ARTS and CULTURE

The Adigas fast food joint at Jayanagar 4th block is known to all south Bangaloreans and people of all ages come here to enjoy the food and coffee. But most of them are so busy that they don’t notice a serene art haven called Magnitude Art Gallery, situated straight down the road. Magnitude Art Gallery hosts exhibitions by artists whom they promote. It is one of the few firms that encourage talented yet unknown artists from various parts of Karnataka. The gallery has artists who work only for Magnitude; their work is exhibited and sold here. The artists work on…

Much has been written in recent years about rainwater harvesting. While the literature has certainly elevated interest in this practice, there is very little material to explain in simple terms how people can carry out an informed attempt to introduce RWH in their homes and communities. This Citizen Matters 4-part series authored by Bangalore-based Rainwater Club shows the way to implementing rainwater harvesting in a particular context: the gated layout. In the beginning When residents move into their new homes in a layout, they are occupied with setting up the home and making sure their daily requirements of water, electricity,…

I am a native of Bangalore city, a Kannadiga from an orthodox family, yet I found myself asking my non-Bangalorean friends, "What is the Karaga festival?" One of those moments when I feel I should have paid more attention during social science class! One friend, who closely follows cultural happenings around the city, told me more. The 40 ft ratha carrying the idol of Lord Dharmarayaswamy in procession. Devotees gathered on the streets throw bananas and tulsi leaves on the ratha. (pic: Deepika Nagabushan) Karaga is celebrated on the full moon day during the Chaitra month of the Hindu calendar.…

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…

Have you ever seen your grandmother or mother being possessive and nostalgic about their first Mysore silk saree? Just as today’s girls go ga-ga over a Swarovski, it was the Mysore silk saree which used to be considered an evergreen gift for a special occasion a few decades ago. It is no surprise that it has an interesting history as it was a thriving industry in itself in the state. Silk material and saris (Pic: Madhu Niranjan) The state sericulture industry saw successful highs in the past before it went down due to several reasons, including lack of technology upgrade…

Our Theatre presents its debut production, Beyond the Land of Hattamala, a play written by Badal Sircar. Founded by Sandeep Shikar, an actor, writer and director and Vivek Vijayakumaran, a theatre artist, Our Theatre was originally born out of a need to have a banner for Beyond the Land of Hattamala . However, the connection between Vivek and Sandeep and their belief about theatre ran deeper and so Our Theatre has become more a way of working, a way of doing theatre. "For me, Our Theatre is our thought, our belief, our language, our culture, our complexity, our simplicity, our…

Baijudev, Benny Paul, Bijoy Velekkatte, Devidas Varma, Dr Mohan K G, Gireesan V S, Gireesan Bhattathiripad, Gopi P S, Jayan Pudumana, Jose P O, Krishnana Mallissery, Manikandan Punnakkal, M A Venu, Mohan Alankode, Nandakumar, N B Lathadevi, Renjan P C, Revathi Venu, Roy Thomas, Satheesan, Sasidharan, Sasi Kandoth, Shadanan Anikkath, Sivadas, Venugopal and Viswanath P I displayed the paintings that they had created specially for this show called Pallette 2009. Painting by M.A.Venu (Pic: Lakshmi Menon) With such a huge number of participants, one can only imagine the variety and size of the show. Most of the work was abstract…

Tasveer, the photo-art gallery in Sua House on Kasturba Cross Road, showcased a collection of photographs by Shahid Datawala, from 28th February to 10th March. Datawala, who lives and works in Mumbai, is the chief designer for Pallate, a furniture design store in Mumbai.The show was based on and inspired by Hauntology -- a revolutionary idea introduced by Jacques Derrida in his 1993 work Spectres of Marx. The idea suggests that the present exists only with respect to the past, and that society, after the end of history, will begin to orient itself towards ideas and aesthetics that are thought…