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‘Tabla taayi’ has 3,000 instruments to her credit

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

You may have heard of women playing the mridangam, but have seen one making it?

Over the last 45 years, 72-year-old Ashwathamma has made nearly 3,000 tablas and mridangams. She has repaired thousands more. So much so, she is referred to as ‘tabla taayi’.

Her workspace, Shanta Tabla Works on the busy OTC Road near Balepete Circle, is stacked with tabla, mridangam, dholak, dholki, damaruga, nagaari, thamte, khanjari and other percussion instruments.

“Every year, I make more than 50 instruments. Percussion stalwarts like M.L. Veerabhadraiah, A.V. Anand and T.A.S. Mani have vouched for its quality,” she says.

There was a time when everyone advised her to roll incense sticks, rather than make mridangams, which requires “manly strength”. She argues that making percussion instruments is more of skill than strength. “It takes a week to make a pair of tablas and 10 days for a mridangam.”

Ms. Ashwathamma was married at 15 to Anantharamaiah, who played tabla at the Anjaneya Swamy temple in Rajaghatta near Doddaballapur. They moved to Bengaluru in 1965 seeking jobs as makers and repairers of instruments. Ashwathamma began assisting her husband and then made it her own vocation. “My passion to learn is my accomplishment. Now I want my son to take forward the family profession,” she says.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Ranjani Govind / Bengaluru – March 10th, 2015

‘RSN Memorial Award’ for Freedom Fighter

Uncategorized

Ramashesh and Sanjhi Artist Huseni

Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK) Chairperson Rehana Banu is seen delivering inaugural address during the award function organised by R.S. Naidu Art and Cultural Welfare Trust in memory of Freedom Fighter R.S. Naidu at Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha in city recently as Sanjhi Artist S.F. Huseni, Freedom Fighter M.R. Ramashesh, Brahmana Association Chairman Raghuram and R.S. Naidu Trust President P.Y. Venkatadri look on.
Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK) Chairperson Rehana Banu is seen delivering inaugural address during the award function organised by R.S. Naidu Art and Cultural Welfare Trust in memory of Freedom Fighter R.S. Naidu at Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha in city recently as Sanjhi Artist S.F. Huseni, Freedom Fighter M.R. Ramashesh, Brahmana Association Chairman Raghuram and R.S. Naidu Trust President P.Y. Venkatadri look on.

 

Mysuru :

Freedom fighter M.R. Ramashesh and Sanjhi Artist S.F. Huseni were conferred with ‘RSN Memorial Award’ at a programme organised by R.S. Naidu Art and Cultural Welfare Trust in memory of freedom fighter R.S. Naidu at Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha in city recently.

Speaking after inaugurating the programme, Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK) Chairperson Rehana Banu said, “Many artists across the country have contributed in their respective fields despite lack of encouragement and recognition. They should be lauded for their commitment and passion. We should encourage the artists through felicitation programmes.”

After the award function, Indu Shekhar and Troupe presented a musical programme.

Renowned artists of Mysuru and Bengaluru sang the old film songs sung by P.B. Sreenivas, S.P. Balasubramanyam, P. Susheela, S. Janaki and others. They even sang the songs from the movies of Dr. Rajkumar, Dr. Vishnuvardhan and Puttanna Kanagal.

The following songs were sung on the occasion: ‘Hindusthanu endu mareyada…’ from the movie Amrutha Ghalige, ‘Snehada kadalalli…’, ‘Aseya bhava olavina jeeva’, ‘Karunada thayi’, ‘Haadu haleyadaadarenu’, ‘Jeeva veene needu midithada sangeetha’, which made the audience to travel down the memory lane.

Mike Chandru compered the musical programme.

Singers including Indrani Anantharam, CFTRI Krishnamurthy, KEB Gangadhar, Srinivas Hemanth, Vijayanand, Joyce Peters, Anantharam, Kiran Kumar, Geethalakshmi Keni, Vijay Manasa and others took part in the function.

R.S. Naidu Art and Cultural Welfare Trust President P.Y. Venkatadri and Trustee M.K. Ramesh; K. Raghuram, Chairman, Brahmana Association; Mysuru Anand and Parthasarathy were present on the occasion.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Wednesday – March 04th, 2015

Raghuttama Putty dedicated his entire life to painting : Writer

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Prof. Kalegowda Nagawara (second from left) is seen taking a look at the painting on display as Veda Putty and others look on.
Prof. Kalegowda Nagawara (second from left) is seen taking a look at the painting on display as Veda Putty and others look on.

Mysuru :

“Artist Raghuttama Putty dedicated his entire life to the world of painting and he must be emulated by the arts fraternity,” opined renowned litterateur Prof. Kalegowda Nagawara.

He was speaking after inaugurating the two-day Raghuttama Putty birth centenary celebrations organised under the aegis of Karnataka Lalithakala Academy at Kalaniketana School of Arts, Vijayanagar this morning.

Stating that artists, musicians, litterateurs and journalists play a vital role in building a better society, Prof. Kalegowda observed that painting had no language, unlike literature which has one.

Bemoaning that modern day painters were after money, the writer pointed out that painters of the past era, although less educated, came up with great works which remained in the minds of people for long.

Pointing out that art works has a global presence, he cautioned the artists against losing their honour and dignity for the sake of money and other allurements.

Prof. Kalegowda also inaugurated a painting camp titled ‘Nisarga Chitrakala Shibira’ to mark the occasion.

Karnataka Lalithakala Academy Chairman Dr. M.S. Murthy, who presided, announced that the Academy was celebrating its Golden Jubilee this year.

Giving a brief on the programmes and events to be launched by the Academy as part of Golden Jubilee celebrations, Dr. Murthy said a programme titled ‘Santhe Jatre Kala Yatre,’ in which works of 100 select artists will be documented, will be launched shortly.

Noting that the messages of drawings and paintings will live long in the memory of people, he called upon the students to effectively present the richness of rural customs and practices in their art works.

Nearly 100 art students and artists are taking part in this 2-day event, which features seminars on arts and related subjects, with experts and resource persons delivering lectures.

Corporator D. Nagabushan, School Principal K.C. Mahadevashetty, Karnataka Lalithakala Academy Registrar K.Sudhindra, members C. Chikkanna and C. Rajashekhar, late Putty’s grand-daughter Veda Putty and others were present on the occasion.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Tuesday, March 03rd, 2015

Sommer House: Tales from the jazz age

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Travel

SommerHouseBF09mar2015

Bengaluru: 

Back in the 1950s, when Bangalore was like something out of a F. Scott Fitzgerald bok, Whitefield was a small township on the outskirts of the city. On arriving at the railway station, one took a horse-drawn carriage home through the small, winding streets. It wasn’t long, however, before development put paid to much of that old world charm.

The Sommer House, a colonial bungalow that has been restored to its former beauty by long-time resident Sulaiman Jamal, aims to recreate some of that old world charm. Thrown open to the public on Monday evening, as a community center that gives senior citizens and retired army officials that long lost society whirl, Jamal, whose association with the area began when he set up his factory there said: “We have lived in Whitefield for ten years now, but when I first visited, it was a pretty wild place,  Every six months, another bungalow would be torn down.”

The two-bedroom gabled roof Sommer House, bought two years ago by Jamal, replete with antique furniture, is home to a piano that belonged, back in the day, to the Defence Services Cinema. The cottage, sits surrounded by a garden, with restored vintage cars dotting the property.

Jamal would like the House to host programmes like piano nights, dancing, catered dinners and plays. Most importantly, it will also have a free catered dinner every month for senior citizens.
Beth Chapman, Pre­sident, Overseas Women’s Club, has helped put Sulaiman’s ideas in motion.

“I’m always looking for old bungalows and the stories that surround them,” she said.
“The house is opposite Forum Value Mall and people expected a superstructure here,” Sulaiman explained. “They wonder what the catch is, but there is none. We want the people of Whitefield to feel a sense of belonging with what is now a community center.”

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC / Darshana Ramdev / June 18th, 2013

For the Love of Fabric

Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

VanithaBF08mar2015

by Sujata Rajpal

Those who believe that early marriage puts a spoke in the wheel of a woman’s professional growth and sounds a death-knell for her career should think again. The city-based designer and entrepreneur Vanitha Santosh is one such woman who not only started her career from scratch after marriage but also followed her heart by turning her passion into a full-fledged business.

She is one amongst 10,000 women entrepreneurs in the world who were selected to undergo Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Entrepreneurs Certificate Programme. Conducted by Indian School of Business (ISB) in collaboration with Goldman Sachs, the 16-week programme provided world-class education to selected women entrepreneurs with 3 weeks of classroom sessions and 13 weeks of mentoring support on the job.

“This programme is an equivalent to MBA and I am considered as an alumnus of ISB,” Vanitha chuckles. The curriculum comprised structured way to do business, time management, prioritisation, focus, defining one’s targets in business and multitasking, which is so very important for women.

Vanitha was married off at the age of 18 immediately after her plus two exam. After marriage, she not only started her own venture but also studied B.Com through Open University. She recalls fondly how she was up on her feet visiting clients just two weeks after delivering a baby and would carry her eighteen-month-old son for meetings.

The seeds for entrepreneurship were sown in her when she was still in middle school. “I was the first grandchild in a big joint family. Though I was pampered, I had to run errands for everyone in the family, which taught me many life-skills required in a business and gave me an idea of pricing, negotiations and much more,” tells Vanitha.

Colours, designs and fabric fascinated Vanitha even as a child. She loved to give a new look to the fabric by mix and match. She got her first break at the age of 15 from a French Company to design kids’ summer collection for six seasons. It provided a great learning platform and the beginning of many more opportunities.

“I got married early but still I have managed to do what I had always wanted to. I don’t believe in complaining. Instead, I strongly believe in making the best use of the circumstances. I have always been a go-getter without being blatantly aggressive,” tells Vanitha with a constant smile playing on her lips.

Vanitha kick-started her venture with Mangalgiri Mix-and- Match kurtas which she exhibited at Rotary Needs in 1999. This was her first taste of success. The enterprising woman has come a long way since then. She has added various verticals in her business, which includes customised uniforms for hospitals, industry and hospitality sector, clothes for new borns, block printing, redoing old sarees, designer blouses. Out of all the verticals, redoing old sarees and giving a new look to the six yards is her favourite as there is a lot of sentimental value attached to old sarees.

Twelve years ago when Vanitha had just started her venture of customised uniforms, she met with an accident, which made her immobile for almost a year. She didn’t want to close the unit which had just taken off. At that time, her husband Santosh gave up his business of computer consumables and joined his better half. Since then the husband and wife have been working as a team.

“Though it is one business, we have our own independent clients and have divided our responsibilities,” says Vanitha candidly.

Aligning with her people’s person image, Vanitha prefers the front end jobs like marketing and designing whereas Santosh takes care of manufacturing and operations. The couple has an unwritten rule of not discussing work at home. The husband and wife take turns to ensure that one of the parents is always around when their two school-going boys, Aditya and Chaitanya, are at home. Vanitha resides at Sankalp Central Park, Yadavagiri and her store-cum-workshop Hidden Store is located on Kalidasa Road.

“Being a woman, I had to face many challenges. When I approached an organisation for soliciting orders for uniforms, they shooed me away thinking what can a woman do but when my husband approached the same organisation, they readily gave him the order. What saddens me the most is the attitude of people towards a woman entrepreneur,” tells Vanitha. “Mysuru is still not open to women entrepreneurs.”

There is more to Vanitha than a successful entrepreneur. She is a self-taught classical singer. A few years ago, she received an opportunity to perform at the Amba Vilas Palace during Dasara in front of a large audience. “One day I would want to find out time to learn classical singing,” she says dreamily.

e-mail: vanitha27santosh@gmail.com

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Features Articles / Monday – March 02nd, 2015

Dr. N. Muthukumar is new CII Chairman

Business & Economy, Leaders

Arjun Ranga Vice-Chairman

CIIbf08mar2015

Mysuru :

Dr. N. Muthukumar, Sr. VP and Whole Time Director, Automotive Axles Ltd., has been nominated as the Chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Mysuru, for the year 2015-16 while Arjun Ranga, Partner, NR Group, has been nomi- nated as the Vice- Chairman. This was announced at the CII Mysuru Annual Day held in city recently.

Dr. Muthukumar, who has rich experience of more than 25 years in the Automobile and Pharmaceutical sector, is the driving force to implement, sustain and improve World Class Performance Elements like Productivity, Quality, Cost, Delivery, Safety, Morale, Environment and Innovation at Automotive Axles Ltd.

He did his Ph.D in ‘Operations Management’ from Annamalai University and MBA in International Marketing and is a Gold Medalist in PG Studies.

Arjun Ranga is responsible for managing ‘Cycle Pure Agarbathies,’ which is India’s largest brand of Agarbathies. His enterprising and innovative skill sets have helped Cycle Pure Agarbathies to achieve growth figures which are rarely seen in mature FMCG categories in the Indian market.

He holds an engineering degree from SJCE, Mysuru and an MBA from Thunderbird, USA, with focus in Marketing and Strategy.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Monday – March 02nd, 2015

A ride with pride

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Sports

Even on the noisiest roads of the City, these bikes stand out due to their roar (which is more like music to the ears). The members of the Bangalore Jawa Yezdi Motorcyle Club (BJYMC) are sure to catch your attention when they ride in pride together. It’s ironic that their sentiment echoes the name of one of the Yezdi bikes — ‘Roadking’. 

RoadkingBF07MAR2015

Started by four people — Amrit, Brian, Lokesh and Sam — who shared a love for Jawa and Yezdi bikes, the club has become like family today. Says Amrit, “It was the idea of Lokesh, who put it up on Orkut in 2007 and the three of us reciprocated. We wanted to revive these old bikes and help each other out. We soon started planning the ‘Jawa Day’ and promoting it. We even asked mechanics to ask their customers to come!”

The first ‘Jawa Day’, held in July 2008, saw 200 bikers turning up though only 60 had confirmed. “We had held it in Cubbon Park and we actually ran out of space! The reaction was better than what we had expected,” says Brian.

Sreedhar remembers picking up a Yezdi in 1996, which was its last year of production. “The best part about riding a Yezdi is that it is easy to manoeuvre and riding it is like an exercise by itself,” he says.

The BJYMC has members of various age groups. Two of the youngest members of the club are the 19-year-olds — Nehal Ganapathy and Varun Kariappa. “The bike is a legacy that was passed to me by my grandfather. It has a two stroke engine and I have loved riding it since my school days. I feel Yezdi is a bike that separates men from boys,” smiles Nehal while Varun just decided to go for a Jawa Day and has not looked back since then. “I had the bike and thought of going for the meet. I have been part of the club for two years now,” he recalls.

Messiah, who has been riding since 1989, simply loves riding the Yezdi. “My father had a Roadking and later, I got a Jawa too. The feeling that you get from riding a Yezdi is the best,” he notes. For Mahesh, every ride is a “brotherhood” of sorts. “It’s more like meditation. We have campfire many a time and also hold introductory sessions. When I bought my bike from its previous owner, it had already completed 8,000 kms. Today, even though I have finished 12,000 kms, it hasn’t given me any problem,” he notes.

Tejas always had a passion for bikes too. “My story is a short one! I had put up a Yezdi for sale on Facebook and a member saw it and asked me why was I selling it. I have always had a passion for bikes and am very happy to be a part of the club. I have been part of it for a few months now,” he says.

The members meet every second Sunday of the month at Airlines Hotel and go for rides often. The club has three big events during the year — ‘Jawa Day’, ‘Malnad Diaries’ and ‘Southern Raid’. While ‘Malnad Diaries’ has various Jawa Yezdi clubs from Karnataka meeting up, ‘Southern Raid’ includes the bikers from Jawa Yezdi clubs of other states.

“Before the big day, one or two people take charge and check on things like the location, parking, accommodation etc,” says Brian. According to him, it is the mountain climb on these bikes that’s memorable.

With more and more bike clubs emerging in the City, ask them if they have any advice for the younger lot and Sreedhar says, “Whenever a club becomes big, politics gets to it. The members of every club should remember that their purpose is to help each other out and not gain glory.” Brian agrees, “Your focus should be on the bikes.”

For details, visit their Facebook page — ‘Bangalore Jawa Yezdi Motorcycle Club’.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> MetroLife / by Deepa Natarajan Lobo, Bengaluru / DHNS – March 03rd, 2015

Suresh Padmukhi bags five gold medals

Education, Records, All

It was a dream come true situation for Suresh Padmukhi, hailing from a family of marginal farmers fighting to make both ends meet, when he went up to the dais to receive five gold medals for his excellent performance in the final year B.Sc in Agriculture from the Governor Vajubhai R. Vala, during the annual convocation of the University at Raichur on Wednesday.

“The support from my parents despite their economic hardships and my hard work made it possible, ” Mr. Padmukhi, hailing from Rukmapur village in Surpur taluk, said. He is now pursuing his post graduation in Genetics and Plant Breeding at the Gandhi Krishi Vignyan Kendra at Bengaluru.

Mr. Padmukhi completed his graduation from the Agriculture College at Bheemarayanagudi in Shahapur taluk. He received five gold medals for scoring the highest marks in Agriculture Entomology, Agriculture Microbiology, Horticulture, Agriculture Economics and for his overall performance in the UAS, Raichur.

He said that he wanted to dedicate the five gold medals and all the honour and praise he received from his teachers and well-wishers to his parents Ashok Padmukhi and Basamma Padmukhi, who were primarily responsible for shaping his academic career.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Correspondent / Yadgir – March 07th, 2015

She goes the extra mile to help walkers

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature

Bengaluru :

Shaila Prabhu (53), a software programmer turned social activist, is a known name in the bylanes of Vidyaranyapura. From battling threats to knocking on the court’s door, she’s done whatever it takes to reclaim pedestrian space in the area. Thanks to the crusader, the north Bengaluru locality today is home to wider footpaths, free of encroachments and hawkers.

About a year ago, pavements along Vidyaranyapura main road and others in the vicinity had no room for walkers. Commercial establishments, backed by the builder lobby, had encroached upon them. Children and senior citizens had no option but to walk amid speeding vehicles, putting their lives at grave risk. The number of accidents had also shot up.

It was then that a group of proactive citizens decided to take matters in its own hands, recalled Shaila. “In February 2014, we did an independent study to analyze the status of footpaths and other pedestrian infrastructure in the area. In some places, ramps and steps from buildings extended till the edge of the road, leaving no space for walkers,” she added.

Shaila and others then approached BBMP officials. “Some of them came forward to clear the mess but backed out soon. Some were hand in glove with groups having vested interests. It got so ugly that I I began to get threat calls asking to me to withdraw,” she added. That’s when residents chose to take the legal route.

Nirmala K, a resident of Vidyaranyapura, said she began to see a turnaround when the high court started issuing orders to BBMP to act on public complaints. “Officials have also become fearless now. They quote court orders whenever someone tries to put pressure on them. Encroachments are being cleared for sometime now. Several buildings are ensuring they redesign their structures, and walkers have more space to move around,” she added.

Legal route, social tools

We began to file affidavits furnished with details on encroachments, road by road. I was shocked to see that BBMP was providing wrong information to the court on footpath status. We took photographs of pavements and attached them to the affidavits. We kept the momentum going by conducting awareness drives and activities like cleaning and painting footpaths. We even made use of social media — the Facebook page of Vidyaranyapura residents and WhatsApp forums — to spread the message.
Shaila Prabhu, social activist

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bengaluru / by Rohith B R, TNN / March 06th, 2015

State Film Awards accorded to 59 Artistes and Technicians

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

CM assures Film City near Himmavu village; Ambarish absent

FilmAwards07mar2015

Mysuru :

After a gap of over two decades, the State Film Awards for the year 2012-13 and 2013-14 were presented at a gala function at the Maharaja College Grounds here on Saturday. A large number of film enthusiasts thronged the venue to witness the event which saw around 59 artistes and technicians feted with State Awards.

Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, District in-charge Minister V. Sreenivasa Prasad, Information and Public Relations Minister R. Roshan Baig, PWD Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa, Kannada and Culture Minister Umashree, Social Welfare Minister H. Anjaneya and Minister for Cooperation H.S. Mahadeva Prasad were among the dignitaries who distributed the awards.

For the year 2012, the Chief Minister presented the Lifetime Achievement Awards to M.Bhaktavatsala (Dr. Rajkumar Award), C. Dattaraj (Puttanna Kanagal Award) and actor Rajesh (Dr. Vishnuvardhan Award). For the year 2013, the Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred upon Actor Srinath (Dr. Rajkumar Award), P.H. Vishwanath (Puttanna Kanagal Award) and K.V. Gupta (Dr. Vishnuvardhan Award). These awards carried a purse of Rs. 2 lakh and a gold medal.

The Best Actor and Best Actress Awards for the year 2012 were given to Darshan and Nirmala Chennappa respectively while Nikhil Manjoo and Nivedita were conferred the Best Actor and Best Actress awards respectively for the year 2013.

Speaking on the occasion, veteran film maker M. Bhaktavatsala observed that the Kannada film industry must come up with good films and stay away from remakes and added that the golden time of Kannada film industry, which was in the 1970s, must return.

Actor Srinath, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2013, addressed the gathering and thanked the government for bestowing the honour and said that he was overjoyed to receive the award.

Film City: After presenting the awards, Siddharamaiah announced that the long-pending Film City will be set up in Mysuru soon and said that the Film City will come up on a 100-acre land which is identified for the purpose at Himmavu village in Siddharamaiah’s constituency Varuna.

He added that the District Administration had identified the land and the work would start very soon.

Ambarish absent : Among the top Sandalwood actors who were conspicuously absent at the award ceremony was Minister of Housing M.H. Ambarish. Actors from Rajkumar family were also not present to the disappointment of many fans who had come to have a glimpse of their favourite stars.

Mysuru Mayor R. Lingappa, MLC Sandesh Nagaraj, MLAs Manjunath and M.K. Somashekar, ZP President Pushpa Amarnath and others were also present during the ceremony.

Villains excluded: After dedicating the Best Actor award for the year 2012 to the actors who played the part of Villains in Sandalwood movies, Actor Darshan addressed the gathering and expressed his dissatisfaction over the absence of recognition for actors in the ‘Villains’ category. He said that there were a lot of actors who have acted as villains in more than 300 to 400 films and that they were barely recognised in the award ceremony. He said that actors like Tiger Prabhakar, Sudheer, Musuri Krishnamurthy, Sundar Krishna Urs and his father Thoogudeepa Srinivas have received awards on various occasions but have gone unrecognised in the State’s awards ceremony.

Responding to the actor’s demands, Chief Minister and Information and Public Relations Minister R. Roshan Baig rushed to the podium and said that they support the actor’s views and that a ‘Best Villain’ category would be introduced in the next year’s awards ceremony.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / March 01st, 2015