Monthly Archives: October 2012

Austrian Co’s community service in N’GUD

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Caption: AT&S Austria’s Chairman of Supervisory Board Honnes Androsch (extreme right) is seen with Mysore Unit’s Executive Secretary Roopa Rao and Managing Director Ric Rawlley.

Mysore, Oct. 7

An Austria-based company called AT&S India, having an electronic micro-chip industry in Nanjangud, has been providing community services in the areas of health and education for villages in the surroundings for the past several years.

AT&S Mysore Unit Managing Director Ric Rawlley, addressing a press meet in city yesterday, said that AT&S India has been providing regular medical services to the residents of Korehundi village located just behind the plant, in association with JSS Medical Institution.

“Physicians visit this village – which has a population of approximately 800 people — every week to attend to the patients and provide free consultation and medicines. AT&S India has constructed a medical examination centre and also a room for small children who attend the Anganwadi (special educational / health system for poor children),” said Rawlley.

AT&S has set up a new high capacity pump installed at Srikanteswara Water Works in Nanjangud, providing 100 liters of drinking water to Sujathapuram School everyday.

“The industry has been providing scholarships for employees’ children each year, along with free medical facility to nearby village people. Regular free medical checkup and distribution of medicine to Handuvinahalli villagers is being done,” he said.

Other community service works done by the industry are: Sponsoring three eye camps per year in association with Rotary Club of Nanjangud, distribution of uniforms, school bags and drinking water to Korehundi primary school and Anganawadi children, monetary rewards for toppers, computer literacy, sponsoring vocational training to villagers, etc.

AT&S unit is situated close to river Kabini. The company has a captive power generating station to meet operational requirements. The total land area is 42 acres, which is sufficient to take care of all future expansions. The present built up area is 39,300 sq mtrs.

AT&S Austria’s Chairman of Supervisory Board Honne

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> General News / October 07th, 2012

Best Industrialist Award for B.S. Narayan

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology

Caption: Mysore Industries Association President P. Vishwanath seen presenting Best Industrialist Award to Excel-Par Electronics Company’s Managing Director B.S. Narayan in city on Wednesday as Rotary Mid-Town President R.S. Vishwanath, Secretary L.M. Manoj Kumar and Rotary Mid-Town Professional Services Director Dr. K.A. Prahallad look on.

Mysore, Oct. 12:

The city’s Excel-Par Electronics Company’s Managing Director B.S. Narayan was presented the Best Industrialist Award by former Mayor & Mysore Industries Association President P. Vishwanath at a function organised by Rotary Mysore Mid-Town at Rotary Hall on JLB Road in the city on Wednesday.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishwanath said the entrepreneurs are the real creators of wealth. But it is tragic to note that neither the government nor associations/organisations are willing to help bail out industrialists when they are forced to shut shops for inevitable reasons. At the same time, a successful industrialist will be targeted by one and all, with the authorities working on taxing him. The present mindset of taxing a successful industrialist should go, he said.

Lamenting that nearly 70 per cent of the industries are facing closure due to problems such as power cuts, labour problem, non-availability of raw materials and the like, Vishwanath lauded Excel-Par Electronics company for its excellent management and service.

Referring to Mysore Master-plan-2031, Vishwanath observed that if the government gives its nod for the plan in its present shape, then there can be no doubt that Mysore would soon become a concrete jungle sans any green belt.

The Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) lacks any green idea. Besides, the earlier notified green belt too has been cleverly amended in the map and shown as agricultural land.

As per the law, the green belt zone in urban areas cannot be changed for any reason. But the CDP has no mention of the green belt and in some cases, provision has been made for constructing buildings in space meant for parks.

He added that a meeting of former Mayors has resolved to submit objections to the CDP in its present form.

Vishwanath also called upon all the informed citizens and industrialists to submit their objections and suggestions to the government in this regard.

Narayan replying to the felicitation, expressed gratitude to the citizens of Mysore and the Rotary for recognising his contribution to the industrial sector.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / General News / October 12th, 2012

Saina keen to start badminton academy in city

Sports

Olympic heroes Saina Nehwal and Mary Kom expressed their deep fondness for Bangalore, with the badminton star saying she is keen to start a badminton academy in the city.

“I want to do something for badminton in Bangalore; I can see the interest here. I hope to support badminton in a big way here so that youngsters get motivated,” Saina told a press conference here, adding she is in talks with corporates to help make the academy a reality.

The ace also spoke of her connection with the city. “When I was a junior, I used to visit the city every two or three months to attend the badminton camps at Sports Authority of India (SAI). I’ve played many tournaments here at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy as well. I hope to come here again and again.”

DITTO FROM KOM

Boxer Mary Kom also heaped praise on the city. “I’m very happy to be here. I cannot spend too much time here though as I am employed with the Manipur Police. I like Bangalore a lot, and maybe my kids will study here in the future.”

Both the bronze medal winners were handed the ownership documents of a three-bedroom apartment each, gifted by Commune India in recognition of the duo’s fine performance at the Olympics.

In a fine gesture, the two sportswomen pledged an item from their personal sport gear for an auction. The proceeds will go to Save a Mother, a not-for-profit organisation aimed at improving healthcare provided to expectant mothers.

SCHOOL EVENT

The duo then attended a Salute to Women event at Bishop Cotton Boys School later in the evening, where singer Usha Uthup entertained the crowd. Actors Ramya and Arundhati Nag, MLA Anita Kumaraswamy, Bangalore City Police Commissioner B.G. Jyothi Prakash Mirji were the other invitees.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Bangalore / by Sports Reporter / October 11th, 2012

Two govt teachers to learn more from Belgium

Education, Uncategorized

Bangalore:

How often have you heard of government teachers getting to go abroad? Two such teachers working in Davanagere and Dharwad schools have been selected to visit the University College of Arteveldehoge School, Ghent, in Belgium.

The offer is part of Gurupuraskar, an initiative by Shikshana Foundation. The teachers – Shivappa Badiger from Halumagulu in Davanagere, and  Somashekhar Kumtakar from Madhihonnalli – will get an opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with their counterparts for 15 days.

Last year, teachers from Belgium were hosted by Sikshana in Kanakapura taluk. They were impressed by the Nali Kali programme being implemented in state schools. In a return gesture, Belgium invited Karnataka teachers to share information about their educational system.

“I love teaching, especially in villages. There are no labs in our schools to teach Science. In mine, we have divided the classroom to make space for a lab too. During summer camps, we make low-cost models. I enjoy working with children,” said Somashekhar, who teaches Maths and Science.

“We will try to understand the techniques being used in Belgium and give suggestions to the department here for their implementation. They have one of the best education systems in the world,” said Shivappa, a  Kannada teacher.

“One of the things I’d like to focus on is techniques to explain difficult concepts to children,” added Somashekhar. The teachers will leave for Belgium on Thursday.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Bangalore / TNN / October 12th, 2012

Dasara to get cracking with online quiz

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

Mysore:

The Dasara executive committee is fine tuning events to attract visitors to Mysore.

Running against the deadline-the  Dasara festival starts on October 16-the official machinery is now focused on the festivities. This edition has some additions like a musical ensemble from dawn to dusk and magic shows. There is tax free entry for the visitors crossing inter-state borders. The state government has issued order waiving the entry tax from October 15, which will be on for a month, district minister SA Ramdas said on Wednesday.

Sideshwara Swami of Bijapur-based Gnanayogashram will inaugurate the festivities atop Chamundi Hills on October 16 at 10.42 am. Chief minister Jagadish Shettar and the deputy CMs will attend. The Dasara executive committee headed by the minister will start inviting the dignitaries from Thursday starting with the CM and cabinet ministers. On Friday, the minister with officials in tow will call on governor HR Bhardwaj at the Raj Bhavan and scion of the Mysore royal family Srikantadatta Narasimharaaja Wadiyar at Bangalore Palace and invite them. The invite will also be extended to the Chief Justice of the Karnataka high court Justice Vikramajit Sen.

Dasara events will start with an online quiz on Sunday. This is aimed at creating awareness about the flagship festival of the state and its history. The quiz is open for the applicants for registration at the official website for the Dasara www.mysoredasara.gov.in

“This edition of the festivities we are focusing on age-old traditions followed in the state like the customs practised by followers of different religions during marriage as the government has decided to celebrate the festivities traditionally,” Ramdas stated. The tableaus during the Dasara procession on October 24 will depict the customs and traditions followed here. It will also educate the masses about the various stages of evolution of transportation.

Ramdas admitted that the Cauvery crisis has affected the tourist flow but nonetheless said it will not impact the festivities with normalcy having returned to the Cauvery belt. “We were worried, but now hope that it will not affect the festival. The ball is now in the court of Cauvery River Authority and we hope we’ll get justice,” he stated.

According to him, commercial flights will operate during Dasara from Mysore Airport and the details will be announced in two days.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Mysore / TNN, October 11th, 2012

RBI to banks: Learn from Apple, Devi Shetty

Business & Economy, Leaders, Science & Technology

Mumbai:

The Reserve Bank of India has asked banks to emulate two completely disparate organizations – Apple and Narayana Hrudayalaya – to increase their relevance to consumers.

While Apple is considered to be the ultimate aspirational brand, Narayana Hrudayalaya is a specialty hospital – a brainchild of cardiologist Dr Devi Shetty – with the altruistic motive of making complicated surgeries affordable.

Delivering the keynote address at the 6th Economic Times Banking Technology Conclave, RBI executive director G Padmanabhan said that Indian banks have grown their business 10-fold and their net profit and business per employee several-fold without hiring additional staff thanks to technology.

Urging the banks to improve customer experience in electronic transactions, Padmanabhan said they should think about difficulties customers face in navigating the maze of security protocols and ensure that these do not discourage adoption of ebanking. “Banks need to examine how they can make electronic transactions safe and secure while providing customers equal or more ease, comfort and convenience compared to branch banking.”

Padmanabhan cited the example of Apple and Steve Jobs. “Let us not get into his (Jobs’s) style of functioning; (but) the gadgets that he has given to us are world class. Their user-friendly nature makes them the most preferred in their class. Be it the iPod, iPhone or the iPad, they continue to dominate the sales in their respective markets. Can banking in India become the ultimate customer experience?”

He said banks should also crunch costs by emulating Narayana Hrudayalaya, which he described as “Walmart personifying the service spirit of Mother Teresa”. “By thinking differently about everything from the unusually high number of patients it treats to the millions it provides insurance, and by thinking a lot like the world’s largest retailer, the hospital group is able to continually wring out costs,” he said.

Drawing similarities between the two organizations, he said the hospital negotiates for better prices and buys directly from manufacturers, cutting out distributors. Cardiac care, an equipment-intensive specialty, made it easier for the hospital group to expand into other areas that require the same infrastructure. “Can banks look to reduce costs the way Narayana Hrudayalaya has done?” he asked.

source: http://www.m.timesofindia.com / Home / October 10th, 2012

A bit of Mysore, abroad

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nri's / Pio's

Rooted

Situated in Northwest Switzerland on the River Rhine, scenic Basel is a border town hugging France and Germany. As a confluence of these assimilated cultures by virtue of its location, Basel is a major cultural centre of Europe. Its world famous theatres, museums and art galleries showcase a rich variety of arts and artistes annually, creating a unique meeting ground in itself.

Amid this ambience, Indian classical dance, more particularly the Mysore style of Bharatanatya, has bloomed into a well-recognised form in this distant land today. Kalasri, the school of Bharatanatya and yoga, the first such institution to be established in Switzerland, has brought these ancient Indian forms to that country and popularised them, carving out an identity for the Mysore style on the world dance stage. In Basel’s art calendar too, Kalasri is a visible presence, representing the fluid and graceful Mysore style.

But this carving out a niche for the Mysore style was not by design. For Dasappa Keshava and his Swiss wife, Esther Jenny, Kalasri was a natural fallout of their love for dance and all things Indian. They did not even vehemently announce the pursuit of the Mysore style, their own gentility echoing in the style itself. So all-absorbing has Bharatanatya been to them that their two daughters — Nandini and Sumitra — have taken to it as a full-time profession despite being academically qualified for other vocations.

Seeing is believing

Keshava and Sumitra performed at the Alliance Francaise in Bangalore recently, and this single exposure to their dance spoke of their sincerity and grooming. What constitutes the Mysore style can itself be a debatable issue. But it is no doubt a gentle and graceful style, with the abhinaya complementing it in natural fashion. In Keshava’s words, “It can be called sahaja abhinaya. The pantomime in the sanchari bhavas are shown more clearly. The adavus are done with more flexibility, and appear different, although they are similar to the other banis.”

While these aspects of the Mysore style were visible in the father-daughter duo recital in Bangalore, Keshava’s emphasis on mind and body training is what made him adopt a holistic approach to dance, and the setting up of yoga classes. He is an avid hatha yoga practitioner and trainer. “Dance is an art and not a sport. You have to train the body till it becomes aligned with the mind.”

Why Keshava took to dance makes for a fascinating listen, and a journey into the cultural ethos of the Mysore region. The Mysore style is a part of the ‘Rajanartaki’ form. Keshava is one of the very few dancers trained by Venkatalakshamma, who was the last among the dancers of royal patronage. She was singularly responsible for getting a high visibility to the Mysore style.

Living close to the Mysore palace, Keshava was lucky to watch innumerable recitals of Venkatalakshamma around the palace temples. The fascination for dance took root, although the prejudices attached to boys taking to dance kept him away from learning it.

He found outlet in theatre instead, during his school and college days. But the palace and its rich performing arts activities continued to stir something deep within him, and he could no longer resist walking into Venkatalakshamma’s dance classes.

Far removed from this pursuit was his qualifying as a mechanical draftsman, which he put to use creatively, and not as a career option, by sculpting in wood. The artist in him found yet another outlet, and “I would spend hours working on my carvings.”

His entire learning experience continues as an ongoing journey of the spiritual. His dance has also taken an academic turn with the publishing of his book, Bharatiya Nritya Sampradayagalu, by the University of Mysore, a city which is so close to his heart that he and his family spend at least a few weeks there annually. Perhaps his upbringing in Mysore, with all the paraphernalia of royalty and pageantry in terms of  the famed Dasara festival and public celebrations of festivals all round the year, has much to do with his treating dance as both a heritage and a form of self expression that eventually leads one on to the path of spiritual growth. This humility and faith was more than evident in his recital.

He has brought out two music CDs — Classical South Indian Music and Daiva Stuti — which have propelled him to go deeper into Carnatic music and devotional songs in Kannada.

A remark often heard among dancers is that classical dance has lost its relevance today. Hence the need to venture into new ideas and concepts. Keshava has something else to say. “The art of dance is like a mirror to society. It is educative. Through entertainment, it conveys a great philosophy of life. The good and bad are portrayed on stage, which the audience can easily identify, and learn from it. As for me,  I cleanse my body, mind and soul through practicing dance.” True to this belief, the repertoire of his dance school represents a mini-India, as it incorporates other classical dance forms and folk dances too.

He says he presents Bollywood style dances too as they are popular, but that does not take away from his traditional moorings as those dances are treated as just filmy outings.

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> Supplements> Sunday Herald / Home> Arts & Culture / by Jyothi Raghuram / October 06th, 2012

On a green day, veg had the edge

Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature

Punacha, Bantwal Taluk :

For the 300-odd people who flocked to Mallya Shankarnarayan Bhat’s home in this small village 50 km from Mangalore on Saturday, the visit was worth its while.

An overwhelming number of them were farmers, and they learnt during the visit things about their vocation they did not even know! They came to know, for instance, that vegetable growing is not seasonal as believed, that veggies can be grown 365 days in a year.

They also learnt that the range of vegetables was wider than generally believed to be. That the range is such that a grower can shift from one vegetable to another in order to avoid loss in times of glut in market, or to beat the pests and diseases. Bhat had organised the get-together to convey to his fellow farmers that vegetable growing was a profitable, round-the-year business, and that it need not be chemical-dependent.

A stunning range of over 200 varieties of vegetables and fruits, with shapes and shades no painter could reproduce, was displayed at Bhat’s house, to impress upon the gathering about the diversity of the greens that are so critical to health. There were a number of members from the gourd family (ridge, bottle, snake, ash, ivy and ‘kaadu peere’- a variety of bitter gourd that is anything but bitter), cowpea, spinach, pumpkin, regular beans, sword beans, bread fruit, passion fruit, jack fruit, star fruit, durian, banana stem, banana shoot, ginger mango, pomelo, elephant yam, ladies finger, gherkins, cucumber, tapioca, wild mosumbi, wild oranges, ‘kanchu huli,’ radish, anjoor, cherry tomatoes, a number of green leafy vegetables.

Some of them are so indigenous that the English names are not available, such as ‘Aane Mungu,’ ‘Maha Phala,’ etc, and many are not even sold in the market any longer. The programme was aptly titled “Varshavidi Tharakaari” (vegetables round the year), was jointly organised by Hopcoms (Dakshina Kannada and Udupi), Horticulture department (DK ZP), Varanasi Jackfruit Growers’ Association (Adyanadka) and Halasu Snehi Koota (Jackfruit Friends’ Forum).

Such was the excitement that the programme generated, that farmers came for as far away as Moodbidri, Madikeri and even Mysore. Many shared their knowledge on growing vegetables round the year, dispelling the widely-held notion that they can’t be grown during monsoon and growing them through organic farming is not profitable.

From door-to-door

Farmer A P Chandrashekar stressed the need to use more and more locally available vegetables like Colocasia (Kesu used in Pathrode), Amaranthus (Harive) and Lancy Crasta. A farmer from Taccode near Moodbidri, explained how he supplies vegetables from door-to-door. C R Shivakumar, a consulting engineer now into farming in Periyapatna, spoke of how he takes vegetables grown in his 18-acre land in Periyapatna to Madikeri every Saturday, but manages to sell it even before he reaches Madikeri!

The programme was inaugurated by cutting a cucumber and plucking ladies finger from a plant. While guests were given a sapling of colocasia, all the visitors were given seeds of a number of vegetables free of cost.

And veggie snacks too!

An added attraction in the day’s programme was the menu for breakfast, lunch and evening tea. Almost everyone was all praise for the host, Mallya Shankarnarayan Bhat. In fact, many had a rare opportunity to taste unique dishes made of unique vegetables.

While Colocasia was served as breakfast with tea/coffee, the lunch had a number of dishes. While the soup was made of ‘Maha Phala’ leaves, the pickle was prepared using ‘Aane Mungu’ and Avil was prepared with bittergourd, cowpea, elephant yam, cucumber, brinjal, ridgegourd. There were three varieties of salads. While the first one was prepared with papaya, pomelo, corn and green gram, the second salad comprised colocasia, ginger and coriander leaves and the third salad had cucumber, banana shoot and ginger. The palav had cowpea, elephant yam, gherkins and beans. The payasam was made of bottle gourd, cucumber and pumpkin and the ‘halva’ had tapioca and cashew nut. The ‘tapioca jamoon’ was a new invention added in the last minute.
For the evening tea, the host served ‘jackfruit bonda’ and fried ‘tapioca podi.’ Not ­surprisingly, most of the guests ate only vegetables and did not even touch rice!

source: htt://www.deccanherald.com / Sunday Herald / Home> State / by Ronald Anil  Fernandes / Sunday, October 07th, 2012

Merc club rolls out in city

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Uncategorized
Some 60 Benz owners and authorised mechanics have come together to share expertise on the art of Mercedes maintenance 

K Subramani, 65, would always wonder why Benz classic car owners hadn’t got together, like the Yezdi or the Enfield group, despite there being a sizeable population of Merc owners in Bangalore. He need not wonder any more.

The Mercedes Benz India Group was formed a fortnight back with an initial membership of 60 in Bangalore and 200-odd members all over the country, to bring together passionate auto enthusiasts who want to preserve the classic cars. And Subramani, who has been driving his special edition w140 S500 Merc for 14 years, is one of the seniormost members.

The group, which has also roped in authorised Merc mechanics, has already met once. “We believe in encouraging, sharing, supporting, and enabling newbies and mature auto enthusiasts through the maze of the Indian classic and vintage scene. We have members across all age groups who will meet once a month with their classics. The group’s motto is to empower and equip the average enthusiast to enjoy motoring,” says Pramod Monnappa, committee member.
Apart from planning rallies, the once-a-month meet is aimed at sharing ideas and expertise, tackling problems, high governance standard and all activity related to preservation.
According to Nandish Palrecha, owner of a 1994 S320 w140, who is into retailing and distributing mobile phones, those whose cars are as old as 20 years come under the niche group. There are around 20 varieties ofclassics which are 15-20 years old.
“A Merc is generally the first point of success and is still the most sought-after vehicle. Our group has a healthy mix of people and seniors come with a lot of experience,’’ says Palrecha.
For Subramani, MD of United Exports which exports silk furnishings, his 14-year-old bullet-proof limousine is his second car. “I got to know about the group through Nandish,” he said. “At the first meet, we exchanged views about the problems, and how they can be solved without going to the garage. In fact, the Merc is a simple car and a lot of the problems can be fixed with the help of the internet,’’ he said.
In all these years, not once has Subramani thought of changing his 12-cylinder, petrol-driven car. “My bullet-proof limousine is exceptionally good and I will change it only if S600 is released in India,’’ he signs off.
To know more, contact: nandishpal@gmail or nikhil0673@gmail.

source: http://www.BangaloreMirror.com / Home> News> City> Story / by S. Kushala (kushala.satyanarayana@timesgroup.com / Monday, October 08th, 2012

Art review

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders

It rained ideas

The ample series of performances by mostly young local artists at Gallery Rasa on September 27 was another contribution from the well-guided enthusiasm and organisational skills of Smitha Cariappa, who has by now virtually institutionalised her efforts under the title of Live Art Lab being a part of BAR1 activities.

One has to congratulate her not just for practising performance since a time when it had only a slight presence in the country and none in the city, but also for encouraging and involving others, especially art students and young artists. At the moment as things are still beginning to take shape, one is bound to appreciate the fact that several people from within the circle, even many who otherwise engage with different media, are fascinated by the manifold potential of performance, while understanding that a degree of chaos, chance and mistakes belongs to the process, although some words of caution may not be out of place.

Although it did not start the event, Cariappa’s piece veritably introduced it in a gracefully simple and poetic manner, encapsulating her role as a creative but neutral and open-ended stimulant towards new ideas of the participants by using the metaphor of archaic rain-induction magic.

One could see the work of Deepak D L as complementary here with its humorous-serious combination of objectivity and randomness that admitted uncertainty whether performance has to mean something. Allowed so the freedom of individual interpretation, the present writer would like to stress the spectator’s primary need for sensation pointing to associations that becomes enhanced by its being incorporated in the live person of the performing artist. For this to happen during an actual contact of the viewer with the performer, the artist’s looks, gestures and behaviour along with the significant accessories and background have to be quickly recognisable at least in general terms, even if complexities of thought are to be considered carefully later. Without that, arbitrary or arcane symbolism risks turning into intellectual puzzles which tends to distract the audience from the mood as well as to confuse the reading of intended content. The varied sequence of performances had examples of both extreme options and in-between stages.

Perhaps the best one, anchoring in sheer sensation but thoughtful, which also formed another overture for the day, was by Aishwarya Sultana. Ingeniously using the large window outside and inside the hall, she cleaned it, wrote on it with water, erased it and tried looking within, indeed letting one viscerally yet subtly intuit the perceptual aspirations behind art-making and witnessing art.

Suresh Kumar G was equally inventive and topical in his use of the window in the interior and the noisy traffic on the road considering two, not entirely opposite sides of the observer and observation along with the two sides of screening oneself off and being exposed. The pieces by Dimple Shah, Mangala and Justine Williams dealing with rather diverse issues of anonymity versus fame, identity and truthfulness oscillated between authenticity of concerns or engagement with spectacular visuals and a confusing metaphorical language which troubled in particular with Shah’s effort being partly excellent.

The most layered in his not quite recognisable symbolism was Prakash L. At the other spectrum of message – simplicity and visual or aural primacy – were Anjana Kothamachu, Vasudev and Raghu Wodayar. They knotted fabric of dream by the first kind of illustrating a poem, the second somewhat formalistically tracing link lines between the body, dance and art, the last in a plain yet evocative way, conjuring a noisy crowd of self-centred mobile phone addicts.

Yearly gamut

The ninth annual show with 45 Indian artists 2012 at Galerie Sara Arakkal (August 25 to September 15) was a display very similar to what comes up there as a sort of yearly review of the institution’s steady repertoire while accommodating some slight changes.

The general profile continued with its emphasis on the traditional genres of painting and a few sculptures and a sporadic presence of once innovative photography-based and other complex media. It continued the preference for pleasant and often predictable styles as well, even though on the whole the level improved, thanks to a lesser number of very old-fashioned and amateurish idioms whereas comparatively progressive and ambitious artists could be noticed more often. With some all-India seniors from the always admirable K G Subramanian to Lalitha Lajmi and Achuthan Kudallur, to Yusuf Arakkal and S G Vasudev locally, the gamut included several middling styles together with some interesting contributions by mid-career artists (Rm Palaniappan, C F John) and especially younger ones from around here, like Ravikumar Kashi, Udaya Vir Singh, Manush C J, Gopinath S and Alok Johri.

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> Supplements> Art Review / by Marta Jakimowicz / DHNS, October 07th, 2012