Family time

The New Year is a special day for everyone and the City has been bustling with activities as different communities celebrated festivities with their families this week. Bengalureans are prepared to bring in the New Year on ‘Vishu’ and ‘Bihu’, which fall today, with both communities excited about the year ahead.

While the young are excited about the family gatherings and shopping, the adults are excited about the festivities. On ‘Vishu’, the ‘Vishukanni’ plays a major role, says Sindhu Padmakumar. She details, “The ‘Vishukanni’ comprises different elements like fruits, cucumber, pulses, cereals, gold, coins and the ‘kannikonna’ flower. A ‘vaalkanadi’ inside a ‘kindi’ is also placed along with ‘mundu’ as a part of the ‘kanni’.” Sindhu says that all these items are placed around Lord Krishna’s idol, which is the first thing one sees on the day.

“The woman of the family prepares the ‘kanni’ the night before, and brings the other family members one by one to see this sight, early next morning. This sight is believed to bring blessings in all the fields throughout the year,” says Sindhu.

Anjali, an engineering student, says that she awaits the day with excitement. “And at the end of the day, I wish that it wouldn’t end. A grand feast and loads of family time is what Vishu is all about,” she says. She says that new clothes and ‘kaineetam’ are the most exciting parts of the day. “Also, the ‘kanni’ itself is something we wait for. Even if I’m awake, I wait patiently for my mother to come and take me to it. There is also the anxiety of seeing whether the ‘kanni’ is better than the last time,” she says with a smile.

Giving ‘kaineetam’ is another big part of Vishu. Hemalatha Prakash says that it is an essential part of the day and symbolically means that one’s life will be blessed with wealth and prosperity. “The elders of the family give ‘kaineetam’ (which means giving money) to the younger lot, so as to give them monetary blessings. Words like ‘kai nirachu kittate’ (meaning may you blessed with more) are uttered during this. Usually my grandmother, who stays with us, gives everyone the ‘kaineetam’,” she says. Hemalatha adds that earlier silver coins used to be given away but nowadays it has advanced to rupee notes.

The festivities remain the same and a grand feast is cooked for the day. “Traditionally, the ‘Vishu Kanji’ is made on this day. The festivities include an elaborate ‘Vishu sadya’ like Onam, where different dishes are prepared like rice, ‘sambhar’, ‘achar’, ‘injipulli’, ‘avial’, ‘thoran’, ‘erusheri’ and ‘pacchadi’. Nowadays, it is more about what can be made, so anything that can be prepared becomes a part of the feast,” says Sangeetha Vipin. She adds that the festival also includes bursting fireworks traditionally, but many don’t do that in Bengaluru.

Celebrated by the Assamese diaspora, ‘Bihu’, which falls on the same day has its own festivities to it. This ‘Bihu’ is called ‘Rongali Bihu’, which comprises colours, dance and festivities. “The festivities include ‘Goru Bihu’ on April 14, where cows are washed and fed properly in the villages. ‘Manuh Bihu’ will be celebrated on April 15, where we wear new clothes and also gift new clothes to our relatives. It can be the ‘gamocha’, which is a valued gift, and also the ‘chadar’,” says Manjula Gogoi, a young professional.

She adds that the day is about unlimited food. “Of the mouth-watering food cooked for the day, the specialities includes ‘fish fry’ and ‘duck curry’ and an authentic drink made from rice,” she says. Priyam Bortamuli, brand manager with Fortis Hospitals, says, “The final day of the Bihu celebrations is today. We celebrate it in grand style with meeting families and gatherings. Back home, there are lots of public events which are held on the day. My in-laws are in town, and thus it will be a fun family affair.”

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> MetroLife / by Tini Sara Anien / DHNS – April 15th, 2015

 Basavanagudi  :

Art has been a passion for Leena Chethan for as far back as she can remember and over the years, it has solidified in two projects that offer artists, collectors and curious collectors, an opportunity to grow closer.

The portal Tangerine Art Space (tangerineartspace.com) promotes Indian contemporary art in the virtual realm and  Leanin’  Tree Art Café, serves European and Tex-Mex treats and the works of  young artists in a physical space designed around, yes, a tree!

Laughs Leena, “Yes, the café is built around a 100 year old fruit bearing lychee tree and that was the primary reason why I chose this space. The seating is on the tree deck and gives you a feeling of being seated on a machaan. Of course there are attendant problems. The tree is home to a wide range of birds, squirrels, ants etc and I’d like to keep it intact for them and not go trigger happy with a disinfectant or disturb the delicate ecological balance. Also, to keep the feel of the tree deck, we have to let go of any type of roofing.”

So if it is warm or noisy in the street outside or if it rains, you have to grin and bear it. Leena says, “This place is not for those who seek air-conditioned luxury. Those who understand the spirit of the space have become regulars.”

For the longest time though, it was convenient to only run a virtual business. Leena says, “Our art-buyer base is mostly in Mumbai, Delhi and overseas and it suited me perfectly to function from a virtual space all these years. Basically, that meant MAKING MONEY without the overheads! I was a one-woman army handling sales, PR, logistics, packaging, client relations, exhibitions, enquiries, artist communication, curation and them some.”

A certain pragmatism has always accompanied her creative decisions and she says, ‘‘I come from a management background. My decision to work with the contemporary art field stems from my understanding of art’s value in the present market and its potential for growth in future. Art market prices today are only the tip of the iceberg and I am convinced that Indian art will grow in leaps and bounds in the near future and the biggest beneficiaries of this bull run will be those who have invested in the right artists at the right time and at the right price.” She is astute enough to understand that,“In our times, art is not separated from commerce. Art has grown beyond the definitions of aesthetics.” It has, she says, now become an integral part of the economic structure of our society. “Those who INVEST in contemporary art with a clear judgment are going to be benefited in the long run. Art is not temporal, hence its value lives beyond ages,” she opines.

To take art into the physical dimension of an art cafe was natural for her. Leena  explains, “I’ve been married to a coffee planter for a little less than 20 years and have lived on a plantation for a good decade, before moving to Bengaluru. I consider myself a coffee and an art evangelist and Leanin’ Tree Art Café is a coming together of these two things. I am passionate about what I do and this is my true calling. The objective is to provide a regular café goer with an experience beyond eating and drinking. Its primary aim is to promote art by providing a gallery experience in an environment that is more accessible and less intimidating than a regular art gallery.”

Taking up a physical space was long overdue but the fact that galleries today are near empty throughout the day, bothered her. “With an art café, however, we’re able to bring in the footfalls and get to unleash the art on the unsuspecting guests! I consider my job done when I’m able to familiarise at least a fraction of our visitors with the names and works of a few artists,” she smiles.

She would also like to host poetry/book reading sessions, art discussions, creative training and workshop sessions at the cafe. The space is slowly but surely acquiring a cult reputation with young couples, students, techies, architects and art lovers. Leena recalls, “A lady celebrated her seventieth birthday with her family here!”

However to all those who come to her looking for investment ideas, she says, “Buy art that you love and can live with. While art can produce significant returns financially, the best returns are made when you buy with a passion for the art itself and not merely with the aim to INVEST.’’

And what guides her own choices when she showcases artists? She answers, “Aesthetically speaking, all the artists presented in our exhibitions demonstrate original thoughts and styles. They are either young fledgling artists poised for fame or those who have already established themselves.” Art she says is not just for the aesthetes but those who enjoy looking at something that engages their eye, provokes a thought over a cup of a coffee with a fruit laden tree swishing in the breeze.

For more details, please visit www.tangerineartspace.com or mail leena@tangerineartspace.com, or call +91-98862-18518.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Reema Moudgil / April 15th, 2015

Banashankari /JP Nagar :

Centre for Film and Drama (CFD), which turned 10 last August, will stage six plays, Tuesday onwards, as part of a milieu of events spread across this landmark year.

“We wanted an institute for training in integrated media and production,” says co-founder Prakash Belawadi. Now, he says, this has become so commonplace that even the term ‘convergence’ has gone out of use.

When CFD took off, its facility on Millers Road had, in addition to a performance space, an art gallery. But in 2010, it was mandated as a trust under Suchitra Cinema and Cultural Academy, and the school building coming up in its premises in Banashankari Stage II will be ready by the end of this year, the actor-director estimates.

Since its opening production, Brian Friel’s Translations directed by Mallika Prasad, in 2004, the group has averaged about four productions a year. And the selection of plays, on the whole, Belawadi says, are concerned with identity and identity crises.

“All our actors and directors are people who are interested in theatre as well as literature and other arts, and work with other groups in Bengaluru as well. So most of our plays are not only Indian, they are also very Kannadiga,” he says.

Like many of his peers, he rubbishes the notion that the technology that has led to this media integration has robbed theatre of this audience and artistes.

“I’ve been in theatre for about 30 years and every year, someone asks me about this. If anything, mainstream Kannada cinema is at risk because you can’t experiment in film and serials the way you can in theatre and get away with it,” he says.

But the journey so far for CFD, as it is for anyone in the field of theatre, hasn’t been free of hardship, nor is it likely to be. “One of the main challenges is that you’re constantly borrowing, trying to make things work in the box office because there is hardly any sponsorship in theatre,” he says, adding that this ensures that those who stick to theatre, usually, are the ones who love it most.

But while this passion for theatre remains in the artistes, Belawadi has observed that it has rather fizzled out in those who write about it.

“Earlier, staging a play was a risk, and reviewing it was equally risky,” he recalls, adding that critics were also people who were part of the theatre community, like himself.

“They deeply cared about it, and would get hated for the kind of reviews they wrote. This kind of engagement with the writer is something I miss,” he says. And this, he notes, is a problem common to cinema and music as well.

Even at the institute, he says, though he and the other faculty would like to train students in the art of theatre criticism, few are interested. “Most come to learn editing or acting,” he says.

So what does he feel is the solution to this? Conferences that facilitate interaction between members of the theatre community and those who write about them, and discussions of fresh scripts, he replies.

Plays next week

Tuesday – Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen

Wednesday –  Aatankavaadiya Aakasmika Saavu (Kannada)

Thursday – The Other Side Of History, a translation of Baaki Itihas by Badal Sircar

Friday – Badal Sircar’s Bogola Charit Manas (Bengali)

Saturday – In Such A State, based on U R Ananthamurthy’s Avasthe

Sunday – U R Ananthamurthy’s Avasthe (Kannada)

About the centre

Centre for Film and Drama offers year-long courses and works from Suchitra Film Society, Banashankari. Phone: 99868 63615

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Chetana Divya Vasudev / April 11th, 2015