Society

Arts and CultureOnly three witness Kannada programmeKannada Bhavana,adjoining the Ravindra Kalakshetra is the venue for numerous programmes pertaining to Kannada and Karnataka. To commomorate ten years of the building, a seminar on liberalisation, economic scenario and its effects on culture was organised last week. However there were just three people in audience. Organisers were taken aback with this poor response.(Prajavani,Sunday, Nov 30) Business Rice levy: burden on traders or common man?The price of rice has increased by Rs 4- 5 per kg as a repurcussion of the government's decision to levy rice traders. Traders have passed their burden on to…

The Kadlekai Parishe (groundnut festival) is a cultural tradition of Bangalore that has survived for over four centuries. One of the city's oldest cultural events, it takes place on the last Monday of the Karthikaa month at the Bull Temple Road in Basavangudi  . This year there were a lot more people than the last year, by eye witness accounts. Amoghavarsha visited the festival and snapped up these moments. Groundnut stalls, heaps of groundnuts, that bring flavor and name to the fair! This is the cool future teller! Different shapes and sizes of robot dolls with some pre-recorded future messages…

Business International passengers drop by 40 per cent at BIA Recession in US and European countries has its impact on BIAL. The number of international passengers in Bangalore has dropped by 40 per cent in the last six months and flight operations have dropped by 1.5 per cent. This has made life miserable for taxi operators as well as ticket booking agents. Many agents are likely to go bankrupt if the situation continues for another six months. Jet Airways has stopped flights between Bangalore and Chennai. Other companies too are likely to follow suit. (Udayavani, Saturday, Nov 22) Crime Boy…

As the terror attacks and their aftermath play out in Mumbai and on the TV networks, the usual questions are making the rounds in Bengaluru. Illustration: Sujay Ramiah. Citizens around the country are going through a mix of reactions. They range from shock to worry to frustration to angst to numbness and to even a desperation to look away and move on.The attacks have again pointed out how easy it is to plan, penetrate, set up, and launch such offensives in Indian cities. That worry isn't about to go away soon. Developments: Prakruthi, a citizens group becoming known for rejuvenating…

Walking from the Golf Course at Kumara Park, a friend and I were both clueless about which way to head to land at Palace Grounds. That rainy Sunday being the last day of this year’s Bangalore Book Festival (BBF), we promptly asked a traffic policemen for help. The gentleman was kind in his advice: Browsing galore at the fest. Pic: Padmashri R.“Illinda nadkond hodre, kaal murdhogatte”, (Going on foot from here will ensure broken legs) he said.On learning from us that we were going to the Bangalore Book Festival, he snorted sardonically. “Ivatt hogtidiraa?” he exclaimed, incredulous at our nonchalance.…

Some citizens seem obsessed with giving the city bus transport corporation a bad name, or so it would seem. It is utterly disgusting to see people take a deep breath, collect that gutkha concoction in the mouth and then aim it right onto the street, sometimes missing you by just an inch. Okay, it may have been funny to see Leonardo Dicaprio teach Kate Winslet in Titanic the technique to spit the farthest. But it is most definitely not funny to see orange stains on the road. If only Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss could do something about spitting! It…

Any Bangalore sightseeing tour will be incomplete without a visit to the Vidhana Soudha. Sitting high in Barton Centre on MG Road or a similar vantage point, one can enjoy its illuminated palace-like look in the evenings. The making of this magnificent stone structure has an interesting story to it. However, unlike many parliaments abroad, there are no guided tours or pamphlets to help us know more about its history. Vidhana Soudha, which is also called as ‘people’s palace’, is off-limits for the visitors.Establishing identityDuring the time of KC Reddy, who preceded Kengal Hanumanthiah as the Chief Minister of Mysore…

Business Big demand for cows of Indian breed These cows were the center of attraction at the Krishi Mela conducted in the UAS campus. They belong to the pure Indian breed called 'Devani'. Due to their high resistance to diseases and capacity to work hard, they are in much demand. However the Devani cows are not available in large numbers and the National Diary Development Corporation is now engaging in developing this breed. There was demand for more than 500 Devani cows during the farm fest. (Vijaya Karnataka, Sunday, Nov 16) KSRTC launches courier service KSRTC has hit upon yet…

Jean-Luc Godard’s 1967 movie, Weekend, was screened by LACEfilms on 26th October at Suchitra Film Society. On a nice Sunday morning which usually is reserved for films by great auteurs, a bunch of 30 or so gathered to watch this French film. What I expected to see in the film was general drama on how the bourgeois or the privileged class is enjoying his weekend – but I then immediately realigned my cognisance about Godard and what he stands for. To be able to comment on Godard or his films requires serious credentials than being a mere journalist who has…

There could be any number of senior citizens aged eighty plus in our family and friends circle. But how many of us have met one with a totally positive outlook? Most of us feel that old age is a bane and dread getting older. But just meet B Kamala, the erstwhile General Manager of Canara Bank and you will change your view. She is an embodiment of positive energy.As I entered her house on a considerably quiet street in Koramangala, expecting to meet a frail old woman, I was stunned to see Kamala looking the same as she did 20…