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The Hindu : ned up opportunities in fields which are not or least related to the sector. How else would you explain the increasing market for art in relation to the real estate growth?

If what S.R. Magar, Managing Director, Magnitude Gallery, says is any indication, then the trend is definitely there for all to see. He says that some builders want to have a tie-up with his company in order to cater to their clients.

The company, which is five years old, aims to make art affordable for all, including the middle-class. “We sell in the Rs. 30,000-35,000 range, enabling change of the piece of work after someyears, if possible,” says Magar. “Our aim is to refresh the ambience.”

But there are paintings or murals available for even Rs.1 lakh here. Clients with independent homes usually opt for murals in the 8 x 4 ft dimension in that price range. Those who live in villa-type residential units usually opt for paintings that are unique and suit their interiors.

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The Hindu : ; is used as a misnomer for any type of plant grown in a shallow container. The science of Bonsai, actually, has to do only with trees and shrubs. Any other plants grown in the same way is termed ‘miniature gardening,’ clarifies Sujatha Prakash Devatha, one of the Bonsai experts in Bangalore who has at least 500 varieties in her sprawling garden in Jayanagar.

That the green science has now assumed contemporary perspectives and is being presented in different format is what gives the whole effort a further dimension to the creativity.

What Sujatha has attempted for the new age is Mural Bonsai that is displayed at the entrance of her house. A patch of shrubbery nestled in rocky surrounding is all that you notice from the gate.

As the green impels you to get closer to the wall, all you can do is take a deep breath and wonder how the leaf-and-stem marvel is seen hanging as a mural, live and growing! Green, earthy and aesthetic is the literal description that can be attributed to the piece that can arrest one’s attention. “It took me more than a month to have the piece together,” says Sujatha.

— PHOTOS: BHAGYA PRAKASH K.

Fourteen kinds of shrubs in different shades of green had to be selected to bring them together for a green mural. Aligning them along with mud-embedded roots for the bottom were tasks that required all the experience and skill. Placing the pebbles to give the whole piece a nature-friendly appearance is yet another dexterity, highlighting her expertise. The rough stone wall on which the mural is displayed provides a perfect backdrop to an ethnic work that demands loads of patience.

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The Hindu : water. If we are what we eat we are also what we drink to a greater extent. Pure water as pure H2O does not exist in nature and therefore what we consume has some mineral or salt or the other. The question is what is right and what is wrong in the water we drink. Simultaneously, with increasing impact from human activity, water is being polluted everywhere. So what should be the quality of the water we drink?…More

The Hindu : H. PAVAN KUMAR

The Hindu : st “shoot-to-glory” round won the regional final of the multi-city The Hindu Young World Quiz 2007 held here at Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Bhavan recently. The Deadly Duo team of Arvind Dasgupta and Deepak Narayanan from National Public School (NPS), Indiranagar which was trailing by four points garnered 18 points in the last round and pushed the Plato and Newton team of Vidur Niranjan and Dhruv Manchala from Delhi Public School (Bangalore North) to the second place. Good performances

Six teams made it to the regional final on stage. The team of Sonal Len Saldanha and Akshay Krishna from St. Joseph’s Boys’ High School was the second runner up, while the teams from Sri Kumaran Public School (ICSE), Sudarshan Vidya Mandir (ICSE) and Carmel School, Padmanabhanagar finished fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

They went home richer by Rs. 8,000 and received trophies from The Hindu as well as goodies from various sponsors, while Dhruv and Vidur took home a cash prize of Rs. 6,000 and trophies as well as gift hampers. The team “Quiz Czarinas” from Mirambika School for New Age won the Best Team Name prize, while the “Eagles” team from Vidya Jyothi School, Kolar, won the Best Outstation Team prize. Subhashini Vasanth, Director of Vasantharatna Foundation for Art gave away prizes to the winners. Amity University was the title sponsor, while Lotte Boopro Liquid Filled Bubble Gum and Tara Talcum Powder were the associate sponsors of the event. Reynolds, Vizag Steel Plant, State Bank of Travancore, Cycle Brand Agarbathis, Penguin, Encyclopaedia Britanica, Malaysia Tourism and Extramarks.com were the national sponsors. Wonderla, K. S. Infosystems, Prism Books and British Library were the regional sponsors. Dabur Real Fruit Juice was the beverage sponsor, while the event was managed by Quizwalahs. Quizmaster V. V. Ramanan hosted the show. The Hindu Young World Quiz turned out to be special for two children from Spastics Society of Karnataka….More

The Hindu : schoolchildren across Bangalore acknowledged traffic policemen and their work. Certainly they were familiar with these policemen who are always around their schools, stopping traffic so that they can reach the school gates safely. It was to show their gratitude that the Children’s Movement in Civic Awareness (CMCA) organised Traffic Police Day 2007 recently. The gathering of policemen, children, parents, school staff and membersof CMCA assembled at the Bishop Cotton Girls School auditorium. In contrast to the ’rough’ image that policemen are generally associated with, one got to see smiles on their faces. Needless to say, the policemen, who are on their feet for hours on end braving the elements and air and noise pollution, were not used to being appreciated. “It’s a thankless job,” many of them confessed….More

The Hindu : Karnataka’s quest for a home-grown National champion in badminton ended when Anup Sridhar donned the mantle that was, long ago, worn by his mentor and badminton legend Prakash Padukone. However, the search for a women’s champion is stillon. In the talented duo of Ashwini Ponnappa and Nitysa Soslae, the State has a formidable pair. But when it comes to singles, the State has never had a big winner. Aparna Popat, who made Bangalore her base was a nine-time National women’s champion, but technically she is from Mumbai. There are quite a few youngsters who show a lot of promise, and the brightest among them is V. Ruth Misha, a trainee at Tata Padukone Badminton Academy. In the past two years, she has performed exceptionally well to rank as a serious contender for the women’s crown. Though she still might not be in National champion Saina Nehwal’s class, Ruth can hold her own against contemporaries such as Aditi Mutakar, Aparna Balan, Gayathri Vartak and Sikki Reddy, who are emerging as the future stars of women’s badminton in the country..

Eighteen-year-old Ruth Misha’s triumph in the All India Junior Ranking Badminton Championship at home in September was a major milestone in her career.At the start of the tournament, not many gave her much of chance against a marauding Sikki Reddy, who was on a roll. But the gritty young lass played to her potential and held her nerve to win both her games on extra points (22-20, 22-20) to emerge as the champion.

“It was good that I started as an under dog against Sikki Reddy. It worked in a positive way and I played a free game and kept my focus,” says Ruth.

Ruth’s career in badminton had quite the unusual start. As a child she was a poor eater, and a friend of her father, Vinod Kumar, advised him to put the eight-year-old Ruth into sports,…More

The Hindu :

The Hindu : There is heightened consciousness about climate change. The thrust is to get consumers to experience environment-friendly technology,” says Chetan Kumaar Maini, Deputy Chairman, Reva Electric Company (REC) as he hands me the keys to take a factory-fresh Reva electric car on a test spin. As I fumble around trying to get used to the car, he tells me I am exactly the type of customer he wants to try, and possibly buy the car.

We go for a small drive and for a petrol head like me, I am pretty impressed with the Reva. The version I drove was the new Reva-i, with an all new heart, an alternate current motor. You might spend some time trying to find the non-existent clutch pedal but soon it is pleasure on wheels. The car is remarkably nimble and of course there are no gears.

We return to the smallish nondescript manufacturing facility at Bommasandra Industrial Estate and Maini talks of the documentary “Who Killed The Electric Car?”(2006), which documented the death of the electric vehicle in the U.S.A using the case of the General Motors EV1 as an example. “In the U.K. there is no congestion charge for electric cars. Athens allows all electric cars to enter the city centre on any day. Norway doesn’t charge any VAT and Rome offers a 1,000 Euro subsidy in addition to free parking and charging points. Such policies are allowing people to experiment as there are a lot of myths surrounding electric cars,” says Maini.

The Reva’s history goes back to 2001, when the first car was launched. It began as an indigenous effort to produce an electric car and has since grown by leaps and bounds. Maini now handles the operations of the company. A mechanical engineer, he has specialised his study in solar and hybrid electric vehicles and has patented an energy management system for electric vehicles. He points out…More

The Hindu : Autopilot – Killing the Stereotype (Revenge of the Sonic Sadhus-Part II) is an alternative event involving light, video, photography and sound sets. The event promises to engage audiences from diverse backgrounds united by a common eagerness toexperience art and its culture alternatively.]

It is a “creative revolution” where a canvas is created to showcase fresh innovative talent. Its objective is to view and conceptualise art in striking new perspectives. The event attempts to transform a traditional art or club event through collaborations between a VDJ (Visual Disc jockey), light artiste, sound artiste and photographers – elevating this episode of autopilot to a new level.

The current theme is “higimonious”, although comparable shows are ruling niche night clubs in London, Paris and Brazil.

The visual sets includes one video DJ and three photographers who will project their art on two screens. International electronica provide the soundscape.

“Autopilot – Killing the Stereotype (Revenge of the Sonic Sadhus-Part 11) will be at Noir, Le Meridien, on November 18 at 7 p.m. For free couple passes call 9986273818, 9900171360, 9844079731

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