Monthly Archives: July 2017

Peering into the architecture hidden in a thriving market

Bengaluru Karnataka 25/07/2017 Old Windows on Avenue Road Bengaluru . Photo: Sampath Kumar G P | Photo Credit: G_P_Sampath Kumar
Bengaluru Karnataka 25/07/2017 Old Windows on Avenue Road Bengaluru .
Photo: Sampath Kumar G P | Photo Credit: G_P_Sampath Kumar

INTACH’s heritage walk on Avenue Road today marks 10 years of ‘Parichay’ project

The cacophony that dominates Avenue Road is something that every Bengalurean knows only too well. The busy road is home to hundreds of shops and buildings. However, it also boasts small islands of period architecture, which are a rich source of knowledge about the city’s heritage.

This year, the historic road will host the 115th ‘Parichay’ Heritage Walk conducted by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH – Bangalore Chapter) on Sunday. The walk will also mark 10 years of the Parichay project.

INTACH plans to conduct an ‘architecture walk’ that will give a historical perspective to the dime-a-dozen brick and mortar structures that pack the road. “To have people understand this through the eyes of an architect, we will have Vijay Narnapatti take people to heritage buildings,” said Meera Iyer, co-convener, INTACH.

“The walk will begin at Mysore Bank Circle and end at the Anjaneya temple. On the itinerary are the Rice Memorial Church (named after Benjamin Holt Rice, a missionary of the London Missionary Society), and Manik Mastan Saheb Dargah. The syncretic culture that has thrived for hundreds of years, much before the time of Hyder Ali, continues to flourish on this historic road,” said Mr. Narnapatti.

The thriving marketplace will remain a constant companion during the walk. The area was called Dodda Pete before being renamed Avenue Road.

“Possibly, owing the avenue of trees. We still have British colonial-style buildings here. If the government declares it a heritage road, it would be befitting its history,” said Mr. Narnapatti.

Avenue Road houses some of the best carved facades. Stone was used in most of the buildings, including Raja Market, and in the temple, church, and the dargah. “While stone was used as both a building material and for cladding and flooring, the colonial influences are seen in the windows with small columns on either side, arched windows, and pointed wooden shutters,” he said.

The markers on each of the side streets in stone can be seen even today. “There are remnants of the stone seats installed beneath a cluster of trees that are tucked away in the side lanes that had cobbled stones for a walk path, not visible from the main road,” said Mr. Narnapatti. But in the midst of all this beauty grew a monstrous market that erased most of its architectural heritage, he added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / Ranjani Govind / July 30th, 2017

Karnataka govt to reward Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Veda Krishnamurthy

Udupi :

Karnataka too has opened up its purse strings to women cricketers from the state in the Mithali Raj led World Cup squad that finished runners up to hosts England in the just concluded Women’s World Cup cricket tournament. Felicitating the squad for falling historic 9-runs short of an epic win at the Lords, minister for sports and youth empowerment Pramod Madhwaraj said the performance of the squad has done the state in general and nation in particular rather proud.

The minister also announced a cash award of Rs 25 lakh each to two women cricketers who were part of the squad – Rajeshwari Shivanand Gayakwad, left arm orthodox spinner and right handed batswoman from Vijayapura and leg break bowler cum batswoman K Veda Krishnamurthy  from Chikkamagaluru. The amount will be given to these players at a felicitation function that will be arranged shortly, he said, adding their example should inspire more women to take up this game.

Incidentally, the BCCI has already announced Rs 50 lakh each to every member of the squad and reward to the support staff as well while Indian Railways Rs 1.3 crore (or Rs 13 lakh each) to 10 members of the squad who are employed with the Railways and out of turn promotions to them as well. Respective state governments too have announced job offers to players from their state with Punjab government offering DSPs post to power hitter Harmanpreet Kaur .

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Mangalore News / by Jaideep Shenoy / TNN / July 29th, 2017

KIA, first airport to launch custom-made patrolling bikes

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The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) now has its own patrolling bikes.

Introduced for the first time in any airport in the country, the custom-made motorcycles were launched on Monday.

Two bikes have been introduced now for ground traffic control duties within the airport premises. An airport spokesperson said these bikes will help in quicker and seamless movement of personnel through the network of roads and pathways inside the campus.

More such two-wheelers are expected to be introduced soon.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> City / DH News Service, Bengaluru / July 28th, 2017

Dharam Singh, former Karnataka CM, passes away

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N. Dharam Singh, former Chief Minister of Karnataka, passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Thursday morning after a heart attack. He was 80.

Mr. Singh was the 17th Chief Minister. He headed the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government from May 2004 to February 2006.

Born on December 25, 1936 at Nelogi village of Jewargi taluk in Kalaburagi district, Mr. Singh represented the Karnataka Legislative Assembly seven times without a defeat and was a member of the Lok Sabha from the Bidar constituency once (2009).

Mr. Singh, a seasoned politician, was known for his gentle demeanour and knew each voter by name in his constituency – Jewargi, which he nurtured from 1978 to 2008. Though he belonged to a small community, he won the loyalty of voters going beyond caste affiliations.

He was minister under various Chief Minsters – Devaraj Urs, R. Gundu Rao, S. Bangarappa, M. Veerappa Moily and S.M. Krishna. He handled many portfolios such as Home, Excise, Social Welfare, Urban Development, Public Works, and Revenue. He also served as the president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee.

Owing to the hung Assembly after the 2004 elections, the Congress joined hands with the JD(S) headed by former Prime Minster H.D. Deve Gowda and formed the coalition government. Mr. Singh was the unanimous choice of both parties to head the government. For 20 months, he led the coalition government, which saw many ups and downs.

Later, the Dharam Singh government collapsed following the withdrawal of support by the JD(S), which joined hands with the BJP and formed another coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy that lasted for 20 months.

The State government, post noon, declared a holiday for all schools and government offices. Government offices and schools in Kalaburgi and Bidar districts will remain closed on Friday as well.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Bengaluru – July 27th, 2017

Eternally yours: a rare women’s museum in Bengaluru

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We have a rare women’s museum in the city. Read on to find out the interesting story behind its birth and its even more intriguing collection

The city nurtures in its womb, little known spaces and unknown treasures an inhabitant can only discover if suitably armed with time and curiosity. Shashwati Women’s Museum is one such gem which needs to be discovered. Its location — nestled inside NMKRV Degree College for women in Jayanagar — makes it even more rare. Shashwati is a word derived from the Sanskrit word Shashwat which means eternal and Chi.Na. Mangala, educationist, journalist, author, visionary wanted to create something for posterity. The founder-principal of NMKRV Degree College for Women in 1973, with her colleagues undertook a padayatra in Bengaluru and Mysuru collecting women-related artefacts. That is how Shashwati Women’s Museum was born.

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Dioramas, grinding stones, wooden troughs, vessels, radios, typewriters, old gramophones, wooden cradles, objects handcrafted from plastic, paddy, fabric, crochet, jute, photographs, paintings, sculptures in copper, brass and stone make up this museum. “All the items that you see were made and used by women and that is what makes it so rare,” says Vani M.N, one of the oldest serving teachers in the college.

The museum can introduce one to Nanjanagudu Thirumalamba, Karnataka’s first woman writer, journalist and publisher. As soon as visitors enter, they can find a display section dedicated to the iconic personality with her handwritten articles, letters and a few of her personal belongings. “Mangala once wrote an article for a magazine claiming that Thirumalamba was dead. But she later found out that Thirumalamba was alive. Mangala took it upon herself to find her. She eventually found her living in a small house in a village in Chennai. Chi.Na.Mangala felt she had committed a sin and to atone for it, she needed to build something for eternity. She went door to door collecting these items,” reveals the senior teacher.

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Vani picks a wooden sieve, nut crackers,and dioramas depicting saint-poet Basavanna’s life as well as a 100 year-old paddy tray and a 120 year-old saree with gold threads worn by Mangala’s mother on her wedding, as highlights of the museum.

The nut crackers are truly a delight, especially the ones styled as a Yaksha-Yakshi, or a fish. The dioramas lined at the fag-end of the museum, depicting important episodes from Basavanna’s life, are also significant. With each object clearly stating the name of the donor and creator, the collection becomes credible.

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If the display and curation were better, the museum could have transformed into an extraordinary space. But the fact is that it is dealing with practical challenges of space.

“The collection hasn’t stopped growing so we have to figure out how to accomodate it. There is a museum committee which has been formed and we have to take certain important decisions regarding these issues, soon it will be a better place. When it comes to a curator, we need someone who will be there with us for a long time. We need a committed person; what we do now is train and pass on the information to a present staff member,” explains Vani, who heads the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication.

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The museum is not like other museums where visitors can just walk in. One needs permission from the college to visit the space. “It is inside the college and that’s why one needs to be a little cautious but whoever wants to come can call us and see it.

The museum is particularly relevant to the students of the Department of Women’s studies and outsiders undertaking research on gender or anthropology,” adds Vani. The museum is currently closed to visitors due to some construction work.

Shashwati Women’s Museum,NMKRV Degree College of Women,3rd block, Jaya Nagar East, Near Uphara Darshini, Banashankari

Call: 080 2663 7042

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Arts / by Shailaja Tripathi / July 26th, 2017

U.R. Rao, genial genius of ISRO

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He gave the country its first spacecraft

Udupi Ramachandra Rao, former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation, acclaimed space scientist acknowledged as the father of Indian satellite technology, is no more.

The celebrated cosmic ray scientist with an MIT scholarship and experience with early NASA projects in the 1960s is best remembered as the man who gave the country its first spacecraft Aryabhata from out of modest un-space-like industrial sheds of Peenya in Bengaluru.

His demise at age 85 somewhat brings the curtain on the starry era of pioneering space troika of Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan and U.R. Rao.

Regulars at Antariksh Bhavan, the headquarters of ISRO and the Department of Space, will miss the gentle genius. A workaholic, Dr. Rao was active until about two weeks back in his office at Antariksh Bhavan, recalled ISRO Publications and Public Relations Director Deviprasad Karnik.

Guided by Sarabhai

When Dr. Rao returned in 1966 to India from stints in the US, the Americans and the Russians were flying their spacecraft of their rockets and had reached Moon. Over here, they were the days of low budgets, small human resource but high spirits and goals.

Dr. Rao’s space journey blossomed under the tutelage of Vikram Sarabhai, his doctoral guide and later boss at ISRO: in 1972, Sarabhai tasked the young Rao — fresh from MIT and the only Indian then who had worked on NASA’s Pioneer and Explorer satellite projects — with building an Indian satellite.

Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had come down to see the assembled satellite — Aryabhata — which was launched on a Russian rocket in 1975. Indian satellites had started sprouting.

As the first director of what is now called ISRO Satellite Centre, Dr. Rao was responsible for 18 early satellites including the landmark Bhaskara, APPLE, the Indian Remote sensing Satellites or IRSs. His mantra was – ‘If others can do, we can do better’.

In 1984, Dr. Rao succeeded Satish Dhawan as ISRO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Space, going on to have the second longest tenure in the high post – ten years. (Dr. Dhawan headed it for 12 years.) Dr. Rao was the chairman of the governing council of Physical Research Laboratory until the end, apart from many science ad technology bodies.

Shaped many a project

At ISRO, there has not been a planetary mission that has not been touched or tweaked by Dr. Rao. As the chairman of overseeing body ADCOS or the Advisory Committee on Space Sciences, he finalised, shaped, refined or designed the Chandrayaan-1 lunar mission of 2008; the Mars Orbiter Mission of 2013; and the upcoming Chandrayaan-2 set for 2018.

“I look for excitement in any field,” he had said. One of the current unfinished projects of the cosmic ray scientist is Aditya L1 mission – India’s upcoming solar observatory, so to say. Aditya was earlier planned as a near-Earth mission looking at Sun. However, Dr. Rao – close associates say – convinced ISRO to greatly enlarge its feature and scope. For him, the spacecraft must gaze at Sun from an apparently stable point called L1 or Legrangian point. He prevailed and now Aditya-L1, as it is now renamed, will travel million km to do its job from a point undistubed by either Earth or Sun.

Associates recall that he was always updated of developments in his field and related sciences. He was forthright, had a “sharp, analytical mind, enormous intellectual ability and [could] quickly make back of the envelop computations for complex solutions,” recalled V.Jayaraman, his doctoral student and erstwhile Director of ISRO’s Earth Observation Systems and later National Remote Sensing Agency, in an article in Current Science titled Living legends in Indian Science.(Vol. 106, No.. 1588 11, 10 June 2014.)

The same article recounts how Dr. Rao ensured that a remote sensing satellite was launched from a Soviet spaceport amidst extraordinary conditions: “Even as [then Soviet] President [Mikhail] Gorbachev resigned as general secretary of the Communist Party of Soviet Union on 24 August 1991, and the mighty Soviet Union collapsed in the next few days, IRS-1B was launched without any hitch on 29 August 1991 from Baikonur. The presence of Rao [in spite of advices to stay back] served as a balm, not only for the ISRO team at the launch pad and helping them to stay focussed and keep a high morale, but also as a great relief for their families back home. For us associated with that historic event, it will remain as [a] lesson as to how a leader should behave in times of crisis and to be with his team, … whatever be the hurdles.”

Two years back, he was down with cough and fever, yet drove 15 km to his ISRO office to keep his engagements – one of them an appointment with this reporter. When he was told that he could have postponed the meeting, Dr. Rao typically said, “Some people prefer to rest, I prefer to work.

All through my life I have worked when I am sick – to forget the sickness. Or else I will be a nuisance to others.”

As chairman, Dr. Rao accelerated the rocket development programmes but with mixed luck. He presided over the fruition of the ASLV early rocket, much of the development of the now-famous PSLV. He laid the foundation for the GSLV by signing a pact with the Russians in 1991 for the cryogenic engine technology for its third stage. Dr. Rao’s joy was blunted as the PSLV clicked after his tenure while the Russians reneged on the cryogenic pact.

The credit for kickstarting the now working GSLV, however, is undeniably Dr. Rao’s, say ISRO oldtimers.

U.R.Rao was born on March 10, 1932, to Lakshminarayana Acharya and Krishnaveni Amma in Adamaru near Udupi – a small town that hosts one of the eight famous `Madhwa math’s sacred to Kannada Brahmins. He studied in Udupi’s Christian High School and later did his intermediate course in Bellary’s Veerashaiva College. A B.Sc at the Government Arts and Science College, Ananthapur, then under Madras University. He completed his M.Sc in Physics from Banaras

Hindu University 1953 and briefly taught in Ahmednagar and Mysore. But space sicence was beckoning and he enrolled for a PhD under none other than Vikram Sarabhai at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, and got the doctoral degree in 1960 from Gujarat University.

The article by Dr. Jayaraman says the story of a small-town boy’s rise “to a lofty position as Chairman of ISRO, a prestigious organisation and of international fame, should be a motivational force to many young aspirants in our country.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Science / by Madhumathi D.S / Bengaluru – July 24th, 2017