GENRE: Features

This year’s Mango crop was a latecomer and much smaller compared to 2011’s bumper produce. While last year produced 11 metric tonnes, this year looks good for just three. “Mango is known for alternate bearing. One year you get a good crop and the succeeding year you get a poor crop.” says Dr G K Mukund, Professor of Horticulture at the University of Agricultural Sciences. Badami: Karnataka’s leading Mango variety. Pic Salonie Rego This year however, saw profuse flowering throughout Karnataka, which was completely unexpected. But factors like the prolonged drought and high temperature still reduced the quantity. Prices are…

With the gathering of dancers, gurus and dance enthusiasts from across India, World Dance Day at Bengaluru witnessed a gorgeous riot of dance forms and music. The event was held at Alliance Francaise, Vasanthnagar on 29th April. Yakshagana at the Inauguration. Pic: Maitreyi AnanthBharathanatyam. Pic: Maitreyi AnanthMen are from Mars performance. Pic: Maitreyi AnanthDance enthusiasts unite. Pic: Maitreyi AnanthThe Mohan Khokar Dance Collection- A mini exhibition. Pic: Maitreyi AnanthHari, Chetana, and their disciples (Kathak). Pic: Maitreyi AnanthArch Ensemble (Modern). Pic: Maitreyi AnanthKallaripayattu. Pic: Maitreyi AnanthBharatanatyam. Pic: Maitreyi Ananth‹ › $(document).ready(function(){ $('.carousel .carousel-inner .item').first().attr('class', 'active item');}); The man behind the event…

With every day of this summer getting hotter, our motivation to get out, take a walk or sweat it out is declining. Be it Football, tennis, cricket or netball, it’s just getting too hot to play. The summer vacations have started and now everyone is looking for ways to excercise, energise and be entertained. And what better way to do that than spending a day at an indoor sports arena close to where you live? Indoor Games. Pic Courtesy: XLR8 Accelerate and runSituated on the Hennur - Begalur Main Road lies your first choice- the XLR8 Indoor Sports Arena. Here's…

It's time for summer vacations. Outings and travel are at its peak. People prefer coloured and textured bags making the military fatigue suitcase covers a passe. No more heavy luggages either. With more people opting to travel by air, baggage weight limits have also become a factor for the change in trend.April - July seems to the peak time for luggage dealers. Summer vacations is when the people flock to buy suitcases and bags.People prefer suitcases made of polycarbonate plastic, as they are lightweight, durable and trendy. These bags come with a choice of two and four wheels. They are…

Which one of us has not watched the house sparrows as they hop about, living their lives alongside us humans in our rural or urban homes? House sparrows (their scientific name is Passer domesticus, the very name saying that they are a part of our domestic lives!) are small and pretty birds which play a large role in our lives, though we are often not aware of this. Male House Sparrow. Pic: Wikimedia commons Can you imagine, these birds are supposed to have become associated with humans nearly 10,000 years ago! Stunning, isn't it?Sparrows prefer a hole to nest in,…

The Avengers is a bold and unique concept by Marvel, bringing together classic comic superheroes in one big-budget, ambitious project. One of the most anticipated movies the year, and the first superhero movie too, the movie incorporates plenty of action, witty dialogue and destruction. But it could have done better.It has a pretty straightforward storyline - decidedly wooden Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) of S.H.I.E.L.D decides to assemble the earth's mightiest heroes in order to save the world from an otherworldly attack, led by the Norse god Loki (Tom Hiddleston) who, using a piece of alien tech called the Tesseract,…

Sheikh Shariff is seven, Rukhsana is 10 and Sameera is all of 12. The siblings show up every morning outside Dhanwantri Park in JP Nagar, 2nd Phase to sell fresh vegetables. This is their summer job.They live in an asbestos roof house nearby. Their father Mehboob Basha, earns a meagre Rs 4000 a month, working as a gardener. Their mother Fatima Begum who also works as gardener in the nearby senior citizen's park earns Rs 3000 a month. School fees for all three children is a burden on the family. The children help out by selling vegetables during their summer…

Music lovers eagerly await the concerts by Sampagodu Vighnaraja, a disciple of his father Vidwan Sampagodu D Suryanarayana Bhat. Sampagodu Vighnaraja. Pic Sampagodu He is currently teaching music at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ananya Sabhangana, Malleswaram has arranged a vocal concert by him on 11th May at 6.30 pm. Ananya is organising SANGATI Music Festival from 9th of May wherein youth artists will be honoured with Ananya Puraskara. The highlights are: 9th May: Flute Recital by Vid. N Rajakamal 10th May: Vocal Recital Vidushi G Chandanabala Kalyan 11th May: Vocal Recital Vidwan Vighnaraja S Sampangodu 12th May: Veena Recital by Vidwan…

In the previous article we discussed about handling pests in general. Here are a few examples shared to show how pests can perhaps be dealt with, without the use of chemicals and dangerous pesticides. Powdery Mildew Caused by fungi, the leaves in this case develop cloudy whitish spots are a common problem faced by several terrace gardeners. Starting out as a few spores on the leaves, powdery mildew quickly spreads, ultimately yellowing the leaves and causing leaf drop. It stunts plant growth, distorts the flowers and fruits and weakens the plant in general. Spores never stop producing more spores, so…

On the night of the 31st March 2012, India's first ever fully sponsored professional cycling team, The Specialized Kynkyny Cycling team (SKCT) was launched in Bengaluru, marking a huge milestone for cycling in India."SKCT is not just a team, but more importantly a long term programme supported by Specialized [group] to develop cycling in India, and nurture young local talent," says Vivek Radhakrishnan, one of the two founders of The Kynkyny Wheel Sporting Cycling Club (KWCC). Joys know no bound Pic: Veloscope KWCC has been a key factor in the development of competitive cycling in the country. Members of this…