Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

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

Rampage of a haute kind

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


Is the city in for an overdose of fashion this January or will be it be “the more the merrier?”

Just when the Bangalore Fashion Week dates were getting set for announcements on January 25, Prasad Bidapa announced his dates for The Prasad Bidapa Fashion Week.

Are we getting set to becoming the pret-a-porter capital of the country? We speak to both the organisers on whether there’s any rivalry brewing or is it all fair in the world of fashion.

Prasad Bidapa will be presenting his first ever fashion week in the city. After three decades of working behind the scenes, we wonder why the fashion guru who has launched many famous faces didn’t think of a fashion week earlier. We questioned him whether it was a tad too late, “Everything has a time. I realised that Bengaluru designers don’t have a platform of their own to showcase their talent and we thought what better way to kick off the year.

The three-day extravaganza from January 18 to 20 will present the fashion history of Bengaluru, right from the days of Royal Mysore to present day by the city’s talented designers. We have Amanda Bachalli, Anjali Sharma, Calantha, Deepika Govind, Jason & Anshu, Lokessh Ahuja, Manish Saksena, Namrata G, Nimirta Lalvani, Pallavi Foley, Raj Shroff, Ritu Pande, Rony Dutta, Royal House of Mysore, Runa Ray, Sanchita Ajjampur, Seema Malhotra and Shalini Subramanian.”

Commenting on the reason that triggered this “fashion week” of his own, Prasad explains, “I have been thinking of it for a while now. The other fashion week (read Bangalore Fashion Week) has random designers. Bengaluru has enough talent to flaunt. I don’t have anything against anyone. It’s a big city and has space for everyone. If my fashion week is a week before theirs, fashion overdose is not my problem.

My designers are different and I will have top notch models like Bruna Abdullah, Indrani Dasgupta, Acquin Paes, Smitha Rao, Dayana Erappa and other models. I have no problem if my models do other shows, as long as they don’t bring the standards down.”

In its eighth phase, Dream Merchants also announced its Eighth edition of Blenders Pride Bangalore Fashion Week that will be held from January 25 to 28. Nisar Ahmed, casting director for BFW says, “I don’t understand the relevance of having another fashion week in the city, as we are already recognised. I think it will be an overdose of fashion. Now more people will come up and start their own fashion weeks.

They wanted to register themselves as Bangalore Fashion Weekend, but have gone ahead and done it in the name of Prasad Bidapa. I have never seen any fashion show in anyone’s name. We have made a name and are also going global this year with a show in Bangkok in March. This year, we have big designers like Ritu Kumar, Rina Dhaka, Abhishika Dutta and Niki Mahajan apart from other designers.”

Roshan Issac, a model who works for Prasad Bidapa feels, “PBFW is the first fashion week that will have only city designers of repute.” Question the organisers of BFW on the same and they say, “The reason why we didn’t have a lot of local talent was that we wanted to show the city talent from other cities.”

Sajad Mahajan, CEO, Dream Merchants reiterates, “We have also brought in several innovations like our BFW tunes.”

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Lifestyle> Fashion / DC, Namita Gupta / January 11th, 2013

The misty mountains

About Kodagu / Coorg, Arts, Culture & Entertainment


In an overconnected world of social networking sites and every application that lets you broadcast your every move, the idea of a holiday is not just about leaving workmates behind anymore. Today to me it’s about leaving all this technology behind so you can take a vacation from everything that connects you to the world.

As I landed in Bengaluru, groggy, early one morning, I closed my eyes briefly, took a deep breath and mentally geared myself for a long, almost seven-hour drive to Coorg. Allowing myself the way of listening to some music off the radio in the car, I was determined to use as few gadgets as possible.

The drive was unending, the heat from time to time unbearable and a patch of the road that I was convinced would cause my back to snap. By the time I reached the hotel in Madikeri (seven km beyond Coorg), I was yearning for a bed, waiting to drop into it and pacify my stiffened back, with no intention whatsoever to loo around until I felt adequately rested.

When I walked into the reception of Vivanta by Taj, Madikeri, the staggering view of the hills and ravines took my breath and tiredness away in one swift second. Unobstructed by human habitation stood nature, waiting to cradle you and leave you rejuvenated. Standing at 4,000 sq. ft from sea level amidst a thick rainforest, I was embraced by a short chilly breeze while sipping a Coorg coffee delight bella kaapi.

Within minutes of checking into my room, the very organic feel of the place took me in. Then I discovered that I had stretch myself on the top of my toe and as much away from the room to possibly try and get one bar of cellphone network. If the idea was to get in touch with your inner self on a holiday, that the network was awful most certainly helped.

So I made my way to the Jiva Spa, a much talked about centre of Ayurveda, natural massages and wellness. Sixty minutes later, after the masseuse relaxed every muscle of mine, I stepped out convinced that I’d go back to my room and hit the sack. It wasn’t the best massage I’ve had but it certainly gave me the spring in my step to go out and try to explore a tiny portion of this 108-acre property.

One of the best things on offer is a nature trail. The very knowledgeable naturalist, walked us through narrow paths and dense sholas, reminding us of what we miss out on a daily basis as we live our high pressure city lives.

Rare orchids, bamboo plants, ferns and so many other botanical beauties cut you out of the din of a community and put you one with nature.

When I got ready to come back home, the first thing that got my attenti was just how much noise I was cut off from while enjoying myself in this carefully maintained property. A holiday real should be about relaxing and not Instagramming and updating your statuses. The long drive was worth it but the silence that followed elevated the experience beyond the 4,000 sq. ft where the property was ensconced. Disconnect from your daily din and make this trip to Madikeri.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> LifeStyle> Travel / DC – by Lakshmi Govindrajan Javeri / January 06th, 2013

Indian Ocean, Shankar Mahadevan to collaborate

Arts, Culture & Entertainment


New Delhi:
Rock band Indian Ocean and composer-singer Shankar Mahadevan are all set to collaborate for the grand finale of Storm Festival 2013.

The two powerhouses of the Indian music industry will be coming together especially for the second edition of the festival, to be held in Coorg, Karnataka.

Talking about the collaboration with Indian Ocean, Mahadevan said, “I really wanted to collaborate with them. I love them as people as well as for them being the wonderful musicians they are… I`m a proud mainstream musician but having said that I do firmly believe there`s more to musical talent in India than just Bollywood…”

“There is so much talent in India and these kind of festivals are fantastic ways to promote that talent. I am really looking forward to performing at the Storm Festival in the fabulous backdrop of Coorg this year.”

Rahul Ram, the Indian Ocean bass guitarist who was Mahadevan`s co-judge on the latest edition of music reality show `SaReGaMaPa`, said, “We`re really looking forward to this collaboration and the Storm festival. Shankar is a fantastic guy to work, a very capable musician and a outstanding singer.”

Festival director Lavin Uthappa said, “Change is what the audience always craves for. What better way to bring about that change than these two fantastic acts coming together for the first time ever especially for our festival. I am sure that this collaboration will be a feast for the audiences at storm festival in Coorg this February.”

PTI
source: http://www.zeenews.india.com / Home> Music / by PTI / Saturday, January 05th, 2013

3 Indian Cuisines We Really Need To See More Of

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Uncategorized


\Image: Sunith Shyam
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.

Image: Neil McAllister / Alamy

http://www.forbesindia.com / Forbes India / Home> Life/Special / By Sumana Mukherjee / January 03rd, 2013

Showcase: Set the sands on fire

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

With its star line-up, Sunburn 2012 is a year-end treat for EDM fans.

Goa’s sultry beaches are set to pulsate to heady beats from some of the best names in electronic dance music (EDM). Yes, it’s time for Sunburn. This three-day festival has been a much awaited affair since its inception in 2007. Sunburn 2012 has a stellar line-up of performers including S.P.E.K.T.R.E, Nikhil Chinappa and Ma Faiza. Grammy award winner Paul Van Dyk headlines the fest while other showstoppers include Brian Transeau (BT), Jitter, Sashanti and Dutch heavyweights Sander van Doorn and Fedde Le Grand. The festival promises to be bigger and louder compared to earlier editions with more than 150,000 revellers expected to make a beeline to Candolim Beach. Seven stages will be spread over two grounds.

Presented by Micromax, Sunburn is organised by Percept Live, a division of Percept Limited. Shailendra Singh, Joint Managing Director, Percept Ltd., says, “The idea behind Sunburn was to create a sync between EDM and people; their love for music and life. With Sunburn, we have managed to create a ‘Glocal’ music property and brand.”

Asked about the USP of this fest, which is ranked as the ninth best festival in the world and has put India on the international music scene, Singh says, “Sunburn offers the best in EDM, access to world renowned artists, world class sets and stages, the magic of Goa and over a 100,000 music lovers soaking up the sun.”

The festival has thrown up some interesting talents like Jalebee Cartel and Midival Punditz. The ones to look out for this year, says Singh, are “Lost Stories, Sanjay Dutta and Arjun Vagale”. Sunburn encourages budding EDM artists through The Sunburn Anthem & Video Contest (SAVC).” This year the contest has been extended to 15 other countries. The contest has two components: Audio Remixing and VFX creation. The winning track will be featured on the Sunburn Anthem compilation along with acclaimed international and domestic artists.

Apart from the music, sun and sand, some trendy Sunburn merchandise, including the special Sunburn collection of ‘glow-in-the-dark’ flip flops from Havaianas, are also available for shoppers.

“Sunburn has always been about more than the music, it’s an experience. Where else can you get together with friends and meet new people, in the fresh air and with a beautiful soundtrack? Forget the hustle bustle of the city and for three days just… Live. Love. Dance.” Singh signs off.

Sunburn Festival 2012
Where: Candolim Beach, Goa

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Arts> Magazine / by Reshma S. Kulkarni / December 22nd, 2012

Game time

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

Rohan Bopanna on brand promotion and tennis

“I am glad to be here today, at the unveiling of Rado’s HyperChrome Collection. I’m pleased that Rado is the new official timekeeper for the Aircel Chennai Open, and am happy to be launching its latest collection,” said well-known tennis player Rohan Bopanna. a watch from Rado’s HyperChrome Collection while playing at the Open. “Its light weight and sturdy. It’s a watch fit for all occasions.”

When asked how he felt on joining Andy Murray as the other tennis player to sport Rado’s HyperChrome, he said; “I’m honoured to have joined the list of international sportsmen and celebrities who have represented this brand.” On his thoughts about the upcoming Chennai Open, Bopanna said that he’s looking forward to it; but refused to answer any questions related to the game. He said he would be looking to start his new season on a positive note; and also revealed that he has a collection of around 32 watches from various watch manufacturers.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> Life & Stylye> MetroPlus / by Ashwin Jacob / December 31st, 2012

Madikeri: Well-known Journalist Anil H T Bags Karavali Cultural Foundation Award

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Madikeri:
Anil H T, well-known journalist from here, has been nominated to receive the annual award instituted by Karavali Samskrutika Pratishthana, a Kerala-based cultural and literary forum for Kannada linguistic minority, which has been functioning in Kasaragod over the past 22 years.

The forum will hold a two-day meet in Kasaragod on Dec 29 and 30 in the form of Fifth Kerala State Kannada Conference. It will be observed as Kerala-Karnataka festival also.

Pratishthana president Shivaraya Kasaragod has said that Anil H T was chosen to receive the media award, in recognition of his commendable service in the field of print, electronic and radio media in the past 15 years.

Currently, Anil is the Kodagu district correspondent of Kannada Prabha, Udaya TV and Akashvani (All India Radio). In the past twelve years, he has bagged 20 state and district-level awards.

Kannada and culture department secretary Dr Manu Baligar will present the award to Anil at a function during the conference in Kasaragod on Dec 30.

source: http://www.mangalorean.com / Home / by Ashwini Appaiah & Fayaz Bovikan in Kasargod / Team Mangalorean – Madikeri / December 27th, 2012