With over a three million titles on display, 340 stalls from leading publishers and distributors, this 10 day long Bangalore Book Festival (BBF) is open to public from 9th Nov till 15th Nov ( i.e. today) is claimed to be indias largest book festival….
(more…)

Having missed the first staging of this German folklore-based play, I was very keen to attend the show when it was staged yesterday (27th October 2009) as part of the Ranga Shankara 5th anniversary celebrations.

It was indeed heartening to see the enthusiastic lineup of children just before the play, and I was also impressed that Sankar’s Cafe at Ranga Shankara also has a Readng Corner for children now. Theatre and allied activities seem to be actively encouraged at Ranga Shankara and this is a great thing to see.

“Zapperdockel and the Wock” is the story of two very different creatures, Zapperdockels being small, and the Wock being a very large being. A Zapperdockel is also a crybaby.How these two interact and learn to get along is the story of the one-hour play.

Throughout the play, I was impressed by the reaction of the children in the audience (the play blurb says it’s for children “4 and above”.) A crowd of them were also invited on to the stage, and they were clearly enjoying themselves.

Virginia and Anil Kumar (I don’t know if I got the male name right, though) were the puppeteers who brough the puppets to life, and with innovative props, excecuted a variety of tricks and capers on stage that had the children constantly amused, and, occasionally, enthralled, as when they lit a flame under a plastic bag, and sent it soaring up into the air.

Walking sticks that acted as scales, hats that filled with flour, a box that opened this way and that…the props were very inventive and creative, and the rectangle described by the ropes onstage created a stage within a stage where all the action happened.

I thoroughly enjoyed the music, too; it was composed by Kumaresh of the famous violinist duo, Ganesh and Kumaresh, and sometimes consisted of purely Carnatic renditions, sometimes percussion passages, and sometimes a violin duet…it was a delight to the ear at all times.

The puppets, made by Anurupa Roy of Kat Katha, were also lovely to behold, with several Wocks taking the stage at one time, but mostly having a blue-coloured Wock iinteracting with a littleyelllow Zapperdockel.

However, I must say that perhaps I was too old for the narrative: I could not follow the thread of the story too well, and sometimes it seemed to drag. Some of the tricks on stage seemed to really have nothing at all to do with the play at all..though perhaps, with the age of the audience tragetted, no such connection was necessary. I never felt that I had got the message that Aru gave the children just prior to the show…that the play was to show how different people can get along together.

I would like to make the point, however, that young children need not always feel that magic-type tricks and slapstick comedy are the only things that comprise theatre for children; I think they are capable of appreciating more sophisticated storylines and stagecraft than what I witnessed at Ranga Shankara yesterday. Personally, I felt that the play could have been cut short to even 40 minutes, and could have done with a more predominant, sequential thread running through it. The two Sutradhars did not always seem to have a “sutra” to convey to the audience.

Ranga Shankara is putting up four more plays as part of the fifth anniversary celebrations, for more details, please visit

http://www.rangashankara.org/

All the plays have been staged before, but are being brought back by popular demand.

Hosur Round Table as service organisation is doing a fund raiser selling cracker gift boxes.

The proceeds of the sale will be used to promote education of underprivileged children by providing classrooms, mulitimedia education aids, salaries for teachers etc. Hosur Round Table also funds environmental projects through Kenneth Anderson Nature Society.

A primary school in Kodekarai a remote village in the Melagiris is being adopted by Hosur Round Table by sponsoring the salary of 2 teachers for a year. Thirteen class rooms have been constructed at various remote villages in the last few years and two multimedia education kits (projector, P.C and education material from classes 4 to 10) have been donated recently.

(more…)

YWCA is one of the hosts of the International Film Festival spearheaded by the Bangalore Film Society along with other NGO’s on the issue of water which is to be held on the 4th 5th and 6th September 2009 at the YWCA Arathi No 7, 6th Block, Koramangala,Bangalore 560 095. Tel Phone: 25634813/22238574/ 9739047011.

Here are the names of the films which will be screened at Arathi. Water is becoming a
very crucial issue for all of us and for which we all need to be concerned
about.

Kindly make a note of the film to be screened on Saturday at 4.00pm Living
Water: In the beginning where the Directors of the film will be present and
will take up the discussion afterwards. So please come and be part of
viewing this film in large numbers.

There will also be an inauguration of the International Film Festival at
4.00pm on 4th September 2009 at Alliance Francaise. All are welcome to
attend the Inauguration.

For any further queries, contact Latha Paul, General Secretary,YWCA of Bangalore City, on

9739047011.

(more…)

Eco-friendly, “green” Ganesha Idols for the Festival

Here’s an announcement I got via Hasiru Usiru:

Those who want unbaked, uncoloured Ganesha vigrahams of the size that can be dissolved at home in a bucket of water and poured back to join your garden soil, can contact

3419177 or 9342303247

or email Chandra Ravikumar at

chandraravikumar@hotmail.com

Here’s an announcement I got via Hasiru Usiru:

Those who want unbaked, uncoloured Ganesha vigrahams of the size that can be dissolved at home in a bucket of water and poured back to join your garden soil, can contact

3419177 or 9342303247

or email Chandra Ravikumar at

chandraravikumar@hotmail.com

Identifying Traditional and Responsible ways of Celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi

A One Day Workshop for Children ( Ages 9-14)

Ganesh Chaturthi is the birthday of Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu God. As we all know, He is a very popular god in India and has become a popular symbol around the world too. Ganesha in different art forms has broken many boundaries of caste, race, religion, and nation and has found a space in many living rooms around the world. He is a favorite among the children too. The story of his birth and the variety of delicacies made on this day are enjoyable for children. Over the last few decades, there has been a considerable shift in our societies across the country from celebrating the festival in a traditional way to a more ostentatious occasion, with little regard to the socio-economic, cultural and environmental impacts.

The workshop is aimed at helping children identify the traditional and historical significance, ways in which it was celebrated in the past, the importance of the traditional foods made on this day and ways in which the festival can be celebrated without causing harm to the environment around us.

The workshop will take children through interesting stories, videos, making clay idols, learning to make traditional decorations, learning through some games and learning to take responsibility.

Workshop Date: 30th August 2009

Timings: 9.30 am -4.30 pm

Registration Fees: Rs.300/-

Venue: ESG office

Contact Details:

Environment Support Group

1572, 100 feet Outer Ring Road, Banashankari 2nd Stage, Bangalore-70

Telephone: 91-80-26713559/60/61 Email: divyarrs@esgindia.org/esg@esgindia.org

Website: www.esgindia.org

Mango Party at Ranga Shankara

The annual mango party is back at Ranga Shankara and will be held on Saturday May 23rd from 2 PM to 6 PM. A one of its kind event in the country dedicated to the Mango, one of India’s special gifts, Mango Party is all about celebrating the mango every year in so much abundance and variety.

Keeping in tune with the Indian tradition wherein the mango is seen as a community fruit, Ranga Shankara has celebrated the Mango Party annually with great zeal involving large numbers of people. With the theatre community being in attendance one can look forward to spontaneous songs, scenes and entertainment.

This year there will also be special entertainment for children and others in the form of mango stories by Padmavati Rao, mango games, Paint-a-mango, on-the-spot story writing contests, best mango recipe (send your recipe to rstheatre@gmail.com to enter the competition) and much more.

The party is open to all. All one needs to do to enjoy the party is bring a kilo of mangoes and eat as much as one can from the pool. Ranga Shankara will strive to bring as many varieties as possible to the pool.

–
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

The Choe Khor Sum Ling Center in Bangalore is holding a Tibetan film festival from May 14-19. The CKSL is a center for the study and practice of Mahayana Buddhism following the lineage and example of Lord Buddha. The Center, whose name means ‘The Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma’ was founded in 2003 by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the request of HH the XIVth Dalai Lama.

The festival started with two movies yesterday: “The Tibetans: Life in Exile”, Robb Bradstock and “Kundun” by Martin Scorsese. The first movie showed how the exiled community mainly in the Dharamsala area and the challenges it faces, including the monks and nuns. It was quite an interesting look at the problems of the community.

The second – Kundun – is a 1997 film written by Melissa Mathison (at the behest of the Dalai Lama himself) and directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the life and writings of the Dalai Lama, the exiled political and spiritual leader of Tibet. It stars Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, a grand nephew of the Dalai Lama as the adult Dalai Lama. It traces his life in episodes from the time he was “found” to the time when he had to flee Tibet. Kundun was nominated for four Academy Awards.

The rest of the schedule is as follows:

Friday, May 15
5.30 pm, “DREAMING OF TIBET”, Will Parrinello
6.40 pm, “WINDHORSE”, Paul Wagner

Saturday, May 16
5.30 pm, “THE LOST WORLD OF TIBET”, Emma Hindley
7.10 pm, DREAMING LHASA”
8.15 pm, “LEAVING FEAR BEHIND”

Sunday, May 17
5:30 pm, “UNWINKING GAZE”, Joshua Dugdale
6:50 pm, “THE CUP: AN INSPIRING TRUE STORY”, Khyentse Norbu
7:10 pm, “H.H. The DALAI LAMA in conversation with RAJIV MEHROTRA”

Monday, May 18
8:10 pm, “TIBET’S CRY FOR FREEDOM”, Lara Damiani

Tuesday, May 19
5:30 pm, “ART IN EXILE”, Nidhi Tuli, Ashraf Abbas
6:10 pm, “DRAMGYEN: THE LUTE”, ashi Eugyalaversion
6:30 pm, “RICHARD GERE IS MY HERO”, ashi Wangchuk, Tsultrim Dorjee
8:10 pm, “UNDERCOVER TIBET”, Channel 4

CKSL also offers courses in various Buddhist meditation techniques and teachings on the various aspects of the graduated path to enlightenment. Teachings are offered free to the public and are conducted in English or in Tibetan (with translation in English). In addition to regular teachings every few weeks the Center invites senior Lamas to give talks on important aspects of the Buddhist path.

For those interested in Tibet, its history and the present day problems and issues, this is a good chance to catch a few of these films. And do pass the word around!

For more information, you can check out the The Center’s Website or call them on 080-41486497.

Brinjal Festival

Brinjal, badanekayi, is the king of vegetables which comes with its own crown! This is an event that will celebrate the diversity of Brinjals and contemplate our role in protecting it.

Don’t Miss the first-ever Brinjal Festival in Bangalore

Venue: MHS Hall, Lalbagh (Double road gate)
Date/Time: April 5th Sunday, 11am – 7pm

Good Food, Healthy Food, Safe Food… should be a primary concern of all of us. The Brinjal festival is an attempt to bring a better consciousness and respect for our rich diverse food. Genetically Modified (GM) food crops pose a grave threat to the diversity and to our health as consumers. Let us all make informed choices about food, one of most fundamental necessities.

What’s in store?

* Food Stalls with brinjal specials for you to savour
* Cooking competition for innovative Brinjal dishes
* Drawing competition and more fun events for kids
* Brinjal Diversity Exhibition showcasing more than 30 varieties of brinjal
* Screening of Mahesh Bhatt’s film Poison on the Platter
* Awareness campaign about GM foods and the risk to our health and environment.
* Meet scientists, farmers, doctors and Ayurveda practitioners and some well known celebrities.

To register for competitions, visit http://bangalore.aidindia.org/cms/?q=brinjalMela.

For any queries:

E-mail: brinjalfest@gmail.com

Contact:

Sejal – 9901201279 (sejalrparikh@gmail.com)
Siddesh – 9880600840 (tosiddesh@yahoo.com)
Pulkit – 9916173750 (pulkitparikh@gmail.com)
Guru – 9845294184 (mguru.aid@gmail.com)

Organized by

Association for India’s Development (AID)- Bangalore
Sahaja Samrudha
Samvada
Jaivika Krishi Society (JKS)
Mysore Hoticulture Society (MHS)

On the 27th and 28th of March,2009, Wishdom Productions is staging a play, “Twelve Thousand Little Pies And Other Delicacies ” at Ranga Shankara, at 7.30pm, both days. It is a combination of theatre and a culinary experience.

Tickets are priced at Rs.350, and are available at Ranga Shankara,

www.rangashankara.org

2659 2777 and 26493982

and at

www.indianstage.in

Click

here

for more details

(more…)