Deepa's Jottings

  I've known Lokesh Mosale and Gowreesh Kapani for a while now, and have enjoyed and admired their work. Here's their invitation to see their work:  Banada Baduku Wildlife Photography Exhibition Date: December 9th - 15th, 2010 Place: Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore Hope Springs Eternal... Welcome to Banada Baduku - an attempt to present the facts of wildlife through our photography. Your support in the previous exhibitions has doubled our enthusiasm, and has encouraged us to enhance our collection. Our inclination towards wildlife and the magnificience of nature has pushed us to explore its beauty. We have presented a unique, perhaps abstract view…

   Experience the Wilderness - A day long Nature Camp at Bannerghatta: ModuleObjectives : Sensitizing students on Nature, Ecosystem and WildlifeApproach : Demonstration of activities, Eco games, Trails and Jungle Treks, Sessions on birds and wildlife, Group work...Duration : 1 day (12 hours from 7 am to 7 pm)Venue : Camp site at Banneghatta (Jungle lodges & Resorts)Camp ScheduleMorning Session06:45 to 07:00 Assemble at Bangalore07:00 to 08:00 Arrival at Camp Site and breakfast08:00 to 09:00 Ice breaking and introduction to the nature camps09:00 to 10:00 Breakfast10:00 to 11:00 Session on forests and wildlife11:00 to 12:00 Hands on activities - Balancing the…

   Usha Madhuranathan and her daughter, Deepa Vaishnavi, have a "Kolu" display with a difference at their home in Banashankari. Long ago, Usha decided that she was less interested in having just a display of dolls. She would determine a theme each year, and arrange the kolu around that. Last year, the theme was Kannadiga literateurs; this year, it was "India's contributions to the world."Here's Usha, starting the guided tour of the display: At the front door, we were greeted by an ancient Indian Rishi, with his learned text in front of him:One tableau explained the concept of the way time is…

  "NAVILAADAVARU" A Kannada film realized by a small group of enthusiasts, produced with just Rs 35,000. After the screening there will be an interaction / discussion on the film.  www.samvaada.com hopes to develop meaningful discussion on this. Seminar Topic: "Navilaadavaru in the context of Endhiran" Date: Sunday 28th Nov 2010, 11am - 2pm @Surana College Auditorium, South End Main Road, Basavangudi, Bangalore. Speakers Include: U R AnanthaMurthy (Noted writer)G B Harish (Writer, Professor, Tumkur University)John Devaraj (Activist)Kesari Harvu (Film Maker, Bhumigita Fame, Theatre Person)David Bond (Film Enthusiast)Shekharpoorna (Film Critic, Editor, kannadasaahithya.com web journal) Special Guests: Lahari Velu (Proprietor, Lahari Audio)Narendra Babu (Film Maker, ‘kabbaddi' fame)  Media Partners TAURIANwww.kannadasaahitya.comLahari Music Contact…

When we have a party at home, we take good care to clean up every trace of it afterwards, to return to a spic-and-span home...so why do we not take the same responsibility in our city?Here is a photo taken by Girish S V, in HSR Layout, of an open area, the day after Deepavali:We blithely assume that "someone" will come and clean up the mess that we've made, in the process of enjoying ourselves. All it would take is a little effort, to clean it up ourselves...but we seem to lack the civic sense, the sense of pride that…

  We got out of the train after a birdwatching trip to Dandeli, and as we were lugging our bags out, I looked up into the Eucalyptus tree in the City Station parking lot...and ....there were CHESTNUT-TAILED STARLINGS in the tree! (Click on the name for the Wiki entry.)Chestnut-tailed Starlings are local migrants and I usually enjoy seeing them feasting on the Silk-cotton flowers on that gigantic tree in Lalbagh.But who expected to see them at City Station? Not me!I promptly pulled out my MLC (Mary's Lamb Camera...my Canon SX10) and took two quick shots. Now that is a very satisfactory…

Hobitute Art Foundation is conducting a series of art workshops focusing ancient fine-art forms of India at its Center for Art Education, No. 109, 2nd Floor, ADA Rangamandira Building, JC Road, Opp. Ravindra Kalakshetra, Bangalore 560002.First in the workshop series is Madhubani Painting which is from 25th to 30th November 2010, excluding Sunday. This workshop should be attended by Interior designers, fine-art students, housewives with painting interests, and art lovers with some touch in painting or taken painting as hobby. For registration and details, pl call at 96631 03600 or 9611543543 or email at contactus@hobitute.comAlso, there will soon be weekend…

I had been to visit Kalanjali, a music school in J P Nagar, to talk to people for an article I am writing; and while I was there, I was privileged to see two ladies who are coming there for music lesssons: The lady on the left is Malathi, who is 76 years old; she comes to learn Carnatic music. Her husband brings her over, holding her carefully by the hand, and comes back to pick her up when the hour's class is over.The lady on the right is Sudha; she holds a doctorate in Physics, was working at IISc…

 We had taken some schoolchildren to Shivansamudra Falls, (about 120 km from Bangalore)  and were in a hired bus. At both the entrance from the main road, and at the Shivansamudra Police Station, we were asked to pay up money. When we refused to pay money without a receipt being issued for the amount, and we said that we were a school group, we were allowed to go without being charged. What a greasy culture we have! Tourists are always people to be fleeced as much as possible. I wonder how many people give in to the pressure and pay?⊕

  I answered the knock on my door and found two smiling ladies outside, who asked me if our names were already on the electoral rolls. "No," I said, explaining how we could not find our names either in our old locality or our present one. The ladies, Padma and Nagaratna, immediately gave me two forms to fill, and submit, along with passport photographs, for including our names in the electoral rolls.  It was good to see these ladies going to all the apartments and taking down details, meticulously. If only every government employee were as hard-working as this!  Three cheers for Padma and…