GENRE: Features

Meteor showers happen when masses of meteors fall into the earth's atmosphere in a shower, producing heavenly fireworks. They are named after the constellations in which they are seen. On October 24th, we had the Orionid showers, and on November 17th, we are about to witness the Leonid showers. Expected peak of the Leonid Showers over India Approximately midnight to 3.40 AM on the night of the 17th/early morning of the 18th of November, 2009. (Actual time may vary). The showers can be viewed with the naked eye and no telescope is required. For more info see here and here.…

Ever heard of a rock concert especially for inmates? In what may well rank as India’s first ever rock concert for prison inmates,  Raghu Dixit Project rocked Bangalore Central Jail on November 11th with their upbeat songs. "This is to celebrate life". Pic: Ganesh Raghunathan. Raghu Dixit Project, considered one of the country’s finest rock bands had a one hour concert for around 4500 inmates of Bangalore Central Jail, between 11.30 and 1PM. The jail is located at Parappana Agrahara, Hosa Road, Bengaluru.“This is to celebrate life,” says Dixit adding “No matter what you have done in the past there…

Glass House in the Rain. Pic: Srikanth A P.Ducks in the drizzle. Pic: Srikanth A P.Just drizzled. Pic: Srikanth A P.Something hot. Pic: Srikanth A P.Dining table of Lalbagh. Pic: Srikanth A P.State Central Library in Cubbon Park. Pic: Srikanth A P.‹ › $(document).ready(function(){ $('.carousel .carousel-inner .item').first().attr('class', 'active item');}); ⊕

It’s as if it was just last weekend I realised that the strange-shaped building coming up near my home was ready and would be a new hub for theatre in south Bangalore. The years that followed established this role firmly, and it was with pride that I took my place in the queue for the first of the plays that Ranga Shankara was staging to celebrate its fifth anniversary. It’s time to take stock, perhaps, of what Ranga Shankara has achieved and what it yet needs to do. Srinivasan and Jagadish of Ranga Shankara ensure that all aspects of plays…

The amiable and witty K K S Murthy, the face and voice of one of Bengaluru’s oldest and iconic landmarks took around 20 of us down an enchanting memory lane on October 10th, a pleasant Saturday evening.It was part of Jamming through October festival organised by Maraa , a community media collective based in Bangalore.Murthy's bibliophilic father K B K Rao practised as a lawyer in Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh). "Father would visit Bangalore on merely receiving a post card from auctioneers in Bangalore about families leaving the city selling used books. I have seen people from Kerala carrying and selling…

That Bangalore is fast gaining recognition (long overdue, some may argue) as a hub for art related activities was further reinforced when ‘Art Etc’, a magazine of contemporary art and culture, published by Emami Chisel Art, Kolkata, was released at Chitrakala Parishat on  November 4th 2009.Dr Annapurna Garimella, art historian specialising in India, released the magazine. While addressing the gathering, she spoke about the importance of art journalism. She also spoke about the history of art journalism in India and mentioned about the trends in it during the colonial period and post independence (which saw the rewriting of Indian history…

The city of Bangalore is constantly changing. With the numerous flyovers, the metro which promises to be completed in a few years, the shopping malls coming up every day and the ever changing urban population of Bangalore, the city seems to be transforming every minute. However, nestled in between the green locales of the city, Bangalore’s foreign cultural centres seem to have endured the test of time. Call it a quiet escape to an art exhibition or a keen desire to learn new languages; Bangaloreans still take that trip to these centres; even if it means travelling from one part…

In the world of food reviews, multi cuisine restaurants – with varied foods struggling to come out of one kitchen – usually get a rap on the knuckles. Oak Leaf, the new restaurant in town, does not meet that fate. At least, not just yet. Launched just a week ago, it’s early days for this unit of Green Oak, a company that is keen on establishing a presence in the city’s hospitality landscape. Oak Leaf 278, 7th Main, Mico Layout, BTM 2nd Stage Tel: 42166666/ 7 Meal for one: Rs 300 to 350Food: ***Service: ** With 12 rooms and a…

The land we live in is Karnataka which is beautiful all around. It gives us immense pride to speak in Kannada, It gives us immense energy... Kannada reverberates wherever you go - from the lyrics of 'Kannada', a song from the Taan Saints.On the occasion of Rajyotsava day today, Bangalore based music group Taan Saints have released a music video. Citizen Matters is happy to share the video here and joins Taan Saints in greeting you all on this special day. Sung By : Swastika Borkataki Bugley, Adarsh Bungley, Pavan Ananth, Prathap SounderLyrics : Badekilla PradeepMusic Composed By : Taan…

This Sunday, Hasiru Santhe, a tree mela at Sankey Tank, was organised for the first time by BBMP. With plant and tree saplings selling at Rs 2, it got local residents and morning walkers around the area interested. Not withstanding the noisy announcements by BBMP staff and the disorganised billing system, the response was overwhelming from  thousands of visitors.The event took place at a time when many Bangaloreans are concerned about the reducing tree cover in the city. At the same time, government bodies and citizens are actively engaged in planting more trees too.Government agencies do their bitWithin the city…