GENRE: Features

Do you wish for an adrenaline filled adventure this weekend? Then head out for a day's trek at Savandurga. Savandurga located 50 kilometers from Bangalore is a 2 hour drive from Bangalore towards Magadi road. Savandurga is one of the largest monolithic rock structures in world scaling 1226 m above sea level and is a delight to any trekker, seasoned or otherwise. Savandurga comprises of two hills BiliBetta (white hill) and KariBetta (Black hill). Manchanbele reservoir. Pic: Usha Hariprasad. Savandurga has a rich history behind it. It was an important landmark during Hoysala period. It was then under many rulers…

Alliance Francaise hosted Kaleidoscape 2011 an exhibition of paintings, photographs and sculptures by seven eclectic artists on 10th and 11th December. Philippe Gasparini the Director of Alliance Francaise inaugurated the event. Pic: Suja Sukumaran Ramesh Nambiar, Pooja Surana and Adithi Sarovar presented their paintings while Chandrashekar Naik, Yatiraj M and Hemavathi S L exhibited their sculptures. The group of seven diverse thinkers with their medium and tools captured the imagination of the viewers in the gallery making it an enjoyable evening.Pooja Suvarna a student of Chitrakala Parishath (CKP), gold medalist and rank holder in Arts was thrilled with the prospect…

As a young girl growing up in Chennai (then Madras), I always enjoyed school excursions and day trips with friends and family to Mahabalipuram also referred to as Mamallapuram. En route to this seat of splendid ancient heritage of the Pallava dynasty that ruled parts of southern India, is the well known Cholamandal Artists' Village. It is believed to be the largest artists' commune in this country, I remember it as a place filled with artists, craftspersons and visitors. Although Cholamandal always attracted my attention, I never got an opportunity to spend too much time there. So, meeting with and…

Cinema in Germany is changing. Even as traditional approaches and perspectives to cinema remain, new currents are finding their way into mainstream filmmaking. These varying influences and emerging trends were all seen at the 5th Indo-German Film Festival, held in Bangalore recently. Source: Goethe Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan The festival that ran under the theme of 'Two nations - a single screen' was held by the Goethe-Institut in collaboration the FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, Germany and Suchitra Film Society. Over the course of a week, 10 German and Indian films were screened at the event.The Indian panaroma had a well thought out selection…

"Oota from your thota" is an initiative by Garden City Farmers Trust to promote better living by encouraging organic urban farming. The immense popularity of the first attempt at oota from your thota in August at BTM, led to this event. The event was this time held at UAS Alumni Association premises next to Veterinary College, Bellary Road, Hebbal on 27th November 2011. Citizen Matters was the media partner for the event. People attending a session on organic farming. Pic: Deepthi Sarma Spearheaded by Dr Viswanath, the Garden City Farmers are a growing tribe of people who believe in greening…

Sharmila,16, and her five younger sisters were brought to Child Fund Association (CFA), an orphanage home in Puttenahalli, after their mother passed away. Their father, visually challenged, could not take care of them. Sharmila, who is from Kollegal, has been living there for 6 years. "I am lucky to have found a place like this to live," she says. Children playing at the centre. Pic: Yogaraj Mudalgi. Eighty-five children, mostly girls, have found a home in CFA and since its beginning in 1982, close to 750 children have grown up in the home. Most children in the orphanage have a…

The crowd erupted with joy as Rajib Deb, forward for the army Service Corps (ASC) Boys Bangalore under-16 football team, slipped the ball past the goalkeeper to score a goal for his team. That it happened in the first few minutes of the match, added to the crowd's resounding cheer. Deb made the most of the penalty kick as he scored the solitary goal of the match, leading his team to a 1-0 victory over Farook Higher Secondary School (FHSS), Kerala. ASC celebrating the goal by Deb Pic: Yogaraj S Mudalgi ASC were playing FHSS at the final match of…

After moving to Mahalakshmi Layout with her family, a few months ago, Lakshmi Teeka, 32, found that there weren't too many grocery stores in her neighbourhood. At supermarkets, she had to wait in line to pay the bill and checkout. Her friends introduced her to Town Essentials (towness.com), an online grocery shopping website that takes orders online and delivers groceries home. "I could do shopping at 12 am in the night and didn't have to wait in line anymore. The prices too are on par with wholesale prices so I began to order all my groceries including vegetables and fruits…

If you are thinking of Jab we met when you are watching director Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar, it's a memory you'll have to soon forget. Missing is the refreshingly original sense of humour that you have come to expect in an Imtiaz Ali film. Even when you do find traces of that old familiar magic, it's soon lost in this dark and brooding tale of the making of a rockstar. Playing the rockstar is Ranbir Kapoor, supported by debutant Nargis Fakhri. The film also has the sentimental appeal of being Shammi Kapoor's last film, albeit in a cameo role.To Imtiaz's credit,…

Hundreds of bibliophlies, of all ages, flocked the fourth edition of the ‘Pustaka Parishe' at the Volley Ball Ground, on Sunday, 30 October at Netkallappa Circle in Basavangudi. Dr Anasuya Rajeev, in her forties, an astrologer and a resident of NR Colony, was at the parishe for the second time, looking for books on astrology and spirituality. Thousands attended the day long parishe in Basavangudi. Pic: Yogaraj S Mudalgi "They have a lot of books here and it is good for someone to find a book in the subject they are interested in." Thriteen year-old Manoj, a resident of Thyagarajanagar,…