JP Nagar

Having missed the first staging of this German folklore-based play, I was very keen to attend the show when it was staged yesterday (27th October 2009) as part of the Ranga Shankara 5th anniversary celebrations. (Aru addressing the children on stage, just before the play started.)It was indeed heartening to see the enthusiastic lineup of children just before the play, and I was also impressed that Sankar's Cafe at Ranga Shankara also has a Readng Corner for children now. Theatre and allied activities seem to be actively encouraged at Ranga Shankara and this is a great thing to see."Zapperdockel and the…

A training-cum-tea party for house maids/helpers? And why not? The domestic help are a 100+ strong group working in the 220 apartments of Mayflower Block in Brigade Millennium at JP Nagar in south Bengaluru. The efforts of garbage segregation/recycling of dry waste at Mayflower started close to a year ago (in November 2008) through the introduction of blue drums. While the onus of segregation is primarily on the households, all those working in the building, like the housekeeping staff and house maids/helpers, have been directly involved in contributing to the proper disposal of dry waste. Participants are all ears. Pic:…

When Shivaprasad Krishnan returns from work to his apartment in JP Nagar III Phase at night, many times after 8 PM, traffic piles up on his residential street, 1st Main Road, he says, because of contract cabs and buses bringing and fetching Infoys BPO employees. As a result, driving the last stretch to his apartment’s entrance has become painful. Krishnan lives in the Casa Ansal apartment complex, and one of its two entrances is located on 1st Main Road just a little past the Infosys building. Traffic piling up at 9 PM. Pic: Raghavendra When Citizen Matters checked on the…

It was a morning to be remembered for the residents around ‘Anandhavana’, a park and recreational are in 3rd phase JP Nagar. ‘Walkathon 09’ was held on Sunday, October 11th and saw an overwhelming response with over 200 participants in the various categories for men and women. A winner of the event. Pic: T L Prabhakar. It all began when a small group of 60 plus men sat one evening and discussed the disconnect of the walkers – young and old - with one another, though they would see each other’s faces every morning. Thus, they hit upon the idea…

The Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival 2009 will include the third edition of its very successful Theatre and Arts Appreciation Course, designed on the lines of the well-known Culture Course at Neenasam, Heggodu.The Course, launched at the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival 2007, provides a unique opportunity to learn the essence of art appreciation by developing new ways "seeing and listening".Renowned culture critic Sadanand Menon will spearhead the Theatre and Arts Appreciation Course 2009. A well-known writer on critical issues of politics and culture, Sadanand Menon is also a photographer and stage light designer. He has served as the Arts Editor for…

Hosur Round Table as service organisation is doing a fund raiser selling cracker gift boxes. The proceeds of the sale will be used to promote education of underprivileged children by providing classrooms, mulitimedia education aids, salaries for teachers etc. Hosur Round Table also funds environmental projects through Kenneth Anderson Nature Society. A primary school in Kodekarai a remote village in the Melagiris is being adopted by Hosur Round Table by sponsoring the salary of 2 teachers for a year. Thirteen class rooms have been constructed at various remote villages in the last few years and two multimedia education kits (projector,…

Noticed a group of energetic, charming ladies with warm smiles and welcoming voices convening in East End Circle (Jayanagar, 9th block) on Saturday afternoons? If yes, they may be the empowered women from Stree Jagruti Samiti (SJS), a collective of domestic workers in Bengaluru. Around since the late 1980's due to the tireless efforts of Geeta Menon (one of its co-founders along with social worker Rita Roy) and various supporters/associates like APSA and SICHREM, SJS has campaigned for labour rights, dignified treatment, benefits, etc. With 1200 members and a part of the Domestic Workers' Rights Union (DWRU), it has spread…

"Zapperdockel and the Wock" - Shows on Sep 15 and 16, ‘09Ranga Shankara is proud to bring back "Zapperdockel and the Wock" for five year olds and above! The play premiered at AHA! Fest '09 and was welcomed enthusiastically by both children and adults.The play is directed by Wally and Paul Schmidt of Salz und Pfeffer, Nuremburg, Germany. The music has been composed by Ganesh and Kumaresh and the puppets are by Anurupa Roy of Kat-katha, New Delhi.Practical application of the Laws of Physics, a beautiful story and a brilliant presentation hold children and adults in a thrall. The play…

Packing lunchboxes, running the kitchen, checking homework, these are but a few tasks for a homemaker. But what if you add to all this, a thriving home business? For creative women like Debika Chowdhury and Meenal Jindal, whose earlier professional avatars were completely different from what they do now, running their businesses from home is also an outlet for their love for art and craft. It also ensures that they have enough time for the family on their hands and are able to give their best in terms of energy and time to both home and work.Meet the women L&T…

Arjun Tallam, in his forties, managing partner at Rasilaas Fine Dine restaurant in JP Nagar VII phase, Kotnoor Dinne main road says that three years ago when he opened the restaurant there wasn’t a proper road. Residents and traders of the area approached MLA Vijaykumar (Jayanagar, JP Nagar constituency) and got a road laid in 2007. Excited, he describes how the footfalls and profits grew once the road was done. Arjun Tallam, of Rasilaas Fine Dine restaurant in JP Nagar VII phase. Pic: Supriya Khandekar But his excitement dies down soon when he talks about the underpass construction that started…