Society

In Bangalore, Yours Truly Theatre (YTT) has been working on a form of theatre that has been tried in a few places around the globe; it's called Interactive Theatre, where the members of the audience are active participants in the production. In several plays, so far, Yours Truly Theatre has stopped the storyline at some point, asked the audience for inputs and the cast then act out the denouement of the play according to the directions that the audience members give. Scene of a play at YTT (pic: Deepa Mohan) Taking this initiative further, on 22nd February 2009, at the…

In 1996, noted writer and publisher, S V Sreenivasa Rao, was given the Aryabhatta award, in recognition of his contribution to Kannada literature. Thereafter he was awarded the ‘Kannada Sri' from the Kannada Sahitya Parishat (2000) and ‘Karnataka Sri' from Karnataka Rajya Prashasti (2005). Rao has also won Attimabbe and Ranne Sahitya Prashasti for Mahitikosha, his encyclopedia on Kannada writers. Sreenivasa and Anusuya Rao (pic: Sudha Narasimhachar) Winning awards is a habit for 76-year-old Rao. His drawing room has no more space, given the awards that he's won; starting from school days, through college life, until today. Strangely enough, this…

PaintingsA stunning new collection of paintings by artist Shan Re was unveiled at F&B Restaurant, Papanna Street, off St. Mark's Road , Bangalore. The exhibition was on between 30th January and 15th February . The collection comprised only of oil on canvas with interesting and brilliant use of colours. Just as one entered the cafe, the paintings on the ‘art wall' created an extremely inviting atmosphere, leaving a strange sense of happiness lingering among visitors. Although the general inspiration was nature and flowers, the pan flow and effect was extensively used, giving an impression of a view from a window…

Life on a road with all the hustle bustle goes on as usual. One fine day, residents and traders on that road wake up to the fact that there are strange markings on many of the properties which have appeared overnight. The President of the Traders Association gets a letter from the municipality that the road where they do business and reside is up for expansion. Reason: need for better connectivity from the city centre to the new international airport. A couple of days later, overcome with grief, the man suffers a heart-attack and passes away. Undeterred by the official…

Talented and energetic children keen on action. Inspired and excited adolescents eager to share their learnings. A strong and supportive working women's collective. A potent mix for a promising start. And start they did! In amazing style. Singing, dancing, speaking and drawing about the country, society, violence, peace and unity. Generational Shift - an unlettered yet empowered Rukminiamma (a SJS veteran) with her English speaking granddaughter Nisha and friend Vidya, both CYS members (pic: PA)On 26th January 2009, Chaitanya Yuwa Samiti (CYS), a community-based organization and youth wing of Stree Jagruti Samiti, was formally launched at the SJS office, off…

It was the beginning of a new chapter for artists in the city as the Southern Regional Center of the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) was inaugurated in Bengaluru on 18th February. Located at the heritage site of Manikyavelu Mansion on Palace Road, the gallery was inaugurated by Union Minister of Culture and Tourism, Ambika Soni. The event was presided over by leader of Opposition, Government of Karnataka, Mallikharjun Kharge and Minister of Medical Education, Ramachandra Gowda. Spread over 3.5 acres, the gallery has been designed to be a cultural institute. Prof. Rajeev Lochan, Director, NGMA, says, "This gallery…

Soul revival, that's the feeling one was left with at the conclusion of the Biennial dance festival in Bangalore. The first festival in the city with contemporary dance as its theme, Biennial hopes to have two shows annually and justify its name! It was hosted by Attakalari, a trust formed in 1992 by artistes from different disciplines to have a platform for contemporary physical expressions in India. Attakalari Bienniale (pic: Arun Patre) The ten day dance festival (6th February-15th February) hosted shows of dance troupes from India and abroad at multiple locations in Bangalore which included the Chowdiah Hall, JSS…

Business Grapes festival at HOPCOMS The festival of grapes organised by Horticulture Producers Cooperative Marketing Association (HOPCOMS) is attracting large crowds. 'Drakshimela 2009' took off on 4th February and will continue till the end of April. It provides an opportunity for tasting a variety of grapes and their processed goods.The Mela is on in 263 HOPCOMS outlets out of which 239 are in Bangalore. HOPCOMS has the target of selling 750 tonnes of grapes during the festival. A discount of 10 per cent on MRP too has been announced. ( Prajavani , Saturday, 7 Feb ) Volvo bus cost BMTC…

Some of my European friends visited India last year and we met. I was eager and waiting to hear every detail about their brief stay in India. As we ran through photo slides of Rajasthan, Delhi and Mumbai, I heard everyone say "India is magnificent". A little later, small irritations surfaced: from why "people stare" to the "so persistent beggars" and the "unbearable traffic" and the "lack of pubs". It was New Year's time when my friends were in Delhi and it had not been easy for them to find a pub. They could not imagine spending their time in…

A series of marches and human chains were organised Feb 12th across the city, protesting the attacks on women in Mangalore and the subsequent statements of Sri Rama Sene’s Pramod Muthalik. Bengaluru Unites, a protest campaign mooted by Professor Rajeev Gowda of IIMB, saw attendance of thousands as students and professionals took off from classes and work to join hands against moral policing for about an hour on Thursday afternoon. People congregated in more than a dozen locations across the city, from Mount Carmel College, Vasant Nagar to Garden City College, KR Puram, from Manyata Tech Park, Nagavara to Embassy…