Blogs

A potter at work at pottery town. This potter makes about 3000 such lamps a day!  Pic by Ravi Kaushik  ⊕

  Girish Karnad's "Bikhre Bimb" at Ranga ShankaraGirish Karnad's hugely successful play, "Bikhre Bimb" (in Hindi) will be staged at Ranga Shankara, on Sun, 29 May '11.Bikhre Bimb is among the most successful plays produced recently in India. The play has seen more than 100 shows and has been invited to all the major festivals of India. Arundhati Nag's masterly portrayal of two characters in a skillfully conceived plot has won her accolades and since its opening, Bikhre Bimb has been invited to, and performed at, all major theatre festivals in the country. It won the awards for best playwright, best…

When we were children, the term ration card (or family card) meant something crucial for survival. From our family's short stint in Mumbai, I recall that it was mandatory for school admissions too. Well, it was perhaps because it was the only acceptable document that proved the identity and location of a person and his or her family members - not many had passports, telephone connections or driving licences. And there were no voter identity or income tax PAN cards then! Further, the gas connection was usually in the name of either the husband or wife. Importantly, the family card…

Richards Park has the proud privilege of being probably the only park in Bangalore to have a Band playing at the Bandstand year after year. Come December the Richards Town Residents Association (RTRA) invites the Army, Police and Air Force Bands to play at the majestic Wheeler Pavilion set up in the early 1900's at the heart of Richards Park. Wheeler Pavilion Residents of the area, young and old, turn up in large numbers to attend this musical evening. Bringing back memories of the days of the British, many old timers recollect the days when Indians and dogs were not…

 The Dhobhi Ghat at Frazer town is about 38 years old. Dhobhis work 7 days a week and service various areas around Ulsoor. ⊕ Pic by Ravi Kaushik.

The Richards Town Residents Association (RTRA) held an Appreciation Ceremony for the Civil Defence at Richards Park recently to launch a campaign of greening Richards Town with five hundred free saplings from the Civil Defence Division 40. Maj Gen John planting the first sapling. The 40th and 41st Civil Defence divisions were formally inaugurated under the Directorate of Home Guards, Civil Defence and Fire and Emergency Service in October 2009. Area 40 includes Fraser Town and D J Halli, The campaign was launched by Jija Madhavan Hari Singh, DGP, Home Guards and Fire Services; Major General T M John (retired),…

Born in 1952 into a humble Tamilian family at Gautamapura – the Gun troop area of Ulsoor, Ulaga was a quiet child. Cricket, football, gilli-danda, marbles were games that he played like any regular kid. But by 16, Ulaga realized the magnetic attraction to the game of football.  Joining clubs like the Bangalore Mars Club or the 515 Army Football Club he met and rubbed shoulders with legends- Arumai Nayagam, P. Kannan, Lionel and Basheer Ahmed. The Junior Nationals launched Ulaga into the Senior Division which ultimately brought him National and International limelight. He had the good fortune of being…

You are visiting Bangalore and want to spend a few hours outside with your family or friends, preferably in a clean and green environment. Or are an 'old' Bangalorean who wants to relive her/his childhood. Where do you go? Cubbon Park, a lovely lung space in the heart of the city is a great option. And the Jawahar Bal Bhavan, a place for children inside the one hundred and forty year old park is a lot of fun too. Spread over 12.5 acres, it has a toy train, swings, slides, boating and a lot of trees and grassy patches for…

  It's rare to find a book written for one city, that can be used as a ready reckoner for several others! But that's the case with "Just Look Up....to see the magic in the trees around you", a very handy booklet written by Sadhana Ramchander, and published by Blue Pencil Creative.The book may be aimed at children...but it is very useful for adults, too, who'd like to look around them at the common trees in the cities.Many "handbooks" or field guides are rather unwieldy to take along with one on one's outings; especially if they are hardbound. Sadhana's book is…

I find that BBMP/BMTC combination has been experimenting with various designs for bus stops...but still, a very vital piece is missing from almost every bus stop that I see. This...is a board that should, at the very least, announce what bus routes are going through the stop. Why is there no provision for this essential piece of information on any bus stop, when there seems to be so much space devoted to advertising?Another instance of the BMTC/BBMP being less user-friendly than they should be. All it takes is a little imagination..or observation, when our top officials go junketing to Singapore…