Society

Children in are particularly vulnerable to abuse, violations and trauma. Such situations need expert help. Though the police department could help, particularly in cases of abandoned, exploited, trafficked or runaway children; but many prefer not to approach it right away. Here's a guide with details of the various organizations and agencies in Bangalore for children at risk or those needing temporary or prolonged support. At present, it does not include details of services for differently-abled kids or adoption. Street Children at the Cubbon Park, Bangalore Pic: Pushpa Achanta. Although, the law in India defines children as those aged 14 years…

Amitabh Poddar, a businessman from Sadashivnagar, scored 34 points to win the Bangalore Golf Club's Intra-Club round of the McDowell Signature Club Golf Championships 2010. It was played in the new nine-hole PowerPlay Golf format at the Bangalore Golf Club on October 3rd. Winners of Signature Golf Championship. Pic: Jyothi Gosala Playing in the 0-8-handicap category, Poddar tallied 34 points and was followed home by Anand Srivastava with 30 points. Dr. Rame Gowda, a KAS Officer and private secretary to Ministry of Home and Transport, emerged winner in the 9-16 handicap category with 45 points, followed by Sunil Vasant with…

On Gandhi Jayanti, as I was walking past the United Theological College (UTC) on Millers Road, I was delighted to see a banner regarding its centenary celebrations still displayed. Although I was aware that this renowned institution turned a hundred in July 2010, I was unable to participate in any of the relevant events. Curious to know what was on that afternoon, I entered the green and serene campus. The helpful security guard and a staff member directed me to the large group of Mizo youth (our siblings from the state of Mizoram) chatting and playing merrily. Learning that there…

The much-awaited Endhiran, the most expensive film ever made in Asia, hit cinema halls in Bangalore last weekend. The film that has superstar Rajinikanth in a dual role tells the story of Professor Dr Vasigaran's (Rajinikanth) creation of  a super-intelligent android robot Chitti (also played by Rajinikanth). Complications ensue when Chitti discovers his human side. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan takes on the role of Sana, the professor's lady love and Danny Denzongpa is the evil mind all set to steal his idea. Like all Rajini films, this one relies on dialogues and punch lines delivered in the way that he tells…

Bangalore has a small group of poetry enthusiasts with the numbers slowly growing. But with the rise of the internet, there are more avenues for poets to reach out, share their work and get feedback. According to Mohammed Fakhruddin, the founder of Poets International, a 27-year old poetry appreciation society, poetry is a form of wisdom. Fakhruddin, a well-accomplished poet and writer himself, believes that poetry is a form of lifestyle. Most poetry has its origin in topics of daily life - love, life, death or nature. "Poetry can be taken up at any age. What matters is the inspiration…

With most cinema houses postponing their big releases to later this week and the next, new films in Bangalore came from Hollywood and Malayalam cinema. Almost two decades after he made a film in a similar setting, director Oliver Stone returns with Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. In this sequel, Jake Moore tries to save his crumbling professional and personal life amidst the intrigue, corruption and huge egos of Wall Street. Only the agility of his mind can pull him through. In the aftermath of the recent global recession, the theme is topical and hard-hitting. As in films like JFK…

All the world's a stage...And all the men and women merely players These lines from Shakespeare's 'As you like it' goes beyond the conventional definitions of a performance space. In a regular theatre (proscenium), a transparent wall exists between the audience and the performers.  The illusion is based on creativity, sound, lights, music and set design. The audience are mute spectators - they can only travel with the performers on the emotional journeys. Contemporary artistes try to take performance beyond ‘a show' and recreate life through different mediums in real space. Deepak K Shivaswamy in collaboration with dancers of Bangalore…

The short film has been a part of the young Bangalorean's vocabulary for some time now. But last weekend the entire movement received a fillip when Suchitra's Centre for Film & Drama (CFD) brought together 50 short films made by 29 filmmakers from six states across India under the Short Film Festival. Even if the cinema was not always cutting edge, there was an abundance of ideas, creative experiments and youthful vibrancy. You could not but help notice the buzzing energy in the air as these filmmakers, many of them just out of college, shared their work in a ‘housefull'…

Anyone who dismisses director Abhinav Kashyap's debut film Dabangg as mindless entertainment has not understood the heart of the Hindi film blockbuster. It is fast-paced, action-packed, loud, colourful, lustily melodious, emotional, romantic, reverential of family and held together by the charisma of a single star who towers head and shoulders above the chaotic concoction. It may not always have sequential logic, but it inevitably invites loud cat calls and whistles. It seldom makes you think, but it always leaves you entertained. That is the heart of Dabangg - an entertainer for the masses, easily shrugging off the aspirations of the…

Eid Prayer at Jama Masjid, Bangalore, 2010. Muslims observed Eid-ul-Fithr, which is locally known as ‘Pernal’, offering special 'dua' (prayers), namaz and exchanging wishes, in Bangalore It is a tradition that all community members should distribute ‘Fithr Zakath’ (alms) to the poor on the day of Eid-ul-Fithr. ⊕