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44th All-India Sociological Conference begins in Mysuru

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Sociology expert Margaret Abraham speaking at the 44th All-India Sociological Conference in Mysuru on Thursday. | Photo Credit: M.A. SRIRAM
Sociology expert Margaret Abraham speaking at the 44th All-India Sociological Conference in Mysuru on Thursday. | Photo Credit: M.A. SRIRAM

Sociologist and scholar Gail Omvedt said on Thursday that the world was going through a period of turmoil, with democracies being trampled by the State in various countries.

She was speaking after receiving the lifetime achievement award presented on the first day of the 44th All-India Sociological Conference at St. Philomena’s College here.

Prof. Omvedt said sociologists should find out the reason for this condition. “Sociologists should adopt a multi-disciplinary approach based on the relationship between humans and nature, women’s liberation, non-class relations such as caste, race and gender, along with class and culture. The contribution of Mahatma Phule, B.R. Ambedkar, and Periyar should be integrated into the theoretical discourse,” she added. Prof. M.N. Karna was also felicitated and presented with a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to sociology .

Earlier in the day, Margaret Abraham, professor of sociology, Hofstra University, New York, in her inaugural address, stressed the importance of providing perspectives from the margins in knowledge production and sociological engagements. She said there was a critical need for sociologists to examine the issues of inequality and injustice.

The theme of the three-day conference is ‘Reconstructing Sociological Discourse in India: Perspectives from the Margins’. According to the organisers, the conference will address questions such as how often the sociological discourse in India has engaged in bringing to the “centre” perspectives of those who live on the margins. The scholars will also deliberate upon the popular concepts of marginality, the kind of identities that dominate the discourse, and whether there can be a universally accepted notion of marginality in Indian society.

On Friday, the Prof. M.N. Srinivas Memorial Lecture on Sociological Imagination and Literary Sensitivity will be delivered by N. Jayaram, visiting professor, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, at 11.20 a.m.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – December 26th, 2018

Home is where his service is needed

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ShivajiBF27dec2018

Shivaji Chatrappa Kaganikar travels from village to village helping people

Shivaji Chatrappa Kaganikar has no place he can call home. But every place is home for this social worker who has has served Belagavi district for nearly five decades in several fields.

Shivaji Kaka, as he is fondly called, has just turned 70 and was recently given the Devaraj Urs Award.

Born to poor landless shepherds at Kadoli village in Belagavi district, Shivaji Kaka had a difficult childhood. He took odd jobs all along his school and college days to support his family. He briefly joined a PSU as an assistant after BSc., but his calling was something else.

Influenced by Pune-based Gandhian and Sarvodaya activist Sane Guruji, he travelled to Maharashtra to meet Guruji and Vinoba Bhave. Back in Belagavi, he found a group of social workers, including Srirang Kamat, Sadashivrao Bhosle and Ram Apte, and got down to work.

Mr. Kamat, who headed the Belagavi district Khadi Sangha, offered him a job as a gobar gas technician. Shivaji Kaka did the job so well that within five years, half the families in the villages of Kattanbavi and Nagenahatti had adopted gobar gas plants. “They were erected 40 years ago. Nine out of them are still working,” Shivaji Kaka says with pride.

He later worked on promoting watershed development in various places and the water-scarce village of Kattanbavi now has enough water to support three crops, thanks to his efforts. Lakhs of trees were planted through ‘shramadana’ (contributory labour) inspired by Shivaji Kaka. “What is more important is that most of them are surviving. It means that people who planted them took care of them too,” he says.

Later, as a volunteer of the adult education programme in the ‘70s, he opened hundreds of literacy centres and evening schools for women and farm labourers. He helped set up scores of anganwadis too. He led anti-arrack protests in several villages.

He continues to guide farmers in watershed development or permaculture.

Currently, he spends most of his time organising MNREGA workers. Apart from the Zilla Khadi Sangha, Shivaji Kaka’s work has been supported by German funding agencies, the Tata Trust and NGOs such as Jana Jagaran and Jivan Vivek Pratishtan.

‘No permanent address’

Sharad Gopal, of Jagruta Mahila Okkoota, says: “He does not have a phone or a permanent address. Whenever he has to make a call, he stops anyone, literally anyone in the street, or enters any shop and requests them if he can use their phone and they are more than willing,” she says.

It is difficult to find him in one village after two days. He keeps moving. “That is because there is work to be done in every village,” says Shivaji Kaka.

Does he ever feel sad about some youngsters not being worried about environment destruction or other crucial issues? “No. Sane Guruji taught us that we should do our work and not worry about tomorrow,” he says, with an unpretentious smile.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnatka / by Rishikesh Bahadur Desai / Belagavi – December 26th, 2018

Sulagitti Narasamma laid to rest with state honours

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Padma Shri Award winner Sulagitti Narasamma was laid to rest with state honours at Gangasandra in Tumakuru on Wednesday evening.

Sulagitti Narasamma, 97, a native of Krishnapura in Pavagada taluk of Tumakuru district had conducted thousands of deliveries as a midwife free of cost in the rural areas of Pavagada taluk.

She passed away at BGS hospital in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

The body was kept at Glass House in Tumakuru for the public to pay tributes. Several Ministers and former Ministers paid their respects to the departed soul.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Tumakaru – December 26th, 2018

Organic mela, Chitra Santhe on December 30

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment
Mysuru Karnataka: 23-12-2018: Mysuru Winter Festival Logo | Photo Credit: M_A_SRIRAM
Mysuru Karnataka: 23-12-2018: Mysuru Winter Festival Logo | Photo Credit: M_A_SRIRAM

Over 60 farmers and women’s groups likely to set up stalls

The Krishnaraja boulevard in front of the Law Court complex here will be converted into an organic farm produce mela between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on December 30 as part of the ongoing Mysuru Winter Festival.

An estimated 60 to 80 organic farmers and women’s groups are expected to set up stalls on one side of the boulevard, starting from Mahatma Gandhi’s bust in front of Law Court complex till the Crawford Hall premises.

Deputy Director of Agriculture, Mysuru, Somashekar told The Hindu that organic farm produce and value-added millet products will be available at the mela.

Ramesh, president of the Federation of Mysuru, Mandya and Chamarajanagar Regional Organic Farmers’ Association, said about 35 different organic items, including rice, ragi, jaggery, pulses, spices, dry fruits, besides value-added eatables like chakli and chutney powder, will be made available. Mr. Ramesh said the federation is represented by more than 6,000 organic farmers from the three districts, besides scores of women’s self-help groups that deal in value addition of the organic produce.

Chitra Santhe

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Krishnaraja boulevard, a Chitra Santhe or exhibition-cum-sale of artefacts will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Mysuru district administration has cancelled the Open Street festival during the ensuing Winter Festival in the backdrop of complaints of alleged harassment and molestation of women during the event held at Krishnaraja boulevard during Dasara earlier this year.

In view of the complaints, the district administration has not only scrapped the Open Street festival, but has also issued instructions to wind up Chitra Santhe and the mela by 5 p.m.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – December 24th, 2018

11th-century Chalukya era sculptures found in Gadag district

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Sculptures  and inscriptions dating back to 11th century have been unearthed at a heritage site in Lakkundi of Gadag district.

Idols and sculptures unearthed at Lakkundi in Gadag district on Sunday
Idols and sculptures unearthed at Lakkundi in Gadag district on Sunday

Lakkundi, Gada  :

Sculptures  and inscriptions dating back to 11th century have been unearthed at a heritage site in Lakkundi of Gadag district. Jain sculptures belonging to Kalyani Chalukya-era were found when workers were digging earth to lay the foundation for a toilet on Sunday evening.

Lakkundi, the historic village located 12 km from Gadag, is known for heritage structures and step wells, also known as kalyanis. The area where the sculptures and inscriptions are found is located near Naganath temple. The findings include sculptures of Yaksha and Saraswati, Tirthankaras idols, three unclear inscriptions and many broken sculptures. Somanayak Bilekudari, who has been constructing a house near Naganath temple for the last three months, said his labourers told him about finding a stone, which looked like a part of temple. ‘Then we slowly cleared the mud and found sculptures one after another.

We informed the officials and more number of idols were discovered after that,” he said. “We found sculptures at a depth of six-feet and immediately informed the Archaeological Department. We are from Lakkundi. Hence, we know the value of each and every sculpture. Many sculptures and inscriptions are hidden beneath Lakkundi,” he added. After hearing the news about finding old sculptures, several people from surrounding villages and Gadag city started thronging the spot.

Assistant Archaeologist Prasannakumar from Dharwad Archaeology Survey of India and B Pramod of Gadag Archaeological Department visited Lakkundi and examined sculptures and took them into their custody. Speaking to TNIE, Pramod Bingi, senior conservation assistant director of Archaeology Department, said, “We got more than 50 broken sculptures and three inscriptions. Most of them belong to Jainism and they may be belonged to Kalyani Chalukya reign.

We are examining all in detail and it will take about a week to examine them by history experts.” The history lovers from Gadag are demanding a systematic excavation in Lakkundi. “Earlier the place had layers of fort, which are now missing. A road has come up in between the heritage structures, causing threat to the monuments, which are thousands of year old,” said a social worker from Gadag.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Raghotta M. Koppar / Express News Service / December 26th, 2018