Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Priya Belliappa is all set to launch all women cinema ‘Ring Road Shuba’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

A lady from hilly region of Karnataka Coorg district Priya Belliappa is all set to launch all women cinema ‘Ring Road Shuba’. The concept for this Priya Belliappa film is the real life murder. The culprit Shuba is behind the bars.

Studied in Pune Priya Belliappa is looking for a right protagonist role and intends to give training and then mount the film. The heroines with image are not required and I want someone who look for the story and accept the film.

As there is already one more Kannada film with the same subject Priya Belliappa is taking only the wafer line of the incident and adding more creativity to it. According to her the reality of the case is still not yet revealed. In the film ‘Ring Road Shuba’ the imagination of our team is the highlight she says.

Priya studying at Pune Film and Television institute worked in Ad Company and moved to Kannada cinema as assistant director with Ravindra in ‘Mathe Bannu Pritsona’.

The producer of this film is Ranjani Ravindra Das, wife of director HP Ravindra has inducted 15 members women team for the film.

Sanchari Das Molik is director of cinematography, editor is Moulsri Singh, Vani Harikrishna is music director, Rekha Rani is dialogue writer.

The selection of main protagonist is made via Suvarana News Channel reality show. It is ‘Suvarana Sundari’ crown the winner of this show earns and later appears before the camera

Vyjayanthimala mobbed in Bangalore

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

Yesteryear actress and dancer sure knows how to wow Bangalore’s audience. The actress, who dropped by to watch the The Gitanjali Prasad Bidapa Fashion Week that happened in Bowring Club, was pleased with the love and affection people showered on her.

Fashion guru Prasad Bidapa gave a warm welcome to the actress and also played a visual of one of her songs Bahron Phool Barsaon from her movie Suraj (1966) that starred Rajendra Kumar and Vyjayanthimala Bali in lead roles.

Draped in a pink and orange silk sari, Vyjayanthimala took the stage and said, “From the stage set up to the beautiful models and vibrant clothes — I am having a good time watching the fashion show.” She was invited by designer Jamila Malhotra, whose daughter Seema had showcased a special collection named Shimmer at the show. The actress sat throughout the show and was seen signing a couple of autographs as well. After the show, Vyjayanthimala was mobbed by fans of varying ages who were keen to take a picture with her.

The actress is known for playing a plethora of characters and is a recipient of numerous awards. Some of her works include Sangam (Hindi), Thenn Nilavu (Tamil), Devdas (Hindi), Vanjikottai Valiban (Tamil), Hatey Bazarey (Bengali), among others.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Entertainment> Regional> Kannada> Fashion Show / by Sharanya C R, TNN / January 22nd, 2013

What a way to end, indeed!

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

Day 3 at the Prasad Bidapa Fashion Week Bangalore 2013 was reassuring. While some of the best and most talked about designers were left for the final day — the collections were at two ends of the spectrum, either being wonderfully interesting or being terribly drab. Here’s our roundup of what worked and what didn’t at the finalé day of PBFW…

Smallshop by Jason & Anshu was the perfect way to begin and while we couldn’t get enough of the sneaky flirtatiousness in most of their pieces, we really wished the colour palette was a bit more summery. That said, the natural silk hues worked wonders as did the fabrics and the the hints of florals and pastels. We loved their silhouettes and we’re now officially Jason and Anshu fans for life.

It seemed like a day of duos and Anu & Susan’s latest collection took to the ramp next. We’ve never seen lace and crochet thread work look so wearable and we love how they took the fabric out of grandma’s closet and made it sexy, risqué even. From gorgeous detailing to great cuts, this was one of the fashion highs of the evening.

Yashaswini Naik, whose collection raised the temperature quite a bit, proved that simplicity and clear design can win anyone over and we were mighty proud of the designers brazen collection. First of all, a huge round of applause to a female designer who attempted a male collection and secondly, applause for the amazing wearability of the clothes. We loved the colour palette and we think the printed beach shirts in whites and light blues — was something we’ve all been looking forward to for ages.

Nimirta Lalwani, as much as we assumed would be impressive, failed to create a stir and while a lot of people might call her clean lines and sombre coloured silhouettes fashionable and even trendy, we choose not to. The dresses looked lovely on the models, but assuming that these clothes would add or even complement someone’s personality, left us wondering whether playing it safe was the right way to go?

Indian fashion with a distinct European flavour is something that’s sure to catch some attention and Ritu Pande’s collection was inspirational. With motifs from European art mixed beautifully with Indian-inspired silhouettes — this is what fusion should be like. We loved the great lines, the sombre colours and the general feel of the collection. This was a winner.

Lokesh Ahuja’s collection of wonderfully structured suits that came up next, worked on many levels, because they were being showcased by a bunch of drop dead gorgeous models. What we were left wondering, however, was if this collection would look equally ‘fine’ on a common Bangalorean man. We’re still thinking…

A celebration of male fashion done, we were then offered Pop Patola, a collection we’ve been excited about all year through. Deepika Govind proved her mettle and retained the title of one of the city’s best designers with this collection. We couldn’t get enough of these clothes — funky, laden with character and colourful enough to eat. With a wonderful mix of traditional silhouettes and modern pop culture motifs and the exact opposite — modern silhouettes with traditional motifs: Pop Patola had us the moment the first model sashayed onto the ramp.

The grand finalé was grand indeed. Seema and Jamila Malhotra’s collection was loud, shimmery (true to its name) and colourful enough to leave the audience entranced. The pieces showcased were also faultless and the workmanship on them, incomparable. What didn’t work for us as a Bangalore audience was the lack of a Bangalorean connect. Unlike Shobha Nickham and some of the other designers who also presented bridal-themed collections laden with city references, this collection was very alien to us. That said, it was a visual pleasure and was the perfect way to end three days of high Bangalorean fashion.

A huge hurrah goes out to Prasad Bidapa and team for the great show, the even better planning and the whole wonderfully executed event.

source: http://www.dnaindia.com / Daily News & Analysis / Home> LifeStyle> Report / by L Romal M Singh, Agency: DNA / Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013

Simran Ayanna drums for Humble Harmony

Arts, Culture & Entertainment


Mysore, Jan.17
Youngsters, especially girls, are evincing keen interest in instrumental music nowadays, and do not hesitate to form bands to showcase their talents.

The 16-year-old Jammada Simran Ayanna, a class XI student (Commerce stream) of St. Hilda’s School, Ooty and an alumnus of St. Joseph’s Central School, Vijayanagar (passed out in 2012), is one such outgoing young lass who is both an avid vocalist and percussionist. She is also a member of the band ‘Humble Harmony.’

Simran, the only girl percussionist in Mysore city, developed interest in music at a very early age and started drumming seriously for the past 5 years ever since she attended a Shivamani concert at the Mysore Dasara festival. She has been groomed in music by John Siri of J.B. Musicals-fame in Gokulam.

Presently, she is under the tutelage of the renowned percussionist of Chennai Muralikrishnan, who runs the famous percussion school Jus Drums at Chennai. Simran also performs with her band ‘Humble Harmony’ where she drums and doubles as a vocalist. The band performed at the Mall of Mysore on Jan.5. Simran is fond of English music and also sings Hindi and Kannada numbers with equal flair. TWhe band Humble Harmony has Suraj as vocalist & lead guitarist, Manoj as vocalist and percussionist and Varun as bass guitarist.

Simran, who was in city on a month-long vacation, also sang Rolling in the Deep, the Grammy Award winning number of 2012 originally sung by Adele, at the MTV Unplugged show of Benny Dayal held on Jan. 11 at Windflower Resorts, Mysore.

Apart from her interest in music, she is also a good table tennis player who has represented her school in the Nationals. Now she plays for Hilda’s School and is District Number 2 in Nilgiris.

Simran is the second daughter of Jammada Ganesh Ayanna and Sandhya Ayanna (Kokkalera), residents of V.V. Mohalla here and grand-daughter of Jammada M. Poonacha & Gangamani Poonacha.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> General News / January 17th, 2013

Akhyana 2013: The Keyboard to New Media – Internet Overload?

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

The Department of Communicative English conducted their annual Media Fest on January 16, 2013. This year the theme for the Fest was, “The Keyboard to New Media – Internet Overload?”. The event was preceded over by the College’s Principal, Dr. C.S. Elizabeth, Karan Medappa, Public Relations Professional and Freelance Model, Islahuddin, Manager of Qyuki and Rakesh Kumar, Radio Jockey at Radio One.

New media refers to on-demand access to content anytime, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community formation around the media content. In 1984, Rice defined new media as communication technologies that enable or facilitate user-to-user interactivity and interactivity between user and information.

The Panel Discussion that was held in the first session of the program was the highlight of the day.The Panel Discussion focused on the theme, “The Keyboard to New Media – Internet Overload?”. The Panelists included Karan Medappa, Islahuddin, and Rakesh Kumar. They briefly discussed the pros and cons of the Internet and the safety that one needs on the internet. “How much is too much?” was a common question that was echoed by each one of the panelists. Mr. Islahuddin spoke about how the times have flown – from the times of the ‘kabutaar’ letters to online communication. He also stated that the Online medium can swing both ways – good and bad – and it really depends on how we use it. Echoing this was Mr. Rakesh Kumar, Radio Jockey, who states, “How much of the internet or information is actually on your hands?”. Karan Medappa, on the other hand, stated the importance of content and the importance of Public Relations in a fast changing world.

To break the serious tone of the first session, the Rock Gospel Band, Apocalypse performed. Their performance was spread over a period of half an hour. Their performance garnered much appreciation from the audience. The Guest Singer, Kekri – a runner up of Naga Idol, also held the audience’s captivity and had gotten a lot of support from the audience. Their performance can be seen on YouTube, at this link.

There were various events spread through out the day and included Ad Presentation, Internet Spoof and Photography. The participants participated in all the events with great enthusiasm an showed great interest. The Paper Presentation saw participants talking about various topics, ranging from getting noticed on YouTube to the power of new media in social media. The event, Ad Presentation, saw a lot of participants enacting out a advertisement to promote the chosen topic and saw an variety of talent come out. Topics varied from Women safety to promoting a new motorbike.

The fest ended on a successful note, with an ever eager audience and participants from various other colleges. One of the participants of the Fest stated, “I have learned a lot at the fest today, especially about the New Media. Along with the learning that I had today, I had a lot of fun and an great experience.

source: http://www.coolage.in / Home / by Pooja Svathi Mahesh, Jyotivas College – Bangalore / January 19th, 2013

For Bangalore, by Bangalore

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

You know Manish Malhotra. You know Rocky S. But do you know who Shalini Subramanian or Saunak Sen is? They are fashion designers, working right here in the city and trying to make a difference as far as Bangalore’s fashion identity is concerned. And starting today, they and few more designers are going to be making a point — Bangalore can be in the middle of a fashion revolution after all.

Stylist, fashion and image consultant or choreographer — call him what you will, but Prasad Bidapa has been part of the action for a while and now he’s all set to pay a homage to the city and its fashion fraternity with the Prasad Bidapa Fashion Week. “It has been a longstanding dream of mine to present Bangalore designers and brands on a platform that could become an event that celebrates the talent and diversity of our designers. Bangalore designers need to make their presence felt on a national and international level and PBFW will make every effort to present our designers in that perfect light,” says Bidapa, of the event.

According to him, after Delhi and Mumbai, Kolkata became a very important centre in fashion. “It was relatively upsetting, considering how Bangalore has always been known for its vivid interest and high sense of what is and can be ‘fashion’. So after years of mulling it over, it’s Bangalore’s turn to make the same statement and ensure that our designers take centrestage,” he adds.

The fashion week will feature a host of designers including Nimirta Lalwani, Runa Ray, Sanchita Ajjampur, Jason and Anshu, Anjali Sharma, Shoba Nickham, Saunak Sen’s House of Three, Sneha Satyaprakash, Namrata G, Rony Dutta, Pallavi Foley, Amanda Bachalli, Shalini Subramanian, Seema Malhotra, Manish Saksena, Deepika Govind, Lokessh Ahuja, Anu and Susan, Ritu Pande and Raj Shroff. “I am showcasing my Spring-Summer 2013 collection that I recently showed at Wills India Fashion Week in Delhi.

Staying true to the monochromes, I am focussing on a chic and plain look in mulmul and cotton. I generally design only for women, but I’ve also added a few special pieces for men, especially for this fashion week. They stay true to the look of the rest of the collection too,” shares Raj Shroff.

“My collection will be a sequel to my Ode to Sindh collection and I’ve decided to call it Sindh Contemporary. Staying true to the soul of Sindh, this collection will be in white and will focus on chiffons and georgettes for women and linen and khadi for the men,” explains Namrata G.

Nimirta Lalwani is also excited about her Spring-Summer 2013, where she will focus on the silhouette she loves the most — the evening gown. “I am staying minimal and trying to bring in classical elements. I’ve experimented with colour blocking, different kinds of layering and laser cutting and have ensured that I play with different kinds of fabric,” Nimirta concludes.

source: http://www.dnaindia.com / Daily News & Analysis / Home> LifeStyle> Report / by L Romal M Singh / Agency: DNA / Thursday, January 17th, 2013

I am spiritual, but I do not believe in God: Biddu

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, Nri's / Pio's

Dressed casually in tees and track pants with his trademark long hair, iconic composer singer Biddu wears his years lightly. The Grammy Award winning musician, who grew up in Bangalore, now divides his time between Spain, London, and India, and insists he leads a relaxed life, and has the full day in which to get things done. TOI caught up with him during his recent visit to the city…

It all began in Bangalore for you, didn’t it? Bangalore has indeed shaped my musical destiny. I started young at the age of 13, so it’s been 55 years since I have been earning a living professionally. I left Bangalore for the first time when at the age of 16 I went to Kolkata to sing at night clubs. I credit Bangalore’s Anglo-Indian community for my initiation into music. The Catholic Club and the Bowring Institute are where I used to sing at music competitions. I had two ambitions when I was a boy. One was to become a Hollywood actor, and the other was to make it big in the world of music. The second one was easier!

Just two years shy of 70, you look remarkably well preserved…. Thank god you said well preserved and not pickled. Well, I guess it is in the genes. All of us siblings look fairly good for our age. Also, we maintain high levels of activity. My sister, who’s played tennis for India, still plays tennis every day, come what may. I swim five days a week, and then there’s yoga and a walk. However, when it comes to food, I eat all the wrong things. Chocolates, pizza and donuts. But no matter whichever part of the world I am in, I start my day with papaya. I am, however, not obsessive about exercising or maintaining routines. I don’t want to be like Madonna. My looks… it could be the makeup too! I kid, of course!

Aao naa pyar karein is being adapted for India’s first zombie film… How did that happen? Luke Kenny called me up last year. He asked me if he could use the song and adapt it for his upcoming film The Rise of Zombie. I like Luke. He seems like a nice guy and his team is a bunch of enthusiastic kids. John Lennon said give peace a chance; I say give the youth of India a chance.

Any parting pangs for a song that was a rage in its day? None at all. If you do that, you’ll never be able to cross the threshold. Nothing is so sacrosanct that you can’t let go of it.

Have you heard the rearranged song? Yes, I’ve heard two versions of it. In the first, Luke has given it a David Guetta kind of style, which I liked immensely. And the second one has a trancy technoish feel to it. I told Luke that the second one may tie in better with the zombie genre.

You became famous with Qurbani… How did it come about? I was famous much before that in the west with my albums with Carl Douglas (Kung Fu Fighting) and Tina Charles, among many other successful projects. I didn’t think I’d have anything to do with Hindi music. I had failed my Senior Cambridge because my Hindi was abysmal. Hindi has always been a foreign language for me. It still is. Director Feroze Khan had heard about all the stuff I had done in the west. He wanted me to be associated with the project. I was hesitant, but he coerced me.

Coerced? No, it was more like blackmail. You know the You-are-from-Bangalore-and -I-am -from-Bangalore kind of talk, and I was on.

You are a card-carrying atheist I am spiritual, but I do not believe in God. I don’t put religion and spiritualism in the same box. Spiritualism is a way of life you create, whereas religion is what others force upon you. I don’t believe that God made man, I believe man made God.

Your favourite songs from your body of work? My perennial favourites are Disco Deewane and Made in India. My other songs have earned me a thousand times more, but these two I can listen to over and over again and never tire of them. I get goose flesh each time I listen to them.

Indian singers you admire? Frankly, I am not clued into the music scene here at all. I know very little of what is happening, musically speaking. But I think Shreya Ghosal has a fabulous voice. I also like Sonu Nigam, and have done an album with him. Even Shaan, he’s got a nice voice.

You were disappointed when you finally came face to face with your childhood idols, The Beatles. Yes, it was disappointing. They were my heroes. At that age, you expect your heroes to be these larger-than-life figures. You know the six-foot-six types. And then I see John Lennon, with his dirty canvas shoes and unkempt straggly beard. The only Beatle who made somewhat of an impression on me in the way he was turned out was Paul McCartney that guy should give up now. All artists must call it a day when they hit 65.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Entertainment> Music /by Purba Dutt, TNN / January 16th, 2013

Music lovers head for Storm

Arts, Culture & Entertainment


Migrating for music seems to be the next big trend among music lovers in Delhi, who are willing to travel far and near just to enjoy some good notes. The rise in destination music festivals is a testimony to this fact; and the next hot spot marked in musical calendar for 2013 is Coorg, Karnataka, where the first-of-its-kind outdoor camping Storm music festival will be organised on February 1 and 2.

The second edition of this fest will feature 45 plus artistes and bands from India and abroad. The finale act for this festival will be collaboration of musician Shankar Mahadevan and Delhi-based rock band Indian Ocean.

Speaking about this gig, Shankar says, “I really wanted to collaborate with Indian Ocean, I love them as people as well as for them being the wonderful musicians they are.”
Rahul Ram, bass guitarist at Indian Ocean, also feels that festivals like these are great platforms to create new compositions. “Shankar is a fantastic guy, a very capable musician and an outstanding singer. We’re really looking forward to this collaboration,” he mentions.

Speaking about the other highlights of this festival, Lavin Uthappa, festival director of Storm says, “The festival was conceived a few years ago with an aim to create a space where we could bring some of the best of mainstream entertainment to a pristine location like Coorg. The festival brings together nature and adventure with great music. We plan to have have more than three stages this time for performers.”

He adds, “We also want to spread social awareness messages about environment, minimising usage of plastic as well as discouraging consumption of drugs, through renowned musicians.”

source: http://www.AsianAge.com / Home> Life and Style / by Nivi Shrivastava / January 08th, 2013

Curtain raiser to a fashion fiesta in Bangalore

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg

South India has always boasted a rich heritage when it comes to fashion. Bangalore leads the pack, with the right mix of the contemporary and the traditional. This is what The Gitanjali Prasad Bidapa Fashion Week 2013 intends to celebrate.

The curtain raiser to the fashion fiesta had some of the city’s top models showcasing garments and accessories crafted by various designers who will be showcasing at the event.

(Prasad Bidapa and Hari….)

Kick-starting the mini show at the curtain raiser, Prasad Bidapa said, “While Kolkata seems to be taking away the title of the country’s third fashion capital, I’m hoping that we can help Bangalore surge ahead by showcasing the eclectic mix of talent the city offers.”

While the colours, fabric and design wowed those present, the special attraction was the new launch of the Valentine collection from Nakshatra, available at JewelSouk. The collection offers a range of earrings, pendants and rings, along with specially-crafted diamond couple-bands. The range celebrates love in all its splendour.

At the fashion week starting from January 18, Gitanjali will showcase True Platinum, Envi by Gemfields, Nizam and Nakshatra.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Life & Style> Parties / TNN / January 12th, 2013

3 Indian cuisines we really need to see more of

Arts, Culture & Entertainment


Sumana Mukherjee gets list of 3 must try Indian cuisines.

1. Kodava
For a district that’s barely 4,000 sq km in size, Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka produces a surprisingly varied range of cuisine. Few mainland cuisines in India embrace pork as whole-heartedly as the Kodavas do, so it’s only fitting that the pandi curry—a rich, slow-cooked pork dish that takes its signature dark colour from a vinegar called kachumpuli—should be considered an icon, but it ends up overshadowing tangy, light fish curries, delicate vegetable stir-fries and endless variations of staples created with rice. Tickling all the taste buds, this is a cuisine that has made a firm imprint on Bangalore—in the past six years, the number of Kodava restaurants has grown from one to three—and is now ready to take on palates in the further reaches of the country.

2. Saoji
Chances are if you’ve heard of the Saoji style of cooking, you’re from Maharashtra. Born of the working classes, it’s only in recent years that the cuisine has stepped outside roadside shacks—Nagpur and Sholapur are dotted with no-frills Saoji bhojanalayas—and into more upmarket restaurants. Ear-buzzing, sweat-inducing fieriness is the primary distinguisher of this cuisine, along with liberal use of oil. There is little record of the evolution of Saoji cuisine but the spice levels possibly had something to do with the region’s dry heat and the perceived low quality of the offal that was often all the weaving communities were able to afford. Though Saoji mutton and chicken (dry and rassa are the two standard varieties) are the most popular dishes, vegetarian dishes are not unknown. Oh, and did I mention that critics and fans aver with one voice that the food is extremely tasty? Marketed intelligently, Saoji could well replace Andhra food as the go-to meal of choice for hot-heads.

3. Ahomiya
While narrowing down this list, one of the criteria was that the cuisine should be something of a will-o’-the-wisp, that is, familiar enough to be welcome and at enough of a remove to be enticing. For a Bengali, that cuisine is undoubtedly Ahomiya, with its river fish, wild greens, mustard oil balanced by a plethora of fermented and dried foods, exotic tribal ingredients like the pupa of the eri silkworm and red ant eggs, as also the kolkhar—traditionally the water filtered through the ashes of dried and charred banana skins that is now frequently replaced with baking soda—used in cooking the first dish of the Ahomiya thali, the khar. There are almost as many kinds of Ahomiya cooking as there are households, and it’d be a rare eatery that would be able to present all the micro-cuisines from the length and breadth of Assam. But this is a restaurant-ready repertoire, waiting to unfurl its wings beyond Assam House in Delhi’s Chanakyapuri.

source: http://www.moneycontrol.com / Home> News> Features /by Sumana Mukherjee/ Forbes India / Friday, January 11th, 2013