1. What is Bus Day?

It is a daylong event promoting Public Transport in the city of Bengaluru on February 4th, 2010. It is an event calling all the citizens of Bengaluru to use Public Transport on Feb 4th for all their getting about in the city.

2. What is so special about Bus Day?

Bus Day has been suggested by few enthusiastic citizens . The idea behind Bus Day is to observe the changes which can be brought in the city in trying to respect · Environment · Traffic Situation · Health of individuals · Perception

3. What should be done on Bus day?

We should not use our private vehicle for one day. We use public transport, walk a little more, and tolerate waiting time.

4. Who are the people participating in Bus Day?

It is an event for all citizens of Bangalore, as well as for corporations existing in Bangalore. In other words all the individuals, companies, govt organizations, auto rickshaws, BMTC, Bangalore police… and everyone who lives in Bangalore and feels responsible for the enviroment of the city.

5. What is the responsibility of these participants?

Everyone has to either use or help others to use public transport. · As an individual we should not use our cars for the day, and only use public transport. Companies should permit all employees to come to the office by bus; Auto Rickshaws should take (hopefully) fair fare; the Traffic Police should take care of pedestrians on the day.

6. How can “Bus Day” be a success?

Bus Day will be success if we feel that roads are not congested….thatthe air is fresh..that there is less honking… If we can see a change in the traffic around us….if we cannot see the smoke rings around street lights in the night….if we can see winter fog instead of pollution fog …if,in the night sky,we can see the stars clear and bright.

BUS DAY has been planned for Thursday the 4th of February 2010 .On that day we request you to leave your personal vehicles behind and JUST TAKE THE BUS to commute!

1) Survey Link: BMTC requests you to pass this link to their survey on to everyone. It will be great if we can have the responses by sometime next week (earlier the better). An event flier ( timings, schedules and routes etc) will be emailed to the public, after receiving the responses.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGNvOGxYNzdacktOdXpJVFduc1dHVWc6MA

ACTor Productions
Presents
A theatre and film workshop
theatre@24frames
Date: 6th and 7th Feb 2010 Time: 10am to 6pm Venue: Bangalore

The workshop aims at introducing theatre and films to enthusiasts. The workshop is pretty basic in nature and is aimed at beginners. If you are someone who has always found the words theatre and/or films interesting and have been wondering how to start, what exactly happens at a professional level etc etc. This workshop could give you a whole lot of answers. A 2 day workshop conducted by Pawan Kumar. Pawan Kumar is a theatre practitioner and a film maker. His latest film credit includes Screenplay and Acting for the successful movie of 2009 – Manasaare directed by Yogaraj Bhat. He is currently writing the story and screenplay for Yogaraj Bhat’s new movie Pancharangi. He is someone who moved up in his career by doing a whole lot of projects in both theatre and films. And in this journey he has been able to develop unique methodologies in both the areas. His workshop ‘theatre@24frames’ aims at sharing these methodologies. Know more about his works on his website www.pawantheactor.com

The workshop is open to participants above 18 and will be conducted in English. It would roughly touch upon the topics of Acting, Direction and Writing for theatre and films. The participants of this workshop will be considered for advanced workshops in the future and also to collaborate with Pawan on his short film projects. To register or for more details, please contact – 9916542428 or write to sowmyjag@gmail.com. Very limited intake.T

The Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)
invites you to an Urban Ecology Public Seminar, on Saturday 30th
January 2010, the first of a series of public seminars to be held by
ATREE in the coming months, with the aim of creating a platform to
facilitate exchange of information, and generate discussion on
ecological and environmental issues critical to Bangalore. This
meeting is open to all interested, and will be held from 10 a.m. –
12.30 at Loyola Hall (ground floor), Ashirvad, #30 St.Marks Road
Cross, Bangalore – 560001, tel: 22210154 (opp the SBI main office on
St. Marks road).

The schedule is as below – each presentation will be for about 40
minutes followed by an open discussion.

10 a.m. – 10.30 a.m. – registration
10.30 a.m. – 11.30 a.m. – “Street trees of Bangalore: a critical
ecological and environmental resource”, by Harini Nagendra
11.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m. – “Urban commons: A case study of Agara lake”,
by Rohan D’Souza

Contact Person:

Harini Nagendra, PhD.
DST Ramanujan Fellow and Urban Ecology Coordinator
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment
Royal Enclave, Srirampura, Jakkur Post
Bangalore 560064

Robinson & Crusoe
February 5 to 7, 2010 at Ranga Shankara

Meet Robinson & Crusoe … Two soldiers … One roof … Ocean all around… No common language … Friendship prevails! Action and fun like never before. For the young, young adults and young at heart.

Robinson & Crusoe is a Ranga Shankara production directed by Gracias Devaraj, who starred in the original German production by Schnnawl which played at Ranga Shankara in 2006, and who started his theatrical career in Bangalore. Tickets are available at

Ranga Shankara

36/2, 8th Cross
J P Nagar, II Phase
Bangalore – 560 078
P: 080-26493982 / 26592777
E: rstheatre@gmail.com
W: www.rangashankara.org

and

www.indianstage.in.

Jathre meaning festival, this one was special as it revolves around Beans and all the possible food items with core ingredient as “Averebele”. The annual Magadi Averebele Mela, which is held near Sajjan Rao Circle at V V Puram since Thursday is a culinary and visual treat for fans of the humble ‘hithakabele’. This year’s mela will go on for ten days till the 17th of January. Read more

“[SIC]”

At

Ranga Shankara , J.P.Nagar

Jan 14th, Thu & Jan15th, Fri (7:30 PM)

Telebooking : 9880036611 / 9845017975

(Rs 150/Ticket)

Online Booking : www.indianstage.in

Ticket Outlets : Ranga Shankara & K.C Das, St. Mark’s Rd

Read more

There are colours all over, if you want to see them! Was walking around in Brigade road at around 10 PM on a weekday, and saw these lovely play of neon and the mundane.

Source

Spotted this autorickshaw near MG Road in Bangalore, with a promo poster for Aamir Khan’s new film. (No prizes for guessing the name of the movie.) The caption was indeed interesting – but cleverly conceived. It doesn’t say that the occupants are 3 idiots, but uses the word “capacity.” Unusual enough, I guess, to catch your eye and give you that one prompt to say: I must check it out.

Aamir, I must say has been very creative in his promo ideas – I found the close-shaved look with the designer scar for Ghajini promos absolutely “out-of-the-dabba.” And I must say they did the job without a splurge on paid media promos.

Worked for me:)

There’s more on Aamir’s unique promotion strategies at this link…

http://www.hindustantimes.com/cinemascope/Aamir-s-unique-marketing-strategy-for-3-Idiots/482871/H1-Article1-482569.aspx

n the well-designed brochure that Ligra distributed at the staging of Samuel Beckett’s “Happy Days”, at Ranga Shankara on the 12th and 13th of December, was a line by Chandran Sankaran, written to the husband of the actor who plays the lead, Winnie (Patty Gallagher) …and it says, “I finally understood a Beckett play!”

That’s an important line to keep in mind as we approach one of Samuel Beckett’s lesser known plays ( the better known ones, of course are “Waiting for Godot” and “The End Game”.)

Samuel Beckett won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1969, and it’s amazing to think that this play, on the 8th of October, completed 50 years of existence! For that kind of history, it’s pretty timeless.

It’s also, in a sense, spaceless. It deals with a woman who is buried, first up to her waist, and in the second act, up to her neck, in sand, while her husband, Willie(surely a very unrewarding role for any actor..his entire dialogue in the second act was one monosyllabic word-grunt!)fumbles around her and goes into his cave or hole occasionally.

Beckett is not interested in the cause of this situation, but he draws the character of Winnie, with her unfailing optimism that each will be, once again, a “happy day”.

You can read about the play in the Wiki,

here

Patty Gallagher has been playing Winnie and Joe McGrath the part of Willie (surely a very unrewarding role for any actor when the entire dialogue in the second act consists of a monosyllabic grunt!), but when Chandran Sankaran saw the play, he and

Rogue Theatre, Tuscon, Arizona

decided to bring it to Bangalore. So

Ligra

had a growing group of volunteers who decided that Ranga Shankara would be the venue.

Patty Gallagher has made an excellent choice in this role and play. It is a very demanding role, where no body movements can be made, and in the second half, the face alone must convey the dramatic action and hold the audience. And with that mobile, incredibly expressive face, that runs the gamut of emotions, Patty carried the play through with remarkable aplomb. The brochure says that they were looking for a local actor to play Willie, and to my mind this would have been adequate, but it was Joe Mc Grath who did play the role.

It was a treat, too, to watch the very subtle direction of the play. Patty’s husband Stewart told me before the start, that even her small eye movements are scripted; I must say that was a very tough job superbly done.

The lighting and the “off” effects were also well-timed and impeccably executed.

And so…we come to the “But”.

Well…part of the “but” has nothing to do with Rogue Theater or Ligra…it is just that of late, I seem to be watching nothing but monologues at Ranga Shankara…”Bikhre Bimb”, “Flowers”….and I found it a little palling to have yet another play where a single actor has to carry the entire play.

Also, I am beginning to thirst, in a bourgeoisie way, for plays with a properstoryline and action…and a play about a woman stuck in the mud, with a few articles of daily use, is neither easy to understand nor digest.

It’s all very well to be part of a “discerning” theatre audience, but I don’t want, always, to be stretching my mind at an evening of theatre, and probably because of the plays I have been watching, found this one to be difficult.

However, I did enjoy the play much more than I would have thought possible, and for this, I thank Ligra, Rogue Theatre, and Patty Gallagher!

The play is recommended if you are into serious theatre; if you are just out for an evening’s entertainment, it’s still watchable, given a suspension of disbelief about a woman existing between sleep and waking periods, buried in sand.

Bangalouru Habba is here, An art exhibition “Craft Mela — Kalamadhyam” is organized in Chitrakala Parishat from Dec 11th till 20th loaded with various artifacts from different parts of the country, these colorful kites too represent the colors of the creations; don’t miss it if you are in the city!! More photos here…

Yours Truly Theatre invites you with your friends & colleagues
for weekend of Interactive Theatre Double Bill !
(Dec 12 and Dec 13). Showcasing two unique interactive Theatre formats.

Dont make me laugh is done in Playback Theatre Style where actors enacts reactions and stories of audiences on the spot.
Mushaira Theatre, where actors create shayari on the spot, even creating compositons based on reactions by audiences on the spot.

Show: Dont Make me Laugh
Date: Dec 12th, 2009
Time: 7:00 pm
Venue: Nayana Hall, Ravindra Kalakesthra, JC Road

Show: Mushaira Theatre
Date: Dec 13th, 2009
Venue:Nayana Hall, Ravindra Kalakesthra, JC Road

For tickets call 9845243051 /9845853093 Or mail us at yourstrulytheatre@gmail.com

Read more

Avighna Collections announces an exhibition cum sale of crafts, paintings , and curios.

Venue: The Society Interior Collections Exhibition,

Hotel Ashok.

Dates:11th of Dec to 13th Dec between 10.30 am to 8 PM .

Do visit Stall no 6!

For passes/invitations, contact 65670035 Mr Gopal Rao on the 9th and 10th of December.

10th to 17th December 2009, 11.00am to 8.00 pm:
WILD WITNESS
An Exhibition of Indian Wildlife Photographs by S P Nagendra

Inauguration on Thursday, 10th December 2009 at 10.30 am by
Sri Sri Ravishankar Guruji
Art of Living Foundation

Thursday, 17th December 2009 at 10.30 am:
Release of a book on Indian Wildlife – Written by S P Nagendra
Book release by Sri B S Yeddyurappa
Honourable Chief Minister of Karnataka
Launching of Website by
Dr Veerendra Heggade
Dharmadhikari, Srikshetra Dharmasthala

——————————————————————————
Venue: Chitrakala Parishath Art Complex
Kumara Kripa Road, Bangalore – 560001
Exhibition Timings: 11am to 8pm

For more details, please contact:

S P Nagendra (ARPS)
(Department of Technical Education)

Unnathi Foundation
#50, 6th Main, 5th Block,
Jayanagar, Bangalore – 560041
Ph: 91-80-26656418
Mob: 093428 12036
Email: unnathinature@yahoo.in

The students of St.Joseph’s have made a short video protesting against the Government’s move to issue passes at Rs.200 for entry to Cubbon Park and Lalbagh.

Watch the video

here

Opinions and comments welcome.