GENRE: Features

While many social activists have been shouting hoarse on the evils of globalisation and onslaught of giant Multi National Company (MNCs) on small retailers, some businessmen and their families are silently preparing to face the competition. Change is inevitable and nobody can stop the currents which have started rushing.  Instead of banging their heads against the walls and trying to stop the boulders of Walmart, McDonalds, KFC and other giants entering the field, local businesses have positively transformed their looks to woo local customers, despite their entry!I am talking about the recent splurge of chain store concept in Bangalore.  Of…

Festive season is also marriage season in the city? How does Bangalore’s urban, professional crowd find that perfect match when it comes to an arranged marriage? Citizen Matters checked some trends. You may expect a 31-year-old man to have his own checklist when it comes to selecting a prospective bride. Yes, Suresh Kumar (name changed) does, but along with conditions like she should be a working woman, well educated and good conversationalist, comes another point added by his mother: the caste and community should match. It’s one of the reasons Suresh, who’s registered on a number of online sites, jokes…

A contest for rock bands judged by Lounge Piranha, workshops on martial art, movie spoofs, mascots and lots of glam-- IIM Bangalore’s recently concluded Unmaad 09 had all the trappings of a major college fest. There were events for the sober and the cerebral, and then there were the artsy dos with pretty people and related regalia; rounding it all off was the standard issue high profile pro-show by the trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Making things interesting, however, was IIMB itself. And one means this literally. Anybody who has ever tried to navigate their way through the labyrinthine corridors of IIMB…

The man with a red nose greets you politely and hands you a flower. You put your hand out and the red plastic flower shrinks away from you. Meet Dr Boing, a.k.a Sanjay Balsavar. Dr Boing says, medicines take time to cure patients, but I give instant cure – a smile. Pic: Meera K Balsavar, 37, is a magician and a clown by choice and a graphic designer by profession.  At the age of 8, fascinated by magic tricks he used to collect pocket money to buy magic books which were costly then. Building his repertoire of tricks, he has…

It’s that time of the year when, everywhere you look, you see gaily wrapped boxes of dry fruits and mithai. With Diwali coming up and plenty of options available, customers are spoilt for choice. Pic: Theresa Varghese. Here's we found in some of the most frequented sweet shops in the city. Adyar Ananda Bhavan, 80 Feet Road, 7th Block, Koramangala A well known name that has people flocking to its many franchises, this outlet always has customers tucking into the tasty snacks and strong coffee it offers. No doubt, Adyar Ananda Bhavan has its loyal clientele but here, the name…

The details of the screening of the film,‘NEERUNDU NILAMUNDU', by Bala Kailasam, are as follows:Day: SaturdayDate: 10th October 2009,Time: 6:00pmVenue: ASHIRWAD, OPP. STATE BANK OF MYSORE, ST. MARK'S ROAD, BANGALORE -560001; Phone: 080-22210154About the film:The word ‘reforms' with respect to Government functioning is almost always understood only in its economic context as disinvestment and privatization. Very rarely it is understood as the reform of the functioning of the individuals within the Government, and a change in the form and style of Governance. It is taken for granted that such a mission is impossible!This film is about a group of engineers…

AlibabaStepping into Alibaba is like stepping into a different world. Not due to the décor – inspired by the Arabian Nights story – but because of the food. This place has Arabian and Persian food, alien to many of us; there is also Navayathi food, which is completely Indian, and yet, unfamiliar to most of us.Heard of a community known as Navayath? Chances are you haven’t. But a mention of Bhatkal should ring a bell. Situated in northern Karnataka, in the old days, Bhatkal was a port of call for Arab traders from Yemen, Iran and Iraq, who left their…

Dasara or Navarathri is celebrated by different communities in different ways. In Bangalore, many families celebrate Gombe Habba (festival of dolls) by arranging dolls, new and old. This is also called bombe koorisodu, bombe kolus, bommala kolu, and the dolls are usually made of clay or wood, and nowadays with Plaster of Paris (PoP). The tradition has passed on from generation to generation, and is accompanied by a variety of customs, pujas, story-telling and food. Tableaux depicting a scene from Ramayana, created by Soumya Srikanth. Pic: Deepti Sarma. Patronised by the Mysore maharajas, and with a large number of doll…

On Ganesha uthsava eve a few weeks back, the Raghu Dixit Project enthralled audience with their catchy tunes at JP Nagar’s Oxford School grounds in  one of their most memorable performances. The star studded audience included the iconic actor Ambharish as well as ex-chief minister of Karnataka, H D Kumaraswamy who walked in late but was met with a warm response from JP Nagar residents present.Rave music hits such as Nina Pujege bhande  from the movie Psycho and scores such as  Hey Bhagwan,  Kidki, Mysore se aaya, I'm in Mumbai waiting for a miracle had listeners up on their feet…

On Monday, 14th September, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa unveiled a mural depicting Karnataka’s celebrated past, multifaceted present and promising future, presented through a collage of diverse images creating an ascending visual narrative, at Vikas Soudha, annexe of the state secretariat. Shivakumar's murals. Pic: M S Gopal. The mural’s artist Shivakumar is a painter by training and honed his skills at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat where he passed out in the year 2000. However, like many artists, he loves to experiment and loves to look beyond just painting to express his ideas. That’s probably why his design which uses metals,…