're probably wondering what's familiar with the hairstyle... Ghajini? No…and that’s a long story. Susheel Alexander Samuel (pic: Sharath Bhat) As a teenager, Susheel was everything parents put on their wish-list. He was diligent, thoughtful, obedient and totally responsible – even when it came to riding his bike. He would always wear a helmet, even if he was just going down the road. So do bad things really happen to good people? It was 23rd February 2005 - Susheel had just…

Cruising through the tiniest of lanes in north Bangalore through the areas of Malleshwaram, Rajajinagar, Gayathri nagar, L N Puram, Subramanyanagar, he covered a distance of almost 20 kilo metres on a two-wheeler. Sporting a smile, waving out to onlookers, requesting them to support him, Bharatiya Janata Party MP H N Ananth Kumar campaigned for the upcoming elections. He was riding a black Honda Dio with Malleshwaram MLA Dr C N Ashwath Narayan riding pillion, and more than a 100 party workers in tow. H N Ananth Kumar (Pic: Vaishnavi Vittal) After more than two-hours of meeting, interacting and biking…

"Downturn is like baptism with fire. The day I surrendered my ID card, I was really down. It was a long day," expresses Suhas (name changed). Twenty-two year old Suhas started working with Sasken, a leading Bangalore-headquartered communications solutions technology company, in August 2008 as a fresh graduate. By the time he finished his six months training for his position as software engineer, the economic slowdown had hit his company. "The trouble started in October, bad news started pouring in. We were under constant apprehension. We thought we would go in December. In December, the firm started firing senior people.…

Experimenting with food is tricky. As dubious as the idea sounds, it could sometimes draw great experiences. Years ago, we ventured into a strange bylane off stuffy Avenue Road at 11.30 PM in the night. While most of Bangalore slept, this little gully would wake up and savor its food. Carts selling sweets, south Indian fare, and Bhajjis appeared out of nowhere to feed the working class. From creatures of the night, driving around with late night radio to giggly college kids wanting to sample the unusual to weary men and women working in surrounding businesses, street food was everyone's…

I was at RV Dental College at JP Nagar, looking for Maltesh Badiger, a theatre director and set desginer. Badiger had offered to loan me whatever I needed from his vast collection of theatre sets, for a play I was helping out with. Badiger, a small simple man walked in. I explained what I needed and he opened up a small room in the basement. It was full of set pieces - doors, thrones, backdrops and more. He told me to choose, and I was lost. He had a solution to create any set I wanted!. When he learnt that…

Butter and Mashed Banana has completed 33 shows, both at theatre festivals as well as public shows. It is the only play from Bangalore in recent times that has been invited to the prestigous Prithvi Theatre Festival, the Kala Ghoda Festival and the Open Space Festival - Himmat. Butter and Mashed Banana has performed across the country. Butter and Mashed Banana  is presented by Harami Theatre. Written in 2005 and performed from the following year, Butter and Mashed Banana has won both critical and mass acclaim over the last five years.SynopsisButter and Mashed Banana is a hilariously funny take on…

Business Mango festival from April 15 Lalbagh is busy organising festivals these days. After grapes and brinjals, it is now the mango festival, to start from 15th April. Organised by horticulture department, the festival signals the arrival of the mango season. Untimely rains during November and December last year had a negative impact on the mango crop. However, the second one was a bumper crop, and mangoes are already available in the Bangalore market. The festival will continue till June end. (Vijaya Karnataka, Tuesday, April 7) Crime 2000 faces in city Rowdies Gallery Now it is official. There are more…