Society

 On Vijaya Dashami Day, the Casa Ansal Apartment Owners' Association (CAAOA) organized a Garba and Dandiya evening.    Several of the residents put up food and clothing stalls, at which the sales were brisk.  The effigy of Ravana...representing the powers of evil and darkness...was kept ready to set on fire at the end of the evening.   The ladies participated enthusiastically in the Dandiya ras, wearing traditional Gujarati garb.   Here are one of the apartment buildings senior residents, who are connoisseurs of music and dance, who were enjoying themselves that evening!  "The sense of community gets fostered by such cultural events," remarked Mrs. Alamelu, one…

On the 14th of October 2011, Citizen Matters organized a meeting of several of the writers who contribute to the magazine. From 4 pm onwards, people started trickling in, and after a round of self-introductions, people got to discussing the various issues that faced the city of Bangalore...prime among them being, of course, civil administration. While this was going on, tea, coffee and snacks were being served: Several of the writers gave their inputs: And along with Padma and Meera, Subbu moderated the meeting, and elicited responses and inputs of various kinds from the authors. Many of the contributors came…

When I go to Ranga Shankara to see a play, I go with an open mind...as I often say, I go, not knowing if it will be "fair play" or "foul play"! Recently (7th of October) I went to watch the interpretation of Hamlet, staged by the Mumbai troupe, Cinematograph. And I saw one of the best productions I have seen in the recent past. The cast in one of the scenes. Pic: Author It's always a difficult exercise to make a comic interpretation of a tragedy...it could work, or fall so flat that it might become a worse tragedy…

 On Vijaya Dashami Day, the Casa Ansal Apartment Owners' Association (CAAOA) organized a Garba and Dandiya evening.    Several of the residents put up food and clothing stalls, at which the sales were brisk.  The effigy of Ravana...representing the powers of evil and darkness...was kept ready to set on fire at the end of the evening.   The ladies participated enthusiastically in the Dandiya ras, wearing traditional Gujarati garb.   Here are one of the apartment buildings senior residents, who are connoisseurs of music and dance, who were enjoying themselves that evening!  "The sense of community gets fostered by such cultural events," remarked Mrs. Alamelu, one…

On the 14th of October 2011, Citizen Matters organized a meeting of several of the writers who contribute to the magazine. From 4 pm onwards, people started trickling in, and after a round of self-introductions, people got to discussing the various issues that faced the city of Bangalore...prime among them being, of course, civil administration. While this was going on, tea, coffee and snacks were being served: Several of the writers gave their inputs: And along with Padma and Meera, Subbu moderated the meeting, and elicited responses and inputs of various kinds from the authors. Many of the contributors came…

Everyday when we read the newspaper we see the names of overachievers in our society. Even when you read a regular teen novel you hear how amazing high school is. Well guess what? It is called 'fiction' for a reason. Simply because it is unreal! High school can be the most difficult period of a student's life. It is when most boys and girls go through adolescence, their hormones start acting up and they simply start acting mean. This is something I have always failed to understand. How do girls become so mean? No, not mean - cruel, cunning and…

Wise words About the Green line between Greece & Cyprus A potent message Facts on Northern Ireland's religious divide Separating Palestine and Israel Symbols of peace? US shuts out Mexicans The performers pause Why do people build walls between their territories? To ensure privacy? Or safeguard themselves and their belongings? But the borders between "neighbours" such as the United States of America and Mexico, India and Pakistan, Israel and Palestine and other places have been doing much more than protecting the citizens of the respective countries. In fact, they have managed to sow the seeds of violence and animosity apart…

Everyday when we read the newspaper we see the names of overachievers in our society. Even when you read a regular teen novel you hear how amazing high school is. Well guess what? It is called 'fiction' for a reason. Simply because it is unreal! High school can be the most difficult period of a student's life. It is when most boys and girls go through adolescence, their hormones start acting up and they simply start acting mean. This is something I have always failed to understand. How do girls become so mean? No, not mean - cruel, cunning and…

Wise words About the Green line between Greece & Cyprus A potent message Facts on Northern Ireland's religious divide Separating Palestine and Israel Symbols of peace? US shuts out Mexicans The performers pause Why do people build walls between their territories? To ensure privacy? Or safeguard themselves and their belongings? But the borders between "neighbours" such as the United States of America and Mexico, India and Pakistan, Israel and Palestine and other places have been doing much more than protecting the citizens of the respective countries. In fact, they have managed to sow the seeds of violence and animosity apart…

In the August Oota from your Thota (OfyT) event, not only did I have the opportunity to interact with several garden enthusiasts, I also managed to overhear snatches of conversations among the visitors and participants. What struck me particularly was how people thronged to buy vegetable seeds sold at the event. Some visitors even fretted over the absence of particular seed varieties! And then there were the school children who had not only initiated and nurtured a vegetable garden but had also saved seeds which they sold that day. Students from B M English School, had set up a stall…