Heritage workshop

Yukti Forum is organising Yukti Prasakti, a four-day residential workshop that marks the meeting of the ancient and the contemporary from December 27 to 30 at the School of Ancient Wisdom, Devanahalli Road.

Yukti is a forum started under the aegis of the Heritage Foundation and brings together people from various walks of life - scholars, performing artists, doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs, professionals, CEOs, and others; the common thread being a sincere devotion to reviving awareness and practice of the salient aspects of India's incredibly rich and ancient heritage.

Faculty members for the programme include Michel Danino well-known French Indologist, Dr Yellappa Reddy retired IAS and environmentalist, Kumaresh of the famed Ganesh Kumaresh violin duo, Priyadarshini Govind the famed danseuse, T V Ananthanarayanan behavioural scientist, Dr R Ganesh scholar of renown, Dr S R Leela professor of Sanskrit, Dr K Venkatesh Medical Director, NU Hospitals, Dr Gangadharan Jt Director FRLHT, Prof K V Raju of ISEC and Prof Renuka Prasad Chairman, Department of Geology among others.

The workshops would cover various aspects including talks and discussions on ancient Indian civilizations and the Ashtadasha Vidyasthanas that encompass both dharma and knowledge such as health and wellness systems, music and art forms, environment and ecology systems, ancient systems of astronomy, maths and science. In addition, the programme for young adults will focus on an appreciation of Sanskrit, music, theatre and story telling. For details visit www.yukti2008.org or write to info@yukti2008.org  or call 26604742 / 26622355.

Hunt for best voice

Infosys BPO, the business process outsourcing subsidiary of Infosys Technologies has announced the Infosys BPO Idol- 2007, the ‘On Campus Talent Hunt for the Voice of Infosys BPO’. In a unique drive to bolster company morale and to establish a culture of bonhomie, camaraderie and team spirit, Infosys BPO has launched Infosys BPO Idol. The Infosys BPO Idol kicked off on October 12 with more than a 100 participants from Bangalore alone. The national finals will be held on December 21 at the Infosys BPO campus in Bangalore and will witness competition between Bangalore, Pune and Jaipur finalists.

Ashtamukhi sandalwood Ganesha

A intricately carved Ashtamukhi Ganesha is currently on display at the Central Cottage Industries Corporation showroom on M G Road. Ganesha is always considered to be a good omen and a symbol of prosperity and the Ashtamukhi (eight-faced) Ganesha is considered to be the most sacred.

Carved entirely in sandalwood, the idol weighs 44 kgs and is 22 inches in height and is adorned with an intricately carved “prabhavali” (halo). While Ganesha is usually considered to be the protector, the Ashtamukhi Ganesha is considered to be the protector against obstacles from all eight directions. It has been carved by master craftsmen from Bidar. The number eight or “ashta” is also intimately associated with Ganesha in more than one ways. For instance, the Ashtamukhi rudraksha or the eight-faced rudrakha, is regarded as the abode of of Lord Ganesha himself. Wearing these rudrakshas ensures all success in every endeavour and also prosperity.

Theatre seminar

Bangalore University is organising a three-day international seminar on theatre from January 24 to 26 in connection with the fourth annual conference of Indian Society for Theatre Research. The focal theme of the seminar will be Indian theatre and West in which themes such as colonial legacy, textual and performative conditions, marginality, pluralities, soci-political experience, translation, adaption, politico-aesthetic motivations, rural and urban folk, national vs regional theatres will be covered. Renowned scholars from abroad and from different parts of the country will present papers. A special section on Kannada theatre is the highlight of the seminar. Scholars and researchers intending to participate in the seminar are invited to send abstracts of their presentations before December 25 to Dr Nagesh Bettakote, Reader in Theatre Arts, Conference Co-ordinator, Department of Performing Arts, University of Bangalore, Jnana Bharathi.

Musical evening

Rudram, an enchanting evening of music and dance will be held in aid of Vishranthi, the home for senior citizens on December 28 at Chowdiah Memorial Hall at 6 pm. The programme includes a musical concert by Vikram Hazra, guitarist, flautist and bhajan singer whose music has cut across barriers. The trio of Mireille, Lisanne and Stephanie from The Netherlands will be performing piano and violin western classical. There will also be a special Bharatanatyam performance by Prof C V Chandrashekar from Chennai. For tickets priced at Rs 1000, Rs 500 and Rs 250 call Sarasa Vasudevan on 9886033310/ 9900584471.