TOTO FUNDS THE ARTS (TFA), in association with Counter Culture Records (CCR), invites entries for the fifth annual TOTO awards for young budding musicians and bands. The winner of the award has two options: (i) the Rs 50,000 cash prize (to be used towards your music!) OR (ii) a complete record deal from CCR + a music equipment voucher from On-Stage Music (India’s high quality music equipment store) worth Rs 15,000! The record deal will include recording and releasing your debut album across India.

TFA is looking for entries in contemporary music from all parts of India (bands or individuals). The list of genres extends from rock, jazz, heavy metal, trance, house, instrumental, folk, to any genre which is yet to be “born”. The award is open to music in any language.

Read more

TOTO AWARDS 2009

CREATIVE WRITING

CALL FOR ENTRIES

TOTO FUNDS THE ARTS (TFA) invites entries for its fourth annual TOTO awards for Indian creative writers in English. Two cash awards of Rs. 25,000 each will be given in January, 2009.

BUT: Entries are only invited from young people — over the age of 18, and who have not celebrated their 30th birthday before January 1, 2009.

ALSO: The spirit of the Toto Awards is to identify promise and encourage young talent. Therefore, do not submit an entry if you are already an established writer.

TFA is looking for entries in three genres –– short plays, short stories and poetry.

The submissions should not exceed 7,500 words. You can submit any combination of your writing in the above genres, as long as the entire submission is within the stipulated word limit.

Entries should reach TOTO FUNDS THE ARTS (TFA) by 4 October, 2008 at the latest. There will be no extension of the submission date.

TOTO FUNDS THE ARTS (TFA)

H 301 Adarsh Gardens, 8th Block, 47th Cross, Jayanagar, Bangalore 560 082

Phone: 080-26990549

Entries should be sent in soft e-mail copy to totofundsthearts@yahoo.com as well in hard copy form to the above address. Please address queries to the same e-mail ID.

THE FINE PRINT:

Entries must be accompanied by a signed statement confirming the applicant’s date of birth, whether the applicant’s work has been published in print (give details), and also affirming that the submitted work is original. Please ensure that the hard copy does not carry your name on it. Submitted entries will be given code numbers to protect applicants’ identities from the jury during the judging process.

Submitted material will not be returned.

The decision of the TFA jury is final and cannot be contested in any forum.

TOTO FUNDS THE ARTS (TFA) is a not-for-profit public trust set up in memory of Angirus ‘Toto’ Vellani, who was intensely passionate about music, literature and films.

Let me confess first that this actually began as yet another attack on the auto drivers, their methods, their rude ways etc. But then I realized that there is so little written about the positives of the auto drivers of Bangalore that it does seem to feel that every one out there is evil. There are a few guys out there who are generally nice & do some good deeds if not always at least once in a while. And there have also been times when we have not looked at them as aliens from the outer world & been nice as well. Some instances:

Read more

One of the major problems organizers seem to be facing…or causing…is that of starting an event on time. Whether it’s a music concert, a film screening, a play, or a quiz….nowadays I find that it’s not just a matter of minutes, but of hours, that the delay is likely to be.

Over this weekend, I attended two events. One was at Suchitra Film Society, in Banashanakari; the theme was Water Conservation, and there were some skits followed by screening of some wildlife films. I wanted to see two of these…Wild Dog Diaries, made by Kripakar and Senani-Hegde, and The Queen of Trees, made by Deeble and Stone. On Saturday, we were told that the former film would be screened at 6.30pm, according to the schedule, and I arrived there in haste at 7pm, thinking I would be late…by the time the skit and the other movie screenings (the one on the Flamingos at Sewri Flats had to be abandoned as the DVD would not play properly) were over, it was past 8.45pm. I could not stay on any longer, and had to leave without ever seeing the movie.

On Sunday afternoon, KQA (Karnataka Quiz Foundation), had scheduled a “Love Quiz” (it was very interesting indeed, but that’s not the point of this post) for 1pm, followed by the March Open Quiz at 3 pm. My team-mates and I arrived punctually at 2.30pm to register…and found that the “Love Quiz” had just started!

Read more

Some of them may ask what the fuss is about. It’s no big deal really. But for those of us who get a little excited when we see TV or Film personalities in flesh & blood, this may make sense. For most of us the TV or the Film world means a different world altogether. It communicates glamour, money, fame, popularity & power. Our TV shows & films create a dream and we lap it all up. I suppose the impact that they have on our habits, our looks and our dreams is enormous. Now what happens when you see such people in person, in flesh & blood? Most times you are in awe. You pause. Give a second look. Stare and then you move on having that memory registered forever. Below is one instance of seeing an actor in flesh & blood right here in Bangalore
 

It involves Raghuvaran. Raghuvaran is a popular actor who has acted mostly in South Indian films. He plays the doctor who saves Sivaji in the movie Sivaji starring Rajnikanth. This incident happened on Brigade Road. The swanky car was driven by a chauffeur & Raghuvaran was seated backseat & was smoking. I was directly behind the car riding my bike. There was no give away of course that it was him. Just a nice car in front, that is all. But check out the drama that followed. This swanky new car crosses the traffic signal at the Mota Royal Arcade junction & proceeds straight towards sulay circle. Here this swanky car brushes the car in front. So you know what happens in situations like this. Out hops the driver, ready for a duel & collect the damages. The swanky car driver talks/shouts to the affected car’s driver. No resolution in sight. And this is where Raghuvaran steps out from the back seat. He walks to the front & confronts the affected car’s driver. The only thing Raghuvaran does on getting face to face with the affected car’s driver is to raise his hands & point all his fingers towards himself & shake his head as if saying, “Its me. Do you recognize?” He repeats the action once again, when he doesn’t see any reaction. The affected car’s driver recognizes Raghuvaran & smiles. He shakes his head & smiles some more. His intention to duel completely disappears. Raghuvaran shakes hands with the affected car’s driver & walks back to his seat puffing his cigarette.

I have shared this incident with a lot of people. It just goes to show the love & admiration we have for people in the TV or film world. It is anybody’s guess how that argument would have proceeded had it been someone else.

It is sad to know that Raghuvaran is no more amongst us today.

Koothu-p-Pattarai, a professional Tamil repertory group, staged “Woyzeck”, a German play bu George Buchner, at Ranga Shankara today, the 15th of December.

Franz Woyzeck is a soldier who has an illegitimate child by his mistress Marie, who is a prostitute. However, he thinks of her as his wife, and to make extra money to support them, performs menial jobs for his captain and also takes part in the medical experiments that the army doctor conducts. Once, the doctor tells him that he should eat nothing but peas…and Woyzeck begins to hallucinate. Meanwhile, Marie dallies with a handsome drum-major…and so the relationships, and the pressure on Woyzeck’s brain and emotions, develop…
Read more

The Government of Karnataka, Forest Dept, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, British Council, Wild Screen U.K, Vodafone, Radio Mirchi, and Epson, are together organising “Aranyam 2007- Wild Life and Environmental Film Festival” a film festival with WILD LIFE and Environment as its theme in Bangalore on 5th 6th and 7th during Wild Life Week on October 2007.

Aranyam 2007 will be held at Gurunanak Bhavan, Jasma Bhavan Road Off Millers Road Vasanth Nagar Bangalore, Karnataka, 560001. India.), Bangalore on 5th, 6th and 7th Oct 2007.

The festival will start the screenings of documentaries, animations,PSAs, music videos and feature films from 17:00 to 21:00 hrs on the 5th and 10:00 A.M to 8:30 p.m.

Aranyam is a three-day special event showing films about wildlife and nature. Films will be presented with discussions and the gathering will include consumers of eco tourism, environment organizations,wildlife organizations, forest department and documentary movie producers.
Read more

This evening, “Shakuntala Remembered” opened at Ranga Shankara, Having read that it was a combination of theatre, text, Kalari payattu, video, and music, I decided that it was definitely worth watching.

The play has its base in the story of Shakuntala, the daughter of a sage and an apsara, who is brought up in the forest ashram of another sage. A king falls in love with her, marries her according to Gandharva rites, and leaves, promising to come back for her. When she loses the ring he gave her, he forgets all about her, even disowning her when she presents herself and her son at court; later, on seeing the ring, memories come flooding back, and he returns to the forest to claim his wife and child.

Kirtana Kumar, who is both an actress and a documentary film-maker, both acted in, and directed, the play. She took a major part of the play on her shoulders, with lots of dialogue, translations from the Bhagavatham, verse, references from several texts…and also played the part of the Sutradhar or narrator.
Read more

Spotted in the City…

I wonder what Dr Rajkumar’s own reaction to this poster would have been!

Police has registered a case against NRN. Home minister MP Prakash termed it as an unpardonable act.
Read more