Deepa's Jottings

I was on the 25th Chennai Photo Walk and we were walking past the Annamalai Mandram, in front of which is the statue of the famous banker/philanthropist, Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiar photographed here with an alert citizen in front :)....  and when I looked at the plaque, I realized that the king of the erstwhile kingdom of Mysore,  Jayachamaraja Wodeyar had been the Governor of the erstwhile Madras Presidency, and had actually unveiled this statue in 1954!   It's only now that we have Andhra and Karnataka and Tamil Nadu...we were all brothers, not so long ago!   ⊕

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So many little pieces of action as one walks, cycles, drives past. A cow ruminatively eating a poster as the billposter moves on to sticking up the next one. A cart laden with carpets backing down the slope into the hapless front bumper of a Maruti 800 (one speeds past this before the action actually starts.) A little girl shushing your "hi" on the stairs of your apartment as she hides from her friends; the "tag" girl's mouth opening in surprise as she streaks "home" free. A lady looking on patiently as two men (one obviously the "owner" and the…

You see them everywhere....at every traffic signal, on the pavements, on the roads.They thrust all sorts of things at you: yellow dustercloths, packs of cotton buds, little battery-operated lights, expanding "laundry" bags, rolling windshield screens...or they sit on the footpaths, selling ceramic wares, cheap chandeliers, or put up tents offering herbal medicines.These are the visible yet invisible people. As the motorists and two-wheelers stand at traffic lights, they sometimes notice these people enough to buy their wares, after bargaining them down into the ground; but more often, they flick a glance their way and turn their minds elsewhere, while these…

 I belong to a group of women, and we call ourselves BULBs...Bangalore Urban Lady-Birders. One of our favourite destinations to go birding (or bird-watching) is...Kommaghatta Lake (in Kengeri).Yesterday we went birding to Manchinabele Reservoir and several of us planned to go to Kommaghatta Lake this morning.One of us did visit...and found that the lake had...disappeared.Here's part of her message:"sorry for sending bad news your way so early, ....i reached the *erstwhile* kommaghatta lake and found no sign of it... I could hardly believe my eyes... the entire lake is GONE, disappeared, lake bed dredged up and big mounds lying all…

On the occasion of Children's day, Nov 14 -2009Yours Truly TheatrePresentsSIGNSa series 5 short plays in complete the story stylea Yt'angle initiative( Yours Truly angle for children) officially launching with this show.SHOW DETAILSName of Play: SignsDuration: 2 hoursStart Time: 10:00 amDate: November 14, 2009Venue: ADA Ranga Mandira, JC Road, BangaloreTicket - Rs 50/-To book tickets call 9845853093/9845243051Make this children's day a special one for your child.Inviting children above 7 years, along with parents/relative.About Signs:A series of 5-short stories performed in 'complete the story' interactive theatre style where children get to discuss and decide how these short stories should end. These…

If you would like to watch the TED talks live, please go tohttp://ted.indiatimes.com/   ⊕

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…

After successfully staging the play at Ranga Shankara, the young Bangalore theatre group, Dramanon, is staging the play at Alliance Francaise de Bangalore. Troupe : Dramanon, BangalorePlaywright : Melissa James GibsonDirector : Sharanya RamprakashVenue : Alliance de FrancaiseDate & Time : October 24th (4.30 PM & 7:30 PM)Telebooking No : 9880036611/ 9845017975 Online Booking : www.indianstage.inPlay Synopsis:sic (adv.): thus, so.[sic] takes place primarily in the doorways and shared hallway of three neighbouring apartments. Meet Theo, the desperate & edgy amusement park ride theme music composer, the struggling and ever-broke writer Babette, and Frank, the queer, happy-go-lucky aspiring auctioneer. See them…

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…