Society

This morning, Bengaluru put on its running shoes to sprint up to 10 kilometres. There is all the fanfare and hooplah surrounding the 10 kilometre Sunfeast run, most often mistaken for a marathon (a marathon’s distance is about 42.2 kilometres). Runners at the Kanteerava stadium (pic: Naveen Ningaiah) With such hype, one often wonders what goes into organizing and preparing for a mammoth event such as this. Rumors have begun to do rounds - the celebrities who have pledged to raise funds are failing and backing out. People are highly likely to continue with some ever-so-often-heard rants – “The traffic…

Environment Snakes creep from drainage pipes into houses Snakes in Bangalore seem to find a new place to stay. They have started visiting houses through drain pipes. There are about 50 such incidents reported so far this summer. Till now worms, cockroaches, scorpions were entering through pipelines. It is now the turn of snakes. Scorching heat is said to be the primary reason. Snakes look for cooler places and ultimately end up inside houses. Environmentalists guess that about 65 per cent of snakes in Bangalore house in drainage pipes. ( Vijaya Karnataka, Wednesday, May 13) Crime Police look for the…

There are many instances when you find yourself staring at something and wondering, ‘Have I seen this somewhere?' MS Gopal's photo exhibition, which opened on 11th May and will go on for a month at F&B restaurant, off St. Marks Road, makes you ask that question. M S Gopal's picture of a security guard, Jeevan originally from Assam. Gopal, a young professional has found his metier in shooting Bangalore with his pocket sized Canon A350. Many may feel that this is too small a tool for taking photographs, but Gopal looks at it as an opportunity. He can carry it…

It is common for any institution to give away their “best worker” awards. However, most of us think that a common man do not have much to do with it.But Jnanajyothi, the Senior Citizens Forum of Banashankari II Stage, has, from the last 3 years been celebrating May Day in a slightly different manner. On this occasion, they honour one person each from the various civic amenity service providers who have been serving the residents of Banashankari II Stage. According to M R Rangaswamy, President, Jnanajyothi, “Normally, it is the workers at the grass root level who are the first…

Authenticity is a tough art to master. There was one time when I went to a restaurant abroad that claimed to be Chinese, had interiors that was roughly Korean, displayed Japanese art and was called, hold your breath, Dalchini (Cinnamon in many Indian languages). The Confused Orient would have been a better name. A food critic once wrote about how any self respecting European chef would take the next flight out; livid with shock, on seeing what was passed off as Italian cuisine in the city.You must sympathise with the purists for the raw deal they get. Or perhaps, you…

The well known artist G Subramaniam's works were on display at Silk Interiors in Bella Vista on Lavelle Road earlier this month. This store for interior décor artifacts houses a gallery named "iArt". Artwork by G SubramaniamG Subramaniam has a fascinating and unique way of expressing his creativity. He creates collages on canvases. Yes, the same collage techniques from your college and school competitions! Subra as he is popularly known in the art field, has combined this with his imagination and created a splendid new image. Most of his works revolves around Indian deities; Krishna, Brahma and Ganesha. Subra says,…

‘An early morning run at Lalbagh. Yippee!' That was my spouse displaying objectionable amounts of enthusiasm at a time one should still be curled up in bed. Propping my bleary eyes open with my fingertips, I cautiously allowed the daylight in. Only to find there wasn't really much of it out there yet. Would have dropped off again, but could't go back to sleep. Reluctantly popping out of bed, I proceeded to soothe my jangled nerves with a refreshing cup of tea.The milk delivery was more than an hour away. No second cup of tea till then. The newspapers were…

"You know what's my biggest nightmare?" asks 34-year-old bank manager Ameeta Srivastava from RT Nagar. "Forgetting to check my son's school diary at night and finding out during the mad morning rush that he's supposed to wear an eco-friendly outfit and take a green snack!" she says with a laugh. That offhand humorous take probably sums up the constant juggling act all working mothers have to do. Illustration: Narasimha Vedala Like Ameeta who commutes to MG Road, most working mothers in the city go through a day that begins early, watched by a clock that seems to tick extra fast…

It is abundantly obvious that Bangalore today is a war zone where the inhabitants subsist in a constant state of mortal peril. Don't look now, but there's somebody popping up at your window for a spot of neighbourly homicide of an evening. Negotiating traffic isn't your biggest cause for concern on our congested roads. No, that would be the chap with the backpack at the signal who looks a bit cross about something. Any minute, he'll stop with the glaring and start saying it with a Kalashnikov. Then where would you be? Illustration: Narasimha Vedala Our netas barefacedly usurp the…

“I hope I win an Oscar for India as Indians are crazy about Oscars,” AR Rahman quipped before he even won the Oscar. It is true the Oscars are a big deal in India, as is evident from the post Oscar success of the film. The lives of slum dwellers are suddenly coming to the forefront; inspiring film-makers, writers and artists. One such group of 14 artists came together at Crimson Art Gallery in Hatworks Boulevard on Cunningham Road, with an exhibition, ‘Big Dreams’, which had a collection of paintings inspired by Slumdog Millionaire. The show was on till 30th…