BOOKS

I was attending a book launch ("Junkland Journeys", by Ajith Pillai) and from where I sat (apparently it had been the bar of the Mallu restaurant which used to be there earlier!) I looked down and saw this scene below.   Having clicked it, I found that the gentleman and the two children came and joined the book launch event, so I took their permission to use this photogrph in my blog. Love of reading is a great gift given to us, and it's even more heartening when one finds an adult willing to take the time and effort to…

I answered the doorbell a few weeks ago to a blue inland letter. Selvaraj thatha, the resident guardian of my building smiled gummily at my furrowed brow as he handed it over. Late night online impulse purchases ensure a steady stream of parcels that thatha receives on my behalf, but an inland letter was a novelty and he was curious to know what had occasioned it. I gingerly eased open the letter and found that it was from my library. Among other things, the letter said that the good folks at Eloor library, Bangalore were looking forward to seeing me…

Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF), the flagship literary event on the cultural calendar of Bangalore city, is all set to roll out its fourth edition on December 5th and 6th 2015 at Hotel Royal Orchid, Old Airport Road. The BLF has emerged as the second largest literary conclave in the country that brings the best of minds in the world of literature to Bengaluru. Building on the success of the earlier editions, this time the festival brings together nearly a hundred stalwarts from the world of literature, in various languages, both from India and abroad. Subodh Sankar, Vikram Sampath and Shinie Antony…

Jörn Rhode, German Consul General, Anne-Katrin Fenk, MOD Institute, Rachel Lee, MOD Institute, Habitat Unit @ TU Berlin and Madhavi Desai, CEPT University, Ahmedabad at the launch of OK India. Pic: MOD Institute In early September 2015, MOD Institute, an urban action and research institute based in Berlin and Bengaluru, and the German Consulate General Bengaluru, released the book, Otto Koenigsberger: Architecture and Urban Visions in INDIA. The books traces German architect Otto Koenigsberger’s time in India, and how his planning and design concepts continue to be relevant for urban development in India even today. Koenigsberger in India Story has…

Bengaluru. Snarling morning office traffic. A population of 10 million jostling for space. Boring office, same old chores. Two million working executives struggling for breath. Snail-paced late evening traffic back home. No small wonder that three-fourths of the respondents in a recent survey commented that they are deeply demotivated; They are not stimulated enough, either in their personal or professional lives. We could relate to these boring data points without too much difficulty – because we are part of Bangalore too, and we are going through the same rigmarole. Based on the idea that was thrown up by Benedict Paramanand,…

  I am always wary of reading books on music as I find most of them pedantic. The breadth of classical music can be a daunting subject for any writer. However some books stand out for me for their accessibility. Here are four such books. Encyclopedic and written in plain English Ludwig Pesch in his book "The Oxford Illustrated Companion to South Indian Classical Music" has written a well-researched and engaging read for carnatic music lovers. Whether it is cultural contexts of the music, technicalities of tala, complexities of instrumental music to anecdotal references and opinions of musicians, the book…

T V Mohandas Pai, Chandrashekara Kambara, Vikram Sampath and Shinie Antony speaking to the media. Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF), the flagship literary event on the cultural calendar of Bangalore city, is all set to roll out its third edition from 26th to 28th September, 2014 at the Crowne Plaza, Velankani Tech Park in Electronics City. In its third edition, this renowned literary conclave which brings together hundreds of stalwarts from the world ofliterature and ardent book lovers, will have a special focus on the North-East. This edition is dedicated to the memory of the recently departed literary giant Prof. U…

PNLIT is happy to announce a unique story telling + activity event for children.   Let your children listen to TWO exciting stories: The Generous Crow Kaka and Munni.    The story tellers are Nupur Aggarwal and Parvathi Om from the reputed The Storywallahs!http://www.thestorywallahs.com/   And hey!! That's not all. Let your kids engage in delightful paper craft with our experts!   All this fun for only Rs.100 per child. Admission restricted to 50 kids only.    Hurry! Register NOW! A free gift from PNLIT awaits your child! To register, please sms Nupur 9886629769/ Sapana 9880554136 or email puttenahalli.lake@gmail.com.   Date: Saturday,…

The cancellation of the much awaited event, the fortnight-long Bangalore Book Fair, this year is a reflection of the state government’s inability to understand that good reading habits are important for its denizens. The fair at Palace Grounds was cancelled at the last-minute after the state Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) discovered a legal point on the venue in the light of the long-running battle between the heirs of the erstwhile Mysore rulers and the government on the ownership of Bangalore Palace Grounds. The purpose of any book fair is to create awareness about book culture in the…