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The Hindu
5 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion: Where the traditions of the Deccan come alive
A tepid drizzle falls on the Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion (JVM) in Mysuru, leaving behind silvery dribblets on piles of rubble, scaffolding and blue construction sheets covering vast sections of the lemon-hued edifice, currently under restoration. As soon as one enters the mansion, what strikes one almost immediately is the many years of neglect writ large across it. Yet vestiges of past glory still linger in this 120-year-old, former royal residence with its Roman columns, stained glass dome, ornate balconies, pressed-metal ceiling tiles, elaborately carved wooden pillars and Italian marble flooring, a testament to the eclectic architectural style so typical of Mysuru's Wadiyar dynasty. Layered cultures 'Historically, Mysuru was one of the most prosperous regions in the Deccan, reflecting the rich, layered cultures of southern India — from early historic times to the modern era. The Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion itself, with its four wings, is an architectural testament to transcultural and transhistorical influences,' says Dr. Helen Philon, co-founder of the Deccan Heritage Foundation India (DHFI), which is currently in the process of restoring this architecturally diverse building. The restoration, which is being supported by the Harish and Bina Shah Foundation (HBSF) and the U.S. Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), doesn't just stop at restoring the structural integrity and former glory of this building, which has served multiple purposes over its lifetime, including royal family residence, academic hub and finally a folklore museum housing thousands of anthropological and ethnographic artefacts sourced from across Karnataka. It also seeks to transform it into a cultural landmark of sorts that 'will attract not only Mysoreans but also Bangaloreans, Deccanis, visitors from across India, and an international audience eager to attend its musical, dance, and other performance events, exhibitions, and culinary experiences celebrating the harmonious co-existence of its Deccani cultures,' says Dr. Philon. From house to museum In 1897, Maharajakumari Jayalakshammanni, the eldest daughter of Chamaraja Wadiyar X and Maharani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana, was married to her mother's brother, Sir Kantharaj Urs. But during the wedding, the old wooden Mysore palace was destroyed in a fire, and so, her mother (who became the regent queen following the untimely death of her husband in 1894) commissioned British architect Henry Irwin to build a new palace that very same year, the oft-visited Amba Vilas Palace. While the new Mysuru palace was being constructed, another palace, the JVM, was also built as a wedding gift to the princess. Pointing to one of the many wooden pillars inside the north wing of the mansion, Malavika Murthy, Project Coordinator, JVM Project, says, 'Very interestingly, a lot of elements of construction you see here in JVM are patterns developed for the Mysore palace. The column design here is the same design you see on the cast iron columns in the marriage pavilion of the Mysore palace.' Work on the JVM started around 1900, and the completed building was inaugurated a few years later. 'Some records say 1905, some say 1907,' says Malavika. Archival research points to Sir Kantharaj and his family dividing their time between Mysuru and Bengaluru – he was appointed as the Dewan in 1918. 'So what we understand is that the building was not used a lot during the initial years of its construction,' she explains. 'It was mainly used by their daughter and her family afterwards.' The family lived here until the death of Princess Leelavathi in 1954, after which, in 1959, the Mansion, along with 300 acres, was sold to the University of Mysore at a 'nominal rate' when 'Kuvempu (K.V. Puttappa) was its vice-chancellor.' Back then, the university was mainly functioning at the Maharaja's College, so once they bought the land and the building, they suddenly had much more space to expand. 'He started the Manasagangotri from this building,' she says. 'This was the genesis of many master's programmes in Mysore University.' Folklore museum Right from the beginning, the Departments of Anthropology, Ancient History, and the administration blocks were at the JVM, which is also why it began to house so many interesting objects. Some of these included Mysore Ganjifa cards, leather and string puppets, musical instruments, paintings and even a collection of everyday objects, including several shavige manés, the kitchen tools used to make stringhoppers, explains Akhila Udayashankar, a senior conservation architect who is heading this ongoing conservation project for DHFI. Other notable objects found here are a collection of documents and artefacts of some of the doyens of Kannada literature, including Kuvempu, Javaregowda, Bendre, Triveni and Lankesh and a giant statue of Mariamman, 'a traditional vernacular deity who is often found at the edge of villages, a symbol of protection,' she says, describing it as 'an object of great impact once you look at it.' Over time, as the university received more funding and grew, new department blocks began to be constructed outside the building, and people started moving to the new buildings. 'Until 2000, there were a lot of departments still functioning here,' says Malavika. Around this time, a partial restoration of the building, with a grant from the Infosys Foundation, was done, which also led to many of these departments moving out to other new buildings on the campus. 'But the collection was still here, so they decided to make it a complete museum complex.' During this period, however, the upkeep of the mansion was neglected. 'Things as basic as going to the terrace and cleaning out the leaves, seeing that the drains are functioning properly, and removing a tree growing on the building ensure its longevity,' feels Malavika. And then, tragedy struck when the ceiling of the west wing collapsed some 12-odd years after this restoration. A better future But there was a silver lining to the incident – it kick-started the journey towards another attempt to restore it. 'Repeated attention to the west wing roof collapse set the ball rolling,' recalls Akhila, expanding on the series of events which made this grand restoration possible. According to her, the University of Mysore approached Heritage Matters, a Bengaluru-based heritage conservation firm, which has had a long association with DHFI, for help with restoration. At around the same time, the U.S. consulate was seeking grantees for AFCP, a 'grant programme (that) draws on U.S. resources to support the preservation of historic buildings and monuments, archeological sites, museum collections, ethnographic objects, paintings, manuscripts and indigenous languages and other forms of traditional cultural expression,' as the consulate's website puts it. So, the U.S. Consulate approached DHFI, which nominated JVM's west wing for structural restoration, and after a long process, a grant of $300,000 was awarded to the University for the project. 'Soon after, Mr. Harish Shah of HBSF visited the JVM and was immediately convinced about the project,' adds Akhila, who thinks of this entire chain of events as 'serendipitous.' The foundation got on board as a donor, giving DHFI a 'very generous' grant of ₹ 30 crore towards the restoration of the JVM in January 2024. Currently, four separate teams are working on different aspects of the project simultaneously: an architectural restoration team, a collections team, a digital imaging team, and an object conservation team. There is also a local architectural firm contributing to the interiors and design of new interventions. Akhila says that the architectural restoration of the building is occurring in parallel with experts studying the collections carefully, 'looking at each object, giving it a new accession number, recording its details and setting up a system where the object is technically imaged. 'For this, DHFI and HBSF commissioned Nefos, a custom-built platform, to enable comprehensive documentation and tracking of each object.' The conservation team then examines each object, assesses its condition, and identifies the critical areas requiring treatment. 'We are working towards making these objects more accessible in fun ways for people to understand, interact with, and learn from them.' Cultural centre The long-term plan for JVM, however, goes far beyond restoring the building and the collection, with the team also hoping to start a cultural and educational centre here that will ensure a degree of financial sustainability. 'DHFI is passionate about coming up with ways to see how it can sustain itself financially in the long run to ensure that we are not handing over a white elephant to the authorities,' says Akhila. In a country where heritage conservation is not a priority, heritage buildings like this can survive only if they can pay for themselves, she believes, an opinion echoed by Dr. Philon. 'Jayalakshmi Vilas Museum will be a centre for diverse activities that provide the means to maintain its buildings and collections,' she says, offering examples of some planned activities, which include restaurants, a museum shop, and a range of educational programmes. 'The Deccan Heritage Foundation has consistently prioritised sustainability in its restoration projects by cultivating the necessary local skills.'
News18
27-05-2025
- Sport
- News18
LSG vs RCB Live Score, IPL 2025: Can Virat Kohli And Bengaluru Secure A Top-Two Finish?
Lucknow Super Giants Vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru Live Score, IPL 2025: LSG have been knocked out of the playoffs race already. But the last time they played against a qualified side in IPL 2025, Gujarat Titans, they dented their hopes of securing a top-two finish. On Tuesday, they are facing RCB at home and have the chance of doing the same. If LSG win, RCB will have to be content with number three and will play the Eliminator and GT will clash with Punjab Kings in the first Qualifier. If RCB win, they'll lock horns with PBKS, leaving GT and MI in the knockout. RCB will feel that their destiny is in their hands, but LSG, who have been criticised on a daily basis for their lack of balance and acumen, are the true Kingmakers. The Bangaloreans will hope that the Rishabh Pant-led hosts don't come out with the fearless attitude they showed against GT and that Josh Hazlewood's return could help them keep the hard-hitting Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram in check. Virat Kohli knocks all too much about good seasons slipping away at the business end. A young RCB side could do with being wiser to that today. In either case, it seems like we have a cracker on our hands for the last group-stage game of the season! LSG Vs RCB Match: Lucknow Weather Forecast The weather is forecast to be clear for Tuesday evening during the match between LSG and RCB. According to there's just a seven percent chance of precipitation, which means we likely won't have any interruptions. Dew might come into play a bit in the second innings. IPL 2025 LSG vs RCB Match: Probable Playing XIIs RCB's Probable Playing 11: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma (c & wk), Liam Livingstone, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal Impact Player: Suyash Sharma LSG Probable Playing 11: Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Abdul Samad, Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Akash Maharaj Singh/Ravi Bishnoi, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep Impact sub: Prince Yadav
Hans India
05-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Dairy Day Spreads Goodness and Gratitude This May Day with a Sweet Surprise for Delivery Partners
Bengaluru, ; Dairy Day, a prominent ice cream brand across South & West India, celebrated May Day by bringing to life its core value of goodness in a heartfelt manner. Guided by its commitment to spreading goodness in every consumer's life, the brand encouraged people to pause for a moment and express gratitude to the people who make their lives easier every day. On May 1st, Bangaloreans received a delightful surprise—a free Dairy Day ice cream with their Blinkit orders! But this wasn't just about indulging customers; it was about bringing a little joy to the delivery partners who work tirelessly every day. Thousands across the city were encouraged to pause, say thank you and share an ice cream with their delivery partner — recognizing the everyday heroes who make our lives easier. Over a period of more than two decades, Dairy Day has championed the timeless power of Goodness through compelling campaigns, driven by a deep belief in its universal relevance and the transformative impact of small acts of kindness and gratitude. 'At Dairy Day, Goodness is a way of life that is deeply embedded in everything that we do, every single day. As a brand that believes in creating everyday moments of joy, we see this campaign as not just being about ice cream, but about spreading some goodness around us. A simple thank you, delivered in the form of a sweet treat- that's the kind of world we want to help build.' said Arvind Ramachandran, Vice President – Marketing, Dairy Day Ice Creams. About Dairy Day: From its beginnings in 2002, Dairy Day has grown to one of the most prominent ice cream brands across South & West India, offering over 150 products in 30+ flavours, all made in its state-of-the-art facility, which is equipped with a production capacity of 4 lakh litres per day.
Hans India
01-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
‘Chocopreneur' couple promises new international taste experience
Bengaluru: We have heard of many entrepreneurship dreams taking root across verticals like IT, finance, biotech in the silicon-valley of Bangalore. But how many of us would venture into chocolates? And how many of us would undertake chocolate research as part of a dissertation? Everybody does what everybody else is doing – coding and software most of the time. But here's a young couple who have taken some risk and veered off the track. While Anusha A Chowdaiah, Bangalore's local girl, took off from Vasanthnagar's vintage Mount Carmel College to Emlyon Business School, France, Zhejiang University, China, and the iconic Purdue University, USA, to do her Master's in Entrepreneurship, and eventually conduct research and write a thesis on chocolate studies at Purdue, her husband, Lijesh Vincent moved on from Bangalore's reputed Christ University to India's management Ivy League, IIM-Kozhikode where he did his MBA. Both of them set up a chocolate venture with the conviction that Bangalore being a global city should have chocolate delicacies on par with the famed, orig-inal, European Belgian and Swiss textures and varieties. Anusha and Lijesh believe that Bangalore's folks deserved the world's best chocolates made right here and have come up with L'inoui', a chocolate brand, that in French means, 'Incredible and extraordinary'. Up until now, the couple had reached out to Bangaloreans online, but felt the need to get people to experience chocolate first hand. So if one wants to experience a freshly baked croissant, right out of the oven, you are in treat at this Jakkur outlet. They plan on announcing the time when these goodies would be baked. And if you swing by their store at that time, you will get your stash. Anusha went abroad to pick-up experience on launching her own venture and to understand developments in the chocolate industry. She explains what prompted her to go abroad for her studies. 'I went abroad because my mum wanted me to see and explore the larger world be-yond Bangalore and get an experience of life, entrepreneurship and tastes in different countries. She encouraged me to explore multiple economic and cultural experiences abroad, which wid-ened my perspective and do something very different.' Lijesh is equally endowed in matters of business operations. He picked up solid experience in supply chain management working for top-notch companies, and while in Bangalore, got a call from Anusha, who was in China at that time, and she asked him why not launch an entrepre-neurial venture. This equation worked out and Anusha could easily team up with Lijesh be-cause they were both friends in Bangalore earlier. Having savoured the world's best chocolates, especially in Belgium, Anusha instinctively felt why shouldn't India, and Bangalore, have a chocolate that would be desired just like the Bel-gian counterpart? And why import them always or depend on others to bring them into Banga-lore? To ensure their chocolate's international stature and authenticity, Linoui sources its ingre-dients from around the world – California, Belgium, Switzerland, and little corners of Europe where chocolate making is a hereditary art. They have a manufacturing unit, which follows a zero- adulteration policy, which translates to using the best quality ingredients without adultera-tion. So, Indian consumers get to savour the best of treats without having to worry about the quality aspect. Linoui offers a variety of chocolates like chocolate velvets, truffles and pralines, Do It Yourself Hot Chocolate Dips, chocolate dragees and an assorted variety of Belgian dark chocolates, apart from pastries, cakes, croissants, cookies and macarons, all with chocolate infusions. Lijesh is very aware of health concerns and ensures that the sweet component in the chocolates is not excessive, the fruits used are authentic and trustworthy, the butter is 100% dairy (no mar-garine or vegetable shortenings) and that the whipping cream is 100% dairy - no artificial fla-vors or sweeteners. And the cocoa comes from Africa and South America, while the cream comes from Italy, and the butter to make the bakes like croissants comes from France – all of which ensures a real global touch to Bangalore's chocolate experience. Here's surely a chocolate experience worth trying. Head to Linoui, KCS Arcade, Jakkur, launching on May 4, 11.30 am.
Indian Express
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Writer's Corner: ‘Barefoot and Pregnant' author Shinie Antony on Bengaluru's calming effect, publishers take on short stories
Shinie Antony is an editor, writer, and compiler all rolled into one. For those Bangaloreans with an abiding interest in literature, she is also a prominent face as one of the original movers behind the Bangalore Literature Festival that draws bibliophiles every December. Like many other writers from Bengaluru, Antony has noted the influence of the city on her work. As she puts it, in an email to The Indian Express, 'Bengaluru has had a calming effect on me, like coming home. I was here in the early 90s, and left for Mumbai, coming back here from Delhi in 2007. Immediately the city lay a cool palm on my forehead. My little desk is situated in some corner of this city and faces a particular view. I like the sameness of my days here and hope that grounding infuses what I write.' She forayed into the world of writing through short stories. Antony recalls that early in her writing career, around 2002, publishers were of the opinion that short stories 'don't sell'. She recalls, 'I had once interviewed Shashi Deshpande and she had told me to start with short stories, go on to long short stories, then short long ones and finally to long long ones…..I have no memory of how my first collection of stories, Barefoot and Pregnant, got published except that it seemed impossible.' Antony has also delved into compiling volumes of short stories for publication, with multiple authors contributing to a theme. She says, 'Any theme, like life itself, is treated differently by everyone. No two authors grasp an idea the same way, they bring so much of who they are and their own styles into it. Whether the theme is revenge or the whole business of being a woman, reader curiosity lies in studying what a writer comes up with'. Like many veteran authors, her writing routine is whimsical – as she puts it, lingering over phone calls until she finally switches on her computer. According to her, 'I meet deadlines first, then go to the one or two files that contain half-done stories. If the stories do not meet me halfway, I listen to music. I love Tamil and Malayalam folk songs, also old Christian hymns. These then either distract me completely or bring me back in some mysterious way to my story.' One of the major contributions of Shinie Antony to Bengaluru's literary scene is the two-day Bangalore Literature Festival. As every year draws to a close, authors and fans of books from around the world assemble at the Lalit Ashok Hotel, the venue of the Bangalore Literature Festival, which is a mere stone's throw from where Mahatma Gandhi himself held court before his disciples in 1927. In the initial years, the event faced several challenges, which were largely financial. Once that problem was solved, after every festival, the focus shifted to preparing for the next edition. 'Grand visions and curation were the easy part, but funds had to be real, countable. But once the festival became community-funded, it took on a dreamlike quality. No ads, no sponsors, only people. Every year, we must unlock a secret: 'What does Bangalore want to read now?' The festival has grown beyond its organisers, it belongs completely to the city. The preparations are yearlong. We are always hearing of this book or that book, and we are not fixated only on the latest or the newest. The team is filled with passionate readers, and this translates into loud rows or giggles during the planning stage,' she says.
