Monthly Archives: July 2015

‘Chittani Award’ conferred on Yakshagana Scholar Dr.Kabbinale V. Bharadwaj: ‘Yakshagana poets lack the recognition they deserve’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Yakshagana Scholar Dr. Kabbinale Vasantha Bharadwaj, who was conferred with 'Chittani Award' during the valedictory of the three-day Badagu Yaksha Vaibhava, organised under the aegis of Innovative, Mysuru and Department of Kannada and Culture, Mysuru, at Jaganmohan Palace in city yesterday, is seen with LabLand Chairman Dr. Sudhir Shetty, Yuvaraja College Registrar (Evaluation) Dr. S.N. Hegde, Mysore University former Vice-Chancellor Dr. J. Shashidhara Prasad, Yakshagana exponent G.S. Bhat of Innovative Mysore, Bellipadi Yaksha Samskrutika Vedike President Dr. Bellipadi Satish Rai, Journalist Ravindra Bhat and others. Picture right shows a scene from Yakshagana 'Sri Krishna Sandhana' performed last evening.
Yakshagana Scholar Dr. Kabbinale Vasantha Bharadwaj, who was conferred with ‘Chittani Award’ during the valedictory of the three-day Badagu Yaksha Vaibhava, organised under the aegis of Innovative, Mysuru and Department of Kannada and Culture, Mysuru, at Jaganmohan Palace in city yesterday, is seen with LabLand Chairman Dr. Sudhir Shetty, Yuvaraja College Registrar (Evaluation) Dr. S.N. Hegde, Mysore University former Vice-Chancellor Dr. J. Shashidhara Prasad, Yakshagana exponent G.S. Bhat of Innovative Mysore, Bellipadi Yaksha Samskrutika Vedike President Dr. Bellipadi Satish Rai, Journalist Ravindra Bhat and others. Picture right shows a scene from Yakshagana ‘Sri Krishna Sandhana’ performed last evening.

Mysuru :

Expressing concern over the lack of recognition and exclusion of Yakshagana Poets in the history of Kannada Literature, Yakshagana Scholar and artiste Dr. Kabbinale Vasantha Bharadwaj said that the yakshagana-poets in Karnataka have not got the required space in Kannada literary history and added that while Himmela, Mummela, Chenda and others belonging to the Yakshagana troupe are being recognised, the poets have been neglected.

Dr. Bharadwaj was speaking, after being conferred with the Chittani Award, at the closing ceremony of the three-day Badagu Yaksha Vaibhava held at Jaganmohan Palace in city yesterday evening. Dr. Bharadwaj said that there are around 1,500 yakshagana-poets in the State who have composed around 5,000 literary works while unfortunately, a person who writes four lines for a film song gets more recognition and this has been the same even with the Kannada literary circles.

He further said that the poetry is the basis of Yakshagana and the poems become an inspiration to the actor while the actor’s enactment justifies the poetic elements in the composition. Dr. Bharadwaj dedicated the award to all the Yakshagana-poets in the State who still remain unrecognised even in the literary field.

Bellipadi Yaksha Samskrutika Vedike President Dr. Bellipadi Satish Rai, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said that Yakshagana is one of the most attractive forms of stage-based art forms and it would not be an exaggeration if he says that the people of coastal Karnataka have learnt Kannada language through Yakshagana. He further urged the people of Karnataka to protect the art form and added that the State Government should do its best to protect and propagate Yakshagana like how it is done in Kerala for Kathakali.

Former Vice-Chancellor of University of Mysore, Dr. J. Shashidhara Prasad, presented the Chittani Award to Bharadwaj.

LabLand Chairman Dr. Sudhir Shetty, Yakshagana exponent G.S. Bhat, Dakshin Kannada Zilla Sangha President V. Sreenivasa Rao, Yuvaraja College Registrar (Evaluation) Dr. S.N. Hegde and others were present.

The award ceremony was followed by the staging of the Yakshagana ‘Sri Krishna Sandhana.’ The three-day workshop was organised by Innovative, Mysuru and Department of Kannada and Culture, Mysuru.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Monday – July 06th, 2015

Book Talk: Mysuru ,The Catalyst for ‘Bougainvilla Magic’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Title: Bougainvilla Magic, Author: Lalitha Rao, Columnist and Writer, Pages: 160, Printed at: Surina Graphics, Year: 2015.
Title: Bougainvilla Magic, Author: Lalitha Rao, Columnist and Writer, Pages: 160, Printed at: Surina Graphics, Year: 2015.

Title: Bougainvilla Magic, Author: Lalitha Rao, Columnist and Writer, Pages: 160, Printed at: Surina Graphics, Year: 2015.

In her first publication in book form, writer Lalitha Rao, who has travelled far and wide in India and abroad, presents a collection of 48 articles published in different newspapers and magazines, including Star of Mysore, over the past 20 years under nine chapters, laced with artfully created illustrations by Pankaj Moghe.

The author has dedicated this 160-page book ‘Bougainvilla Magic’ to her Ma and Dad.

The author refers to the decades-old reputation of Mysuru as a laid-back, slowly-strolling-through-life kind of city that seemed to have undergone a change — shopping malls had sprung up, supermarkets glitteringly invited one to shop breathlessly and life was not about mosaranna and bise bele bath alone: KFC and Pizza Hut too have arrived on scene.

“Mysuru possesses a culture and social ambience quite unlike other cities (Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai) where she has lived in. The joy of waking up to cool breezes, or rainy mornings, or gusty winds, is unparalleled. Even the vegetables taste better here and I’m sure that’s not just my imagination,” Lalitha Rao describes with unadulterated joy.

Recalling her childhood visits to Ooty, about 160 kms away from Mysuru, which were mostly in the nature of picnics, the author says she used to fall into streams regularly and her mummy had to carry an extra frock along as routine exercise.

On her stay abroad, Lalitha Rao says the Magic of Oman lies partly in the friendly and helpful nature of its people.

The author also acknowledges the inspiration she got from the following books: The Fountainhead and Anthem by Ayn Rand; Othello by Shakespeare; Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach; Novels and short stories by P.G. Wodehouse and, of course, the Ramayana and Mahabharata as retold by C. Rajagopala.

The author also recalls about a time when she used to wake up to the tanpura drone of All India Radio as it alerted her about the new day. It was the signal to get out of bed, brush and slowly sip tea and peruse the newspaper. Today, she delays switching on the TV as long as possible, as the news in full 3D, with the anchor booming or shrilling across your senses, is more than what she can take… “Listening to radio has for most of us become an activity we follow while driving to get somewhere.”

“Coorg is barely a hundred kilometres away from Mysuru, but the specialties there are predominantly non-vegetarian, with pork taking centrestage. In the old days the plantation owners would down every mouthful with fresh, foaming glasses of toddy,” says the author with awe about Kodavas.

School days: Recalling her school days in Simla, she says it was an overcharged hormonal world of 16-year-olds; the one who kept them on track with her sheer presence was her class teacher, Mother Joseph Catherine.

“Today if I write, it is because of this great teacher who found something of value in me and has nurtured it all these years. Mother Joseph Catherine, Irish nun, and my mentor, is probably in heaven now. I hope she looks down sometimes at her former pupils and smiles.”

Writing about the librarians in her book, the author talks about how the librarians are used to the strangest demands. “I have always felt that a library should be the friendliest place, where you can curl up in a corner with your book or browse shelves undisturbed by time or crowds.”

Lalitha Rao, who joins a select band of women-writers of Mysuru, is the daughter of an army officer and wife of an architect. She has Master’s degrees in English Literature and Library Science and worked at the Alliance Francaise in Chennai and the Caledonian College of Engineering in Muscat, Oman.

Her book Bougainvilla Magic is scheduled for launch tomorrow (July 6) at 6 pm at Club House terrace, Sankalp Central Park, Jawa Main Road, Yadavagiri, Mysuru. —NGB

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / Sunday – July 05th, 2015

City’s Dr.Sushma Jairam secures 119th rank in UPSC exam

Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features
Dr. Sushma Jairam
Dr. Sushma Jairam

Mysuru :

Dr. Sushma Jairam has brought laurels to the city by securing 119th rank in the civil services exam (2014) conducted by the UPSC. She is the daughter of K.L. Jairam and Triveni couple, residents of J.P. Nagar in city. Jairam is currently serving as Principal General Manager of BSNL at Bengaluru.

Dr. Sushma, who secured 275th rank in UPSC 2013 exam, was selected to the Central Excise Department and underwent training at Humnabad and Hyderabad. The 24-year-old has succeeded in getting into the top in her second attempt in 2014.

After having her Primary and Middle School education at Cochin, Dr. Sushma studied 8th and 9th std. at Sadvidya High School in city and SSLC and PUC at Karwar. She completed her MBBS at Bangalore Medical College.

Dr. Sushma, who is currently on a tour with her friends, shared her joy with SOM, over phone. Stating that she chose Medical Sciences as optional subject for the civil services exam, Dr. Sushma said she did not put much effort in studying the subject as she had already learnt the subject while studying MBBS. She said she regularly read Kannada, Hindi and English newspapers, NCERT books and surfed the internet to keep herself updated.

Pointing out that she did not attend coaching classes, she said that she studied whenever she found time.

Stating that her parents supported her fully in her preparations for the exam, Sushma said she may get selected for the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), considering her 119th ranking.

She said that working in the IFS would be a challenge to her, especially in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push for Foreign Direct Investment and efforts to maintain good relationship with countries across the world.

Meanwhile, Sushma’s uncle Subramanya, who is the Chairman-elect (2016-2017) of Mysuru Centre of Builders Association of India (BAI), speaking to SOM, expressed delight over his niece’s achievement.

Stating that Sushma’s father Jairam became the BSNL’s Principal General Manager after entering the Indian Telecom Service, Subramanya said that Jairam himself had dreamt of becoming an IAS or IPS officer but now his daughter has realised his dream.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Sunday – July 05th, 2015

19 Railway Stations in State to Change to New Names

Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

Bengaluru :

The names of 19 railway stations in the state will have to be changed to their new names, as per a notification issued by the Indian Railway Conference Association, New Delhi.

The letter was issued on July 7 by the Secretary General of the Association, Sudhansu Jyoti Sinha, to the Chief Commercial Manager, South Western Railway, Hubballi.

The following will be the altered names of stations (old names in brackets):

Bengaluru Cantonment (Bangalore Cantonment); Bengaluru City Junction (Bangalore City Junction), Bengaluru East (Bangalore East), Ballari Cantonment (Bellary Cantonment), Ballari Junction (Bellary Junction), Vijayapura (Bijapur), Belagavi (Belgaum), Chikkamagaluru (Chikkamagalur), Mysuru (Mysore), Mysuru New Goods Terminal (Mysore New Goods Terminal), Hosapete D Cabin (Hospet D Cabin), Hosapete (Hospet), Shivamogga Bidare (Shimoga Bidare), Shivamogga H (Shimoga H), Shivamogga Town (Shimoga Town), Hubballi Junction (Hubli Junction), Hubballi Shops (Hubli Shops), Hubballi South (Hubli South) and Tumakuru (Tumkur).

Ghanshyam Verma, Deputy General Manager and Chief Public Relations Officer, South Western Railway told Express that the process of implementing the order has already begun. “It will take some time to change the display names on both sides of the station, on the official letterheads, on trains and on tickets. But the work has commenced,” he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / July 09th, 2015

Loud patterns, bold statements

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy
Ajay Kumar
Ajay Kumar

Bengaluru’s designer Ajay Kumar marks his fashion week debut with his quirky menswear collection

At first look, Ajay Kumar’s clothes scream “look at me”. Face to face with the quirkily-dressed man, and you know his collection is all him. He’s wearing floral-printed cream pants, a white sharply cut bib shirt, sports a very Italian brown-brogues-without-socks look, a waxed twirly moustache, and a Mohawk hairdo to boot. He shows me a flaming red jacket he usually wears.

“I like flamboyant,” he declares with a hearty laugh and a twinkle in his eyes. A NIFT graduate who’s worked with Blackberry’s, Indigo Nation, Reid & Taylor, and Peter England, Ajay has embarked on his own creative journey now — he will be launching his eponymous menswear label “Mr. Ajay Kumar” at the Gen Next designer platform of Lakmé Fashion Week in its Winter/Festive 2015 edition in August. “If someone has achieved something they should show it. I was inspired by the movies, by the corporate life and look…you should not hide behind anything. I like to dress up, look bold. You should be someone to look up to,” he says with finality.

The 36-year-old Bengaluru-based designer is from Uttar Pradesh and makes no bones of his lower middle class upbringing. He grew up in Bokaro Steel City, Jharkhand, where his father was Deputy Post Master; he credits his parents with being his biggest support, specially having come from a small town where a career in fashion is far removed from life. He talks of how he almost applied to be an aeronautical engineer, then got through a hotel management course, before he finally landed in National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi. He now lives in Bengaluru with wife Lavanya Venkatraman, co-founder at a fashion startup, and son Siddhanth. He wanted to be in Bengaluru, the corporate hub, and live the life with a beautiful house, car, and clothes. Ajay’s collection ‘Consonance & Dissonance’ is taking shape at his newly set-up studio in HSR Layout. On one side hang his sports collection and after-office wear, “bread-and-butter” shirts he designs with his partner Bhupesh. “Every designer uses market input to create something that sells. Then, there are the things he makes for his passion.” He says he styles for photo-shoots to sustain. “I like to style a whole look. I’ve always done that.”

On the opposite end of his studio, is his “passion” — the collection he’s taking to LFW. “Everything has importance in our lives. The problem is that we try to make everything perfect. But in every person there is something positive and negative. And if I don’t have the negativity, I don’t have personality. Even in a piano, the black and white keys are about consonance and dissonance…So my collection has lots of layering of patterns, colours; they are multitudinous. I’ve not tried to synchronise anything.” Earlier everyone looked toward the West but now there’s a turnaround and everyone looks towards India, even for silhouettes, he says.

Out of the eight ensembles he’s taking to the LFW 2015, six are ready. “The silhouettes are structured yet flowy, Indian yet contemporary. I’ve always created very constructed patterns. A guy should look sleek. You’ll find in this collection drop-crotch pants, cowl necked shirts, angrakha styled shirts, Rajasthani- style Bhagatri en’s kurtas fused with formal white collars, a tuxedo-inspired jacket, a kilt-inspired pant with an overskirt…” Black and white geometric patterns are interrupted with colourful flowers, elephants, birds, and motifs of men in pagdi, twirling their moustaches! “This elaborate surface work is hypnotic and like the kaleidoscope.” Bib shirts and layers, really, though, are his thing. “I can wear anything. I can look like what I want. We can experiment. We all have licence to do it.” That quite sums up the man, and his creations.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Bhumika .K / July 09th, 2015

Premji gives half of his stake in Wipro for charity

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion
In Wipro's annual report for the year ended March 2015, Premji said he has now allocated the equivalent of 39% of the company's shares to a trust focussed on philanthropic initiatives, mainly primary education.
In Wipro’s annual report for the year ended March 2015, Premji said he has now allocated the equivalent of 39% of the company’s shares to a trust focussed on philanthropic initiatives, mainly primary education.

Bengaluru :

Wipro’s billionaire chairman Azim Premji, the first Indian to sign the Giving Pledge, has set aside more than half of his wealth for charity by allocating an additional 18% stake in the company to fund philanthropy.

Premji, who will turn 70 this month, controls a 73.39% stake in India’s third-largest software company, which is worth about Rs 99,500 crore ($15.7 billion). In Wipro’s annual report for the year ended March 2015, Premji said he has now allocated the equivalent of 39% of the company’s shares to a trust focussed on philanthropic initiatives, mainly primary education. The additional 18% stake forms the latest tranche of shares Premji has allocated for charity.

The Giving Pledge is an effort to invite the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to commit half of their wealth to philanthropic causes and charitable organisations. In his pledge in 2013, Premji said he believes that those who are privileged to have wealth should contribute significantly to try and create a better world for the millions who are far less privileged. “Over the past 15 years, I have tried to put this belief into action through my personal philanthropic work. Over these years, I have irrevocably transferred a significant part of the shareholding in WiproBSE -0.03 %, amounting to 39% of the shares of Wipro, to a trust (of which ownership of 21.14% was transferred and for the balance, the trust is entitled to the beneficial interest of dividends and sale proceeds),” Premji wrote in a letter to shareholders.

People close to Premji said he has been quietly and steadily been transferring wealth to fund philanthropy.

“Apart from the Tata Trust, nothing comes close to the commitment made by him on this front,” said a person who knows him well. “And now, he has two engines to carry on philanthropy—the Azim Premji Foundation, and the newly formed Philanthropic Initiatives formed to making grants to NGOs.”

Last year, Premji hired Amnesty India head G Anantha Padmanabhan to build an organization that will offer grants to external agencies.

“The new initiative of making grants to NGOs has just started under what we call Philanthropic Initiatives. We are continuing to look at various areas, e.g., nutrition, water — the only area that we have decided on is support to NGOs working with the most vulnerable people — eg, street children, urban homeless, teenage girls from disadvantaged communities, women at risk of violence,” said Anurag Behar, CEO of Azim Premji Foundation and vice-chancellor of Azim Premji University.

“The Foundation’s work continues to expand and deepen in helping improve public (government) school education across seven states, which have about 350,000 schools. The university that we run also continues to expand. This year, we have launched a Master’s in public policy and governance and also our undergraduate programme,” Behar added.

Philanthropy has been on the rise among the rich in India as Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates , the world’s richest person, and business magnate Warren Buffet urged the wealthy to give their fortunes to charitable causes.

According to the Hurun Research Institute, at least 50 individuals donated over Rs 10 crore to philanthropic causes in 2014.

Premji, Anil Agarwal, Shiv Nadar and Ratan Tata were the most generous givers in India, according to the Hurun India Philanthropy List 2014.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Business> India Business / by Pankaj Mishra, ET Bureau / July 08th, 2015

Training in Ginger Cultivation for farmers held at Horticulture College

Business & Economy, Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature
The dignitaries are seen watering a sapling to inaugurate the training programme at College of Horticulture in Yelwala, Mysuru, on June 30.
The dignitaries are seen watering a sapling to inaugurate the training programme at College of Horticulture in Yelwala, Mysuru, on June 30.

Mysuru :

A ginger training-cum-exhibition was held at College of Horticulture (COH), Yelachahalli, Yelwala, Mysuru, on June 30 by Horticultural Extension Education Unit of College of Horticulture for the benefit of ginger growers around Mysuru.

Farmers around this region are growing ginger since 5 to 8 years after its introduction by the traders from Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the border areas of Chamarajanagar. Although farmers have accepted this as a lucrative and remunerative crop, the package of practices was not well-known. Hence, this Extension Unit organised a training programme on ginger for the benefit of farmers from Chamarajanagar, Hunsur and Hassan.

About 100 farmers attended this training along with scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) Suttur and Gonikoppa, University of Mysore and officials of Department of Horticulture, Mysuru.

Dr. K.T. Shivashankar, Retd. Dean, UAS, Bengaluru, who was the chief guest, inaugurated the programme. Speaking on the occasion, he expressed happiness over the conduct of the training programme which was long due. He advised the farmers to follow the advanced technologies in ginger cultivation to harvest rich dividends.

He also cautioned them that it was very difficult to raise any other crops after the harvest of ginger crop. He suggested the farmers to form an association of growers to discuss their problems.

Dr. Arun Balamatti, Programme co-ordinator, KVK, Suttur, Dr. Sathyanarayana Bhat, Principal, Government Ayurveda College, Mysuru, also spoke. Dr. Krishnakumar and Dr. B.C. Anand, SADH, Mysuru and Dr. Vasanthkumar Thimkapur were present. Dr. K.M. Indiresh, Dean (Hort.), COH, Mysuru, presided.

Training on ginger cultivation was imparted by experts: B.N. Harish on varieties and package of practices; G.K. Sudharshan on diseases; Dr. Prasadkumar, on pests; H.B. Rashmi on post harvest products; Professors of COH and Anjanappa, Agronomist, NETAFIM, Bengaluru gave lecture on use of drip irrigation.

An exhibition was also arranged with display of products of ginger, disease symptoms, diseased and infected specimens of ginger crop etc.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Friday – July 03rd, 2015

A bundle of charm

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

VolkswagenBF07Jul2015

They got her an imported ‘body cream’ and she is massaged to sparkle her pista green colour every Sunday. A 1968 Volkswagen Beetle, she is the “happiness” of GB Ravichandra’s family. The best-selling car for the longest time, she has a unique body shape with fins, a rear engine, and a huge boot space at the front.

A classic beauty, she was the childhood dream of Ravichandra who says, “I watched the Beetle rallies as a kid. It was after 20 years that I am able to own one.”
He adds that his dream would not have been fulfilled if it was not for his wife Bharathi. “Although I wanted to own a Beetle, I was skeptical about spending money on it, as it is an expensive hobby. My wife’s support was and is still the biggest boost to my passion.”

It is not just the Beetle that takes him back to his childhood. He also owns a Bajaj scooter. He explains, “It belonged to my dad Bhaskarayya. A family of four — my father, mother, sister and I — have travelled all around in this scooter. With the four of us, there would be some extra luggage too. My father was very passionate and cared more for his scooter than his wife!” A layman’s mode of transport, it is in good running condition and has a humble charm.

His passionate collection of many antique and classic things has led his daughters — Aishwarya and Aashika — to follow his footsteps.

“The passion is completely passed on as we, at the beginning, did not understand the so-called antique charm. But we are a part of it now and have emotions attached to our Beetle,”  they say in unison. They call it a package of love and happiness and Aashika says, “I love the rallies that happen in the City and it is exciting to see many colourful Beetles moving in a single lane. We have made so many friends who share the same passion because of this car.”

Bharathi is equally passionate about this small car and she has made it a point to include the car in every family celebration. “During birthdays or anniversary celebrations, we make sure to deck the car with flowers and placards and take her for a drive with all family members. She is a part of every special
occasion.”

There is a story behind the car’s arrival which he summerises, “I saw an advertisement and she was in Cochin. Hesitant, but later encouraged by my wife, I flew to Cochin. She was in a bad condition and it was an expensive affair. However, I picked her up and got her to Bengaluru in a truck.” She was restored and it took him a year to find the right mechanics and get her back in shape. “Some parts were not original and I had to source them from abroad. It took me a year to get everything fixed — all to her original charm,” he adds.

A left hand drive car, she is a showstopper in the busy traffic and Bharathi says, “While taking her for a drive, people first tend to look at the driving seat, which is usually on the right and jovially think that a lady is driving. Sometimes, we even pretend to hold a rod in the front trying to fool them and this is a fun process.” She adds that the car is a bit tougher to drive because of the left hand steering.

They own another unusual car — 2004 Ambassador Avigo — that has a body shape of a classic ambassador, but a power steering with all the modern amenities. “There are about only hundred cars produced in India and this is made to look like a 1960 model,” he says. He comments on the technology of the classic cars and says, “They are very superior and reliable. The engine parts of this Beetle are rugged and the car does not topple.” With a dream to own many cars including the Citroen 1970 and a classic Mercedes Benz, he concludes, “It has taken me twenty years to own a Beetle and I will never let go of her.”

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> MetroLife / by Prajna GR, Bengaluru / DHNS – July 07th, 2015

A taste that binds together

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

BangaloreFoodClubBF07jul2015

In 2011, a group of cousins with a love for food decided to start a club called the Bangalore Food Club (BFC). Nanda Kishor KN, a senior member of technical staff, Oracle; Deepak Rajanikanth, a technical lead at IBM; Rakesh R a freelancer and an IT consultant at Compass IT Systems and Solutions and Kiran Ramaprasad, an R&D hydraulic engineer at Yuken Indian Ltd, aimed at getting the foodies of the City together and make them aware of the local food and delicacies available here. 

However, over the years, the club grew by leaps and bounds and today, it boasts of over 1250 members on Facebook.

“There are many food apps today. But most of them focus on luxury hotels and posh eat-outs. That’s how we differ as we give information on all kinds of places from streetside stalls to five star hotels,” says Nanda Kishor KN.

“We share what we experience as foodies and there is no competition. We are very active on Facebook and always follow a theme pertaining to food. For instance, we recently held the ‘idli’campaign, where we focussed on popular and unique recipes of ‘idlis’ prepared by the popular local hotels of Bengaluru.”

“We keep meeting on a regular basis and discuss our love for food with each other. We get a lot of appreciation for our work. There are people who have come to us asking for the address of a particular eatery that we recommend,” says Rakesh.
However, distance proves to be a major challenge when it comes to meetings. That’s when social media comes to their rescue.

Posting photographs about a particular theme not only allows them to be in constant touch with each other but also learn more about food.

“Everyone in the City is well-versed with popular restaurants. But what we want to highlight is the little ‘gems’ of the City,” says Deepak.

“By the end of this year, we are hoping to have 5,000 members. We are very active on Facebook and Twitter,” he adds.

The members also want to help people from other parts of the country settled here learn more about the local food and culture.

“Bengaluru is full of people from different parts of the world and we want to popularise the local food among them. We want small eateries to gain more popularity and be appreciated for their hard work,” says Sahana, another active member.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> MetroLife / by Surupasree Sarmmah / DHNS- Bengaluru,  July 07th, 2015