Blogs

The Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival '12 is back, and is now in its ninth year! This year the theme celebrates one of the greatest playwrights of all time: William Shakespeare. So, gear up for two weeks of non-stop theatre starting from Oct 27 to Nov 11 '12, and come revel in the magic of the Bard of Avon!Our inspiration this year has been UK's recently-concluded Globe to Globe Festival. In store at the Festival are productions from different corners of the world, plus two from India. From Mumbai, there are Atul Kumar's "Twelfth Night" and Sunil Shanbag's "All's Well That…

Eco-Ganesha kai hote? (What is Eco-Ganesha?) For sixty year old Savitri, who has lived all her life in a village in Maharashtra, the only Ganeshas she knows are the ones they make with the soil from the beds (and surroundings) of lakes and ponds in her village. Her first time in the city, Savitri is astounded by the size and the variety of Ganeshas she sees in the shops and Eco-Ganesha is a word that has got fixed in her memory forever.Like many proud Marathas, Savitri says that the Ganesha festival itself originated during her ancestor Shivaji's time, or so her…

Here's the heartening report from Leo Saldanha of ESG: Dear All,This morning, Mr. Appu Rao, IFS, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bangalore (Urban), Mr. Venkatesh, KFS, Asst. Conservator of Forests, Bangalore South Division, Mr. Nagaraj, KFS, Range Forest Officer (Kaggalipura Division) and various other foresters of the Karnataka Forest Department met with some of us atop the hill in Turahalli. Present amongst us were Venkatesh (Venky/NEFA), Ganguly (GETHNA), Vijay and Dimple (Architects), the Belurs, and some others whose names I do not remember, and my little daughter and myself. Deepak Arya is down with viral flu and thus could not make it.First…

PNLIT had requested volunteers to help with the planting of a few indigenous saplings at the Puttenahalli lake on Saturday 15th September. The process involved digging or expanding the existing pits, planting the saplings, filling with red soil and compost and if found necessary, securing the saplings with tree guards.Prasanna Vynatheya's report on the activity:  We had a successful day this morning at the Lake planting the saplings. It was encouraging to see our friend Pankaj who had cycled all the way from Whitefield to give us a helping hand. There were many others including Meera, Prashanth & wife from 24th…

The second season of Mahindra's Spark the Rise begins on 17th September 2012. See the Spark The Rise journey video here. The Rise Blog said, "In order to re-ignite conversations and spread the word, we're conducting an exciting three-city tour of India." Three 'Be the Spark' Meet-Ups were held over the last three Saturdays in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai. Each meet had a different topic of discussion and some of the leading social entrepreneurs, change-makers and change-agents in each city were invited to be a part of panel and general discussions on the topic. Usha Rajagopalan from PNLIT was one of the panellists at the Bangalore meet and…

It is ironic that after praying to Ganesha, considered the Remover of Obstacles we cause such terrible damage to water bodies by immersing the toxic painted idol and killing aquatic life! Please get an eco friendly Ganesha idol and save the environment. All lakes and tanks in Bangalore have sewage water either pouring in directly or which is residual. Are you sure you want to immerse your beloved Ganesha in such muck? Complete the sanctity of your prayer by doing it in your own house in a bucket of clean water. Here is a link for contacts of Eco-friendly idols.…

Kannada is dying because of increasing usage of English language is an oft-repeated refrain. Many activists and Kannada lovers are trying to revive the charm of Kannada in various ways. Gaanchali bidi Kannada maathadi, a Facebook community has taken efforts to revive the language in different ways. Kannada books. Pic: Anisha Nair A new bookstore cum cafe and activity centre in Koramangala - Atta Galatta aims at encouraging regional language books. Founders Subodh Sankar and wife Lalitha Lakshmi wanted to promote books written in regional languages. Sankar says they expected only middle-aged or older readers to buy regional books, “But…

Unnati, a Bangalore-based NGO, has acheived its goal of empowering youth, by imparting vocational training to 110 young people. These youths have been placed in good companies with decent salaries.Sarojini Bharadvaj KSWDC Chairperson attended the valediction function .She addressed the students and talked about time management and patriotism.We want to reach out to more youth through the media.The Interviews for the 35th batch will be conducted at the nati center this Saturday 15 September 2012. Candidates should be present at the center at 9:00 A.M. For more details regarding interviews please check our website:www.unnatiblr.orgAbout Unnati: Unnati, an initiative from SGBS Trust,…

M V Shreeram invites you to visit his first solo photography exhibit - A Window to Wilderness - from Sept 11-15 (Tuesday to Saturday). He will be exhibiting some of my best work in nature photography, and would be honored by your presence.Venue: Renaissance Gallerie,Westminster (next to Citibank ATM),Cunningham Road, Bangalore(Directions - http://goo.gl/maps/JZvN2) Shreeram M V9740083260Shreeram is an alum of IIM-Bangalore, who gave up the corporate world to pursue his passion for wildlife photography. He is also keen on documenting our heritage. ⊕

I wake up early, and I think it's usually the most wonderful part of the day. Yesterday's cares seem distant and behind me; the air, and my mind, are fresh and ready for today. It feels wonderful to stretch one's legs, and walk...not much, just about 4.5 km....and it's a great time to think one's own thoughts, introspect, say a few prayers....I also love to observe the people walking, jogging and running...and the various services that have sprung up to cater to them. Green leafy vegetables being sold to them...this has now developed into a small morning market (more expensive,…