Society

The last week of October saw the entire country celebrating the festival of lights. Diwali brings people together and marks the beginning of the Indian winter.People decorate their houses with candles, Diyas and Lanterns, also known as Kandils. The markets are filled with gift shops, laden with a selection of gifts to suit all budgets. This is the time for the sweet shops to highlight their creativity and come up with different flavors for the festive season.The sound of crackers start increasing as the evening draws closer. While boom-boom crackers still hold kids and young people in thrall, some elders…

Bangalore is referred to as the Bean Town (benda kaalooru in Kannada) by parts of the English Press. Legend has it that a king called it by that name when he strayed into a village selling boiled beans. While this name is basically a fun name, some of the sobriquets it has acquired do no justice to either the mood or the history of the city. Some journalist with an overdose of imagination saw some retired people going for a walk in a leafy suburb and termed it a pensioner's paradise. IT spokesmen, who like to believe that it all…

Ranga Shankara is organising a seminar on Company Theatre at 6 pm on 3rd November as part of the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival '08, which pays tribute to this golden era of Indian theatre.Speakers at the seminar include,Amal Allana, renowned director and Chairperson of the National School of Drama, who will speak on gender impersonation in Company Nataka and reflect on the phenomenon in her own plays.Nissar Allana, renowned stage designer and author of Painted Scenaries: Backdrops of the 19th Century Marathi Sangeet Natak, who will speak on the subject of his book, the sceneries of the Marathi stageProf. Ramakrishna…

Few know that the Bandstand in Cubbon park was the hub of cultural activities in Bangalore in the 60's. The likes of Ilaiyaraaja had performed there. After a long gap Prakruthi, a non-profit organisation run by the duo M S Prasad and Praveen D Rao, took it upon itself to bring Kannada and its musical legacy back into the limelight, and revive the magic of bandstand and Cubbon park. The revival started on 5th October this year and many musical recitals and shows have been held there every Sunday between 5 and 7 PM since then. Performances by popular Kannada…

Ananya initiated the ‘Hadu Hakki’ project with the aim of introducing and encouraging learning and appreciation of Carnatic music among children. Supported by a grant from the India Foundation for the Arts, ‘Hadu Hakki’, a series of 19-episodes were aired through all the All India Radio stations of Karnataka, last year. The series were designed as simple interactive sessions to present the children with an overview of Carnatic music and were accompanied by articles for children in Ananya’s monthly magazine ‘Ananya Abhivyakti’. As a fitting finale to this, Ananya now presents ‘Hadu Hakki Habba’, a festival that aspires to encourage…

Business Iron ore mining no longer lucrative Global recession has its cascading effect on iron ore mining in Karnataka. This business once changed the face of Karnataka and its politics. With the price of iron ore going down, the huge machines at the mining sites have now stopped working. A ton of iron ore from Bellary which cost Rs.3000 until recently, has now dropped to just Rs.350. The possible closure of mines may throw thousands of families to the streets. (Kannada Prabha, Saturday, Oct 25) Pay and Park rule to return The ‘Pay and Park’ rule by BBMP is all…

Whenever I read about child prodigies, I invariably wonder if the child has been allowed to be a child or forced to achieve things by the parents or teachers. And in many cases, my apprehension proves to be right! Fame-hungry parents often push children towards extraordinary achievements, robbing them of a normal childhood in the process. Many such tragic stories of child achievers abound, especially in the world of advertising and cinema. The children lose their innocence and start talking like depressed adults very early in life. I went to Master Nischay Bhargav’s house with the same apprehensions but was…

Considered a classic by most, yet not the best of Chaplin, The Great Dictator which released in 1949, is one of the most enduring satires of its time. The film takes place, as the title card clarifies, in a ‘period between two wars’. This film was screened as a part of Meta-Culture 2008 Film Festival on Conflict and Resolution last month at the Alliance Francaise. In the film, writer-director Chaplin plays opposed dual roles – that of a Jewish amnesiac barber and the Tomanian dictator Adenoid Hynkel. The plot The Great Dictator was Chaplin's first feature-length talkie. The movie, in…

SUNDAY JAM is a uniquely informal musician's meet that is part of an on-going endeavor by Guruskool (regd) to support musicians. Every first Sunday of the month, music bands meet at Guruskool's farm space in Nelamangala (about 33 kms away from Bangalore city) to share, perform and jam.Maraa, a media collective introduced theatre to the SUNDAY JAM in the month of October, and with this we hope to build a culture of theatre into this space. The idea was to create a space for short performances- self-written texts, stories, ideas, concepts and improvisations. Towards building an arts collective, we hope…

“It’s the only place in the city where you are served excellent chai at 2 AM”, swears Pradeep Andrews, Director of a bar entertainment consultancy firm, ‘Shaken N Stirred’. He is a long time resident of Infantry Road and knows Shivajinagar like the back of his palm. He further states that it is the safest place for a lady at any time of the day or night. There are die-hard fans of this area and there are others who know just the bus stand. Located between MG Road area and the Cantonment, Shivajinagar is a major commercial area and an…