Z-Blogs

In an earlier column we explored how musicians attempt to push boundaries in their presentations, particularly by bringing poetry, often arcane, to the stage. In this post, let’s continue examining how others have attempted to similarly expand both the listeners’ choices and their own exploration of vernacular poetry. Swati Tirunal is perhaps the most famous of all poet-composers from Kerala. The works of other Malayalam poets such as Warriyar, Thampi, Tulasivanam are slowly becoming popular as they are presented as songs thanks to the efforts of vocalists such as Shankaran Namboothiri. Here is the composition "Karuna Cheyvaa Enthu Thaamasam" of…

Bellandur Buzz…June 20th 2014 Shared fortnightly by the Citizen group bellandur-forum@googlegroups.comKasa Muktha Bellandur on 97.5 FMThis week, Kasa Muktha Bellandur initiative got some air time on 97.5 FM. The RJ called the Environment Engineer of the ward to ask details about 2-bin-1-bag process and congratulated her on the success of the initiative. When the city is dealing with the Mandur crisis all over again, and the waste situation in the city does not seem any better than what it was two years ago, the success of the SWM experiment in our own ward brings some hope. Read more about the initiative…

The sign says it all: An bungalow in the Cantonment area The quaint names, the tree-lined streets, the quiet roads and most important, the bungalows make the Cantonment area, a sure-shot target for real estate 'developers'. My husband and I moved here ten years ago because of this old world charm--we loved the serene areas in and around Cooke Town, the streets adjoining Mosque Road, the hidden gems around Richards Park. But now standalone homes, of every size, from stately bungalows to matchbox-shaped houses, are morphing into apartment buildings. And the end result is a sandwiched existence. Take Davis Road…

[This is part 1 of a 2 part series. You can find part 2 here.] When poetry and devotional verses are set to classical music their appeal reaches a wider audience. Depending on the nature of the lyrics it is often not difficult to set the verse to a particular melody. But it is not easy for the words to be sung to a particular rhythm or beat. Words may get truncated or sound awkward when they are fitted into a rhythmic pattern. Yet good musicians are able to creatively fit a verse to both the melody and beat without…

Once in a while, instead of attending intense, issue-based plays, it's good to go and have an evening of pure, unadulterated fun in the theatre! And so it proved, when I went to watch "Bade Miyaan Deewane", staged by Rangbaaz Group, in association with Rashmi Sharma Telefilms.     A scene from the play, "Bade Miyaan Deewane", staged at Ranga Shankara on 7 and 8 June 2014   Directed by Imran Rasheed (who also essayed the role of Mir Saheb), the play is an adaptation of Shauqat Tanvi's novel "Budhbas", written in a lighter vein in Urdu. Thanvi's sure touch…

A raga is defined as a series of musical notes that constitute a melody. The importance of a raga lies in the mood that it's intended to create in the mind of the listener. Today I'd like to share with you the moods conveyed by popular ragas in Indian classical music. While many of the ragas are confined to solely Carnatic (C) or Hindustani (H) genres of Indian music, some are common to both styles. Join in with your thoughts on these ragas, the moods they evoke in you and others that are your favorites. The links posted below each…

Does it move? Kill it! Does it sting? Squash it! Does it grow? Cut it down! Done with it? Throw it out of your window! Need to go somewhere? Take the car! Have some money? Consume more!     Then, have plastic posters printed, saying, "World Environment Day", with the photos of prominent pols, put it up in a public place, and feel happy that a praiseworthy effort has been taken.

Bellandur Buzz… Issue #11June 5th 2014 Shared fortnightly by the citizen group bellandur-forum@googlegroups.comKaikondrahalli Lake apporach road spotfix with The Ugly IndianThe main entrance of Kaikondrahalli lake used to be a mess of stagnating water, trash and construction debris dumped on the footpath and at the corner of the street. But no more! A bunch of residents with their kids descended quietly at the lake on a bright saturday morning. Greater part of the morning was spent in clearing trash, levelling mounds of dirt and painting the sidewalk. Monsieur dirt was vanqushed and Madame filth was cleared, leaving the volunteers drained…

I found three street vendors selling honey "fresh from the hive"....they had large pieces of the hive on their two-wheelers, and promised to filter the "honey" through and put it in old mineral water bottles for those who wanted to buy it. The rate quoted was Rs.300 per kilo.     I took a taste of the honey, and it was suspiciously like jaggery syrup. I realized that these vendors were probably pouring the jaggery syrup over the hives and then selling it as "fresh" honey. Beware of such street vendors. Buy your honey from accredited outlets or buy good…

  When I returned from Delhi by the Karnataka Exp (train no. 12628) on the 30th of May, 2014, I left behind the cordless headset that I use for my laptop, packed in a brown cardboard box, probably between the bedsheets on my berth (Bogey H-1, Coupe "G", Berth21, A/C 1st Class). I realized this only when I was unpacking at home, and after wasting a little time trying to locate a number where I could file a report, I went back to the City Railway Station. Mr Manjunath, the Addl Station Manager, was quite helpful, and directed me to…