Monthly Archives: May 2014

Bangalore teen wins Brain Bee, to compete in international finale

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

Bangalore :

Gayathri Muthukumar (17) stood in front of five doctors who were enacting a disease each. She looked at them carefully, listened to their complaints and diagnosed their conditions – Parkinsons, Spinocerebellar ataxia, Huntington’s disease (HD), major depression and amnesia. The Bangalore girl emerged the winner at the 7th Indian National Brain Bee (INBB) finale held on Sunday at SevenHills Hospital in Mumbai.

Brain Bee is a quiz competition on neurosciences for students who have exceptional credentials in Biology and are keen on pursuing careers in healthcare. Apart from testing students’ knowledge on the human brain, the competition engages them in learning about neuroscience. Students have to answer a quiz, write a test and identify specimens shown to them. The doctor-patient stimulation, where doctors enact a disease and the student has to make a diagnosis, makes for the most interesting bit. Participants are handed out preparation material before the quiz.

Gayathri, a Class 11 student at National Public School, Indiranagar, is eager to take up a career in Biology. “I have a strong foundation in Science. I visited a few museums during my childhood, which kindled my curiosity in the subject. Since then, there has been no looking back,” beamed the teenager. The daughter of an engineer and a homemaker, Gayathri had been preparing for the quiz for a month. “The practical sessions were very interesting. They actually tested our application skills,” she said.

A learner of Carnatic music and Bharatnatyam, Gayathri says she takes out time for all the activities she loves. Gayathri will participate in the 16th International Brain Bee finals, scheduled from August 7 to 10, 2014, along with the 122nd American Psychology Association Convention, in Washington DC.

Dr Harleen Luther, senior consultant, brain, spine and peripheral nerve surgery, dept. of neurosurgery, SevenHills Hospital, said, “The purpose of INBB is to motivate young students to learn about the brain and inspire them to opt for careers in basic and clinical neurosciences. Witnessing this talent at such a young age in India is a satisfying experience.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bangalore / TNN / April 24th, 2014

Shine Spa for Sheraton named Best Luxury Hotel Spa at World Luxury Spa Awards

Business & Economy, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Shine Spa for Sheraton at the Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway has been awarded with the Best Luxury Hotel Spa award in India at the recently concluded World Luxury Spa Awards. The World Luxury Spa Awards is an annual search for the best spas across the globe based on votes by their guests. This annual voting process pans over thousands of spa guests from 144 countries, who are given the opportunity to vote online. Apart from Shine Spa for Sheraton, other competing spas in 2014 included small sized privately owned spas to globally renowned spa groups.

“We are incredibly excited to receive this recognition,” said Saurabh Bakshi, General Manager, Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway. “This award is truly the icing on the cake to an incredible year. The very heart of the hotel and all its success to date is our staff; an extraordinary team in every way, consistently placing the guest experience above everything else,” he added.

source: http://www.travelbizmonitor.com / TravelBizMonitor.com / Home / by TBM Staff – Mumbai / Thursday, April 24th, 2014

Vasisht , Prajwal Dev duo triumphs

Sports

ITF Junior Tennis

City’s Vasisht (left) and Prajwal Dev who emerged winners in the Junior Boys Doubles event in the ITF Juniors Tennis Tournament held at Indore recently, are seen with the trophy.
City’s Vasisht (left) and Prajwal Dev who emerged winners in the Junior Boys Doubles event in the ITF Juniors Tennis Tournament held at Indore recently, are seen with the trophy.

 Mysore :

City’s tennis players C. Vasisht and S.D. Prajwal Dev, on Friday, won Junior Boys Doubles title at the ITF Junior Tennis Tourney held at Indore from Apr. 21 to 26.

In the final, fourth seeded Vasisht and Prajwal Dev combined well to score a upset win over topseeds Kennosuke Nouchi of Japan and Deepak Vishvakarma of India 7-6 (5), 6-1.

In the semi-finals, the two players played well to register a 6-3, 1-6 (10-4) win over Aryan Goves & P.V. Gnana Bhaskar of India.

In the quarter-finals, the duo had beat Shrey Gupta and Yash Yadav 6-1, 4-6 (10-4) and in the pre-quarters they had beat Sai Nikhil and R. Mayukh 6-3, 6-2.’

In the Junior Boys Singles, Vasisht lost to Shrey Gupta of India in the pre-quarterfinals 6-7 (3), 7-5, 2-6.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home>  Sports News / April 29th, 2014

Alsbridge opens global-in-house captive centre in Bangalore

Business & Economy, World Opinion

 

Alsbridge Inc, a leading outsourcing consultancy organisation, has announced the setting up of its first global in-house ‘captive’ centre in Bangalore India.
The key value-add of the centre includes knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) for its various business services as well as software development & support.Alsbridge was ranked no.1 outsourcing consulting firm in the world by the IAOP in 2012 based on the value delivered to their clients. Alsbridge’s outsourcing consulting practice advised on over $5bn in outsourcing contract value. Alsbridge has consistently ranked in the top five over the last six years.

“Setting up our entity in Bangalore, India, is a strategic decision for Alsbridge. We are confident that we can leverage the immense talent that India offers to make our global service more competitive in the years to come,” said Chip Wagner, CEO, Alsbridge Inc.

The US-headquartered firm has already received approvals for its Indian subsidiary and is in the process of setting up the organisation with the help of its local partner – CaptiveAide – a firm that specialises in helping multinational corporations set up and build their India entities.

“We are delighted at this news and we welcome Alsbridge to India. We commend their decision to set up a global in-house centre (GIC) and we are confident that they will benefit immensely from this decision,” said K S Vishvanathan, head GIC Initiatives of NASSCOM.

Alsbridge’s GIC (captive) entry adds to a long list of multinational companies that have set up their own entities in India. These entities benefit in many ways including de-risking of outsourcing, low cost innovation, direct control over results, developing global leadership talent and access to local markets.

source: http://www.consultant-news.com / Consultant-News.com / Home> Latest Consulting News / April 23rd, 2014

Amazon takes kirana route to deliver goods

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Bangalore :

E-commerce giant Amazon, whose founder and CEO Jeff Bezos recently spoke of the possibility of drones dropping goods to US homes in the near future, is embracing the neighbourhood kirana  store to push the delivery advantage in India.

This week in Bangalore, Amazon, in what’s a first in India, started piloting the concept of enlisting kiranas as delivery points. The move can help it overcome the problem of failed deliveries, a pain point for most e-tailers globally, making the last-mile logistics less complicated.

“We are continually innovating to find solutions that enhance convenience and experience for our customers. We are running a pilot for in-store pick-up service in Bangalore. We have identified and trained staff at small kiosks and stores, run by individual entrepreneurs, to be our shipment pick-up points,” Amazon India country head Amit Agarwal told TOI last week.

What is significant is how — unlike Indian organized retailers like Big Bazaar who have traditionally been pitted against mom-and-pop stores — this move from Amazon will help create a hybrid model where online players leverage corner shops to boost customer convenience.

“Depending on the results, we will take a call on how and what we want to roll out nationally at an appropriate time,” Agarwal said. Amazon will pay a fee to these smaller brick-and-mortar retailers, but the world’s largest online retailer did not give details of its financial arrangement with the offline stores.

The project is an indigenous improvisation on Amazon Lockers, which the company operates in the US and some other markets. Amazon Lockers act as self-delivery locations to pick up parcels from. “We want to be inventive in executing our global strategy locally. We have a team of passionate builders in India,” said Agarwal, who has had a 15-year career with the Seattle-based Amazon, including a stint as executive assistant to the much storied Bezos.

The India head of the $75-billion internet giant, which started off by selling books two decades ago, said the domestic e-commerce market “is still in its early days” and possibly some of the present bigger names wouldn’t exist in the future. Amazon is turning the heat on incumbent market leaders like Flipkart and Snapdeal with its trademark aggression focused on customer convenience, lower prices and a gargantuan collection. Both Flipkart and Snapdeal, which operate on the same marketplace model like Amazon, are well-funded by VCs and strategic players like eBay. The Indian e-commerce market, estimated at $2 billion at present, is expected to grow to $8.5 billion by 2016, according to projections by venture fund Accel Partners.

“The India operation is one of the fastest build-outs for Amazon globally—in terms of selection, sellers, traffic and even mass media advertising,” Agarwal said. Amazon has been particularly sharp-focused on its one-day delivery in top 20 cities and recently introduced a ‘scheduled delivery’ programme for high-value products like televisions.

It entered India ten months ago with a marketplace model since Indian laws place restrictions on foreign investments in multi-brand retail. It had earlier tied up with India Post Services to leverage the government postal system’s extensive reach. “We use IPS for over 19,000 pin codes through 1,40,000 post offices across all 35 states and Union Territories in India. The number of deliveries through India Post has increased from 800 last June to over 10,000 by March this year,” Agarwal said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Business> India Business / by Samidha Sharma & Boby Kurian, TNN / April 24th, 2014

MPCA All India Chess Championship concludes

Records, All, Sports

 

Winners of various category of Ist Mysore Professional Chess Academy’s All India FIDE Rated below 1800 Rating Tournament 2014 held in city are seen with the prizes and the guests.
Winners of various category of Ist Mysore Professional Chess Academy’s All India FIDE Rated below 1800 Rating Tournament 2014 held in city are seen with the prizes and the guests.

Mysore :

L. Vivekananda, a student of Vidya Vardhaka FGC, drew his final and tenth round match against Dhanush Bharadwaj of Karnataka and clinched the title in the open category with 9 points from ten rounds on the final day of the 1st MPCA All India Rating below 1800 Chess Championship which concluded at Chamundi Vihar Stadium here on Friday.

The winner took home a cash prize of Rs. 20,000 and a trophy. Dhanush Bhjaradwaj with 8.5 points secured the second place and won a cash prize of Rs.12,000 and a trophy.

K. Ravi Kumar (Kar), R. Parthasarathy (Kar), T.G. Rohit Ramanan (TN) and P. Venkataramana (AP) tied with 8 points each and secured placings from third to sixth in the rankings.

The third, fourth and fifth place winners secured Rs. 8,000, Rs. 6,000 and Rs.5,000 with a trophy. Cash prizes were given to the players upto the 25th place in the rankings. The first five placed winners were given watches sponsored by M/s. Srinivas, Director, V2 Soft, Bangalore. The winners of category prizes were given special prizes sponsored by M/s. Cycle Pure Agarbathis, Mysore. The trophies were sponsored by M/s. Urs Kars, Mysore.

The prizes to the winners were given away by Mysore University DPE Director Dr. C. Krishna. MDCA President Prof. S.K. Ananda Thirtha, MPCA Jt. Secretary K.R. Shivarame Gowda, MPCA Director A. Sudharshana, MDCA Secretary M. Nagendra, Bangalore’s V2Soft Director Srinivas, National-level Chess player, MPCA Treasurer M.P. Ajith and Secretary C.K. Muralidharan were present on the occasion.

Results

Dhanysh Bharadwaj (8.5) drew L. Vivekananda; R. Parthasarathy drew T.G. Rohit Ramanan (8); S. Ramkumar drew Sonkalan Bharati (7.5); Vivekraj drew S. Subba Raju (7.5); Yashaskara Jois drew Kadav Omkar (7.5); R. Muralidharan (7) lost to P. Venkataramana (8); K. Ravi Kumar (8) bt Potluri Supreetha (7).

Special Prizes

Best below 1600: Prasanta Mondal (WB-7pts); Below 1400: Suhas P. Nidoni (Kar-7pts); Below 1200: Prajwal M. Joshi (Kar-6pts); Unrated: Krishna Kumar (Kar-6 pts); Best Veteran (55 Plus): K. Prabhakaran (Kar-6.5pts); Best Female Player: Potluri Supreetha (AP-7 pts); Best Karnataka Player: Sharan Rao (Kar-7.5 pts); Best Mysore player; V.P.S. Darshan (Mys-7.5); Best Physically Challenged: Samarth J. Rao (5 pts); Best U-16 Boys: C. Vignesh (TN-6.5 pts); Best U-16 girls: Siri Sharma (Kar); Best U-14 Boys: V.G. Nishanth (TN); Best U-14 girls: J. Dhivyashree (TN); Best U-12 Boys: P. Vibhu Reddy (Kar); Best U-12 Girls: Priyanka Narayan (Kar); Best U-10 boys: Sriram Udhaykumar (Kar); Best U-10 Girls: Khushi M. Hombal (Kar); Best U-18 Boys: Karthikay C (Kar); Best U-8 girls; Bhagyashree G. Patil (Kar).

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News  / April 27th, 2014

Her maiden endeavour got her recognition

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

PreetiNagarajBF03may2014

A scribe who took to script writing

Mysore city in the recent past has become a home for a number of people who have gone to make successful debut as actors and technicians in Kannada film industry. One such person is Preethi Nagaraj, who has played an important role in the Kannada movie December 1 directed by P. Sheshadri. The movie won national awards for Best Regional Film and Best Screenplay. Apart from assisting in the script, Preethi has also played a cameo in the movie. Having an experience as a journalist for around two decades, Preethi has been actively involved in theatre for many years. Star of Mysore (SOM) caught up with Preethi Nagaraj to talk about the movie and her experience. Here are the excerpts…

by S.N. Venkatnag Sobers

Star of Mysore (SOM): How did the script writing happen?

Preethi: There is no systematic approach for script writing. But these kinds of writings we get to read on a daily basis. As I used to read such scripts often, I took a liking towards them. In fact, scripts of cinema, television and theatre are not very different from each other but the thought process changes while scripting for each of them. When you compare all these three media, the film industry has a larger potential for script writing and hence I developed interest for it.

SOM: You have been associated with theatre activities for a long time now. Tell us something about it.

Preethi: I have been involved in theatres since childhood. There was a strong theatre movement in early 80s that I got to witness at Davangere when young. While my father, who was a teacher, was also involved in theatre activities, several big names from the theatre industry like B.V. Karanth and Lankesh also had been part of this theatre movement at Davangere during the 80s, all of which had a great influence on my mind during the time. The professional theatre also had been equally strong during the time, all of which inspired me towards indulging in theatrical activities.

SOM: How did you develop the interest in acting?

Preethi: As a child, acting was the only medium for me to explore as I grew up watching plays and people acting. The same continued even after I grew up since I would very frequently watch dramas whenever I got a chance to. The interest to hone my acting skills just continued and my passion towards the skill remains the same even to this day.

SOM: Having been a journalist before, did you find it easy to get into script writing?

Preethi: Basically I believe all of us are story tellers and each of us has some or the other story to narrate. But the advantage of being a journalist is that we are exposed to ground details unlike the others. The very renowned writer Marquez could become a good writer because he had been a journalist before making a big name as a writer. The perception is much sharper for journalists and thus the experience of having been a reporter before, certainly added to my experience. Also, Journalism is a profession that gives you immense experience apart from the life you live. As a journalist, you get to see a lot of things without filter. And this experience adds a lot when you want to play the narrator.

SOM: How did you get a chance to work for December 1?

Preethi: I got to know of the movie through my friends that Director P. Sheshadri is working towards a movie after which I went and met him and learnt about the script writing option. Since I had also assisted in script writing for a famous Kannada serial named Muktha Muktha that was aired a couple of years ago, I found it easier working on scripts. Because of this, I could comfortably write a script for parallel movies like December 1. I am now comfortable working on scripts for parallel movies.

SOM: You have also acted in December 1 apart from assisting in scripting. Tell us something about the role you played and the chance you bagged for acting in it?

Preethi: I have enacted as the Headmistress of a village school in December 1, who is of an arrogant character. My main focus was actually assisting Sheshadri in scripting; but he felt I would suit the role well and thus told me to act. I completed the shoot in just half a day’s time for which I went to Siruguppa in Dharwad and came back the same night.

SOM: How does it feel like to be part of a film that has won the prestigious national award?

Preethi: I feel very happy that I have been part of such a great film. I am delighted that I got a chance to work with Sheshadri who has been a great guide and wonderful mentor all through. The national award is actually a tribute to the director, producer and the actors who have struggled day and night to make the movie a success. Nivedita and Santosh, the lead actors of December 1, have done a great job and the cinematography is also excellent.

SOM: How supportive was your family through this journey?

Preethi: Family backing is very necessary for such explorations. After having quit active journalism, I felt I could experiment with other medium. My husband and my children, along with my father, mother and my husband’s family, everybody has been extremely supportive of my explorations. This has helped me a lot, to fly without the safety harness of holding a regular job. Time is ample and with family’s encouragement, one can really scale heights. I still have a long way to go. Living in Mysore, I am surrounded by creativity and solitude at the same time, to be able to involve myself in creative work. I am just a medium for all the creativity to come through.

SOM: Now that you have started exploring your talent and have also successfully worked towards it, what are your future plans? Do you wish to script for commercial films too?

Preethi: Currently, there is no plan as such. I want to complete my M.Sc. in Psychology that I have taken up as a correspondence course from the Karnataka State Open University (KSOU). As far as the commercial movies are concerned, my choice will depend on the director. I do not want to script anything for a movie that portrays violence and bloodshed.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / April 27th, 2014

Brindavan Hospital opens its services to public

Science & Technology
Dr. B.H. Manjunath, Director of the hospital, is seen addressing the press conference as Dr. A. Sonia Mandappa, Dr. K. Ravindranath, Dr. Harish Kejriwal and Dr. B.M. Mahesh Rao look on.
Dr. B.H. Manjunath, Director of the hospital, is seen addressing the press conference as Dr. A. Sonia Mandappa, Dr. K. Ravindranath, Dr. Harish Kejriwal and Dr. B.M. Mahesh Rao look on.

Mysore :

Brindavan Hospital, a Unit of Vidyaranya Multi-Specialty Hospital Pvt. Ltd., today opened its Multispecialty Hospital and a dedicated health care and cure centre services for the people of city at Jayalakshmipuram in city.

Earlier, addressing a press conference in city, Dr. B.H. Manjunath said that the unit has been created to serve the people of Mysore which has been registering a high number of patients related to various diseases in the recent times than earlier and added that Brindavan Hospital strives to provide accessible and affordable healthcare to the masses and the project is another step in achieving the objective of extending a helping hand to the people to make their health good.

Speaking about the medical treatment facilities available at the hospital, he said that the hospital provides Advanced Ortho care, Advanced OBG care such as painless labour, laproscopic Surgeries, Infertility Clinic, High Risk Pregnancy, Advanced Neonatal Care, Advanced Nephro and Urology care, Advanced ENT Care and Advanced Reconstructive Surgery besides providing 24×7 facility in Accident and Trauma Care, Casualty and Intensive Care, Pharmacy, Ambulance service and Laboratory and radiology services.

He further said that with the commencement of the multi speciality hospital, people living in and around Mysore district will have an access to the quality and affordable screening and treatment facilities in city.

Directors of Brindavan Hospital Dr. K. Ravindranth, Dr. Harish Kejriwal, Dr. B.M. Mahesh Rao and Dr. A. Sonia Mandappa were present at the press meet.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / April 27th, 2014

DECEMBER-1, A must see film

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

KannadaFilmBF02may2014

Yesterday when the call came from Vaishali of DRC Cinemas inviting me to see ‘December-1’, I was left wondering what has December 1st got to do with April 25. On being told it was the title of a Kannada film which had just won two National Awards — Best Film in Kannada and Best Screenplay — my ears riveted and there I was at the theatre for a special screening. The exclusive show for the press would be this evening a 5 O’ clock.

Should anyone ask me what was the achievement of our former JD(S) Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and for what he would be best remembered, I would instantly say ‘Village home stay’, grama vasthavya, though some may remember him as a renegade who nearly ruined B.S. Yeddyurappa’s political career in BJP. Let it be.

I only mentioned this because the film ‘December-1’ is all about a Chief Minister’s village home stay. If at all a Kannada film was produced based on a contemporary political theme which is much discussed among the people and so very topical, this one is the film.

The original intention of this idea, as told by H.D. Kumaraswamy himself, was to experience first-hand the daily trials and tribulations, the daily grind of a farmer in the village. To what extent Kumaraswamy’s experience benefited the villagers in whose houses he stayed, or the village which he stayed or the farmers across the State, everybody knows. Neither his host nor the village nor the farmer found any improvement in their lives as a result of this much-publicised and appreciated village stay.

In this film, December-1 the story revolves around a similar village stay by the Chief Minister but not to experience first- hand the poverty and denials of a village farmer as was the idea in Kumaraswamy’s experiment. Here the intention was to send an important message to the people of the State, why, the world ! Well, we find the Chief Minister being appreciated in Delhi by Dr. Manmohan Singh and even in Washington DC by Barack Obama !! I will not reveal the message here for the beauty of the film and the genius of the producer lies here. This message is indeed the fulcrum upon which this most creatively produced, most enjoyable film is well balanced. I recommend this film, a short one at 94 minutes, to anyone who is a cinema lover.

The film no doubt is a political satire and is produced too realistically to be true. It takes the viewers to a typical village, Basapura in North Karnataka. Hence, the spoken language is highly guttural, sometimes musical and idiomatic for southerners to understand every word of it. For example, the refrain while greeting another ‘Saranare Saara.’ Yet this itself adds to the enjoyment of the film all through. Madevappa, played by Santosh Uppina and Devakka by Niveditha in lead roles as husband and wife have given sterling performance, though Devakka seemed a bit sensual for a village belle of Basapura as seen in the film. Never mind. Well, after all, there must be some reason for Devakkana rotti to become famous in the village town! The couple leads a normal village life with a son, an infant daughter and Madevappa’s aged mother. He was a lorry driver but following an accident lost a leg thus on crutches. He works in a flour mill while his wife Devakka sells rottis, the famous Devakkana rotti mentioned above. Not quite a happy family but certainly a contented family.

Then, like a bolt from the blue, arrives at their doorsteps an official and a Policeman. Madevappa was forcibly taken away from his mill to the DC’s office. The manner in which he was made to wait for hours on end at the office is typical of what we all experience when we go to Government office. The ways of the officials and the DC in informing him of the choice of his humble, ramshackle house for the impending Chief Minister’s overnight stay and the official manner in which his consent is taken are too realistic — the persuasion, promises and mild threat. I am reminded of the Russian classic “Dead Souls” by Nikolai Gogol. The Chief Minister finally comes to the village on December 1st. Hence the title of the film.

The Director and the script writer of the film P. Seshadri must be admired for his sense of time in making the film belong to the present — here and now. Otherwise who would ever bring in the scene where a customer questions Madevappa the justification for charging Rs. 3 for grinding one kg of grain when the grain itself costs Re. 1 a kg to buy. I remembered our present Chief Minister Siddharamaiah and his Re. 1 a kg rice to the BPL card holders. It is such existential situations that lifts the film as a whole to a higher level from among other cliched art films of the same old format.

The Chief Minister finally comes to Madevappa’s house, eats, stays overnight and leaves. Then the denouement. The dreams the family had dreamt of bettering their life was shattered. Worse, even their earlier normal work-a-day life of contentment was destroyed. They suddenly become untouchables all because the Chief Minister wanted to convey a message to the world. A film everyone in Karnataka must see and enjoy both as an entertainment and a reminder of our unscrupulous politicians and their crooked ways oblivious of the common man’s needs and sentiments.

It was gratifying to know that a lady from our city, former journalist Preethi Nagaraj too has played a cameo role as a school teacher apart from assisting in script writing. Full marks for a good, must-watch Kannada Art Film in many years. A rose of a film in December !

e-mail: kbg@starofmysore.com

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Abracadabra… Abracadabra / by K. B. Ganapathy /  April 26th, 2014

Kuncha Bhramari : Talk on Floral World of Mukta Venkatesh at Ramsons tomorrow

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders

MuktaVenkateshBF02may2014

Mysore :

‘Kuncha Bhramari,’ a talk on the floral world of artist Mukta Venkatesh will be held at Pratima Gallery, Nazarbad Main road, tomorrow (April 27) at 5 pm under the auspices of Ramsons Kala Pratishtana. This is the fifth edition in the talk series, hosted every fortnight since March 2 as part of Kalaa Dhaaraa – the mega exhibition of contemporary art. This last talk will be in the form of a conversation between Girija Madhavan (artist), daughter of Mukta Venkatesh and R.G. Singh, Secretary, Ramsons Kala Pratishtana, following a multimedia presentation.

K.B. Ganapathy, Editor-in-Chief, Star of Mysore, will be the chief guest. Smitha Ningraj, art teacher and research scholar will make a power-point presentation on the floral world of Mukta Venkatesh.

Mukta Venkatesh, a painter-poet, lived to be a 101 years old, painting to the last. She was born in 1902 in Tamil Nadu, one of the daughters of a Victorian liberal and a scholar with a taste of English literature and decidedly unorthodox views. Mukta married Venkatesh, son of Madhava Shastri of the Oriental Research Library, spent a long sojourn in London where she studied under Plein Aire master Xavier Willis. She came back to Mysore in 1922 and never left the sprawling gardens of her house in Mysore. Mukta’s paintings of flowers acquire a soft dreamscape of their own — the exquisite colours, every shade, every curl of the petals, the age, the bruise and smudge on the petals, the vividness of colours etc.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / April 26th, 2014