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Saran-Deep saris, from Chennai, is organising an exhibition-cum-sale of traditional silk saris. The venue is Shyam Bhawan, 919, 9th cross, 24th Main, 2nd Phase, J.P. Nagar.

The sale is on between March 16 and 17.

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Landmark is presenting Ellington Suites featuring ‘Tony Overwater trio’ and ‘Calefax Reed Quintet’.

Date: March 15, 6.30 p.m.

Venue: Landmark, The Forum, Koramangala

Contact: 2206 7777

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The Hindu : y>CHATLINE Sculptor, painter, enamellist and photographer Balan Nambiar takes AYESHA MATTHAN on a colourful journey from Kerala to Bangalore

PHOTO:K. GOPINATHANTHE WORLD IS MY CANVAS Balan Nambiar loves to look at art as an interesting combination of maths, history of art and architecture

Meeting the affable 72-year-old Balan Nambiar was marked with conversations about art and politics, browsing through his enviable library, ending with a lunch date spiced with fish fry.

He was born into a traditional farming community in Kannapuram, in the Kannur district of north Kerala. “It is a small village where we owned a small plot of land and I used to plough the field. We weren’t landlords, but I remember my grandmother always issuing orders about what to do on the land. The first task I remember doing was to fetch grass from the field for the calf.”On a foggy day in May, Balan, a class X student, came to Bangalore to visit his maternal uncle on holiday. “I took a bus from Kannur to Mysore and then came to Bangalore. I wondered at this strange city where people wore woollens in May and was unused to its smells as I was used to farm smells!” He describes very matter-of-factly how he walked from Majestic to Cox Town, found a bunch of children playing a game like hockey to be funny. The Vidhana Soudha was not even complete. After that vacation, he was to return to Bangalore only 11 years later.

“As a child, I was always interested in maps and crafts, drawing and mathematics and eventually joined the railways in Madras. I enrolled in a diploma course in mechanical engineering, but I was always involved in art exhibitions and interacting with art students and teachers.” He traces the interesting and useful combination of maths and drawing right through the history of art and architecture from the Renaissance period with…More

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The Art of Jewellery, World Gold Council, All India Gem & Jewellery Trade Federation (GJF), Bangalore Jewellers Association, and FICCI are presenting the third edition of South India Jewellery Show with over 1000 stalls.

Date: March 14 to 16

Venue: The Lalit Ashok, Kumara Krupa Road

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The Hindu :

All ye who desire comfortable favourites with a contemporary twist, head straight for South Indies on Infantry Road

NEW COMBO Marrying south Indian vegetarian food with fine dining

There are certain things that make a meal memorable — good food, great company and an awesome ambience. And even if one of the three rocks, one enjoys the experience to a certain extent. A reunion with college friends at the dingiest space serving the most indifferent food would still be memorable. Great food will have takers even if it is served from a hole in the wall. However, when all three factors come together, it is a moment to savour, relish and dash back as quickly as possible.

The newly-opened South Indies at Chevron Hotel on Infantry Road is a triumphant confluence of these three features. On the fourth floor, the rooftop restaurant looks over gracious trees, and the water gurgling off the glass sides of the restaurant makes for a soothing accompaniment.

The warm welcome makes you immediately feel at home. There is a lunch buffet while dinner is a la carte. Chef Venkatesh Bhat, who is also CEO, takes pity on my harried face (menus and making choices always does that to me) and orders a set menu for me.

We start with buttermilk, smooth as silk and refreshing as only the best of buttermilk can be. Melagu-tanni soup is exquisitely sleek with peppercorns providing a burst of flavour as you bite into them.

The starters represent the four southern states. There is vazhapoo cutlet – potatoes and plantain flower – from Kerala, cauliflower bezule from Karnataka, keerai vadai from Tamil Nadu and for a potato worshipper like me dumpala kaaram from Andhra Pradesh provided the spud double bill.

The smiling waiter efficiently cleared the plates and it was time for the main course. Pleasantly full, I attack the podi appam (regular appam garnished with the…More

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The First Act is presenting “Veera Gathe”, adapted by Chandra and directed by Vishwas Kashyap.

Date: March 15, 7 p.m.

Venue: H.N. Kalakshetra, National College, Jayanagar

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The Hindu :

For a slice of the good old classics from the Italian kitchen head to i.t-ALIA

Desserts For the sweet-toothed

The Italian restaurant at the Park Hotel, i.t-ALIA is organising a festival that will turn out timeless Italian classics. Chef Mandaar Sukhtankar, who has designed and prepared the fairly exhaustive list of dishes says: “Every dish has a wonderful story on its origin. The stories range from the bizarre to realistic..”

He adds, “We have made an attempt to create a collection of old classic dishes. However, the tastes and flavours may vary. Just after spices were discovered and brought to Europe, many dishes prepared by renowned chefs of that period involved many spices and a handful of condiments.”

“Food also undergoes changes with time. We have taken many of the recipes from the great chefs, but have tweaked the spices and condiments.”

We start with the cappon magro, a fish, shrimp and vegetable salad. This dish, the chef informs us, was a preparation that was popular among the Genonese sailors on their homecoming, after weeks at sea. The dish is fairly simple and proves a nice appetiser to the meal.

The mozzarella in carrooza, a mozzarella sandwich, with thick mozzarella providing a delicious filling, resembles home-made toast a great deal and provides a perfect blend of bread and cheese and helps create a brilliant taste.

The agnolotti dal plin alla monferrina, with meat pieces and pasta, served with liberal helpings of butter and aromatic herbs manages to score on taste and the flavouring. We move on to the gamberetti con polenta concia, which is basically prawns and creamy polenta, a porridge-like preparation. The prawns were fairly large in size and extremely fresh and tender. Though it has no previous references, the polenta was also quite impressive.Impressive

The petto di polo ai funghi e alla panna — chicken breast dunked into a poricilli mushroom and cream sauce is…More

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Sri Rama Lalitha Kala Mandira and Neelambari is presenting a Carnatic session with Gayathri Girish on vocals, B.K. Raghu on violin, Mannar Koil J. Balaji on mridangam.

Date: March 15, 5.30 p.m.

Venue: Sri Rama Kala Mandira, 9th Main Road, BSK 2nd Stage

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The Hindu : y>A documentary film festival to appreciate livelihoods

Real stories At the festival

Centre for Civil Society, Jeevika and the Bangalore Film Society will organise a two-day documentary film festival from March 14. The theme of the festival is Livelihood.

A total of 15 films ranging from 12 to 65 minutes will be screened.

In contemporary society, livelihood is often equated with a job and a career, but the films at the festival will explore what it means for several people. For instance, about those who need the continuation of a particular cultural milieu or eco-system to sustain their basic lives.

The objective is to bring out the diverse ways in which livelihoods can be understood and how they are increasingly threatened in a globalised world. Two acclaimed documentaries — “Chilika Banks” (2008) and “Lakhsmi and Me” (2007) will be screened at the festival.

“Chilika Banks: Stories from India’s largest coastal lake” looks at how the large brackish water lake in Orissa sustains a variety of livelihood. It explores the changes that have taken place in the region over almost four decades from the time when there was no export to the time when, ominously, there might not be a lake at all.

“Lakshmi and Me” brings out the changing nuances in the relationship between the filmmaker Nishitha and her 21-year-old maid Lakshmi. As Nishitha begins to delve into Lakshmi’s life, she begins to question her own notions.

The inaugural film, “Storytellers” (2006) looks at how, as modern forms of entertainment become popular, traditional methods of storytelling like the shadow puppetry of L. Rajappa from Puducherry are dying out. “Gaubolombe — our Island” (2007) takes the viewer to the Andaman islands where the Onge tribe are the last living embodiments of creating sustainable models of environmental management.

The screening will be held at Ashirvad on St. Mark’s Road between 1.30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Entry is free.

For further details, call…More

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PEOPLE Hairstylist Patrick Bezza would like to believe he was an Indian in his previous life

Photo: Murali Kumar.REBORN INDIAN Patrick Bezza sees a spark of divinity in everyone

One believes that the French are a finicky lot and when you hear that Patrick Bezza is a hairstylist for a premier French salon in Bangalore, you don’t expect him to really be the sort that mingles.

But Patrick really gives a hair-raising shock when he rattles off a list of places he’s seen in India. Not the usual foreign tourist circuit for Patrick! No way! “I have travelled all over Karnataka by bus. I’ve been to Shimoga, Madikeri, Jog Falls, Gokarna…Hampi is my favourite stop.I went there with my son. I was there for the Hampi Utsav too. I just go in a bus with my backpack, and get off in a place I like, then I go by foot,” smiles Patrick, trying hard to find the right English words.

But he doesn’t need English to describe his passion for India. You can see it in his eyes. Patrick, who has three children, has also travelled to Goa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Maharasthra, very often taking them along as well.

Patrick Bezza kick started his career when he was just 16. “When I was 11, I knew I wanted to be a hairstylist. Almost my entire family is into hairstyling,” he says. And just as he knew what his calling would be professionally, he knew his home had to be India.

He came to India first in 2002 and has been coming back pretty often. Then finally he decided he wanted to discover India. He sold his home in France and moved. “I don’t know why I wanted to come here. I just met so many nice people here. I like all things beautiful and natural, and Indian people are both. I like that,” he grins…More