Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Puttur to get library, art gallery after Karanth

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

Mangalore :

If everything goes according to the plan, Dr Shivarama Karantha Balavana  in Puttur will soon have a library-cum-art gallery after writer Kota Shivarama Karanth .

The new building, which will also have a skating rink on its terrace, will be opened at Balavana by March.

The library will have complete works of Karanth and available books and research papers on the writer, and the art gallery attached to the library will have paintings and pictures of Karanth.

Assistant commissioner, Puttur sub-division H Prasanna told TOI that, Balavana, where the revolutionary writer had lived, will be preserved as a historic monument. “The gallery has been designed in such a way that more windows will be placed to make it bright even during power cuts. The full-fledged building will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 80 lakh by the district administration under the chief minister’s special funds,” he said.

“The 15,000 sqft gallery, which is under construction, will have more than 20 tall windows and facilities will be made to display paintings on the wall in between the windows,” he said.

As many as 13 artists from various parts of the state had sketched characters and messages in Karanth’s novels as part of a literary interaction and oil painting camp on works of Karanth at Balavana on Monday. “We have plans to organize two more such camps in the days to come. All paintings created at these camps will be kept at the new gallery,” Prasanna said.

There are also plans to create mural art on two huge walls on either side of the hall of the art gallery, he added. “We have requested the department of Kannada and culture, Kannada Book Authority, Mangalore University and other institutions to contribute books and research papers on Karanth to the library,” he said adding. The terrace of the building will be converted into skating rink for children,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com /Home> City>Mangalore / TNN / January 30th, 2013

Divya Drushyavali photo expo of Kailas Manasarovar

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Mysore, Jan. 25 :

Akka Adventures has organised ‘Divya Drushyavali,’ an expo of 31 photographs of Kailas Manasarovar taken by M.Madan Gopal, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, at the Institution of Engineers on JLB Road.

The expo will be open for public today and tomorrow between 9 am and 8 pm. An avid wildlife lover and traveller Madan Gopal is also a keen listener of Hindustani Classical music, voracious reader and is now addicted to the Himalayas.

His interests other than trekking in the Himalayas include taking pictures of the landscapes there during sunrise and sunset. ‘Divya Drushyavali’ tries to convey this passion to the world through 31 photographs from his collection of more than 5000 photos.

Following Mysore, the expo will be held in Bellary, Raichur, Gulbarga, Belgaum and Dharwad.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> General News / January 25th, 2013

We need to learn from craftsmen: Scientist Sharada Srinivasan

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Science & Technology

Bangalore :

Scientist Sharada Srinivasan , who won the Dr Kalpana Chawla  Award for Young Scientists recently, has explored linkages between art, metals and materials, heritage, archaeology, aesthetics, science and technology and the performing arts. Apart from being a professor of heritage at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore and collaborating research with people all over the world, she’s also an adept Bharatanatyam dancer. She speaks about her life and work:

Tell us about your work…

A major aspect of my work includes archaeo-metallurgical characterization and technical fingerprinting of South Indian bronzes of the Vijaynagar and Chola periods, uncovering of evidence for the smelting of copper, lid and tin bronzes of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. I’ve also worked on preservation of ancient mirror-making in Aranmula (Kerala). Certain parts of north Karnataka also produced high carbon steel during 700 BC, which I’m looking into as well as gold mining heritage sites in North Karnataka. We found evidence of bronze melting from a very long time ago around Hassan.

What are the major challenges?

Metallurgical items are often not taken very seriously by many at archeological sites though they give many insights about the era in which they were crafted. Modern mining also destroys much of our old heritage mining sites. Also, we need more support and grants for our work.

What do you think of heritage in Bangalore?

I’m concerned about the heritage culture of Bangalore. We need to build a museum culture.Youngsters spend a lot of time at multiplexes and malls which they could well spend at museums and heritage sites learning about culture and history. Museums here are disconnected when it comes to providing information to youngsters. The central government needs to inspire museum employees to do better as most artifacts on display have only brief descriptions. There needs to be creativity in this and apt explanations which youngsters can relate to.

What’s the solution?

Academic courses need more of practicals in subjects like history, and students need to learn from craftsmen  and artisans. Also, the scientific community needs to come up with relevant services that help the community.

What do you think about cannons found near the City Market?

They look like cannons from the 18th century but more scientific testing needs to be done to prove they belonged to Tipu Sultan

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Bangalore / by Rhik Kunda, TNN / January 26th, 2013

City Doctor’s tryst with destiny

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, Travel

…from US Golf Open to Mysore’s Dolphin Cup

By Dr. Eskay Ghori

It was a wonderful morning at the JWGC Golf Club in Mysore reminding me of the day I set out to watch the US Golf Open in San Francisco on June 14, 2012. My son Zaid Ghori had bought me a ticket to the US Open as a Father’s Day surprise gift. Back here, the Dolphin Cup Golf Tourney was being played in Mysore when a lady golfer walked in with her daughter-in-law. I exchanged pleasantries and promised to catch up with them at Regaalis hotel in the evening where the prize distribution and a grand dinner party was organised by the Dolphin members.

For the first time since June 14 last year, I practiced a few shots and putted, the game and the swing was there and thought of future golf as a would-be 62-year-old man having played a handicap of 3 as a youngster and having won many a golf tournament in Nigeria, England and India.

It was 7.30 pm and all dressed formal for the evening, I stepped in accompanied by my wife Dr. Reshma Ghori to the poolside party at Regaalis. I saw Indira Venkatraman seated with her daughter-in-law Jennifer, who is an American lawyer living in San Francisco, California, USA, wearing a wonderful saree. I was told by Indira, the golfing lady member and a good socialite, that I have lost weight. I said, “Yes I am on weight control as advised by my doctor as I had a cardiac event, in simple terms a heart attack, at the US Open Golf Championship at the Olympic Club in Daly City near to San Francisco — a very challenging golf course by the Pacific Ocean, hilly with cold breeze blowing. I had forgotten to take my jacket in all the excitement to meet Vijay Singh whom I happened to know in Nigeria from his rookie days. Indira told me that her son Anand was a marshall at the US Open at Olympic Club and he was at the dinner at Regaalis.

As we were talking, her son Anand Venkatraman walked in and I asked him, “You marshalled at the Olympic Club in the US Open on the 14th of June 2012?” He said, “Yes, I did.” I asked him, “Do you remember a golfing spectator collapsed and was pronounced dead and the US Open came to a stand still for a few minutes, even Tiger Woods had to wait!” He said, “Yes, I was told he was an Indian.” I said, “Well Anand, it is me the dead man alive and fine, thanks to marshalls like you and the team of cardiologists who happened to be watching golf on the 14th tee box where Vijay Singh was teeing off. I collapsed and my heart, I was told, stopped for 3 minutes.” On hearing this, Anand was so overjoyed that he embraced me.

I was very lucky. They rushed me after giving me first aid and had me in a hospital in the nick of time and a life was saved like so many lives that are saved every minute in the United States with their state-of-art medical services — the emergency response team.

I felt like sharing this coincidence with my long-time friend and Editor-in-Chief of Star of Mysore K.B. Ganapathy who was enjoying the party with JWGC Captain P.M. Ganapathy, JWGC President Dr. P.A. Kushalappa and Dr. Joshi of the Dolphins who had invited us.

Is it not destiny that I had to meet Anand Venkatraman here in Mysore, a software marketing wizard who lives in San Francisco and a marshall. God, the supreme power, has many surprises for us in many ways — when it’s not your time to go up the seven skies, it’s not and when it is time to go, nothing can stop the order from God Almighty.

As a medical doctor who has spent all my career in the emergency rooms in India, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, I have seen many a drama. But when it happened to me, I realised the value of a good emergency response. As lady luck would have it, I met a friend John Paul, an American golfing spectator whom I later called an angel who stayed by my side till the evening until my family arrived.

The excellent services at Seton Medical Center, a cardiac specialist hospital in San Francisco whose Medical Director Dr. Hasselherst was the one who gave me CPR with the help of an Aneasthetist Dr. Martin, who incidentally works at Loma Linda Hospital with Dr. Ramdas Pai, a Cardiologist who happens to be my friend and junior at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, and told him that an Indian doctor had collapsed.

I did call Dr. Pai as soon as I was well enough to call from Seton Medical Center. He was also watching golf at the 14th tee of Loma Linda Hospital and the world-famous cardiac surgeon Interventionist Dr. Felix Milhouse and Dr. Gauhar Khan, a cardiologist at Modesto California, who took care of my follow-ups.

The time when one gets to the age of 60 is very crucial. One must get a heart check every year, a simple ECG, consult your family physician, eat a lot of vegetables and stick to a healthy diet, go for walks and keep stress at bay.

I cannot but less thank my wife Dr. Reshma Ghori, my son Zaid Ghori and would-be daughter-in-law Shanaz Ahamed for all the care and attention given for me to be back in Mysore with my friends and daughter Nisha Ghori, who travelled to the US to see me and brought me home. While I was getting well, I had an august visitor in Dr. Shivaram Malavalli who gave me much inspiration as his brother, urologist Dr. Sitaram Malavalli, also living in Modesto California where I lived.

The world is a small place and I always believed in the world as a place rather than a place as the world. Thank you God for this new life. Life is a very precious gift from God, take good care of it. I told my son Zaid Ghori that he not only bought me a gift of a ticket for Father’s Day but ended up giving me the gift of LIFE.

[Dr. Eskay Ghori runs Jubilee Clinic at Sareniza Villa in N.R. Mohalla, Mysore. Mob: 9945852340]

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com /Home>  Feature Articles / January 19th, 2013

Lalbagh Flower Show 2013: Flower show, a brilliant work of art

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment

A Bangalorean visits the Lalbagh Flower show and finds much joy and photo ops.

I would like to share my joy and happiness on visiting the Lalbagh Flower Show organised by the Horticultural Department of Government of Karnataka.

Every year, they focus on a theme – this year the idea was to celebrate Republic Day and the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. The department has put in a great deal of hard work in the excellent arrangement of flowers, vegetables and potted plants.

 

The show was inaugurated on January 18th and is open till January 28th.

Feel free to share the pictures with your friends and relatives so that everybody enjoys the beauty of Mother Nature seen at Bangalore twice a year.

This year, there is a parking problem as no vehicles can enter the garden area. Visitors have to park their vehicles elsewhere and walk to the venue. Despite this, the visit is worth as such flower arrangements are rare. Congratulations to the Horticultural Department team for such a fantastic show.

Srinivasan S is a resident of Chikkallasandra.

source: http://www.bangalore.citizenmatters.in / By S. Srinivasan / January 23rd, 2013

Competition with a spiritual touch

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education

Gospel event

The students of St Joseph’s College of Commerce recently held their annual gospel fest, ‘Revelations’.

The inter-collegiate fest not only gave the students a platform to showcase their talent, but also a chance to get in touch with their spiritual side.

One would assume that a gospel fest would tend to be a bit boring, but the fest was anything but that. There was a lot of healthy competition and fun-filled events, like in any other fest.

There were close to 17 colleges that registered for the various events. While the events revolved around the biblical theme, each had its own fun twist.

The day-long fest had events like ‘ice-breaker’, ‘western music’, ‘vernacular music’, ‘creative writing’, ‘collage’, ‘debate’, ‘Bible quiz’, ‘costume presentation’, treasure hunt’, ‘street play’, ‘Bible punter’, ‘pick and sing’ and many others.

“This fest really aims at bringing out the best in each one of us. Also, it helps us youngsters get in touch with our spiritual side,” says Pilith Pericho, a student of SJCC.

The highlight was the ‘ice breaker’ round, where students from various colleges came up on stage in groups of eight and presented the vision of their college in a unique and funny way. While some sang songs, others danced.

There were also a few who used skits with funny one-liners to introduce their college.
Girls from Bishop Cotton Women’s Christian College put up one of the skits in the round.  Gurneet, a student of the college, says that such fests really help the students get charged up.

“We tried to show the vision of our college in the form of a skit. Such events really help us bond and give us a chance to get to know many others in the student  community,” she adds.

Another highlight was the ‘Bible punter’, where the students were tested on their knowledge of the Bible.

For Adrian Jeffery, a student of SJCC, the best event was the western music competition.
“There is some really good talent here. It is a great platform to show that,” he adds. At the end of the day, Kristu Jayanthi College took the overall trophy and St Joseph’s College of Arts and Science was the runners up.

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> Supplements> Metrolife / Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013

Musicians of Rudrapatna

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

Rudrapatna is not a forest, a mountain, a trekker’s delight or a water body, although there is one nearby. Rudrapatna is for music lovers and if you love carnatic music, then this place is worth a visit. It is said the village is an abode of Veda, Nada, and Taranga and its music is famous and goes back hundreds of years in time.

Some of the greatest carnatic musicians such as RS Keshavamurthy, RK Srikantan, RK Srinivasamurthy, RK Suryanarayana, RN Thyagarajan and RN Tharanathan (also known as the Rudrapatnam brothers), RK Raghavan, RK Prakash, RK Prasanna Kumar, RK Padmanabha, RS Ramakanth, RN Sreelatha and Rathnamala Prakash  and others had hailed from this village.
The story goes that two groups of people from Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu settled in the area. While one group performed rites like yagna and yaga, the other spent their time on music. Many musicians in the state today relate to Rudrapatna. The influence of music is obvious in the village. For example, a temple has been built in the shape of a veena and the garden is filled with artistic works of musical instruments.
A temple at the village built in the shape of a veena

While on a trip to Rudrapatna, one can also visit Ramanathapura, a village on the banks of the Cauvery. Sitting on the banks here while the sun sets is a soothing experience. The fish in the river are an attraction, so much so that vendors sell puffed rice with which visitors feed the fish. Local villagers have converted the area into a ‘fish sanctuary and have banned fishing at this spot. Besides, the fish sanctuary, there are a couple of temples dedicated to Lord Ram. It is believed that Ram had visited this place. The architecture of the temples, located on the banks of the river, is also worth noting.

Food: There are no big hotels near Rudrapatna or Ramanathapura, but one can get food either from Holenarasipur or Arkalgud.
How to get there
Hit the Nelamangala Road and head to Channarayapatna and from there to Holenarasipur. From Holenarasipur head to Ramanathapura. Those who plan to visit Shravanabelagola can also visit Rudrapatna. The road is in fairly good condition.
source: http://www.BangaloreMirror.com / Home> Columns> Quick Getaways> Story / by Sridhar Vivan / Wednesday, January 16th, 2013

Sitarist’s strings bridge cultures

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion

Bangalore :

Into the sunset of Sunday, arose the strains of a ‘bridge’ across cultures.

Lit candles in the sanctum of St. Andrew’s Church merged with the strings of the sitar, as American musician Paul Livingstone  plunged into the depths of a meditative tune, between the fluidity of bass and treble altitudes.

Internalizing the mellifluousness of raag Jai Jayanti, Livingstone’s soul connected with the heavens in solitary harmony and cascaded into the aura of myriad beating hearts, exploring the communion between heaven and earth.

Keeping the 16-beat pace of the raag, which broke ground and reached sky high, transcending time and space, percussionist Vishwanath Nakod flavoured the range with gentle and powerful finesse.

And into the night’s darkness, candles at the sanctum glowed with acquired intensity, in emotional transcendence with

Livingstone’s alaap swum over the pillars and trusses that have been holding the ancient place of worship steady since the 1860s.

This confluence of music and the magnetic appeal it brought with it reflected the intensity of India’s own music gems — Amiya Dasgupta, Rajeev Taranath and Pandit Ravi Shankar  — under whom Livingstone has trained for over 25 years.

With this Indian connection, Livingstone strummed out of the pages of his own connection to the ‘trinity’ a hymn in raag. “For me, this symbol is about unity and diversity and the love that every person carries for god, no matter what caste or religion,” said Livingstone.

The ‘bridge’ across cultures created a page in the history of spiritual interconnections, as he strummed the strings of the sitar  in an Indian church for the first time ever.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Bangalore / TNN / January 21st, 2012

A special show for Indian dogs

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

The Mysore Kennel Club, which has entered its 82nd year, will host its 100th dog show at Karnataka Veterinary, Animal & Fisheries Sciences campus, on Saturday.

Briefing reporters, Club President P V Yathinder said: “for the first time, Indian dog speciality show scheduled for Saturday will showcase the canine pride of Karnataka — ‘Mudhol Hound’ along with ‘Pashmi’, both native to the State.” ‘Rajapalayam’ and ‘Chippiparai’, native Tamil Nadu dogs and ‘Caravan’, native to Maharashtra will also be vying for pet lovers’ attention.

“There were about 27 native Indian dogs in the country. But, unfortunately, today we have only about seven of them surviving. The Mudhol Hound, also on its way to extinction, has been saved after great efforts,” Yathinder said.

On Sunday, the club will host the All India Championship Dog Show, along with Obedience Trials of Mysore Kennel Club. There will also be a demonstration of agility and skills by dogs on both days.

Best breed

“A total of 48 different breeds of dogs comprising 460 exhibits from all over the country will compete for Best of Breed, Best in Group and Best in Show categories,” he said.

The show will see some rare breeds like ‘African Boer Boal’, ‘Miniature Schnauzer’, ‘Neapolitan Mastiff’, ‘Weimaraner’, ‘Fox Terrier’, ‘Saluki Tzu’  participating. Agus Wardhana from Indonesia, C V Sudarsan (Chennai) and Yashodhara Hemchandra, will be the judges, while Rajendra and Salvi will adjudicate the Obedience Trials.

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> City / Bangalore, DHNS / January 16th, 2013

Lalbagh gets ready for annual Republic Day flower show

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

Floral Eiffel Tower highlight of 11-day show beginning January 18

The annual Republic Day flower show, organised by the Department of Horticulture and Mysore Horticultural Society, will open to the public on January 18 and will go on till January 28. Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar is expected to inaugurate the show.

The main attraction at this year’s show will be a 35-foot high floral replica of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Meant as a floral tribute to Gustave Eiffel, who erected the Eiffel Tower in 1889, the replica will be decorated with more than 2.5 lakh roses and more than 10,000 orchids. It will occupy pride of place at the Glass House. The flower show comprises exhibition of potted plants and cut flowers, Thai art, Jannur, Ikebana, Indian Floral Art, Bonsai and vegetable carving.

Competing teams

The gardening competition will witness teams from the Raj Bhavan, various ministers’ official residences, public sector undertakings, the Indian Institute of Management and gardens on defence properties competing with private sector entities such as Leela Palace, Taj West End, Infosys and Wipro. The organisers have so far received 772 competition entries.

Noted botanical firms such as Florens Flora, Fruit Land and Eden Lora (Bonsai Collections) are also participating.

The dates

While the main show will be inaugurated on January 18, the Ikebana, Indian Floral Art, vegetable carving and Bonsai exhibition will be inaugurated on January 19. Winners of various competitions will be felicitated by Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath on January 24. The same day has been specially earmarked for school students who have free entry to the exhibition.

Entry fee is Rs.40 for adults and Rs.10 for children.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Bangalore / by Staff Reporter / January 16th, 2013