EVENTS

The venue is Lalbaug, the time two in the afternoon. It's a hot day, the kind where you'd prefer to be in the cool confines of your home indulging in a siesta but, under the shade of a spreading tree, an enthusiastic group is getting ready for a session of food and fun. They settle down with glasses of pulpy grape juice to watch the magician among them perform card tricks. Once the informal show is over, the food that each has brought is laid out and collectively partaken of. There's a variety of items - things like samosas, pasta…

Bangalore is home not only to exotic cuisines from all around the world, but also to a variety of khana from diffferent Indian states. However, amidst all the dhaba-esque Punjabi restaurants and the ubiquitous Andhra-style eateries, the cuisine of Maharashtra is not adequately represented.Let's face it, apart from a couple of really well known dishes like Vada Pav (which I believe is India's answer to the Burger) and Pav Bhaji (which now has a cult following thanks to the roadside vendors), most of us are unaware of the dishes so dearly loved by the Marathi population. Rajvardhan Foods is a…

"The National Seminar on Urban Growth of Bangalore with special reference to Bangalore Cantonment (1809-2009)" was held at Christ University from February 18th to 20th. This seminar was organised by the department of History, Christ University, Bangalore along with the Indian Council for Historic Research (ICHR), New Delhi. There was also a photography exhibition that featured numerous archival photographs of buildings of Cantonment. Swati Ramanathan. Pic: Mathew Prasad Idiculla. Swati Ramanathan, co-founder of Janaagraha, in her inaugural speech spoke of the how effective urban planning and urban governance can work together to provide a better city administration system. She also…

The three days of music and dance at Brigade MLR Convention centre, JP Nagar was a thorough treat for all music and dance lovers. Hats off to Manasi Prasad (Head - Music Project, Brigade Enterprises) and K N Sashikiran (Founder and Director of Carnatica) who made this event possible.On February 26th evening a grand inaugural concert by Ganesh and Kumaresh (violin) and party marked the beginning of the Utsav. The duo presented a remarkable blend of melody and synchronisation. The theme was "Six seasons". The first Vasantha Rithu in Bilahari Raga was meticulously executed and was followed by Greeshma Rithu…

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu ( BJJ ) saw its opening in Bangalore this month at a two day workshop, organised by Independent Shootfighters Inc. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, is among the popular fighting techniques found in the Mixed Martial Arts scene.The seminar was conducted by Amit Bhalla from Los Angeles, who has been training at the Beverly Hills, Jiu Jitsu Club. The two-day seminar, conducted on the 6th and 7th of February covered various self-defence situations and number of ground fighting techniques and principles. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, is among the popular fighting techniques found in the Mixed Martial Arts scene.Brazilian Jiu Jitsu…

The inaugural Namma Bengaluru awards were held at the Palace Grounds on Saturday, February 27th 2010. An initiative of the Namma Bengaluru Foundation, headed by Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the ceremony was held to honour Bangalore citizens. From over 4000 nominations, 26 finalists were chosen. Of these, 14 winners were chosen and awarded by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and Governer H R Bhardwaj. The winners were awarded Rs 25,001 each, along with a memento.Following are the winners:Private IndividualsAshis K Chand - A neuro-surgeon, he has imparted superior quality healthcare in remote and backward areas of societyDr Sudarshan Ballal…

We might have all been to Italian restaurants, where they serve pastas and pizzas loaded with tons of cheese, sautéed with oodles of garlic, but have you ever wondered how lasagne would taste along with panner tikka or if pasta paprika could be preceded by seekh kabab? Eurasia, the new pasta - barbecue restaurant in town, enables us to experience these quirky combinations. Barbeque mushrooms. Pic: Shivashankar. In Eurasia, Jayanagar now has its very own Little Italy franchise. This pure vegetarian restaurant has not only retained most of Little Italy's popular items but has also added a few dishes of…

The National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP), 2006 framed by Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India recommended setting up of a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) for every million plus city in India. The Government of Karnataka was the first to respond to this suggestion by creating the Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) - the UMTA for Bangalore Metropolitan Region (BMR).BMLTA was created for BMR vide GO No. UDD 134 BMR 2006 (2) Bangalore 09.03.2007 as an executive order.This body is the first of its kind to be set-up in Karnataka to coordinate and integrate all land transport activities…

He's the monk who makes the cheese and sells it too! Father K L Michael. Administrator of Gualbert Bhavan, a monastery in KR Puram, is a priest with an alter ego as a cheese maker. A variety of Italian cheese. Pic: Theresa Varghese.How did a priest from Kerala end up supplying cheese from Bangalore to the best of Italian restaurants and star hotels in the country? As Father Michael himself puts it, with a characteristic little smile tugging at his mouth, "It was a long journey."A boy of 15, he was among 11 youngsters in the first batch to join…

A bull. A ballerina. A Buddha. A baby T-Rex. And a big ant. All in one place. Frozen in steel - yet appearing to be in motion. These are but a few works of artist Kalyan S Rathore that are on display at ‘Active Canvas', Jayanagar I Block, till February 23rd, 2010 in an exhibition titled ‘Verbs in Steel'. Kalyan S Rathore with one of his steel sculptures. Pic: Deepa Vaishnavi.Industrial and Product Designing, Biology, Entrepreneurship, Ergonomics and biomechanical machines, Geometry, Contemporary Furniture are words that one would usually not associate with an artist, barring a few such as Kalyan…