GENRE: Features

The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) is suddenly becoming a hub of cultural activity with the ongoing adult and children’s workshops on art, and the curtain raiser for the Dhaatu Puppet Festival taking place on its premises. This activity perhaps coincides with the instating of a Director for the Bangalore NGMA, Sobha Nambisan (IAS, Retd).A small audience on May 6th had an introductory glimpse into the ongoing Puppet Festival which is being held at different venues around Bangalore from May 7th to 16th. Dhaatu is a non-profit organisation which began in 2004 with an aim to bring about awareness…

Brookfields/Whitefield-Informer & Shopper (BWIS), a community neighbourhood yellow pages based in Whitefield in partnership with the Rotary Club of IT Corridor, Bangalore and Sahyog, an organisation working on social and legal issues, came together for a cause on a Sunday morning of April 25th. Their messengers were on wheels seeking hidden treasures.This initiative was a call to pledge your eyes by the Sankara Eye Bank, Sankara Eye Care. The message was clear: Miracles cannot cure the blind. You can, by pledging your eyes. Bhaskar Rao (second from right), flagging off the event. Pic credit: I-Light studio. The participants covered a…

Almost everyone who visits or moves to Bangalore is captivated by the blooms that add colours to the city, all around the year - flaming Gulmohur in summer, pleasing Jacaranda in spring, sparkling Copper pods in autumn. Walking through roads and lanes where these trees have survived the metro and road widening constructions, it is hard to imagine that the man behind these is a German, Herr G H Krumbiegel to be precise. City under Siege. Pic: Maragathavalli Inbamuthiah Goethe Institute located at Indiranagar recently remembered and honoured this "Economical Botanist" who, under the rule of  Krishnaraja Wodeyar, imported many…

Nitin Dubey had never been so scared in his life. As he watched the deadly smoke engulf the top two floors of Carlton Tower in Bangalore, he could see people leaning out of windows trying to escape the blinding smoke and hear their desperate screams for help. He was acutely aware that he could very well become one of the victims, being trapped with them, but somehow he had been spared their fate. One of his colleagues had not been so lucky. By the time the fire was extinguished nine people were dead, some asphyxiated and some having jumped to…

Walking into this boutique garden store in Indiranagar is like visiting the terrace garden anyone might have always dreamt of creating. At Sunshine, there are pebbles strewn on the floor, a light green canopy softening the summer sun and beautiful Bonsais in pots, trays and pieces of wood adding to the abundance of green. Pic credit: Sunshine Boutique. If that's the terrace, the entrance to this Indiranagar bungalow is equally verdant with potted plants, colourful figures, bamboo and metal wind chimes, lamps hanging from branches and fountains. Most things are for sale but some aren't, as Veena Nanda, one of…

Next time, if ever an emergency occurs in your area, you need not be a silent spectator because of the sole reason that you are not trained to tackle such situations. Civil Defence (CD), an organisation that is not so well known but is increasingly becoming popular in the city, enables citizens to actively respond in case of emergencies. CD is a government organisation functioning according to the Civil Defence Act, 1968. Civil Defence Act, 1968The act provides the basis for the formation of Civil Defence Corps, which it empowers to take any action - not amounting to actual combat…

Since the formation of Bruhat Bengaluru in January 2007, the BBMP's first ever council session took place on April 23rd. All 198 corporators were sworn in and the city got a new mayor and deputy mayor. The session itself was rather eventful with both bouquets and brickbats thrown about.See the pictures in a special Citizen Matters slideshow. While most came dressed in their best, Ashwath Y N, Corporator of Kempegowda ward (Ward 1) took it a step further. He came riding on a horse and dressed as Kempegowda himself. Pic: Vaishnavi VittalThe council building decked up for the first session…

There is joy in making delicate terracotta jewellery or ceramic utility pots. Though pottery is a profession for a few, it is more often one of the most enjoyable hobbies today. “You can be an adult and still play with clay”, says Pavan Sathya of gopni.com who is in his mid 30's. Gopni.com is an organisation for pottery enthusiasts, which conducts pottery and ceramic art classes as well as provides firing and kiln support and related activities. Sathya, who has been a professional potter for over 4 years says it a viable profession provided you have the right contacts and…

Arumugam, 19, is a school dropout. A machine operator at a shoe factory, he has learnt to take photographs. Along with his neighbours Asha, Mani, Saraswathi, Radha and Sita, Arumugam learnt to use a digital camera from Sumeet Malhotra, a volunteer from Association for India's Development (AID).A few technology savvy AID volunteers had transformed a dingy room in the slum of Sudarshan Layout, off Bannerghatta Road as their tuition centre. The Ambedkar Community Computer Centre (AC3) was started almost two years back. They have been equipping the poor children and youth in the nearby area with the basic computer skills,…

Ever heard of a workplace only for individuals with disabilities? Yes, Swayam, a parent support group of the differently-abled adults opened its first sheltered work unit at 4th Block, Koramangala extension on April 1st. There seems to be no time to waste for this group of individuals with challenges as they have already got their first work order. Their first assignment is to decorate marada baganna sets for a wedding to be held in May. Reshmi, a Swayam member with Lalitha Bilgi. Pic credit: Swayam. “Swayam is not an NGO or a non-profit group,” clarifies Lalitha Bilgi, Parent Promoter of…