In future, students of Bangalore University, which has around 600 colleges affiliated to it, need not go to its Jnana Bharathi campus to sort out issues related to academics and admissions. Last week, in a special gazette, the state government notified the trifurcation of BU.
The three new varsities will be Bengaluru University that will continue functioning from the BU’s existing campus at Jnana Bharathi; Bengaluru Central University that will function from Central College and Bengaluru North University that will be established near Hoskote.
The existing 600 colleges will get affiliated to these three universities based on their respective legislative assembly constituencies. For the two new varsities, two new VCs will be appointed. A special officer appointed by the state government will take necessary steps to establish Bengaluru Central and North universities.
In February, a subcommittee headed by the then higher education minister RV Deshpande disclosed that BU will be split into four varsities, but in May the cabinet approved trifurcating BU.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> Education> News / TNN / December 30th, 2015
Celebrating Life In Namma Bengaluru Photo: K. Murali Kumar
Bengaluru immersed itself in a world of music, books, and theatre this year. IT city also became app-city, becoming very dependent on them to get anything from cabs to food. Here’s looking back at some highlights…
BOOKS
Writers etch their mark
It was good year for Bangalore authors. Anjum Hasan’s The Cosmopolitansfollows 53-year-old Qayenaat in a changing world. The author says she didn’t set out to write a novel about art, she set the novel in the art world because it is a world of imagination. She sees Qayenaat as a rasika, a lover of arts. The colourful Hari Majestic is back in Zac O Yeah’s A Hero for Hire. The erstwhile Tout of Bengaluru returns as a detective and with his cronies including Doc, Triplex and AC Gaadi sets out to rid the world of evil doers including shady hospitals and manic goons.
The end of the year saw Anita Nair’s Alphabet Soup for Lovers, telling the story of Lena Abraham and the movie star Shoola Pani partly through the eyes of the cook Komathi as she learns the English alphabet through ingredients from the kitchen. Preeti Shenoy’s Why We Love The Way We Do, a collection of essays that explore the various aspects of love and relationships was launched at The Park. Nandita Bose’s Shadow and Soul, revolving around the lives of Devika and her younger lover, an artiste, Shaurjyo, was launched at Atta Galatta.
PERFORMANCE
The city a stage
This year there was the usual run of theatre festivals. The sixth edition of The Hindu Theatre Fest saw the staging of three plays in Bengaluru. God of Carnage, written by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton and directed by Nadir Khan, about two sets of parents meeting to sort out an issue between their children, which eventually devolves into chaos. The Government Inspector, presented by Akvarious Productions, Mumbai, and directed by Akarsh Khurana, a satirical play on political corruption. Two to Tango, Three to Jive, about a middle-aged man going through mid-life crisis, who decides to spice up his love life, marked actor-director Saurabh Shukla’s return to theatre after 18 years. Bengaluru was also the only city where Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre performedHamlet in October.
The Ranga Shankara Festival was another success with plays staged from all over the country. Among the plays staged were Main Huun Yusuf, Aur Yeh Hai Mera Bhai, directed by Mohit Takalkar, who won the Shankar Nag Theatre Award 2015.Still and Still Moving, a production by Delhi-based Tadpole Repertory, directed by Neel Chaudhuri, a love story between two men against the backdrop of the cities they inhabit, Delhi and Gurgaon. Sharanya Ramprakash’s Akshaya Ambara, presented by Dramanon, which explores gender in Yakshagana, a traditional Karnataka folk theatre form and Abhishek Majumdar’s Dweepa, written originally in Bengali, premiered in Kannada, at the festival. Gender Bender, presented by Goethe-Institut in association with Max Mueller Bhavan, was a series of performances, a video presentation and installations, which brought to the fore the undoing conventional notions of gender and sexuality.
The first ever Bengaluru Comedy Festival, presented by Comedy Wagon, brought together stand-up comics from different cities, including Bengaluru — Sundeep Rao, Praveen Kumar, Kenny Sebastian, Sanjay Mankatala, Saad Khan, Sumukhi Suresh and Richa Kapoor.
TECHNOLOGY
Pehle App!
For IT city, apps was the buzzword in 2015 as it changed the way we commuted to work, ordered in food and groceries, worked on our fitness regimes and much more. If you were fed up with overcharging auto drivers and irregular bus services and wary of taking the car out, apps such as Ola and Uber made commuting within the city a breeze at the swipe of a smartphone. Ola, Uber, Meru became one of the most convenient ways to travel back home after a late night party or head to work for a early morning assignment you could not afford to miss.
In the later part of the year, motorbike rentals and ridesharing apps such as Lyft and Ridingo made commute something you did not dread about much on a weekday. As more and more app based services offer ridesharing options, urban experts feel that it will lead to lesser traffic snarls and bring down pollution levels in the city. Self driven car rentals, lead by companies such as Zoomcar and Bla Bla car ensured that you do not need to own a car to drive in the city.
Ordering in food got a new dimension in Bengaluru in 2015, as a plethora of food apps, ranging from those that just deliver food such as Swiggy to apps that make and deliver food such as Freshmenu. You no longer needed to call a restaurant, pour through reams of paper menus. You could just download one of the apps and get food from your favourite restaurant or service provider in quick time Customers also had the option of getting hot breakfasts via apps such as Brekkie. Home cooked food also became very popular and saw home sick youngsters using apps and the internet to connect with homecooks across the city, for a taste of homemade dal and parathas and much more. Apps such as Easydiner were also launched, allowing customers to book tables at a restaurant by a swipe.
MUSIC
The city’s sonic trailblazers
While 2015 marked several significant changes in the city’s soundscape, it was also the year in which Bengaluru bands etched their mark on the international music circuit.
Here’s a look at some of the city’s sonic history makers.
Peepal Tree
Rooted from trailblazers like Bhoomi, Thermal and a Quarter and the Raghu Dixit Project, Peepal Tree emerged as a rapidly successful band with their infectious high energy and distinct sounds making them very popular. They went on to make their international debut at the Asia-Pacific Broadcast Union Radio Song Festival in Yangon, Myanmar. The band was selected by All India Radio to represent India at the festival, which featured artistes from countries ranging from Pakistan and South Korea to Australia.
Moonarra
The world music band is often attributed to be synonymous with the city’s vibrant potpourri of music. While they have been making inroads in the global music circuit for close to a decade now, their most recent venture took them to Morocco for the Tangier’s Jazz Festival featuring the jazz of five continents as the only Indian band from Asia. Moonarra performed not once but twice in front of international artistes with a unique collaboration with Moroccan ensemble Gnawa Express. The expert artistes also conducted a workshop at the fest where they shared about their world jazz Indian classical fusion backgrounds.
Thermal And A Quarter
Fresh off their sixth studio album The Scene, the Bangalore Rockers embarked on a new direction with an album that took them to Bonn, Germany. What started as a conversation with Dr. Mathew Kurian, a scholar at the United Nations University in Dresden, Germany, evolved into a full-fledged album titled No Wall Too High commemorating 25 years of the collapse of the Berlin Wall. The album, a work that dwelt on divisions, also saw a collaboration with a German choral singer and took the band to Bonn to launch the record and perform at the United Nations Day celebrations along with other European bands.
The Raghu Dixit Project
The city-based folk rock band, best known for their infectiously addictive songs and lungi statements, returned earlier this year from yet another international tour. From the Kala Utsava in Singapore and Bangkok’s Festival of India to showcasing for the Indian community by the Indian Consulate in Jakarta and performing at the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta, the unofficial ambassadors of Bengaluru’s music culture left a lasting impression on the international circuit.
Inner Sanctum
Fresh after an eight-city tour of Europe and releasing their full-length album, the death metal giants headed to Oslo, Norway, to play at the Inferno Metal Festival on its 15th anniversary. Sharing stage with metal legends like Behemoth, Enslaved, Arcturus and Bloodbath, Inner Sanctum delivered a charismatic show with some tight metal work that went down well with the metalheads.
Sulk Station
The trip hop duo headed to the UK to perform at the Southbank Centre’s Alchemy Festival, with shows in London and Glasgow, along with sets at the Great Escape Festival in the beach town of Brighton, going along the coast to Bristol as well. Comprising vocalist-keyboardist Tanvi Rao and producer Rahul Giri, the band delivered their eclectic alternative electronic music to packed audiences in every show.
Space Behind The Yellow Room
The four member, post metal and rock band won the Pepsi Unbox hunt this year out of 450 bands and went on to perform in Singapore at Music Matters Live 2015, an independent music festival featuring over 70 bands. Apart from playing in front of an international audience, they also attended a conference at the Music Matters Academy.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Mini Anthikad Chhibber & Sravasti Datta & Nikhil Varma & Allan Moses Rodricks
A painting of Dr.Prabha on display in an exhibtion at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath
Bengaluru :
As one steps into Dr Prabha Shankar’s ongoing art exhibition at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, the bold display of colours draping the mythological and historical images catches the eye. It takes a while to stomach the fact that this oeuvre comes from a homeopathic doctor who kept her passion for art alive even while providing that healing touch to many.
“I am always asked how I balance my profession and my passion for art, to which I have only one answer: If you have the will you can balance even being a scientist and an artist,” says the 77-year-old medical practitioner-cum-artist, whose paintings reflect a surreal mix of fact and fantasy. Dr Prabha has been painting for over 50 years and draws inspiration from mythology.
“I am inspired by fantasy and real world. In most of my paintings you’ll see that am trying to time travel to this mystical and mythological era. Femininity is another crucial element in my work,” she says.
“There are times when juggling work and passion becomes difficult and one has to prioritize. I too face similar situations but I never surrender. Even today, the first thing I do when I get some free time is to pick up my paint brush and start adding colour on a pure blank canvas in front of me,” she said.
Dr Prabha specializes in treating infertility in couples and has helped realize the dreams of many.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bangalore / TNN / December 30th, 2015
Thirst for success R. Radhakrishna Photo: By author
Coach C. Muralidharan had a hand in sprinter R. Radhakrishna’s journey from waiting tables to winning medals at State meets
When R. Radhakrishna says life has been hard, he is not exaggerating. Two years ago, he was waiting tables at a coffee shop in Nagawara, pulling 12-hour shifts. He had just finished school and the family’s income simply wasn’t enough. “So I decided I’d work,” he says. “My father worked as a security guard and we were struggling to pay off old debts. I didn’t want to depend on him.”
Athletics, his love, was a faraway dream. In the final year of school, he had shown promise as a sprinter. At one sports meet in 2012, he had been spotted by C. Muralidharan, a coach of repute (and a former SAF Games medallist), who offered to take him under his wing. For the next two months, Radhakrishna trained every day at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, where he was slowly moulded into a triple-jumper. His coach bought him breakfast every day and gave him money for juice in the afternoon. Then one day he simply quit without notice. No one at Radhakrishna’s home owned a phone and there was no way, Muralidharan thought, he could reach him again.
Six months later, flipping through his diary, Muralidharan found a number Radhakrishna had left, for a friend of his father’s. He made contact and summoned the boy who, he now found, had no hope of going to college, let alone find time for track and field. “I approached the Director of Sports at Jain College, U.V. Sankar,” says Muralidharan. “They admitted him into the PUC course and gave him accommodation and food in the hostel — all for free.”
To Radhakrishna, this was a dramatic change in circumstances. “I had no plans. There was nothing good in life. No one else would’ve done something like this for me,” he says. Then last year, Radhakrishna won a gold medal in the U-18 boys’ triple jump event at the Dasara Games. This August, he won the silver at the State Junior and Senior championships. Last month, at the inter-district meet in Bidar, he won the gold in the U-20 age-group. “My coach has practically adopted me,” Radhakrishna says. “Everything I’m wearing right now — he has bought them for me.” That ensemble includes a pair of triple-jump-spikes, costing in the region of Rs.13,000. Muralidharan is a pensioner — his kindness cannot be overstated. The distances Radhakrishna has jumped have not been exemplary but he is improving. His talent, though, is obvious to his coach, who retired a few years ago as a Captain in the Army. “He is 19, 6’2 and has great potential,” he says. “He suffers from a lack of confidence. That is probably due to his background but it can be corrected with counselling. In three years, he will be making a serious impact on the national level.”
Radhakrishna says he seldom visits his Narayanapura home now because it brings up bad memories. “I’ve had a horrible childhood. Just horrible,” he sighs. His earliest job, he recalls, was cutting sugarcane on a farm near Velur in Tamil Nadu. He was still six then and his mother and he had moved from Bengaluru to be with their grandmother. “Back home, my father had left us penniless. We were practically living on the street; so we had to move,” he says. “I’ve tended cattle, worked here and there, done all sorts of jobs.” They returned a year later, by which time Radhakrishna’s father — who had retired as a Sepoy with the Army — had found work as a security guard. For now, he simply wants to go as far as his sport will take him, and eventually earn a degree in psychology. “My parents don’t know anything about athletics,” he says. “They are happy that I’m not a burden on them.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Shreedutta Chidananada / Bengaluru – December 26th, 2015
Renowned poet and writer Dr. Jayant Kaikini was conferred with ‘Kuvempu Panchajanya Award (2015)’ at a programme organised by Vishwa Manava Vidyarthi Yuva Vedike (VMVYV) in association with Kannada and Culture Department, marking the 111th birth anniversary of Rashtrakavi Kuvempu, at Maharaja College Centenary Hall here yesterday morning.
Speaking after inaugurating the programme, veteran littérateur Dr. C.P. Krishnakumar (CPK) said Kuvempu was a ‘Vishwakavi’ and a total ‘Vishwamanava’.
Observing that Kuvempu’s Nadageethe was also a ‘Rashtra Geethe’, Dr. C.P.K. said the Rashtrakavi’s “Sri Ramayana Darshanam” has a place in the world’s greatest of epics.
Stating that Kuvempu was not limited to Karnataka and the country, he termed Kuvempu as a cultural leader who was widely acclaimed throughout his world for his messages on humanity.
He further said that Kuvempu was a role model to present day writers and the younger generation and emphasised on the need for reaching out Kuvempu’s Vishwamanava messages to every person in the globe.
Poet Jayant Kaikini speaking after receiving the award, said that such awards are a wake up call for him to complete the spread of humanity advocated by great writers like Kuvempu and others.
Observing that there was a feeling that Kuvempu was being distanced by speaking more and more of him rather than emulating his ideals, Kaikini stressed on the need for inculcating the values of Kuvempu in our life.
He also called upon the people to understand Kuvempu’s personality by reading all the books written by him (Kuvempu).
A 2016 calendar brought out by VMVYV carrying Vishwamanava messages of Kuvempu was released, while Mahajana Educational Institutions President R. Vasudevamurthy unveiled a portrait of Kuvempu and Dr. C. Jayanna, Chairman, Panacea Group of Hospitals, Bengaluru, distributed Vishwamanava Pratibha Puraskara on the occasion.
KSOU Vice-Chancellor Prof. M.G. Krishnan and columnist Gubbigoodu Ramesh were the chief guests.
VMVYV Hon. President M. Nagaraj, Founder President M.J. Suresh Gowda and others were present.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / December 30th, 2015
New year is round the corner and a group of students in the city plan to celebrate it in an unusual way.
The students of Sanegoravanahalli Government School, Basaveshwaranagar, have created special greeting cards using waste/recycled paper. They were assisted by the residents of the 1984-85 batch of Government High School Police Colony (GHSPC), Magadi Road, who are working as part of the Art of Giving project.
These greeting cards will be given to those who litter in public places as a new year gift.
Roopa M, a 10th standard student, said, “A few days ago, we were asked to collect waste paper. We wondered why. After making my first greeting card, I learnt how we have the power to reduce waste in the city. Now, I have decided to gift these cards to those who litter the city. It is a way to embarrass them through my style of Gandhigiri.”
Mamatha N Swamy, an alumni of GHSPC, said, “Art and crafts help mould a student’s career. This was my first art class at this school and I was surprised by the way the students picked it up so quickly.”
The alumni team has drawn up an ambitious plan to launch vocational training in all government schools. “Besides art and craft, we are also looking at teaching meditation, exam writing skills, de-stressing techniques, music and other activities,” she added.
H C Dodde Gowda, who held personality development classes for the students, said, “It is a pity that government school students don’t get exposed to extra-curricular activities as much as their private school counterparts. Our goal is to bridge the gap. By teaching the students these skills for free, we hope to make them financially independent in the future.”
The project
Art of Giving is a social project started by Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) founder Achyuta Samanta. It invites people to volunteer to inspire and change the lives of the underprivileged. The alumni of GHSPC hope to provide free vocational training at all government schools in the city in the coming days.
A few days ago,
we were asked to collect waste paper. We wondered why. After making my first greeting card, I learnt how we have the power to reduce waste in the city. Roopa M, student
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / December 28th, 2015
A team of students from National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) have developed an Android App that will come in handy for shoppers, who visit malls.
Winkl, a first of its kind app available on Play Store, provides relevant, contextual and personalized information as shoppers walk around the mall. Third year mechanical engineering students Pratham Pramod, Supreet Deshpande, final year metallurgy engineering student Rahul Singh Thakur and final year mining engineering student Nikhil Kumar took nearly three months to develop the app.
Pratham Pramod told TOI that they have made tie-up with Forum Fiza Mall in Mangaluru and very soon more malls across the state will brought under the Winkl’s service network.
“Once the app users enter a Winkl Zone, real time shopping feed including all the latest arrivals, trending, offers and recommendations will be displayed on your smartphone. As customer walk around the mall, content keeps loading on the phone based on indoor mall location and personal interests. This way, shopper knows exactly which store he or she would like to walk into as they enter the mall or a particular floor in the mall. This will save lots of time and help one experience the products they are interested in,” Pratham Pramod said.
“Today, in the present world, offline shopping has hit a new low mainly because of the lack of easy access to useful and engaging content to users like offers, recommendations, product reviews, latest arrivals and trending. Winkl, a young start-up by NITK students addresses this problem and is bringing offline shopping back to life. Offline shopping has obvious advantages like touch and feel and instant delivery. Winkl has partnered with Forum Fiza Mall and it is active there from today (Friday). Users also will get a chance to win a lot of exciting rewards. Winkl automatically provides users with Winks (points) for walking into their favourite stores which can be redeemed for rewards,” he added.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Mangalore / by Vinobha K T, TNN / December 26th, 2015
It was during his school days that he got interested in the art of cake-making. Little did C Ramachandran then know that his hobby would eventually turn into a career spanning almost 50 years and earn him a place n the Limca Book of Records. Ramachandran, 75, has epitomized the art of cake sculp ures in India having been an integral part of he successful Annual Cake Show for more han four decades.
“Cake sculptures require a lot of patience and time to make. I head a team owith whom I discuss the model. We start off with a plan and design.
We use the cardboard for making the stencil and then decide on the color scheme.
We start baking the cake and add sugar to the model whil giving proper shape to it. While working together as a team, we take hours, days or even months on cake sculptures every year,” Ramachandran said.
During his career, he has worked and studied abroad in European countries, learning from the best in cake art. The Nilgiris Cake Show which began n 1970 was his brainchild. When asked about the problems that he faces during his shows, he says, “Transportation is the biggest problem as a lot of fragile cakes get damaged while moving. We usually make a spare one ust in case the sculpture falls apart.”
What makes his happy is the admiration of ittle children on seeing his work. “It takes me down memory lane when I was a little child and loved seeing it myself,” he said. As for the future, he says, “I see the same passion and love or cakes in the younger generation that I used o have. I would really love to see them carry forward our dream for many years to come.”
As the saying goes, ‘Make the edible incredible’, hese ‘sweet’ representations of the fantasy world have been given life through this sugarcrafted sculptures by the students of Institute of Baking and Cake Art under Ramachandran’s leadership and are on display on St Joseph College Grounds until January 3 from 11am to 9pm.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bangalore / TNN / December 25th, 2015
According to a legend, a local powerful Jain woman, Padmavati, fell in love with a Shaivate merchant, Abbayya, who had come down to Lakshmeshwar.
Abbayya agreed to marry her on the condition that she should adopt Shaivism. After their marriage, the idol of Somanatha, which Abbayya brought with him from Saurashtra was installed inside the structure, which was originally a Jain shrine.
Though this story is not backed by historical evidence, historians opine that the temple was originally a Jain shrine and was called Suvarana Basadi.
It was believed to have been constructed in 1080 AD and has the features of Kalyan Chalukya, Rashtrakuta and Vijayanagar style of architecture.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / December 26th, 2015
Two fundraiser concerts are being organised in the city in support of India’s first experiential music museum, IME (Indian Music Experience) to be launched next year.
Carnatic vocalist Manasi Prasad and veena artiste Suma Sudhindra will be presenting two fusion concerts at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, on December 27 at 6 p.m. Sukanya Ravi Shankar is a special invitee.
Manasi Prasad, accompanied by Sahana Ramachandra and Aditi Prahlad on vocals, will present ‘Samarpan’ as a tribute to renowned Carnatic vocalist M.S. Subbulakshmi’s centenary proceedings, with B.K. Raghu on violin, Shadrach Solomon on keyboard, B.S. Anand on mridanga and Adarsh Shenoy on tabla.
The ‘Naada Chitra Crossover Project’ that follows will be an instrument ensemble with artist B.K.S. Varma painting on the stage as the music progresses. Suma Sudhindra on Carnatic veena will be accompanied by Rakesh Chourasia on Hindustani flute, Ned McGowan on the western key flute, Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma and B.C. Manjunath on mridanga, Karthik Mani on western drums, and Satyajit Talwalkar on tabla.
“The 41-crore project is from the IME Trust that is looking forward to getting funds. The museum concurrently started its research wing for content acquisition for its exhibit space of 20,000 sq ft with varied installations and two mini theatres,” says Suma Sudhindra, director, Outreach, IME.
“One may choose to have their name engraved in the bricks of IME museum building at J.P. Nagar by contributing Rs. 5000,” she says.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – December 25th, 2015
