Monthly Archives: January 2019
ISRO sets up Human Space Flight Centre in Bengaluru for manned mission programme
Gaganyaan is the “highest priority” for ISRO in 2019, according to the space agency, and the plan is to have the first unmanned mission in December 2020 and second for July 2021.
Bengaluru :
Gearing up for its maiden manned space mission ‘Gaganyaan’, ISRO unveiled its Human Space Flight Centre here Wednesday.
The space agency is gearing up for the human spaceflight programme by 2021-end that is likely to include a woman astronaut.
Gaganyaan is the “highest priority” for ISRO in 2019, according to the space agency, and the plan is to have the first unmanned mission in December 2020 and second for July 2021.
Once this is completed, the manned mission will happen in December 2021. K Kasturirangan, former ISRO Chairman, in the presence of K Sivan, ISRO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Space, inaugurated the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) Wednesday at ISRO Headquarter campus in Bengaluru, the space agency said on its website.
Directors of other ISRO Centres, former Chairman and other dignitaries were also present, it said, adding that a full scale model of Gaganyaans crew module was also unveiled during the event.
HSFC shall be responsible for implementation of Gaganyaan project which involves end-to-end mission planning, development of engineering systems for crew survival in space, crew selection and training and also pursue activities for sustained human space flight missions, ISRO said.
It will take the support of existing ISRO centres to implement the first development flight of Gaganyaan under the human spaceflight programme.
S Unnikrishnan Nair is the founder director of HSFC, while R Hutton is the project director of Gaganyaan.
The Union Cabinet gave its nod for the Rs 9,023 crore programme recently.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Nation / by PTI / January 30th, 2019
41
Students tracing origins of the city come up with book
A group of heritage enthusiasts attempt to look at the pre-Kempe Gowda era and how the region might have been
What was the ‘IT capital’ and ‘garden city’ like before it became one of the fastest growing cities in the country?
The Revival Heritage Hub, a city-based group of heritage enthusiasts, most of whom are students, will be releasing a book on Bengaluru in February. Titled ‘Kalyanapuri Bhudrushya’, the book in Kannada will trace the origins of the city pre-Kempe Gowda.
“We chose to keep Kalyanapuri as the title of the book because according to legends, it was the city’s old name. It is believed that after the 12th century Veerashaiva revolution in Kalyana, Kodikal became the second Kalyana. Later, this was shifted to south Karnataka to a place called Gumbalapura, located near Hosur in Tamil Nadu. Soon after this, Shiva Sharanas shifted to Bengaluru, and this place was called as the 4th Kalyana. Bengaluru was considered a holy place, as it had many temples and tanks (kalyanis). It is believed the name Kalyanapuri might have been derived from the word kalyani. ‘Kalyanapuri’ is also mentioned in the Karagpurana of Bengaluru Karaga. The name is also documented in a 19th century inscription found in a temple in Nagarpet,” said Rajeev Nrupathunga, a history lecturer, who started the group along with his students.
The book will give glimpses of the ‘pete’ area and its surroundings. “We have tried to trace and research local gymnasiums (garadimane), bhajan mandalis, temples, waterbodies, and major festivals. The book will also comprise old photographs and community stories, apart from history,” he said.
Manteswamy Mahakavya
The Revival Heritage Hub will also be releasing a documentary on Manteswamy Mahakavya, one of the most celebrated oral folklore figures of Karnataka, in February to showcase its richness and cultural importance.
“Manteswamy was a Veerashaiva saint, who is believed to have lived during the 15th century. He was a revolutionary figure who fought against caste-based division in society. There are many stories about him. Some see him as a man who performed miracles and fought demons and evil forces. There are stories of him uplifting communities such as the Kumbaras by breaking the monopoly of the blacksmith community over use of iron, which was essential for making agricultural tools. There are also stories that speak of connections between Manteswamy and Adi Yaduraya, the founder of the kingdom of Mysuru. We want to present these various facets on this saint’s life to the people,” said Mr. Nrupathunga.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / January 27th, 2019
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George Fernandes, the first politician from Karnataka to make it big on national stage
George Fernandes, who hailed from Mangaluru, was perhaps the first politician from the State to make it big on the national political landscape.
Though many leaders from the State held the charge of key Union Ministries before him, what set him apart from them was the mass appeal he enjoyed even outside the State. From the then Bombay to Bihar, he grew as a tall leader with mass appeal who could deliver electoral victories for his party in those turfs — a career that doesn’t seem to have any parallels in the State. “He was perhaps the only leader from the State to emerge as a national political icon for the railway strike and his underground resistance to the Emergency of the 1970s,” said his brother and politician Michael Fernandes.
Mr. George Fernandes also nursed ambitions to become the Prime Minister, says social activist Nandana Reddy, daughter of Snehalata Reddy who was closely associated with the late leader from 1954.
“He was an incredible trade union leader. Look at the way he led a three-week-long railway workers’ strike, which brought the country to a grinding halt. He had a flair for dramatics and was aware of its role to build and sustain a social movement,” she said. Recounting an anecdote, she said: “He used to say ‘1, Safdarjung Road’, where the Prime Minister then stayed was just a few steps away.”
However, it never came to be. She said that though he was a key follower of socialist Ram Manohar Lohia, he did not have a firm ideological stand needed to achieve his ambitions and him joining the NDA led by BJP betrayed this.
Though Mr. George Fernandes was mostly active on the national stage — first in Mumbai and later in north India — he remained a key figure during the Janata Party years in the State through the 1980s and ’90s.
Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, paying homage on Tuesday, said Mr. George had helped him in the beginning years of his political career. He was the key man who influenced JD(U) in the State, then led by Ramakrishna Hegde and J.H. Patel, to form a pre-poll alliance with BJP that eventually helped BJP make inroads in the State. However, in the only electoral foray he made in the State, by contesting from Bangalore North Lok Sabha constituency in the 1984 general elections, he lost to C.K. Jaffer Sharief of Congress.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Muralidhara Khajane & K.V. Aditya Bharadwaj / Bengaluru – January 30th, 2019
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This Lightning-Fast Mangaluru Artist Is Asia’s 1st Speed Painter, Finishes Painting In 3 Minutes
Painting is seen as one of most niche forms of art, but speed painting is a rare skill where an artefact is painted at a breathtaking pace. 35-year-old Vilas Nayak from Mangaluru is being hailed as Asia’s first speed painter who paints on stage in just 3 minutes.
Vilas is unique and so is his art. He had started painting when he was just 3. He began speed painting 2004.
“There was a point when I failed (in academics) and was not so confident. But when I concentrated on painting and fine arts my confidence and dedication started reflecting in academics as well. I was a rank holder in college,” smiles Vilas. “Parents often tell their children not to focus on anything else but concentrate on studies — I don’t believe in that personally. I feel your passion for anything helps you grow in every aspect,” Vilas told The New India Express..
Making your passion your profession is quite a decision as it brings many concerns including the financial ones and Vilas thinks one should always do it if he has a comfortable fall back option.
“I earn an average of one to two lakh rupees per show in India. If it’s outside the country I charge more. I do charity events for free though. When you follow your passion and work 24/7, you do have advantages too. Whatever I have earned in the last eight years, I wouldn’t have been able to earn the same at my corporate job,” he said.
Vilas had heard from someone about an artist who did the speed painting on stage 40 years ago and it triggered the hidden passion within Vilas.
“I followed it up with research over the internet and YouTube and I was inspired by Denny Dent, a US painter. I started with a small piece of paper, then moved to a bigger canvas. Facing the crowd was the biggest challenge as I grew up being an introvert kid. However, the confidence painting gives me is unexplainable,” he recalls.
He started it in 2004 and his first-speed paint took 15 minutes to get completed. But gradually, he bought his time in between three to six minutes to complete a painting.
Before he decided to breathe the art he loves every moment, Vilas was working as an HR executive in Bengaluru. He worked there for six years before quitting his job in 2011 to pursue his passion. “In 2010, I performed at a regional reality show in Karnataka, then waited one year to take part in India’s Got Talent in 2011. I was still working for IBM at that time. After the show, I waited for six more months before I finally quit my job. I wanted to see how it goes before I took such a massive step and start speed-painting full-time,” says Vilas.
Vilas was the finalist of the third season of India’s Got Talent and also the winner of ‘EC live quotient Most Innovative Act Award’ 2012 and he currently one of the known speed painting artists in the world. “After eight years of performing as a speed painter professionally, now the challenge is to come up with different themes and paintings for each show in a very short span of time. I am almost always travelling. It gives me extremely less time to ponder and come up with something unique every time,” he says, adding, “Every show is different too. What I paint at a college show it would not be the same as what it would be at a corporate event or a fundraiser. There’s a different crowd each time, they have separate vibes and that needs to be kept in mind while painting.”
For the budding artists and people who want to follow their passion, Vilas advised, “Take risks but calculated ones. You can’t just quit your job with no backup plan when you wish to do something ambitious. Follow your heart but use your brain too in the process. At the end of the day, you have to come back home and eat something to fill your stomach,” says Vilas. “I have seen a lot of aspiring artists just take to it because they have interest. One must have the right aptitude for it too. Thus, spend more time with yourself because that’s how you know what you are actually good at.”
source: http://www.indiatimes.com / IndiaTimes / Home> News> India / by Maninder Dabas / January 25th, 2019
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Cyclists create a Guinness World Record in Hubballi
1,235 of them pedal a 4-km stretch in a single line
As the nation celebrated the 70th Republic Day, hundreds of cyclists from across the country landed in Hubballi to pedal 4 km in a single line to set a new Guinness record and make the country proud.
In all, 1,500 cyclists from places such as Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka congregated in Hubballi on Saturday for the attempt. Finally, 1,235 of them made it to the Guinness World Records for “the longest single line bicycles parade”
The earlier record was in the name of Bangladesh, where 1,186 cyclists had pedalled in a single line for 3.2 km in 2016. Hubballi Bicycle Club (HBC), in association with cyclists from across the country and various organisations, had been planning meticulously for the last six months for the attempt and they succeeded on Saturday evening.
Official adjudicator of Guinness World Records Swapnil Dangarikar announced that a new record had been created and handed over the certificate to president of the HBC Shrikant Deshpande and other office-bearers as the cyclists and a large number of people cheered and applauded.
Although the record attempt began in the afternoon with 1,500 cyclists above the age of 15, the first attempt failed as the requisite distance between cyclists and speed was not maintained. Subsequently, several cyclists were dropped and the record attempt began with 1,235 cyclists, who then pedalled to glory by cycling the 4-km stretch between Oxford College on the outskirts of Hubballi to Kusugal on National Highway 218.
The record attempt was part of the Cyclotsava organised to mark the Republic Day with the message ‘Respect cyclists’. It was also aimed at creating awareness on the benefits of cycling on personal health and in reducing carbon footprint.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Hubballi – January 28th, 2019