Society

What is it -A city, town or village?'Twas a pensioners' paradise it seemsHaving a colonial hangoverAmidst MEG, BEL, HMT, ITIUsurped by the silicon dumpWith its Nagars, Towns and hallis'Tis an escape no moreFrom the heat of HyderabadOr the sweat of MadrasOh, it's not the Bangalore of yore!

She’s naked, covered with ashes, her hair matted with snakes in them, a garland of skulls and freshly cut heads around her neck. She laughs like madness herself, dancing to the chaotic rhythm of death, dragging a corpse behind her which she licks with her blood-red tongue from time to time. Now imagine meeting her in the middle of the night on a dark lonely path. Here’s an old description - a dhyana mantra of Guhya Kali, one of the forms of Kali. The tantric text is called Tantrasaara and is written by Krishnananda Aagamavgisa. “She is dark as a great cloud, clad in…

Day 1: September 27, 2013 It was a very pleasant day. Crowne Plaza in electronic City was teeming with life. The first day of the Bangalore Literature Festival had kick-started. Unsurprisingly, Friday saw the smallest attendance due to it being a work day. The line-up for Friday’s panels featured a variety of famous faces ranging from Sri Sri Ravishankar and TV Mohandas Pai to Farhan Akhtar. Being the first day of the Literature Festival, I had made the decision to meander between talks. At first it had seemed like a smart idea. I thought it would allow me to get…

  While there are many technologies that provide us with energy, there are also technologies that help us with saving energy. The latter is gaining ground as more and more people are becoming aware of the conscious use of energy. ApnaComplex along with The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE)- CleanTech Special Interest Group and Indian Institute of Human Settlements, had organised an event on ‘Sustainable Apartments - Learn how to reduce energy bills of your association’ on September 21st, 2013. The event hosted people from different backgrounds - IT, the new section of people who have ‘quit IT’ to follow their passion,…

A unique effort dedicated towards social initiatives as part of the Raj Bhowmik Back-To-Society DREAM, Soulbath Peace Foundation organises an Annual Crafts Bazaar, a fundraiser event every year, to support a social initiative. This year the fundraiser supports the project promoting Education for Sustainable Development for Children in Rural India for Leadership, Citizenship and Empowerment. A unique exhibition and an opportunity for artistic, cultural and creative pursuit, it tells stories from the heart of rural India through its textiles, pottery and jewelry.  ‘Soulbath Peace Foundation Crafts Bazaar’ running successfully in its third year is being organized in Bangalore this year…

Goddess of the occasion - Durga - a synthetic marble dollDolls of Sharada, Durga and Lakshmi made of Clay and PoPThere are too many dolls to choose from , mostly all traditional.Park items - trees and shrubs - made up of clay and PoPHanumantha meeting Rama with a message from SitaA part of Ramayana setRavana's courtDolls of Thirupathi god and goddessKrishna stealing clothes of Gopikas - a scene from Bhaagawatha - clay and PoP dollsCute students studying ABCD in school - dolls are not meant to be only traditional.‹ › $(document).ready(function(){ $('.carousel .carousel-inner .item').first().attr('class', 'active item');}); Click to view the…

I don’t really know his name. Never need it I guess. The conversation with him happens because we cannot find a parking spot. It is eight in the night on a road near Commercial Street. The shops are still open and cars fill the tiny road. Me and husband are hungry and want to buy a burger from a shop nearby. A rickshaw driver stands parked on the road, blocking the space our car can fit it. I get down, request him to back it a little and direct my car in triumphantly. While the burgers are being ordered, since…

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. - Mahatma Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi in prayer. Pic courtesy: Newsweek / Oldindianphotos.in On the eve of the Joy of Giving Week, don’t be surprised if you find a few hundred people sleeping outdoors in Whitefield. Under the Stars, an event on the October 1, is happening for the first time. It involves the participants spending the entire night outdoors from 7 pm up until 6am the next day. Activities include live music acts and food stalls to keep you entertained through the night. “There are…

All you gardeners of Bengaluru, here's something you might have missed. Lalbagh saw a beautiful show of Orchids last weekend. The Orchid Society of Karnataka (TOSKAR) had organised a two-day Orchid show, on September 21 and 22. Exotic species and range of hybrid Orchids were on display. It was altogether a new flowery world, with blooms of all colours, size and shapes.   That does look like a butterfly, but no, it's not! The shape is deceptively similar. There were many more surprises like his on display at the exhibition.  There were stalls selling Orchids, Orchid accessories and books related…

Last Sunday I took a friend and her nine-year-old daughter to Bull Temple in Bangalore. It’s the place with the country’s largest monolith bull - known to be Nandi, the servant bull of Shiva. The majestic Nandi far surpasses the tiny Shiva (who you almost miss in a small alcove behind the bull) in size, structure and sheer architecture. I promised this little nine-year-old lady who was too sleepy to be excited about a temple, with a true story after she had seen the Nandi in the temple. Once she was slightly woken up (and I was fast realising it was hard to…