Blogs

  I was pleasantly surprised, when I was walking back from Ranga Shankara, to see that a small park in J P Nagar 2nd phase has been designated a Senior Citizens' Park: In these days, when senior citizens have difficulty even walking on the roads and seem constantly under threat from all quarters...lack of servants, lack of family members sometimes, and lack of facilities...it was very heartening to see this! ⊕

"Bangalore is not a garden city any more!" is a common refrain that I have been hearing for over 3 years. It is definitely not the cool town that we had visited a few times during summer in the mid 1980's, escaping the scorching Chennai heat. (Apparently, it was still a pleasant place when my husband started his career here over a decade ago). This situation reminds me of the song Ayyayyo Bengaluru lamenting this city's deterioration rendered during the first edition of Namma Jathre (Freedom Festival) in Cubbon Park in 2006. So what are the reasons for this live…

I don’t know what school authorities have in mind before they decide the colour of school uniforms. But making the lives of moms simple is not one of them. Which shade of white? Pic: Meera K. Many schools have white uniforms to be worn daily, or on the days they have the sports period. You send the child out in a crisp white shirt and shorts in the morning, by the end of the day you encounter him in a garb quite unlike the morning version. Large patches of reddish-orange on the back are remnants of playtime in school. A…

  I've known Lokesh Mosale and Gowreesh Kapani for a while now, and have enjoyed and admired their work. Here's their invitation to see their work:  Banada Baduku Wildlife Photography Exhibition Date: December 9th - 15th, 2010 Place: Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore Hope Springs Eternal... Welcome to Banada Baduku - an attempt to present the facts of wildlife through our photography. Your support in the previous exhibitions has doubled our enthusiasm, and has encouraged us to enhance our collection. Our inclination towards wildlife and the magnificience of nature has pushed us to explore its beauty. We have presented a unique, perhaps abstract view…

   Water. We don't appreciate it enough.  Pic by Ravi Kaushik

   Experience the Wilderness - A day long Nature Camp at Bannerghatta: ModuleObjectives : Sensitizing students on Nature, Ecosystem and WildlifeApproach : Demonstration of activities, Eco games, Trails and Jungle Treks, Sessions on birds and wildlife, Group work...Duration : 1 day (12 hours from 7 am to 7 pm)Venue : Camp site at Banneghatta (Jungle lodges & Resorts)Camp ScheduleMorning Session06:45 to 07:00 Assemble at Bangalore07:00 to 08:00 Arrival at Camp Site and breakfast08:00 to 09:00 Ice breaking and introduction to the nature camps09:00 to 10:00 Breakfast10:00 to 11:00 Session on forests and wildlife11:00 to 12:00 Hands on activities - Balancing the…

   Usha Madhuranathan and her daughter, Deepa Vaishnavi, have a "Kolu" display with a difference at their home in Banashankari. Long ago, Usha decided that she was less interested in having just a display of dolls. She would determine a theme each year, and arrange the kolu around that. Last year, the theme was Kannadiga literateurs; this year, it was "India's contributions to the world."Here's Usha, starting the guided tour of the display: At the front door, we were greeted by an ancient Indian Rishi, with his learned text in front of him:One tableau explained the concept of the way time is…

   As playgrounds get taken over by encroachments and are sold of to make for a less fun city, this ring reminds me of a childhood which is different from what the current generation will experience. Pic by Ravi Kaushik

  "NAVILAADAVARU" A Kannada film realized by a small group of enthusiasts, produced with just Rs 35,000. After the screening there will be an interaction / discussion on the film.  www.samvaada.com hopes to develop meaningful discussion on this. Seminar Topic: "Navilaadavaru in the context of Endhiran" Date: Sunday 28th Nov 2010, 11am - 2pm @Surana College Auditorium, South End Main Road, Basavangudi, Bangalore. Speakers Include: U R AnanthaMurthy (Noted writer)G B Harish (Writer, Professor, Tumkur University)John Devaraj (Activist)Kesari Harvu (Film Maker, Bhumigita Fame, Theatre Person)David Bond (Film Enthusiast)Shekharpoorna (Film Critic, Editor, kannadasaahithya.com web journal) Special Guests: Lahari Velu (Proprietor, Lahari Audio)Narendra Babu (Film Maker, ‘kabbaddi' fame)  Media Partners TAURIANwww.kannadasaahitya.comLahari Music Contact…

   I got a reference to this on another mailing list, and have been singing this:http://ingeb.org/songs/daisydai.htmlThere was supposed to be a tandem initiative in Bangalore:http://www.bangaloremirror.com/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=10&contentid=20100909201009090155111273efd521dwhat happened to it? I didn't hear anything more about it.....who stocks tandems in Bangalore, and do they hire them out?How wonderful it would be if we could have someone like Chris Gerli whom I've met often in St.Louis:http://citycyclingtours.com/We could have specially painted cycles and tandems (to prevent theft, like they have in IISc...perhaps they could even have embedded chips for location?) for hire in Cubbon Park and Lalbagh; surely it would popularize cycling? ⊕