Kole Basava, ( the tamed bull)

Have you ever heard that name before….. well if you have grown up in karnaaka or a kannadiga then it is a well known name but lost out somewhere , deep in our memory… .I had kind of forgotten this ages ago…. ,
Today I happened to go thru the interiors of bangalore for some carving work to be done…and I was standing in this shop facing the shop keeper and talking something very serious… and suddenly behind me I hear a bell….. Just turned around and Lo ….. it was “Kole basava” standing with his master.
Kole Basava means tamed bull….
He was really well decorated with a lot of ornaments, a nice silkish cloth over his whole body and a solid macho looking head gear… looks it was made of bronze….
There were quite a few of us in a around that place and the master decided to show us some tricks… instead of just asking us for money….
He would ask questions to the kole basava and it would nod its head… all it could do is nod…
Few hilarious questions and the nod would go on…. Few of us gave him some money and he left…
It has approximately been around 15 years since I saw this Kole basava….
It was such a common sight to see before in every festival, early in the morning he would be our first visitor… none of us could say no, some rice to him and some paise’s to his master would definitely go…
And with this super duper speed of urbanization we are in… He will soon be extinct.
I am glad atleast in some places he is still visiting and this folklore is still alive
Infact “kole basava” name is also given as a synonym for a person who nods his head for everything in acceptance  (with or without brains !!!!)

Imagination

I just wanted to share some drawings of Maansi...

Pls see the images in the bottom up, right to left approach :-) . After I uploaded I saw the problem and I am too lazy to change all over again... so please help. :-)

1. Cindrella, getting into the pumpkin carriage before the clock strikes 12
2.Classroom with that huge Red bell, to ring before time and finish classes soon :-)
3.Commonwealth Closing ceremony
4.Scenic drawing
5.copy from the deccan herald , open Sesame
6.She and her friends sailing in the Sea with Sindbad the Sailor

I just think all these kids of these days are just amazing... they beat the wits out of me..

Time to Dance

I really have this craze for dancing, that kind of runs in my blood, but past few years with the way i have put on weight, i try hard to refrain as i feel i kind of look funny. Every year ,navratri Durga pooja happens on all the 9 days in a very traditional and ethnic way in my apartment. This was the first time i was attending it....I just went to see the goddess for the pooja and then all the ladies just bang pulled me to dance with them.... for sometime felt a little odd... but then some of them were much better than me ( in weight) :-) felt like i had a lot of company of the same type.. and then there was no stop. and playing with those dandiya sticks... it was such a long time...
It makes you feel so happy, de stressed.... and so much fun

so many people came forward for this pooja...truly such festivals give a lot of opportunity to know people around you.

I just plugged some snaps, not sure if it is clear.

The Games Begin ... and what Grandeur

There have been so many wrong things happening with the CWG for the last so many months. Each one using the opportunity to make their fortunes or the others using it as the best time for mud slinging at each other or even the roof top collapsing. Each time I read the paper I would wonder ... " will the CWG ever happen".
I waited for Sunday to see the inaugaration and ..... what was it I saw......

I just remain " AAh Struck" . The way it was done .... amazing.... for a moment the whole past was buried in my mind. Watched every bit of the program. The exhibition of our art, culture and the whole concept... simply great.
Infact I think it was much much better than many of the international events i have seen. They may be technically classy... but the stuff.... is what we have....

Mera Bharat Mahaan.

Plaza Theatre – Royalty to Ruins and now mere dust…

I may probably be one of the last bangaloreans who may be writing or talking about the saga of the Plaza theatre. I can’t help but write this today, to bring out the emotions in me that has just gushed … more like a sudden death that I have just seen.
For the last couple of years Plaza theatre has been shut down but the building stood as it was with the gates locked… but today when I went on to MG road, I was just struck with a shock. There was no building there. All reduced to mere dust.
I m probably one of the younger generations to have enjoyed movies at the plaza … it has been the place where our forefathers have been to watch movies. A theatre built with a lot of taste. There have been great plays that have been showcased in this truly “heritage spot” if I can say.
I have watched so many beautiful movies and the last one that I watched was “ Ek din Chaubis Ghante” …God you would have not even heard this movie as it would have ran probably for 1 day . May be few days.
It was a movie of Nandita Das in the very early stage of her acting days and it was just me, Ram, Murali and Vinayak in the ground floor, and few couples seated in some extreme corners….
We had a ball of a time watching that movie, and analyzing actually what the story was….
The bhelpuri guy outside the cinema hall used to make some amazing stuff and the corn guy was always there with some nice tender corn…
Infact there was a watch shop and a saree shop attached, from where I had even bought a saree that I still have.
I have just pulled this link from Wikipedia if you really want to know about this place.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaza_Theatre_(Bangalore)

Bangalore has seen the death of so many such landmarks, Galaxy, Lido, Symphony( Shankarnag theatre) and now Plaza…
Lido is now in its new avatar, symphony ….building still stands and above that is our good , old Ullas hotel ( touchwood, I hope this building remains as it is) … Galaxy .,… wondering what will come up there as that place is also mere dust now and fully covered so when you cross you just can’t see what’s happening.
All these deaths in the name of urbanization. Truly tragic

monsoons are on their way

Rains are expected to hit in full swing from tomorrow .

While i am writing this , its already started drizzling..:-)

Hoping for more respite from the afternoon heat...

amazing technology

I am currently at the airport waiting for my flight back to bangalore . Flight is late for some good reason , finished reading the newspaper fully . Was wondering how to time pass. I haven't really used the internet on my mobile at all apart from downloading my mails into my pandora's box...oops mailbox . Just opened it, tried browsing thru, its pretty fast huh. typing is a bit of a pain though as the screen is tiny and so are the butttons. But for now, to kill time , its discovery . This technology is really amazing for tribals like me. Ok for now the short craze is over as my fingers are paining hitting those tiny buttons pain