Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator regarded as a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known works, Ficciones (transl. Fictions) and El Aleph, published in the 1940s, are collections of short stories exploring motifs such as dreams, labyrinths, chance, infinity, archives, mirrors, fictional writers and mythology. Borges's works have contributed to philosophical literature and the fantasy genre, and have had a major influence on the magic realist movement in 20th century Latin American literature.
Naguib Mahfouz Abdelaziz Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Basha was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature. In awarding the prize, the Swedish Academy described him as a writer "who, through works rich in nuance – now clear-sightedly realistic, now evocatively ambiguous – has formed an Arabian narrative art that applies to all mankind". Mahfouz is regarded as one of the first contemporary writers in Arabic literature, along with Taha Hussein, to explore themes of existentialism. He is the only Egyptian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. He published 35 novels, over 350 short stories, 26 screenplays, hundreds of op-ed columns for Egyptian newspapers, and seven plays over a 70-year career, from the 1930s until 2004. All of his novels take place in Egypt, and always mention the lane which equals the world. His most famous works include The Cairo Trilogy and Children of Gebelawi. Many of Mahfouz's works have been made into Egyptian and foreign films; no Arab writer exceeds Mahfouz in number of works that have been adapted for cinema and television. While Mahfouz's literature is classified as realist literature, existential themes appear in it.
The United Lodge of Theosophists or ULT is an informal and wholly voluntary association of students of Theosophy. It was founded in 1909, mainly through the efforts of Robert Crosbie. The first parent lodge of the ULT was started in Los Angeles by Robert Crosbie and seven other associates through the adoption of its Declaration on February 18, 1909. Owing largely to the revival efforts of B.P. Wadia after Crosbie's death, there are currently about twenty active lodges spread all over the world. The ULT is considered to be part of the second generation or the third section of the Theosophical Movement started in 1875 by H.P. Blavatsky in New York. Presently, it is also one of the existing four main "branches" of the original Theosophical Movement. The following founding principles when taken as a whole, sets apart the ULT from the other Theosophical Organizations:
The Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) in South India was a public-private partnership (PPP) that ran from 1999 till 2004 at the direction of the Chief Minister of Karnataka. The purpose of the taskforce was to bring in business and civic leaders on a pro-bono basis to design a development agenda for the city and suggest ways in which the city's infrastructure and service delivery might be upgraded and improved according to best practice systems elsewhere. The purpose of the taskforce was to build government capacity through partnership between citizens, corporates and the city's main administrative agencies – the BMP, BDA, BMTC, BWSSB, BESCOM, BSNL, and Bangalore Police. The BATF was a particularly influential task force, transcending an 'advisory role' to mobilise private resources and catalyze significant changes in the agencies with which it engaged.
The Theosophical Society in America (TSA) is a member-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the teaching of Theosophy and affiliated with the international Theosophical Society based in Adyar, Chennai, India. The name "Theosophical Society in America" was legally adopted by the American Theosophical Society in 1934. Previously, other organizations had used the same name during the years 1895–98 and 1898–1908.
The World Book Capital (WBC) is an initiative of UNESCO which recognises cities for promoting books and fostering reading for a year starting on April 23, World Book and Copyright Day. Cities designated as UNESCO World Book Capital carry out activities with the aim of encouraging a culture of reading in all ages and sharing UNESCO's values. The nomination does not provide a financial prize.
Mechanics' Institute is a historic membership library, cultural event center, and chess club housed at 57 Post Street, San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1854 as a mechanics' institute, an educational and cultural institution to serve the vocational needs of out-of-work gold miners. Today the Institute serves readers, writers, downtown employees, students, film lovers, chess players, and others in search of learning and a community for the exchange of ideas.
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is the administrative body responsible for civic amenities and some infrastructural assets of the Greater Bengaluru metropolitan area. It is the fourth largest Municipal Corporation in India and is responsible for a population of 8.4 million in an area of 741 km2. Its boundaries have expanded more than 10 times over the last six decades.
Basavanagudi is a residential and commercial locality in the Indian city of Bangalore. Basavanagudi is one of the oldest localities of Bangalore evidenced by the fact that it is home to four inscriptions, three Kannada and one Tamil and also one of the poshest areas of Bangalore. It is located in South Bangalore, along the borders of Jayanagar and Lalbagh Botanical Gardens. The name "Basavanagudi" refers to the Bull Temple, which contains a monolithic statue of the Nandi Bull. The word Basava in Kannada means bull, and gudi means temple. The main commercial street in Basavanagudi is DVG Road, which is home to numerous retail businesses - several of them dating back to the 1920s and 1930s. Towards the middle of DVG Road is Gandhi Bazaar, known for its market which sells fresh flowers, fruits, and vegetables. The neighbourhood includes several historic restaurants, notably Vidyarthi Bhavan, a vegetarian restaurant which opened in 1943.
Cubbon Park, officially Sri Chamarajendra Park, is a landmark park in Bengaluru, located in the heart of the city in the Central Administrative Area. Originally created in 1870 under Major General Richard Sankey, then British Chief Engineer of Mysore State, it covered an area of 100 acres (0.40 km2). Subsequent expansion has since taken place and the park's area is now reported to be 300 acres (1.2 km2). It has a rich recorded history of abundant flora and fauna plantations coupled with numerous impressive and aesthetically located buildings and statues of famous personages, in its precincts.
Malleshwaram is a northwest neighborhood and one of the zones of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike in Bengaluru, India. It was planned in 1889 after the great plague of 1898, developed as a suburb in 1892 and handed over to the city municipality in 1895. As per the 1878 Survey of India map, the area came under the village of Ranganatha Palya and was later named after the Kadu Malleshwara Temple. The neighbourhood houses many offices, one them being World Trade Center Bengaluru. It has two shopping malls, Mantri Square and Orion Mall. As an education hub,it houses the education boards of the state KSEEB and PU boards,Mysore Education Society and Indian Institute of Science.
Uma Krishnaswami is an Indian author of picture books and novels for children and is a writing teacher. She is "recognized as a major voice in the expanding of international and multicultural young adult fiction and children's literature."
The Theosophical Movement is a monthly magazine that was started by the United Lodge of Theosophists India under B.P. Wadia on 17 November 1930. It is a magazine that is devoted to the living of the higher life. The monthly magazine is edited in Mumbai, India, by associates of the ULT. Its print and electronic editions have subscribers all over the world. All articles in the magazine are unsigned, except those that had been written by H.P.B., W.Q.J. or others who had made signed contributions in the older Theosophical magazines. Furthermore, articles in the magazine distinctly avoid all references to personal opinions and experiences of the author. These are directly in keeping with one of the core tenets of anonymity and impersonality of ULT associates as expressed by Robert Crosbie. The magazine is dedicated to:
The Ekkos Clan is a mystery novel written by Indian author Sudipto Das, based on historical research. It was published by Niyogi Books and released in India in July 2013 and officially launched at a function in Bangalore on 3 August 2013.
Sudipto Das is an Indian author, social worker and musician. He is also a speaker at TED events and a veteran in the semiconductor industry, having co-chaired the Industry Forum at VLSID 2020. He has been the co-founder of two startups. In 2020 he spearheaded a country wide initiative to deliver daily groceries to people stranded due to lockdowns in the wake of the breakout of COVID-19.
The Ugly Indians (TUI) are an anonymous group of volunteers who clean Roads in India. Volunteers can join TUI by sending a mail to The Ugly Indian or by registering one's name and email address on TUI's official Facebook page.
Bengaluru, formerly called Bangalore in English, is the capital and largest city of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than 8 million and a metropolitan population of around 15 million, making it India's third most populous city and fourth most populous urban agglomeration. It is the most populous city and largest urban agglomeration in South India, and is the 27th largest city in the world. Located on the Deccan Plateau, at a height of over 900 m (3,000 ft) above sea level, Bengaluru has a pleasant climate throughout the year, with its parks and green spaces earning it the reputation of India's "Garden City". Its elevation is the highest of India's major cities.
Sophia Wadia, née Sophia Camacho, was a Colombian-born naturalized Indian theosophist, littérateur, the founder of PEN All India Centre and the founder editor of its journal, The Indian PEN. She also cofounded The Indian Institute of World Culture, Bangalore and the Asian Book Trust, Bombay. The Government of India honoured Wadia in 1960, with the award of Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award, for her services to the nation.
Sandhya Mendonca is an Indian writer, author, biographer, editor and publisher. Born in Bengaluru (Bangalore) in the state of Karnataka, India, she gained a BA in Economics, Political Science & Sociology from St. Joseph's College of Arts & Science and an MA in Political Science specialising in International Relations from Bangalore University. She has a Diploma in Public Relations from the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. She lives in Bengaluru.
John Garrett was a Wesleyan missionary, who served in India, in the Wesleyan Canarese Mission, at the Bangalore Petah. Garrett was a linguist and a scholar of several languages such as Canarese (Kannada), Sanskrit, Tamil, Persian, German and Latin. Garrett is credited with establishing a printing press, the Wesleyan Mission Press, at Bangalore Petah at around 1841. Garett is also credited with founding the Central High School in 1858, and serving as its first principal, which is now the Central College. Garett also held many designated posts in the Department of Public Instruction, under the Mysore State. His most significant contribution to Kannada literature is said to be the very first translation of the Bhagawat Gita into Kannada in 1846.
