Monthly Archives: May 2017

Brilliant Srihari, Prasidha better national marks

Ridhima Kumar obliterates 18-year-old 100 freestyle record en route to gold.

big splash Srihari Natraj of GSC en route to the 100M backstroke gold at BAC in Bengaluru on Tuesday. DH photo
big splash Srihari Natraj of GSC en route to the 100M backstroke gold at BAC in Bengaluru on Tuesday. DH photo

On a day when the evening session was delayed due to persistent rain, it rained records at the State Junior and Sub-junior Aq­uatic Championships at the Basavanagudi Aquatic Centre (BAC) here on Tuesday.

Srihari Natraj, Prasidha Krishna and Ridhima Kumar were the pick of the lot on the opening day of the four-day meet as they set new State records while bettering existing national marks.

In Group I, Srihari was the fastest in the 100M backstroke, touching the pad in 57.85 seconds. He obliterated the previous State best of 1:01.46 set by Aravind Mani of BAC in 2013 in the heats. His time was also faster than the national mark of 59.87 seconds held by Vedant Seth of Delhi.

In Group II, Prasidha Krishna stole the limelight with his fine swim in the 200M butterfly final. The Global Swim Centre’s trainee won the gold in 2:11.32, a new meet record. He bettered the previous best of 2:16.02 by BAC’s Aaron D’ Souza in 2006. His timing was also better than the national best of 2:12.09, another mark set by Aaron in 2006.

Later in Group IV, Ridhima set the pool ablaze with a record gold in the 100M freestyle. The BAC swimmer won the top prize in 1:09.20, obliterating an 18-year-old the record of Shivaranjini, set at 1:14.46 in 1999.

Later, BAC’s Khushi Dinesh created a new meet record en route to her gold in Group II, 800M freestyle. Khushi touched the pad in 9:48.95, six seconds faster than the previous best of 9:55.51, set by Sreelakshmi G in 2008.

DH News Service
Results: Boys: Group I: 1500M freestyle: Saif Chandan KS (BAC) 17:08.40, 1; Yatish S Gowda (BAC) 17:09.70, 2; Om Kumar TK (BAC) 17:34.23, 3.
100M backstroke: Srihari Nataraj (Global) 57.85 (NMR; Old: Aravind Mani, BAC, 1:01.46, 2013), 1; Nishant Kumar (Global) 1:02.37, 2; Siva S (BAC) 1:02.86, 3.

100M breaststroke: Pruthvik DS (BAC) 1:08.40, 1; Manav Dileep (Global) 1:09.09, 2; Pranav G Mitra (BAC) 1:16.80, 3.

200M butterfly: Rahul M (BAC) 2:09.85, 1; Saif Chandan K S (BAC) 2:14.09, 2; Om Kumar T K (BAC) 2:18.36, 3.

Group II: 800M freestyle: Raj Vinayak Relekar (Dolphin) 9:28.98, 1; Dhyan Balakrishna (BAC) 9:29.56, 2; Litheesh G Gowda (BAC) 9:29.61, 3.

100M backstroke: Shivansh Singh (BAC) 1:04.40 (NMR; Old: Srihari Natraj, Global, 1:04.96, 2017) 1; R Vaibhav Shet (Global) 1:06.61. 2; Jatin B (Global) 1:08.17, 3.

100M breaststroke: Litheesh G Gowda (BAC) 1:13.07, 1; Hiten Mittal (BAC) 1:14.09, 2; Pragun Dev (Dolphin) 1:14.67, 3.

200M butterfly: Prasidha Krishna P A (Global) 2:11.32 (NMR; Old: Aaron D’ Souza, BAC, 2:16.02, 2006) 1; Tanish George Mathew (Dolphin) 2:12.07, 2; Shivansh Singh (BAC) 2:22.93, 3.

Group III: 200M freestyle: R Akshaya Shet (Global) 2:21.33, 1; Dhyaan M (Dolphin) 2:21.97, 2; Adith Smaran Olety (BAC) 2:23.00, 3. 100M butterfly: Utkarsh S Patil (BAC) 1:07.29, 1; Shreyas V (BAC) 1:08.00, 2; Nayan Vignesh P (BAC) 1:08.03, 3.

Group IV: 100M freestyle: Krish Sukumar (Dolphin) 1:12.49, 1; R Navaneet Gowda (Dolphin) 1:12.49, 2; Renukacharya C Hodmani (Dolphin) 1:12.75, 3. 50M backstroke: Rithish Vikram D (Global) 37.30, 1; Krish Sukumar (Dolphin) 37.67, 2; Renukacharya C Hodmani (Dolphin) 38.94, 3.

Girls: Group I: 1500M freestyle: Dhruti Muralidhar (BAC) 18:59.86, 1; Nikitha SV (BAC) 19:35.34, 2; Nandini SS (BAC) 19:35.79, 3. 100M backstroke: Jhanati Rajesh (BAC) 1:11.56, 1; Spoorthi M J (PAC) 1:13.66, 2; Shriya R Bhat (BAC) 1:13.91, 3; 100M breaststroke: Riddhi S Bohra (Pooja) 1:16.80 (NMR; Old: 1:18.60, Saloni Dalal, BAC, 2017) 1; Saloni Dalal (BAC) 1:16.83, 2; Harshitha Jayaram (Global) 1:17.06, 3.

200M butterfly: Mayuri Lingaraj (BAC) 2:36.24, 1; Hita Nayak (BAC) 2:39.41, 2; Nikitha S V (BAC) 2:39.67, 3.

Group II: 800M freestyle: Khushi Dinesh (BAC) 9:48.95, 1 (NMR; Old: 9:55.51, Sreelakshmi G, KCR, 2008) 1; Poojitha G Murthy (BAC) 9:51.99, 2; Divya Ghosh (Global) 10:18.10, 3. 100M backstroke: Suvana C Baskar (Dolphin) 1:10.56 (NMR; Old: Suvana C Baskar 1:10.96, DA, 2017) 1; Bhoomika R Kesarkar (Dolphin) 1:13.68, 2; Krizana Irani (Belagavi) 1:14.30, 3. 100M breaststroke: Rachana SR Rao (Mangala) 1:19.73, 1; Shania G Siromani (Dolphin) 1:21.68, 2; Madhura BG (BAC) 1:21.76, 3.
200M butterfly: Saachi G (BAC) 2:34.36, 1; Smruthi Mahalingam (BAC) 2:39.31, 2; Adya Nayak (BAC) 2:41.87, 3.

Group III: 200M freestlye: Jedidah A (Dolphin) 2:26.31, 1; Samanvitha R (Aqua Swim) 2:28.33, 2; Medha Venkatesh (BAC) 2:29.98, 3. 100M butterfly: Jedidah A (Dolphin) 1:12.82, 1; Medha Venkatesh (BAC) 1:15.17, 2; Anveesha Girish (VAC) 1:15.40, 3.

Group IV: 100M freestyle: Ridhima Veerendra Kumar (BAC) 1:09.20 (NMR, Old: 1:14.46, Shivaranjini, BAC, 1999) 1; Aashna Ashwin Mattur (BAC) 1:10.84, 2; Ambar J Singh (Dolphin) 1:12.97, 3. 50M backstroke: Ridhima Veerendra Kumar (BAC) 36.31, 1; Aashna Ashwin Mattur (BAC) 38.22, 2; Ambar J Singh (Dolphin) 39.42, 3.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports / DH News Service / Bengaluru – May 31st, 2017

Global Swede award for Bengaluru student

SaumyaBF31may2017

Bengaluru :

Saumya Ahuja of  WeSchool, Bengaluru, has been conferred with the Global Swede award by the Swedish government.  She will be the ambassador for Sweden, Malardalen University and higher education, in India.

Saumya is now studying about Sweden as a cashless nation and demonetization in comparison to India on a oneyear exchange programme at Malardalen University (MDH) under the LinnaeusPalme scholarship.

Sweden is the first European nation to issue bank notes and 80% of the transactions are done by cards. “It’s important to give people a choice and allow them to switch to living cash free gradually. Parallelism between cash and digital money is probably impossible to achieve, yet strategic moves like making cash more expensive and better enforcement may result in a positive outcome to get closer to being cashless,” Saumya said.

The study involves inter actions with executives and common people of Sweden.Linnaeus-Palme, a Swedish exchange programme, offers students an opportunity to showcase talent through innovation and design thinking in keeping with global trends. Saumya was presented the award by minister for EU Affairs and Trade Ann Linde and general director of Swedish Institute Annika Rembe.

“Acting as a link between India and Sweden, I’m expected to strengthen the relationship India and Sweden share not only in education field but also to be able to contribute to a culturally better world,” she said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / TNN / May 31st, 2017

Seven State artistes selected for Sangeet Natak Akademi honours

7artistsBF31may2017

They are among the 43 chosen from across the country

Seven eminent artistes from Karnataka have been chosen for the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards for 2016 for their contribution to the fields of music, theatre and puppetry. They are among the 43 awardees from various parts of the country.

The artistes are: Neela Ramgopal (Carnatic vocal), Mysore M. Manjunath (Carnatic instrumental-Violin), Ratnamala Prakash (Sugama Sangeet), Koushik Aithal (Yuva Purasksar-Hindustani Vocal), Ashwin Anand (Yuva Puraskar-Carnatic Instrumental-Veena), K. Govind Bhat (Yakshagana), and Dattatreya Aralikatte (Puppetry).

The Academy awards carry a purse of ₹1 lakh, a tamrapatra and an angavastram.

For the first time, the Sugama Sangeeta music form from Karnataka has been identified for the award and Ms. Prakash is the first recipient of the honour. Apart from numerous Bhavageethas (Sugama Sangeet), she has sung many film songs over four decades. Ms. Prakash was the recipient of the Santa Shishunala Sharif award in 2016. “I dedicate the award to my illustrious father R.K. Srikantan and my mentor C. Ashwath,” she said.

Neela Ramgopal at 82 is among the senior-most Carnatic vocalists of Karnataka and a sought-after music teacher. A student of Sadagopalachari, N.M. Narayanan and T.K. Rangachary, she is the recipient of many awards, including one from Madras Music Academy.

From Royal Albert Hall to Sydney Opera House, violinist Mysore M. Manjunath has performed across the globe. According to music critics, his style is marked by strict adherence to classicism, and a perfect blend of emotive appeal and intellectual sophistication.

Recipient of the Yuva Puraskar award, Koushik Aithal, is a promising young artiste from the State. He is the recipient of the prestigious Pt. Basavaraja Rajguru Yuva Puraskar from the Government of Karnataka. “The award has increased my responsibility in terms of practice and performance,” he told The Hindu.

Octogenarian K. Govind Bhat started his career in Thenku Thittu School of Yakshagana in 1951, and continues as a professional artiste in the Dharmasthala mela. Popularly known as Datta, Mr. Aralikatte is a puppeteer and teacher. He heads Puthali Kalaranga (Puppet Theatre), a well-known traditional puppet theatre group.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – May 31st, 2017

Kannada film producer Parvathamma Rajkumar passes away

Parvathamma Rajkumar | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Parvathamma Rajkumar | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Parvathamma Rajkumar was the only woman producer-distributor-exhibitor of Kannada films.

Kannada film producer Parvathamma Rajkumar, wife of the late Kannada superstar Rajkumar, passed away on Wednesday morning due to prolonged illness in a private hospital here. She was 78.

Her blood pressure dropped since last night following which she had a massive cardiac arrest at 4.40 a.m. She has been hospitalised since May 14.

Parvathamma was the only woman producer-distributor-exhibitor of Kannada films. Vajreshwari Combines and Poornima Enteprises, started by her, have produced many of the films starring her husband Rajkumar and sons Shivarajkumar, Raghavendra Rajkmar and Puneet Rajkumar. She has produced over 80 films. Their 87th production was Run Antony starring Vinay Rajkumar, her grandson.

A 13-year-old when she got married, Parvathamma went on to become the pillar of support for the Rajkumar clan and played a major role in managing the image of her husband, a major icon of Kannada cinema.

Raj Kumar and Parvatamma Rajukumar   | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Raj Kumar and Parvatamma Rajukumar | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Doddahulluru Rukkoji, film historian and author of the two-volume book on Dr. Rajkumar’s life, describes Parvathamma as the first woman film entrepreneur in Karnataka, who played a big role in what is easily the most sensational success story in the history of Kannada cinema.

All her three sons- Shivaraj, Ragavendra, Punith along with other family members were present, said Ramaiah hospital president Naresh Shetty. Parvathamma’s eyes have been donated as per her wishes, said her son Raghavendra Rajkumar.

People from various walks of life, especially from Kannada cinema industry, have condoled her death.

“Parvathamma was not only mother to her sons and daughters. She was mother in real sense to Kannada film industry, as she used to rush, whenever there is crisis and artistes faced problems,” said veteran actor Srinivasamurthy, who acted along side Rajkumar in various films produced by Parvathamma Rajkumar.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah described her as “an inalienable part of the success story of Dr. Rajkumar.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Afshan Yasmeen & Muralidhara Khajane / May 31st, 2017

Bengaluru boy Parmeet beats odds to score high

ParmeetBF29may2017

Despite missing two months of school after an open heart surgery, he scored 95% in class 12 board exams

Parmeet Baweja knew 2016 would be a crucial year. He was in class 12 after all and was fully aware of the importance of that academic year. But it was a different sort of a report that delivered a jolt to him. The Delhi Public School, Bengaluru (East) student was diagnosed with a hole in the heart, a defect that went unnoticed since his birth.

Although he was initially terrified and missed two months of school after undergoing an open heart surgery, his score card for the Class 12 board exams did not reflect any of that: instead, it has a proud 95% written on it. There was a celebratory mood at his house on Sunday. Recollecting his preparation strategy, Parmeet said: “When I got back to school after two months, I panicked. But I was prepared for working twice as hard to ace the race. Ultimately, with the help of my parents and the unending support of my teachers, I managed to score well.” Initially, home tuitions helped him, but the day he was given the all clear by his doctors, he turned to his books to make up for lost time. Parmeet credits his school teachers who made time from their busy schedules to conduct special classes for him.

His mother, a businesswoman, played a vital role too. She was not only a big support during his recovery process, but also helped him cope with his academic schedule. “My mother helped me unconditionally to come to terms with my health – physically as well as mentally,” he said.

Thrilled with his scores, he now plans to prepare for the CPT Exam to be held in December. He plans to become a chartered accountant someday.

While his parents knew that Parmeet would do well as he had secured a perfect 10 Cumulative Grade Point Achievement in class 10, they are thrilled with his scores. “My son was extremely brave and studied for almost 10 hours a day during the last four months,” said his father Harpal Baweja.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Roli Agarwal / Bengaluru – May 29th, 2017

Pink Hoysalas are not just a token presence

PinkHoysalaBF29may2017

The Bengaluru patrols don’t merely instil confidence among women, they empower policewomen as well

There is at least one woman member in each of Bengaluru’s high-visibility police patrol teams and they stand out in their Pink Hoysala vehicles.

A patrol unit has two or three police personnel, and the vehicles are a familiar sight in areas with a high concentration of women, such as colleges and schools, paying guest complexes and even temples.

The Pink Hoysalas are seen as not merely helping women in the city, but empowering female police personnel too. These staffers now conduct inquiries, question suspects and carry out investigations – tasks normally performed only by male personnel.

So far, the 51 Pink Hoysalas that were added to the 221 regular Hoysala patrols last month to exclusively cater to problems faced by women and children have received 39 distress calls.

These are received through the ‘Suraksha app’ (users can press the power button five times to seek help, sending a signal to the command centre that then directs the nearest Pink Hoysalas as well as the control room number (100).

“The calls include complaints of sexual harassment in public places. This is why we keep these patrols near all-girls colleges and schools, especially at closing time,” said a senior police officer.

Arrest on the move

‘Pink Hoysala 272’ has won attention for arresting a man who was misbehaving with a 29-year-old software engineer, from the bus on which the incident occurred in Whitefield late at night.

In another case, a Pink Hoysala rescue a woman in Basavanagudi who was initially thought to have been attacked with acid.

It was found that the substance was adhesive gum. Based on feedback, the system may be expanded.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by K.C.Deepika / Bengaluru – May 26th, 2017

Students go innovative, price of their drone dips

KNS Institute of Technology students display the drones designed by them at Eduverse, the ninth edition of Jnana Degula education expo organised by Deccan Herald and Prajavani, at Jayamahal Palace Hotel grounds on Sunday. DH photo
KNS Institute of Technology students display the drones designed by them at Eduverse, the ninth edition of Jnana Degula education expo organised by Deccan Herald and Prajavani, at Jayamahal Palace Hotel grounds on Sunday. DH photo

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at Rs 1,500? Students of KNS Institute of Technology have done it, without much fanfare. They plan to enhance the design to customise the drones for surveillance and transporting goods.

The makers of the plane – Inayatullah, Debabrata Mondal, Premkumar Singh and Syed Junaid – represented their college along with vice principal Nayeem Ahmad at Jnana Degula-Eduverse event organised by DH and Prajavani.

Inayatullah said the plane was made of simple polymer materials (expanded polyolefin and polystyrene) and can carry 350 gm payload. “It can fly for an hour at a speed of 45 km per hour. We have used a propeller made of composite material with aluminium coating so that it can fly at a height of 500 feet and withstand force of up to 85 newtons,” he said.

The team is also working on a plane specifically designed for surveillance.“While the 45 kmph plane can be improvised to make it a delivery drone, we are working on a plane that flies slower, at 36 kmph, providing opportunities for deeper surveillance of a particular area,” Mondal said.

Inayatullah said the cost of the UAVs will come down further if produced on a large scale. “The UAVs produced by government agencies cost a lot. Our planes are disposable. The army can use the surveillance drone and does not have to worry if one of them is lost or destroyed,” he said.

The planes can be controlled by a 2.4GHz radio frequency device, which has a range of 2.5 km. “The remote controller cost us Rs 3,500. Considering that it is the plane and not the device that is susceptible to damage, we think ours is the most affordable UAV,” he said.

“The turbo is imported from China for Rs 90 and sold in India for Rs 250. The same turbo can be made in India at a cost of Rs 40. Nearly 95% of the materials were imported from China. After a detailed study, we found the cost will come down to Rs 600, if we make these materials in India,” Inayatullah said.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> City / DH News Service / Bengaluru – May 29th, 2017