D.K. Pattammal: The Meeting that Never Was

And DKP – to listen to her singing was to be caressed by charm and grace, to float on an ocean of mellow sound, to be cocooned in a warm blanket of serenity and repose, to be in a place where all the elements of music blended together into something utterly precious and unique. To experience a DKP concert was to feel the warm love of a grandmother’s lap, where all was beautiful and right with the world. But behind that sweet smile lay a steely resolve – to aim for the sky, to cut no corners, to meet and conquer any musical challenge. ...More

Monsoon gifts

It's been raining in Mumbai, and look...! Caladiums! Popping up all over the place and letting the raindrops roll off it in big, fat, silvery blobs. These were growing wild and I got a few of them for my garden. It really livens up the shaded spots under my big cashew trees where nothing else seems ready to grow.

DK Pattammal: A tribute

‘Aduvome pallu paduvme, Ananda sutantiram adaindu vittom enru…’

The song from many, many moons ago came rushing to my mind...

Encounters with Voldemort

Its Harry Potter season again. The Half Blood Prince is in the theatres, and I'm sure that I shall see it sooner than later.

Brought back memories of my coming face-to-face with Voldemort and his death eaters, last summer.

Juna Mahal - a hidden gem

High up on the hill behind the Udai Bilas Palace is the original Dungarpur palace, Juna Mahal, which dates to the 13th century, and was occupied until probably the late 19th century when the new lake-side palace was built.

It was a strange and interesting visit to the Juna Mahal.

MGP Writes To KERC Against Proposed Rate Hikes

According to the Karnataka Electricity Reform (KER) Act, Electricity Supply Companies (ESCOMs) have to file applications before the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) and get its approval for any increase in tariffs. It has been reported that ESCOMs are about to approach KERC once again for an upward revision of tariff. MGP has written to KERC against... More

Consumer Club Inagurated

The Consumer Club of K. Puttaswamy P.U.College in Vijayanagar was inaugurated on 7-7-09. Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy of Mysore Grahakara Parishat spoke on consumer rights and responsibilities and conducted an interactive session with the students. More

France: The sound of Indian military boots again

I felt so proud watching on TV the Indian contingent leading the Bastille Day parade in Paris yesterday. The boys marched perfectly as the strains of ‘Kadam kadam badaye ja..’ and ‘Sare jahan se acha…’ reverberated along the Avenue des Champs-Elysees.

I wonder how many of the millions who watched the parade on July 14 knew the historic significance of the Indian soldiers’ presence in France for the ceremony. The Indian Army had sacrificed much to save France and Western Europe from the Germans...

A Luna-tic Rivalry

......At the same time, on a much more modest scale, on a far more humble stage – within the walls of our home in Madras – raged another Cold War, complete with a Space Race and Big Brother casting his shadow. It was the rivalry between my older brother and me – an overawed, terrified younger sister – and it permeated every pore of my being......More

Kerala politics: Confused Comrades

Can you think of an Indian being punished in India for donating blood to Indian soldiers? Sometimes the Communists do such things. They have their own logic, though people outside the organization may not comprehend it...

The Queen of Indian Cabaret

I first saw Helen in a Hindi movie video when I was in the sixth standard. I remember being absolutely blown away by her, her costumes, instant costume changes and the way she peeled clothes away from her body leaving a really teeny tiny garment beneath. I was hooked and with it began a long fascination and fan ship of a person that I think was a really gifted artist and dancer. I saw every single of Helen's dance from the huge collection of movies my Dad has and I can safely say that I am amongst her greatest fans...more.

In My Element

It is quite hard to be in your element when life turns routine. Daily chores make your days normal, and everything chugs on in the usual way. And sometimes, that is all it takes to rob your mind of its creative instinct. It is quite easy to fall prey to life’s monotony...More

The Day Of The Wedding

I remember enjoying this at my sister Sarada’s wedding. We were then living in Trivandrum city, away from the river. So we just bathed at home, went to the nearby temple and offered prayers, and walked back home. On the way we were stopped at a few houses, and my sister was welcomed with aarathi and thamboolam. More. . .

Saplings as thamboolam

Mayor of Chennai M. Subramaniam introduced an innovative concept at the wedding of his son recently, one that can be emulated by all. He gave as thamboolam 3000 saplings to his guests to take away and plant. More. . . .

Incha Aanda Yencha?

Deccan herald reports that five languages in Karnataka, including Tulu and Kodava, may vanish due to fast dwindling of number of its users, a Unesco study has warned.

Being a Tulu speaking person, this news is really very saddening. Though the report does say that it might take another 80 to 90 years for the language to ease out from the Indian languages, which is definitely after my lifetime, news of death of a language is painful for its users.

The decline of a language, like its birth, is not so easy and..... more

Did you wish me on my birthday.....

.... is not a question which I will ever ask!

Incident 1- This year, one of my very close friends asked me when was my birthday, just when it was round the corner!? I promptly told him that it got over two days back, when in fact, it was two days later. I told him the real fact only few months later!

Incident 2- Once again, this year,..... more

Auction Site Buyers Are Not Consumers!

Court has held that buyers of auction sites from Urban Development Authorities are not consumers. In its order, the Supreme Court said that only allottees of sites are consumers but not buyers of sites (whether by auction or not) from the UDAs. It also said that when people buy sites from UDAs, if amenities such as roads, water connections and sewage lines are not specifically promised, the UDAs are under no obligation to... more

What's in a Brand Name!

What is the height of branding I wonder! Is it Xerox? Even today in India we say “Xerox” instead of ‘copy”. And though most of us here were born in the era of Canon Copiers, we still use the term “xerox’ when we want to convey ‘copy’. This is because our parents use the word and have unwittingly passed it down to us. Now you might argue that “Xerox’ was a monopoly back in the good ol days when our folks were cutting classes and going to the movies. But I still feel that it has set a precedent in branding in India...more.

Pan leaves

The Sanskrit name for the climber is nagavalli. The word means snake-like vine. It is cultivated in many parts of India, and traditionally had great economic significance. It was a state monopoly under Prince Azim-us-Shan

(1697-1703) of Bengal (the grandson of Aurangzeb). Robert Clive continued the system after the East India Company took over...

Growing up with granddaughter

That was it. A child’s imagination! Absolutely fascinating. When my kids were small I didn’t have so much time to spend with them. Now it is different. And I am learning many things from the grandchildren. Their range of knowledge is so much higher than mine at their age...

Crushed Dreams

As a little child, all she wanted was to go to school with her older brother, but she was sent to another school. Later she realised that it was the cheaper one.

As a ten yr old, she was told to come straight home from school and help out her mother.. while her brother got to play with his friends.

As a teenager, she was told to dream within ‘limits’. To just hope that she gets married quickly and does not remain a burden on her parents.

As a college going student, all she remembers is lots of people coming to ’see’ her… more

Tessy Thomas: A star of space science

In a country where women have adorned eminent positions including that of President and Prime Minister, and brilliantly proved their mettle, the elevation of Tessy Thomas as the AGNI V chief may not cause much surprise. But it is significant in several ways...

Happiness

People with varied interests, background and different strata of society come to my newspaper office daily. Some of them walk into my room and if I am free engage myself in conversation with them for a few minutes. Recently, a person, known to me for a long time, well placed in society, who retired after serving as a senior officer in the Central Government ,had come to meet me. He is fond of cars and changes his automobile whenever a new brand comes into the market...More

P-panels: Hazzle ? Or a help ?

The concept was customized to great extent. We developed in-house software to select the members, with certain criteria like 1/3 to be educated with at least PUC qualification, 1/3 women etc.. . .More

Bangalore: The transformation from a sleepy town to booming metropolis

About Bangalore with love - a bit of history and geography, some nostalgia, many memories...

The Black and White King

What appalls me is the never ending tributes that one encounters over the Internet for this man. A man who was never comfortable in his own colored skin. A man who was never proud of his race or color. A man who was so ashamed of his African roots that he engineered ‘white children’ with white women so that the Jackson name would be carried on by white progenies from the next generation onwards...more.

Knitting with Ma

This is my mother, who has been knitting for more than 60 years now. She loves it, and not even the heat of summer can keep her from handling the wool. She only had to hear of another great-grandchild on the way, than she arranged for wool to be sent from Delhi by my sister, and she started on a layette . More. . .

First day, third show!

Is "first day, first show" really the very first show (i.e, the morning show) of the day when the movie is first released? Till today, I thought so. I'm sure that this is the popular belief too. Few say it isn't! Accordingly, first day, first show is actually the evening show of the first day! Confused? So was I! ..... More

Tree Policy of MGP

During the recent controversy about cutting trees on Lalit Mahal Road to widen it, allegations were made in the media that NGOs including Mysore Grahakara Parishat were blindly against all development. Claims were also made that MGP opposes tree cutting selectively, that it vehemently opposes tree cutting in some places and turns a blind eye to tree cuttings elsewhere. The current tree policy of MGP presented here clarifies the issue...... More

What we learn with pleasure we never forget.

What we learn with pleasure we never forget.
-Alfred Mercier

Scene 1

Friend 1: The syllabus here is so bad. My daughter is learning nothing in school

Me : Is it? She is in nursery, isn’t she?

Friend 1: Yes, and in India, she would be learning spelling and writing and everything.

Me: But, she is quite young isn’t she? She is not even 4.

Friend 1: All they do is sing and play.. Take them on farm visits – no proper studies! I have brought the syllabus books from India and I teach her in the evenings.

Read more