Society

Bhairavi, Amirkalyani, Rasali - One common, one not so common, one rare. These were the ragas that veteran vocalist T.V.Shankaranarayanan presented at his concert last night at the Nadasurabhi annual festival in Koramangala. Rasali is a janya raga of the 4th melakartha raga Vanaspathi and the one composition that comes to mind for raga Rasali is Tyagaraja's Aparadhamulanorva. The concert was marked with an energetic flow of swaras, evocative rendition of songs which were mostly composed by Periasami Thooran, Tulasivanam, Tyagaraja and Purandaradasa. The Bhairavi raga alapana was followed by the highly emotive Tamil song on Lord Muruga "Pazham Nee".…

  Women of the Tigala community looking their best during the Karaga festival at the Dharmarayaswamy Temple. The Tigalas, also referred to as Vanhikula Kshatriyas, are by tradition, gardeners and flower traders whose contribution in nurturing many of the city’s parks including Lalbagh is widely acknowledged. They believe that are the descendants of Veerakumaras –‘hero-sons’, a warrior clan that the mythological princess Draupadi put together to fight the demon Timarasura. A section of the Pete (old Bangalore) area is called Tigalarapete, recognising the predominance of the community in the region. They celebrate what is arguably Bengaluru’s biggest and most well-known…

  Women of the Tigala community looking their best during the Karaga festival at the Dharmarayaswamy Temple. The Tigalas, also referred to as Vanhikula Kshatriyas, are by tradition, gardeners and flower traders whose contribution in nurturing many of the city’s parks including Lalbagh is widely acknowledged. They believe that are the descendants of Veerakumaras –‘hero-sons’, a warrior clan that the mythological princess Draupadi put together to fight the demon Timarasura. A section of the Pete (old Bangalore) area is called Tigalarapete, recognising the predominance of the community in the region. They celebrate what is arguably Bengaluru’s biggest and most well-known…

World music - as it's been termed has continued to gain popularity. The term today encompasses, practically anything that's not of Western European or North American origin. Whether Ravi Shankar in the sixties, Sting's flirtations with Moroccan music in the 70s through Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Yanni in the 80s and 90s, an endless stream of regional or world music has gained a global audience. My own exposure to world music began with Gregorian Chants, in many ways reminiscent of my childhood experience of vedic chanting and grew thanks to my husband's interest in Qawwali. I have been exploring how…

World music - as it's been termed has continued to gain popularity. The term today encompasses, practically anything that's not of Western European or North American origin. Whether Ravi Shankar in the sixties, Sting's flirtations with Moroccan music in the 70s through Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Yanni in the 80s and 90s, an endless stream of regional or world music has gained a global audience. My own exposure to world music began with Gregorian Chants, in many ways reminiscent of my childhood experience of vedic chanting and grew thanks to my husband's interest in Qawwali. I have been exploring how…

At my local park, I sometimes see two young women (sisters, I assume), taking their elderly grandfather for a walk. The gentleman is very unsteady on his feet so the two women have to grip his arms to support him. Also, he cannot walk fast, so this little group's progress is very slow. But I've never seen or heard the two young women complain. Instead, they go silently round and round the park, patiently leading their grandfather. And after about half an hour or so of this, the three of them head out of the park and make their way…

At my local park, I sometimes see two young women (sisters, I assume), taking their elderly grandfather for a walk. The gentleman is very unsteady on his feet so the two women have to grip his arms to support him. Also, he cannot walk fast, so this little group's progress is very slow. But I've never seen or heard the two young women complain. Instead, they go silently round and round the park, patiently leading their grandfather. And after about half an hour or so of this, the three of them head out of the park and make their way…

The Allalasandra Lake in Yelahanka is in its full glory after its revival over the last 11 months.     On 5th November, the lake was formally inaugurated by Mr Ramalinga Reddy, the Bangalore District incharge Minister & Transport Minister, along with Ms Shantakumari, Mayor of Bangalore City and Yelahanka MLA, Mr SR Vishwanath. Corporators of Yelahanka constituency, BBMP Additional Commissioner Mr Virupaksha Mysore along with BBMP, BWSSB and Police department officials, graced the occasion. Dr Tayappa, President-YUVA and Mr CN Chandru, Vice-President-YUVA welcomed the guests and proposed the vote of thanks respectively.  Lighting the lamp   The various dignataries who went around…

The Allalasandra Lake in Yelahanka is in its full glory after its revival over the last 11 months.     On 5th November, the lake was formally inaugurated by Mr Ramalinga Reddy, the Bangalore District incharge Minister & Transport Minister, along with Ms Shantakumari, Mayor of Bangalore City and Yelahanka MLA, Mr SR Vishwanath. Corporators of Yelahanka constituency, BBMP Additional Commissioner Mr Virupaksha Mysore along with BBMP, BWSSB and Police department officials, graced the occasion. Dr Tayappa, President-YUVA and Mr CN Chandru, Vice-President-YUVA welcomed the guests and proposed the vote of thanks respectively.  Lighting the lamp   The various dignataries who went around…

I was sitting in the balcony and gazing at a copper pod tree on a Sunday afternoon. A tailor bird was busy collecting nesting material. Some butterflies fluttered around  looking for nectar. The resident squirrel came by to nibble a few grains from my balcony. The squirrel kept a watch on me, each time I moved, it went and hid itself behind the pots. Though these are routine sightings, they keep me entertained and refresh me when I need a break from the countless chores at home. Yes, I do get pleasant surprises too when something very different happens in…