Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Govt. pulls out all stops to promote over 40 Karnataka GI products

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All
Channapatna toys | Photo Credit: S_S_Kumar
Channapatna toys | Photo Credit: S_S_Kumar

Karnataka has the distinction of securing the highest number Geographical Indications in the country

A mobile app that will help artisans promote GI products, easy availability of products on online retail platforms, a thriving brick and mortar marketplace that will showcase the best of what Karnataka has to offer. These are just some of the goals of the Karnataka State Geographical Indications Policy, which aims to promote and market the more than 40 registered GI products from the State.

From handicraft to textiles and horticulture to agriculture products, Karnataka has the distinction of securing the highest number Geographical Indications (GI) in the country. While some like Channapatna toys and dolls and Mysore Sandal Soap had strong brand recall and a huge consumer base even before getting the GI tag, others are still to find a wider market.

Gunjan Krishna, Commissioner, Industrial Development and Director of Industries and Commerce, said, “The policy is also aimed at protecting the rights of artisans and farmers as authorised users of the GI tag. For example, weavers of Ilkal sarees are authorised users of GI for Ilkal Sarees. They will have a mechanism as per the rules to initiate action against those who project and market some other saree as Ilkal sarees. We are already working at the ground level to sensitise artisans and weavers as well as consumers on importance of GIs.” There are also plans to increase their visibility on e-tail platforms. “We are already in talks with Amazon, Flipkart and other platforms on how to showcase GI products from the State online,” Ms. Krishna added.

Udupi Mallige | Photo Credit: handout_mail
Udupi Mallige | Photo Credit: handout_mail

The government is also contemplating setting up ‘design clinics’ across the State for the benefit of artisans. On the legal front, the department has reached an agreement with National Law School and other institution on how to protect the interest of GI users at ground level and dissemination of information on GIs.

As per the police, the State government will come up with a GI facilitation centre (GIFC) to implement all the schemes. The other objectives of the policy include a scheme for product standardisation and implementation of a quality control mechanism.

S.R. Satheesha, MD, Visvesvaraya Trade Promotion Centre (VTPC), which has been appointed as the nodal agency for the promotion of GI products, said the institute has already facilitated the registration of 126 artisans, farmers and groups as ‘users’, those who produce GI products in the State. “We have already started working at the ground level interacting with the artisans and farmers producing GI products in the State. We have to go a long way in protecting and promoting many of the GI products that have a strong legacy,” said Mr. Satheesha.

Kinnal toys and wooden fruits | Photo Credit: G_P_Sampath Kumar
Kinnal toys and wooden fruits | Photo Credit: G_P_Sampath Kumar

Safeguarding dying arts

Some GI handicraft like Udupi sarees, Navalgund durries and Kinhal toys have only a few families to carry on the craft as the younger generations have shifted to other more lucrative or sustainable jobs. “Artisans or farmers must get the right price for their effort. That will happen only when consumers are aware of the legacy of the products and how much labour goes into their making. Some NGOs are supporting artisans in promoting their GI products,” Mr. Sateesha added.

But awareness campaigns are slowly making an impact. He cited the example of some producers GI products like Mattu Gulla (Brinjal) in Udupi district where farmers know the importance of the tag and have taken the measures to protect their interest.

Listing new products for GI registration

The policy has also given impetus for new and prospective GI filings from the State. It states that new products which can be explored for registration include Gokak Toys, Vijayapura Raisins, Sagar Sandalwood carvings, Dharwad cotton sarees, Melkote Panche (Dhoti), Lavancha Craft in Coastal Karnataka, Savanur Betel leaves, Belagavi Kunda, Kadakola mats and others.

Financial assistance

The policy also talks about giving financial assistance to artisans to showcase their products in national and international fora by absorbing the cost of their (economy) plane ticket up to a maximum of ₹10,000 or reimbursing II Tier AC by Rail when they attend domestic exhibitions or fair. The State government will also provide up to ₹25,000 as stall rent and a dearness allowance for a a maximum of 15 days. For international exhibitions, artisans will get an economy airfare of up to ₹1.25 lakh, stall rent to a maximum of ₹1 lakh, and DA of $100 per day for a maximum of five days.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Suchith Kidiyoor / Bengaluru – August 21st, 2019

Bangalore University lecturer wins award for study on tribes

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The award was announced on Independence Day. An elated Prabhakar said that however applying for the award was an ordeal.

Dr D K Prabhakar, guest faculty, Department of Studies in Telugu, Bangalore University.
Dr D K Prabhakar, guest faculty, Department of Studies in Telugu, Bangalore University.

Bengaluru :

For nearly 15 years, Dr D K Prabhakar, guest faculty, Department of Studies in Telugu, Bangalore University, with his roots in Kolar, has been studying tribal communities. Prabhakar told TNIE that his research was to take the path less trodden, an extensive focus on tribal folklore.

His study on  Dongra, Chenchu, Sugali and nomadic Koya tribes and their folklore and problems they face has not just shed light on what the government can do, but also won him the Presidential award of Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman for his contribution to Classical Telugu.

The award was announced on Independence Day. An elated Prabhakar said that however applying for the award was an ordeal. The application was to go in by post in June, and as soon as he was told about it he rushed to the general post office at 11.30pm to make his entry.

After two months wait, his works got a stamp of approval by the President’s office. However, this is not his first award. He has been the recipient of the ‘International excellence award’ in 2016 for the best monograph and Sri Krishadevaraya National Award, 2015.

This Kannadiga learnt Telugu literature while chasing his dream of civil services. His love for the language developed over the years, and he completed his PhD in the subject, shedding light on the roots of Telugu language and culture.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Pearl Maria D’Souza / Express News Service / August 19th, 2019

Indian Institute of World Culture turns 75

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion
A view of the Library at The Indian Institute of World Culture at Basavanagudi in Bengaluru. Sudhakara Jain | Photo Credit: Sudhakara Jain
A view of the Library at The Indian Institute of World Culture at Basavanagudi in Bengaluru. Sudhakara Jain | Photo Credit: Sudhakara Jain

The Indian Institute of World Culture not just offers a huge library and cultural activities, but an impressive history of committed voluntary work

A huge hall nearly 100 feet in length is stacked with books running into lakhs on wooden racks. Cooled by ceiling fans on the high Madras ceiling, people of all ages are seen reading journals at the adjoining Behanan’s Reference Library. The building retains the old world charm with wide stairs and thick walls. It houses an auditorium on the ground floor where educational and cultural programmes happen throughout the year. The newly-renovated Children’s library is full of children running around and taking their books for interacting in friendly spaces. This is the Indian Institute of World Culture (IIWC), offering free programmes and activities to the public for more than seven decades now. A model institution run by a strong volunteer-base, IIWC, which stepped into its 75th year in August, was founded with a promise of creating an arena for cultural exchange.

August 1945, Bahman Pestonji Wadia, the founder-president of the institute and a well-known Thesophist, was extra jubilant as the inauguration event coincided with the message of the World War II coming to an end. “Under this double joy we flag off the Institute of World Culture and we shall move from darkness to light, illumined by culture and knowledge,” Wadia had said, as he launched one of the biggest institutes at Basavanagudi in South Bengaluru. The road named after Wadia after his death in 1958, is now an INTACH-listed heritage building.

Born in 1881, BP Wadia belonged to the famous Wadia family of shipbuilders from a village near Surat. Inspired by the Theosophical movement, Wadia had envisioned IIWC as a cosmopolitan cultural centre where books, arts and service thrived.

Wadia’s involvement is said to have been so deep that people had often joked, “if North Bengaluru has the Tata Institute (IISc.,) the South has the Wadia Institute,” says Honorary Secretary Arakali Venkatesh. “IIWC regularly had literary giants as DV Gundappa, VK Gokak, Masti Venkatesh Iyengar and MV Krishna Rao as part of their cultural events and the library during the 1950s and 60s. Its rich history is being preserved for people. And we plan to have a year-long programme of events to mark its Platinum jubilee,” adds Venkatesh.

The institute’s huge 4000 sq.ft. public library houses nearly 1.5 lakh books which are lent out free of charge, apart from a reading room called Behanan’s Reference Library (named after Dr. KT Behanan who handed a huge collection of classics in 1963) that extends 400 periodicals in various languages. The auditorium hosts public lectures, art exhibitions, film shows, and music and dance recitals. “We have had 150 programmes in a year without a break almost since the inception,” adds Venkatesh.

Former Justice MN Venkatachalaiah, past president of the IIWC Executive Committee, had wished to update the infrastructure to suit contemporary needs. “He wanted an auditorium that holds nearly 750 people. It is on our cards,” says the present president VJ Prasad adding that IIWC’s first renovation was the Children’s library. “We have ergonomically designed reading stations created for children to enjoy the near 4000 titles we have, apart from reference books and encyclopedias,” adds Prasad.

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All for free
  • People are welcome to donate books to the IIWC library (080-26678581; www.iiwcindia.org) or become life members by donating ₹5000
  • The main library of IIWC houses 1.5 lakh books on a variety of subjects
  • The institute’s journal ‘Bulletin’ distributed free, has articles and event listings
  • The magazine section has rare collections offering even the first edition of Chandamama of the 1940s; old sets of comics as Tinkle, Champaka, Indrajal and Marvel DC amongst several more.
  • The reading room offers 400 magazines and 30 newspapers
  • IIWC has plans to bring in a fully-equipped auditorium and upscale its building and furniture with public funds

_______________________

From the IIWC library that started off in 1947 with 4,200 books and hundreds of people visiting, today the number has increased to nearly 40 times more. Public donations take care of the operating costs. “We have a modest budget of ₹1.5 lakh a month, but work with higher ideals that the founder believed in,” says Venkatesh.

Speaking about the nostalgia the institute is associated with, paediatric surgeon Dr. Vijayalakshmi Balekundri, Vice President of the committee says, from governors and presidents to Nobel laureates as CV Raman, Ralph Bunche and Julian Huxley, nuclear physicist Homi Bhabha, scientist Vikram Sarabhai, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and the erstwhile royals Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar and Travancore Marthanda Varma had visited IIWC. “The institute has been an epitome of economical functioning, but is generous in imparting culture,” adds Vijayalakshmi.

Reminiscing about his childhood who spent borrowing books from IIWC children’s library, businessman Ashish Krishnaswamy, a member of the executive committee says, “As a seven-year-old in the 1980’s I had the thrill of borrowing my first book with a library card. From all comics to Ruskin Bond and Jim Corbett’s amazing tales, the library not just offered books but had fun events to offer. We plan to get this going permanently,” says Ashish who has taken a keen interest in contributing funds and having the children’s library renovated.

The influence

BP Wadia joined the Bombay branch of the Theosophical Society in 1904, and shifted to its Madras branch in 1907. Wadia later worked in the Home Rule Movement along with Dr Annie Besant and George Arundale, which led him towards starting the first labour union in Indian history. Apart from attending conferences on trade union movement, he came into contact with United Lodge of Theosophists (ULT) founded by Robert Crosbie at the United States and worked for it. Thereafter he founded several ULTs in India and abroad along with his wife Sophia Wadia. “The institute shall remain a non-sectarian, non-governmental, private voluntary body to mainly promote inter-cultural exchanges,” Wadia had declared.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture / by Ranjani Govind / August 21st, 2019

Janata watches and Braille timepieces: A visit to HMT’s new museum in Bengaluru

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion
The minutest components of a watch can be seen under a microscope in the ‘Parts of a Watch’ section. | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar
The minutest components of a watch can be seen under a microscope in the ‘Parts of a Watch’ section. | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

‘When former employees come here, they cry’

On the afternoon that I visit the HMT Heritage Centre and Museum in north Bengaluru, I meet Rajendra Rao, a project manager, his wife, daughters, and mother-in-law, who have just finished the tour and are now at the tiny souvenir shop that sells watches and miniature tractors. Rao tells me about his first HMT, passed on to him from his father-in-law — a Swarna limited edition watch with an Indian flag on the dial. “I have 16 watches of various brands, but today I bought my own HMT,” he says. “I wish the government had not shut it down. This was the essence of Make In India.”

Within the nondescript two-storey building — originally the official residence of the HMT chairperson — set in a sprawling four-acre space, lush with a hundred trees, the museum is as much about the story of HMT as it is about the intricate craft of watch-making.

My tour begins in a brightly lit room with pictorial charts on the walls marking milestones from 1953 when HMT (Hindustan Machine Tools Ltd) was incorporated by the government as a machine tool manufacturing company. In 1961, the foundation for the first watch factory was laid in Bangalore and operations began with technical know-how from Japan’s Citizen Watch Company.

Within the next decade, more factories were set up across the country, including in Srinagar and Ranibagh in Uttarakhand. There is a photograph of Jawaharlal Nehru receiving the first hand-wound HMT watch, manufactured in 1962, which he famously christened Janata, a legendary name now.

Up till the 90s, HMT watches enjoyed a golden era, controlling 90% of the market. In 2000, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was presented HMT’s 100 millionth watch. But with the arrival of quartz watches, cheap timepieces from China, and stiff competition, the slowdown in sales began, which was never stemmed.

A number of iconic HMT models are showcased across a sprawling four rooms. | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar
A number of iconic HMT models are showcased across a sprawling four rooms. | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

Losing steam

In 2013 the company reported a loss of a whopping ₹242 crores, and began to lose steam. The watches division was fully phased out by 2016. However, watches are still sold on their website hmtindia.com. There are still some two to three lakh watches on their inventory, and their wind-up watches are still in high demand.

“The demand for HMTs was so great that in the 60s, a pledge was made to set up a new factory every year,” says Jayapalan P., who worked at HMT for 30 years in the after-sales department, and now manages the museum.

I find myself in a room where the watch has been turned inside out. Titled ‘Parts of a Watch’, the display shows every single component that goes into a standard watch: movement pieces, hair springs, screwdrivers, horological jigs, pliers, watchcases, gaskets, dials, even straps.

There are hand-press machines that ‘coined’ the dials of the 60s’ watches, and the powerful eyeglasses used during assemblage. Jayapalan stops at one display that houses minute-hour markers, watch hands and dials. “This may look simple but the task of placing each component on the dial is exacting and tedious,” he says. And there used to be more women than men working in the assembly section, he says.

Interestingly, the museum’s display boxes — in bright yellows, reds and greens — are made from the old doors and windows of the HMT school in Bengaluru, which was shut down two years ago. The factory floor has been recreated as well, complete with all the heavy machinery. You can even insert a card into the punching clock as employees would once have done. In fact, most of the machines too are in working condition. Jayapalan points to an antique printing press manufactured by William Notting in 1760. “When former employees come here, they cry,” he sighs.

Gems and gold biscuits

On the shelves I spot the elegant Sujata (the first HMT ladies watch); Chandana, circa 1990, with a sandalwood dial ring and sold with a bottle of sandalwood oil to smear on it when worn); Kanchan (apparently every groom had to have this); the Tareeq series (the only one with a date interface); the Gem Utsav series (silver studded with semiprecious stones); and the ‘gold biscuit’ watches (with a gram of gold on the dial). HMT had Braille watches (1970) that came with a Braille handbook — “no one else did this in India” — and ‘nurse watches’ with just a dial that could be pinned to the uniform blouse.

Photo: K. Murali Kumar
Photo: K. Murali Kumar

There are watches commissioned by PSUs and government departments, watches with pictures of gurus, politicians and freedom fighters. Jayapalan shows off his 25-year-old Suraj watch, fully automatic and with no battery. “It works on the movement of my hand,” he says.

Jayapalan remembers standing in line at 5 a.m. to buy his Janata in 1970. And he spends no more than ₹20 each year to replace the glass casing. “Nothing goes wrong with it,” he says. “Maybe that’s why the factory closed; once you bought an HMT, there was no reason to replace it.”

Outside, children are taking joy rides on the HMT tractor or buying tiny tractor models. But Shivanand Patil, 24, the young tractor driver, doesn’t wear a watch. “I have my phone,” he says.

The freelance writer believes that everything has a story waiting to be told

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society / by Jayanthi Madhukar / August 17th, 2019

City dance team wins big in global contest

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All, World Opinion

OneGroupDanceBF15aug2019

Bengaluru dance group ‘One Move’s’ kids team represented India in ‘Dance World Cup 2019’ held in Braga, Portugal. The event saw 56 participating countries with more than 6,000 participants.

India won the second position this year as compared to last year’s fifth position for the same category — ‘Under 14 ‘Hip-Hop duet/trio’. The dancers were Neha and Sampada. Meghan Singhal was placed sixth in the ‘Under 17 Hip Hop Solo (junior category).

The team comprising of 16 girls and one boy won the fourth position for the ‘Show Dance Category’ where they performed Bollywood and freestyle. In the ‘ Hip Hop group dance, they were placed fifth. Sushil Jay, director and founder, ‘One Move’, says, “After last year, I understood the competition level and prepared my kids accordingly. It is a year of hard work that has paid off. I am extremely proud of them all. We now look forward to next year’s competition. If we clear the qualifying round in India in December, we fly to Italy in June.”

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Metrolife> Metrolife – Your Bond With Bengaluru / by DH News Service – Bengaluru / August 13th, 2019

Postal history to get stamp of glory with new museum in Bengaluru

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Set to be a visual treat for philatelists, the place will also have ancient typewriters, a Bell telephone, lanterns and more.

Post Office complex on Museum Road
Post Office complex on Museum Road

Bengaluru :

A treasure trove for lovers of the humble post office as well as philatelists is set to open its doors to the public shortly on Museum Road in the city. Spread across six halls and a verandah, the 140-year-old Museum Road Post Office Complex, the venue for Sandesh (Museum of Communication), is an ideal venue to showcase heritage.

Among the delightful objects you can expect to bump into at the museum are ancient cash bags used by delivery men, the ‘Mail Runner’ belt used as an identity card by postmen, the age-old bicycle used to deliver letters, the huge lanterns carried at nights by delivery men when trudging kilometres across different villages, and the post boxes of different sizes and shapes used over the decades. “A Postal Museum already exists within the Postal Training Centre in Mysuru, but this will be a massive, full-fledged one,” said an official.

Charles Lobo, Chief Postmaster General, Karnataka Region, told CE, “We wanted to showcase the rich heritage of the postal services to all, particularly the younger generation. The crucial role the post office played in establishing communication between people across the country and the world is being displayed here.”

The ancient V-SAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) used to send details of the addressee of a Money Order sits imposingly in a separate room. In the main hall where objects are displayed, are placed ancient typewriters, Morse Code equipment, and a Bell telephone. The walls are decked up with laminated photographs. A few – like the floating post office in Dal Lake in Srinagar, and the world’s highest post office at Hikkim in Himachal Pradesh – reveal that every nook and corner in the country has been penetrated by the postal department. The sketches of the General Post Offices in Madras, Calcutta, Bangalore and Bombay decades ago juxtaposed together in one frame is a big eye-catcher.

A visual treat packed with information is in store for any philatelist. On display are stamps released under different themes, like ‘Birth of the Nation’ and ‘Mysuru Anache’, as well as those celebrating Indian culture, art and architecture, festivals, literature, cinema, Hindustani and Carnatic music, and even Panchatantra.

Luminaries and objects from Karnataka have been given priority in the display. The background information on each stamp pertaining to the state – the 6 anna Gol Gumbaz, 2 paise Bidriware, 70 paise Hampi Chariot, Rs 15 Sandalwood – is enlightening. Stamps on Kuvempu, R K Narayan and the Kannada Jnanpith awardees are showcased in the Literature segment.

A modern addition to Sandesh is a 50-seater hall with an LCD screen, where footage pertaining to different aspects of the postal world will be beamed. Entry to the museum will be free and schoolchildren are expected to flock the venue.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/ The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by S. Lalitha / Express News Service / August 11th, 2019

Kundapureans around the globe celebrate ‘World Kundapura Kannada Day’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Kundapura Kannada has made its presence in several theatre scripts, movie scenes, internet jokes, youtube videos etc.

KundapuraBF09aug2019

Bengaluru :

There are many dialects of Kannada in Karnataka but here is one generation of youngsters who to save their language have decided to dedicate a day and celebrate the language. Kundapureans across the world including those in Israel, Baharain and Russia on August 1 celebrated ‘World Kundapura Kannada Day’.

Thanks to Cultural thinker Uday Shetty Padukare and his team from Kundapura, the group which thought of the need to celebrate this unique day floated the idea on social media and were overwhelmed with the kind of response they got.

“Kannada itself is a pride and Kundapura Kannada is a language in which the figure of speech stresses on emotions and feelings hence making it even more unique. August 1, all Kundapureans across the globe celebrated the day,” Uday Shetty told TNIE.

Kundapura Kannada has made its presence in several theatre scripts, movie scenes, internet jokes, youtube videos etc. From the time of Shivarama Karnath’s characters talking Kundapura Kannada to the recent director Rishab Shetty using the dialogues in his movies like Ulidavaru Kandanthe to the poet, writer Vaidehi’s Ammachi Emba Nenapu, Kundapura Kannada has been a favourite to many.

According to the natives of this small place in Udupi Taluk is there are several people in Kundapura who have left the city for various purposes and have settled abroad or in other states. This kind of unique dialect, when spoken, immediately connects us and we feel at home wherever we are, said Ramanath Shetty, a hotelier from Kundapura, settled in Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, there are several of them who have reportedly worked towards understanding the uniqueness of the language. For instance, Professor A V Navada, Professor at Hampi University has done interviews of several old-timers and have done extensive research of Kundapura Kannada itself.

The natives feel that after passage of one generation sometimes a language gets lost with the interference of English etc so they feel it is very important for us to pass on this language and the tradition to celebrate it and preserve it to the next generation, said Swarna S N, a classical dancer from Kundapura settled in the US.

“The style of speaking Kannada is different in various regions. Our language is a delight to hear and speak. There are many prominent artists, writers, cartoonists, actors and directors who our part of the land has contributed to the Kannada language. We have to keep this culture going and get more and more recognition for the uniqueness of the language,” said Suresh Shettya student in GKVK College in Bengaluru.

The day of ‘Karkataka Amavasya’ has been earmarked for the celebration across the world. So On Thursday several Kundapureans across the globe celebrate the day by performing the local plays, sing songs, dance, folk plays etc in several schools, colleges and offices.

Some of the famous names of Kundapura are director-actor Rishab Shetty, renowned cartoonist Satish Acharya and many.

This region has become popular with sever artists bringing the dialect to the screens with movies like Ondu Motteya Kathe, Upendra’s Nanavanalla, Ulidavuru Kandanthe film director Rishab Shetty, writer Janaki Srinivas Murthy (Vaidehi) and so on.

The August 1 celebration on Thursday garnered positive response on social media platforms too. Several Kundapureans shared memes, jokes, videos and wishes on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp too. Some of them even changed their profile pictures with wishes of the day.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Chetana Belagere / Express News Service / August 01st, 2019

Mysuru’s Wodeyar royal family-preserved Bhagavat Purana manuscript turned into book

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion

The Bhagavata Purana concerns itself with various aspects and incarnations of the god Vishnu, and book 10 of this long text has to do with the life of Krishna.

The Great Mysore Bhagavata
The Great Mysore Bhagavata

New Delhi :

A surviving manuscript of the Bhagavat Purana from South India, detailing the exploits of Lord Krishna in his later years, has been transformed into an illustrated book by eminent art historian B N Goswamy.

The manuscript was once in the library of the royal house of the Wodeyars of Mysore before it landed at an exhibition in London. Soon afterwards, Edwin Binney III acquired it, added it to his rich collection of Indian paintings and later donated it to the San Diego Museum of Art.

The subject of the manuscript is the ancient religious text, the ‘Bhagavata Purana’, and we know that it was written and illustrated for the Mysore ruler, Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar (born 1794, died 1868; period of effective rule 1799-1831), said Goswamy.

His book ‘The Great Mysore Bhagavata’ with essays by Robert J Del Bonta and Caleb Simmons seeks to do a complete study of the manuscript.

The intention is to enable the reader to access all that is there in the manuscript, save the complete text in Kannada which in any case is based on the original Sanskrit text of the Bhagavata Purana, he added.

According to the author, the Bhagavata Purana, as a subject, has been painted over and over again, but the section of it which this book deals with – the latter half of the tenth ‘skandha’, which leaves the winsome childhood and the seductive growing years of Krishna far behind – does not have too many precedents.

In ‘The Great Mysore Bhagavata’, published by Niyogi Books, there are leaps of imagination that can mesmerise the readers, and the episodes picked up by its great but unnamed illustrators are explored in dense, brilliant detail.

At each step, the painters seem to have been aware of the importance of the text itself.

The author also describes in detail 60 significant paintings, most of which are related to Krishna.

Although the San Diego manuscript of the Bhagavata Purana is unfinished, it is remarkable for the quantity and intricacy of its illustrations.

The Bhagavata Purana concerns itself with various aspects and incarnations of the god Vishnu, and book 10 of this long text has to do with the life of Krishna and is separated into two parts; this would have been intended to be that second part dealing with Krishna’s adulthood, said Robert J Del Bonta.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Lifestyle> Books / by PTI / July 31st, 2019

The journey of a lens man over 25 films in Kannada cinema

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Swamy01BF01aug2019

Cameraman PVR Swamy, whose work was celebrated in ‘Reservation’, believes the cinematographer is the beating heart of the film

PVR Swamy, started his journey as a cameraman a decade ago in Kannada cinema. And as most back screen workers, he too went unnoticed till the release of Reservation. The film, directed by Nikhil Manjoo, went on to win the National Award in the best film category. Reservation was screened at many prestigious film festivals, including BIFFes, two years ago.

Swamy02BF01aug2019

That was when people started talking about the visuals in the film and the name Swamy emerged. At the many discussions after the film’s screenings, Swami’s work was appreciated and the man finally came into the spotlight.

Born in Googara Doddi, a small village in Kanakpura, to a famer, Swamy did not want to limit himself to working on the fields. He had larger dreams. In his free time he would read “everything about cinema. I wanted to be in films and camera was something that fascinated me,” says the young cameraman, who started reaching out to people to get into the film industry. “I finally met a man, also from my village, working in the film industry. However, when I called him, he said he was back to farming as life here was tough.”

Swamy03BF01aug2019

Dejected Swamy continued his quest of finding an opening in the film industry and met Srinivas Prasad, an established cameraman here, who introduced Swamy to Techno Mark Television Company. “I was immediately appointed as the cameraman.”

Swami was sent to Hyderabad and worked as the cameraman for almost 6,000 episodes of serials such as Kamanabullu, Arunaraga, Shalini, Cinema Sanchike and Sakshi.

In 2014 that he got an offer to work in the Tamil film Aiyyamai, directed by Vijay Raghavan. “Though I had worked with Technomark, it was Vijay who taught me the nuances of how the camera can be used for films.”

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After this, came many more projects in Kannada including Prathima, made by Techno Mark and Tulu films White and Malladaana. Swamy, who has worked with cinematographers such as PKH Das and HM Ramachandra, has also worked in comnmercial films such as Manvantara, HS Venkatesh Murthy’s Hasiru Ribbon, Halmidi, Only Srikrishna, Kantri Boys and Ojas.

He is currently working on Vyapthi Pradeshada Horagiddare, Shalini IAS (the biography of IAS officer, Dr Shalini, directed by Manjoo) and Kranthiveera, based on the life of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.

The man, who is 25 films old in the industry, reveals that he had never held a camera till he started working with Techno Mark. “I had to learn everything from scratch. The trick about being a good DOP is to visualise the director’s dream and to capture things as he has put on paper. So, in a way, the director’s dream becomes the cameraman’s vision. For me, being a cameraman is like being the heart of a human body. It is a tiny organ which is capable of so many emotions and also keeps this huge body living. That is the same job of a cameraman. The lens may be small but it can capture many things.”

He adds that even a tiny flower looks beautiful through a lens. “Beauty, which is normally ignored in reality, can be celebrated through the camera.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Movies / by Shilpa Sebastian / July 31st, 2019

Brindavan Gardens’ Designer Krumbiegel’s Great-Granddaughter In Mysuru

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion

To immerse ashes of her mother in Cauvery

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Mysuru:

Brindavan Gardens’ designer Gustav Herman Krumbiegel’s great-granddaughter Alyia Phelps Gardiner Krumbiegel is on a visit to the city.

She is visiting Mysuru and Bengaluru on a purpose and that is to immerse the ashes of her mother Jean Maureen Phelps Gardiner, who had passed away in Jan. 2018 in England.

Speaking to Star of Mysore here this morning, Alyia said that she had brought her mother’s ashes to India to immerse it in the rivers here, as she (Jean Maureen) always felt that her home was in India.

“My mother passed away on Jan. 18. 2018 and I was very clear that her body had to be cremated and not buried. Hence, I had to wait for nearly three weeks as I had to book the slot for her cremation in advance. Finally, the slot that was available was Feb.5, 2018 and it was then she was cremated. She had told me that her heart was always in India and hence to respect her last wishes I have brought her ashes to the country she always loved,” said Alyia.

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Alyia  has already immersed a part of the ashes in Waynad, Kerala and she has plans to immerse it in River Cauvery in Srirangapatna shortly, she said.

She will also be visiting the Mysuru Zoo with a letter to the Executive Director requesting him to display a plaque of her great-grandfather Krumbiegel who had also planned the Gardens in Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens.

Alyia will also be visiting the Brindavan Gardens to see for the first time the work of her great-grandfather which all these days she had only heard about.

She had cycled to Mysuru all the way from Bengaluru a couple of years ago and she had time only to visit the Mysore Palace where she had met Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, she recalled.

Alyia will later go to Bengaluru and plans to participate in the Independence  Day Flower Show at Lalbagh. In this year’s flower show, there will be a floral tribute to Sri Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, the last Maharaja of the erstwhile State of Mysore, to mark his birth centenary celebrations.

“My great-grandfather had a big role in designing the Gardens at Lalbagh and I am so happy that this year floral tributes are being paid to Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar for whom Krumbiegel had worked,” she said.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / July 30th, 2019