City’s renowned musicologist Karnataka Kalashree Vid. V. Nanjundaswamy has been selected for the prestigious ‘Shastra Kaustuba’ award to be presented by Ananya Cultural Trust, Bengaluru, on May 8 (Sunday) at a function to be held at Sevasadana, 14th Cross, Malleswaram in Benglauru at 9.30 am. The award will be presented by Padma Bhushana Sangeeta Kalanidhi Dr. T.V. Goapalakrishna.
The ‘Shastra Kastuba’ award is considered to be prestigious as it is the only award instituted by any organisation for musicology.
Vid. V. Nanjundaswamy, a resident of 3rd North Cross, Anikethana Road in Kuvempunagar, is a renowned musicologist. He is a Srividya exponent, a guide to researchers and a yoga specialist. He has created more than 100 music features and is renowned as ‘The Lord of Features.’
A retired bank employee Vid. Nanjundaswamy has composed music for Lalitha Shasranama and many more Sanskrit slokas and has scientifically analysed them and given talks within the country and abroad. He has also guided Ph.D students. Being active in AIR Vid. Nanjundaswamy has conducted many programmes such as chintana, quiz and special lectures.
Being a prolific writer, he has authored books such as ‘Yogadarpana’, ‘Sangeetha Sankasha’ to name a few. He has published innumerable articles on yoga, srividya, and music. Adding to this, Vid. Nanjundaswamy is credited for publishing all the 94 kritis of Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, the erstwhile Maharaja of Mysore, in both Kannada and English languages which are available on www.amazon.in
Vid. Nanjundaswamy has been conferred with many awards and titles such as ‘Karnataka Kalashree’, ‘Sangeetha Vidya Varidhi’, ‘Sangeetha Kalatapasvi’ and many more. He also passed the ‘Kavya’ exam in Sanskrit. Having served in SBM, he has retired voluntarily from service around 20 years back and thereafter dedicated himself to music, yoga and srividya — his true passions.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Thursday – May 05th, 2016
Netas promise to look into the problems of artisans
Karnataka State Handicrafts Manufacturers Association (KSHMA) felicitated 25 craftspersons (five of them are seen here) on May 1 at Jaganmohan Palace auditorium in city. They are seen with MLA Vasu, Mayor B.L.Bhyrappa, former Mayor P. Vishwanath, KSHMA President S. Ramu (fifth from left), Honorary President P. Gowaraiah (fourth from left), Senior Journalist N. Niranjan Nikam, Corporators R. Nagaraju, C. Ramesh & M.J. Ravikumar and others.
Mysuru :
The media sometimes misses a good function not deliberately but simply because it does not have the manpower to cover all the functions happening simultaneously or also because it does not understand the importance of an event that really needs to be focused.
One such occasion which the media did not cover was the happening at Jaganmohan Palace auditorium on May 1. The occasion was the function organised by the Karnataka State Handicrafts Manufacturers Association (KSHMA), an organisation which has in its Committee people from the Handicrafts industry coming together and trying to do something for their community which is one of the most neglected ones in the State, in spite of Mysuru being the handicraft land of the country.
The heartening fact was that 25 craftspersons, all aged above 60, including some women were chosen and honoured for their contribution to the industry on Labour Day. Most of them are not really literates. They have been slogging hard, involved in various aspects of the trade, like inlay work, cutting, polishing, engraving, drawing to name a few.
If one wall plate, table, rosewood box or a dining set has to be produced all these hands are a must to complete the product. Each one is a specialised skill and they are all complementary to one another. The polishing, which is the finishing aspect of the wall plate, is as important as the engraving that makes a Goddess Lakshmi, Saraswathi or a Ganesha look beautiful.
One more unique feature of the KSHMA is the kind of commitment shown by the people in the Committee. For instance, the Honorary President P. Gowraiah, Master Craftsman, State and National Award Winner, of Sri Arundathi Handicrafts, and President S. Ramu, the State Award Winner, of Sri Geetha Fine Arts, both involved in manufacture of rosewood inlay, carving and other products are business rivals. But they have been friends for more than 40 years and each one respects the other completely and stand by one another in both good and bad times.
This is something that is rarely seen in even the best of organisations where back-biting and one-upmanship is the order of the day as we ourselves see in the many so-called elite clubs in city. There is probably a lesson in this for even the people occupying the top posts in academic circles and a subject of study that one must understand and emulate.
Hence, these two gentlemen have been able to focus on the problems they face as they themselves have come from that background having learnt the basic skills of handicrafts and grown from humble beginnings to big businessmen today.
“Some of us including the late A. Gnaneshwar Nikam, Doreswamy Adar, Subramanya Achar, Cheluvachar, all national awardees, came together to form the Association almost 25 years ago. We decided to honour our own people who are involved in the trade, every three years,” said Ramu speaking to Star of Mysore.
Awards function
Each craftsperson was presented Rs. 5,000, a certificate, a shawl, Mysore Peta and fruits. They were all honoured by MLA Vasu, who later in his address promised to look into the problems of the craftspersons and also assured them of a place in the Mysore Palace premises where 20 permanent structures are going to come up. This assurance was given after Ramu made a plea to the MLA, saying that if a place is given to them, a few craftspersons would display their skills working on wood to the visiting tourists.
MP Pratap Simha and MLA M.K. Somashekar also came to the function in spite of having to attend the Labour Day events in other places and assured the people in the industry of all support.
Mayor B.L. Bhyrappa, former Mayor P. Vishwanath, Corporators R. Nagaraju, C. Ramesh, Ramani and M.J. Ravikumar, former Corporator Vasudev and Senior Journalist N. Niranjan Nikam were present at the felicitation function.
A souvenir titled “Karakushala Kale,” Volume-3, 2016, was released by P. Vishwanath on the occasion. Santosh Kalaavidha of Naatya’s Dance House compered the programme. Amma Ramachandra and his team from University of Mysore, rendered folk songs.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Wednesday – May 04th, 2016
Chandraprabha Urs (70), former Minister, former MP and daughter of former Chief Minister late D. Devaraj Urs, passed away at Apollo BGS Hospital here yesterday following prolonged illness.
She leaves behind her son Manjunath Urs, daughter Anupama Urs, younger sister Bharathi Urs and a host of relatives and friends.
Her husband Mohan Raj Urs and younger son Ajay Urs had predeceased her.
Entry into politics: Chandraprabha had worked closely with her father Devaraj Urs and nurtured interest in politics. She contested her first election under Kranthi Ranga banner from Hunsur constituency in the 1983 Assembly polls, won by a huge margin and went on to become Social Welfare Minister in the Ramakrishna Hegde Government. She was re-elected from Hunsur on a Congress ticket in the 1989 Assembly polls.
Chandraprabha Urs contested on a Congress ticket when Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar joined the BJP and won the Lok Sabha polls in 1991.
Education: After having her primary education at Kallahalli in Hunsur taluk, her father Devaraj Urs’ home town, she attended high school at Hunsur and moved to Mysuru for further studies. After completing her PUC at Maharani’s PU College in Mysuru, she did her B.Sc from Maharani’s College, Bengaluru. She married Mohan Raj Urs in 1970s.
Bed-ridden: Chandraprabha Urs had sustained grievous leg injuries in a road mishap near Hunsur in 2008, when the car she was travelling collided with a milk van. She could not recover since then and developed health complications, which forced her to keep away from active politics, it is learnt.
She was admitted to Apollo BGS Hospital about 8 days ago, where she breathed her last late Tuesday evening.
Her body was brought to her residence at Sai Shree Mohan Sadan Apartment, opposite Hardwicke Church near the double tank in Lakshmipuram this morning.
Last respects: Former MLC D. Madegowda, City Congress President T.S. Ravishankar, Congress leader Vikrant P. Devegowda, DCC President Dr. B.J. Vijaykumar, Tahsildar Naveen Joseph were among the dignitaries and officials who paid their last respects.
Minister H.S. Mahadevaprasad, MLA Vasu and other political leaders paid their last respects to the mortal remains of Chandraprabha Urs at Apollo BGS Hospital last evening and consoled the family members.
She had premonition about her death?
Meanwhile, one Kempananjappa, a resident of Kallahalli village, has claimed that Chandraprabha Urs, who had premonitions about her death, had asked him to ensure that her funeral rituals be conducted next to that of her father’s tomb at Kallahalli.
He also said that Chandraprabha, who visited Kallahalli three months ago, had summoned him to her residence and took him to her father’s Samadhi.
D.D. Urs’ family neglected?
Meanwhile, her family members have alleged that Congress party leaders, who were benefitted by Devaraj Urs’ programmes, did not give the family a political space in the party.
It is said, Chandraprabha Urs had on many occasions expressed regret over the Congress High Command and Party State leaders for not showing interest in retrieving the political future of the once powerful family of old Mysuru region.
Chandraprabha’s daughter Anupama, who had sought a Congress ticket from Hunsur in 2013, was denied the ticket.
Though Chandraprabha Urs showed interest in fielding her family members in elections, the party leaders did not bother to call on them, it is learnt.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Wednesday – May 04th, 2016
A photograph from The Legacy of Jettys depicts a wrestling match. Photo: Special Arrangement
The book documents the community’s original settlers from Modhera in Gujarat.
“The Jettys community of wrestlers knew the science of wrestling much before the world knew what the art of fighting meant,” says C. Maheshwaran, author of the book Legacy of Jettys to be launched next week by Prince Yaduveer in Bengaluru.
It took Mr. Maheshwaran 10 years of research into this wrestling community to bring about the 188-page book in English, with a host of interesting photos that trace their art.
These originators of martial skills, who came from Gujarat, once depended on royal patronage after their migration, and were mainly associated with the Royal kingdom of Mysore, apart from Thanjavur, Krishnadevaraya, Tipu Sultan, Gaekwads of Baroda and the Rajput King, Prithviraj Chauhan of Ajmer.
Migration to the south
Legacy of Jettys is a 188-page exhaustive addition to the world of books in English with a host of interesting photos that documents the community’s original settlers from Modhera in Gujarat. Nearly 400 families subsequently migrated to the south looking for royal patronage to the art in 1025 A.D., i.e., 991 years ago.
How the Jettys get totally dependent on royal patronage but get intrinsically close and loyal to the kings are points that the Jettys later emotionally contemplate on, both with cherished memories and regret, says the author. “The withdrawal of the privy purse (raja dhana) later to the erstwhile princely States brings in a shadow of economic gloom in the lives of Jettys as they hardly receive any money for their profession. It is in contrast to the bright and bracing days the wrestlers earlier enjoyed in the palace,” he says.
The community of Jettys made their way to the south after entering Andhra Pradesh first. Their language is a curious mix of many vernacular idioms, including Telugu and Kannada, called the Mallabhasha, secretly spoken during war and wrestling. “Nowhere in the world is there a community of wrestlers as the Jettys. They are said to have followed the knowledge recorded in the 5000-year-old text ‘Mallapuraan’ that is believed to have been dictated by Lord Krishna and Balarama in Sanskrit and Devanagiri,” writes Mr. Maheswaran. “It covers scientific wrestling skills, human anatomy, pressure points in the body, nutritional science and body language,” he says.
Several hundreds of Jetty families that the author was in touch with offer distressing narratives of helplessness they go through, because of the absence of alternative professions after the royals were unable to help them, says Maheshwaran, a martial arts practitioner himself and belonging to the section of Jettys who believed in education and entering other professions.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News / by Ranjani Govind / Bengaluru – May 03rd, 2016
Dr Sampat Shivangi, a 1962 batch alumnus of Kasturba Medical College (KMC), Manipal is in the news once again as a street in the US state of Mississippi has been named after him for the services rendered to local community there. The Dr Sampat Shivangi Lane was formally named on Saturday in recognition of Shivangi, eminent Republican from the state. Dr Shivangi conveyed news of street being named after him Dr M Ramdas Pai, Chancellor, Manipal University.
Dr Ramdas Pai as per a communique shared by Manipal University on Monday, in reply wrote: “I am glad to have your e-mail of 24th instant and to know that a street in Mississippi has been named after you. It is indeed a great recognition of your services to the community. My congratulations to you.” Dr Pai said, “It is indeed a joyous moment for Manipal University. All of Manipal (University) is proud of the great work Dr Shivangi is doing in the US”
Phil Bryant, state governor reappointed him for second sever-year term to board of Mississippi’s department of Mental Health. In June 2014, he became first Asian-American to become chairman of the Board which has close to a billion dollar budget with staff strength of over 8500. From 2005-2008, Dr Shivangi served as adviser to US secretary of health and human services. He is the founding president of American Association of Physicians of Indian origin in Mississippi.
He is also the past president and chair of the India Association of Mississippi.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Mangalore / by Jaideep Shenoy / TNN / April 25th, 2016
S.V. Jayasheela Raowas a recipient of the T.S.R. Award.
Veteran journalist S.V. Jayasheela Rao, known for his innovative style of legislature reporting, died in a private hospital here on Thursday.
Rao, who worked for major newspapers such asPrajavani , Samyuktha Karnataka , Munjaane , was given the T.S.R. Award for his contribution to journalism.
He was the press secretary to H.D. Deve Gowda, former Prime Minister, and the office-bearer of the Indian Federation of Working Journalists. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Mr. Gowda and Information and Publicity Minister R. Roshan Baig have mourned his death.
The final rites will take place on Friday, according to a press statement.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – April 29th, 2016
The audience and the musicians have surprising notions about what passes off as tradition
Every two minutes the audience applauded ecstatically. Requests were streaming in, there was a small mound of chits before the artistes. Behind me, from the fairly large audience, I heard whispers: ‘What a genius!’, ‘Wow, what speed.’ That done, they went back to chatting with their companions to the concert, took selfies, sauntered in and out, a quick coffee at the canteen etc. It was afterall possible to catch up with what was happening on stage at any point.
Even if it is not your favourite musician, it is good to be at the Ramanavami pandal once in a while to catch up with what’s happening in the music world.
The concert that was taking place at Fort High School was violin-mandolin duet by Mysore Manjunath and Mandolin U. Rajesh, accompanied by Thiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam on the mridanga and Giridhar Udupa on the ghatam. The very able Mysore Manjunath, groomed by his renowned father Vidwan Mahadevappa in the traditional Carnatic style, is much sought after in the international concert circuit considering his felicity with the violin. U. Rajesh is also widely acclaimed for his collaborations within the country and with western music groups. So, by the sheer choice of artistes, one fairly knows what to expect.
Carnatic music is traditional, conservative, and rigid – so goes the popular notion. If varna is the opening, if it is followed by a quick madhyamakala kriti, if it is then followed by a longer vilambakala kriti with alapane, neraval and swarakalpana and so on – all is well. Tradition is in safe hands. The audience is happy that all the pre-requisites are met.
Let’s take for instance, the piece de resistance of the concert. The ragam-tanam-pallavi in Simhendra Madhyama. Jugalbandis are undeniably about each musician bringing his own idea to the table, it is also however about an underlying harmony, and a shared vision. Manjunath played his part of thealapane – there were long, western concerto passages, there were Hindustani phrases, and suddenly, like a reminder, came Carnatic in a flash. Rajesh played staccato notes, and his parts were heavily inspired by film music. In between, for the tanam, they soared and plummeted the octaves in breakneck speed. Natakuranji, Bilahari, Desh and other ragas came, in complete absence of their selves. It was stream of consciousness, defiant to inherent structure, replete with broad brush strokes and high decibel. Thiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam added his bit – what’s moderation he seemed to ask as he thundered through his tani avartanam. The sedate, composed Giridhar Udupa held on bravely. There were bright moments, brilliant strokes – but parts hardly make for a whole.
But, there were thunderous applauses.
I am no conformist – I can listen and appreciate any kind of music rendered in its own way. I am sure there were many that evening who felt the way I did. This eclectic blast that tossed one between time-tested notions of tradition and avant gardism, seemed to have none of either.
Then maybe tradition is simply about donning an exterior? And maybe we, as audiences, love to fuss about a traditional core but actually find facades irresistible.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Friday Review / Deepa Ganesh / Bengaluru – April 28th, 2016
Picture shows Yoganand and Shyla Yoganand posing with their sons Manu and Prithivi during their visit to Surya Kund in Gangotri in 1993. Picture right shows Yoganand’s family during their visit to Death Valley in California (2011) — (From left) Prithvi, his wife Seema, Yoganand, Shyla Yoganand, Nishita and her husband Manu.
by S.N. Venkatnag Sobers
These days, when people are setting records in sports, entertainment, science, technology etc., every other day, here is a family that achieved the same feat way back in the 1990s. This family has its name engraved in the Guinness Book of World Records and Limca Book of Records for Travelling to the Highest Motorable Road- Khardung La in Ladakh and for being the Youngest Marathon Luna Riders in 1989 and 1993 respectively.
Though the news was widely published in many newspapers across North India, not many know that the couple and their children, who created the record, are natives of Mysuru. Yoganand, a retired bank employee, and his wife Shyla Yoganand, who lived in Pune for most of their lives, have returned to their native to live the rest of their lives at the place where their ancestors had roots. In fact, Yoganand’s father Dr. Ramaraju, lived in Vidyaranyapuram for many years.
While Yoganand and Shyla became the first couple to travel to the highest motorable road-Khardung La on a Kinetic Honda during 1989 creating a Guinness Record, their sons Prithvi and Manu entered the Limca Book of Records as the Youngest Marathon Luna riders in 1993. They travelled from Dehra Dun to Gangotri covering a total distance of 3,250 kms on 35cc Luna Wings. The journey, which started on May 9, 1993 ended on May 26, 1993. The purpose of this expedition was to collect water samples from River Ganga and spread the message to save the holy river from pollution. Prithvi was 11-years-old and Manu was 9-years-old when they undertook this expedition. Currently, Prithvi works as a software engineer at San Francisco and Manu works for a private bank in Dubai.
While this is the story of the two sons, their parents’ story is even more fascinating. Initially, Shyla did not know how to ride a two-wheeler. While Yoganand left early for work after dropping the kids to school, both found it difficult to bring back the kids from school. Yoganand was busy with work and Shyla was left with no option but to learn riding as the rickshawallas had refused to ply to their kids’ school as it was located in a restricted area under Indian Military.
The couple, on separate Kinetic Hondas, travelled 11,000 kms across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab and Jammu and Kashimir. Interestingly, when the couple wrote to various State Governments seeking help for their expedition, none responded. It was only Farooq Abdullah, the then Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir who offered to help the couple complete their expedition.
Speaking to Star of Mysore, Yoganand said that they were treated like State Guests in Jammu and Kashmir and Farooq Abdullah had himself enlightened the couple to apply for Guinness Book of Records.
“We had to pass through 200km of swamps of the Kutch in Gujarat, 600 km of Thar Desert in Rajasthan, 250 km of dense Amar-Kantak forest in Madhya Pradesh and 3,700 km in Himalayan stretch across the dangerous Zojila pass. With no experience of travelling to such an extent, we were supported by Kinetic Honda,” he added.
Shyla Yoganand and Yoganand entered the Guinness Book of Records as the ‘first woman’ and ‘first man’ and the ‘first couple’ to have taken a normal ‘civilian’ scooter to the highest motorable point in the world. Kinetic celebrated this achievement on Indian television during the 1990 by sponsoring a weekly program on ‘Guinness records.’
The Yoganand couple fondly remembered Kinetic Engineering Managing Directors S. Hirose and Koji Wanaka for their help during the expedition. Yoganand has also helped biking enthusiasts draw the route map for their expeditions. The couple lives in an apartment in Vontikoppal close to Sri Lakshmi Venkataramana Swamy Temple.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / Saturday, April 30th, 2016
Retired IAS officer Shivanand Jamdar has come out with a book which highlights the step-motherly treatment meted out to north Karnataka as far as creation of infrastructure is concerned.
In the book, Taratamya, he has said barely any efforts have been made to develop the region, backing his claims with statistics. The disparity in allocation of funds and lack of commitment from the elected representatives collectively ensured the region remains backward.
Former journalist Patil Puttappa will release the book on Thursday at Suvarna cultural complex at 6.30pm.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Hubli / TNN / April 28th, 2016
Sita Bhateja may be one of a kind in the obstetrics-gynecology world. She has been an active practitioner for the last 67 years, and at the age of 88, she shows no signs of slowing down. “I love my job… I wouldn’t have survived 67 years if I didn’t enjoy it,” Bhateja says laughing.
Her passion for her job is exhibited by the fact that she has worked free of cost at the CSI hospital for eight years, and has even funded the setting up of the maternity ward at St Martha’s Hospital.
She goes to the gym thrice a week, is very strict about her diet and is a voracious stamp collector. In fact, she is world famous for her philatelic activities. In her younger days, she was a horse-rider. However, none of these hobbies came in the way of her one passion — gynaecology. In fact, she quips that she used to go on horseback to attend to expectant mothers if the need arose! She also had to witnessed the horrors of the partition, but went on to Bombay to pursue her higher studies.
She has engaged in several philanthropic activities-some of them including establishing an orphanage called the ‘Child Foundation Karnataka’, and engaging in polio eradication activities.
She set up the Sita Bhateja Hospital in 1965. It originally started out as an obstetric hospital, but became a multi-speciality hospital in 1969. Owing to her long years of practice, it should come as no surprise when she reveals that she has helped deliver three generations of the same family.
Her delivery count exceeds an astounding one lakh babies. On being asked whether mothers opt for normal or C-section delivery these days, she says, “Most prefer C-section, as this prevents further complications like prolapse and urinary infections. They see no reason to persist with difficult vaginal deliveries. Further, women these days are not engaged in physical activity, so the body is not cut out for normal delivery.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Namrata Menon / April 28th, 2016
