Monthly Archives: August 2019

This government school science teacher wins hearts by his unique teaching method

Shashikumar BS gets his students to jot down their own notes based on what they have learnt in the laboratory instead of dictating.

Shashikumar BS at the Government High School in Yelekyathanahalli village in Nelamangala taluk | Express
Shashikumar BS at the Government High School in Yelekyathanahalli village in Nelamangala taluk | Express

Bengaluru :

The distance and extended hours of teaching after school hours have not dampened his dedication towards his students. Shashikumar BS (42) travels 60 km to and fro each day from his home in Tumakuru to Yelekyathanahalli village in Nelamangala taluk on his two-wheeler to teach at the Government High School.

Fondly called ‘Shashi sir’ by students, he is among the two from Karnataka who will receive the national award for teachers from the Union Human Resource Development Ministry on September 5. Shashikumar, along with 45 other teachers, will also be meeting PM Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind on September 3 and 4.

Hailing from Tumakuru, Shashikumar is an MSc, MPhil and BEd graduate and has previously worked at the Morarji Desai Residential School and other government schools. At present, he works  as an assistant teacher at the school in Yelekyathanahalli village. Shashikumar not just inspires his students to do well in Science, but was also instrumental in setting up a Science lab.

His speciality is that he does not dictate notes to students, but instead gets them to jot down their own notes based on what they have learnt in the laboratory. This  helps them in exams. He also tells his students to make presentations on particular topics and uses technology aids. “Mere textbooks will not interest students,” he said. After school hours, he not just takes special classes for Class 10 students, but also drops them home.

Shashikumar organises Science-themed rangoli competitions. “I make my students draw kidneys, heart, lungs and other diagrams. The students’ creativity comes to the fore,” he said. For instance, while teaching the process of osmosis, he uses potato and water mixed with sugar. “I set up everything and show them videos too,” he said.

Shashikumar also creates awareness on plastic usage, water management, etc, among the students.“After school hours, we take special classes for Class 10 students. At present, we have 16 students in the class. I drop off those who come from far-off places or pay for the autorickshaw ride as classes go on till 6.30 pm.  Ever since I joined this school about eight years ago, we have got close to 100 per cent results in SSLC. I am proud that my students are scoring 92 to 95 marks in Science. All these students are from economically-weak backgrounds. My school teacher kindled an interest in Science in me and I am just passing it to the next generation,’’ he added.

Dr Nareshachari, who is studying MD in Emergency Medicine at Mysuru, was his student at the Morarji Desai school. “Shashi sir was the one who inspired me to take up Science. The manner in which he taught Science was inspiring. I am happy and proud my teacher is getting the award, he deserves it,’’ he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Ashwini M. Sripad / Express News Service / August 30th, 2019

How artist Ravi Kashi pushes the frontiers

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Acclaimed artiste Ravi Kashi says he responds to his times with imagery that is poetic and suggestive, he does not believe in being direct

Order and chaos meet here. Pragmatism and innovation walk parallel to each other. Ideas are researched, moulded, shaped, changed and rethought. At times, concepts work and at others, they remain unresolved. It is for a good reason that Ravi Kashi calls his studio a working lab. It is a space where he invites students and young artists generously for sharing of knowledge and to even try their hand at paper-making. A rented three room house in Nagarbhavi that functions as his studio, has a mini pulp-beater, ready paper pulp in several containers, a variety of handcrafted papers, his books, book objects, catalogues, colours, brushes, and all other paraphernalia needed by an artist. And of course, paintings, what he trained to be in the 90s, after pursuing BFA and MFA from Chitrakala Parishath in Bengaluru and MS University Baroda, respectively.

We enter his studio to find a painting in progress along with a few paper sculptures that have been put to dry. It is almost after a decade that Ravi has come back to paintings. All this while, the paper kept him preoccupied. “My paintings had become predictable. Now when I have my show of paintings, most probably next year, they will be different,” says Ravi.

For someone who is acutely conscious of stagnation and repetition, Ravi has always strived to push the frontiers so much so that he chose a niche medium like paper. The lure to sell and pander to the market was way less stronger than the urge to “enjoy the process”. Even with the medium of paper, Ravi didn’t stop at any one thing. Over the years, he has experimented with art books, book objects, and photo-books. His studio is filled with papers made with an array of fibres – Abaca, Daphne, Montbretia, Arecanut, Banana, Daphne bark, Hanji paper of Korea and tea-stained paper.

The tactility of paper fills him with joy him but more than that it is the challenge of working with what seems like a flat surface. “I make sculptural forms, objects, and installations out of it. Paper seems like a flat surface, but it is not. Paper is so versatile. I keep discovering different aspects to it,” the artist expresses.

The call of art For Ravi Kashi, the lure to sell and pander to the market was way less stronger than the urge to enjoy the process Photos cover and centre spread: Sampath Kumar G.P. | Photo Credit: G_P_Sampath Kumar
The call of art For Ravi Kashi, the lure to sell and pander to the market was way less stronger than the urge to enjoy the process Photos cover and centre spread: Sampath Kumar G.P. | Photo Credit: G_P_Sampath Kumar

Invitation to an artist’s studio is exclusive and even more special is the opportunity to try your hand at an artistic process. Ravi encourages me to make sheets and discover the joys of paper-making for myself.

In large rectangular containers floats the paper-pulp. A window-screen attached to a wooden frame is dunked into the container and lifted out. This frame is usually referred to as mould and deckle. On a table is spread a fine white cloth. After detaching the wooden frame, the window screen is pressed against the cloth. The sheet transfers on to it. Another white cloth is kept over it and water is drained out with the help of sponge wipes. The paper is most malleable at this stage so you can create impressions and textures with the help of different objects. Ravi hands me colourful tassels and threads which I cut and sprinkle over the wet sheet. A roller is moved embedding them all.

Learning the ropes

Ravi first came across paper-making at Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum in Bengaluru as a 12-year-old, and found himself drawn to it. Later, at Kanoria Centre for Arts in Baroda, he saw a paper-making workshop in progress. Back home in Bengaluru, Ravi discovered ‘Vishwaneedam’, a Khadi handmade paper making unit near his house. He would buy ready pulp from there and use it in his work. “Around 1997-98 I started using this recycled pulp for casting various objects/forms. One such work called ‘Encounter’ got me the National Academy award.”

Ravi considers his visit to Glasgow School of Art on a Charles Wallace Grant, a turning point in his career. “My teacher Jacki Parry, a printmaker, and fibre artist was a faculty member in Printmaking Department and the paper-making unit was attached to the sculpture department, which was far away. So, every week we would fix a time when she could come and teach me the intricacies of the medium. At the end of the term, I had a show in the faculty. After returning, I continued using the medium and had several shows of paper-based works.”

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That wasn’t enough. After discovering the Hanji Paper during the Korean International Art Fair, Ravi decided to learn the technique. After much research, he zeroed in on a practitioner, Seang Woo residing in a small remote village Jang Ji Bang, located on the border of North Korea. Ravi lived there for a month learning not just to make Hanji but also Washi, the Japanese paper. “Hanji is a special paper out of Mulberry bark and it’s made organically. The sheet making is very different. Like here, I took out the sheet in one go but in Korean technique, you make six different and very thin layers. That becomes one part of the sheet. There are 12 layers in one Hanji sheet. It was quite strange for people there that someone from that far has come to learn papermaking. TV channels came to interview me,” recalls the artist.

Booked for life

Ravi wasn’t aware of the format of artist’s books until he saw it abroad. Today, he participates in artists’ book fairs and triennials across the world and a few of his works have been acquired by important collectors, foundations and museums. He makes his books using his own handmade paper. The books are either sheets bound together or cast in the shape of a book. “In my books, images and text are sometimes drawn; many times a relief image is created in clay and later converted into pulp, casting from a prepared mould and occasionally transferred from a photocopy. In some of my books like ‘Banana and the sword’, I have tried to reinterpret the palm leaf manuscripts format from ancient India. In other works like ‘This is the way the world ends’ I have adopted the accordion format along with a few unconventional approaches to bookmaking, but most of my artists’ books retain the form of a book.”

In a book done in the watermark technique, he shows two people arguing. Sometimes, they become a victim and at other times, aggressor as they play the game of blaming and defending. His minimalistic artistic books often draw from more intimate aspects of life like human relations. Even Ravi’s book objects, photo-books, relief work arouse philosophical concerns that borrow from punch cards used in the earliest computers; grids, unfocused photos in terms of imagery.

Reclaiming to find newer meanings

There is also a penchant for words. They first appeared diligently in his paintings and remain an integral part of his paper works too. The reason for this is rooted in Ravi’s fondness for literature. The artist makes use of words, phrases, sentences and alters them to find new meanings just like the images he would reclaim from popular culture, particularly in his earlier paintings.

Small glass cabinet, boat, and several other found objects go through the same ritual. The references are made cleverly with metaphors and personal and universal are ensconced in layers. A take on power and aggression is portrayed by painting an array of loudspeakers, big and small, suspended from a ceiling.

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“Even if there is political content, it is suggestive. I am not an activist artist in that sense. I respond to my times but the imagery is poetic and suggestive and it is not so direct that the minute the event is over, my work will be irrelevant. Any artwork has to first succeed as an artwork because they have to survive longer cycles.”

Teaching and writing

After art making comes the other two loves of his life teaching and writing. According to the versatile artist, the strands connect to complete the narrative.

After completing his MFA from Baroda, Ravi pursued Masters in English from Mysore University. He is probably the only visual artist to have got a Sahitya Kala Akademi award for his writing. His two books written in Kannada, Anuktaand Kannele were seminal writings on Indian art that won him acclaim. Kannele got fetched him the Karnataka Sahitya Kala Akademi Award in 2015.

His third book “Flexing Muscles”, published by Reliable Copy, is an observation of the culture of flex banners in the city through an essay in Kannada/English and images. It will be released in September.

He has been a visiting faculty at RV College of Architecture where he teaches visual design, and visual creativity. In 2015, he also taught one semester open course in Art Appreciation at Azim Premji university.

Teaching helps him in several ways – firstly, keeping in touch with the younger generation keeps him updated and also supplements his income. “The kind of work I do doesn’t sell much, but I need resources in order to practise. Teaching also helps because when you have to tell someone else you need to be doubly sure. It enriches my art too. Something, I am trying in my studio will go to the classroom and vice-versa.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Art / by Shailaja Tripathi / August 29th, 2019

I want to provoke a happy, heady conversation among people: Artist Paul Fernandes

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Paul’s lovely sketches of Bengaluru’s Swinging Seventies have been chosen by the Department of Posts for postcards and a special cover

A cartoonist, illustrator or an artist equipped with a brush for story telling? As one walks into Paul Fernandes’ studio and gallery, aPaulogy in Richards Town, one comes across several examples of his talent.

The outer walls has a series tracing Bengaluru’s transition from a pensioner’s paradise to the garden city and then the overcrowding thanks to the IT boom. In another corner his art is tucked into old window frames picked up from a junk yard in Shivajinagar. Inside the gallery, one is overwhelmed with the range of Paul’s works displayed on walls, racks and tables. Doors, mugs, coasters and bags sporting prints of his cartoons and illustrations are aesthetically showcased.

A resident of Bengaluru since 1948 when he was born, Paul highlights the city and its life in his works. The artist uses colours to enhance his story telling.

Beyond black and white

“I don’t keep my illustrations in black and white. I use colour and words to strengthen and communicate. My style is an extension of not only art that I studied at the Faculty of Fine Art Baroda but also sensibilities I absorbed from my mentor Peter Colaco, a musician and writer, who chronicled Bengaluru in his book,” says Paul as he takes you through his drawings.

For 71-year-old Paul, showcasing the city through art was more about highlighting the lives of the people who make up Bengaluru. “I work towards a style that can adapt, grow and be refreshing. It is a process where a cartoon looks like a painting. One has to look at the painting longer to enjoy their perspective. This bridging of space makes the cartoon a story-telling exercise,” says Paul whose illustrations are known for their descriptive clarity.

Works of Paul Fernandes   | Photo Credit: SAMPATH KUMAR GP
Works of Paul Fernandes | Photo Credit: SAMPATH KUMAR GP

His art works cover the coast of Mangalore and parts of Kerala and Goa too.

There are thousands of illustrations in watercolour that depict not just a languid, sleepy Bengaluru but hangouts in a gentle city – essentially the swinging 70s, unpolluted, dreamy in its outlook, with tree lined roads.

“I want to provoke a happy, heady conversation amongst people. I hope people come up with their own stories after they see my art,” says Paul.

Paul owns a studio in Mumbai too as people’s response to art he says is equally forthcoming there.

“I travelled from Mangalore to Kerala by scooter to observe people in the outskirts. The chemistry in Bengaluru, Mumbai or Goa has its own flavour. Looking to bringing them all out is what makes my illustrations different,” he says.

Paul’s illustration of the old BRV Theatre or the Bangalore Rifle Volunteers Canteen on Cubbon Road has multiple images that collectively bring out the mood of the era. “Ideas have to be drawn into compositional poetry,” he says. In the 1970s Paul found Ulsoor Lake and Vidhana Soudha giving him the required peace and quiet to work. “When you draw Vidhana Soudha, it is good, but when you add ‘built in 1956,’ it gets friendlier.”

Other memorable illustrations include those of MG Road with Chit Chat ice cream parlour and the photo studio, EGK & Sons, a horse-drawn tonga at on South Parade, the bustling Koshy’s of 1952, Plaza Theatre and Victoria Hotel.

“Be it Chor Bazaar in Mumbai or Airlines Hotel in Bengaluru, every space has its ambience. Sometimes I prescribe myself ‘people-less’ days to reflect, recharge and focus,” says Paul.

What defines his art? “Humour that I see in every situation, even in dry buildings,” says Paul explaining that this mood helped him zero-in on the name aPaulogy for his gallery.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu  / Home> Entertainment> Art / by Ranjani Govind / August 28th, 2019

Art school turns 100

Founded in Bengaluru in 1919 by A N Subba Rao, Kalamandir pioneered art education in Karnataka, produced distinguished artists, and encouraged experimentation.

Kalamandir School of Arts is now located in Hanumantha Nagar.
Kalamandir School of Arts is now located in Hanumantha Nagar.

Kalamandir, Karnataka’s first fine arts school, was founded in Bengaluru in 1919. It entered its centenary year on August 12, and marked it with a two-day cultural festival at Ravindra Kalashetra.

Founded by A N Subba Rao, a farmer’s son who developed sophisticated artistic skills, Kalamandir is now run by his grandchildren A M Prakash and Gowri Dattu. Many generations of the family are immersed in the arts, with Subba Rao’s great granddaughter M D Pallavi being a well-known singer and actor.

The school has evolved into a premier institution offering art, literature and drama courses.

Prakash heads the art section while Gowri takes care of Abhinaya Taranga, the school’s theatre wing.

For art and people 

Gowri remembers Subba Rao’s ceaseless energy. “I had never seen him sitting idle at home,” is the first thing she says when Metrolife asks her what she remembers of his days.

Distinguished people, such as writer Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, used to visit the school and discuss ideas with him.

“Masti used to bring along chocolates, while grandfather had chakli and kodbale with him. They used to give it to us,” she says.

Founder A N Subba Rao
Founder A N Subba Rao

Subba Rao was inspired by Gandhian ideals, and on one occasion, helped a prostitute marry. Back in the day, the police used to shave off the heads of prostitutes they had caught.

“My grandfather helped one such woman. He gave her a place to stay and found her a groom and got her married. He helped many people and artists this way; he was a people’s man,” she recalls.

But he could also be short-tempered. “That was probably because he used to add so much salt to his food,” Gowri says, laughing.

School’s philosophy

In 1918, Subba Rao was a drawing teacher at Bishop Cotton School. He didn’t like the syllabus. On the advice of legendary engineer M Visvesvaraya, he resigned and started Kalamandir.

Kalamandir was founded at a time when art wasn’t seen as an academic discipline.

Gandhi’s Swadeshi movement was everywhere, and job opportunities were few and far between.

The thought of helping people turn art into a profession occurred to Subba Rao, and he began his school with just four students.

Start with Signboards

Since painting wasn’t popular as a profession, he started off by teaching students to paint signboards in an artistic way.

“Painting signboards was a source of income since every shop needed one back then. He used to teach art through that,” says Prakash.

Subba Rao believed art had to be pursued as a livelihood and not just for art’s sake. “The concept of earn while you learn is picking up now, but my grandfather pioneered it in the 1920s,” he says.

Subba Rao encouraged many young women to take up art. One of them, Kanaka Murthy, is now a world-renowned sculptor.

“He felt they shouldn’t just be in the kitchen, and this was 1919,” Prakash says.

Subba Rao was also firm on teaching the basics to help students develop an aesthetic sense. “You could say the foundation for visual arts as an academic subject were laid by him,” Prakash says.

Subba Rao came to Bengaluru on a cycle and built Karnataka’s first fine arts school. He fought for the inclusion of art in primary education.

“He never bribed the government for the school’s smooth functioning. All the funds came from his friends and art enthusiasts. Now, we just follow his footsteps to promote art,” Prakash told Metrolife.

Subba Rao (extreme right) with his students.
Subba Rao (extreme right) with his students.

About the school

Kalamandir is affiliated to Kannada University, Hampi.

The school offers a four-year bachelor’s degree course in visual arts that covers drawing, painting, life study, sculpting, graphic design and digital art.

Kalamandir School of Arts is located on A N Subba Rao Road, 5th Cross, Hanumantha Nagar. Phone 080 2660 6861; email kalamandirschool@gmail.com

Alumni

Rumale Channabasavaiah, Venkatachalapathi, B K S Varma, S S Kukke, S R Swamy, Venkatachalapathi, Rajeev Taranath, Kanaka Murhty, and M S Murthy are among the many distinguished students of Kalamandir.

At the event

Kalamandir hosted a two-day event to mark the 100th year milestone last weekend. Artists and art students thronged to the Ravindra Kalakshetra to catch the celebrations. Panel discussions and plays were presented. The lobby had an  exhibition on the life and times of Subba Rao and Kalamandir.

First arts magazine

Between 1930 and 1934, Subba Roa published ‘Kala’, the first-ever magazine in Kannada to cover art, music, painting, dance and theatre.

School locations

– Sugreeva temple, Balepet, in 1919

– Moved to Sharada talkies in 1938

– DVG Road in Gandhi Bazaar in 1944

– Hanumatha Nagar 1978-present

First to host all-India art shows

For the first time in Karnataka’s history, Subba Rao organised the All India Exhibition of Art, Photography and Handicrafts, featuring the works of students and artists from all over the country. He organised it thrice—in 1921, 1927 and 1932.

“He was the first around here to consider photography a visual art form,” says Prakash.

Sir Mirza Ismail, dewan of the erstwhile Mysore state, inaugurated the first exhibition. The second and third editions were inaugurated by Raja Jai Bahadur Singh of Nepal and Durrusehvar Sultan of Hyderabad respectively.

The current generation is still amused by how Subba Rao got in touch with royalty and high officials to invite them to the school’s events. “His invite was a simple handwritten postcard. His handwriting was beautiful. Dewan Mirza Ismail was impressed by his handwriting and attended the event. He also made a speech and granted Rs 50 to the school,” he says.

Gandhi Bazaar of the 1970s

For many decades, Kalamandir functioned from the first floor of a building on DVG Road in Gandhi Bazaar. The school was a cultural hub.

“Girish Karnad read his first play there. P Lankesh’s plays were practised here. Kalamandir was a rehearsal space for them,” says Gowri Dattu, granddaughter of founder Subba Rao.

Kalamandir was a space for healthy discussions on art and literature. “We grew up in a culturally rich environment, even though we didn’t understand everything they were talking about,” she says.

Gandhi’s visit

Also a promoter of khadi, Subba Rao taught block printing on khadi, along with his fine arts courses.

When Gandhi was visiting Bengaluru, the well-known Kannada writer Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar and Subba Rao wanted him to visit Kalamandir.

Subba Rao painted a piece on khadi woven by Gandhi with his own hands. He displayed it at a khadi art exhibition.

Annie Besant, a leader of the freedom struggle, inaugurated the exhibition. On her insistence, Gandhi visited Kalamandir, which was in the Majestic area then.

“This is how he showed the power of art. It wasn’t a fancy school, but he made big names come to this simple school,” says Prakash.

Challenges

Finance and space are the constraints the school faces today. “It is not a commercial institution. We try to provide our students with everything. If the government takes note of our history and helps us, it would be great,” says Prakash, who now helms Kalamandir.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Metrolife / by Malini Raghu, DH News Service, Bengaluru / August 27th, 2019

Scholar B.V. Mallapur passes away at 96

B.V. Mallapur
B.V. Mallapur

He has several works to his credit

Eminent Kannada scholar, author and academic B.V. Mallapur (96) died at a private hospital here on Monday.

Mallapur served as professor at the R.C. Hiremath Kannada Study Centre of Karnatak University, Dharwad.

A native of Itagi village in Ron taluk of Gadag district, he had graduated from Osmania University, Hyderabad, and obtained Ph.D for his thesis on Nayasena.

Then, he served as lecturer at Karnatak College and Gulbarga University. He retired as reader from Karnatak University.

Later, he wrote and edited several works of academic and intellectual interest.

His major works are Nayasena, and his works (Karnataka University 1978), Jagatika Kelavu Darshanekaru – Basavanna (2011), Vimarsha Sampada (2011), Anupama Charita Sampada (2010), Janapada Sampada (2010), Samshodhana Sampada (2010), Sri Kumareeshvara Purana in prose (2010), Sudharnava – 3 (2007), among others.

His final rites were held at the Karnatak University graveyard here in the evening.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Dharwad – August 20th, 2019

Bags IARDO Award

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Dr. Sr. Ann Mary, Head, Department of History, Teresian College, Siddarthanagar, receiving IARDO (International Association of Research and Developed Organisation) Award for Best Researcher in Social Science at the International Award Conference on ‘Multidisciplinary Research and Latest Innovation’ (India Education Charitable Trust, Ghaziabad) held in association with Gurukul Institute of Engineering and Technology, Kota, in The International Centre, Panjim, Goa, recently.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Gallery> Photo News / August 27th, 2019

City sculpts its way into Guinness book

The event was organised by Shree Vidyaranya Yuvaka Sangha in a bid to promote the use of clay Ganesha idols this year.

Children try their hand at moulding a Ganesha idol at National College Grounds in Basavanagudi, on Sunday. People from various walks of life and all age groups participated in the event to create a new record of the most number of people sculpting with model clay | Meghana Sastry
Children try their hand at moulding a Ganesha idol at National College Grounds in Basavanagudi, on Sunday. People from various walks of life and all age groups participated in the event to create a new record of the most number of people sculpting with model clay | Meghana Sastry

Bengaluru :

A new Guinness World Record has been created in Bengaluru. Giving a massive boost to an eco-friendly Ganesha festival, 2,138 people gathered at the National College Grounds to sculpt their own clay Ganesha and created the new record on Sunday.  The event was organised by Shree Vidyaranya Yuvaka Sangha in a bid to promote the use of clay Ganesha idols this year.

Adjudicator Swapnil Dangarikar from Guinness World Book of Records, said, “The previous record was of 589 people sculpting with model clay. This event has broken all the records with 2,138 people gathering and the category which it comes under is ‘Most people sculpting with Model Clay’. We have certified the record. This is a great achievement and this initiative should continue as this is the need of the hour.”
People of all age groups from various areas in Bengaluru gathered to make their own clay seed Ganesha idols. Once the immersion of the clay idol is complete, the seeds will germinate and plants will grow out of it.

Seven-year-old Jeevitha Shree from SR Nagar said, “Though it is a Sunday, we came to participate in this because we wanted to make our own clay Ganesha. I will take the idol home and perform pooja on Ganesha Chaturthi.”

Two sculptors taught the participants how to make Ganesha which was streamed on 5 LED screens. There were 50 volunteers from Fine Arts College of Bengaluru, Mysuru and Chikkamagaluru who helped the people in sculpting. About 800 kgs of clay was bought from Pottery Town for the event with 5 kg of Tulsi seeds from Chikkamagaluru.

Chinmayer C from BMS College of Women who has spastic paralysis also participated. “We got to know about this event from our college. I enrolled myself as I wanted to learn how to make clay Ganesha so that every year I can do it myself. We must go eco-friendly on every festival,” Chinmayer said.
Director of  Shree Vidyaranya Yuvaka Sangha Nandish S M said, “We have been celebrating Ganesha Utsav from the past 57 years and each year we make sure no plastic is used. I’m so glad we got such huge numbers and that Bengaluru made a record.

Mayor Gangambike 

Mallikarjun and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) Chairman K Sudhakar attended the event and also sculpted an idol. “It is my first time at making a clay Ganesha and I really enjoyed making it. We even start feeling connected to it once we make our own.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Iffath Fathima /Express News Service / August 26th, 2019

IIHR develops light trap suction method to get rid of tomato pest

We have been popularising the technology among farmers by training them in it. We’ve had farmers from Kolar, Andhra Pradesh border, Maharashtra and other states as well.

The light trap method that was developed by the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research to kill pests that ruin tomato crops | Express
The light trap method that was developed by the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research to kill pests that ruin tomato crops | Express

Bengaluru :

The Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, established by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR-IIHR) recently developed ‘light trap’, a method to kill or get rid of a relatively unknown pest called Tuta Absoluta, that affects tomatoes.

Studies were conducted in a tomato polyhouse and the method proved successful in trapping insects. Tuta Absoluta is a South American moth that rapidly began spreading in India in 2014. It can lead to loss of 100 per cent yield of tomatoes.

“When we conducted studies, we found that these insects get attracted to the colour yellow. We designed a system where an incandescent light bulb is placed above the plant to attract both male and female insects. Soap water or water containing pesticide is placed at the bottom. Alternatively, a suction is placed with a mesh below, instead of the soapy water bowl. The insects get attracted to the light, hit the surface, lose balance and fall into the mesh or bowl,” said Dr V Sridhar, principal scientist and secretary, Division of Entomology and Nematology, IIHR.

“We applied for a patent a few days ago but have already shared the technology with farmers from across the country,” Sridhar said, adding, “The same technology can be used in open conditions with a few modifications. For one acre, four or five light traps are enough. Tuta is more active from 7-11pm. The light-cum-suction trap is being patented. Suction mechanism enhances the trapping efficiency of adult insects.”

Though tomato is the main host, Tuta can also attack other hosts, like potato, eggplant, tobacco etc. Young larvae mine into tomato leaves, apical buds, stalks or fruits. Feeding results in blotches and pinholes on fruit which are generally covered with the frass (excrement of larvae). In one to two months, the technology will be commercially available. This method is part of a larger Integrated Pest Management (IPM) module developed by the institute.

“We have been popularising the technology among farmers by training them in it. We’ve had farmers from Kolar, Andhra Pradesh border, Maharashtra and other states as well. As this is an emerging insect, not many farmers are aware of it. It can multiply in lakhs within one week. This can cut down cost and affect chemical sprays used by farmers,” said another scientist from the institute.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Ranjani Madhavan / Express News Service / August 26th, 2019