ARTS and CULTURE

To me, history has always been about philosophy and physics - the study of cause and effect and Newton’s 3rd law i.e. every action has an equal and opposite reaction. I prefer to focus on why someone did something and what it led to, rather than when they did it. This proved true while researching Mootoocherry, along with a friend, Anna, in the eternal hope that at some point I will be able to do a segment of Neighbourhood Diaries on the area, along with all historical neighbourhoods of Bangalore! Anyways, here’s what I found: In 1807, the British army…

Dakshayani Rama Chandran with her assortment of recycled objects. Pic: Kedar Nadella “For me, nothing is a waste,” declares Dakshayani Rama Chandran, who lives in a silent side lane of the 5th Cross, Malleshwaram, away from the hustle and bustle of the main streets. She is someone who is deeply concerned about the waste that is generated around us each day. She believes that as responsible citizens everyone can do their bit to reduce the garbage that accumulates in the city. The wallpaper on her computer stands as a representation to this commitment of hers. It is the photograph of…

The first batch of students from aAp - an Actor prepares Acting and Performing Institute (for film and television) in Nagarbhavi, graduated on 19 May 2013. The occasion was marked by a finale performance that showcased the talents of the first batch of eight students - two girls and six boys, who underwent a three-month course. The show was held at the City Central Library Auditorium, RPC Layout, Vijayanagar on Sunday. Dignitaries lighting the lamp on stage. From left: R Manjunath, Hayavadana, Usha Bhandary, Krishnamoorthy Kavattar and V Manohar with students of aAp in the background. Pic: Ganapa Gowda aAp…

It was a warm week-day afternoon, around the early 1950's. I had just finished my school day and was crossing the road to pick up my father from the office of N Sirur & Company, at Kalaghoda, Fort, Bombay.As I reached the other side I chanced upon  Ramakrishna A Lajmi, who had retired from the firm a decade earlier. Relying on a walking stick, attired in his customary shirt, dhoti, coat, black cap and chappals, he portrayed the quintessential Saraswat gentleman of a past age. For some inexplicable reason, he held my arm and spoke to me in Konkani:"Vhai re…

Chowdaiah memorial hall in Malleshwaram witnessed dance in different flavors on Saturday, 18 May 2013. From tiny tots to the elderly women, everybody danced with awe-inspiring enthusiasm. Not just the performers that night, but the audience too fired-up the place by swaying to the beats. All these efforts lionize the Chasse Dance Studio (CDS), Bangalore who explore the realms of dance and promote it as a medium of expression. The main aim of the studio is to explore the poetry of dance. Still from the dance show Pic: Priyanka Nadgir They want to engage people of all walks of life…

The ecstatic French architecture has been collectively displayed in the National Modern Art Gallery, Palace Road in collaboration with Institut Français in India and Alliance Française, Bangalore, as part of the Bonjour India Festival 2013. The exhibition was inaugurated on the 18th April with the photographs of French colonial edifices in India. Amid the verdant Modern Art Gallery are displayed the delightful photographs of the French Colonial Architecture, which expressed identity, power, superiority and indestructibility. Puducherry Delhi-based Conservation architect, Aishwarya Tipnis, who invited distinctive photographers like Anay Mann, Gigi Scaria, Rishi Singhal, Serena Chopra, Isabel Singhal and Jean-Pierre Dubois, brings…

Are you the one who would love to revel in the old melodies and take up a journey to that logn-forgotten world of nostalgia? Then visit Voice of India exhibition, you will find a lot of stuff that's the treasure trove of the bygone era that keeps you hooked.Archive of Indian Music, a not-for-profit trust founded by Vikram Sampath, that seeks to digitise and preserve old and rare gramophone records of our country, has organised the audio exhibition 'Voices of India,' at Alliance Francaise on Queens Road. The expo started on 10 May 2013; the inaugural of Archive of Indian…

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched a 1000 rupee silver commemorative coin which was released in July-August 2012 to commemorate of 1000 years of the Brihadeeswarar temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. Although, the Parliament of India approved a bill in 1975 to mint coins up to denominations of Rs 1000, the government never issued coins worth more than Rs. 150. The 1000 rupee coin was issued to mark a very significant aspect of Indian history. Incidentally, it is the first time that the Mumbai Mint issued the silver coin of Rs. 1000. The coin, weighing 35 gm, contains…

In 1802, Alexander von Humboldt climbed towards the crater of Mount Chimbarazo in Ecuador, 20,480 ft. above sea level. It was believed then that this was the highest point any man had climbed; Mt Chimbarazo was then considered the highest (volcanic) mountain in the world. It was many decades later that the height of the peaks of the Himalayas were established. Mt. Everest (in 1852) at 29,002 ft. was the highest mountain in the world - nearly two miles above the spot at Chimbarazo where Humboldt stopped his ascent at 19,286 ft. Humboldt, between 1799 and 1805, explored Central America…

This Sunday, ‘Jaaga', a social meet up space for tech groups, artists and social organisations, saw a unique event. The première of the documentary 'Good Girls Don't Dance' by Padmalatha Ravi was packed with audience, while a few had to stand in order to watch the show. The show began after a small introduction by Padmalatha Ravi, the director of the documentary. The documentary started with a flurry of clips where bemused people at different places in and around Bangalore, pondered on how to answer the question, ‘What do you mean by a good girl?' The terms traditional, docile, decent,…