Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Melody shaped in wax

July 11, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, Alladmin

Perfect blend: Wax statues of musicians at the Melody World Wax Museum in Mysuru. DH Photo

What makes the Melody World Wax Museum in Mysuru stand out from other wax museums is its display of various musical instruments and wax statues of musicians playing instruments. There are around 100 life-size wax statues and over 470 musical instruments displayed here.

This is a one-of-its kind wax museum that was established by Shreeji Bhaskaran, a Bengaluru-based IT professional, in October 2010 as a tribute to all musicians from across the world. This museum focuses on the preservation of art and culture of India, especially in the field of music.

Making of the statues

All the musical instruments that are displayed here are purchased from across the country and world. “While India is moving towards a virtual digital platform, most of the art and culture heritage of India is disappearing. The collection of this museum is unique and represents most states of India,” says Shreeji. Nearly all the musical instruments of Karnataka are displayed in this museum.

The wax statues and instruments in the museum are a source of attraction for many. However, the making of these wax models takes a long time. The process of making wax statues involves several steps including computerised digital imaging techniques, conventional and traditional methodologies of moulding and sculpting, etc. In fact, around 50 kg of wax is used to make each statue and it takes 13 months to complete.

After the statues are developed, they are given an authentic look with the use of various accessories.

Clothes are specially stitched to fit the statues and their styles. Colours are mixed in with wax when it is in the molten state. However, cosmetic colouring is used only in the final stages of the statue’s creation. The eyes and teeth used in the statues are artificial while the hair may be synthetic or natural, depending upon the statue’s requirement to get a real-life look. All the statues exhibited are of life size and are dressed in traditional clothing.

Probably, this museum houses the largest collection of musical instruments in Karnataka. These have been displayed in 19 galleries. There are also wax models of various bands from across the country and abroad in genres such as Indian Classical, Hip Hop, Jazz and Bhangra. While many of the wax statues showcased at this museum have musical relevance, there are a few which also have social importance.

Major attractions

Highlights of this museum include a colossal statue of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and a life-size statue of Maharaja Srikantadatta Wadiyar. Another attraction at the museum is that you can play some of the musical instruments displayed in a special section.

The museum has become a popular haunt for people who want to get to know the rich musical diversity that India offers. In fact, the museum gets as many as 400 visitors on weekdays, while it gets around 600 visitors on weekends.

Melody World Wax Museum is open on all days between 9.30 am and 7.00 pm. To know more about the museum, visit www.melodyworld.in.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Spectrum / by Monica S A / July 11th, 2017

Scholar Krishnachar dead

July 2, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leadersadmin

Sanskrit and English scholar D.S. Krishnachar, 96, a big name in printing of religious books in Sanskrit, English, Hindi and Kannada through the Prabha Printing House in Basavanagudi here, died of cardiac arrest on Sunday. He is survived by wife, two sons and three daughters.

His son D.K. Upendra said Mr. Krishnachar, who studied in Fort High School, Chamarajpet, and Central College, was a friend and classmate of freedom fighter H. Narasimhaiah, and was closely associated with scholars N. Ranganatha Sharma and K.T. Pandurangi. “My father used to start the day with The Hindu. It is amazing to note that he has read from page 1 till the end for over 70 years. Having been a resident of Bengaluru all along, he also interacted with the editorial team about changes in the paper. He was interested in current affairs and discussed relevant topics with all of us. In fact, he passed on the habit of reading newspapers to us,” Mr. Upendra said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Bengaluru – July 02nd, 2017

A Hoysala-style temple, with a Welsh touch

June 15, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinionadmin

Recreating heritage: An artistic rendering of the temple with its soaring tower. At right is Adam Hardy, lead architect for the project.

Cardiff architect revives 800-year-old tradition of building with soapstone in Karnataka

An architectural style that goes back 800 years, a plan for an ornate 21st century temple built out of soapstone in an obscure village, and an architect from Wales to see it through.

That is the story of the Hoysala-inspired Lord Venkateshwara temple at Venkatapura, a few km away from Mulbagal in Kolar district of Karnataka. The usually quiet hamlet hums with activity as people make a clearing, where the fields lead to a plateau.

Funded by donations

The temple, designed in the striking Hoysala style, will come up on seven acres of land here, funded by donations.

The structure shuns modern-day cement. Floated by a public trust, it promises to be bigger than the Belur Chennakeshava temple. Leading the team is architect Adam Hardy, Professor of Asian Architecture at the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University.

The Vimana, or tower, will stand 108 feet tall.

The temple has been commissioned by a public trust. “It was my father’s dream to have a temple in Venkatapura,” says Aravind Reddy, from the same village and treasurer of the Sri Kalyana Venkateshwara Hoysala Art Foundation. “I have always been fascinated by Hoysala architecture and wanted to revive the tradition. When we started, we planned a small temple with a budget of ₹15 to ₹20 lakh,” he says. The project is now estimated to cost at least ₹300 crore.

Classic iconography

Prof. Hardy says, “The Hoysala style is known for architectural planning, detailed iconography, beautifully carved pillars and use of soapstone instead of sandstone. To replicate it will be no easy job.”

Quest for the architect

The planners had no problem sourcing sculptors, artists and even the material. It was the search for an architect who could recreate the Hoysala magic that was the bigger challenge, one that took years to solve.

A chance meeting with Yashaswini Sharma, architect and author of Bangalore: The Early City AD 1537-1799, in 2009 gave the project its first chance of success. “When I told her I wanted to build a Hoysala temple, She showed me the book written by Mr. Hardy. I found some 60 plans for a Hoysala temple in his book. I knew I had to meet him,” says Mr. Reddy.

It so happened that the scholar was visiting India at the time. “It was after I met him that the scale of the project became mind-boggling,” says Mr. Reddy. It took eight years of designing and redesigning the plan before construction began a few days ago.

The trust wants its creation to reflect the best of the three famous temples in Arsikere, Belur and Halebid.

The foundation for the ambitious plan was laid on June 14, and the ceremony was attended by the erstwhile Maharaja of Mysore Yaduveera Chamaraja Wadiyar.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Sarumathi K / Bengaluru – June 15th, 2017

Where each stitch tells a story

June 15, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, Alladmin

Designer Latha Puttanna says you cannot duplicate the intricate handwork done over time through machines

From being a housewife and a beautician to one of the most-sought after designers, Latha Puttanna has had an interesting journey. This year, she celebrates 25 years of being a designer with an exhibition of over 100 hand-made designer blouses.

“I was already thinking out-of-the-box, drawing, sketching and executing the design on fabric. Marriage was the best thing to happen to me as I was just not interested in studies. I was just 16 then,” she says with a laugh.

Latha gave up her salon as she felt “stagnated in it” and started “designing my clothes. Whatever I wore was appreciated and friends and family asked me to makefor them too. As an experiment, I designed 80 salwar suits and had my first exhibition in 1992. They were all sold out. That is how my label – Latha Puttanna – came into being. What you see today is a result of my passion and a quarter century of experience. It is not a by-product of any training. The very essence of being an Indian is the USP in my designs. We have such a vast range of textiles and heritage. I am inspired by that.”

Latha has always worked with natural fabrics. “Embroidery is my biggest strength. Today it is hard to find skilled craftsmen, but every design or thread work comes with a piece of history, be it the fabric or the crafts used. They are priceless and can be handed down to the next generation too.”

Latha says the blouse she is wearing has embroidery from “over 25 years ago. This was originally used on a kurta. I cut off the sleeves as the work is priceless and has every kind of embroidery on it. Then I attached it to a new blouse and I got a new design. The blouses that we will display has one style of thread work taken from this very blouse and worked in varied designs.”

Latha says the exhibition is a “tribute to all that I have done over the years, to the people who have worked with me and to our rich culture and heritage.”

When asked about the focus on blouses, Lata says, “People have always asked me for blouses and I tell them it is attached to this sari or that. I felt the time now was right to display the wide range of blouses we have created. Women can buy, mix and match and wear them with the saris of their choice. The best part of our blouses are that they can be worn on a western skirt or a ghagra, with pants, palazzos or saris. You can match them up and go completely ethnic or blend it with western wear, the choice is yours.”

“The sad thing is that today, in the fast-paced world, everything is done in a jiffy, from food to designs. So people are losing out on our rich textile history. You can’t duplicate this intricate handwork done over time through machines. I find it hard to cope with that mentality. People are willing to shell out huge amounts for clothes that are mass produced. But with us, every piece has a story attached. So you are wearing a slice of history when you drape our saris or blouses, so why not invest in a design with a story?”

The exhibition offers over 100 blouses with unique designs. The blouses are priced at ₹4,000 upward and come with Kalamkari prints for lining “so that even the inside looks gorgeous.” Various peek-a- boo openings are in the back with aari work, zardosi and silk patchwork. The venue is Arts village, opposite Bowring Institute, St Mark’s Road, on June 16 from 10 am to 7 pm. Call 7338335169 for details.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style / by Shilpa Sebastian R / June 14th, 2017

Meet Bengaluru police’s Meme-saabs

June 15, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economyadmin

When you meet young entrepreneurs Chethan Hiremath and Deeraj Gowda , the men behind the social-media makeover that the Bengaluru City Police pages have got, the first impression that you get from their camaraderie is that they have known each other for a lifetime. They even live together. But as it turns out, this friendship-cum-business partnership is less than a year old.

The Twain Meet
Chethan tells us, “As people who deal with social media , it is interesting that we met on Snapchat. I was working on a project and needed a new logo and one of the many responses I got was from Deeraj. I liked his design and that’s how we started working together.” The twist in the story here is that Deeraj was, at the time, pursuing his passions in graphic designing and photography, having quit a cozy DRDO aeronautical software developer job. “I had just started my own firm when we met. But after a few discussions we realized that our views were similar and got together,” adds Deeraj.
Initially, the duo catered to a lot of F&B clients, given that Chethan has a flourishing event management firm to his credit. “But then, one day we realized that none of it was really worth our time. It was as boring as a 9-5 job, just delivering what the client wants — put up some posts and get some likes. They didn’t really want to drive content, which is our strength. Which is when we decided to let go of all our clients and refocus our energy on the big league,” says Chethan.

Bengaluru Police Onboard

One of the biggest clients that this eight-month-old partnership has bagged is the Bengaluru City Police. “Technology is the future and we had read a couple of articles in which Bengaluru City Commissioner Praveen Sood had spoken about his plans in this direction. We knew that if we had impress him and reason why social media should rank high in the scheme of things. It was the perfect opportunity. We sent out a message on their Facebook page, about how miserable they were faring in the online space, while the ground reality was far from it. People didn’t really care what the police were doing. We explained that there are two things that work phenomenally online — negativity and humour — and that we understand both well. We told them that the only way forward would be to get an agency to handle this. We didn’t exactly pitch it for ourselves, but said that we would love to do it for them,” explains Chethan.

The duo didn’t expect to hear from the city cops, as they have their own social-media team led by MG Nagendra Kumar , DCP Command Centre, which has been doing a good job. “They had about five lakh followers on both Twitter and Facebook all by themselves. Yet, within days of our message, we got a call from them. Initially, they weren’t ready to outsource and wanted us to help with ideation and work from their premises,” says Chethan. Deeraj adds, “We showed them posters and memes around drunk driving and no-honking and explained that the only way to reach out to the younger generation is through what they like doing. Most relationships today are about tagging each other on social media and we thought that memes are the best platform to communicate ideas. And it worked well. Praveen Sood was impressed and then gave us the job”

The Game Plan

Having followed memes over the past 4-5 years, Deeraj says that they have their finger on the pulse and know what is ‘in’ and will trend. “We try to inculcate that meme with a message; that’s how the Game of Thrones and Pablo Escobar memes came about. We blended humour with social messages, without diluting the image that the Bengaluru Police has. Whatever content they have, we find a creative way to put it across. Initially they were reporting stuff, like, for instance, ‘Today we caught a robber’. Who cares? People think that it is their duty. But when we involved a bit of humour to say the same thing, people started paying attention,” says Deeraj, adding that the duo have contests among themselves about who comes up with the better idea and who gets maximum shares and likes.

But given the seriousness of the job, posts go online only after they are vetted by Nagendra Kumar. “Every single post goes through him and a lot does get shot down. We understand pop culture, so there is a lot of convincing that has to be done, and if you reason well, they will accept,” says Chethan.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / by Prathibha Joy / TNN / June 14th, 2017

Young Bengalureans’ docu on Tibet’s freedom struggle tops Bangalore Short Film Festival

June 15, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

Bengaluru :

Bengalureans Santosh Chandrasekhar, 26, Aiman S, 24 and Sumit Dasgupta , 24 started working on their dream project Rangzen – a 39-minute-long documentary film on Tibetans, hardly did they know it will fetch this trio the award for best documentary in Bangalore Short Film Festival 2017.

Not just that, this documentary film featuring lives of Tibetans who had escaped Chinese invasion and took refuge in India has made three Bengalureans proud by bagging a special jury award at International Film Festival of Prayag, Delhi and the audience award at Feel the Reel International Film Festival in the UK, this year.

Santosh Chandrasekhar, assistant professor at a city college, “The movie is all about their struggle to hold on to their Tibetan identity in a foreign land and how they dream to go back to a nation that doesn’t exist anymore. The film has got answers to seeking their identities and their perpetual fight for freedom and a struggle to find their self.”

“We, through this documentary, were trying to initiate discourses related to the Tibetan struggle for freedom and generate awareness about our ‘guests’ among our fellow Indians. Although in exile for over 56 years, we fail to recognise Tibetans. We ignorantly see them as either northeasterners or Chinese. The Tibetan freedom struggle being one of the longest after the exodus of the Jews can put this documentary film into major political articulation,” added Aiman S, a copy writer and another maker of this documentary. The documentary has also made an entry to official selection category at International Documentary and Short Film Festival, Kerala and Calcutta International Cult Film Festival, 2017.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / by Sreemoyee Chatterjee / TNN / June 13th, 2017

Musician G.V. Neela dies

June 6, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainmentadmin

G.V. Neela, one of the pillars of Sri Rama Lalitha Kala Mandira that propagated Carnatic music in Bengaluru South for decades, passed away late on Saturday. She was 81.

Daughter of G. Vedanta Iyengar, an educationist and recipient of Public Service Medal from the then Maharaja of Mysore, Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, she along with her sister G.V. Ranganayakamma dedicated her life of propagating Carnatic music.

Ms. Neela, who had held music classes every single day of her life in the last four decades, continued to teach till two days before her death. Veteran musician Neela Ramgopal, said: “It was music 24 hours for her and nothing else. Such unconditional dedication cannot be replicated.”

Neela leaves behind two brothers and a sister, and hundreds of students.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – June 03rd, 2017

AIET students, faculty map 5,000 assets in Mangaluru taluk

June 3, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, Alladmin

Mangaluru :

A tripartite agreement involving NRSC-Isro, Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat and Alva’s Institute of Engineering and Technology (AIET) has seen students of AIET carry out asset mapping of 5,000 assets in Mangaluru taluk. The effort saw 55 faculty and 330 students undertake the mapping work in 25 days after AIET team trained gram panchayat members in 55 GPs in the taluk and panchayat development officers (PDOs) helped them in the endeavour.

With M R Ravi, chief executive officer of DK ZP, responding positively to the proposal from AIET, National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) and AIET team, trained PDOs of Mangaluru taluk about Bhuvan Panchayat android application at an orientation programme. The 55 GPs were divided in 11 clusters. Each cluster comprised 5 GPs, ans was allotted five faculty and 30 students from AIET. The cluster-level training was held on May 3 and 4.

Vivek Alva, managing trustee, Alva’s Education Foundation , who handed over the asset mapping report of the taluk to Ravi on Saturday, said that the work was an excellent learning process for both students and faculty of AIET. “This not only gave much needed rural exposure to students of AIET, but also encouraged them to carry out projects for villages,” he said, adding that the project has effectively used the application created by NRSC-Isro.

Ravi said such projects expose students to rural India and problems people face in urban areas. Noting that he had personally visited some of the gram panchayats where the asset mapping was going on, Ravi said that the report will help planners like him refix their priorities and work towards filling the critical gaps in local infrastructure. “The report helps the administrators draw critical inferences which can help people at large,” he claimed.

Referring to one such inference, he said that the mapping has identified presence of 34 churches, 131 mosques and 374 temples in the taluk. “This is an indicator of the religious harmony and peaceful coexistence of people,” he said. The presence of 111 bank branches gives one the inference that the taluk is commercially urban oriented society. It also throws light on shortcomings in administrative initiatives such as failure to promote rainwater harvesting and surfeit of borewells.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Mangalore News / TNN / May 28th, 2017

Seven State artistes selected for Sangeet Natak Akademi honours

May 31, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Uncategorizedadmin

They are among the 43 chosen from across the country

Seven eminent artistes from Karnataka have been chosen for the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards for 2016 for their contribution to the fields of music, theatre and puppetry. They are among the 43 awardees from various parts of the country.

The artistes are: Neela Ramgopal (Carnatic vocal), Mysore M. Manjunath (Carnatic instrumental-Violin), Ratnamala Prakash (Sugama Sangeet), Koushik Aithal (Yuva Purasksar-Hindustani Vocal), Ashwin Anand (Yuva Puraskar-Carnatic Instrumental-Veena), K. Govind Bhat (Yakshagana), and Dattatreya Aralikatte (Puppetry).

The Academy awards carry a purse of ₹1 lakh, a tamrapatra and an angavastram.

For the first time, the Sugama Sangeeta music form from Karnataka has been identified for the award and Ms. Prakash is the first recipient of the honour. Apart from numerous Bhavageethas (Sugama Sangeet), she has sung many film songs over four decades. Ms. Prakash was the recipient of the Santa Shishunala Sharif award in 2016. “I dedicate the award to my illustrious father R.K. Srikantan and my mentor C. Ashwath,” she said.

Neela Ramgopal at 82 is among the senior-most Carnatic vocalists of Karnataka and a sought-after music teacher. A student of Sadagopalachari, N.M. Narayanan and T.K. Rangachary, she is the recipient of many awards, including one from Madras Music Academy.

From Royal Albert Hall to Sydney Opera House, violinist Mysore M. Manjunath has performed across the globe. According to music critics, his style is marked by strict adherence to classicism, and a perfect blend of emotive appeal and intellectual sophistication.

Recipient of the Yuva Puraskar award, Koushik Aithal, is a promising young artiste from the State. He is the recipient of the prestigious Pt. Basavaraja Rajguru Yuva Puraskar from the Government of Karnataka. “The award has increased my responsibility in terms of practice and performance,” he told The Hindu.

Octogenarian K. Govind Bhat started his career in Thenku Thittu School of Yakshagana in 1951, and continues as a professional artiste in the Dharmasthala mela. Popularly known as Datta, Mr. Aralikatte is a puppeteer and teacher. He heads Puthali Kalaranga (Puppet Theatre), a well-known traditional puppet theatre group.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – May 31st, 2017

Kannada film producer Parvathamma Rajkumar passes away

May 31, 2017Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leadersadmin

Parvathamma Rajkumar | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Parvathamma Rajkumar was the only woman producer-distributor-exhibitor of Kannada films.

Kannada film producer Parvathamma Rajkumar, wife of the late Kannada superstar Rajkumar, passed away on Wednesday morning due to prolonged illness in a private hospital here. She was 78.

Her blood pressure dropped since last night following which she had a massive cardiac arrest at 4.40 a.m. She has been hospitalised since May 14.

Parvathamma was the only woman producer-distributor-exhibitor of Kannada films. Vajreshwari Combines and Poornima Enteprises, started by her, have produced many of the films starring her husband Rajkumar and sons Shivarajkumar, Raghavendra Rajkmar and Puneet Rajkumar. She has produced over 80 films. Their 87th production was Run Antony starring Vinay Rajkumar, her grandson.

A 13-year-old when she got married, Parvathamma went on to become the pillar of support for the Rajkumar clan and played a major role in managing the image of her husband, a major icon of Kannada cinema.

Raj Kumar and Parvatamma Rajukumar | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Doddahulluru Rukkoji, film historian and author of the two-volume book on Dr. Rajkumar’s life, describes Parvathamma as the first woman film entrepreneur in Karnataka, who played a big role in what is easily the most sensational success story in the history of Kannada cinema.

All her three sons- Shivaraj, Ragavendra, Punith along with other family members were present, said Ramaiah hospital president Naresh Shetty. Parvathamma’s eyes have been donated as per her wishes, said her son Raghavendra Rajkumar.

People from various walks of life, especially from Kannada cinema industry, have condoled her death.

“Parvathamma was not only mother to her sons and daughters. She was mother in real sense to Kannada film industry, as she used to rush, whenever there is crisis and artistes faced problems,” said veteran actor Srinivasamurthy, who acted along side Rajkumar in various films produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah described her as “an inalienable part of the success story of Dr. Rajkumar.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Afshan Yasmeen & Muralidhara Khajane / May 31st, 2017

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