Citizen Matters, Bangalore's own interactive newsmagazine

Sangeetha Kadur’s brush with the nature

Deepthi M S — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

A wildlife artist has to depict the real life as it is. That is what differentiates us from artists.
"People connect to my paintings easily," says Sangeetha Kadur, wildlife artist. A graduate from Chitrakala Parishath, Sangeetha is a avid birdwatcher and a wildlife artist.

'A Brush With Nature,' her first solo exhibition of wildlife art was organised at No. 1 Shanti Studio at Shantinagar. The exhibition was on from 27 January to 30 January.

The exhibition which ran for 3 days saw a lot of wild life enthusiasts attending the event. "The spirit in the Leopard's eyes are so real," says, Atrijit Dasgupta, 45, who claims to have an average interest in the wildlife.

The exhibition had around…

Citizen Matters expands to Koramangala, HSR

Padmalatha Ravi — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

After three years in Jayangar - JP Nagar - BTM we have now launched our second print edition in Koramangala and HSR.

Dear JP Nagar, BTM and Jayanagar readers,

As some of you may have seen the announcements, Citizen Matters second edition has launched in Koramangala-HSR layout from 14 January. This is a very exciting development for us and is inline with our plan to foster hyperlocal communities around Bengaluru through independent coverage of current affairs, communitiy and culture. Starting today, two fortnightly editions will go out of our office every alternate week, one for Jayangar, JP Nagra, BTM area and one for Koramangala-HSR.

Like the active community in Jayangar - JP Nagar area, Koramangala and HSR Layout's citizens…

Rumale’s Varna Mythri

Pushpa Achanta — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

During the 1970's and 1980's, Bangaloreans regularly spotted Rumale steeped in bringing out his creations at parks, street corners and famous locales.

‘Varna Mythri - Centenary Retrospective 2011' was launched in December 2011 to commemorate the birth centennial of artist Rumale Chennabasaviah. The retrospective is being held by National Gallery of Modern Art NGMA, Benglauru.

The programme was to end on 31 January but the date has been now extended. "By popular demand, the last date for viewing has been extended until 19 February 2012", shared Shoba Nambisan, the director of NGMA.

The programme included insightful weekly discussions by artists and art historians on Rumale's paintings, landscape art and relevant subjects. While most of the paintings belong to the collection…

Making organ donation easier

Priyanka Shylendra — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

A Jayanagar-based citizen has taken up a project to get organ donation option mentioned in driving license cards.

When I first saw my brother’s US driving license, I found organ donation option mentioned in it. I too wanted to pledge my organs but did not know how. I took this up as a project, to get organ donation introduced as an option on DLs.

There is huge demand for organs in India, for…

A man for all seasons

Umesh P N — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The play is a must watch to see how a great writer’s mind works with respect to plot and dialogues.
The Bengaluru Habba featured the staging of Robert Bolt's A Man for all Seasons. For those of us not familiar with Bolt's name, he was an Oscar-winning screenplay writer and playwright, who wrote the screenplays for Dr Zhivago (one of his Oscar efforts) and the legendary Lawrence of Arabia.

His other Oscar came from the screenplay adaptation of this play, A Man for all Seasons. The play for the Habba was stage directed by Arjun Sajnani, who is of course known for the high quality of his productions that include Fire and Rain and Tughlaq. This play was no different in…

Power shutdown on February 4th

News Desk — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

1) There will be no power supply from 10 am to 2 pm on February 4th, Saturday, in areas under 66/11KV Hoody MUSS, as works of quartely maintenance, oil leakage fixing and commisioning of fire protection system have to be carried out.

Affected areas under 66/11KV Hoody MUSS (Power Transformer No-2): Graphite Road, Vishweshwaraih Industrial Area, Hemkund Road, ITI Ancillary, Devasandra Industrial Area, Dooravani Cable Road, Kaveri Nagar, GC Palya, RHB Colony, Lakshmi Sagara, Saraswathi Nagar, Mahaeswari Nagar, MD Pura Bande, TESCO Company, EPIP Layout, SAP LAB Company EPIP Layout, Hoody, Graphite Road Left Side, Oballa Reddy Compound, L&T Company EPIP…

Kasaravalli on cities, and cities in his films

Sushumna Kannan — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

My films have always had a political-social message. In 'Mane' I recorded the experiences and perceptions of those with an agrarian background who come to inhabit a city.

Filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli has won hearts and stimulated minds for a few decades now. Ghatashraadhha to Gulabi Talkies, his films have won him great accolades. He offers interpretations of the stories he chooses, something not usually done by directors. Citizen Matters caught up with this resident of BTM Layout for an interview.

I see a shift in your film-making. Recent films, especially those after Gulabi Talkies seem to be explicitly ideological in nature. They ‘tell’ more than ‘show’, I think.

What do you mean when you say ‘ideological’? My films have always had a political-social message, if you like.…

Oota anyone?

Nagashree Gururaj — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Coconut Grove offers consistently good classics of Kerala cuisine. One of the branches of this restaurant is on Sarjapur road. Classical Carnatic music and waiters clad in traditional dhotis gives the restaurant country look.

The starters in demand are kozhi porichathu (chicken fry) and erachi ularthiyathu (chicken fry). Coconut Grove is mainly for non vegetarians, though there are some vegetarian items on the menu like the kadala curry. The restaurant is famous for its appams, idiappams and nadan chemmeen curry (prawn curry).

The thali is priced at Rs 199. Alcohol is served. Average cost for two persons:…

Signs of suicide and how to help

Mukul Saxena — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Can you tell when someone is suicidal? What can you to help them out of it?

A person talking about futility of life or inability to face stress should be taken seriously. Steps to prevent suicides have to be taken at different levels.

At community level, it includes education, destigmatising psychiatric illness, screening and treatment. Education includes individual and public awareness, professional awareness and counseling. At the family level, love, understanding and support can help people cope.

Earliest signs of depression or any other psychiatric disorder should be taken seriously and treated. Any mention of suicidal thought or talk should not be ignored.

Teachers, counselors and parents have to join hands to detect earliest signs of childen…

On the closure of Hotel Brindavan, M G Road, 010212

Deepa Mohan — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

I do not often indulge in nostalgia, being a person who enjoys the vibrancy of the present as much as the glow of the past. But once in a while....

It was saddening to read of the closure of Hotel Brindavan, on M G Road.

The value of everything seems to be reckoned only in money terms, in Bangalore, at least....there seems to be no value for heritage, history or culture...except if they can be marketed as "heritage", "history", and "culture". Otherwise, it is all "real estate". Sad at the inverted-commaization of our inheritance...we are now camera-toting tourists, treading over our own…