CAC at Beku Cafe, JP Nagar

A beautiful cafe in the verdant neighborhood of JP Nagar, Bengaluru. Adding to this is a treasure - a bookstore. And, right at the entrance are a range of options for getting together in the community. Books, food and arts - a combination hard to resist!

Event Poster at the Beku Bookstore entrance

The workshop space is as inviting as the cafe and the bookstore. The ageless tree, right out of the window added to the charm.

A welcoming green sight!

It was time for the Community Art Circle workshop to begin. The friendly, expressive and excited young pre-teens were ready to board the commute for an imaginative ride! Chatting turned into silence. A silence, where the minds wandered in a wonderland! It was now time to let the world see it all - through the ever-friendly companions, paper and pencil! A few strokes, a bit of pencil sharpening and a little erasing later - resulted in a unique capture of each mind!

Sometimes, its a wonder how kids surprise by their creations. In a world of AI, where text/audio prompts generate images and text; these kids seem rather naturally blessed!

Animated imagination!

band of beads would like to extend gratitude for this joyous day - beku for being the welcoming host, the participating kids for being there and their parents for the heart-warming feedback. Your request for more has been noted! Looking forward!

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Event listing on Urbanaut: https://urbanaut.app/spot/community-art-circle

CAC Poster at Beku

Sensing Local

Going local is a feeling. 

A feeling, to experience blending.

A feeling, to understand the roots of a system.

A feeling, which can only be experienced first hand!

Colourful fabrics with diverse patterns and materials. Colourful beads in different sizes and materials. New additions in findings and threads - becoming the surprise element! All this selected from HUGE quantities - a world so big to explore!

Adding to this ambience, are the eateries ageing with time - yet, having the same essence. Narrow lanes transform into a cricket playground for the children. Heat getting shadowed by the excited crowds on the streets. Vehicles getting panic-struck to make a way! Nostalgia revived!

Arrival using the local public transport system - a local wholesale market - fresh raw materials! Results? A virtual memory file in a physical human brain! A blank page with a whole new set of ingredients, inspiring new creations!

It feels privileged to experience this first-hand since over a decade! Every visit is definitely a memory - passed on in every handmade band of beads creation. Self-selected raw materials which best suit the expression gives wings to an artist. Can this really be mass-made? A dilemma, which intrigues.

CAC @Bhoomi Santhe

Lush greenery for all the senses - that's Bhoomi Santhe!  

On entering the Bhoomi Network/College/Prakriya campus, there's a sudden pause - the sound of birds, a glimpse of the organic farming practices, drinking water stored in earthen/metal pots, traditional structures that require no additional lighting or cooling... - a perfect pause in an urban setup. Adding to this is an organic produce market, directly from the Bhoomi farms and the "tindi" area offering local delicacies from the Bhoomi Kitchen!

A pathway in the santhe

Nested in this setting, is another beautiful pathway to the workshop hall...

All set for the "Community Art Circle" (CAC) workshop!

CAC Poster

Workshops for the day

The workshop space proved to be a sensory treat! A spacious hall with natural ventilation, cool breeze, clean air and birds chirping on the trees, just a few feet away from the window. The traditional floor seating set the stage! A perfect setup for imaginative art and stories in a community!

Forming the "Circle"!

The room buzzed with sounds of surprising questions, answers, prompts, drawings, coloring, stories - all out of the box! The art extempore left me speechless. The interest in sustainability practices in art impressed me - fabric scraps in a crochet creation, dual-side paper use, recycling - this audience knew it all!

The kids once again, demonstrated that imagination does wonders to all. It takes you out of the box. And once you are out of the box, there are no boundaries or rules. The mind is set free for expression! All this in a community setting, through stories and art! 

band of beads is thankful to Bhoomi for being a great host. A special mention of all the participating kids and their parents for being a part of the CAC. A treat for sure!

Bhoomi Santhe continues to be a space where local farmers, artisans, and vendors can showcase their products and connect with the community. - Email flyer by Bhoomi Network

Makkala Hubba

"Makkala" - a Kannada word, roughly meaning "for the children".

Makkala Hubba, a sub festival of the city-wide celebration, BLR Hubba; was hosted at the venue, Freedom Park. A hospital block in the freedom struggle-era jail premises, was transformed into an imagination escape for kids! The various exhibits provided education and fun - both at the same time! A few of them include ... the glowing Phytoplankton world, draw your city, minimal surfaces in motion, kere party, follow the butterflies... and the mega-size board game, which explored the various cuisines of Karnataka!

I had the privilege to mediate the idea of the mega board game to the kids. The huge scale of the game - especially the dice; and the goodies on finishing the game, struck the chord! Culinary knowledge - Ingredients, recipes and utensils - explored through play - what a sight! The sticker book - for the various dishes on the map of Karnataka - was everyone's favorite! Sensory MasterChef-like challenges added a twist to the game! Children had a fun coloring zone as well! Aah... even adults wished to be a kid!

It was an absolute pleasure to be among kids from various backgrounds and get a peek in their world of imagination. The "6-7" excitement and their presence of mind in various recipes and ingredients - "red chilli" in Kannada as "Kempu Menasinekai" for the famous GI tagged Byadagi Chilli - was contagious!

I also met some attendees of my puppet show sessions, who instantly recognized me, despite a new setup - "Hey... we saw you host the Panchatantra Story puppet show session! We did a craft... when are you coming back?" Also got a chance to meet distinguished people - creators of the festival - who saw it all come to life.

A refreshing twist to play in an urban setup - little smiles and excitement in the air! band of beads is thankful to BLR Hubba-Makkala Hubba, Bachpan Manao and Nivaala for providing this opportunity. Hope to see you soon!

Mediating at Makkala Hubba

Rasthe Hubba

Respect for fine art - something which is quite rare...

Not in Banaswadi, Bengaluru!

band of beads had the privilege to exhibit the handcrafted theme bead products for sale at Banaswadi Rasthe Hubba. A sub-festival of the city wide celebration - BLR Hubba, Rasthe Hubba brought a community feeling on the streets of various neighbourhoods of Bengaluru - Koramangala, Sanjay Nagara, Pandura Nagara, Malleshwaram, Basawanagudi, Banaswadi - to name a few. Supported by the Government of Karnataka and Bangalore Expo, this event was a great effort to bring everyone together.

Social Media Flyer

With a huge crowd of warm people, stage performances, games, beautiful rangolis and a flea market offering local produce, this hubba was nothing short of a perfect Sunday outing. Banaswadi was a region unexplored by band of beads. But, our guests welcomed us with great respect for handmade, noticing every detail - applique banner, corrugated paper visiting cards, "handmade at home" products and even newspaper carry bags! Your interest in handmade was evident right from the setup till the time we wrapped up the stall! This is what keeps us going!

band of beads is grateful to each and every guest, performer and the organizers of this event. Hoping to see you again! 

Christmas flea market @ Skadoosh, Varthur

A huge Christmas tree, a snowman and a reindeer in a snow-clad setting - a perfect visual treat on the day of Christmas! But this wonderland had a twist! You could actually go inside this Christmas tree with a lot of gifts!!!

The perfect Christmas treat!

Adding to this decor was a flea market set around, to make the perfect "fringe"! With a creations from heart, each vendor had something special to offer. The best part, there were different stories behind each creator! A wonderful company to be in.

setting up!

band of beads is thankful to Skadoosh, Varthur for providing this perfect setting on a festive day. A special mention of all our guests to stop by and take home a story. And not to forget, the wonderful stall companions for the whole day - partners in creativity!

Looking for more!

The Roar and The Squeak @ Bangalore International Centre

It all started with a cold, foggy early Sunday morning in the city of Bengaluru... a hill-station-like vibe in an urban setup!

My daughter and I ventured on a road trip towards the heart of the city - Bangalore International Centre (BIC) for hosting "The Roar and The Squeak" puppet show followed by an art activity. The session, inspired by the famous Panchatantra story, "The Lion and The Mouse" was all set to perform!

Lively posters and information boards welcomed us at BIC - thanks to the team behind the scenes!

LCD Display

Session details

As we started setting up the BIC Library for the show, the books around were the perfect companions and gave a foundation for the realm of imagination!

Little curious voices poured in. Their excitement was in the air as the puppet show was about to start!

A part of the footwear line-up!

The room slowly transformed into an imaginative jungle with roars and squeaks! This was visually expressed in an art activity, with an element of fun!

Each kid had their own story version of the Lion and the Mouse characters! I was amazed at the different perspectives of each child and the unique ways of expressing it - a reminder that all of us are special and unique!

A cold foggy day soon turned into a "house full" library room filled with heart-warming stories - a lovely twist!

I would like to thank each and every parent and child for being a part of this session. A special mention of BIC and the whole team behind the session for giving me this platform, once again!

Looking for more!

Event details on the BIC website:

https://bangaloreinternationalcentre.org/event/the-roar-and-the-squeak/