PEOPLE

Steps and Seat  What scenes have these steps seen?Who are the people who've sat upon that seat?How many have rested their backs there?On the steps, how many feet?How many suns have cast their lightUpon the steps and the seat?How many misty winter mornings?How much of summer heat?How many quarrels or scoldings?How many newspapers unfurled?How many people have used seat and stepsTo get away for a while from the world? ⊕

Enjoy these visual glimpses of the programme held at United Theological College (UTC) on Millers Road, to mark International Women's Day (IWD) 2012. Shahina K K, a popular mediaperson, highlights caste, class, religious and gender discrimination that surfaces during natural disaster relief efforts Veteran journalist Ammu Joseph discusses skewed representation of women in Indian news media LesBiT, a support forum for gender minorities staged an aesthetic and meaningful multilingual performance on the different kinds of social exclusion prevalent in India, currently An image of one of the posters from Our Pictures, Our Words by Laxmi Murthy and Rajashri Dasgupta, (publisher:…

Enjoy these visual glimpses of the programme held at United Theological College (UTC) on Millers Road, to mark International Women's Day (IWD) 2012. Shahina K K, a popular mediaperson, highlights caste, class, religious and gender discrimination that surfaces during natural disaster relief efforts Veteran journalist Ammu Joseph discusses skewed representation of women in Indian news media LesBiT, a support forum for gender minorities staged an aesthetic and meaningful multilingual performance on the different kinds of social exclusion prevalent in India, currently An image of one of the posters from Our Pictures, Our Words by Laxmi Murthy and Rajashri Dasgupta, (publisher:…

"Uncle Sam, put on back your pants" a line from one of the compositions of Jamaican-Canadian-African dub poet D'bi Young Anitafrika is one that rings in my head on a regular basis. It works as an essential reminder of the number of soulless 'uncles' who abuse children sexually. But according to Young who performed at the Jaaga Creative Common Ground in Bengaluru on 28th January 2012, it is also a metaphor for how selfish capitalists continue to rape and ravage life on earth without sparing a thought about the adverse impact of their actions. Well, if they take the good…

"Uncle Sam, put on back your pants" a line from one of the compositions of Jamaican-Canadian-African dub poet D'bi Young Anitafrika is one that rings in my head on a regular basis. It works as an essential reminder of the number of soulless 'uncles' who abuse children sexually. But according to Young who performed at the Jaaga Creative Common Ground in Bengaluru on 28th January 2012, it is also a metaphor for how selfish capitalists continue to rape and ravage life on earth without sparing a thought about the adverse impact of their actions. Well, if they take the good…

 I was much struck by two scenes today. One was at Lalbagh, where I went to see the Republic Day Flower Show. Lalbagh has been, for quite some time now, a "plastic-free" zone. Alas, the plastic-free remains within inverted commas, as the very stalls and shops put up in Lalbagh, to celebrate flowers and greenery, generate an immense amount of trash, which visitors and stall-holders alike leave strewn on the ground, with no thought of how it is to be managed or removed. The amount of waste and plastic trash that I saw today was staggering.In J P Nagar 3rd Phase, I…

 I was much struck by two scenes today. One was at Lalbagh, where I went to see the Republic Day Flower Show. Lalbagh has been, for quite some time now, a "plastic-free" zone. Alas, the plastic-free remains within inverted commas, as the very stalls and shops put up in Lalbagh, to celebrate flowers and greenery, generate an immense amount of trash, which visitors and stall-holders alike leave strewn on the ground, with no thought of how it is to be managed or removed. The amount of waste and plastic trash that I saw today was staggering.In J P Nagar 3rd Phase, I…

Two small phrases....  Kannadigas, in common with most Indians, do not saying a brusque "No" to one's face. If invited  to a wedding or any other celebration, we do not feel it is polite to openly say no. "I'll see if I can make it" or "I'll try to come" is the most frequent response, and from this, I have, over the years, learnt to understand that the invitee will not be able to make it. The affection and the "wanting" to attend are there, and that is made clear by the statment  of intention, rather than the fact of inability. But…

Two small phrases....  Kannadigas, in common with most Indians, do not saying a brusque "No" to one's face. If invited  to a wedding or any other celebration, we do not feel it is polite to openly say no. "I'll see if I can make it" or "I'll try to come" is the most frequent response, and from this, I have, over the years, learnt to understand that the invitee will not be able to make it. The affection and the "wanting" to attend are there, and that is made clear by the statment  of intention, rather than the fact of inability. But…

It's interesting to observe... Our pavements and footpaths are full of people who are trying to eke a living in a city that they have moved into. Amongst these are the immigrants from Rajasthan, who make these ceramic artefacts:Several of these patterns seem to be the most popular, including square containers for Tulsi plants, vases, and Shirdi Sai Baba statuettes. They certainly add colour to our footpaths, even as they block them for pedestrians! ⊕