Society

A typical Indian Babu knows no obligations lower than his/her own rank. Rank though s/he may be, s/he will enforce the Golden Rule of Babutopia (GRB): “Kick downwards, lick upwards.” This is also called the Brown Sahib Syndrome; BSS is GRB with a melanin-twist: criticise, trample, kick anything native (read brown), and honour, extol, lick anything foreign (read white). My language is harsh, but it is the reality I see even after all these years of post-colonial, independent India, when we are rather kicking some international butt, even if in a limited sense. Take this episode for instance. A few…

Chintu TV is perhaps the only television channel that has been broadcasting dubbed content in Kannada. Pic courtesy: Chintu TV. When the fair-trade regulator Competition Commision of India (CCI) imposed penalties on three cinema and television organisations for preventing dubbing in Karnataka recently, the pro-dubbing fraction heaved a sigh of relief. The CCI order has been debated following the very long dubbing battle between anti-dubbing and pro-dubbing lobbies and organisations.   Kannada Grahakara Koota, a consumer forum which has been fighting in favour of dubbing, viewed the judgment as remarkable. They tend to believe that Kannadigas can now be able…

Thinking of heading to Lalbagh Park this weekend to check out the flower show? You’re not alone. Since the show began on Friday, locals and visitors alike are already flocking to witness the colourful array of flower and plant-based art. “The monuments and the sand art are great. What can be more beautiful than nature?” Said Srutikona Medhi, who is visiting with her family from Amman. “And in this busy city you won’t find anything like it.” The show will be there every day from August 7 to August 16. It is the 202nd biannual festival, held once in the…

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam October 15th 1931 - July 27th 2015 Pic: Wikimedia Commons Yesterday, India lost a kindred soul, scientist and former President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. News reports say that he suffered a massive cardiac arrest, when he was addressing students during a lecture at IIM Shillong, on the evening of July 27th. Referred to as the ‘People’s President’, Dr Abdul Kalam served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. Born and brought up in Rameswaram in Tamilnadu, he went on to do his aeronautical engineering from the Madras Institute of Technology. He spearheaded India's…

Volunteers, attendees and others join hands along the line representing the old border of the fort. Pic: Holly Thorpe As the clock struck 11 and the city was all set for sleep on Friday July 24th, a group of around 200 men and women gathered in front of the Tipu Sultan Fort gate at the otherwise busy KR Market road in Bengaluru. Clad in red, they braved the night and assembled at the centre of the market area to retrace some of Bengaluru’s lost history. This was the scene at the Heritage Party, organised with the tagline, “Let’s Paint the Kote…

A suspense thriller, Rangi Taranga hit the screens in Sandalwood on July 3rd 2015. The movie was rated 9.5/10 by the movie reviewing website IMDb (Internet Movie Database) and received highly positive reviews from those who watched it. Directed by debutant director Anup Bhandari, with cinematography by Lance Kaplan and William David, who have worked for many Hollywood movies, the cinema attracted the audience just through the word of mouth, in the absence of positive media reviews. However, the theatres in Bengaluru ousted the movie with the release of multi-language film Bahubali. The movie was not given enough shows, and…

Friday July 29th 2011 13:30 hrs Two workshops done. Absolutely joyous kids, full of energy. Got my adrenaline going. I was on my post-workshop high! I was packing up to leave for the day. Just as I was about to turn the lights off, I noticed a large-ish delegation of very small people making its way through the two slightly darkened ante-rooms leading up to the GeoVidyaa Geography Centre of Excellence in the back room. They seemed hesitant. I hailed them and said, “Come in, come in …” (I didn’t add, “Don’t feel shy!”) Delegation came in, came in. One…

Many years ago, my mother took my sister and me to sample the iftar fare along Sachapir Street and Taboot Street in Pune. We feasted on hot mutton samosas on a cold wintry evening. The smoke from the charcoal ovens lent a romance to the air that exists only in the deep recesses of my mind. Every stall was a wonder and our appetite was insatiable. Sadly, I do not remember whether we visited these stalls when I was in school or college. I do not remember whether we went back to the stalls the next year. I just remember…

Plays in Bengaluru are a great attraction. With so many talented actors, directors and playwrights calling Bengaluru their home, it is but natural that many folks residing in the city are drawn to theatre. Though plays are performed at many venues in the city, there are a few places that can be counted on to watch the best of drama in Bengaluru. Some of these even have a show on every day! If you are one to watch a play every day, Ranga Shankara is the go-to spot. It has ‘a play a day’ policy, so you should be able…

If we are apathetic to Nature today, and view the natural world as being something separate from our daily existence, certainly there was a time when it was not so. Much of our rich mythology deals with rivers, trees, and other natural features, and indeed, our ancients imagined mythical beings which combined several features of living creatures. We all know Narasimha, the half-man, half-lion avatar of Vishnu, but Bangalore, and Kannada culture, in particular, has some interesting depictions of some other mythological beings. As a woman who regularly uses Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses, (which means that I travel…