ARTS and CULTURE

The south Indian state of Karnataka has over 29,000 villages spread across a 190,000 square kilometres. Anyone who travels a little in the state quickly realises that there are common village names that keep recurring. In Bangalore in particular, lakhs of people from all over India have  settled down and many travel from Bommanahali to Kodihalli or Marathhalli everyday. There is a story here.  Here’s a comprehensive look at the most common village names in Karnataka, prepared using the Census 2011 village directory for the state. Click on image to enlarge It turns out that the most common village name…

Post-Delhi gang rape, there have been many attempts at various levels, to understand the phenomenon of sexual violence on women, and the norm the traditional Indian society has set on Indian women. Many outspoken traditionalists have openly declared that women need to cover themselves, should not go out after evening, should be a ‘good girl’ and obey other moral bindings. Padmalatha Ravi, a Bangalore-based journalist, formerly associated with Citizen Matters as Associate Editor, has made an attempt to explore the mindset of society. The result is the documentary - Good Girls Don't Dance. Stills from 'Good Girls Don't Dance' Stills…

After crowdfunding his Kannada film Lucia’s production by raising Rs.51 lakhs through Facebook fans and others, Pawan Kumar of Lifeu Ishtene fame has finished the production and released the trailer as well as songs. What about the film’s release? Kumar, 30, launched an even more ambitious crowd fundraising campaign this year. He is now raising money to distribute the film in the mass market - theatres and multiplexes  - and is trying to reach between Rs.50L and several crores.   “We raised Rs.51 lakhs in February 2012 for shooting and production. 70% of the money came in as investment and…

In early January, an NGO that focuses on reuse and recycling of clothes sent out an urgent appeal to people on their mailing list to contribute woollens and blankets for homeless people who were suffering the harshness of a prolonged winter. Quilt-making in progress. Pic: Lalana Zaveri What would most of us do, on receiving such an email? Possibly spare a thought for these poor people and then mark the mail unread with the intention of doing something about it at the earliest opportunity, or perhaps gather our spare blankets and woollens and set off in search of a collection…

The Namma Bengaluru Awards, instituted by the Namma Bengaluru Foundation, will be presented this Saturday 16th of March at 6 pm at the Malleshwaram Grounds. The awards will be given away in a glittering event of music, dance and entertainment. Entry to public is free.Total of 53 finalists in 9 categories will vie for the prestigious NBA. They include Prithvi Reddy, Arundhuti Gupta, Bangalore Traffic Police, BESCOM, Indian Centre for Social Transformation, Goonj, Kormangala 3rd Block RWA, Puttenhalli Neighborhood Lake Improvement Trust, Ashok Dalwai , B G Chengappa, BIOCON, IBM, Canara Bank and many more.The Namma Bengaluru Awards this year…

Malatesh Garadimani stands over the desk in Gallery No. 1, at Bangalore's beacon of fine art - Chitrakala Parishath. His straight face doesn't melt to my greeting smile, but instead exudes an intense self-belief. I am not as yet aware that he is a polio-victim who is being bolstered up by prosthetic apparatus. But, the infirmity of his lower limbs hasn't stopped him from excelling with his upper ones. It is such self-empowerment that induced CKP alumni and art teacher at Bangalore's Association of People with Disability - Shivubodha - to invite Malatesh into this prestigious space. After our introductions,…

A very eminent minister to the Maharaja of Mysore, M A Srinivasan, had once compared the philosophy of Golf with the essence of Bhagavad Gita - "Address yourself to your duty, O Arjuna, choose your weapon, act, and do not look up to see the fruit of your action". Golf. Growing up in a non-Army middle class background in Bangalore, my introduction to the sport was through the world of P G Wodehouse. Relationships were made or broken based on the characters' ‘handicap'.A sport that originated in pristine greens of Scotland - St Andrews being the Mecca of Golf -…

What would it be, to stand atop a gold mill tailing dump and be a sole witness to century old gold fields, sophisticated mining machinery and the deserted British colonial township of yesteryears? Or how would it be to stand amidst a shakthi and tantric temple which dates back to Ganga period and hear stories of sacrifices and wishes fulfilled from the bygone era? If this is the kind of experience you are seeking then head out to Kolar, one of the prosperous towns of Karnataka during the British era. KGF. Pic: Usha Hariprasad History of Kolar Abandoned forts, temples,…

When I was looking recently at some old books at home, I came across a guide book on Bangalore. It was published in 1956 by Satyaprakash and Company. In the preface, it says " The necessity of a proper guide book to the city of Bangalore need hardly be emphasized. The importance of Bangalore ...is greatly increased. This city of 'long distances' is growing industrially and commercially.." I have tried represent the city of that time and have included some photos and quoted lines from the book. Bangalore in 1956 The most interesting part of the book is the map…

In July 2008, my parents and I boarded a flight from San Francisco International Airport, and arrived twenty-four hours later in Bangalore. Unlike our usual journeys, this one was not a round trip. We were leaving the United States and moving to India for good.We soon settled down in a comfortable, modern apartment somewhere on the outskirts of Bangalore - in an erstwhile village called Bellandur, now part of Greater Bangalore. I had a new house, a new school, and new friends... but most importantly, a new town to explore. Investigate! Explore! Dig! To me, these words conjure up magic.…