CHILDREN

As the country observed Teacher's Day, it was time to celebrate a fundraiser held recently in Bengaluru. The money collected through the first-of-its-kind initiative in Whitefield will help renovation of Government Lower Primary School at Chikkanakundi in Anekal Taluk. On August 24, Forum Neighbourhood Mall hosted InnQuizzitive 2019, a quiz for a cause organized by Inner Wheel Club of Bangalore IT Corridor (IWCBITC). As enthusiastic quizzers vied for the honours in the atrium on the ground floor, scores of visitors watched the spectacle from the sidelines. On a Saturday filled with fun and brimming with questions, Mr Hrishikesh Varma of…

It was a show of creativity and colours in Whitefield on Saturday morning. As the sun and clouds played hide-and-seek, scores of children made a beeline for Nallurhalli lake to use their imagination and depict their natural surroundings. 'My Halli, My Lake', an initiative of Nallurhalli Rising, brought together more than 160 children, aged between three and sixteen years. Many students from Poorna Prajna International School were part of the enthusiastic crowd. The citizens’ group Whitefield Rising was the community partner. Oracle India Ltd provided the materials for painting - drawing sheets, pencils, erasers, water colours, crayons and pads. For…

I am often asked why I go to watch children's theatre shows. People usually associate children's theatre, or puppet theatre, with a "fit only for children" narrative, too simple to hold an adult's attention. But plays, or to be accurate, performances, like "Woogie Boogie", by Brush Theatre of South Korea, staged on 18th July 2019 at Ranga Shankara as part of the "AHA!" children's international puppet theatre festival, show how any adult can be as entranced as a child. On the child's level, the clowning and the brisk narrative are very entertaining; but on an adult level, one can see…

Do adults go to watch children's plays? Or to be more precise, do adults go to watch children's puppet theatre...without children accompanying them? The answer, for me, was a resounding yes. I had been hoping to take my grandchildren to at least some of the puppet theatre festival be at Ranga Shankara, under the AHA! banner. The "Same-Same" theme of the festival. Pic: Deepa Mohan Language and music classes in the evenings prevented my grandchildren from coming along with me, but when a friend, Harini Srinivasa Rao, told me that she could not utilize her three tickets, I jumped at…

It is always interesting to revisit a play I have watched before, and see how the production has evolved. This was the spirit in which I went to watch "Robi's Garden" by Bangalore Little Theatre, which I had reviewed in 2011. (You can read the review here ) But I was in for a major surprise! The earlier play was definitely one for children, with many children and BLT volunteers participating, with both the cast and the audience having a merry time, rollicking through a selection of Rabindranath Tagore's short stories. It was an occasion to celebrate the Golden Jubilee…

I found this impressive building in Panduranga Nagar, just off Bannerghatta Road. What struck me about the big claims was that no course of study was being talked about....all that this tell students is that it will help them pass the *entrance* exams to various courses. We have degraded our educational system to the point where passing an entrance examination is a great feat, to be aspired to. If it is accomplished,goes the subtext, the rest of the course is just a breeze. Nowhere is there anything about learning anything these days; it's all about marks, and toppers, and rankings.…

I found this impressive building in Panduranga Nagar, just off Bannerghatta Road. What struck me about the big claims was that no course of study was being talked about....all that this tell students is that it will help them pass the *entrance* exams to various courses. We have degraded our educational system to the point where passing an entrance examination is a great feat, to be aspired to. If it is accomplished,goes the subtext, the rest of the course is just a breeze. Nowhere is there anything about learning anything these days; it's all about marks, and toppers, and rankings.…

Once in a while, it's a refreshing change to look forward to a children's play, and on the 31st of March, '18, I took my grandchildren to watch "Fish Tree Moon", a play by Ranga Shankara as part of its "Aha!" initiative for children. The beautiful moon from the play. The performances (3 in all) had been well timed for the start of the school summer vacations, and the play drew an almost full house, with many children eager to watch, and their families eager to immerse them in theatre. The play deals with a varied set of characters.... an…

Once in a while, it's a refreshing change to look forward to a children's play, and on the 31st of March, '18, I took my grandchildren to watch "Fish Tree Moon", a play by Ranga Shankara as part of its "Aha!" initiative for children. The beautiful moon from the play. The performances (3 in all) had been well timed for the start of the school summer vacations, and the play drew an almost full house, with many children eager to watch, and their families eager to immerse them in theatre. The play deals with a varied set of characters.... an…