Society

MASTER MIND GROUP is a group which meets every week at 5 P.M. at Koramangala club. It is open to members between 35 to 55 years, though we are not rigid about the age. Members discuss their aspirations, goals, doubts etc. about any topic that concerns them - finance, career, relationship, weight loss, etc. It could even be small goals like getting a secretary, cleaning up a cupboard, etc. This is followed by brain storming sessions and feed back sessions. The atmosphere is non-critical and harmonious. Every member takes away something of value each time. The member himself can set…

The Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival '08 will include the second edition of its very successful Theatre and Arts Appreciation Course, designed on the lines of the well-known culture course at Neenasam, Heggodu.The course, launched at the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival '07, provides a unique opportunity to learn the essence of theatre and arts appreciation by developing new ways "seeing and listening". Last year's course was a resounding success, with participants from various walks of life – from students to professors, software professionals to bankers - participating enthusiastically in the highly interactive sessions. The likes of Satyadev Dubey, Girish Karnad, UR…

Navarathri triggers colourful and vibrant memories of one's childhood. Visit Anupama's Navarathri setting at Banashankari II Stage, and you can be sure of being stunned. Elaborate arrangements of dolls, depicting particular stories from the epics are a treat for the eyes. This year the themes are 14th day of the Mahabharata war, Rama and Lakshmana protecting Vishwamitra's 'yagna', Krishnaleela, scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Each scene is meticulously laid out and care is taken to get every small detail right. Dolls are of varying sizes, from Snow White to Gograhana, you can find dolls across cultures, epics and history.…

While we saw a reasonable response in supporting the Bihar flood relief (in terms of cloths and money), there has been far less effort to reach out to the flood-affected in Orissa. Bihar was, by most accounts, the bigger of the two disasters, but Orissa is not far behind. According to a report from our volunteers in Orissa, nearly 5000 villages and over 30 lakh people have been affected by the flooding in the Mahanadi river and its tributaries.Some of us are collecting (used) clothes and funds to this end. All kinds of garments, including woolen, are useful (Western dresses…

I first noticed Dramanon when they put up a foyer performance at Ranga Shankara, and later watched two of their productions: ‘The Original Last Wish Baby’ and later, ‘Pizzazz’. I found Sharanya Ramprakash, the present "chief" of Dramanon, and her team of thespians to be a committed, sincere young theatre group, battling financial odds to stay in theatre. The group was established in Bangalore in 2007, with a group of youngsters who studied in Manipal. Dramanon has staged around 20 productions till date and has staged four shows of ‘The Original Last Wish Baby’, a political satire, at both Alliance…

Crime Fuel thefts rising With costs of fuel increasing, petrol thefts are also increasing. Fuel thieves are working very systematically throughout Bangalore. There is no check as many victims prefer not to lodge complaint. Police too fail to arrest them. There are reports that thieves are more active in the vicinity of CMH road, M G Road, Brigade Road, Malleshwaram and Jayanagar.(Vijaya Karnataka, Friday, Oct 3) Bangalore - hub for terrorists A report by the Intelligence Bureau revealed that Bangalore has become an online training center for terrorists. Some software engineers working in prestigious companies are also used for this.…

Arts and Culture Shivaji's story retold in exhibition For history lovers, stories about Chatrapathi Shivaji are fascinating, and there have been many attempts to highlight the heroic deeds of this great Maratha King. In one such attempt, Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism (FACT) has organised an exhibition of colour pictures along with historic records that trace the life of Shivaji. The exhibition is on in Mainy Sadana on Lavelle road till October 5. (Prajavani, Sunday, Sept 28) Business ITC push carts for vegetable vending may come to Bangalore After successfully trying their hand in supermarkets, big players like ITC have now…

“You know you’re in Bangalore, you know you’re in the Silicon Valley of India, when you go to play golf and the caddy on the first tee says you can either aim at the Microsoft building or the IBM building. You know you’re in Bangalore when you see the Pizza Hut advertisement says ‘gigabytes of taste’,” famously said the US journalist Thomas Friedman in 2004. Ever since, reams have been written on outsourcing, the software boom and the rise of the uber-smart, uber-rich new technogeeks of Bangalore. But whatever happened to the other Bangalores, the ones that shun the arc…

I used to live in South Bangalore until a few years ago. The Gandhibazaar-Jayanagar-VV Puram area has always been a haven for lovers of South Indian snacks. It had been quite sometime since I visited this area and when I met an old friend, we struck upon this idea of rediscovering South Bangalore food. Not the hotels, but the eat-as-you-go type – the Indian version of the street cafes of Europe. Small Cafes and Darshinis Brahmin's Coffee Bar, Basavangudi. Pic: Poornima Dasarathi.The best way to start the day would be with the soft and fluffy idlis soaked in the watery…

Business & Economy 11 floor apartment to come up in just two months Well known property developers Golden Gates Properties is planning to construct an 11-floor apartment in just two months. An architectural firm called Hock has prepared the design for the building, to come up near Yeshawanthapur. An earthquake-resistant aluminum system used by the developers can enable the fast construction. (Kannada Prabha, Thursday, Sept 25) Floating hotel on Halasuru lake The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) is planning to set up a floating hotel on Halasur lake (better known as Ulsoor lake) to attract tourists. Similar hotels have…