ARTS and CULTURE

Move over. I hear the flowers whispering to the colours with their mild scent wafting through the air, symbolizing a rather straitlaced demeanour - Holier than thou. After all our festivals are replete with symbolism and rituals. Holi, the festival of colours, is no exception, as it signifies greyish winter coming to an end, heralding vividly colourful spring with a burst of blooms of different hues. Typically Holi, as we know, is celebrated with dry or wet synthetic colours aided by water balloons and Pichkaris. But did you know traditionally the colours were made from flowers? ''Palash" or Flame of…

"கூத்துக்கொட்டாய்" உயிரற்ற பிம்பங்களை, சினிமாவிலும் தொலைக்காட்சியிலும் பார்த்து பழகிவிட்டோம். உயிரோட்டத்துடன் நம் கண் முன்னே ஆடிப்பாடி நமக்கு புத்துயிர் ஊட்டும் 50 திறன்மிகு நாட்டுப்புற கலைஞர்கள் வரும் சனி ஞாயிறு சென்னைக்கு வருகிறார்கள். 4 மணி நேரம் 50 கலைஞர்கள் 55 வகையான மீட்டெடுக்கப்பட்ட தமிழர் கலைகள் ஒரே மேடையில்! குதூகலம் கொடுக்கும் அரிதான பழைய காலத்து விளையாட்டுக்கள். ஆட்டம்போட வைக்கும் நாட்டுப்புறப் பாடல்கள், மலைக்க வைக்கும் திறமையுடன்  வீதி நாடக வகைகள், பிரம்மிப்பூட்டும் நம் பாட்டன் காலத்து ஆட்டங்கள்! 'கூத்துக்கொட்டாய்' - இது நம் தமிழர்களின் செறிவூட்டும் பொழுது போக்கு! 'கூத்துக் கொட்டாய்' நிகழ்வை அளிக்க இருக்கும் கலைஞர்கள் சமீபத்தில் 120 கலைகளை ஒரே மேடையில் நிகழ்த்தி உலக சாதனை புரிந்தவர்கள். கலைமாமணி உள்ளிட்ட பல விருதுகளை மாநில அளவிலும் தேசிய அளவிலும் வாங்கியவர்கள். இதில் திரட்டப்படும் தொகை நலிந்த நாட்டுப்புற கலைஞர்கள் பிள்ளைகளின் கல்லூரி படிப்பிற்காக செலவிடப்படும். நிகழ்ச்சி…

Ravi, all of five, frowns when he is asked which medium he would opt for in his government school. "English, of course," he says firmly. It is a "wish" echoed by all the small boys and girls near him though it stirs fire and brimstone in high circles far away. The February 2019-20 budget session has announced that 1,000 Karnataka Public Schools will start English-medium sections in Class 1, in addition to the Kannada medium. This is in spite of the angry reactions to the 2018-19 budget pilot project plan that aimed to introduce English medium in 2019 for 1,000 lower primary classes, selected…

Hamlet. Angada. One an immortal character from the tragedies of William Shakespeare, and another from Valmiki’s Ramayana. Hamlet sought revenge upon his uncle Claudius, but Angada, son of Vali, was a loyal nephew to Sugriva. Imagine both characters on the same stage, conversing about their experiences. The essence of the characters does not change, even though the plot does. The play Hamlet & Angad, scripted by Thomas Manuel and produced by the group Crea-Shakthi, epitomises the changing times in Chennai’s theatre setting. Mythology has been used in theatre since time immemorial. Epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata, and historical novels…

After a month long discussion on everything about Bangalore’s traffic through the prism of the steel flyover and the elevated corridor, we wanted a break. We couldn’t think of a better way to destress than with music. We headed to the Indian Music Experience at JP Nagar to chat with its founders, Dr Suma Sudhindra (who was recently awarded Sangeeth Natak Academy Puraskar for 2017) and Manasi Prasad. Many of us grew up humming along with Julie Andrews that Do come from a deer, Re meant a drop of golden sun... But if you want to know the origins of…

Over the Republic Day weekend, around 5000 Chennaiites flocked to an exhibition that showcased an art form that dates back to the days of the Indus Valley civilisation and is perhaps one of the oldest upcycling methods that has been traditionally and indigenously practised: Quilting. The first edition of the India Quilt Festival took place from 25- 27 January, 2019. The event, a pioneer in the space, featured competitions, stalls, workshops and lectures on quilting. Citizen Matters spoke to Varsha Sundararajan, one of the organisers of the fest. Does India have a special connection with quilting? India has a 4000-year-old…

https://twitter.com/Dr_RVS/status/1074696228447899650 This tweet from a resident asking the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) if they have planned to kill residents near the Karnataka Development Compost Corporation (KCDC), sums up the despair of the residents over the years who have been residing in the area. A group of 23 petitioners including the Kudlu, Hosapalya, HSR Layout, SomasundaraPalya, Parangipalya( KHHSP) Residents Welfare Association (RWA), have filed a writ petition in the Karnataka High Court in November 2018 demanding the closure of KCDC citing it to be a major source of pollution. The residents have run out of patience with the government. "Filing…

Like every year, Lalbagh is hosting flower show this year as well. The theme is Mahatma Gandhi's 150th Birth Anniversary. Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd has introduced return journey paper tickets for a flat price of Rs 30. One can travel from Lalbagh Metro station to any other stations at this fare, between 10 am to 8 pm, on January 25th, 26th and 27th. The tickets will be available at all metro stations between 8 am to 6 pm. The press note from BMRCL explains it: Like every year, our reader Srinivasan Subramaniam has shared the photos from the flower…

Every year, the Chennai Book Fair comes to town right on the heels of the Chennai Music Season, but clearly the Book Fair has a much larger appeal. This year, in its 42nd year, it has returned to the sprawling grounds of YMCA Nandanam. The newspapers reported that earlier this week, the Book Fair saw a record 8 lakh visitors on a single day! Over the course of 17 days, the fair expects over 2 million visitors. The organisers, Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI) have gone to great lengths to ensure that visitors have a good time.…

In the above photo are some of a motley group of citizens who are funding the construction of a Ganga style stone mantapa to house the recently discovered 750CE Kittayya-Hebbal inscription stone! This could well be the first time ever in the world a group of ordinary citizens are coming together to help conserve and celebrate a city's written heritage in this manner. In the photo they are seen holding accurate 1/8 scale brass mementos of the incredible Kittayya-Hebbal inscription. These same mementos are now proudly displayed in showcases in their homes and offices – a first again in that…