ARTS and CULTURE

On Sunday August 29th , the Kannada translation of Prof. S N Balagangadhara's book, "The Heathen in his Blindness"...Asia, West and the Dynamic of Religion (1994) was released at the Kannada Sahitya Parishat in Chamarajpet. The book titled 'Smriti, Vismriti: Bhaarateeya Samskruti', translated by scholar-historian Dr Rajaram Hegde, was released by writer-journalist Ravi Belegere. Published by Akshara Prakashana, the book is priced at Rs 415. An introduction to the book was presented by Prof. Sivarama Krishnan, retired Sociology Professor, Bangalore University. Centre for the Study of Local Cultures (CSLC), Kuvempu University organised the event with support from Nagasri Book House,…

'Behind The Seen' at 1, Shantiroad (on till September 1st), digs into visuality and the very idea of ‘a show'. It has successfully attempted to turn the canvas to face the wall and coax the viewers to see what is hidden behind that beautifully painted picture. This is the display of the productions of four individuals who work as technicians, doing numerous odd jobs at four dynamic art spaces in the city. Curated by city based artist Surekha, ‘Behind the Seen' is in honour of the quiet ones who work behind the scenes making many of the major shows in…

A common sight outside Bangalore homes and a fading folk art in some parts, rangoli creation is many times a tradition passed on from generations. Reviving this tradition was attempted by Shree Vidyraranya Yuvaka Sangha (SVYS) through a Rangoli competition on August 8th. The volunteers who organised the event at APS College grounds in Basavangudi put up an impressive show that saw over 600 participants from various parts of the state and city. The rangoli competition in full swing at the APS College grounds in Basavanagudi. Pic: Deepti Sarma "Reviving the dying tradition of rangoli was the main idea" opines…

At a recent meet to discuss the loss of heritage in Whitefield to road-widening , residents of the locality spoke out against the BBMP's plans. About a hundred people attended the meeting which was organised on August 5th by the Bangalore Chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in association with residents of Whitefield. About 100 citizens attended the public meeting in Whitefield to frame plans to protect the area's heritage. Pic courtesy: INTACH The meeting began with a short presentation about the history of Whitefield by conservation architect and INTACH member Krupa Rajangam. She…

On the 1st of August 2010, 12 of us participated in a photowalk to the Bangalore heritage temple sites, Kaadu Malleswara and Nandeeswara, in Malleswaram. I organized this photowalk to help a friend, Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan, who used to conduct photowalks in Chennai before he went to Bristol, UK to pursue higher studies. His course, Masters of Arts in Archaeology for Screen Media (MAASM), looks at archaeology/heritage and media practices and explores ways in which archaeology can be presented to an audience. He had requested some photowalks to be organised to help him with his thesis. This photowalk was called Ancient…

It was a lovely evening to walk down to Ranga Shankara to see my first ‘serious’ play since my return to the city after a long absence....and I was not disappointed. “Ms.Meena”, on at Ranga Shankara from July 28 to August 1, is a joint effort between the members of Perch, a Chennai-based theatre group, and rafiki, a Bangalore group. The creative use of props - two brooms have become the handrail of a bus and the winnowing frame the steering wheel. Pic: Deepa Mohan. Sachin Gurjale and Sunitha of rafiki had watched two productions of Perch - Sangathi Arinhya…

"From Central Talkies to Malleshwaram 18th Cross, would be a great walk and sunlight would not fall on the ground. That is my memory of Sampige road."Sampige Road - the wonderfully fragrant name holds a lot of memories for many Bangaloreans who grew up in and around Malleswaram. The huge Malleswaram Circle, the horses in the jataka stand, the fragrance of the bouquet shop, shoppers at 8th Cross and the temples - all this give Sampige Road a typical south Indian look and feel.Listen to Vimala Rangachar, grand daughter of Venkataranga Iyengar, the founder of Malleswaram, and other old time…

With Bangalore’s landscape transforming so rapidly, the current scenes in the city are sure to vanish before one can observe the rate of this change. There is already a great sense of nostalgia that is prevalent among us as we move through the city even to get simple chores done. We suddenly realise that the little shop has disappeared, that muddy road has now become a commercial street. Srividya G S has captured scenes of the city in her photographic memory and reproduced them with the medium of charcoal, water color and paper. The show is being held in Gallery…

Despite the downpour last Saturday night, you could see an eager and motley group waiting near/opposite Ulsoor Police station a little before 8 am last Sunday (July 11th) morning; for the Ulsoor Parichay (introduction). This was a part of the series of heritage walks organised by the Bangalore chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) as part of its Parichay programme, an initiative aimed at raising awareness of Bangalore's heritage among its citizens.The parichay was planned so as to walk through some parts of Ulsoor where we could witness and discuss processes of urban change.…

Most of you are aware of the 11 pm curfew on Bangalore’s night-life that is in place today, but did you know that a couple of years ago there was a ban on western live music performances altogether?As unusual as it may seem now, western music performances were put in the same bracket as club or bar dancing. Karan Karthik, stifled by this lack of freedom of expression, wanted to bring about a change in people’s perception of live western music performances. To achieve this, he, along with a few friends, sought the help of the state horticulture department to…