Bengali writer Subodh Sarkar (left) and Kannada writer Baragur Ramachandrappa presenting the Karnataka Sahitya Academy award to rationalist-writer K.S. Bhagavan at the Ravindra Kalakshetra in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Writers Rahamat Tarikere and T.K. Dayanand give the event a miss
The Karnataka Sahitya Academy presented its annual awards to rationalist-writer K.S. Bhagavan, who had received threats from right-wing groups, and others amid unprecedented security on Saturday, which was a first in the five-decade history of the academy.
Some persons had threatened the academy of dire consequences if they honoured Prof. Bhagavan with the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2013, in the light of his controversial comments on Hindu epics.
The event saw two award winners — Rahamat Tarikere and T.K. Dayanand — not turning up in protest against the government’s inability to make any headway in the M.M. Kalburgi murder case.
Though filmmaker B. Suresh received the award, he donated the cash prize towards organising a symposium on contemporary concerns of writers and to bring out a volume of papers presented there. Noted scholar and writer S. Shettar could not attend the function reportedly because of ill-health.
“Dr. Tarikere told me over phone that he had not recovered from the shock of Kalburgi’s death, and was not in a position to receive another award and celebrate,” said Malathi Pattanshetty, Chairperson of the academy.
Prof. Bhagavan, along with B.N. Sumithra Bai, Rajendra Chenni and Mogalli Ganesh, received the award at Ravindra Kalakshetra. Speaking on behalf of the award winners, Prof. Chenni said he was accepting the honour in solidarity because the award was being conferred on rationalist Prof. Bhagavan despite threats by right-wing groups.
Writer Baragur Ramachandrappa said he was participating in the award ceremony with “mixed feelings” at a time when some writers were returning awards condemning Kalburgi’s murder.
Expressing regret over the trend among some writers of mixing myth, history and ritual practices and getting themselves entrapped in contradictions, Prof. Ramachandrappa said writers need to look at Ramayana, Mahabharata, Manusmriti and Bhagavad Gita in different prisms.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Muralidhara Khajane / Bengaluru – January 10th, 2016
Adding yet another feather to its cap, the Windflower Resorts and Spa, Mysuru, was recognised by the World Travel Brands at the Travel Brands Award held in New Delhi recently.
The award of recognition was received by Achuta Rao, Senior Vice-President (Operations), Windflower Resorts and Spa, Mysuru, from celebrity Pooja Bedi at a function held at The Vivanta Taj in New Delhi which was attended by Prahlad Kakkar, Shashi Tharoor, Anupam Kher and MP Bidhuri of South Delhi.
World Travel Brands is a premium status offered exclusively on an invitation basis to brands from the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality industries in countries such as India, USA, UK, UAE, Australia, New Zealand, France, Canada, and Singapore.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Sunday – January 10th, 2016
Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha will be presenting ‘Nada Brahma’ title to Vid. Mysore M. Nagaraj, legendary Violin Maestro from the city, at the Sabha premises on JLB Road in city on Jan. 10 at 5.30 pm, as part of its ongoing Diamond Jubilee ‘Grand Finale’ and Dr. A.K. Gopalrajan Memorial Annual Day.
Dr. M. Jagannath Shenoy and Dr. C.G. Narasimhan will do the honours.
Also, vocalist Shruti Bode will be conferred with ‘Nada Kishori’ title on the occasion. Later, Vid. Mysore M. Nagaraj and Mysore Dr. M. Manjunath will present a Grand Karnatak Classical Violin Duet, accompanied by Vid. Patri Satish Kumar on mridanga, Vid.Giridhar Udupa on ghata.
About Vid. Mysore M. Nagaraj: Son and disciple of renowned violinist Prof.S. Mahadevappa, Nagaraj was a remarkable child prodigy who matured quickly to emerge as one of the top ranking violinist in India. His outstanding musical talents were first revealed at very tender age of 8 when he stormed in to the music world sweeping all the music lovers & critics off their feet by his extraordinary musical acumen and technical virtuosity. Nagaraj has carved a niche for himself in the annals of Karnatak classical music as a superb violinist.
Mysore Nagaraj and his virtuoso young brother Dr. Mysore Manjunath make a formidable violin duet team. They have collaborated with many outstanding musicians from all over the world and have performed innumerable Jugalbandhi concerts with many top-ranking artistes in the contemporary music today including Pandit V.G.Jog, Pandit Vishwamohan Bhat, Dr.M.Balamurali Krishna, Tejendra Narayana Majumdar, Ronu Majumdar, Dr.N.Rajam, etc.
Nagaraj is one of the youngest musicians to be honoured with the prestigious Rajyotsava award by the Government of Karnataka. He has received innumerable awards including the Best Violinist award from The Music Academy and Indian Fine Arts Society, Excellence award from American Institute of World Culture, Honors from the American Arts Council, Aarkay, Inc, Sangeetha Samrat, Sangeetha Rathna, Meritorious Award from University of Oklahoma-USA.
Mysore Nagaraj is the first ever violinist to be invited to perform at the Prestigious Milano Music festival in Italy. He is also the first ever South Indian Musician to perform Karnatak classical music concert at the Sydney Opera House in Australia.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / January 09th, 2015
The St Joseph’s Indian Educational Institutions located on Vittal Mallya Road is all set to celebrate 110 years of its existence. The institutions have relentlessly transformed thousands of lives over the years.
It was started in 1904 by priests of the Paris Mission Society. They first began working out of the basement of St Joseph’s European School building on Residency Road before the management of the school was taken over in 1937 by the Society of Jesus. In 1968, the school moved to its current location on Vital Mallya Road. In the last 110 years, the institutions have had more than 50,000 students pass out.
Currently, St Joseph’s Indian Educational Institutions encompass a complete range of educational institutions such as St Joseph’s Indian Primary School, St Joseph’s Indian Middle School, St Joseph’s Indian High School, St Joseph’s Indian Composite PU College and St Joseph’s Community College.
Talking about the philosophy of the school, Fr Sunith Prabhu SJ, director St Joseph’s Indian Composite PU College and director of St Joseph’s Indian Middle School, says “We have always mentored and trained our students to be able to face the competition in the outside world. We not only prepare them academically but also to face life. There are 23 clubs in the school and every club has its unique activities that do well to mould the personality of the students,” he explains.
The education is predominantly value-oriented with a special emphasis on providing educational opportunities to the poor and the disadvantaged sections of society. Fr Gerald Furtado, principal of St Joseph’s Indian Composite PU College, says one of the biggest strengths of the institution is the importance given to sports.
“We not only give importance to academics but also to sporting activities so as to keep the students physically, emotionally and mentally active,” he shares. He also says, in addition to sports the management also stresses on every student enrolling in extra-curricular activities.
One other significant wing of the institution is Community College which was started 10 years ago. Fr Melwyn Lobo, director of Community College, states that the courses have been thoughtfully designed in keeping with the current business trends in the market.
“Our emphasis is on the character formation of students through our many programmes, giving equal importance to students, from all classes of society and the importance on sports has given us that extra edge,” explains Fr Melwyn.
The school has produced some of the best minds across the country which includes several social activists, sports personalities and politicians. The list is rather exhaustive but a few notable names among them are TV Mohandas Pai, Kumar and Madhu Bangarappa, Ashok Kheny, actor Prakash Rai, singer Rajesh Krishnan and theatre artiste Sunder Raj just to mention a few.
St Joseph’s Indian Educational Institutions will celebrate the completion of 110 years with a two-day programme on January 10 and 12.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald /Home> Supplements> Metrolife / by Nina C. George, DHNS / January 08th, 2015
Last Saturday morning, when most Bengalureans were still in their beds, around 40 people assembled under the flyover opposite Manyata Tech Park along the Outer Ring Road in Nagawara, north Bengaluru. By 8.30 am, they started scraping the about 20 pillars that propped up the flyover. They were enthusiastic children, senior citizens and youngsters and the target: the ugly pillars.
Within a few hours, they had not only scraped off the posters and filth that covered the pillars, but had also painted colourful 3-D pyramids interconnected by triangles. Another mission accomplished: the citizen group had reclaimed the space below yet another flyover.
In the past two months, The Ugly Indian, an anonymous group of citizens with the motto “Kaam Chalu Mooh Bandh”, have fixed more than 250 pillars of about 15 flyovers through their UFO (under the flyover) project. During the weekends, they have been removing the posters that dot the pillars and outer walls , and clearing the waste and garbage piled up around the base.
The UFO project is bringing in a change as well. The pillars that have received a face-lift continue to remain clean with no new poster or filth. For, there is a method to all the spot fixing done. As Vinay Unnikrishnan posted on the Facebook page of TUI: “The design and colours used here make a poster almost redundant due to the excessive clutter. A plain wall would attract posters but this design keeps them away. Brilliant idea and fantastic execution.”
As a result, these spaces have become models for other cities as well, with citizens replicating the model there. Bhumika GV, a student volunteer from Mallathahalli in west Bengaluru, said, “Many of our friends and relatives in other cities such as Kanpur, Mumbai and Gwalior etc are adopting the methodology to remove the ugliness of flyovers.”
The volunteers have brought workers of civic agencies such as BBMP on board. In a way, the spot fixes are a joint project done in partnership with the government.
For these spot fixes, volunteers come empty handed as they are provided with all the tools, materials and instructions on the spot. Besides, the project is self-funded, as citizens themselves contribute for the material costs.
Want be part of UFO spotfix?
Date: Saturday January 9, 2016
Time: 9 am
Spot: Nagawara Flyover, opposite Lumbini Gardens, near ‘Manyata Tech Park’, Outer Ring road.
For more details visit The Ugly Indian Facebook page or write to theuglyindians@gmail.com.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bangalore / by Rohith B R, TNN / January 07th, 2016
The Yadahalli Chinkara Wildlife Sanctuary will be spread over 9,636.91 hectares in villages of Bilagi and Mudhol taluks.
Karnataka will get its first wildlife sanctuary for chinkaras (Indian Gazelle) at Yadahalli in Bagalkot district.
Karnataka will get its first wildlife sanctuary for chinkaras (Indian Gazelle) at Yadahalli in Bagalkot district.
The government, in its notification, said the sanctuary is spread over 9,636.91 hectares in villages of Bilagi and Mudhol taluks. The region has a lot of wildlife significance since it is the only habitat for endangered Indian Gazelles.
The forests with beautiful mosaic of shrubs, grasslands and rocky patches are the habitat for critically endangered wolves, jackals, wildcats, stripped hyenas, and a variety of other mammals, reptiles and birds, the notification said. The area has numerous seasonal nalas, which drain into river Krishna in the north and into the Ghataprabha on the southern side of the sanctuary. “It acts as an important catchment for the two rivers,” it said. The sanctuary does not cover patta lands and revenue lands.
M.R. Desai, Honorary Wildlife Warden of Bagalkot, said the notification now provides a complete legal backing for habitat improvement of the region as well as ensuring the population of the endangered chinkara population remains on the upswing.
“This is a shrub forest that has seen some damage owing to plantations. For the past two years, we have tried to halt these activities. A sanctuary status will ensure that the commercial exploitation of the region stops,” he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / Nagesh Prabhu / Bengaluru – January 01st, 2016
‘e-water harmoniser’ to get rid of tepid smell emanating from the water body
Mysuru :
In a bid to get rid of the stinking smell emanating from Kukkarahalli Lake, the Mysore University authorities have come up with a novel initiative and installed an ‘e-water harmoniser’ (EWH) at the Lake.
EWH is a technology to add oxygen to water through ‘Aeration Fountain,’ a process of increasing oxygen saturation in water. When the water passes through the unit, it increases the level of stable oxygen, which reduces the anaerobic condition of water besides reducing the formation of algae.
The equipment has been lent free of cost to the University of Mysore (UoM), the custodians of the Lake, by Kalpavruksha Amruth Solutions, a city-based private company.
Technical Advisor K. G. Gururaj said that the process is natural as the unit is free from any chemical or harmful substances and added that the water can be cleaned without wasting it. Besides the unit is maintenance-free.
Gururaj further said that the process also reduces the content of Bio-Chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) in the water and added that the process would also benefit aquatic animals.
Mysore University Green Campus initiative Co-ordinator Ravishankar V. Rai said that due to algae and high toxic level, the Lake used to stink. Stating that the initiative is in experimental stages, he said that the water will be re-evaluated after 21 days to see if the technology works.
He further said that more number of units will be put up to work after the water is re-evaluated.
Meanwhile, Kukkarahalli Lake Protection Committee Convener K. M. Jayaramaiah said that the initiative would help in maintaining water at the pink of its health and added that the aeration process would reduce the stink.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Friday – January 01st, 2016
Celebrating Life In Namma Bengaluru Photo: K. Murali Kumar
Bengaluru immersed itself in a world of music, books, and theatre this year. IT city also became app-city, becoming very dependent on them to get anything from cabs to food. Here’s looking back at some highlights…
BOOKS
Writers etch their mark
It was good year for Bangalore authors. Anjum Hasan’s The Cosmopolitansfollows 53-year-old Qayenaat in a changing world. The author says she didn’t set out to write a novel about art, she set the novel in the art world because it is a world of imagination. She sees Qayenaat as a rasika, a lover of arts. The colourful Hari Majestic is back in Zac O Yeah’s A Hero for Hire. The erstwhile Tout of Bengaluru returns as a detective and with his cronies including Doc, Triplex and AC Gaadi sets out to rid the world of evil doers including shady hospitals and manic goons.
The end of the year saw Anita Nair’s Alphabet Soup for Lovers, telling the story of Lena Abraham and the movie star Shoola Pani partly through the eyes of the cook Komathi as she learns the English alphabet through ingredients from the kitchen. Preeti Shenoy’s Why We Love The Way We Do, a collection of essays that explore the various aspects of love and relationships was launched at The Park. Nandita Bose’s Shadow and Soul, revolving around the lives of Devika and her younger lover, an artiste, Shaurjyo, was launched at Atta Galatta.
PERFORMANCE
The city a stage
This year there was the usual run of theatre festivals. The sixth edition of The Hindu Theatre Fest saw the staging of three plays in Bengaluru. God of Carnage, written by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton and directed by Nadir Khan, about two sets of parents meeting to sort out an issue between their children, which eventually devolves into chaos. The Government Inspector, presented by Akvarious Productions, Mumbai, and directed by Akarsh Khurana, a satirical play on political corruption. Two to Tango, Three to Jive, about a middle-aged man going through mid-life crisis, who decides to spice up his love life, marked actor-director Saurabh Shukla’s return to theatre after 18 years. Bengaluru was also the only city where Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre performedHamlet in October.
The Ranga Shankara Festival was another success with plays staged from all over the country. Among the plays staged were Main Huun Yusuf, Aur Yeh Hai Mera Bhai, directed by Mohit Takalkar, who won the Shankar Nag Theatre Award 2015.Still and Still Moving, a production by Delhi-based Tadpole Repertory, directed by Neel Chaudhuri, a love story between two men against the backdrop of the cities they inhabit, Delhi and Gurgaon. Sharanya Ramprakash’s Akshaya Ambara, presented by Dramanon, which explores gender in Yakshagana, a traditional Karnataka folk theatre form and Abhishek Majumdar’s Dweepa, written originally in Bengali, premiered in Kannada, at the festival. Gender Bender, presented by Goethe-Institut in association with Max Mueller Bhavan, was a series of performances, a video presentation and installations, which brought to the fore the undoing conventional notions of gender and sexuality.
The first ever Bengaluru Comedy Festival, presented by Comedy Wagon, brought together stand-up comics from different cities, including Bengaluru — Sundeep Rao, Praveen Kumar, Kenny Sebastian, Sanjay Mankatala, Saad Khan, Sumukhi Suresh and Richa Kapoor.
TECHNOLOGY
Pehle App!
For IT city, apps was the buzzword in 2015 as it changed the way we commuted to work, ordered in food and groceries, worked on our fitness regimes and much more. If you were fed up with overcharging auto drivers and irregular bus services and wary of taking the car out, apps such as Ola and Uber made commuting within the city a breeze at the swipe of a smartphone. Ola, Uber, Meru became one of the most convenient ways to travel back home after a late night party or head to work for a early morning assignment you could not afford to miss.
In the later part of the year, motorbike rentals and ridesharing apps such as Lyft and Ridingo made commute something you did not dread about much on a weekday. As more and more app based services offer ridesharing options, urban experts feel that it will lead to lesser traffic snarls and bring down pollution levels in the city. Self driven car rentals, lead by companies such as Zoomcar and Bla Bla car ensured that you do not need to own a car to drive in the city.
Ordering in food got a new dimension in Bengaluru in 2015, as a plethora of food apps, ranging from those that just deliver food such as Swiggy to apps that make and deliver food such as Freshmenu. You no longer needed to call a restaurant, pour through reams of paper menus. You could just download one of the apps and get food from your favourite restaurant or service provider in quick time Customers also had the option of getting hot breakfasts via apps such as Brekkie. Home cooked food also became very popular and saw home sick youngsters using apps and the internet to connect with homecooks across the city, for a taste of homemade dal and parathas and much more. Apps such as Easydiner were also launched, allowing customers to book tables at a restaurant by a swipe.
MUSIC
The city’s sonic trailblazers
While 2015 marked several significant changes in the city’s soundscape, it was also the year in which Bengaluru bands etched their mark on the international music circuit.
Here’s a look at some of the city’s sonic history makers.
Peepal Tree
Rooted from trailblazers like Bhoomi, Thermal and a Quarter and the Raghu Dixit Project, Peepal Tree emerged as a rapidly successful band with their infectious high energy and distinct sounds making them very popular. They went on to make their international debut at the Asia-Pacific Broadcast Union Radio Song Festival in Yangon, Myanmar. The band was selected by All India Radio to represent India at the festival, which featured artistes from countries ranging from Pakistan and South Korea to Australia.
Moonarra
The world music band is often attributed to be synonymous with the city’s vibrant potpourri of music. While they have been making inroads in the global music circuit for close to a decade now, their most recent venture took them to Morocco for the Tangier’s Jazz Festival featuring the jazz of five continents as the only Indian band from Asia. Moonarra performed not once but twice in front of international artistes with a unique collaboration with Moroccan ensemble Gnawa Express. The expert artistes also conducted a workshop at the fest where they shared about their world jazz Indian classical fusion backgrounds.
Thermal And A Quarter
Fresh off their sixth studio album The Scene, the Bangalore Rockers embarked on a new direction with an album that took them to Bonn, Germany. What started as a conversation with Dr. Mathew Kurian, a scholar at the United Nations University in Dresden, Germany, evolved into a full-fledged album titled No Wall Too High commemorating 25 years of the collapse of the Berlin Wall. The album, a work that dwelt on divisions, also saw a collaboration with a German choral singer and took the band to Bonn to launch the record and perform at the United Nations Day celebrations along with other European bands.
The Raghu Dixit Project
The city-based folk rock band, best known for their infectiously addictive songs and lungi statements, returned earlier this year from yet another international tour. From the Kala Utsava in Singapore and Bangkok’s Festival of India to showcasing for the Indian community by the Indian Consulate in Jakarta and performing at the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta, the unofficial ambassadors of Bengaluru’s music culture left a lasting impression on the international circuit.
Inner Sanctum
Fresh after an eight-city tour of Europe and releasing their full-length album, the death metal giants headed to Oslo, Norway, to play at the Inferno Metal Festival on its 15th anniversary. Sharing stage with metal legends like Behemoth, Enslaved, Arcturus and Bloodbath, Inner Sanctum delivered a charismatic show with some tight metal work that went down well with the metalheads.
Sulk Station
The trip hop duo headed to the UK to perform at the Southbank Centre’s Alchemy Festival, with shows in London and Glasgow, along with sets at the Great Escape Festival in the beach town of Brighton, going along the coast to Bristol as well. Comprising vocalist-keyboardist Tanvi Rao and producer Rahul Giri, the band delivered their eclectic alternative electronic music to packed audiences in every show.
Space Behind The Yellow Room
The four member, post metal and rock band won the Pepsi Unbox hunt this year out of 450 bands and went on to perform in Singapore at Music Matters Live 2015, an independent music festival featuring over 70 bands. Apart from playing in front of an international audience, they also attended a conference at the Music Matters Academy.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Mini Anthikad Chhibber & Sravasti Datta & Nikhil Varma & Allan Moses Rodricks
A painting of Dr.Prabha on display in an exhibtion at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath
Bengaluru :
As one steps into Dr Prabha Shankar’s ongoing art exhibition at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, the bold display of colours draping the mythological and historical images catches the eye. It takes a while to stomach the fact that this oeuvre comes from a homeopathic doctor who kept her passion for art alive even while providing that healing touch to many.
“I am always asked how I balance my profession and my passion for art, to which I have only one answer: If you have the will you can balance even being a scientist and an artist,” says the 77-year-old medical practitioner-cum-artist, whose paintings reflect a surreal mix of fact and fantasy. Dr Prabha has been painting for over 50 years and draws inspiration from mythology.
“I am inspired by fantasy and real world. In most of my paintings you’ll see that am trying to time travel to this mystical and mythological era. Femininity is another crucial element in my work,” she says.
“There are times when juggling work and passion becomes difficult and one has to prioritize. I too face similar situations but I never surrender. Even today, the first thing I do when I get some free time is to pick up my paint brush and start adding colour on a pure blank canvas in front of me,” she said.
Dr Prabha specializes in treating infertility in couples and has helped realize the dreams of many.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bangalore / TNN / December 30th, 2015
Renowned poet and writer Dr. Jayant Kaikini was conferred with ‘Kuvempu Panchajanya Award (2015)’ at a programme organised by Vishwa Manava Vidyarthi Yuva Vedike (VMVYV) in association with Kannada and Culture Department, marking the 111th birth anniversary of Rashtrakavi Kuvempu, at Maharaja College Centenary Hall here yesterday morning.
Speaking after inaugurating the programme, veteran littérateur Dr. C.P. Krishnakumar (CPK) said Kuvempu was a ‘Vishwakavi’ and a total ‘Vishwamanava’.
Observing that Kuvempu’s Nadageethe was also a ‘Rashtra Geethe’, Dr. C.P.K. said the Rashtrakavi’s “Sri Ramayana Darshanam” has a place in the world’s greatest of epics.
Stating that Kuvempu was not limited to Karnataka and the country, he termed Kuvempu as a cultural leader who was widely acclaimed throughout his world for his messages on humanity.
He further said that Kuvempu was a role model to present day writers and the younger generation and emphasised on the need for reaching out Kuvempu’s Vishwamanava messages to every person in the globe.
Poet Jayant Kaikini speaking after receiving the award, said that such awards are a wake up call for him to complete the spread of humanity advocated by great writers like Kuvempu and others.
Observing that there was a feeling that Kuvempu was being distanced by speaking more and more of him rather than emulating his ideals, Kaikini stressed on the need for inculcating the values of Kuvempu in our life.
He also called upon the people to understand Kuvempu’s personality by reading all the books written by him (Kuvempu).
A 2016 calendar brought out by VMVYV carrying Vishwamanava messages of Kuvempu was released, while Mahajana Educational Institutions President R. Vasudevamurthy unveiled a portrait of Kuvempu and Dr. C. Jayanna, Chairman, Panacea Group of Hospitals, Bengaluru, distributed Vishwamanava Pratibha Puraskara on the occasion.
KSOU Vice-Chancellor Prof. M.G. Krishnan and columnist Gubbigoodu Ramesh were the chief guests.
VMVYV Hon. President M. Nagaraj, Founder President M.J. Suresh Gowda and others were present.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / December 30th, 2015
