Monthly Archives: November 2018

PES varsity first in state with IET accreditation

The Minister for Higher Education, G T Devegowda, also attended the event.

Minister G T Devegowda at the PES University foundation day ceremony where students were given scholarships, in Bengaluru on Saturday
Minister G T Devegowda at the PES University foundation day ceremony where students were given scholarships, in Bengaluru on Saturday

Bengaluru :

The foundation day of the PES university was held on Saturday where it was announced that the University was the first institution in Karnataka to secure the IET’s international Accreditation for 8 of its engineering programmes. The Minister for Higher Education, G T Devegowda, also attended the event.

The formal accreditation was handed over by Mustafa Wajid, Chairman of IET, India Development Panel. IET accreditation is an internationally recognised benchmark, awarded to high quality programmes that provide an ideal preparation for aspiring professional engineers.
PES University applied for IET Accreditation in 2014.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / November 25th, 2018

Look up with pride: 100-ft tall flag for Bengaluru railway stations

Before the year rolls to a close, you will see the tricolour atop two railway stations in Bengaluru. And you won’t have to crane your neck to see it because, at a mandated 100 ft, it’s not easy to miss.

According to a circular issued by the Railway Board last month, 75 railway stations in India, whose annual earnings exceed Rs 50 crore (called A-1 category stations) have been asked to ensure that our national flag flies atop their premises at a height of 100 ft.

The National Military memorial in Bengaluru has the tallest flag mast in India at 65 metres ( or around 213 ft). The flag mast also has the country’s largest national flag measuring 48 x 78 ft.

The deadline to install the national flag at these chosen railway stations is December 31, 2018. On the lines of the national anthem being played at cinema halls, the government has directed 75 of the busiest railway stations in the country to install the national flag on their premises.

In Bengaluru, the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna Bengaluru City railway station (Majestic) and Yeshwanthpur railway station will have a tricolour each. In KSR, the flag location has been finalised at the circulating area outside the main entrance, giving visitors a full frontal view of the national flag. Sources said that the flag installation has been classified under “soft upgrade improvements at stations.”

The Railway Board circular has directed that the flags should have focus lights and the Railway Protection Force has been tasked to safeguard it. The cost of installing the flag will be around nine lakh rupees, including focus lights and other decorative elements.

A senior railway official said that the flag installations were a part of the government’s drive to project “symbols of nationalism. Whether it is portraits of freedom fighters or the national flag, the aim is to showcase the symbols of our country at public places.” The Railway Board directive says tricolours should be installed at spots close to the entry/exit points.

E Vijaya, Chief Public Relations Officer, South Western Railways said, “We hope to complete the installation by December-end.” A railway source said that there are plans to paint the tricolour on the coaches of local trains. “Already, the tricolour has been painted on several first-class compartments of local trains. More trains will be covered in the coming months,” the railway source said.
Flags at railway stations is yet another example of the nationalist fervour sweeping through not just India but some other countries too. On Sunday, when more than 60 world leaders gathered in Paris to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, French President Emmanuel Macron’s words strongly resonated with many Indians when he delivered a forceful rebuke against rising nationalism, calling it a “betrayal of patriotism” and warning against “old demons coming back to wreak chaos and death.”

Macron’s speech, at the Armistice Day ceremony, was a pointed rebuke to US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin but was also aimed at a global audience. India, meanwhile, has made it amply clear where it stands in the nationalism vs patriotism debate.

Reacting to this circular, Prakash Mandoth said, “It a wonderful move. Anybody would love to see the national flag flying so high. And to have it installed in the city railway station where about two lakh people come every day is a great decision. It creates a sense of nationalism. Usually people bring out national flags only during Independence day or Republic day, but now we will be able to see it flying tall and respect it every day.

However, another railway activist had this to say: “The Indian Railways is suffering from a dearth of funds and this is the reason why no new trains have been announced in the recent past as they need to improve existing infrastructure. So, a fitting tribute would be to invest more in railway infrastructure.”

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Cover Story / by  Bangalore Mirror Bureau / November 14th, 2018

Country’s first digital library to be launched at VTU

The Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Belagavi, has become the first in the country to launch a virtual/digital library.

Bengaluru :

The Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Belagavi, has become the first in the country to launch a virtual/digital library. It was launched during the “Tech VCs Conclave-2018,” a two-day conference inaugurated in Bengaluru on Friday.

From now on, students need not go sit in libraries. Instead, they can just access the reference books or journals they want at the click of a button.  The university will provide them login IDs and passwords through which students can access the digital library, which is free of cost.

AICTE chairman Dr D Anil Sahasrabude said, “VTU is the first university in country to introduce such a facility for the benefit of students and faculty. Hope other universities across the nation will follow this.”
VTU Vice Chancellor Dr Karisidappa said, “We will give a password for students so that they can log-in from VTU website and can access all their textbooks materials whenever and wherever they want to.”
He even said that it is possible to access these books from mobile phones. “We will soon make an option for students to avail this facility on the phone as well. They can make notes, prepare for exams and also lab exams through these digital books,” he explained.

Innovation will be a major parameters for ranking of technical Institutions in the country by AICTE from here on, AICTE chairman announced this during the conclave. He said, “A new ranking system called ‘Atal Ranking System’ has been started for which registration is open. The officials said they are working in this respect to enhance the quality of education.”

Open book exams not mandatory
The ‘open book’ examination proposed by AICTE for engineering courses will not be implemented at VTU Belagavi, at least for the next four years. Vice Chancellor of VTU, Dr Karisiddappa, said, “It is not mandatory to introduce ‘open book’ exams.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / November 24th, 2018

Festival of M.S. Sathyu’s films at NGMA

Film director M.S. Sathyu. | Photo Credit: V Sreenivasa Murthy
Film director M.S. Sathyu. | Photo Credit: V Sreenivasa Murthy

He is best known for his partition drama Garam Hawa

National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) Bengaluru is offering a rare opportunity for film and theatre enthusiasts to savour the complete creative repertoire of M.S. Sathyu, one of the renowned filmmakers and theatre personalities in India, by organising a week-long festival of his films.

Mysore Srinivas Sathyu, popularly known as Sathyu, is best known for his partition drama Garam Hawa, which bagged several national awards, including the National Integration Award in 1974. He was awarded the Padmashri for his contribution to Indian cinema. At 88, he continues to be active on stage. Last year, he staged his version of fantasy adventure Gulebakavali. With his undiminished passion for film-making, he is still raring to direct a film.

Kahan Kahan Se Guzre, a documentary on the life and works of Sathyu, directed by Masood Akhtar will be screened in the inaugural session. It will be followed by a panel discussion on the relevance of films and theatre dealing with social and political issues where noted cinematographer G.S. Bhaskar, filmmaker Chaitanya K.M. and film critic George Kutty will speak.

Four of his Kannada films — the award-winning Bara, Chitegu Chinte, Ijjodu and Ghalige — will be screened during the festival.

Pratidhwani, a serial based on stories of Jnanapith recipient writer Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, two episodes of Balina Chowkabara and Acharyavanta Ayyangar documentary Nataka Ratna Gubbi Veeranna, directed by Sathyu, will be screened on November 27.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / November 23rd, 2018

Making of the real stars

Srikanth Bhat, an agriculturist-cum-hotelier in Kanchinabailu in Hirebettu village near Manipal, is an ardent lover of the festive sport.

Udupi :

The owners of Kambala buffalos are busy with last-minute preparations as they consider it a matter of prestige and pride. The buffaloes are the prized possession of the owners who raise them with care and indulgence.

Srikanth Bhat, an agriculturist-cum-hotelier in Kanchinabailu in Hirebettu village near Manipal, is an ardent lover of the festive sport. He rears seven Kambala buffalos at a spacious and well-ventilated shed in his 15-acre garden. The routine diet for them includes 5 kg baked horse gram, hay, half a kg jaggery, and 150 ml of sesame and coconut oil once a week.

The caretaker of Bhat’s buffaloes, Sachin S Kotian, told TNIE that the animals are like family members for Bhat. ‘‘The buffaloes stand whenever Bhat arrives in their shed and flap their ears. This is how they show their love for their owner,’’ he says. Another caretaker, Prasad Kumar, assists Sachin in ensuring that proper care is taken of the buffaloes.

The animals are given oil massage and left under the sun for about three hours every day, before they are taken for a swim and bath in a specially-designed pool. Bhat has two kambala jockeys, Nakre Jayakar Madivala and Nakre Manjunath Bhandari.

The recent incident of sudden death of Rocket Moda, Bhat’s 20-year-old buffalo, has upset the team. The Pairu breed buffalo of Kota origin had created a record in 2014 by completing the 144-metre distance in just 13.40 seconds, along with his partner Kutty. They have decided to venture into the race from November 24 after paying respect to the place where Moda was buried, Sachin adds.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Prakash Samaja / Express News Service / November 24th, 2018

Kolar boy’s long and successful search for bone marrow exposes its less number in the country

Sam, a 10-year-old boy from Kolar was recently evaluated for bleeding from the nose and gums.

Now 18 years old, Tarun (left) underwent a bone marrow transplant in 2004 as a four-year-old; Master Sam received bone marrow from a German donor last month | Express
Now 18 years old, Tarun (left) underwent a bone marrow transplant in 2004 as a four-year-old; Master Sam received bone marrow from a German donor last month | Express

Bengaluru :

A month ago, a 10-year-old boy, Sam, got a life-saving bone marrow transplant from a German donor after his parents had to scour the Indian bone marrow registry with no luck in finding a match. The number of donors on the Indian bone marrow registry is just three lakh compared to the German registry, which has 75 lakh, and the US, which has one crore donors registered. Due to such shortcomings, parents look up to their child’s siblings to donate or doctors resort to half-match donors where the parents themselves donate but are only a 50 per cent match.

Sam, a 10-year-old boy from Kolar was recently evaluated for bleeding from the nose and gums. Upon examining his bone marrow, doctors confirmed that he had aplastic anaemia and his only chance of survival was a bone marrow transplant. He did not have a matching donor available and he continued to have recurrent bleeding and fever.

Doctors frantically searched for a donor in all the Indian registries and finally found a donor in the German registry. This donor was willing to donate bone marrow (taken from the blood in the hip) rather than peripheral blood stem cells (taken from the vein of the forearm). Four weeks later the boy fully recovered and was discharged.

Suresh B, Sam’s father, a daily wager at Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), a Kolar PSU, told The New Indian Express, “We have an ESI card and hence we could pay the bill worth `10 lakh. My wife is a homemaker and I am the sole breadwinner. Sam’s brother is only seven years old and is not a match. We would get Sam platelet infusions every week. According to the rules, after a year, we will be able to contact this German donor and thank him.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / November 22nd, 2018