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The Hindu :

Sree Cauvery School, Indira Nagar, organised a health check up camp for parents recently. There was an overwhelming response from parents and about 250 of them participated. Medical professionals from Wockhardt not only screened them but also gave tips on how to lead a healthy life. A cardiologist spoke on managing cardiac diseases.

And, most importantly, the doctors provided information on prevention of the dreaded infection — swine flu. It was the effort of the Kodava Samaja Education Council for the welfare of students and parents.

( INPUT BY SUDHINDR.A.B)

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The Hindu :

The Old Boys’ Association of Rashtriya Military School Bangalore hosted an interschool basketball tournament recently. In all, seven schools of the city participated. In the finals, Frank Anthony Public School emerged winners by beating the team from St. Joseph’s Indian Composite PU College. In the nail-biting finals, the Frank Anthony’s team scored 45 points, while the runners up scored 43 points.

( INPUT BY SUDHINDR.A.B)

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The Hindu : SUDHINDR. A.B.

A range of competitions showcased the abilities of students at the Jubilee Fest 09

On home Turf: Jubilee School lifts the rolling shield.

Jubilee School, K.R. Puram hosted Jubilee Fest – 09, an interschool literary and cultural festival recently. The event, in its ninth year, gave the opportunity for students from nearby schools to showcase their talents.Big draw

The participants were divided into two categories. The students of the primary section participated in elocution and displayed their dancing skills in the folk dance competition. English debate and film song competitions were open for high school students. Students enthusiastically participated in all the competitions. And, as usual, the dance and singing competitions were huge draws. The judges found it very difficult to choose the winners and in the end, the students of the host school lifted the rolling shield in both the categories. ITI Central School and Amar Jyothi Public School emerged the runners up in senior and junior categories respectively. Dr. B. S. Venkatesh, chief medical officer, ITI Hospital, gave away the prizes, while the festival was inaugurated by Nanjudaiah, block education officer, Bangalore South IV Range.

Dr. Venkatesh said that co-curricular activities are important for the all-round development of a child. He told the parents to encourage children to participate in such activities. He lauded the effort of the school for organising such an event that provided a platform for students to display their talents.

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The Hindu : y>

Bear necessities Follow Charlie Vandergaw and his unique relationship with grizzlies

For more than 20 years, Charlie Vandergaw has been living with wild bears in the Alaskan wilderness. For the first time ever, cameras were allowed into Charlie’s Bear Haven. “Stranger Among Bears”, to be aired on Animal Planet reveals the isolated life of the retired science teacher who has received national attention for his unique relationship with the black grizzly bears.

Follow the bear enthusiast as he befriends black grizzlies and antagonises authorities.

In this episode, the tranquillity of Charlie Vandergaw’s life among the bears is shattered by the arrival of two trespassing hunters. A tense altercation precedes a transformative experience for both Charlie and the hunters.

Catch the action on Animal planet at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

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The Hindu : y>Karnataka girl Aishwarya Pastapur who came in second at the American national Spelling Bee contest is moving on to other competitive platforms, writes BHUMIKA K.

PHOTO: MURALI KUMAR K.BUSY AS A BEE Aishwarya Pastapur has her finger in many pies — spelling, trivia, math, and medical contests

At a time when most of us are banking on spell-check to see us through our daily lives, 14-year-old Aishwarya Pastapur is a busy buzzing bee. She’s now making a comfortable transition — from being a Spelling Bee champ to being a Brian Beeand trivia champ.

The ninth-class student from Springfield, Illinois (U.S.A.) tied for second place at the US Scripps National Spelling Bee contest in May 2009, competing against almost 11 million children. It was her last chance at the contest (you can participate only up to 8th grade) and Aishwarya, who’s been competing at spelling contests in the U.S. for around seven years now, wanted to win. The victory meant a lot to her. “I wanted to end with a bang as it was my last year… and winning makes you want to do more,” she smiles. June 2, 2009, was proclaimed as Aishwarya Pastapur Day by Springfield’s mayor.

Aishwarya’s parents are from Karnataka — her father Eshwar G. Pastapur is from Gulbarga and mother Bharati is from Belgaum. Aishwarya moved to the US when she was three months old. She was here recently on the invitation of the Karnataka government to be felicitated at the Mysore Dasara celebrations. One will agree that we generally tend to hate spellings right through school and dread “dictation” tests. But Aishwarya looks quizzical when I ask her if she didn’t hate them. “It just came easily to me (spelling), so I never hated it.” Ask her for the toughest word till date that really flummoxed her and she says she can’t remember any! But arcane words that don’t follow…More

The Hindu :

In season seven of M.A.D., Harun Robert wants children to revel in everything simple

TRASH TURNS INTO TREASURE In Harun Robert’s hands

He’s every mom’s dream come true — an uncle who holds kids’ attention, and gets them addicted to art, craft and everything nice. Well, that’s what Uncle Rob does to adults too. For four years, and six seasons, on POGO’s M.A.D., he has introduced children to the joys of art and craft, letting them know the process can be as enjoyable as the end product. Now, the much-celebrated show enters its seventh season, and Rob a.k.a Harun Robert is all set to enthral his young viewers yet again. And, there’s a new co-host too — Rumana, who complements Rob’s art with his dance.

So, what’s going to be new this time around? “Well, over the past months, I’ve interacted with children in workshops, I’ve been meeting kids, and then, there’s the fan mail — all to know what kids love. We’ve zeroed in on easy-to-do things using easily available materials because that’s what they love. Things that are really simple but can be morphed into works of art. For instance, so much can be made out of boxes, the most basic 3D form. All it needs is a fresh look.”

And, yes, a fresh look is what he’s been helping kids achieve over the years, making them see animal forms in crushed paper, a friendly crocodile in a coloured piece of paper, and greeting cards out of seemingly useless things. “Well, recycling is very important. And, art is everywhere; you don’t have to go to the nearest stationery shop to find things you need to create it. When looking for things such as plastic bottles, children learn to head outdoors; it is vital that they move away from TV and see Nature,” says Rob.

Did Rob ever expect this kind of adulation from…More

The Hindu :

Jalsa celebrates Indian music like never before on the small screen

listen to the music Annu Kapoor and Durga Jasraj

Television that has turned most youngsters and adults into couch potatoes has ignored Indian music, both classical and semi-classical, for long. The reason? These tunes don’t push TRPs for the channels. So, soppy saas-bahu serials, theatrical reality shows and juicy film news have been dominating drawing-room conversations.

And then, “Idea Jalsa” happened to pep up Sunday mornings again on DD. A programme that’s about raga and rhythm. Presented by Arts and Artistes, the celebrations began when Durga Jasraj (daughter of Pandit Jasraj) and Vikram Shankar organised Jalsa concerts across the country.

These shows featured several young and legendary musicians representing different genres of Indian music such as Hindustani, Carnatic, qawwali, ghazals, bhajans, Sufi and folk.

“The success of these concerts made me think of presenting them as a televised series and take them to a wider audience. So, I approached Doordarshan, and I was given the go- ahead,” says Durga. “And, whoever thought such programmes would have no viewers better change their opinion. ‘Jalsa’ has garnered high TRPs,” she adds.

Every Sunday, a promising young talent gets to perform on the show in the presence of established artistes. At the end of the show, the veterans also give a short recital.Heartening response

“What’s most heartening is the tremendous response we have received from the artistes. I am sure they were waiting for such a celebration on the small screen. Their presence and valuable inputs are the show’s strength,” says Durga, who co-hosts the show with her “Antakshari” (a popular music-based show) partner Annu Kapoor.

Ganesh-Kumaresh, the popular violin duo, who were guests in one of the episodes, feel “Jalsa” is a wonderful platform for up-and-coming artistes.

“We have been talking about television’s inimitable reach and popularity but the benefits hardly percolated to those practising the classical arts. There…More

The Hindu :

Charu Parashar moves from block to digital prints

BEEN THERE DONE THAT Charu Parashar

While fashion designing is a love most people stumble upon or discover unconsciously, Charu Parashar knew it pretty early on — she was 10 then. And she found it through block-printing, with which she became fascinated when she would accompany her mother to the Cottage Industries Emporium.

Now, Charu has become a regular fixture at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. The Fall/Winter edition this year, especially, was much talked-about, as much for the use of prints as for the elaborate and striking headgear. Turbans, actually.

Charu would be showcasing at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week on October 28, jointly with Swapan and Seema. While Charu is a revivalist in terms of use of prints and techniques, block-prints especially, digital prints characterise her Spring/Summer 2010 line.

“It is all about flower power. The prints are based on flowers that bloom in summer. There’s yellow, beige and red,” she says. Fabrics used are chiffon, cotton and linen.

The line is an extension of the Chintz collection that Charu put out last year. On the techniques, she explains, “There’s a lot of pleating, ruffing and diamante.” On the departure from her favourite block prints, she says, “It’s no departure as such. Just that the look I wanted was coming out better in digital.”

Charu Parashar’s diffusion line, Utpala, has toured several cities around the world. “Though formally launched last year, the label has been in existence since three years,” she adds.

At present, Charu retails from 32 outlets in Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Dubai, Kuwait, Djakarta, London and Belgium.

SHALINI SHAH

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The Hindu :

Gayatridevi Park in Rajajinagar is India’s second public space with a designated play area for special children

Photo: By AuthorPromoting togetherness An inclusive play space in parks for special children is a step towards integrating them with normal children

It looks like any other children’s park from a distance, complete with play areas, green patches and benches.

It is only when you go closer that you see signboards and unusual equipment which reveal this is a unique and dedicated space for differently-abled children. Gayatridevi Park in Rajajinagar is now India’s second public space with a designated play area for special children.

Three years ago, Coles Park became India’s first public space to include such an area for disabled children.

Both have been built by Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) in association with Kilikili, a voluntary movement initiated by parents working for the integration of special children with the mainstream through play.

Special children are generally kept away from regular parks given that the equipment, and even pathways––in fact, most of the landscaping features––are made for the average child who faces no sensory, motor, or mental challenges. And the pain of this exclusion has been felt as much by their parents as by the special kids. This resulted in Kilikili coming up with the concept of a space wherein everything is designed keeping in mind the needs of special children.After all, they are children too, only they grow, learn and play in their own way.Safety aspects

Explains Sridhar Mohan, proprietor of Vinyaas Play Systems: “We took a year to design this equipment with inputs from Kilikili. We considered the needs of children who were visually and/or mentally challenged and had physical handicaps. The safety aspect was given importance. We also made some improvisations here drawing on insights from the Coles Park experiment.”

So, there is an unusual merry-go-round with wheelchair access via a ramp after which the…More

The Hindu : y>Desperate Housewives returns for the fifth season on Star World

You can catch the fifth season of primetime series “Desperate Housewives” on Star World from October 17 at 10 p.m. Star World presents a marathon of season four of the series from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. leading into the new season on October17.

The fifth season’s time-jumping device propels the housewives in a new direction.

It is 2013 now on the show. Proving a lot can change in five years, Susan (Teri Hatcher) has separated from Mike (James Denton) and is indeed romancing a younger man Jackson (Gale Harold). Meanwhile, Bree (Marcia Cross) has become a successful business woman after launching her own cookbook.

The hottest mother on Wisteria lane till season four, Gabrielle (Eva Longoria), has gone from glam to glum.

Lynette (Felicity Huffman) is trying to reign in her delinquent children and Edie (Nicollette Sheridan) has landed a new husband (Neal McDonough). The fifth season also does a reality check in a few episodes by showing people affected by the economic downturn.

It as guest stars which include Charlie and Max Carver, Joshua Logan Moore, Kendall Applegate and many more.

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