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Festival of M.S. Sathyu’s films at NGMA
He is best known for his partition drama Garam Hawa
National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) Bengaluru is offering a rare opportunity for film and theatre enthusiasts to savour the complete creative repertoire of M.S. Sathyu, one of the renowned filmmakers and theatre personalities in India, by organising a week-long festival of his films.
Mysore Srinivas Sathyu, popularly known as Sathyu, is best known for his partition drama Garam Hawa, which bagged several national awards, including the National Integration Award in 1974. He was awarded the Padmashri for his contribution to Indian cinema. At 88, he continues to be active on stage. Last year, he staged his version of fantasy adventure Gulebakavali. With his undiminished passion for film-making, he is still raring to direct a film.
Kahan Kahan Se Guzre, a documentary on the life and works of Sathyu, directed by Masood Akhtar will be screened in the inaugural session. It will be followed by a panel discussion on the relevance of films and theatre dealing with social and political issues where noted cinematographer G.S. Bhaskar, filmmaker Chaitanya K.M. and film critic George Kutty will speak.
Four of his Kannada films — the award-winning Bara, Chitegu Chinte, Ijjodu and Ghalige — will be screened during the festival.
Pratidhwani, a serial based on stories of Jnanapith recipient writer Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, two episodes of Balina Chowkabara and Acharyavanta Ayyangar documentary Nataka Ratna Gubbi Veeranna, directed by Sathyu, will be screened on November 27.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / November 23rd, 2018
28
Making of the real stars
Srikanth Bhat, an agriculturist-cum-hotelier in Kanchinabailu in Hirebettu village near Manipal, is an ardent lover of the festive sport.
Udupi :
The owners of Kambala buffalos are busy with last-minute preparations as they consider it a matter of prestige and pride. The buffaloes are the prized possession of the owners who raise them with care and indulgence.
Srikanth Bhat, an agriculturist-cum-hotelier in Kanchinabailu in Hirebettu village near Manipal, is an ardent lover of the festive sport. He rears seven Kambala buffalos at a spacious and well-ventilated shed in his 15-acre garden. The routine diet for them includes 5 kg baked horse gram, hay, half a kg jaggery, and 150 ml of sesame and coconut oil once a week.
The caretaker of Bhat’s buffaloes, Sachin S Kotian, told TNIE that the animals are like family members for Bhat. ‘‘The buffaloes stand whenever Bhat arrives in their shed and flap their ears. This is how they show their love for their owner,’’ he says. Another caretaker, Prasad Kumar, assists Sachin in ensuring that proper care is taken of the buffaloes.
The animals are given oil massage and left under the sun for about three hours every day, before they are taken for a swim and bath in a specially-designed pool. Bhat has two kambala jockeys, Nakre Jayakar Madivala and Nakre Manjunath Bhandari.
The recent incident of sudden death of Rocket Moda, Bhat’s 20-year-old buffalo, has upset the team. The Pairu breed buffalo of Kota origin had created a record in 2014 by completing the 144-metre distance in just 13.40 seconds, along with his partner Kutty. They have decided to venture into the race from November 24 after paying respect to the place where Moda was buried, Sachin adds.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Prakash Samaja / Express News Service / November 24th, 2018
26
Kolar boy’s long and successful search for bone marrow exposes its less number in the country
Sam, a 10-year-old boy from Kolar was recently evaluated for bleeding from the nose and gums.
Bengaluru :
A month ago, a 10-year-old boy, Sam, got a life-saving bone marrow transplant from a German donor after his parents had to scour the Indian bone marrow registry with no luck in finding a match. The number of donors on the Indian bone marrow registry is just three lakh compared to the German registry, which has 75 lakh, and the US, which has one crore donors registered. Due to such shortcomings, parents look up to their child’s siblings to donate or doctors resort to half-match donors where the parents themselves donate but are only a 50 per cent match.
Sam, a 10-year-old boy from Kolar was recently evaluated for bleeding from the nose and gums. Upon examining his bone marrow, doctors confirmed that he had aplastic anaemia and his only chance of survival was a bone marrow transplant. He did not have a matching donor available and he continued to have recurrent bleeding and fever.
Doctors frantically searched for a donor in all the Indian registries and finally found a donor in the German registry. This donor was willing to donate bone marrow (taken from the blood in the hip) rather than peripheral blood stem cells (taken from the vein of the forearm). Four weeks later the boy fully recovered and was discharged.
Suresh B, Sam’s father, a daily wager at Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), a Kolar PSU, told The New Indian Express, “We have an ESI card and hence we could pay the bill worth `10 lakh. My wife is a homemaker and I am the sole breadwinner. Sam’s brother is only seven years old and is not a match. We would get Sam platelet infusions every week. According to the rules, after a year, we will be able to contact this German donor and thank him.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / November 22nd, 2018
24
EURAXESS Science Slam India award for Bengaluru-based researcher
Won contest for communicating science through theatre
Neuroscience is a complex subject, but Prabahan Chakraborty, a graduate student from National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bengaluru, has an entertaining and simple method to get his message across: musical theatre. The 28-year-old uses this art form to help people understand his research.
For this unique fusion of art and science, Mr. Chakraborty won the EURAXESS Science Slam India competition held in the city recently. The contest — organised in collaboration with the embassy of France, Alliance Francaise Bengaluru, India Bioscience, Global Innovation and Technology Alliance and Indo-German Science and Technology Centre — offers a platform for young researchers to showcase their work outside their labs in a way that can be easily understood by everyone. He competed with five other researchers from across the country in the finals.
As part of his PhD, Mr. Chakraborty has been researching the effects of stress on the brain. “My thesis is on what happens to the amygdala and hippocampus when a person is stressed. My research shows that during times of stress, the amygdala, which regulates anxiety and fear, becomes stronger. The hippocampus, which processes and stores short-term memory, becomes weaker. As a result, a person suffers from mental health issues, including depression and memory impairment. But, communicating this to everyone is not that easy,” he said
When he got to know about the contest, he saw a perfect opportunity to combine two of his passions. “It is a challenge to communicate science in a fun way. But, theatre is an effective tool. My presentation on stress and ways to combat it was in the form of multiple songs and enactments,” he said.
He enacted a scene involving a patient suffering with clinical depression caused due to stress. As he told the audience about his condition, his anxieties and memory loss, he broke into a song to explain what was happening in his brain — in the amygdala and hippocampus. He then went back to dialogue form to talk about solutions. “I presented the topic in a musicial theatre format, which combines words, music and movement,” he said.
As part of winning the contest, Mr. Chakraborty will be going on a trip to Europe, where he will interact with other researchers in top institutes.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / Bengaluru – November 22nd, 2018
Bridging the Gap
Bengaluru ByDesign promises handmade and cutting-edge innovation
Writer UR Anathamurthy was instrumental in Bangalore becoming Bengaluru. In November 2006, when the city symbolically made the shift, his intent, he wrote in an essay, was to give the city “the ability to belong to the world at large even as one is rooted in one’s Kannadaness”. Even as Bengaluru ByDesign takes over the city from November 23, the focus of the 10-day festival will be on transformations, from the handmade to technology and sustainable interventions.
From installations and exhibitions, to workshops and conferences, the festival at multiple venues in the city, hopes to bridge the gap between what is design and what people imagine to be design. Some of the highlights:
Choose Flight
Kavya Madappa’s Bluecat Paper presents Unchained Symphony – Birds, a site-specific installation. At the grand marble stairs of UB City, abstract forms of paper birds will rise towards the high-vaulted ceiling and soaring arches of the mall, symbolic of freedom and flight. “We make handmade paper from cotton, coffee and corn husks. We have nearly a 1,000 birds for the 80 steps there,” says Madappa.
Closing the Loop
At St. Mark’s Circle, Total Environment will display its strength in sustainable practices through green installations and landscaping. Designed as a twirling ribbon, the green pods will house various stages of construction, from plumbing to electrical wiring. “As a company that provides experiences in sensitively designed structures, we hope these pods will help people see the craft involved in making a home,” says Founder-Chairman, Kamal Sagar.
Everyday Design
A pop-up called “Museum of Everything” at Kafnu, curated by Sarayu Hedge, will have everything — from origami lamps to recycled cork décor, glass jewellery to organic garments.
Total Recall
London-based designer Karolina Merska honours the traditional pajaki (pah-yonk-ee) paper chandeliers, famous for drawing inspiration from architecture, costumes and flowers. “I will visit Bengaluru’s flower markets and decorate my installation at UB City with fresh marigolds instead of paper flowers,” she says.
It’s a Wrap
Bengaluru’s Town Hall has become synonymous with protests. Festival Founder Suprita Moorthy wants to change that with a makeover that will drape handmade textiles from Aadhyam around its Tuscan columns. “With pure ikats and Banarasi brocades, we will play with colour and contrast. We hope it will direct people’s gaze to its architecture and purpose,” she says.
Rajshree Pathy,
Director of the festival
What are the changes you have seen in the design industry since the inception of the India Design Forum (IDF) in 2012?
When we started IDF in Delhi, it was something very new for the city. People were aware of art but not design and conversations on design thinking were very new. Now there are several design exhibitions, events and talks, all of which is very good for designers as it allows them to present their works outside their own studios.
How has design made a difference to your life?
Design is really a way of thinking about how to make a product or create an experience. Design is not about decoration, it’s about ease of living, minimising wastage and being sustainable and affordable, otherwise design is meaningless. For me, starting IDF has been the most fulfilling experience, as I am passionate about spreading this message and removing the idea that design is elitist or about luxury.
What are the three things to watch out for at the Bengaluru ByDesign festival?
Bengaluru ByDesign is a city-wide, all-inclusive event that makes people stop and think differently about their city and its spaces. It opens up new dialogues on preservation, conservation and celebrates the city for its architecture, craft and so much more. The Town Hall pillars dressed in fabric, the UB city mall stairway clad in beautifully cut paper collage and the workshops everywhere are amazing.
How do you think design can become mainstream?
With the growth of the automotive industry, the real-estate boom, the lifestyle industry like furniture, household products, jewellery, clothing and IT, design is already mainstream, though people are not aware of it. Designers are wanted for all the above businesses. More schools need to come up across India for our fast-growing requirements.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Lifestyle / by Shiny Varghese / November 21st, 2018
Benglauru boy makes mark in national racing circuit once again
Adding that the competition was tight with eight participants fighting for the top spot, his biggest challenge was having to race against his coach and mentor.
Bengaluru :
After winning the MRF National Racing Championship, 17-year-old Sohil Shah has turned heads in the racing circuit once again by winning the 21st JK Tyre National Rookie competition in the LGB-F4 category. The four-round competition finale was held in New Delhi, with Sohil taking the seventh place in the championship.
“There were eight national champions racing with me. I was fighting with them for the top spots in all three races. In race one, I started in the sixth spot and finished the race in third place. In race two, I started in the sixth place and finished in seventh place, while in race three, I started seventh according to the finishing order of race two, and finished in seventh place. All the points that I earned allowed me to win the championship. There were a total of 26 participants in the national championship, and 15 of them were part of the rookie championship,” says Sohil, who attends Delhi Public School (East) here.
Adding that the competition was tight with eight participants fighting for the top spot, his biggest challenge was having to race against his coach and mentor. “It can mess with your head,” he says, while adding that his role model is his coach. Telling us his most memorable moment during the race, he says that winning round three and four with a bronze medal was something he will always cherish, as this is the first time a rookie has been able to stand on that podium.
The competition started in July and ended last Sunday. Sohil received a `1 lakh cash award for the rookie competition. He will be continuing practice sessions for next year until dates are finalised, he says. It has been only a year since Sohil first rode in a 2-stroke Rotax go-kart, which inspired him to start racing — something he wants to make a career out of.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Preeja Prasad / Express News Service / November 21st, 2018