April 16, 2010
I have read somewhere that Chowdiah Memorial Hall is the only structure in the world built in the form of a musical instrument. Even if itâs not, itâs definitely one of the great landmarks of Bangalore and a visual treat for connoisseurs of art, culture and music. Itâs devoted to one of the most-gifted musicians of all time, Peteelu Chowdiah. Peteelu is the Kannada word for Violin. He was a very-much respected musician during the Wodeyar-dynasty rule. Chowdiah is also the grand-father of famous Kannada actor Ambarish. Itâs located in one of the oldest residential localities of Bangalore â Vyalikaval (Gayatri Devi Park Extension to be specific), which is very much attached to Malleswaram.
One thing which stands out even after 30 years of itâs existence is the excellent acoustics. It has played host to musical concerts, plays, felicitation events, quiz shows, dance shows and many, many others. It is very much the face of our culture in western Bangalore. It has a balcony as well. The seats are pretty comfortable and the lighting facilities available are one of the best in Bangalore. It has a canteen alongside and Sankey Tank is located on the other side of the tank bed. Itâs a must-visit for any art, culture and music lover.
April 16, 2010
A few months back, I was pretty surprised that Big Cinemas had itâs presence in Mangalore, but was yet to make itâs mark in Bangalore. About six months back, I saw a banner saying that Big Cinemas is coming up at Gopalan Arch Mall, Rajarajeshwari Nagar. I was delighted to see it. About three months back, Big Cinemas opened and my joy knew no bounds. I went to watch the first movie and, as expected, they have maintained very high standards, be it in the plush interiors or the sound effects. They have classified seats as âGold Classâ which is pretty common in all the multiplexes and âSofaâ, something which is a unique kind of classification, but found in PVR as well under a different name. Only one row (the last one) has been dedicated to âSofaâ. In terms of viewing, it doesnât make a huge difference, whether you are seated on the sofa or in the second row in âGold Classâ, but in terms of comfort, Sofa scores more. Another pretty small, but a very effective feature I found is the marking of the row and the seat range on the steps. If you are late for a movie, it can help you a lot.
The acoustics are excellent and the giant red screens across the side walls add a romantic touch to the cinema hall, especially if you are watching the movie with your loved one. There are three screens in all and they more often screen Kannada, Hindi and English movies. Sometimes, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam movies are screened as well. They have enough food outlets in their arena to cater to your taste buds and you can order food at your seat as well. As with other multiplexes, you can book your tickets online and the tickets cost less when you go for the morning show on weekdays. On weekends, itâs uniform pricing throughout the day. Donât carry any eatables or water bottles inside the cinema hall as they are not allowed. I have one suggestion for them though, when we are doing online booking on www.bigcinemas.com, the booking closes one hour before the start of the show and if the tickets have been sold-out, it throws up a common error message and we need to login back to initiate another booking process. It would be better if we are informed about it before hand. Apart from that small glitch, the website is as good as the multiplex. Itâs a boon to the people residing in and around Rajarajeshwari Nagar. Go and enjoy the experience yourself!
March 18, 2010
This is a review about Gopalan Arch Mall located at Rajarajeshwari Nagar entrance on Mysore Road.
At first glance, while the mall was under construction, I thought they are building a five-star hotel on the lines of The Leela Palace on Old Airport Road. Being a frequent by-passer on that way, I had a wish in my mind that it would be great for the residents of nearby areas if it was a shopping mall. We had to travel all the way to the legacy Gopalan Mall to shop or dine. Moreover, that mall doesn't have a cinema multiplex, which, I think, is a big draw for the crowds to visit any mall. After a few days, I came to know that it's actually a mall being built by Gopalan Enterprises. I was excited and my joy knew no bounds when I also heard that Big Cinemas is making it's debut in Bangalore in the mall.
It has been a couple of months since the mall opened and I have frequented the mall a number of times, especially to view movies at Big Cinemas. True to it's name and fame, Big Cinemas is a class apart and I can leave home just 20 minutes before the start of the movie and still manage to get in comfortably on time. The multiplex is one of the best I have been to in Bangalore and the red screens all around make me feel like I'm sitting in a theatre to watch an opera! It's very romantic indeed! Another feature I liked about it was that the seat rows and seat number ranges are mentioned on every step and are illuminated. It can be really handy when you are late for a movie and frantically searching for your seat. They need to rejig their online booking system as it keeps throwing up errors instead of telling you directly that there are no more seats available or it's past the booking time. Also, the browsers keep screaming that it's an insecure site. The quicker they sort it out, the better.
The mall looks like a palace from outside (resembling Lalit Mahal Palace in Mysore to an extent). McDonald's and Cafe Coffee Day, as always, hog the limelight at the entrance of the mall. The other big draw is the spacious Star Bazaar from the gigantic Tata stable. You can literally buy anything you can think of and shopoholics would cherish it to the max! Many other big names like Pai Electronics will be adorning the mall pretty soon. It's a boon to the residents of Rajarajeshwai Nagar, BEML Layout, Nagarabhavi, Chandra Layout and surrounding areas. If you havev't checked it out, it's high time you do it!
March 05, 2010
I have just been to this place once, but that was enough to virtually sweep me off the floor. The place is amazing and you can virtually buy anything on your shopping list. The huge floor area makes sure that you don't bump into other's shopping carts! Look out for their special deals which can save you quiote some money. Their grocery section attracts a lot of people as some of the commodities have been priced a litle lower than the market prices. The store is very well organized and no wonder it's from the Tata stable. The curteous staff and the ease of billing are big plusses. The apparel section is not very appealing though. Visit it just for the sheer pleasure of shopping.
March 05, 2010
On a lazy Sunday evening about seven years back, I went to this hotel with my cousin with no great expectations. I wasn't too hungry as well! I stared at their little menu card on the table and it caught my attention immediately. Their menu was titled 'Unusuals'! Once I went through the list of dishes, I came to the conclusion that their menu card title was really apt. Sample this list: Green Masala Idli, Button Idli, Stuffed Idli, Neer Dosa, Ragi Dosa, Jowar Dosa, Udupi Guliappas and the list goes on...
I ordered for Green Masala Idli for my cousin and myself. Once I had the first bite, the crispness in the idli made a crunching sound in my mouth and my taste buds were yearning for more. I finished eating the dish very, very swiftly and just couldn't wait to order for another plate. Since then, I have been a regular visitor to the hotel and the simple ambience coupled with the amazing dishes is what makes me go there again and again. I have tasted most of the dishes on the menu, though you need to make a note of the time when certain dishes are available. Neer Dosa is my other favourite, so is Salem Sambar Vada. They also have a North Indian restaurant called 'Gopika' attached to this restaurant. Go to New Krishna Bhavan once and you would love to go there again and again and again...