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It was celebration time at Rashtriya Military School Bangalore. The school has been awarded the Chief of Army Staff Trophy for achieving excellent results in National Defence Academy (NDA) examinations. In all, 24 cadets had cleared the written examination. However, 11 cadets joined the NDA after successfully clearing the Service Selection Board (SSB) personal interview.

Maj. Gen. Sandeep Kumar, additional director general, Army Education presented the trophy to Col. P. K. Sharma, principal, RMS, Bangalore. He lauded the efforts of the faculty and complimented the school on being rated the seventh best boarding school in South India. The survey was carried out by the Centre for Forecasting and Research.

(Input by Sudhindr.A.B.)

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The Hindu : SUDHINDR.A.B

Interschool declamation and creative writing competitions turn out to be a great success.

Moment to cherish: Winning declamation.

The Karnataka ICSE Schools Association (KISA) organised an interschool declamation and creative writing competition recently at Ryan International School, Kundalahalli. The declamation contest brought out the oratorical skills of the students.Great speeches

The contest encouraged them to convey the essence of great speeches in a way that would recreate the spirit of the original presentation, giving it a flavour of their interpretation. Students presented speeches by Abraham Lincoln, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vivekananda, Dr Abdul Kalam, Barack Obama, for which they had 45 minutes to prepare.

In the junior category ( Stds. IX and X), the team from St. Vincent’s Palloti School comprising Sri Lakshmi and Feby Jose Mathew emerged victorious. The team from St. Thomas Public School comprising Nitu Koshy and Saurav Panda finished second, while the team from Ryan International School, Yelahanka, comprising Samarth and Rio Cooper secured the third place. In the senior category, the team from Ryan International School, Yelahanka, represented by Smrithi and Tanay bagged the first prize.

In the creative writing competition,Prateek Jose and Joshua Araujo from the host school won the first prize in the senior category. The team from De Paul International School, Mysore, comprising Mary Anne K Thomas and Namratha Raj, came first in the junior category. Aniket and Vaishak, students of Ryan International School, Yelahanka, took the second place, while the team from Little Flower Public school comprising Malavi Srikar and Megha Sridhar finished third.

The aim of the event was to stimulate thinking, promote questioning, and encourage experimentation, enabling students to use language confidently in “real life” situations.

The winning teams will participate at the national level competition to be held in November.

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The Hindu : y>Have we all settled down to uniform ways of expressing ourselves? Considering the lackadaisical use of language, NEETI SARKAR wonders if we have run out of words

PHOTO: SHASHI ASHIWALTHINK AGAIN Using blanket terms like whatever points to a certain callousness

It is official! Anyway, at the end of the day, it is what it is! “Whatever” is the most annoying word, you know? According to a recent poll conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, 47 per cent of Americans, irrespective of gender, location and age, believe there is no word more grating than “whatever”.

“You know” garnered 25 per cent of the votes, followed by “it is what it is” that bothered 11 per cent of the population.

About seven per cent think the use of “anyway” should be banned while two percent of those who participated in the poll feel “at the end of the day” is the corniest phrase.

Supposedly immortalised by Nirvana in a song, “Oh well, whatever, never mind,” and popularised by the Valley Girls in the movie “Clueless”, the word “whatever” has come to signify everything from apathy to ending a discussion, debate or argument.

“The boredom conveyed by the tone in which one says `whatever’, is highly exasperating,” says freelance writer Christopher Darrell. He also thinks “like,” “OMG,” “LMAO” and “Cool” are used far too much in our everyday vocabulary.

We sure can do without incorporating the words “awesome” and “amazing” in every other sentence we construct. These two words are used to describe everything from an easy question paper or a delectable apple pie to a well delivered farewell speech or even your girlfriend’s silky smooth tresses.

According to copy editor Kamal Niren, “Words and phrases like `basically,’ `over the top,’ `value added,’ and `attitude’ are not just used in conversations but in writing too. I would rather be around people who describe a plate of kebabs…More

The Hindu :

Preview Ali Oh Baba, an adaptation from The Arabian Nights is an entertaining tale

Interactive The drama unfolds through the eyes of the children

“Ali Oh Baba” is the story of Ali Baba from The Arabian Nights in a contemporary setting narrated by children. “It is a by, of and for the children kind of production,” says Priya Venkatesh, director of the play. “We wanted the children to engage in theatre, understand the subtleties and appreciate it.”

The play is part of the annual fundraising production presented by Bangalore Little Theatre (BLT) and Dream A Dream, an NGO that works with abandoned children. Directed by Shashank Purshotham, Priya Venkatesh and Vijay Padaki of BLT, it is a complete entertainer packed with subtle messages. “Colour, live music and songs have been woven into the story, it is interactive and engaging,” she adds.

The story is unveiled through conversation and narration by two child actors in a contemporary setting. As they narrate the story of Ali Baba and the 40 thieves, the key characters of King Shahryar and wife Scheherazade are drawn into the play. The props for the play have been created by the children of the Association for Mentally Challenged.

The play is an attempt to tell stories from other countries. “We have done Indian stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata and the Jataka Tales. There are 1,000 stories in the Arabian Nights which a lot of children are not aware of. The queen tells the story every night otherwise she gets killed, something on the lines of Vikramaditya stories. Though, in our play, there is a happy ending.”

“Ali Oh Baba” conveys the importance of the reading habit in children, about not underestimating people, and the triumph of good over evil. Priya says the play also has a message for everyone — about the joy of being together. “Everyone is so stuck-up with the…More

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TEN THINGS WE LOVE ABOUT CATSSay cheese – These low-maintenance cutiesgroom themselves to perfection which explainswhy they are always pretty as a picture.Pied Pipers – Enjoy the privileges of a 24/7exterminator service that keeps the house freeof rodents.

Who’s the boss? – Ellen Perry Berkeley’ssaying goes “As every cat owner knows, nobodyowns a cat”. A tap on your shoulder will wakeyou up and your heart’s sure to melt as theystare unblinkingly at the empty food bowl.Laptops to love – When it rains, a warmfur-ball will crawl into your lap and stay thereuntil the sun comes out.Bye, bye B.P – Who needs self-help bookswhen the simple act of stroking a cat can loweryour blood pressure?Large-hearted heroes – Cats have savedowners from raging fires and alerted themabout impending natural disasters. They takeloyalty very seriously.Lucky us -The ceramic Maneki Neko(`beckoning cat’) with a raised paw is consideredto be a harbinger of good fortune.Simple pleasures – Cats teach us that realpleasures come in the form of fresh milk, winduptoys and impromptu attacks on Velcro stickers.Material things are redundant.

Constant slapstick comedy – Their ownreflections in the mirror or even shadows willdo when they’re in the mood for a game. Getready to laugh till your sides hurt.A purr to die for – At the end of a long day,there’s that wonderful moment to look forwardto. A loud purr that says “Welcome home. Cuddleup!”HERO OF THE WEEKPrashant Sharma wanted a dog and decided to adopt one froma shelter instead of going to a breeder. He adopted Laila from theCUPA shelter this May and she’s now an inseparable part of theirlives. Prashant strongly advocates adopting animals fromshelters to give a new lease of life to abandoned and abusedanimals.Know of a hero who has performed of an act of kindness toanimals? Write to petpalsbangalore@gmail.comPrashant Sharma wanted a dog and decided to adopt one froma shelter instead of…More

The Hindu :

This fortnight at seventymm.com

Goodfellas (1990)

Cast: Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Paul Sorvino, Frank Sivero, Mike Starr, Frank Vincent, Samuel L. Jackson, Sheila Howard, Kevin Corrigan, Henny Youngman, Tony Darrow, Chuck Low, Frank Di Leo, Christopher Serrone, Jerry Vale Director: Martin Scorsese Screenwriter: Martin Scorsese, Nicholas PileggiCinematographer: Michael Ballhaus

Watching “Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag” and Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” back to back was an illuminating exercise. While both films are extraordinarily-stylish gangster sagas, the similarities end there.

“…Aag” is all about virtuoso camera work with never-ending steady cam shots and breathtaking frames and little else. That everyone’s favourite curry spaghetti western was mauled beyond recognition in a mean-spirited film filled with atrocious acting and incredibly self-indulgent goop is a whole different story altogether.

“Goodfellas” on the other hand is that perfect movie — a marvellous marriage of content and style. The dazzling steady-cam shot of Henry Hill taking Karen on their first date where he goes in from the back door through the bowels of the Copacabana night club to emerge inside is an echo of Henry’s journey, emblematic of the movie itself — where you go in through the backdoor to emerge at the top.

How about the operatic bloodbath to the tune Eric Clapton’s “Layla”? There is this savage butchery juxtaposed with this lilting, light as gossamer piano coda, which just takes the breath away.

Actually each scene in the movie from the shocking beginning where the body in the trunk starts to make a noise to the final act, where Ray Liotta’s character indulges in some heavy-duty multitasking fuelled by lines and lines of cocaine and unbridled paranoia all reveal the sure hand of an auteur.

The plotting is sure and extremely tight. Though the movie begins in the middle and goes back to the beginning, there is a vivid sense of the maintaining the unities of time,…More

The Hindu :

William Bissell has many ideas about Making India Work

Catalyst for change William Bissell

Everyone’s always complaining about what’s wrong with India, so William Nanda Bissell decided to do something about it.

“Everywhere you go, people are saying ‘this is wrong, that’s terrible’, whether it’s the roads or politics,” says Bissell, managing director of Fabindia, and son of founder John Bissell. “I decided to look at what’s right, and build on that.”

The result is “Making India Work”, a book that functions on the premise that India isn’t poor, just poorly managed, and follows that up with a series of ideas for change. “Typically, youngsters under 30 said, ‘Wow, I love these ideas, that’s the way I want India to be’, while those on the other side of 30 called them Utopian,” he says. “It’s been fascinating to see the difference in perception.”Radical proposals

The idealistic proposals — community ownership of natural resources as a way of giving power to the poor, for one — are a pretty radical departure from the way things have been done, but that is what is needed, says Bissell passionately.

“You may say the book is full of impractical ideas, but I say, is it practical that our cities are becoming a living hell? People fear taking a radical leap, but the truth is that major, sudden changes do happen all over the world, much more frequently than we realise.”

Many of these ideas have evolved over the course of a long and varied career, during which the author has been an environmental activist, a journalist, a businessman, and even briefly worked with a U.S. Senator. When he returned after studying in the U.S. in the 80s, he started an artisans trust in Rajasthan, and more recently, as the MD of Fabindia, he’s experimented with one of the core ideas of “Making India Work” — community ownership in his company,…More

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Pretty moves Asin speaks her mind

Asin made a confident debut in the Hindi film industry with “Ghajini”. The Aamir Khan starrer was remake of a Tamil film of the same name. Asin is presently promoting her next Hindi film, “London Dreams” slated for release soon.In conversation withwith trade analyst Taran Adarsh “Bollywood Business”, the actor talks of her career in the Hindi film industry, her criteria for selecting projects and whether she would prefer Hindi films to the South productions. She also talks about her latest film “London Dreams” and its ‘similarity’ with “Rock On”. Catch pretty lady on Etc tonight at 8.30 p.m.

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The Hindu : y>SOUND OFF! V. Rajagopal feels that the legacy of many of our leaders is not being respected by the government

We Indians have a tendency to name organisations, infrastructure projects, roads, towns and stations after great personalities, who won recognition in various fields. A general survey brings to fore the fact that politicians manage to garner a huge chunk of these naming exercises, especially in welfare schemes initiated by the government. Scientists such as Raman and Homi Bhaba come second in the name game.

We have a fondness of installing statues of leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Ambedkar, but do not take the pains to follow their principles and ideals.

The nation celebrates Teachers’ Day in commemoration of Sarvepalli Radhakrishan, one of the doyens of Indian philosophy, an erudite scholar and educationist par excellence. However, he has no universities named after him. Babu Jagjivanram was an able administrator and served the Union Government under many capacities. No projects or schemes were named after him.Similar is the case with many personalities such as M.S.Subbulaksmi whose legacy has been ignored by the Government.

It is shameful that politicians gleefully append their own names to many infrastructure projects, at the cost of ignoring many others who deserve the honour.

Do you have anything to say? About the state of the world, the city, your angst? Pen it stylishly and you might get it published.And dash off your piece with your photograph. Email it tobangmetro@gmail.com or post it to MetroPlus, The Hindu, 19 & 21, Bhagwan Mahaveer Road (Infantry Road), Bangalore 1.

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The Hindu : y>The inaugural Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize announced

Write stuff Aditi Machado

Twenty-one year old Aditi Machado, from Bangalore, won the inaugural Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize overcoming competition from over 350 contestants from all over the country.

The young poet was the unanimous choice of the jury, which also appreciated her “natural and open-hearted feel for language, passion, and understated intelligence”.

The prize was instituted by the Hyderabad-based Srinivas Rayaprol Literary Trust to recognise excellence in poetry written in English and is administered jointly with the Department of English, University of Hyderabad.

A distinguished jury, consisting of the poet and editor of the literary journal, Atlas, Sudeep Sen, Mohan G. Ramanan and Sachidananda Mohanty of the University of Hyderabad, considered entries from poets in the age group of 20-40 years.

The Trust was started in the year 2000 to perpetuate the memory of the poet, Srinivas Rayaprol (a.k.a. R.S. Marthandam, 1925-1998), who is considered one of the significant personalities of the early Indian English Poetry in India.

Aditi Machado graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English, communications and psychology in 2009, and has two professional diplomas in French. The award, consists of a citation and Rs.10,000 cash prize.

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