Society

Arundhati Nag - someone whom I have associated with theatre in Bangalore, and theatre in Kannada, for a long time. And whom I have associated with other things worth emulating: grit, the never-say-die spirit, the persistence and the determination to achieve a stated goal, and more. So a meeting with her was something that I was looking forward to, even if I had to wait from 4 PM to 5.20 PM- I got my chance to talk to this icon of theatre. "Let's go from the basics," I tell her as I sit opposite her at the lovely cafe at…

Is there a tannery on Tannery Road? Or where’s the church on Church Street? There’s usually more to a name. And in Bangalore, it’s usually something that fails to meet the eye. Or has turned into a blind spot. The Big Bull at Basavangudi. The temple was Built to appease an angry bull that used to damage the groundnut crops grown in this region. A quiet corner in the temple on BULL TEMPLE ROAD, Basavanagudi. This is the starting point of The Bangalore Karaga procession - Entrance to the temple on DHARMARAJA TEMPLE STREET. Not far from the mad traffic.…

A pair of white canvas shoes that belonged to a boy in the D block of our apartment, a white shirt borrowed from my little cousin who stayed a few miles away, and I was still without the white skirt the night before the Independence day. A call to neighbours’ arranged a pair of white shorts from a boy in the A block. You see, the women folk (or women leaders) in my apartment decided on an agenda for Independence day that included a drill for the kids, and my 5 year old daughter was participating. We were told not…

"…24/7 water supply, generator back up, general physician round the clock, two-bed hospital. Book now to avail of early bird offer", my husband read off the newspaper."What is it about, a new apartment block?" I asked."No-it's an old age home", he said, "time we started investing in one, when we can still afford it".I looked at myself in the mirror, and plucked out a strand of grey hair which refused to be dyed. "Why, don't you think we'll be living with our son's family when the time comes?" I asked, unsure of it even as I did. For these were…

It's a challenge to "work on an adaptation of an English translation of a Russian play", as the brochure given by Centre for Film and Drama (CFD) said, and the Bangalore angle intrigued me sufficiently to walk down to Ranga Shankara to see the production at its first showing on the 4th of this month. I was not disappointed. City of Gardens - Play (Pic: Deepa Mohan)‘City of Gardens' is an adaptation of Anton Chekov's ‘The Cherry Orchard’, and has been converted into an allegory for Bangalore by Abhishek Majumdar and Jisha Menon, with inputs from Arshia Sattar, Gautam Raja,…

Business Shooting houses' on the rise in city If you do not see ‘To-let’ or ‘For Lease’ board in front of a vacant house, don't assume that it may be meant for own use. It could be a 'shooting house'. An increasing number of Kannada serials, almost all of them family based, have created a huge demand for such houses in Bangalore. Such houses have all amenities that are required for a family, and located mainly in the city outskirts. They are rented out for Rs.2000 to Rs.5000 per day. (Prajavani, Tuesday, Sept 2) Education Multi-storey buildings for government schools…

‘Ananya’ is familiar to most music lovers of Bangalore, especially North Bangalore. It is located in a very peaceful corner of the city, off 4th Main Road, Malleshwaram between 12th and 13th Cross. An inconspicuous small board that hangs right opposite the Malleshwaram Boys’ High School identifies Ananya. Dr Raghavendra is totally publicity shy. He says he formed the trust not for people who craved for publicity, but “… to tap, encourage and nurture young and upcoming music artists and create a small music community that can entertain the masses”. R V Raghavendra. Pic: Ananya Trust. Raghavendra’s interest in music…

This was the first year that I did not see the national flag being hoisted either in person or on the television. Every year, I used to attend the flag hoisting ceremony in some school nearby or at least get to see it on the television. This is the first year that I did not listen to the national anthem. This is the first year that I did not even realize that 15th August was actually our Independence Day! What was I doing then? I was getting enlightened as to what this day meant to thousands of poor people, who…

Business & Economy Petition questions law banning employing women in bars When women are storming male bastions in all areas, why can’t they be allowed to work in bars? This is one of the petitions lying in a Karnataka court. Apparently bar owners are only too happy to employ women in this business. However, section 9 (1) of Karnataka Excise Licence Act (1967) bans women from being employed in bars, but allows them to own one and consume alcohol (in bars). Social parameters clearly do not allow women to work in bars, even as they work in night shifts in…

Ganesh Chaturthi falls on the fourth day of the waxing phase of the moon (shukla paksha) of the Bhadrapada month....’bhadrapada maasena chaturthyam/brahamanaadi poojitam’, as the great Carnatic music composer Muthuswami Dikshitar sings. In Bangalore, preparations for the puja start quite early.Here is the Lord in different shapes and sizes, all packaged and ready to be picked up by the devout and religious. (All pictures by the author.) Packed Ganeshas at RV Road.Posters in various localities announce the forthcoming puja and the puja karta (one who is conducting it) too. Ganesha pooja poster at Malleswaram.I met Shakuntala Jain, an artist who…