Large crowds at Everest, eager to see Chulbul Pandey at his best.

Submission Update

The theme for this year’s exhibition is “India Today” where photographs depicting the New India will be curated and showcased. The plan is to have several photography-based activities at the venue over three days – including talks by experts in the area, workshops, an open house where any participant can come and share his ideas/ experiments/ opinions and more. This year the event will be held at ChitraKala Parishat, between 22nd and 24th October.

Please follow the link for more information. The LAST date for submission is SEP 11.

http://bangalorephotographyclub.com/activities/fom10.html

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

Also can’t believe that one of Bangalore’s most sought after shopping destinations can have its awkward sights. A garbage truck right in the middle of your frame, with a trail of big brand signs on either side of the road.

“Eat’N’Drink” is arguably the best chai kadai / tea shop in the world. They’ve got over thirty items on a menu that covers some great variations on Chai, Coffee, Sandwiches, Bunwiches, Samosas, Vadas, Bondas and …  a Kerala Banana Fry that’s a complete meal in five inches.

There are two things that really make this a great stopover*. One : the taste factor which is 10 on 10. Two : the price factor, which is absolutely drop-your-jaw. Who’s it run by? No marks for guessing: a bunch of enterprising, young Malayalees:)

While regular chai is Rs 3 a cup, Ginger, Lemon and Special Chai are Rs 5 for a small cup and 10 for a larger cup. Black, Ginger and Mint Coffee come at the same kind of pricing. A “Bun Omlet” as they spell it, is Rs 10; a “Double Bun Omlet” is Rs 15. A Vegetable or Egg Sandwich is Rs 15. A cup of Maggi Noodles is Rs15. Vadas and Bondas are Rs 5 each; Egg / Veg puffs are Rs 7 each. Check out the Vermicelli Sweet Milk (also 15) if you want something that tastes like Kheer.

Location : Kammanahalli Main Road – a little past Sathya Hospital, if you’re driving towards the Ring Road. Just look for a huge Banyan Tree to your left and go roughly 30 yards beyond that. Eat’N’Drink is a corner shop, to your right. (I think it’s across the road / opposite Kanti Sweets.)

* Open from 5.30 am to around 11 pm. This is a stand-by-the-counter-and-drink-your-chai kind of place. The interiors could be a wee bit smoggy, if you’re the fussy type. My advice : forget the fuss and enjoy your Chai and Kerala Banana Fries.

Google Maps Link

This is Dr Jaiprakash, my regular chai buddy
at this chai kadai.

Easily the most boring sign I have seen in the city, but it seems to have done its job.  Wasn’t greeted with foul smells when I parked.

Saw a very unusual sign the other day, in Kodihalli – off the old airport road. Art gallery? Take-away? Restaurant?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Didn’t have the time to explore this interesting “business combo,” but will do so one of these days and add a post script.

Every time I drive by MG Road, or CMH Road for that matter, I wonder how long it’s going to take before we see an actual “Namma Metro” flag-off. I’m not keeping track of it every day, but here’s someone who is. Ravi Kumar who was on the author team at Metblogs is so driven about the Namma Metro project that he has two dedicated blogs – to give you regular updates. This way you can track the progress made, wherever you are in the world.

Workmen fix a gantry with the aid of two cranes near the Old Madras Road station on Route 1 of Bangalore’s Namma Metro project. Photo contributed by former Bangalore Metblogs author, Ravi Kumar, as he tracks the progress of Bangalore’s Metro project: Namma Metro at http://nammametrotales.wordpress.com. You can also see pictures of the project at his photoblog: http://nammametrophotoblog.wordpress.com

Tickets
Paid event / Tickets available at the Cafe de Liberté,
Alliance Francaise de Bangalore

I now see a new and encouraging trend in a company’s efforts to be visible in the marketplace. And I’m not talking about press, outdoor, film or television. The new recipe has carefully hand-picked ingredients that can even get a steak to sizzle : bloggers. Bloggers, specially invited to a freewheeling session that is informal, interactive and informative.

I was recently invited to a product curtain raiser for bloggers and my invite gave me a sneak preview of two new Lenovo products. The new IdeaCentre A600 and IdeaPad Y650 – just off the blocks from the Lenovo launch pad. After the presentations were concluded, the bloggers were invited to test drive the two machines and interact with the Lenovo team on features, specs, support and compatibility with typical user profiles.

One of difficult things about a bloggers’ meet with a corporate agenda is the actual handling of the event – especially in terms of presentation logic. It can’t be orchestrated, or formal. It can’t be to a script. And it can’t be blow-dried. So, it has to be open-ended, freewheeling and meandering – with no timers set on presentations and discussions. And that is exactly what this bloggers’ meet was all about.