Category Archives: Travel

City dentist makes news in Lutton city, England

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature, Science & Technology, Travel

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1) Dr. Syeda Shaguffa with former Health Minister of UK, Ann Keen, at the Indian Embassy in Central London. 2) The clipping of news item on Dr. Syeda Shaguffa published in Lutonon / Sunday newspaper on May 19, 2013.
1) Dr. Syeda Shaguffa with former Health Minister of UK, Ann Keen, at the Indian Embassy in Central London. 2) The clipping of news item on Dr. Syeda Shaguffa published in Lutonon / Sunday newspaper on May 19, 2013.

Mysore :

A young dentist from Mysore, Dr. Syeda Shaguffa, has made news in Luton, England, by drawing attention of the authorities towards the litter-strewn area of River Lea in Luton, eliciting a pledge from the officials to clear up the area.

In recognition of this, she was chosen to attend a health conference at the Indian Embassy, by none other than by the former Health Minister of UK, Ann Keen.

It all started when Dr. Shaguffa did a voluntary presentation in public health lecture. The presentation was about a river called Lea which flows across Luton, Bedfordshire and joins River Thames in London.

Dr. Shaguffa told Star of Mysore, “I made a presentation at a public health lecture, for which the former Minister Ann Keen was invited as a guest lecturer. She was very pleased with my effort and straight away contacted the local newspaper journalist who took my interview and the news was published in Luton On Sunday.”

“Then the day came when Ann Keen personally invited me to attend a conference with her at the Indian Embassy in Central London. Many high profile personalities were present at the conference including Kamlesh Sharma, General Secretariat to Common Wealth Nations, his wife Babli Sharma. J. Bhagwati, Indian High Commissioner to the Embassy in UK, his wife Rita Bhagwati, Brigid Mc Convillie, Director of World Ribbon Alliance, the organisers of the conference, Bollywood director Gurindher Chadda who made the iconic film ‘Bend it like Beckham,’ famous MTV singer Susheela Raman, actress Meera Sahay and Ann Keen herself.

“There I got a chance to talk a few words about the social causes of maternal deaths in India, and domestic violence being the major one. Everyone were pleased with me and Ann Keen told me that I made her proud. She praised me for my confidence to stand up and speak in front of such a big audience,” said Dr. Shaguffa.

“She also said, since I have good communication skills she sees a good politician in me and asked me to give a serious thought of being one. But when I said politics is regarded as “bad thing” in India because of the present corruption, she explained of good things in politics and how we can bring a revolution through the same,” she said.

Dr. Syeda Shaguffa, 24, is a resident of N.R. Mohalla in city, who is doing her MBA in Hospital Management and Health Care Services at the University of Bedfordshire, Luton.

Luton On Sunday, a newspaper in Luton city, had published a news item about Dr. Syeda Shaguffa on May 19 last, which is reproduced here.

Dr. Shaguffa, who did her BDS from Farooqia Dental College in city, has been awarded overseas merit scholarship by the Government of Karnataka.

After her return in April 2014, Dr. Shaguffa plans either to start a own hospital or take up an hospital administrative job, said her father Syed Mushtaq Ahmed, a Consultant Geologist. Dr. Shaguffa’s mother, Nikhat Fathima was a bank employee. She is married to Dr. Nawaz Pasha. Her elder brother Ishraq has studied BBM while two younger brothers, twins, Arshaq and Ishaq are studying 2nd PUC at Vidyashram School in city.

“I miss reading Star of Mysore and eating churmuri here,” said Dr. Shaguffa who is keen to get back to her home town as soon as the course is completed and plans to focus on her dental as well as administrative career.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / June 06th, 2013

Mini Steam Engine , the latest attraction at Railway Museum

Amazing Feats, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Science & Technology, Travel

SteamEngineBF25may2013

Mysore :

A miniature steam engine is the main attraction at the Railway Museum’s Sriranga Pavilion at the City Railway Station in city.

This is said to be the first of its kind model of a railway engine that actually runs on steam on miniature tracks laid inside the museum. The mini locomotive measures 84 cms in length, 31 cms in width, 36 cms in height and runs on a track measuring 15 cms in width. This engine is said to be a replica of Fairy Queen, a steam engine of the pre-Independence era.

The miniature model has been created by J.R. Antony Raj Padua and S. Shivakumar, technicians of the Mechanical Department of South Western Railways (SWR).

“Using scrap materials at the Railways Workshop and discarded brass items, we created this replica under the supervision of our superiors in six months’ time, spending Rs. 15,000,” they said.

This steam engine has a boiler unit in which the steam generated from boiling water is passed through a cylinder containing pistons which make the wheels of the engine move forward. Like the real engine, this too can move backwards when engaged in reverse gear.

Though such miniature railway engines were built in the past too, they were electric-powered. But this engine is the absolute replica of the Fairy Queen, which used to run on steam.

SWR General Manager Ashok Kumar Mittal flagged off the mini engine yesterday. Mysore Division DGM Vinod Kumar, Engineering Division Senior Divisional Engineer Kashi Vishwanath, Sr. DCM Dr. Anup Dayanand Sadhu, Publlic Relations Officer Ravindra and others were present.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / May 19th, 2013

Railways gets ASI nod to shift Tipu’s armoury

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel
The 220-year-old Tipu armoury will be the first structure in the country to be shifted without breaking or altering its structure | EPS
The 220-year-old Tipu armoury will be the first structure in the country to be shifted without breaking or altering its structure | EPS

After three years of persistent efforts, the Railways has obtained the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) clearance to shift Tipu Sultan’s armoury at Srirangapatna to lay the second railway line under Bangalore-Mysore Doubling Project.

South Western Railways chief administrative officer Adesh Sharma said, “Now, we have obtained all the clearances required to shift the armoury.”

“As none of such structures have been shifted till now in the country, we may have to search for a company which has partnership with foreign construction companies to shift the structures without breaking them. We may invite tenders to shift the armoury very soon,” he said.

Relocation to Pre-identified Site

The 800-tonne armoury will be lifted without disturbing its structure using jacks and it will be shifted to an pre-identified site that is around 150 metres away from its present location using some advanced machines.

Tipu’s armoury is a protected monument under The Karnataka Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1961.

The state’s Department of Archeology cleared the shifting of the monument nearly three years ago after the Railways found it impossible to change the alignment of the new line.

As it is located within 300 metres of Lord Ranganath  Temple at Srirangapatna, a national monument, and is protected under The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958, the Railways had to obtain a clearance for shifting it from the Archaeological Survey of India.

At the behest of the Railways and the state government, the Institution of Engineers had suggested three methods of shifting the monument to retain its originality. They are—demolishing the monument and replicating it with the same material, cutting the monument into huge blocks and replicating it by pasting the blocks with the special glue and shifting the monument as it is.

The Railways and the state government had agreed to shift the monument as it is after obtaining the necessary clearances.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by  N R Madhusudhan – Banglaore / May 14th, 2013

Rahul Pereira: Torchbearer of the land of spices

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Education, Records, All, Travel

Rahul Gomes Pereira, a student of the Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development has been selected to represent India in the cooking skills category at the 42nd WorldSkills global competition which will be held in Leipzig, Germany in July 2013. Rahul is the sole Indian representative and he will be the torch-bearer for India’s cooking skills.

Rahul, a kitchen management associate will be accompanied by his trainer and mentor, Chef Parvinder Singh Bali. He will be competing to demonstrate the best of his culinary prowess against chefs from 52 other countries. The preliminary rounds of the competition were held across India. Rahul impressed the jury with his expertise and was selected to represent India at the cooking finals, held on March 30 and 31.

WorldSkills gives young talent between the ages of 17 to 22 the opportunity to demonstrate their excellence in skilled professions. Winners are awarded medals and certificates of achievement recognising their skills and abilities in their respective fields.

On Rahul’s achievement, Mohit Nirula, Dean, The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development said, “We are  proud that Rahul will be representing  India in the cooking skills competition at the WorldSkillss competition. We wish him success and hope that he will demonstrate the best of his learning and skills.”

About the competition:

WorldSkills is a skills competition, jobs and careers event held in a member country every two years. It is a competition for youth from 17 to 22 years to demonstrate their excellence in skilled professions. The competition is promoted and managed by WorldSkills International, formerly known as the International Vocation Training Organization (IVTO). As of September 2008, WorldSkills International has 50 member countries. The 42nd Worldskills International competition will be held in Leipzig from  July 2 to July 7.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by Express News Service – Bangalore / May 02nd, 2013

Mysore palace to glow on weekdays as well

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Travel
Magnificent:The Mysore palace will be lit from 7.40 p.m. to 7.45 p.m. on weekdays after the sound and light show.— Photo: M.A. Sriram / The Hindu
Magnificent:The Mysore palace will be lit from 7.40 p.m. to 7.45 p.m. on weekdays after the sound and light show.— Photo: M.A. Sriram / The Hindu

The famous Amba Vilas Palace or Mysore palace, which is lit up with more than one lakh incandescent bulbs on weekends, will now shine on weekdays too.

This is for the benefit of tourists, especially those coming from abroad just to see the palace.

The one-hour illumination of the century-old palace on Sunday has been cut to 45 minutes to ensure lighting from Monday to Friday.

The palace is illuminated from 7.40 p.m. to 7.45 p.m. on weekdays after the sound and light show.

T.S. Subramanya, Deputy Director of the Mysore Palace Board, says: “I have seen many tourists enquiring about the illumination on weekdays. The palace was earlier lit only on Saturday and Sunday, and on public holidays. It is now illuminated every day for about five minutes after the sound and light show.”

Mr. Subramanya told The Hindu that tourists, particularly those coming from abroad, are happy to get a glimpse of the lit palace.

For 10 minutes

The palace is illuminated for 10 minutes on Saturday after the sound and light show. At least 1,200 tourists watch the show on Saturday. Earlier, the palace used to be lit for over 30 minutes on Saturday. However, the duration was reduced after the launch of the sound and light show.

Mr. Subramanya said the English and Hindi versions of the show were likely to begin in two months.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Shankar Bennur / Mysore, April 11th, 2013

Elfa Cleofe appointed as Director of Sales and Marketing for the first Ritz-Carlton Hotel in India, Bangalore

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Travel

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company L.L.C. has announced the appointment of Ms. Elfa Cleofe as the Director of Sales and Marketing for The Ritz-Carlton Bangalore, India.
In her capacity as the Director of Sales and Marketing,  Ms. Cleofe will be heading the Sales, Catering, Revenue,  Public Relations and Marketing divisions  of the hotel.

ElfaBF23apr2013

Scheduled to open in summer of 2013 the Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore is the first internationally branded luxury hotel in Bangalore.  “I could not be more delighted to have such a First Class lady join our Ritz-Carlton team,” said Shane Krige, General Manager of the hotel. “Her in-depth knowledge and worldwide experience in the luxury market will contribute to the successful launch of the first Ritz-Carlton hotel in Bangalore and India.”

A worldly traveler, having been to more than 40  countries, Ms. Cleofe’s  quest for adventure and knowledge led her to Lhasa, Tibet, the most mystical and fascinating destination in the world and now to India.

The first Ritz-Carlton hotel in India – The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore is a 277-room, five-star luxury hotel, which will offer exquisite restaurants, extensive meeting and flexible events space, The Ritz-Carlton Spa by ESPA, an outdoor swimming pool and high-end retail boutique.  In addition to the spacious guest rooms and suites, the hotel will include The Ritz-Carlton Club, a private floor accessible only by elevator key, offering complimentary 24-hour Food and Beverage service and a dedicated concierge throughout the day.

Ms. Cleofe has been in the hospitality industry for over 20 years. Prior to joining The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore, she opened The St. Regis Lhasa Resort. Prior that, she worked at the Four Seasons Hotels in Tokyo, New York and Philadelphia and the Ritz-Carlton Hotels in New York and Washington D.C. where she gained extensive experience in international luxury hotel brands.

source: http://www.incentivetravel.co.uk / Home> News> Latest Appointments / Wednesday, April 10th, 2013

There’s method to the madness

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Travel
At Commercial Street, the branded comfortably coexists with the unbranded, with the latter dominating the platter. / Photo: Mohan Prasad / The Hindu
At Commercial Street, the branded comfortably coexists with the unbranded, with the latter dominating the platter. / Photo: Mohan Prasad / The Hindu

It may be the less glitzy cousin of the brand-heavy Brigade Road, but Commercial Street is easily the sworn shopaholics’ most preferred destination.

‘Com Street’ is easily Bangalore’s answer to New Delhi’s legendary Sarojininagar Market, offering everything from dupattas to doorknobs. And though it falls under the radius of the central business district, which includes Brigade Road and M.G. Road, it offers visitors the delightful option of bargaining.

Old timers remember the “quiet elegance” of the place some 40 years ago. “We did not have the bumper-to-bumper parking that we see today. While Brigade Road was for the young, brash shopper, Commercial Street was for the middle-aged,” says N. Krishnakumar.

The heady aroma wafting out of Bhagatram Sweets and lilting music from music shops may have been replaced by the whirr of traffic and the blasts of horns, but that is no deterrent to the loyalist who keeps going back, braving the notoriously potholed and often waterlogged street.

PROUDLY UNBRANDED

The branded comfortably coexists with the unbranded, with the latter dominating the platter. The same goes for food avenues, as mid-range restaurants offer the regular ‘north Indian, south Indian’ fare, while smaller chaat-cum-fast food joints draw true swarms.

An interesting aspect of this bustling area is the accidental, or perhaps intentional, organisation of shops. Take for instance the ‘chappal street’. Perpendicular to the main street, row upon row of shops specialise in footwear from the functional kholapuris and flip-flops,to peep-toes and stilettos in lush satin.

Similarly, ‘duppatta street’, again perpendicular to Commercial Street, promises to be a one-stop solution for all your duppatta needs: tie-dye, printed, plain, cotton, silk, synthetic… take your pick.

INEXPENSIVE

The unbelievably cheap ‘China bazaar’ offering inexpensive handbags that may not last you a lifetime but could give its posh, branded competitors a run for their money; street vendors selling imported fruits on the roadside, a stone’s throw away from sanitary fittings — it is all right here.

In fact, it is here that the real commerce happens.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bangalore / by K. C> Deepika / April 04th, 2013

This mum can cook

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Travel, World Opinion

KateBG16mar2013

Kate Bracks might be a celebrity chef back in Australia but she was indeed very shocked to find that she had fans in India too. “I didn’t know people watchedMasterchef so seriously over here! When Matthew Cooper, (general manager, Bengaluru Marriott Whitefield ) sent me an email and asked me if I would like to come to Bangalore to do a few activities, I wasn’t too sure. I had never seen India and I had to think over it.

But then we chatted on the phone and I agreed; I am so glad that I did. Bangalore is fantastic — I am loving it. We went out yesterday andI ate at Queens, which I thought was brilliant, cooked naan at the hotel and ate the best butter chicken I have ever had. So yes, it has been a pretty good start,” says Kate, with her signature laugh. In town to launch Whitefield Baking Company at the hotel, Kate has a stuffed schedule over the next few days that she is here.

The story behind the title
That’s the thing about this celebrity cook— she doesn’t like being called a chef; her infectious positivity will force you to believe that you can make quite a lemonade out of lemons. “I am extremely passionate about cooking. When the first edition of Masterchef Australia was announced, my husband asked me to apply. But when I was going through the form, it had a question that asked if I was willing to stay away from my family for three months. My daughter was only one year old at the time. I couldn’t do it. But I watched a few episodes of it. And then when season two happened, I watched every single episode.

At the end of the show, there was an ad on TV inviting applications for the third season and I applied. But I forgot about it until they called me up two months later for the auditions. I was like, “errm.. I am not sure. Let me get back to you. I need to talk to my family”. I never knew I’d do it and I never knew I’d win. Neither did my husband! Every time I passed an elimination test, I’d call and tell him, “I am still in!” says Kate, of her entry into one of the coolest culinary contests to be aired on television.

The Masterchef kitchen was a massive learning process for Kate. “What you see on TV is only a part of it. We shot for seven months, with breaks of course, and the sessions were intense. But we are constantly learning something. We have master classes, training programs and we cook in professional kitchens and most of all, we are constantly discussing food in the ‘house’. So you’re constantly surrounded by these fabulous people and food… it’s life changing,” she says.

Not just yet
So why is there no restaurant from her yet? “It’s because of my family. I can’t do something that will take away all my time and focus from the children. But I do a lot of things when the kids are away at school. I hold cooking demonstrations; I teach kids to cook; I wrote my recipe book The Sweet Life, among other things.

For instance, I do a pop-up kitchen with Chef Michael Manners who’s a very popular chef there. And that gives me the opportunity to actually work in a professional kitchen without having to get involved full time into the operations and logistics. I am also working with chef Shaun Arantz, who has earlier been chosen as the Regional Chef of the Year and is also from Orange, NSW (Kate’s hometown); we’re planning to bring out a range of culinary and food products together….”

So, is there not going to be a restaurant — ever? “No, no. I will perhaps have one when my kids are all grown up. I have one mantra — if I do something, it has to be perfect and I want it to do well. So when I can actually give that much time to a restaurant — I am definitely going to have one!” assures Kate.

Family first, seriously
Her devotion towards her family is quite admirable. For a woman who’s never “got any formal training in cooking like many other celebrity chefs”, it is her innate love for cooking that led her to win the coveted title two years ago. However, she couldn’t quite stop reiterating how much she owes her family for it. “It’s hard to stay away from the kids for so long and I have never done it before. It was their constant support and courage that has led me this far… I would like to be a mum first and everything else after,” she says.

source: http://www.dnaindia.com / Home> Lifestyle> Report / by Priyadarshini Nandy, Place:Bangalore, Agency:DNA / Thursday, March 14th, 2013

City Doctor’s tryst with destiny

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, Travel

…from US Golf Open to Mysore’s Dolphin Cup

By Dr. Eskay Ghori

It was a wonderful morning at the JWGC Golf Club in Mysore reminding me of the day I set out to watch the US Golf Open in San Francisco on June 14, 2012. My son Zaid Ghori had bought me a ticket to the US Open as a Father’s Day surprise gift. Back here, the Dolphin Cup Golf Tourney was being played in Mysore when a lady golfer walked in with her daughter-in-law. I exchanged pleasantries and promised to catch up with them at Regaalis hotel in the evening where the prize distribution and a grand dinner party was organised by the Dolphin members.

For the first time since June 14 last year, I practiced a few shots and putted, the game and the swing was there and thought of future golf as a would-be 62-year-old man having played a handicap of 3 as a youngster and having won many a golf tournament in Nigeria, England and India.

It was 7.30 pm and all dressed formal for the evening, I stepped in accompanied by my wife Dr. Reshma Ghori to the poolside party at Regaalis. I saw Indira Venkatraman seated with her daughter-in-law Jennifer, who is an American lawyer living in San Francisco, California, USA, wearing a wonderful saree. I was told by Indira, the golfing lady member and a good socialite, that I have lost weight. I said, “Yes I am on weight control as advised by my doctor as I had a cardiac event, in simple terms a heart attack, at the US Open Golf Championship at the Olympic Club in Daly City near to San Francisco — a very challenging golf course by the Pacific Ocean, hilly with cold breeze blowing. I had forgotten to take my jacket in all the excitement to meet Vijay Singh whom I happened to know in Nigeria from his rookie days. Indira told me that her son Anand was a marshall at the US Open at Olympic Club and he was at the dinner at Regaalis.

As we were talking, her son Anand Venkatraman walked in and I asked him, “You marshalled at the Olympic Club in the US Open on the 14th of June 2012?” He said, “Yes, I did.” I asked him, “Do you remember a golfing spectator collapsed and was pronounced dead and the US Open came to a stand still for a few minutes, even Tiger Woods had to wait!” He said, “Yes, I was told he was an Indian.” I said, “Well Anand, it is me the dead man alive and fine, thanks to marshalls like you and the team of cardiologists who happened to be watching golf on the 14th tee box where Vijay Singh was teeing off. I collapsed and my heart, I was told, stopped for 3 minutes.” On hearing this, Anand was so overjoyed that he embraced me.

I was very lucky. They rushed me after giving me first aid and had me in a hospital in the nick of time and a life was saved like so many lives that are saved every minute in the United States with their state-of-art medical services — the emergency response team.

I felt like sharing this coincidence with my long-time friend and Editor-in-Chief of Star of Mysore K.B. Ganapathy who was enjoying the party with JWGC Captain P.M. Ganapathy, JWGC President Dr. P.A. Kushalappa and Dr. Joshi of the Dolphins who had invited us.

Is it not destiny that I had to meet Anand Venkatraman here in Mysore, a software marketing wizard who lives in San Francisco and a marshall. God, the supreme power, has many surprises for us in many ways — when it’s not your time to go up the seven skies, it’s not and when it is time to go, nothing can stop the order from God Almighty.

As a medical doctor who has spent all my career in the emergency rooms in India, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, I have seen many a drama. But when it happened to me, I realised the value of a good emergency response. As lady luck would have it, I met a friend John Paul, an American golfing spectator whom I later called an angel who stayed by my side till the evening until my family arrived.

The excellent services at Seton Medical Center, a cardiac specialist hospital in San Francisco whose Medical Director Dr. Hasselherst was the one who gave me CPR with the help of an Aneasthetist Dr. Martin, who incidentally works at Loma Linda Hospital with Dr. Ramdas Pai, a Cardiologist who happens to be my friend and junior at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, and told him that an Indian doctor had collapsed.

I did call Dr. Pai as soon as I was well enough to call from Seton Medical Center. He was also watching golf at the 14th tee of Loma Linda Hospital and the world-famous cardiac surgeon Interventionist Dr. Felix Milhouse and Dr. Gauhar Khan, a cardiologist at Modesto California, who took care of my follow-ups.

The time when one gets to the age of 60 is very crucial. One must get a heart check every year, a simple ECG, consult your family physician, eat a lot of vegetables and stick to a healthy diet, go for walks and keep stress at bay.

I cannot but less thank my wife Dr. Reshma Ghori, my son Zaid Ghori and would-be daughter-in-law Shanaz Ahamed for all the care and attention given for me to be back in Mysore with my friends and daughter Nisha Ghori, who travelled to the US to see me and brought me home. While I was getting well, I had an august visitor in Dr. Shivaram Malavalli who gave me much inspiration as his brother, urologist Dr. Sitaram Malavalli, also living in Modesto California where I lived.

The world is a small place and I always believed in the world as a place rather than a place as the world. Thank you God for this new life. Life is a very precious gift from God, take good care of it. I told my son Zaid Ghori that he not only bought me a gift of a ticket for Father’s Day but ended up giving me the gift of LIFE.

[Dr. Eskay Ghori runs Jubilee Clinic at Sareniza Villa in N.R. Mohalla, Mysore. Mob: 9945852340]

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com /Home>  Feature Articles / January 19th, 2013

Those were the days

About Bangalore(Bengaluru) / Karnataka, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Travel

Bangalore was once famous for its free spirit and culture. A few loyalists are trying to preserve a slice of the city they knew and love

If you happen to be a newcomer to  Bangalore , and get into conversations with some of its older residents, be careful about showering their city with compliments. If you remark that it is green, they will tell you it used to be greener. Talk about the great weather, and they will tell you it used to be much better. Bangalore, they will tell you (wistfully, angrily or with an air of resignation, depending on who you are talking to), is not the place it used to be. And the nostalgia is not unwarranted. Every so often, there will be an article in a newspaper about an old Bangalore joint going out of business because it can’t afford the escalating rent and of customers rushing to have that last cup of tea or sandwich, or just to shoot the breeze, at their old hangout. Some Bangaloreans, though, are trying to do their bit to preserve a slice of the city they knew, in their own way.

 

“Bangalore used to be the kind of place where people gathered at parks every evening and someone would invariably take out his guitar, where people would dance at clubs till five in the morning, and where the greatest crime was to go around without a cycle lamp!” says Paul Fernandes , artist and former advertising executive, occasionally referred to as the city’s  Mario Miranda . Fernandes has recaptured that era in a series of 60 evocative watercolours, on display at his recently opened gallery, “aPaulogy,” in Richards Town. Each of the watercolours, set in ’70s Bangalore, has a personal memory or association for the artist. But anyone from those days would have an association with the places he has sketched, he adds.

 

One shows a boy on a cycle riding away with hand outstretched from a constable whose hat is in the air, titled “Potential visitor at Cubbon Park police station? “Oh we all used to do that — slap their hats off and then speed away and if you were caught, you had to spend the night in the lock-up,” Fernandes says with a laugh. Another shows two young bucks doffing their hat to a pretty young lady emerging from her house. Look carefully and you will espy an old gent with a rifle taking aim at the young men. “I have a very pretty sister and young men from all over the city used to come from all over to see her… and my uncle used to use his rifle to threaten them,” says Fernandes, which he later corrects to “seven pretty sisters”. The rifle is also there, next to the watercolour.

 

Fernandes thought of doing the sketches when he noticed that whenever he and his friends were talking, the conversations would begin with “Do you remember” and it would invariably turn out to be a happy conversation. The push came when his mother’s house, which his father had bought in 1947 when he returned from England, was sold and demolished. “That’s when I started drawing the old buildings,” he says. Fernandes now plans to bring out a book of the watercolours, titled Bangalore Blue — A 1970s Roundabout.

A different attempt to make sense of the rapid changes that took place in Bangalore and the city’s struggles to come to terms with it, while holding on its familiar aspects, is a film by city-based filmmaker  Sushma Veerappa . TitledWhen Shankar Nag Comes Asking, the film tackles these issues by examining what it would take for two auto drivers, Ramanna and Mahadeva, at Shankar Nag Auto Stand to “belong” in Bangalore today. When asked what she made of the changes in Bangalore, and the loss of old “institutions,” Veerappa says, “Of course there is much nostalgia value to something tangible like buildings. But as a documentary filmmaker, I am more concerned with what replaces those buildings — and I don’t mean just the glass façades. How and where does one carry those memories associated with that demolished old building? How do they translate into the everyday?” The changes that have happened, she says, is less about the “loss” and more about the sense of alienation and how insecurities play out. “The making of the documentary helped me understand the many ways of seeing,” she says.

 

But not all change is unwelcome. “I’m not depressed (about the changes) at all. Life has become better in many ways as well,” says Fernandes. Yet, on being told that Kohinoor Hotel on Brigade Road, a hangout for many Bangaloreans since the late ‘50s, had downed its shutters while he was abroad, Fernandes can’t keep that note of regret out of his voice when he says he will not be able to visit it for one last of glass of its famous suleimani chai with his old friends…

(aPaulogy, located on 15 Clarke Road, near the entrance of Richards Park, is open from 11 am to 7.30 pm Tuesday to Saturday, and 12 to 7.30 pm on Sunday (closed on Mondays); There will be a series of public screenings of When Shankar Nag Comes Asking in February, the details of which will be posted on the director’s Facebook page(sushma.veerappa/facebook))

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source: http://www.Business-Standard.com / Home> Life & Leisure / by Indulekha Aravind / Bangalore, January 13th, 2013