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Karnataka advocate appointed Additional Solicitor General of India
Senior advocate K M Nataraj has been appointed Additional Solicitor General of India (ASGI) for the SC by the President with effect from Jan 14.
According to the notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice, Nataraj will serve in the said post till June 30, 2020, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
He served as Additional Advocate General for Karnataka government from 2009 to 2013.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / January 16th, 2019
Organic farmer Narayan Reddy passes away
L. Narayan Reddy, 84, a pioneer of organic farming in Karnataka , passed away in his sleep on Monday at his Marenahalli farm near Doddaballapur. He was known as Karnataka’s Masanobu Fukuoka, after the pioneer organic farmer of Japan. Mr. Fukuoka had even visited his farm in 1988.
Known for his simplicity and practical approach to farming, Mr. Reddy never minced words when he criticised what he called the “lopsided agricultural policy” that rendered agriculture unsustainable. He hailed from a village near Varthur on the city’s outskirts and started with chemical farming in 1970s, only to soon realise that it was unsustainable and he was incurring losses.
Influenced by Fukuoka’s book on farming, he took to organic farming. “Organic farming is not just about mere cultivation practices but is a lifestyle in itself,” he argued, adding that agriculture was a philosophy of living in harmony with nature.
Following the rapid urbanisation of Varthur, he bought land at Marenahalli near Doddaballapur and built his farm there in his old age. Though he was not formally educated in farming, he was known for experiments and a scientific approach to farming. Several foreign universities sent their students on study visits to his farm. He was awarded the Nadoja award and an honorary doctorate from Kannada University, Hampi.
Jagadish Reddy, his grandson, told The Hindu that Mr. Reddy, who stayed healthy till the end, rarely went to the hospital. “He had been suffering from an incessant cough for a week. He agreed to get a full body check-up done on Sunday evening. We were supposed to take him on Monday morning. But he passed away in his sleep,” he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Bengaluru – January 14th, 2019
Patil Puttappa felicitated
His contribution to society highlighted
Veteran journalist and president of Karnatak Vidyavardhak Sangha (KVS) Patil Puttappa was accorded a public felicitation upon turning 100 years at a function held here on Monday.
Many recollected their acquaintance with Mr. Puttappa and shed light on his versatile personality and his contributions as a journalist, activist, writer and politician.
Patil Puttappa Centenary Celebrations Reception Committee chairman and senior folklore scholar Go. Ru. Channabasappa said Mr. Puttappa had dedicated a majority of his life to society.
Minister for Local Administration C.S. Shivalli said Mr. Puttappa had served society in various capacities. His straight talks and transparent lifestyle had earned him admiration of many. Senior Congress leader Shyamanur Shivashankarappa called him a man of integrity and courage. His analytical skills, subject expertise and narrative capacity helped him carve a niche for himself in society, he said.
MLC Basavaraj Horatti, former Minister Vinay Kulkarni, seers Nijagunananda and others also spoke. Members of various organisations felicitated him.
In his address Mr. Puttappa recollected memories of the State unification movement of which he was a leading figure. He said more than six decades had elapsed since the formation of the linguistic province of Karnataka . However, the political entity formed unifying Kannada-speaking areas was yet to achieve cultural and mental oneness, he said. The negligence of the northern parts after Independence has resulted in economic and social imbalance. No one wishes to have two States, but if a stepmotherly attitude towards the northern region continues, it is natural that the demand for separate statehood will gain momentum. Those who are at the helm of power should not give scope for such developments, Mr. Puttappa said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Dharwad – January 15th, 2019
Bengaluru climber scales new heights
While many of his age would be happy to play various sports for fun, climbing meant serious business for Pereira from an early age.
Bengaluru :
Cricket rules the roost in India, and sports such as football and hockey come second in the country. One can only imagine the scenario for climbing; few know about the discipline, which has found its way into the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But Bengaluru’s Bharath Pereira is proud he chose the sport when he was as young as five years old.
“I’m happy I took up a niche sport because when I win something, it’s humbling that people do not know much about it. As a kid, success in cricket or football would have made me arrogant,” Pereira said.
While many of his age would be happy to play various sports for fun, climbing meant serious business for Pereira from an early age. In his maiden try at the climbing wall in Kanteerava Stadium, people present there were surprised with the natural talent he possessed and the child in him was overjoyed at the adulation he got, leading him to fall in love with the sport. A lot of hard work went into becoming one of the best in the country and his coach Keerthi Pais played a big role in shaping his skills.
“I would get a lot of attention when I climbed the wall at Kanteerava Stadium. Back then, there weren’t many young climbers like me. I then began to compete with people older than me, against climbers who were 10 years old. It felt good to climb well and get respect for the same,” said the now 18-year-old.
The climber won several gold medals during his junior national days and two gold and one silver at his senior nationals debut in 2017. Despite the jump (from junior to senior) in standards, Pereira showed that he belonged to the top league and considers his debut success to be one of his best memories in the sport so far.
Pereira has already represented India at the Asian Games last year and the Youth Olympics as well. These are great achievements for the youngster, but he understands the need to attain greater heights to bring laurels for the country. As of now, his focus is primarily on the senior nationals scheduled later this month. But, he has set his sights on some international competitions that will act as Olympic qualifiers as well.
“Every athlete wants to be at the Olympics and I also want to represent India. However, the chances of me being there are slim, but I will still try my best to feature in Olympic qualifying events this year,” said Pereira.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / January 14th, 2019
inStem scientists’ research prevents, treats colitis
Inflammatory bowel diseases like colitis occurs when the integrity of the gut lining is compromised
Researchers have successfully isolated a microbial metabolite (Urolithin A or UroA) responsible for protecting the integrity of the gut lining. Leakage of toxins and bacteria leading to inflammatory bowel diseases such as colitis occurs when the integrity of the gut lining is compromised.
However, not everyone has the gut microbes essential for converting the polyphenols present in berries and pomegranates into UroA metabolite. Besides isolating the metabolite, a multi-institutional team co-led by Dr. Praveen Kumar Vemula from the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (inStem), Bengaluru, synthesised an analogue by chemically modifying the naturally occurring metabolite.
The integrity of the gut barrier is maintained by tight junction proteins. Colitis and other inflammatory bowel diseases cause a significant reduction in the levels of the junction proteins, leading to leakage of microbes and toxins from the gut causing acute or chronic inflammation. Restoring the integrity of the gut barrier is therefore essential for treating colitis.
The natural and synthetic metabolites have anti-inflammatory property and also increase the production of tight junction proteins. “But the synthetic metabolite was more stable and more effective in treating and preventing colitis in mice model than the natural metabolite. It was able to prevent and repair the damaged gut barrier and reduce inflammation. Synthetic metabolite even in nanomolar range was sufficient to treat or prevent colitis,” says Dr. Sandeep Chandrashekharappa from inStem and a co-author of a paper published in Nature Communications.
The metabolite (both natural and synthetic) repairs the gut barrier by activating a particular pathway (AhR-nrf2) leading to excess production of the tight junction proteins.
In vitro studies
Two different cell lines of the colon and another of immune cells (macrophages) were used for the study. A monolayer of colon cells mimicking the gut lining was treated with lipopolysaccharide to induce inflammation and breakage of the monolayer. While lipopolysaccharide destroyed the integrity of the monolayer, there was only minimal inflammation. Both metabolites were able to repair monolayer leakage with the synthetic one being more efficient than the natural metabolite.
In the case of immune cells, lipopolysaccharide treatment caused inflammation and excess production of inflammatory cytokines. Treatment with the metabolites stopped cytokine production and reduced the inflammation. Again, the synthetic metabolite outperformed the natural one.
Animal studies
The researchers induced acute colitis in mice by using a chemical (dextran sodium sulphate). There was increased inflammation and gut barrier leakage. Metabolites given orally led to complete reduction in inflammation and gut leakage repair. To mimic chronic colitis, the chemical was given to the mice for a prolonged period of ten weeks with two weeks of break after each week of chemical exposure. “The animals treated with the metabolites showed no inflammation and gut leakage even during the course of the treatment. We saw the leakage being repaired after two cycles of chemical treatment,” says Dr. Vemula.
Acute colitis in mice was produced by using a single dose of a different chemical followed by metabolite treatment. There was much lower inflammation and leakage after treatment. “The colon which had shrunk in length due to colitis regained its original length after treatment,” says Dr. Vemula.
Prophylactic property
To test the prophylactic property of the metabolite, mice were given one dose of the metabolite each day for seven days and a chemical was used to cause colitis on the seventh day. The ability of the metabolite to render protection was tested on day 11. “The animals did not develop colitis while the mice in the control group showed full-blown colitis,” says Anikita A. Hiwale from inStem and one of the authors of the paper.
“We are now making a library of analogues to come up with a synthetic metabolite that is even better than the one currently tested. We are planning for a start-up company for clinical development,” says Dr. Vemula.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Science / by R. Prasad / January 12th, 2019
Hampi ranks second in New York Times list of must-visit places this year
Ballari :
Hampi has emerged at the second spot in the list of ‘52 places to go in 2019’ published by The New York Times. The UNESCO World Heritage Site figures behind Puerto Rico, which has grabbed the top place for its amazing recovery from Hurricane Maria to rebound as a tourist destination.
The report recommends Hampi as a favoured place, and talks about its archeological monuments, scenic vistas against the Tungabhadra river, and geological rock formations. “At the heights of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 16th century, Hampi thrived as one of the largest and richest cities in the world. Its architectural legacy lives on in the Southwestern State of Karnataka with over 1,000 well-preserved monuments, including Hindu temples, forts and palaces,” the report says. The description also mentions the difficulty in reaching there, while pointing out the recent air connectivity provided to Ballari from Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Tourists can take up rock climbing and river jaunts in basket boats (coracle), the feature says, while suggesting a few places to stay.
Hampi is the only destination not just from India, but entire South Asia, in the list.While the report brought happiness to experts, they also said that more needs to be done. “Let monuments be protected and showcased in a better manner. It is important for tourism,” Professor C S Vasudevan from Department of Ancient History and Archeology, Kannada University, Hampi, said.
Mallika Ghanti, Vice Chancellor, Kannada University, said that history of the Vijayanagara Empire is popular, and still has many hidden things. “If a proper excavation is done, it will bring out many more surprises pertaining to the lost history, best architectures and sculptures,” she said, adding that development of only Hampi is not enough, since villages around it should also see progress. “There should not be any eviction in the name of development of the world heritage site; it should be a package development,” she said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Subhash Chandra N S / Express News Service / January 11th, 2019