Society

This question has been haunting me since 2011. So, I went about trying to understand where all these terminologies come from. Since we live in a device-driven world, let us first look at what is the fundamental difference between electronic and electrical devices. Electrical devices convert electric current into another usable form of energy (e.g., an electric car will convert it into motion), whereas electronic devices manipulate the input power to produce usable outputs (e.g., a laptop that does a myriad of things). Now, when used in plural, electronics as an adjective could either refer informally to an engineering discipline…

Namma Bengaluru has been going through rapid transition these past couple of decades. From a sleepy pensioner's paradise, it has morphed into a bustling metropolis causing and caused by the city’s neighbourhoods growing, changing and evolving. Yet, each locality, each neighbourhood has many stories to tell – it could be of the park that was built over five decades ago or of the place where authors of the city would meet to chat or of the place so far off that autos would charge 1 ½ times the metre rate to go there. There are so many stories that these…

A play where one actor alone comprises the cast faces several challenges. The success of the play devolves, in large part, on the shoulders of that one actor, no matter how good the crew and the production values may be. For this reason, I am always interested in watching "monoacting" as it is called here. I went to watch 'Karl Marx in Kalbadevi' at Ranga Shankara, on 29 June 2018 in this spirit. The underlying premise of the play is that Karl Marx comes back to life, 150 years after his death, to the Mumbai suburb of Kalbadevi; he wants…

National School of Drama, Bengaluru Centre invites applications for admission to its residential One year Certificate Course in Acting. The Course will begin from 25 th July, 2018. Anybody throughout the country (India) can apply but preference would be given to candidate from Southern States of India (Karnataka, Andhra pradesh , Telengana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Union Territories of Pondicherry and Lakshadweep. Total seats: 20(Twenty) Medium of instructions: English. The language of instruction shall be English. The language of performance will be multilingual (South Indian Dravidian Languages). The language of writing the examination shall be English or any one from…

The Elders Helpline, a joint project of Nightingales Medical Trust (NMT) and the Bangalore City Police, is organising a road show and street plays in Bengaluru on June 15, 2018, to mark World Elder Abuse Awareness and Prevention Day. The aim is to send out a clear message – that there should be an end to the abuse, assault, neglect and intimidation of the older generation. In India the population of elders is increasing substantially. In addition to various age-related disabilities, elders become an easy target for abuse and crimes. Elders suffer physical, emotional and financial abuses in silence. Elder…

Kaala is not a political film. It is a propaganda film. Pa Ranjith's films have always carried political messages and social commentary, but none before has been carrier for propaganda. This is it. The director has never less tried to make a movie, and never more to weave a plot around his messages. His messages shine through as clear as day, and that is unmitigated victory for the film he chose to make. Present day Tamil Nadu has been a civilisation in decline despite the state's abundance of educated workforce, high per capita incomes, commendable public health outcomes, and decentralised…

Mandram, a global platform for people interested in Tamil language and literature, marks the coming together of people from different backgrounds to share their perspectives, journey and success stories for everyone to be inspired. The first ever Mandram was organised in Chennai with speakers from varied backgrounds like science, art and culture sharing their perspectives. The next event of Mandram is being held in Bengaluru on June 9 in collaboration with National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) at the NCBS campus, Kodigehalli from 3.30 pm- 6 pm. Mandram expands with this event to present the Jigyasa project, where Kannada is…

How many of us know that a Chennaiite won the National Championship title last month, by solving the 3×3 Rubik’s cube with his feet in 40.81 seconds?   The 20-year-old  student of Electronics and Instrumentation engineering from Madras Institute of Technology, Chrompet won the National Championship in the speed cubing competition conducted at IIT-Bombay between 25 and 27 May this year. Around 300 speedcubers from all over the country had taken part in the competition. Most of us are familiar with the Rubik’s cube. You will find one in most homes that have children but often we hesitate to try…

In 1983, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) declared April 18 as World Heritage Day to celebrate and preserve the shared heritage and history of the globe. On this day, countries around the world salute all that is left behind by generations before them for a continuity to their way of life. But 75-year-old Devendra S isn’t interested in global affairs.  He is more worried about the fate of legacy his community has preserved for centuries now. Devendra belongs to the Thigala community - the keepers of Bengaluru's oldest festival - Bengaluru Karaga. The pride of old Bengaluru,…

Bengaluru's first Indie Comix Festival (ICF) showcased a host of self-published, alternative stories from over twenty comic book artists. The free, all-day event was held Bengaluru on May 20th, 2018, at the Rangoli Metro Art Centre. Art in Transit project of the Srishti Institute of Art Design and Technology collaborated with ICF to host the festival. On display were a wide range of comics from tiny 10 rupees pop-up comics to original comic covers costing up to 3000 rupees. Started by a group of volunteers with aim of bringing independent, self-published comic writers and readers together, the event was dazzling…