ARTS and CULTURE

The residents of Kaverinagar in North Bangalore have not received water from the BWSSB for about two years now. But bills from the water board have been delivered regularly. The only relief they have now is because of one of their neighbours Victoria who took it upon herself to help her neighbours by distributing water freely from her borewell.A kilo litre (1000 litres) of water costs the BWSSB Rs 34, including production, distribution and so on. An average consumer receives this water at a highly subsidised rate, paying around Rs 18 per kilo litre. It's those who purchase them through…

Religious faith in a country like India is not a matter to be trifled with. If it doesn't actively move mountains, it does manage to move millions in population- physically and emotionally. India's multireligious identity provides for its secular political outlook, one that is questioned and turned upside down everytime communal tensions take over the public psyche. But we have to just look around us to see the things people d,o to assist their relationship with the divine. Fawzan Husain has done just that; in his exhibition of photographs at Tasveer, Kasturba Cross Road. He successfully captures the essence of…

Bengaluru’s homegrown music bands have always created a buzz. Swarathama, Raghu Dixit Project, Thermal & a Quarter, Galeej Gurus are some of them.One such young band, which aspires to be big is Solder. Formed in 2009, this band is already riding high with number of shows lined up. They also walked away with the runners up trophy at the NLS Strawberry Fields. Formed in 2009, this band is already riding high, with a number of shows lined up. Pic: Madhu Shweta. Within this one year, Solder has had played in venues such as Opus, Kyra, Furtados (along with the band…

Art can grow out of the most mundane and unexpected situations. Who would think that two girls diligently working on their French and discussing the intricacies of environmental conservation would hit upon a plan to make art installations?This is exactly what happened with Ramya Upadhya and Aisha Siddiqa, both currently associated with the Alliance Francaise de Bangalore. An initial enthusiasm to experiment with recycling and utilise discarded materials as a means of generating public awareness and discussion somewhere along the way turned into a full-fledged exploration into the aesthetics of art making and enquiry into the simultaneous existence of imperfections…

“Allidde Namma Mane – Amerikeya Swamiobbara Atmakathe”, the Kannada translation of ‘The Journey Home – Autobiography of an American Swamy’ was released at Prism Book Shop, Jayanagar, on January 13th. While Shri Radhanath Swami is the author of the original work ‘The Journey Home’, Chaitanya Dasa (of ISKCON) has translated it into Kannada. (Left to right) Mattur Krishnamurthy, G Venkatasubbaiah and Radhanath Swami. Pic: Deepa Vaishnavi. The simple function had Kannada Writer, Shri S Diwakar, as Master of Ceremonies. Shri G Venkatasubbaiah, 96-year-old Kannada lexicographer and author, released the book in the presence of Padmashri Mattur Krishnamurthy, the well known…

Aneesh Vidyashankar, 18, is a violin player and student of architecture based in JP Nagar VI phase. He gave his first violin solo concert (classical carnatic style), when he was just eight. Aneesh Vidyashankar. Pic: Ramesh. He has given solo violin concerts at ISKCON, Chowdiah Memorial Hall., The Bangalore Club., Bangalore Gayana Samaja., The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Indian Institute of World Culture, and many more concerts.Vidyashankar has won several prizes in competitions held by various sabhas like The Gayana Samaja and Academy of Music, and the first prize at Prestigious national level Classical Music Competition-Instrumental Violin 2009 held by Prasara…

The air was abuzz with excitement and anticipation at Jaaga Creative Common Ground on January 6th evening. The occasion was Lakeview Award for Everyday Achievement (LAEA) held for the first time to recognise the efforts of selfless citizens residing in Shanthinagar, Langford Road, and Richmond Town "for micro-level achievements in making individuals or community life better". German artist Mathias Einhoff. Pic: Venkatesh L. The event was a brainchild of German artist Mathias Einhoff, co-director of Skulpturenpark Berlin_Zentrum and former lecturer at the Universität der Künste in Berlin. He was in the city on a Goethe-sponsored six-week artist residency at Jaaga.…

For years, science and arts have been two completely different domains of study; there never being any kind of confluence between them. But what happens when the ‘intelligence’ of science and the ‘creativity’ of arts come together on stage? That is just what Bangalore city has been witnessing over the past few days.Professor Alan Brody of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, award winning playwright and Professor of Theatre and Arts has brought with him a completely novel concept of 'Science Theatre' to enthral and entice the curiosity of students and the general masses alike.  This is an interdisciplinary method of trying…

A nifty escape route is all that we look for while rattling through the streets of Bengaluru to avoid the cacophony, the dirt and the dangers of it all. Quite the contrary, streets mean different things to different people, especially to intellectuals and artists who look at them as no less than theatre of life with a medley of dynamics on display - be it political, social, economic, cultural, or religious. The events explored a diverse set of issues on streets in India - from planning of streets, the politics of streets, appropriation of streets for religious rituals and so…

A colourful exhibition showcasing dolls, took place from December 15th to 19th at 1 Shanthi Road. The main organiser of this exhibition was Vishakha from the Craft Studio, who has experience in the theatre and craft field. Other organisers were Nandini, Chandra, Sushila and Shashikala. Besides being just a showcase and sale of dolls, the exhibition served as a platform for discussion and creative interactions on topics related to craft, games, theatre and storytelling.The overall aim of the exhibition according to Vishakha was to support the craft, add an additional facet of identity to the dolls and lay emphasis on…