Cruise control: Pankaj Advani was at his fluent best as he outclassed Amir Sarkhosh.
Sarkhosh fails to mount challenge
Pankaj Advani dished out another superb performance to outclass Iran’s Amir Sarkhosh in the final and claim the IBSF World snooker championship here on Monday.
Advani’s deadly attacking game coupled with a phenomenally tight safety play helped him secure his 18th World championship title with a 8-2 win over Sarkhosh at the Al-Arabi Sports Club.
The best-of-15 frame final witnessed Sarkhosh pocketing the first frame easily. The Iranian looked strong and focused in the second frame too but a missed green pot gave a lifeline to Pankaj as he seized the opportunity with both hands and drew parity.
Pankaj never looked back from there as he raced to a 5-2 lead, though Sarkhosh came with a century break to win the sixth frame, and after the break, wrapped it up with three straight frames.
Divya Sharavana delivered her second baby, Ritiksha, 20 days early. After 10 days in the neonatal wing of St Philomena’s Hospital, the child was discharged with a bracelet around her wrist.
“One night, the orange light on the bracelet started flashing with an alarm and we rushed the baby to the doctor. She was suffering from hypothermia —a condition when body loses heat faster than it produces — and gastrointestinal infection. She could be saved because of the device,” says Divya, who lost her first baby to complications.
Ritiksha is two years old now, and healthy. She owes it to Bempu, the bracelet that saved her by beeping when her temperature plummeted. The brain behind the innovation is Ratul Narain, 33, a Stanford University alumnus with a master’s degree in biomechanics. The device is manufactured by Bempu Health in Bengaluru.
Team Bempu’s device was recognized as one of the 25 best innovations in 2017 by Time magazine
10,000 Bempus have been used across the world
In India, one in three newborns suffers from low birth weight or is under 2.5kg. This is one in 12 in developed countries,” Ratul Narain says.
A made-in-India hypothermia alert device for newborns, Bempu has been recognized as one of the 25 best innovations in the world in 2017 by the Time magazine. Invented and manufactured by Bempu Health in the bylanes of Langford Road in Bengaluru, Bempu weighs 8gm. Worn by a newborn with low birth weight, it flashes blue light if the temperature is normal. If the temperature goes below 36.5-degree Celsius or 97.7
Fahrenheit, it flashes orange and rings an alarm alerting it’s time for immediate attention, either warming the child up or giving Kangaroo mother care.
Some 10,000 Bempus have been used across the world and 1,000 of them donated to government hospitals ever since it entered the market in early 2016.
Before developing the device, Ratul spent a year at hospitals in Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat to understand neonatal complications. “Among babies with low birth weight, infections can occur at home. Up to 15% of low-weight newborns discharged from government NICU would die at home due to complications like infections and hypothermia. The significant cost of facility care for the baby was, therefore, lost at home. That’s what made me work on a lowcost solution,” says Ratul.
The device priced Rs 2,500 can be used for four weeks without replacing its battery. To avoid cross-infections, it is suggested not to pass it on to a second user. Ratul’s research was facilitated by grants from various countries and institutions, including USAID, UKAID, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bempu is now being used in Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Togo and Ghana through Unicef initiatives.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / by Sunitha Rao R / November 27th, 2017
One of the oldest churches in Bangalore, the East Parade Church, was built by Wesleyan Methodist missionaries for British soldiers stationed in Bangalore Cantonment. In England, the Wesleyan Methodist Church was formed as a breakaway sect from the Church of England.
The present church building was raised in 1865, with an inscription dated October 6, 1863, marking the laying of the foundation stone. The church was the earliest church built by the Wesleyans in Mysore district.
The Wesleyan Tamil Mission in the Bangalore Cantonment was established in 1821.Elijah Hoole of the Wesleyan Mission started a small school measuring 30 feet in length and 13 feet in breadth. Tamil services were started in the small school. However, in 1822, the Wesleyan Mission was suspended and the missionaries were transferred. In 1826, the mission resumed again but this time a stable in the Mission compound had to be used as a church.
The founder of the church in its present form was a gentleman called Thomas Hodson. A Wesleyan Missionary who served in India, Hodson was an extraordinary person. He arrived in India in 1829 when he was 25. He had spent three years in Calcutta learning Bengali and he was posted suddenly to Bangalore. The church was apparently dissatisfied by his performance in Calcutta because they decided that ‘results had not come up to their expectations’ (read numbers of conversions were inadequate). Before moving to Bangalore, Hodson wrote a long letter to the church committee mentioning that he had spent three years in learning Bengali and now he had to start again and learn Kannada. Hodson also suggested that preaching was not the only job of the Missionaries; teaching and education were just as important.
He came to Bangalore in 1833 and was stationed in Bangalore for almost three years. He was apparently a linguist of repute, being fluent in Bengali, Tamil and Kannada. A renowned Kannada scholar, he wrote a book on ‘An Elementary Grammar of the Kannada, or Canarese Language’ in 1864.
Hodson appears to have been a bit unhappy in Bangalore because he found that his time and efforts were taken away in preaching to the British and European officers, and he could not concentrate on the local population. He returned to England in 1843 due to ill health and came back to India in 1853 as Chairman and Superintendent of the Wesleyan Canarese Mission in the Mysore District. He left India in March 1878 and died in England in 1882.
In his description of Bangalore, Hodson describes two portions of the city. The Cantonment was where the soldiers lived and Tamil was the primary language. In the native town or petah, Kannada was the predominant language. Not surprisingly, Hodson appears to have concentrated his efforts on the Tamil speaking population rather that the people in the petahs. In 1834, Hodson purchased about 20 acres of land, just outside the Bangalore Petah which was where the United Mission School and Unity Buildings stand today. The first building to be constructed was the Wesleyan Mission Chapel, the predecessor of the present East Parade Church. The Wesleyan Mission Chapel was built in front of the Wesleyan Mission House, and could accommodate nearly 300 people. Located at the heart of the Cantonment, it was raised for the Tamil and the English congregations. The cost of raising the chapel was met by subscription by local Europeans. It was also reported that a ‘native who have received many honours from Lord William Bentinck’ contributed £100 towards raising the chapel.
Walker, one of the missionaries who served at East Parade Church; the cover of Thomas Hodson’s book
The location of the church was striking. In front of the chapel was a wide esplanade, with trees lined up as an avenue, about a mile long. The esplanade was the erstwhile South Parade Road, now Mahatma Gandhi Road. The road to the right of the chapel was the present Dickenson Road which led to the Madras Army barracks. There was a large parade ground which covered the entire area from Cubbon Park to the present day Dickenson Road. The East Parade Church was constructed to the east of the parade ground and so perhaps there was no controversy in naming the church.
The annual report of the Wesleyan Mission of 1903 describes the East Parade Church as “…this lofty, roomy building is capable of accommodating 700 people. It is looked upon as the Cathedral of Methodism in the Province. The Church building has a number of unique features. The massive Corinthian columns, all eight in number, stand as sentinels at the entrance of the Church. These columns lend the whole structure its character. Another welcome feature of the building is that unlike other large churches in Bangalore it has no columns or pillars inside the church obstructing the view of the altar.”
Today, the East parade Church continues to serve two pastorates. These are the East parade Tamil and the East Parade Malayalam pastorates of the Karnataka Central Diocese. Thomas Hodson would probably be proud of the fact that the Church which was built primarily for the Tamil speaking population of the cantonment continues to serve the same function today.
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Others / Bangalore Mirror Bureau / by Siddharth Moorchung & Nikhil Moorchung / November 26th, 2017
Bengaluru beauty Sushruthi Krishna, who made Karnataka proud by winning the fbb Femina Miss India 1st Runner-up title in 2016, has just gotten engaged to her friend and entrepreneur, Bhargav Errangi, in an intimate ceremony in the city. In an exclusive interview with Bangalore Times, Sushruthi tells us about her love story, wedding plans, how she is slowly giving shape to her newly-launched fashion label and why she considers participating in the pageant the biggest turning point in her life. Excerpts:
It all began over a cup of coffee
I was still preparing for the Miss India contest, and Bhargav had just flown in from the US, all filled with ideas to set up his own company here. This was some time in 2015, and we had met at a coffee shop in Bengaluru to discuss a shoot. The conversation went on for 2-3 hours. The shoot never happened, but we clicked. We became good friends, and have ever since supported each other through thick and thin of life. He even came to cheer for me the day
I was crowned Miss India 1st Runner-up. Friendship culminated in love, and we started seeing each other more often. Early this year, we realized that we can take things to the next level. In July, his parents came from Hyderabad to meet mine, and now we are engaged. More than my parents, my grandparents are happy and excited about the wedding, which will take place in March 2018.
No big fat Indian wedding
Just like our engagement ceremony, we want to keep the wedding also as intimate as possible. It will be a simple and elegant affair — more like a get-together for all our family members and close friends who have been part of our journey so far. We both like to sing and dance, so there will be a sangeet and good food. All the rituals will be incorporated, both traditional and contemporary, but everything will be low-key.
The Miss India pageant made me a confident person
Taking part in the beauty pageant changed my life in many different ways. It not only made me a more confident person, but also gave me the inner strength to grow as an individual, follow my heart and execute my roles more responsibly. I have always wanted to do something in the field of design and business. I have an academic background in architecture and have spent a considerable amount of time in the world of fashion. My clothing brand is a blend of my learning from both these fields. I believe in taking risks, and it reflects in my designs and creations.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / by Reema Gowalla / TNN / November 26th, 2017
An Indian scientist has claimed a breakthrough in reducing the side-effects of chemotherapy by creating a drug delivery system that will target only cancer cells and leave healthy cells unharmed.
The patented system – contained in a whole-body device called Cellular Focused Resonance Nano-Permeabilisation or Cellforn – says Dr Rajah Vijay Kumar, can deliver chemotherapeutic molecules directly to the cancer cells. Dr Kumar, who has more than 30 inventions to his name, is the director and chief scientific officer at Bengaluru’s Centre for Advanced Research and Development.
Chemotherapy is one of the best options available for treating cancer but its severe side-effects are a separate battle. “Actually the cargo is good but the delivery is bad. That is where my team decided to intervene,” he said.
‘Cellforn could make drugs 10 to 70 times more effective’
We decided to do something about the transportation and delivery system of molecular cancer treatment. Our work began in 2008 and now we have Cellforn,” Kumar said.
Cellforn creates temporary nano pores that can receive drugs, allowing delivery to the cell membrane of the cancer tissue, identified with pretreatment proton density evaluations. “All drugs contain hydrogen atoms that bond with other molecules. The nucleus of the hydrogen atoms (containing only protons) in the drug are like bar magnets, they have specific alignments. Tissues too have protons that have the same alignment as the drug. Cellforn reverses the alignment of the hydrogen protons in the tumour tissue, spins it opposite to that of the drug molecule, attracting it to the sensitized tumour tissue,” Kumar explained.
Simultaneously, Cellforn creates temporary receptors or holes induced by fast radio bursts(FRB) that is timed and delivered to target lesions. Concentrations of target drugs like carboplatin and paclitaxel, for example, are delivered based on their molecular weight. The whole body device that delivers the precisely planned FRB houses specialized antennae and delivery mechanisms.
“Almost the entire drug payload is delivered to the tumour, and minimal to the healthy tissue. Hence, there will be very little or no adverse side-effects,” he said.
Having got a US patent in April this year, Kumar claims his precision-targeted drug delivery system is market-ready. “A few regulatory formalities are still pending. I think we will go into production in nine months,” he said.
Kumar claimed that Cellforn could make drugs 10 to 70 times more effective as they can be highly localized and used in vivo (on tissues and organs inside the body) and noninvasively.
Cellforn also prevents the cancer tissue from developing immunity to the drug. “Cellforn also controls chromatin, a group of macromolecules that holds the genetic information within cells. Chromatin can make cancer cells resistant to treatment. But chemotherapy administered with Cellforn will not make the cancer tissue develop resistance to the cancer cytotoxic drug,” he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / by Chethan Kumar / TNN / November 26th, 2017
A file photo of the pillar inscription in Gudnapur.
‘The earliest inscription in which all the 9 numerals have been engraved is the one at Gudnapur’
While the Halmidi inscription is the earliest known inscription documenting the Kannada script and is well celebrated, a history scholar has sought to throw light on the Gudnapur inscription – another inscription of equal historical importance though one that is not as well known.
This is being done in the light of the Kannada sahitya sammelana that began in Mysuru on Friday.
N.S. Rangaraju, retired professor, Ancient History and Archaeology, University of Mysore, has sought to highlight the origin and evolution of the Kannada numeral as found in inscriptions. He said that in some of the early Karnataka inscriptions, there are instances of a couple of Kannada numericals. “But the earliest inscription in which all the 9 numerals have been engraved is the Gudnapur inscription engraved during the time of Kadamba Ravivarma,” he said.
The proper dating of the engraving of the inscription is not available and as per available records, the date of the Kadamba Ravivarma is 485 A.D. to 519 A.D.
Hence, it might have been engraved in the early 6th century A.D., Dr. Rangaraju said. While the Halmidi inscription if the first and earliest Kannada inscription, the Gudnapur inscription is the first with the nine Kannada numerals and hence is historically significant, he said.
Describing the discovery, he said that B.R. Gopal, an epigraphist and a great scholar, was engaged in field work in 1971 in Banavasi region. About five km from Banavasi is Gudnapur where Dr. Gopal discovered a 16 feet high stone pillar.
“Like the Banavasi inscription of Kadamba Mrigesvarma, this Gudnapur inscription is also engraved from bottom to top and there are 27 lines of writing,” Dr. Rangaraju said.
Pointing out the numerals present in the inscription, Dr. Rangaraju said number 1 figures in line 18; 2, 3, 4 and 5 in the line 19; 6 in line 20, 7 and 8 in line 21 and 9 in the line 22.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – November 25th, 2017
Keen to learn about printing and publishing history of the state? Want to know more about first paper Mangaluru Samachara published in the state? Striving to answer this and other related questions is the Kannada Book Authority with its much vaunted project Kannada Pusthaka Samskruthi: Pustakodhyama Charithre, a book in three volumes that will run in to estimated 1,800 pages or 600 pages per volume, according to its chairperson Vasundhara Bhupathi.
Kannada Book Authority to document Karnataka’s publishing history in a book | Mangaluru News – Times of India
With the authority completing 25-years next year, Vasundhara told reporters here that this book will be a perfect gift to all the bibliophiles to cherish the history of the printed work in an era of e-books. The authority has set up a five-member committee comprising M H Krishnaiah, Apparao Akkodi, A V Navada, Ramakanth Joshi and Sujnana Murthy that will document facts about the book with help of regional committees and PhD scholars in state universities.
While one volume will look at books published in 19th Century, the other two volumes will trace history of publishing and printing in Karnataka in subsequent two centuries. Approximating that the work could take the better part of one-year, Vasundhara said the authority is working out the project cost and will approach the state government for funds. “We have set aside a portion of our annual grants to chalk out the working details for this ambitious project,” she said.
Navada, committee member said documentation of any subject is need of the hour. A folklorist of repute, Navada said lot of rich folklore of the state and even the country has been lost to posterity for lack of documentation. “The state has a rich history in the world of publishing starting with Mangaluru Samachara and it is time that this history is captured in the form of a compendium for the future,” he said. The authority will also make available the book in e-format, he added.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Mangalore News / by Jaideep Shenoy / TNN / November 21st, 2017
City students have emerged toppers in various categories in the Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards in the 2016-17 examination series.
Three students from Inventure Academy received six awards. Pranav Manoj Kumar bagged the maximum number, including A Level Math – Top in Country (Nov 2016); A Level Computer Science – High Achievement Award (June 2017); Further Math – High Achievement Award (June 2017) and Best Across 3 subjects in Country (March/June 2017). Pranav has commenced his studies at Carnegie Mellon University in computer science.
Other students from Inventure who bagged awards include Raveena Ray for AS Level Psychology – Top in Country (June 2017) and Anand Karthikeyan Madathil for A Level Mathematics – Top in Country (June 2017).
Three students from The International School Bangalore also bagged awards. Kushagra Jain topped in chemistry, Anusha Sarathy excelled in drama and Aniket Pratapneni in English language.
Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards are issued by Cambridge Assessment International Education. They recognize exceptional learner achievement in Cambridge examinations around the world. The awards will be distributed in January 2018.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.cosm / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News> Schools & Colleges / TNN / November 25th, 2017
Sankalp wins the award third time in a row as the Highest Exporter in ITES – Hubbali Region
Bengaluru :
Sankalp Semiconductor, a design service company offering comprehensive digital & mixed signal SoC services and solutions, today received an award from Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) for being the Highest Exporter – ITES in the Hubballi Region award. Sankalp Semiconductor has consecutively third time won the award. According to STPI, the state of Karnataka has touched Rs 1,41,846 Cr worth of exports from STPI member units during 2016-17. Karnataka contributes 40% of the total software export from the country.
“The award is validation of our contribution to the worldwide customers in the technology semiconductor domain. We thank STPI for recognizing our contribution and achievements for more than 12 years. We very excited since Sankalp Hubbali is a great success story for creating and scaling excellent semiconductor talent from tier-II cities. Our model has been successful due to our ability to build teams grounds up by leveraging well-planned technical and soft skill in-house training.” said Nagaraj Azhakesan, COO, Sankalp Semiconductor.
Sankalp Semiconductor was founded from Hubbali in 2005, with a focus to serve the semiconductor companies primarily offering analog & mixed signal design services. Today, Sankalp with a team of 650+ engineering professionals has design centers in Hubli, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Ottawa, Canada. The company provides unique advantage to its semiconductor customers by enabling them at any point of semiconductor services life cycle with the ability to provide end-to-end solutions.
source: http://www.design-reuse.com / Design & Reuse / Home / Bengaluru – November 16th, 2017
The OSAAT Rotary Government Primary School at Neelakanta Agrahara in Malur.
NRIs, expatriates in San Francisco conduct events to raise funds
In the heart of Kolar district, a winding tar road embraced by clusters of brick kiln on either side gives way to a muddy path that leads to a little-known village, Neelakanta Agrahara. The kilns relinquish their hold on the rugged road as rocks and the deceptively appealing but invasive lantana flowers dominate the landscape. One building stands out, its walls adorned with drawings of popular toons, birds and even vegetables. With a see-saw, swing and other playground fixtures, it has the trappings of a well-funded private school, beyond the budget of most village households. But locals know better. The village’s government primary school occupies pride of place here.
A year-and-a-half ago, however, it fit the standard stereotype of government-run schools with just three rooms, and overworked teachers taking combined classes to make up for the shortfall of staff. “Sometimes, we had classes in the open as there was a shortage of rooms. During the rainy season, water would drip into the classroom,” says Rakshitha R, now a class five student.
What the children and even teachers don’t know is that a fundraising event with music and dance performances by children in San Francisco helped turn their school around. The credit goes to a group of Indian origin and NRI software professionals living in San Francisco’s Bay Area as well as volunteers in India. Their organisation, One School At a Time (OSAAT), identifies schools in the country that are in desperate need of a facelift and provides funds for infrastructure work. Since its inception, nearly 15 years ago, the organisation has turned around 21 schools in India, of which17 are from Karnataka, two in Uttar Pradesh, one each in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. A majority of these are government schools in rural areas.
Explaining how it all began, Vadiraja Bhatt, Managing Trustee, OSAAT India said that a group of eight enthusiastic IT professionals of Indian origin living in the Bay Area in the U.S. wanted to do something for a “good cause.” “Our first fund raised $3000 in 2003, which went into the development of a government school in Bajegoli, Karkala taluk, Udupi,” he said.
OSAAT USA chairperson B.V. Jagadish, who studied till class seven at the Bagalur Primary and middle school in Devanahalli taluk in Bengaluru Rural district, said that the organisation raises funds by holding music and dance events in the San Francisco Bay Area. At these events, they raise anywhere between ₹60 lakh to ₹1 crore per annum. “We use our programmes as an anchor to get attention from people who later sponsor for OSAAT,” said Mr. Jagadish. Their signature annual event is NaatyaRaaga, conducted in February, which sees the participation of 1,200 to 1,500 children from 150 dance and music schools in the US. “Now there are several people who are willing to fund schools in their local States,” he added.
The original version expanded OSAAT as One Step At a Time. It was corrected to One School At a Time.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka > Sunday Special / by Tanu Kulkarni / November 25th, 2017
