LEISURE

I expected muddy water, unclean tanks and an unkempt environment. But a recent visit to the Government Aquarium on Kasturba Road, proved me wrong. Even though the Aquarium could do with a few more features, possibly to attract marine enthusiasts, I was pleasantly surprised. Especially after my last visit, many many years ago. The Government Aquarium is located on Kasturba Road in the Cubbon Park premises A variety of fishes can be found here, spread across two floors. This one though, had a blank name board 'Feather Back' - For the most time, it seemed to remain towards the bottom…

From avid book lovers to light readers, the Bangalore Book Fest is catering to all types of visitors. Children's books seemed to be the most popular genre and almost two thirds of the books displayed are meant for junior readers. Navya M Gowda, all of four and a half, seemed extremely thrilled with her copy of “Clifford’s Loose Tooth” from Scholastic. Pic: Deepti Sarma. The festival has been on full swing at Palace Grounds, from November 6th when it was inaugurated by Rastrakavi Shivarudrappa. With over 350 stalls, the festival is slated to end on Sunday November 15th. In 2008, 10…

This year's Bangalore Book Festival was neither better nor worse than usual, which is to say that it mainly offered the advantages of visiting a number of more or less ordinary bookstores in a single venue. I am always on the look-out for translations of literature from different countries and regions into English, but if this was a focus area at the Festival, it was not evident to me in the few hours I spent there. By and large, apart from the special focus sections on Kannada literature, the exhibitors had the usual run of the mill fare you find…

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');}); ⊕

Whenever anyone says Bangalore has changed, I would just brush it aside saying ‘of course, what doesn't change?' But thinking about it made me realise just how much the city has really changed. From the time of my childhood. Malls, coffee shops, high rise buildings - Bangalore has changed. I grew up in the Cantonment side of Bangalore and have always lived here. So family outings were restricted to this side of town, and not areas like Jayanagar and Basavangudi in South Bangalore which have so many well-known eateries.As a child I remember Sunday dinners to be spent at Shyam…

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…

A lot of places claiming to be the original "Kolkotta chat" have sprung up around Indiranagar. Wonder which ones are authentic. Probably will just have to sample them all!

The country's first Butterfly Park as seen from the inside at Bannerghatta. Shown here is a conservatory which recreates a beautiful natural habitat for the butterflies. A good family visit. ⊕

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…

Taken during the last days of Bangalore Turf Club's Existence. ⊕