Society

The amiable and witty K K S Murthy, the face and voice of one of Bengaluru’s oldest and iconic landmarks took around 20 of us down an enchanting memory lane on October 10th, a pleasant Saturday evening.It was part of Jamming through October festival organised by Maraa , a community media collective based in Bangalore.Murthy's bibliophilic father K B K Rao practised as a lawyer in Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh). "Father would visit Bangalore on merely receiving a post card from auctioneers in Bangalore about families leaving the city selling used books. I have seen people from Kerala carrying and selling…

Hampi – this word alone is enough to bring to mind pictures of grandeur, vastness, architecture, history and  destruction. The magnificant scenes of Hampi were captured  in more than 30 paintings by artist Ganesh P Doddamani. The paintings were on display and sale at Chitrakala Parishat last week. Artist Doddamani with his paintings of Hampi. Pic: Deepa Vaishnavi. Ganesh Doddamani, a native of Ramdurg Village in Belgaum, hails from a family of artists. He first began painting when he was around 12 years of age and further honed his skill in Shantiniketan, West Bengal. The peace and  tranquility there led…

That Bangalore is fast gaining recognition (long overdue, some may argue) as a hub for art related activities was further reinforced when ‘Art Etc’, a magazine of contemporary art and culture, published by Emami Chisel Art, Kolkata, was released at Chitrakala Parishat on  November 4th 2009.Dr Annapurna Garimella, art historian specialising in India, released the magazine. While addressing the gathering, she spoke about the importance of art journalism. She also spoke about the history of art journalism in India and mentioned about the trends in it during the colonial period and post independence (which saw the rewriting of Indian history…

Following a long wait, Bengaluru inaugurated its very own National Gallery of Modern Art earlier this year. Functioning under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, National Gallery has its head quarters in New Delhi, and another centre in Mumbai. Originally established in 1954, NGMA developed as a premiere institute for the housing and display of modern and contemporary art objects, of which they currently have more than 17,000. Over 500 items from this collection – paintings, sculptures, prints - were selected to be part of the inaugural exhibition at the Bengaluru centre with the title of ‘Signposts of the…

The city of Bangalore is constantly changing. With the numerous flyovers, the metro which promises to be completed in a few years, the shopping malls coming up every day and the ever changing urban population of Bangalore, the city seems to be transforming every minute. However, nestled in between the green locales of the city, Bangalore’s foreign cultural centres seem to have endured the test of time. Call it a quiet escape to an art exhibition or a keen desire to learn new languages; Bangaloreans still take that trip to these centres; even if it means travelling from one part…

In the world of food reviews, multi cuisine restaurants – with varied foods struggling to come out of one kitchen – usually get a rap on the knuckles. Oak Leaf, the new restaurant in town, does not meet that fate. At least, not just yet. Launched just a week ago, it’s early days for this unit of Green Oak, a company that is keen on establishing a presence in the city’s hospitality landscape. Oak Leaf 278, 7th Main, Mico Layout, BTM 2nd Stage Tel: 42166666/ 7 Meal for one: Rs 300 to 350Food: ***Service: ** With 12 rooms and a…

The land we live in is Karnataka which is beautiful all around. It gives us immense pride to speak in Kannada, It gives us immense energy... Kannada reverberates wherever you go - from the lyrics of 'Kannada', a song from the Taan Saints.On the occasion of Rajyotsava day today, Bangalore based music group Taan Saints have released a music video. Citizen Matters is happy to share the video here and joins Taan Saints in greeting you all on this special day. Sung By : Swastika Borkataki Bugley, Adarsh Bungley, Pavan Ananth, Prathap SounderLyrics : Badekilla PradeepMusic Composed By : Taan…

A recent news report talked about troubles cyclists in Bangalore face on a daily basis. As a new mother I can relate to that. Yes, there is a connection. Have you tried pushing a pram around the city? Just around the block to a park? It is the scariest thing after having to cross road with an elderly at hand! It is no breaking news that the city’s infrastructure largely caters to able and citizens who own vehicles. Pedestrians and cyclists make up 8 and 2 per cent of the total road users in the city. But having an infant…

Political and welfare organisations in BTM layout independently collected funds and relief materials for flood affected victims of North Karnataka from residents and shops around this area. The relief materials include rice, pulses, oil, clothes, and medicines and so on. The disaster is reported to have left thousands of people homeless and around 170 people dead. Some shops in BTM 2nd stage confirmed they have donated rice, pulses and other materials. BJP’s Bangalore Slum Morcha group of BTM ward collected 600 bags of rice, claims its leader H K Muthappa, who is also hoping to contest from the BTM ward…

It was a morning to be remembered for the residents around ‘Anandhavana’, a park and recreational are in 3rd phase JP Nagar. ‘Walkathon 09’ was held on Sunday, October 11th and saw an overwhelming response with over 200 participants in the various categories for men and women. A winner of the event. Pic: T L Prabhakar. It all began when a small group of 60 plus men sat one evening and discussed the disconnect of the walkers – young and old - with one another, though they would see each other’s faces every morning. Thus, they hit upon the idea…