EVENTS

Bangaloreans will definitely recall those dangerous days of 1999, when Pakistan Army clandestinely occupied some extremely sensitive areas in Kargil region of Ladakh, overlooking the strategic Srinagar-Leh road, threatening to choke the Army garrisons in Ladakh and Siachin sector into surrendering/ vacating those areas.  The country thereafter watched with bated breath, as TV reporters brought the valiant counterattacks by our valiant soldiers into our homes through extensive TV coverage. Precariously working their way up along steep slopes, well-covered by murderous machine gun fire, our soldiers did not let down their countrymen's expectations. Slowly, but surely, the operations progressed till the…

"Life being very short, and the quiet hours of it few, we ought to waste none of them in reading valueless books", said John Ruskin in Sesame and Lillies in 1865. What Ruskin told us around 150 years back is still valid. Do you agree? How many of us feel happy when a specific book has made such an impression that it is etched into our souls. A school textbook, an article from a magazine, an Enid Blyton story, a Jane Austen novel or even a grandma's lullaby or anything that has helped us in comprehending the intricacies of life…

Complaining about the lakes we are losing? Meet Bangaloreans who saved their neighbourhood lake and brought the birds back! See how citizens can participate in bringing about change.  The Rang De Bangalore Chapter is organizing 'A Walk with a Changemaker' with Ms. Usha Rajagopalan this Sunday, the 23rd of June, 2013 at the Puttenahalli Lake. Usha Rajagopalan, who spearheaded the Puttenahalli Neighborhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT), will share her story, the challenges faced and the hardships they overcame for the successes of the project. The Rang De Bangalore Chapter is a group of interesting and enthusiastic folks from the city that believe in the power of microcredit want to…

A library is a place where a child learns on his/her own and grows. But most government run schools and other low income institutions in the country lack a library, thereby denying children an essential part of education. Pratham Books, a Bangalore based non-profit trust, that has been publishing low cost yet high quality story books for children in multiple Indian languages since 2004, hopes to make the magical world of a library a little more accessible to children. For this, it invites applications from NGOs interested in receiving a unique product called 'Library-in-a-classroom'. The 'Library-in-a-classroom' is a wall-mounted library…

Are you the one who would love to revel in the old melodies and take up a journey to that logn-forgotten world of nostalgia? Then visit Voice of India exhibition, you will find a lot of stuff that's the treasure trove of the bygone era that keeps you hooked.Archive of Indian Music, a not-for-profit trust founded by Vikram Sampath, that seeks to digitise and preserve old and rare gramophone records of our country, has organised the audio exhibition 'Voices of India,' at Alliance Francaise on Queens Road. The expo started on 10 May 2013; the inaugural of Archive of Indian…

This Sunday, ‘Jaaga', a social meet up space for tech groups, artists and social organisations, saw a unique event. The première of the documentary 'Good Girls Don't Dance' by Padmalatha Ravi was packed with audience, while a few had to stand in order to watch the show. The show began after a small introduction by Padmalatha Ravi, the director of the documentary. The documentary started with a flurry of clips where bemused people at different places in and around Bangalore, pondered on how to answer the question, ‘What do you mean by a good girl?' The terms traditional, docile, decent,…

Do you love salads but are bored with the regular slices of tomatoes or cucumber? Well, try something different for a change- a Salsa fresca! Watermelon salsa and Pineapple salsa Not to be confused with the Latin-American dance form, a salsa is a kind of spicy sauce popular in Mexican cuisine. The basic ingredients consist of chopped fresh tomatoes, green chilies, coriander, onions, lime juice and sometimes even capsicum. Mango Salsa Ideal for the Indian palate, salsas are now a popular dish at most parties and can be served as dips for chips or as a salad. The most popular…

The Delhi gangrape and many more rapes that were never reported hitherto but are at least getting some attention now have been able to evoke noticeable public response regarding violence against women. Finally, more and more people have started understanding that millions of women all over the globe who hide their tears silently have the right to be treated equally, gently and with respect. The Women's Day celebrated at this point carries more meaning than ever before.'Promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women,' the theme given by the United Nations Organisation for the Women's Day…

What would it be, to stand atop a gold mill tailing dump and be a sole witness to century old gold fields, sophisticated mining machinery and the deserted British colonial township of yesteryears? Or how would it be to stand amidst a shakthi and tantric temple which dates back to Ganga period and hear stories of sacrifices and wishes fulfilled from the bygone era? If this is the kind of experience you are seeking then head out to Kolar, one of the prosperous towns of Karnataka during the British era. KGF. Pic: Usha Hariprasad History of Kolar Abandoned forts, temples,…

On February 23rd, get on your bicycle and join the Critical Mass Bangalore group for a two- hour leisurely ride through the city. We assemble at Press Club, Cubbon Park, at 8am. The last one was on Republic Day last month, which fell on a Saturday. Critical Mass Bangalore's January 26th leisure ride through the city. Pic: Sreenath Somarajapuram. Critical Mass bicycle rides happen on the last Friday or weekend of every month in more than 300 cities worldwide. The concept began in San Francisco 20 years ago, and the idea is simple - reclaim the streets of your city…