Society

A woman in a ghetto in Cambodia who will not let her house be pulled down. Elsewhere, in Rio Janeiro, a mother mourns the death of a son killed amidst the rivalry between favelas. In India, another woman wows that her son will only marry a rape victim. In Kibera (Kenya), the largest slum in Africa, a mother still dares to dream of a better world for her children. These are some of the protagonists of director JR's Women are Heroes, joined only by their gender and their undefeatable propensity to hope. Pic courtesy: JR's official website. The picture represents…

Two years ago, Ekta Mittal, co-founder, Maraa and Yashaswini Raghunandan, a film maker and artist started working on their film Behind the Tin Sheets. The production documents the lives of the workers who are involved in building the Bangalore Metro. It also captures the changes that the city has undergo during the construction."The process has been one of the most endearing one for us. It was a great way to deal with the transformations of the city and film some of the most interesting stories", say Ekta and Yashu (as friends call her). A fellowship from the Centre for Media…

Kempe Gowda (Kannada)Kempe Gowda is a typical "cops and robbers" film from Indian cinema. But Kicha Sudeep brings together excellent production values and powerful performances to make for entertaining cinema. Source: Facebook Official Fan Page Based on the Tamil film Surya-starrer Singam, we see police officer Kempe Gowda (Sudeep) taking on the powerful underworld don Arumugham (Ravishankar). Backing him every step is the lady he loves (Ragini Dwivedi).The highlight of this film is Sudeep's performance as he breathes fire and power into his role. It's hard to find a single frame where he's not in character, and this gives the…

In Bengaluru's common spaces, an array of sculptures are placed in various venues, from street corners and traffic circles to important expanses of municipal land and strategic corners of private property that have large, open frontage. What kind of sculpture sits in these spaces? Is it always art and is it always public? A journey through the streets suggests that big questions about the politics of art and the poetics of the public are available for discussion in every neighbourhood. The artist places the work to initiate a very large dialogue in common space. Most of Bangalore's public sculptures, on…

Gudiya Sambhrama held at Hanumanth nagar , Anjaneya temple on the 13th of March 2011 was organised by Heritage Centre, a non-profitable organization. This performance was part of a series of performances spread over a period of four months at various temples of Bangalore.  Rukmini Vijay Kumar performing Bharathnatyam. Pic: Veena Basavarajaiah It was a delight to see all the children sitting in the front row with their attention glued to a puppet show instead of a television set on a sunday evening. The show presented by Dhaatu puppet theatre on the story of Bhakta Prahalada with colorful properties and puppets had the…

When Thomas Raja, better known as Auto Raja narrates the story of his life, it seems straight out a movie. After becoming an alcoholic and a petty criminal at the young age of 16, he resorted to stealing things from his own home to fulfill his craving for alcohol. He even pawned his mother's silk sarees and her mangalasutra and acknowledges that he single-handedly brought disrepute to his family and almost ruined them financially due to his behaviour. Raja in action during one of his rescue operations. Pic courtesy: Auto Raja. His father, a telephone lineman threw him out of…

I was alright with the tokenism of International Women's day. A few political statements, some well intentioned but ill-thought out schemes announced to mark the day - that I could live with. But today's women's day celebrations bother me. In its hundredth year, it has become the biggest gimmick of consumerism. Every single business out there gets set to woo women. ‘Celebrate your womanhood' hoardings scream, mailboxes and phones are flooded with every kind of offer. Beauty salons, cosmetic companies, clothing companies, shoes, lingerie shops, restaurants and even hospitals have offers. What's wrong you say?  All these celebrations are targeted…

At the age of 24, Anita Reddy started her first project to get electricity to Lakshmipuram slum in Ulsoor. Over three decades later, her fight for land, housing rights and basic facilities for the poor has helped thousands of people in Bangalore alone. She has helped re-build around 15 slums in the city. Fighting For Slum dwellers' rights since 1978. Pic: Navya P K Anita Reddy, 57, is part of Association for Voluntary Action and Services (AVAS) and Dwarkanath Reddy Ramanarpanam Trust (DRRP). She won the coveted Padma Shri award this year. At right at her home city, she won…

Kalari Gurukulam presented KalariMargam; a dawn to dusk programme on renowned martial art form Kalripayattu on the 26th of February, 2011. The informal performance/lecture demonstration was staged at Band Stand in Cubbon park. Citizens of Bangalore who went for an evening walk in the park experienced a flavor of this art form. Demystifying Kalari Pic Courtesy: www.kalarigurukulam.com Though Kalaripayattu is well-known amidst the artist community of Bangalore this was a first of its kind programme initiated by the Gurukulam to promote as well as create an awareness for the layman in the city. The programme took them on a journey…

St Joseph's college for Arts and Science was the venue for the mini international cultural and food festival on Saturday, 26 February. The North east and Tibetan forum which comprises of the students from the region was at the helm of it. In its fourth year, the festival is meant to show case the Northeast's cultural uniqueness at the Bengaluru college. North east students performing their traditional dance Tibetan dance. Pic: author. The current king of the Royal House of Tripura, Kirit Pradyot Deb Barman, was the chief guest. Three thousand people attended the festival. King of Tripura, addressing the…