Monthly Archives: May 2017
Mangaluru : Manipal Alumnus gets Global Fame
Kartik, 26, spoke at RecTech 2017 in Barcelona, one-of-a-kind forum
At 26, Kartik Mandaville, chief executive officer (CEO) and founder of SpringRole — a machine learning-based recruiting software in Bengaluru and Los Angeles — is the youngest to address the RecTech 2017, the only conference focused on innovation in recruitment advertising and technology outside of the US.
The event offers a one-of-a-kind forum for senior executives in publishing and technology companies that offer talent acquisition solutions.
The conference focussed on mobile transformations, “total candidate focus”, programmatic advertising, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Held from May 17-19, it played host to an impressive group of recruitment experts and influential speakers from around the world.
Sharing his experience with Bangalore Mirror, Kartik Mandaville said it was a wonderful experience to share the stage with leaders from top companies in the USA and Europe. “Moreover, I was probably the youngest there. There was immense learning from the conference, being part of the panel and conducting the workshop. I must admit, I was nervous, but the workshop was well received and I was surprised to find a queue of people waiting to talk to me, which was humbling. Mostly we discussed about the future of recruitment – how artificial intelligence is going to help in the process and make it convenient for HR (human resources) managers,” he said.
More than 100 high-level executives from recruitment advertising and tech companies attended the conference, mainly from Europe, the US, Latin America and Africa.
Mandaville is a serial entrepreneur who also serves as senior technical advisor at Science in Santa Monica, California, and other companies.
He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) with Masters from the Language Technologies Institute focussing on big data, machine learning, natural language processing and BioTech.
Mandaville has wide experience working with start-ups. At Science, he worked with early-stage start-ups to architecting out their technology, building the team and scaling.
He built the Science India team having 40-plus software engineers and product working across the portfolio companies.
Before joining CMU, he was a full-stack developer working at Shareaholic on the product distribution channel and different web properties. As a student at Manipal University, he launched ‘Autobudder’ in 2010 for Facebook, an application that automatically wishes friends on their birthdays.
The following year, he was part of the team that launched ‘Let Me Know’, a unique portal that helps students across India find opportunities of various kinds such as internships, workshops, seminars, conferences, tech-fests, literary events and much more.
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> News> State / by Deepthi Sanjiv, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / May 23rd, 2017
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9 Bengalureans in ComedK top 10
Bengaluru :
The results of ComedK 2017 test which will decide admission to private engineering colleges in Karnataka were announced on Saturday.
The top 10 scorers are from Karnataka, nine from Bengaluru and one from Uttara Kannada. Candidates can access their ranks on ww.comedk.org.
Of the 2,000 top rank holders, 1,423 secured more than 70% and remaining 577 secured 67% and above but below 70%. Also, 7,427 candidates secured less than 60% but more than 50%.
Of the first 100 rank holders, 70 candidates are from Karnataka while the remaining 30 are from across the country.
Also, 398 of the 1,000 rank holders are from Karnataka and 602 are from other states.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / TNN / May 28th, 2017
Exhibits at ashram enter Guinness Book of Records
2,649 bonsai trees from various cities are displayed at the ashram in Mysuru
Three exhibits at Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Ashram in the city, including the largest collection and display of bonsai trees, entered the Guinness Book of World Records. The certificates of records were conferred and received by Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swami at a function on Friday held to mark his 75th birthday celebrations.
The Guinness record for bonsai reads as ‘Largest Display of Bonsai Trees.’ It was created at the International Bonsai Conference and Exhibition held in December 2016 when international delegates took part, the release said. During the conference, 2,649 bonsai trees brought from Bonsai Clubs of Mumbai, Pune, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Bengaluru, Mysuru and other cities were exhibited which resulted in the creation of the record, the release added
The second record was the Bhagavad Gita, at a height of seven ft and a width of five ft, besides a thickness of one ft. All the verses in the book are written in 18 languages, including nine Indian languages (Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Odiya, Gujarati, Gurumukhi, Malayalam and Tamil) and nine foreign languages (English, Greek, Russian-Cyrillic, Armenian, Georgian, Japanese-Katakana, Korean-Hangul, Arabic and Hebrew).A release stated that the Guinness Record reads as ‘Largest Hindu Smriti’ and the printing of the book took 636 hours in all. It was described as the largest book and has been printed using eco-friendly material. Fourteen people worked on it.
The third record pertains to the single largest collection of birds in an aviary at Shuka Vana located in the ashram. There are over 2,000 birds drawn from 475 species. The objective of establishing this aviary was to take care of injured and abandoned birds for which a dedicated hospital has been established, complete with non-invasive investigating apparatus. Bird care is provided by trained volunteers and the practice has been ratified by the Animal Welfare Board as confirming to international standards, the release added.
Visit from Phadnavis
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Phadnavis visited Sri Ganapathi Sacchidananda Ashram on Friday and participated in the 75th birthday celebrations of the seer.
Mr. Phadnavis lauded the spiritual and social work of the seer and his contribution to eradicate discrimination in society. “The swami’s message of compassion is more relevant in the present time than ever,” he said and added that the seer’s knowledge and contribution to the field of music was immense. While other therapies work on the body, music soothes the soul, he said.
Later, speaking to mediaspersons he lauded the works and initiatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who completes three years in office this year, and said that the world has realized the true power of India under him.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – May 27th, 2017
Former Star Player is a security guard now
Once famous for his moves on the football pitch, former India international and ITI defender, J Mohan Kumar, now keeps vigil at the gates of Mount Carmel College
J Mohan Kumar has gotten used to obscurity. He still has the bearing of one who was once famous, and takes great pride in his job as a security guard at Mount Carmel College, but he is no more than a man in a uniform, a fixture to those who pass in and out of the gates of that famous institution.
Mohan though has fond memories of his time in another ‘uniform’, a time when his name often rang through football stadiums and his face was instantly recognizable.
The former Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) deep defender looks back with a smile on the collective exploits of his team and his teammates with whom he ached, sweated and toiled. Those were good days even if he was merely a pawn in a flawed system, discarded and forgotten once his legs turned weak and his hair gray. Not that he would trade his playing career for anything in the world, mind you.
In a 30-year career as player and coach, Mohan stayed loyal to ITI. He won the first edition of the Federation Cup with ITI in 1977. He was also briefly the coach of the Garden City College football team, but left abruptly due to differences with his players and did odd jobs for a living. He eventually wound up manning the gates at MCC.
Mohan says the job is a boon and “better than doing nothing at home”. “One of my friends worked as a driver here,” Mohan told Mirror. “I asked him if there was a vacancy for me and he told me of the opening for a guard. He did ask me if it’s something I would do considering I am a footballer who has won many laurels. I told him it’s difficult if I do nothing. Here, I have to check for ID cards and ensure there is no trouble. Since this is a girls’ college, my job is to keep the women inside safe. I don’t look at it as something that is beyond my dignity. It’s still a job and I enjoy it.”
He also enjoyed his time in ITI colours, his days with the Indian team and as coach.
As a player, he reached the final of the Stafford Challenge Cup in 1980 where they lost 2-4 to Iraqi Youth Football Club. His football skills took him to Korea, Afghanistan and Malaysia — at a time when most people didn’t even have a passport. Memories like these sustain him during his vigil at the gates.
Life for his teammates in ITI is a struggle too, Mohan says, but he has accepted the roll of the dice. “There was Rajashekhar, Silambaranathan and Kanthraj who were good defenders,” he recollects.
“Immanuel was a striker in our team and Ayatullah Khan was another great player. Some of my teammates have passed away, while some are struggling with diabetes.
There are others who are doing okay too. I’ve tried to maintain myself physically and I’m doing quite well.”
Penury is a familiar foe. His story is typical of many other great players of his time. Born in Ambur, Tamil Nadu, he moved to Bengaluru after Class 11. His parents couldn’t afford to send him to college — he was one of 11 children — so he was drawn to football like iron fillings to a magnet.
He began playing with his friends at 515 Army Base Workshop (ABW). He was soon spotted by state officials who guided him to greener pastures in the early seventies. His time with ITI earned him a call up to the national team.
Playing against an Iraqi club in the Stafford Challenge Cup in 1980 counts as one of his best moments. After that, it went downhill for Mohan as he was rejected for the post of a coach. His health began to deteriorate too and he was soon out of work. “I became restless at home,” he said. “I just couldn’t sit doing nothing and living without earning a penny. I took up this job without hesitation as it would help me feed my family. Things are starting to look up again. I greet all people here with a smile.”
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Sports> Others / by Farheen Ayesha, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / May 23rd, 2017
Making brain surgeries more cost-effective
Bengaluru doctor designs low-cost stereotactic head frame
In brain surgeries, precision is everything — a shift of a few millimetres can make the difference between a successful surgery and putting a patient in coma. One device that improves the accuracy of neurosurgery is the stereotactic head frame, which provides a 3-dimensional coordinate system to help surgeons get the precise location of a nerve or tumour in the brain.
However, the device currently used is prohibitively expensive, costing between ₹75 lakh to ₹1 crore. A city-based doctor has designed a low-cost stereotactic frame which can be used to operate on both sides of the brain at a time, unlike conventional frames currently used in hospitals.
The frame designed by Murali Mohan, senior neurosurgeon with BRAINS Sparsh Hospitals, is made of medical grade titanium and costs one-third the current price. Engineers Sharath Bhat and Sadashiv Bhat of the Mahalasa Medical Technology, Bengaluru, developed the device.
Dr. Mohan’s inspiration was the late Balasubramaniam Ramamurthi, known as the father of Indian neurosurgery.
The frame which is CE marked (it conforms to European standards) and is pending patent, is currently being used by a doctors in around six to seven hospitals in Bengaluru and Hyderabad for biopsies and deep brain simulations.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Health / by Cynthia Anand / Bengaluru – May23rd, 2017
Bengaluru girl bags Diana Legacy Award
Her crusade for better education , especially for under-privileged children, has won 14-year-old Nikhiya Shamsher from Bengaluru the Diana Legacy Award. The award was given away last week by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry at the St Jame’s Palace, UK.
In December 2015, Nikhiya realized there are many children who do not have access to basic school supplies.Often entire classrooms of children share a single textbook, and many walk barefoot to school. While more children were attending school, she heard stories of bright young students dropping out because of poor educational foundation.
Yearn to Learn, the project spearheaded by Nikhiya, has, so far, set up 15 science laboratories which are benefiting 3,500 students from various schools. Nikhiya started her e-commerce website – http:www.knicnacs.com -to raise funds for her laboratory projects. Recently , she also funded the education of 25 blind children.
Inspired by Diana’s words -“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you” – the award, which marks 20 years since her death, recognizes young students who have socially impacted people through their actions. The award identified 20 winners as legacies of the princess.
Nikhiya was the only Indian among 20 winners rep resenting countries like the United Arab Emirates, UK, US, Canada, Belize, among others. This year, 12,000 social changemakers were nominated for the award. “The award has strengthened my believe in my project, giving me the confidence that I am doing the right thing,” said Nikhiya.”The benefit of this recognition is that a lot more people would now be interested and serious about the cause I’m working towards.”
Asked why she was so keen on bringing about a change in the education space, the teen said: “Because it is the single most important solution to all our issues.” Meeting the royal family was a unique experience for Nikhiya, who wasn’t quite expecting the award.
“The royal family was extremely encouraging and gave us the confidence that we were doing the right thing and keeping alive Princess Diana’s tradition,” she said, adding, “None of this would have been possible without the support of my parents and my school (Greenwood High).”
Her father Dr Shahid Shamsher, a trichologist, said: “We want her to follow the path she desires. She has this innate sense of responsibility and always keeps herself occupied and we know that she’ll go a long way.”
Added Niru Agarwal, trustee, Greenwood High: “At a tender age like hers, to think about the welfare and education of the downtrodden and selflessly work for it is noteworthy . She is a role model to her peers. Her qualities of kindness, compassion and service are truly admirable.”
In addition to the Diana Legacy Award, Nikhiya’s photo with information on her projects and services have been hosted at an exhibition at Althorp House, the final resting place of Princess Diana. Bengaluru
The Global Inclusion Award
Nikhiya was the sole winner from India at the Global Inclusion Awards, held in Berlin on May 3. She was chosen from among other contenders for the Global Winner of the Outstanding Youth Economic Citizenship Award 2017. The event was hosted by Germany’s G20 Presidency and Child and Youth Finance International, Germany.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / by Deepika Burli / May 25th, 2017