Society

On one run through Bangalore's Cubbon Park, Pankaj Rai, one of Bangalore's several runners and a senior executive at an IT giant, muses, "Where else can one carry on stimulating conversations with such a diverse set of runners while running at the same time?" The city of Bangalore will witness the 5th edition of the Midnight Marathon in less than a week from today. Over 7500 participants (as per the organisers) will toe the starting line for various events which include not just the half and full marathons but also other events such as the corporate relay and a unique…

      The Water Station is a critically-acclaimed play written by the Japanese playwright Shogo Ohta. It is the most famous piece of his "Station" trilogy, which includes The Earth Station and The Wind Station. The play was first performed in 1981 with a Japanese cast, and has since been performed all over the world with various actors of diverse origins. Director Sankar Venkateswaran of Theatre Roots and Wings first directed the play for Ninasam in 2010, and this time around he has put together a varied cast auditioned from all over  India. Scene From the rehearsals. Pic courtesy:…

An early morning walk in Kempegowda's pettah would not sound welcoming to most Bengaluru folks. But thanks to Poornima Dasharathi's insight, the Pettah Walk turned out to be a comprehensive introduction to Bengaluru's beginnings. Yelahanka Gate Anjaneya temple. Pic: Poornima Dasharathi We were scheduled to meet up at 7am near the Anjaneya temple, Mysore Bank Circle. I got there 20 minutes late and was touched that Poornima and the team of enthusiasts were waiting for me near Cauvery Bhavan.We started off by briefly introducing ourselves. Poornima traced Kempegowda's family from Yelahanka and beyond and provided historical reasons for Bengaluru's location…

Academy of Music, one of Bengaluru's premier music establishment, organised a glittering function at Chowdiah Hall on 27th November to confer the K K Murthy Memorial Chowdiah Award 2011 to Padma Bhushan Madurai T N Seshagopalan and the Rudrapatnam Brothers R N Thyagarajan and Dr R N Tharanathan. K K Murthy Memorial Chowdiah awardees T N Seshagopalan and the Rudrapatnam Brothers R N Thyagarajan and R N Tharanathan. Pic: C R Sridhar After vedic chanting and a prayer, the programme began with a welcome speech by Dr G K Veeresh, President of the Academy of Music. Later Subbaraj Urs, Secretary…

After Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, the Milan Luthria-Ekta Kapoor-Shobha Kapoor trio are back with The Dirty Picture, and it's a collaboration that holds much promise for Hindi cinema. Source: Wikipedia While one misses the edgy unpredictability of Luthria's earlier film Taxi No 9211 or the grit of Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, The Dirty Picture creates its own cinematic place. While based on the story of South Indian female actor Silk Smitha, the film also explores sensuality on celluloid and the meaning of success. But be warned that the film is not a biographical history. Instead, it…

As a young girl growing up in Chennai (then Madras), I always enjoyed school excursions and day trips with friends and family to Mahabalipuram also referred to as Mamallapuram. En route to this seat of splendid ancient heritage of the Pallava dynasty that ruled parts of southern India, is the well known Cholamandal Artists' Village. It is believed to be the largest artists' commune in this country, I remember it as a place filled with artists, craftspersons and visitors. Although Cholamandal always attracted my attention, I never got an opportunity to spend too much time there. So, meeting with and…

Cinema in Germany is changing. Even as traditional approaches and perspectives to cinema remain, new currents are finding their way into mainstream filmmaking. These varying influences and emerging trends were all seen at the 5th Indo-German Film Festival, held in Bangalore recently. Source: Goethe Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan The festival that ran under the theme of 'Two nations - a single screen' was held by the Goethe-Institut in collaboration the FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, Germany and Suchitra Film Society. Over the course of a week, 10 German and Indian films were screened at the event.The Indian panaroma had a well thought out selection…

A forlorn young boy, nestled next to the feet of his friends perched on a platform, gazes on into the distance, unmindful of the camera. The telling photograph was chosen as the winning entry at the 'Frames of My City' contest organised by Red Frames, a Bangalore-based photography website. Shot by Kolkata-based photographer Jayanta Roy, it was picked from among 7,800 entries by 1600 photographers from over 250 locations. Ashwin Deshpande, another Bangalore-based photographer's entry. Pic: Yogaraj Mudalgi Roy says of the photograph, "I shot it at a slum near Kolkata. Several boys were playing and the boy was just…

  Ladies circle A fun filled day for about 50 children at Kidwai Cancer hospital was organised on 4 November, by Ladies Circle India Area 6 Chapter. Deepa and Arvind Aathreya, of "School of Success" fame, Chennai conducted an interactive & creative session for the children. There was also a puppet show in which the kids participated eagerly. Ladies Circle Area 6 donated fruits and hospital fees for children below poverty line. Ladies Circle India (LC India) is a non political and non sectarian organisation of young women, usually the wives of members of Round Table, aged between 18-40. It…

Sharmila,16, and her five younger sisters were brought to Child Fund Association (CFA), an orphanage home in Puttenahalli, after their mother passed away. Their father, visually challenged, could not take care of them. Sharmila, who is from Kollegal, has been living there for 6 years. "I am lucky to have found a place like this to live," she says. Children playing at the centre. Pic: Yogaraj Mudalgi. Eighty-five children, mostly girls, have found a home in CFA and since its beginning in 1982, close to 750 children have grown up in the home. Most children in the orphanage have a…