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City Doctor chairs ‘Hip Session’ at US

Leaders, Science & Technology, World Opinion
Dr. B.R. Prashanth (right) and Dr. J. Marsh, Chairpersons for the ‘Hip Session,’ seen at the AAOS meet in Las Vegas recently.
Dr. B.R. Prashanth (right) and Dr. J. Marsh, Chairpersons for the ‘Hip Session,’ seen at the AAOS meet in Las Vegas recently.

Mysuru :

Dr. B.R. Prashanth, Orthopaedic Surgeon attached to Columbia Asia Hospital, Mysuru and Committee Member representing India, chaired a ‘Hip Session’ along with Dr. John Marsh from USA at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 85th Annual Meeting that concluded on Mar. 28 at the Venetian Sands expo, Las Vegas, USA.

Scientific papers from US, Canada, Europe and Asia pacific were presented. The consensus on hip fracture treatment was that these patients should be operated upon with in forty eight hours to reduce the mortality and morbidity in these elderly, osteoporotic individuals. Also, the role of hip replacement surgery in these patients was also presented.

Dr. Prashanth also critically evaluated five Instructional Course Lectures (ICL) ranging from Knee replacement Surgery to knee sporting injuries. The ‘Metal free Replacement’ for patients with metal allergies, ‘Fast track’ knee replacements for faster recovery and the new generation computer-assisted knee replacements besides ‘Gel one,’ a non-operative treatment for knee arthritis, were the latest developments which were presented and will be introduced in India shortly, says Dr. Prashanth.

China was the guest nation at AAOS and the advancements in Orthopaedic Surgery from China were highlighted. Dr. Mihalko, Chair of Committee Members, appreciated the efforts of the International Committee Members contributing to the development of the prestigious AAOS at the inaugural event.

A total of over twenty thousand orthopaedic surgeons from around the globe attended this annual event.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Friday – April 03rd, 2015

The pioneer of electronic tambura

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

“Can you not manufacture a pocket-sized electronic tambura,” the doyen M. Balamuralikrishna had asked G. Raj Narayan of Radel Electronics, the pioneer of electronic tambura, and a flautist, in the 1980s.

“Miniatures don’t serve the purpose as the size of the speaker determines the needed tonal throw and quality,” explains Mr. Raj Narayan, who first brought out electronic tamburas in 1979 and bagged several awards for his innovation.

Tambura apps are linked to fashion and the mindset of people now, Mr. Raj Narayan says, and adds that such apps cannot go beyond a point as “an external amplifier and speaker have to be connected for use on stage, which makes it cumbersome.”

There are seven variants in Radel’s electronic tamburas, catering to both the Carnatic and Hindustani genres. The price ranges from Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 6,500 and “some are even shaped like a tambura,” he says

Honour for tambura artistes

Despite not many artistes using tamburas, all concerts at the Sree Ramaseva Mandali, Chamarajpet, feature the instrument. For the first time, three well-known tambura artistes V. Jagannatha Rao, Sripada Rao and Hulikal Prasad will be honoured by the mandali.

Family members of the tambura artistes cherish the days when artistes such as T. Chowdiah, Honnappa Bhagavathar, Doreswamy Iyengar, T.R. Mahalingam, Bhimsen Joshi and M.S. Subbulakshmi used to send inland letters requesting them for their tambura accompaniment. All India Radio, until the late 1970s, used to appoint tambura artistes with an underlying rule that they possess good vocal knowledge.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Ranjani Govind / Bengaluru – April 06th, 2015

India and US share a common vision of peaceful and stable world : Richard Verma

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, World Opinion

US Ambassador to India inaugurates renovated ORI building

US Ambassador to India Richard Verma being felicitated by University of Mysore Vice-Chancellor Prof. K.S. Rangappa with a Mysuru Peta, silk shawl, sandal garland and a memento (wood-inlay of the Crawford Hall) during the inauguration of the renovated building of Oriental Research Institute (ORI) in city last evening. Also seen are Director of ORI Dr. H.P. Devaki (extreme left) and Registrar of UoM Prof. C. Basavaraju.
US Ambassador to India Richard Verma being felicitated by University of Mysore Vice-Chancellor Prof. K.S. Rangappa with a Mysuru Peta, silk shawl, sandal garland and a memento (wood-inlay of the Crawford Hall) during the inauguration of the renovated building of Oriental Research Institute (ORI) in city last evening. Also seen are Director of ORI Dr. H.P. Devaki (extreme left) and Registrar of UoM Prof. C. Basavaraju.

 

Mysuru :

US Ambassador to India, Richard Verma inaugurated the renovated building of the Oriental Research Institute (ORI) here yesterday. The renovation was funded by the US Consulate, which had donated $50,000 in the year 2012.

Speaking on the occasion, Verma said that both India and the United States have entered into a ‘strategic plus’ phase in their relationship, sharing a common vision of a peaceful, prosperous and stable world. He further stated that the partnership is bolstered by people-to-people ties between the two nations and said, “How we work together to achieve a common vision defines our strategic plus partnership, be it with regard to economic and trade relations, energy, space, climate change, science and technology etc.”

The US Ambassador referred to the ancient Indian treatise of Arthashastra by Chanakya and said that Chanakya had told that a ‘true friend’ in international affairs was someone who shared common objectives and added that India and the US share democratic values and can be called ‘true friends,’ if they accept the wisdom of Chanakya.

Speaking at the programme, Vice-Chancellor of University of Mysore (UoM), Prof. K.S. Rangappa requested Verma to contribute $2,00,000 dollars for the restoration of various heritage buildings of the University.

The ORI now houses more than 30,000 paper and palm-leaf manuscripts and over 45,000 rare books. The items were put on display for the Ambassador including a rare manuscript of Chanakya’s Arthashastra, transliterated versions of the religious work commissioned by the then Maharaja of Mysuru, Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and rare palm-leaf manuscripts with treatise on astronomy, medicine and mythology.

Looking at the manuscripts, Verma said that he was thrilled to see the only copy of the Arthashastra in Mysuru.

Registrar of UoM Prof. C. Basavaraju and Director of ORI Dr. H.P. Devaki were present during the VIP’s visit.

Richard’s Mysuru Connection

It might be surprising to know that the US Ambassador to India, Richard Verma has a closer connection with Mysuru than we had thought.

Richard’s sister Roma Murthy is married to Bala Murthy from Mysuru. Bala Murthy’s father late N. Narasimha Murthy was the former Principal of National Institute of Engineering (NIE).

Speaking after the inauguration of the renovated ORI building, Verma said that it was a great honour to be in the city where he was able to meet some of his family members. He recalled that his father, who went to the US to pursue a Master’s degree in English Literature, had a close interaction with scholars of the Department of English, UoM.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Wednesday – April 01st, 2015

US Envoy awestruck by Palace

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Uncategorized, World Opinion

PalaceBF07apr2015

Mysuru :

US Ambassador to India Richard Verma, who arrived in city yesterday to inaugurate the renovated building of Oriental Research Institute (ORI), visited the Amba Vilas Palace, popularly known as Mysore Palace, in city this morning.

On his arrival, he visited the residence of late Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar to meet Pramoda Devi Wadiyar and had a brief chat over a cup of tea.

Later, Richard Verma visited the Private Durbar Hall, ornate Kalyana Mantap and other prominent sections inside the Mysore Palace.

He expressed his happiness over the maintenance of the Mysore Palace, the gold leafing works and the recently introduced Braille book facility.

Verma told the Palace Board officials accompanying him that he would spend more time at the Palace during his next visit to Mysuru.

Earlier, Mysore Palace Board Deputy Director T.S. Subramanya welcomed Richard Verma with the traditional Mysuru Peta and a shawl.

During his Palace visit, Richard was accompanied by his brother-in-law Bala Murthy, President, i4 Now Solutions, USA and Co-ordinator Ariel H. Pollock.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Wednesday – April 01st, 2015

A self-sustaining art village in Haveri

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Travel
Artists busy at work at the Utsav Rock Garden in Gotagodi of Haveri district.
Artists busy at work at the Utsav Rock Garden in Gotagodi of Haveri district.

With the government not keen on recruiting Fine Arts teachers, Yallappa Uppar, with his ‘Art Master Course’ certificate, would have ended up opting for a job that had nothing to do with his passion. But, a chance to work with a different media saved him.

Ten years after he made the choice, Yallappa is a happy man doing what he loves, making sculptures and getting paid for them.

Like Yallappa, there are 100 more sculptors and Fine Arts graduates, who are now able to make a living in an art village in Haveri district.

Located off the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway (No. 4), 37 km from Hubballi, the Utsav Rock Garden at Gotagodi in Shiggaon taluk of Haveri district, is a prime example of the transformation of an art village concept into a revenue-generating model.

The Utsav Rock Garden has already become a picnic hotspot for the people of the northern districts of Karnataka, where people love to spend the day experiencing ‘village life’ recreated by artisans.

The enjoy the art works, which are a mix of both contemporary and traditional art forms, fashioned out of cement.

What is unusual is that the ‘art village’ keeps on expanding, adding new creations while providing work to the artisans and the sculptors. The brainchild of senior artist, art teacher and folklore scholar, T.B. Solabakkanavar, and given shape by his son, Harsha Solabakkanavar, the rock garden, is an attempt at preserving Kannada culture and traditions.

“The set-up is in the form of a company now, but will soon get converted into a trust,” says Managing Director of the garden, Prakash Dasanur.

The art village is a training ground too.

“We provide training along with food and accommodation, and remuneration for the artists work. Over 2,000 artists have been trained here and they are taking up individual and group art assignments,” said Vedarani P. Dasanur, curator of the rock garden.

“There are around 80 Fine Arts schools in Karnataka, and not many who pass out are able to eke out a decent living. We experimented and recreated a revenue-generating model. The government could facilitate creation of such art villages in other places or involve artists in beautification projects and in preserving art and culture,” said Mr. Solabakkanavar.

“If the artists team up, there are various opportunities for them, especially in the wake of a growing demand for cement sculptures,” said Harsha.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by Girish Pattanashetti / Hubballi – April 06th, 2015

Southern Comfort Moves Up North

Business & Economy
U S Mahendar (fifth from left) with his team members | JITHENDRA M
U S Mahendar (fifth from left) with his team members | JITHENDRA M

The engaging logo of the pot-bellied coffee maker juggling his classic steel tumblers is all set to invade tea drinking bastions in north of the Vindhyas under the brand Hatti Kaapi. Rooted in Bengaluru, the affordable and well-researched over-the-counter format is the brainchild of U S Mahendar, a small town coffee powder maker, hailing from Hassan district. Catering to office goers, tourists, shoppers and passersby, the distinctive little outlets dish up seemingly endless South Indian style cups of filter coffee. They almost serve 70,000 cups  of coffee on a daily basis along with a small range of teas, milkshakes and snacks.

The Hatti Kaapi growth chart is impressive. It began as one tiny outlet in 2009 operating out of Bengaluru’s bustling Gandhi Bazar area and located under a stuffy staircase. Now 40 units are spread across street corners, tech-parks and more recently airports in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. At Rs 12, one can get a cup of hot filter coffee and khara bhath, while a cup of hot coffee costs Rs 5.

Mahendar himself sounds a tad bemused by their success and the several awards and recognitions they have won. “It was at 5.30 am on November 27, 2009, that we served our first cup of traditional filter coffee from our 40 sq ft counter in Gandhi Bazaar. We sold 3,000 cups at Rs 5 each the next day and haven’t looked back since,” he says, adding, “I came to Bengaluru with my mother, friend M L Gowda who is now a partner in Hatti Kaapi and with just Rs 2,000 in hand. My mission was to market our coffee powder to some of the big Udupi restaurant chains specialising in South Indian filter coffee. One particular brand insisted that we come in at 4 am each day , brew the coffee, serve it to customers and collect feedback on the quality.”

After three exhausting months of doing this, they were told that they were not good. In retrospect, that rejection turned out to be in their favour. Mahendar took it as a challenge and decided to start his own brand.

He attributes his success to his core team which includes a mix of Starbucks baristas, industry veterans like S Lakshmana Swamy  from Hindustan Unilever, his head of operations Balaji A R and several others who have been around since its inception. “We are now taking on tea drinking areas up north—Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. My dream is to have a Hatti Kaapi presence in major international cities like New York and Paris,” says he. This does not seem impossible as word has it that they are developing ties with international super market chains like Carrefour although they currently have no plans to raise money externally or to dilute their stake.

“You cannot beat our price or our packaging. We serve you coffee in earthen pots, takeaway cups or old-fashioned steel tumblers,” says he. And to satisfy those hunger pangs they also have a no-fuss menu of samosas, rolls, South Indian rice- and lentil-based staples like idlis or Bisibele Bhath (hot rice-dal mixture), stuffed buns and bags of savoury dips. “Our biggest challenge is keeping our price low without compromising on quality. Since we started, we have only increased our prices by Rs 3 per cup in corporate campuses and Rs 5 elsewhere. Yet the quality of our coffee powder and milk is not compromised on. We want to be the quintessential neighborhood adda that everyone must want on their street corner,” he signs off.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> LifeStyle> Food / by Jackie Pinto / April 04th, 2015

A ride of a lifetime

Uncategorized
Suresh Kumar (in yellow suit) during the zero-gravity flight. Photo: Special Arrangement
Suresh Kumar (in yellow suit) during the zero-gravity flight. Photo: Special Arrangement

On April 2, T.N. Suresh Kumar achieved what some of us can only dream of.

The senior scientist of ISRO’s Master Control Facility in Hassan, took a ride in a zero-gravity flight from the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Moscow. This was a fulfilment of his long-cherished dream, a step up for his last year’s feat, when he became the first Indian to visit the stratosphere — the second layer of the Earth’s atmosphere.

Then, he had made it to an altitude of 17,100 metres from the Sokol Airbase near Nizhny Novgorod in Russia.

This time, he spent $ 5,400 for the flight, covering an altitude of around 8,500 m.

Mr. Suresh Kumar, who has travelled to 114 countries, told The Hindu over the phone: “I took the Indian flag and my mother’s photo for the flight as it was a memorable event in my life. I was one among 15 members from different countries.

We took the flight after completing medical fitness tests.

Only those who are fit physically and understand the instructions given at the training centre can take the flight.”

He lived with the passion to take the flight after he missed a chance to be part of ISRO’s team to visit space in 1986.

The visit was cancelled following the explosion of space shuttle Challenger.

He will return to India on April 18.

Mr. Suresh Kumar’s wife, Geetha, is also a scientist at the MCF.

They save a major portion of their salary for travel.

Geetha has also visited more than 90 countries.

Their daughter, Raksha, has visited more than 45 countries.

His family had accompanied him to Moscow.

While Geetha and Raksha have returned to India, Mr. Suresh Kumar continued on his visit to central Asia.

“We are budget-travellers. We book tickets in advance and carry ready-to-eat food to reduce expenditure,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Satish G. T / Hassan – April 05th, 2015

Bangalore Rose Onion gets GI tag

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, World Opinion

The ‘Bangalore Rose Onion,’ which is almost exclusively grown for the export market, has managed to get the coveted Geographical Indication tag. It is the 217th product in India to get the tag. The GI tag is an intellectual property right that not only indicates the geographical origin of that product but also conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness of the product. The Bangalore Rose Onion tag means that this onion is grown in one of the 16 taluks of Bengaluru rural, Kolar and Doddaballapur. The GI tag was announced late last week.

Bangalore Rose Onion growing areas
Bangalore Rose Onion growing areas

Bangalore Rose Onion is the only product from Karnataka to get the tag this year (2014-15) out of the 20 given products across the country. This is only the second item to have ‘Bangalore’ in its name. Out of the 235 products that now have the GI tag in India, 29 are from Karnataka. Out of these, edible products include the Coorg Orange, Mysore Betel Leaf, Nanjangud Banana, Monsooned Malabar Arabica Coffee, Coorg Green Cardomom and the Bangalore Blue Grapes.
The effort to get the GI tag for BRO started with the Bangalore Rose Onion Growers’ Association facilitated by the horticulture department of the state government. In their detailed application before the Geographical Indications Registry, they pointed out the uniqueness of the onion.

What makes it Special
What is unique about the BRO is that the bulbs have a flat base. The shape is spherical with deep scarlet red colour, anthocyanin, phenols and high pungency. The high pungency makes it preferable in making pickles. It also has higher levels of protein, phosphorus, iron and carotene. “Bangalore Rose Onion is grown only in and around Bengaluru, that is Bengaluru urban, Bengaluru rural, Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts. The climate and soil conditions of the area are ideally suited for this variety of onion. Deep fertile mekklu soil and sand mix of red soil of the area with good infiltration, soil pH ranging between 6.5 to 7, atmospheric humidity of 70 to 75% and average temperature of 25 to 350 C is most suitable. BRO is not consumed locally and the tag could only be a status symbol. TN Prakash Kammardi, Chairman of the State Agriculture Prices Commission, said, “You can find them in super markets these days, usually in pickled form. What the GI tag will do to the product and how far it will benefit farmers has to be seen.”

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Others / by Shyam Prasad S, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / April 06th, 2015

The keys to happiness

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Unique hobbies

KeyChainCollectorBF06apr2015

Sabhyata’s souvenirs stand proudly at the entrance to her house, welcoming visitors with jingling stories from different corners of the country.    A collector of keychains for over a decade now, her collection is vast and varied. Each one is testament to her travels and the different stories she has to share. She even fondly calls the collection the ‘Hanging Keychain Garden’! 

Sabhyata started collecting keychains when she was doing her bachelors in engineering, way back in 2000.    “I used to live in Mysuru and was doing an engineering course in Mandya. I was fascinated by the sheer number of keychain vendors and the variety that they used to sell. This spurred me to collect keychains.” She hasn’t stopped since.  She has about 118 keychains in her collection – from bare metal ones to those that have unique shapes and intricate designs.

Her collection includes keychains from metros like Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai, tourist spots like Goa and Kullu Manali, temple towns like Madurai and Udupi and from hole-in-the-wall shops around the City. She makes sure that she buys at least four keychains whenever she travels to a new place.  She has found star attractions for her collection outside temples such as Dodda Ganeshana Gudi in Basavanagudi and Muddu Udupi Sri Krishna  along with a metal keychain of Manjunatha from Dharmasthala, one of Radha and Krishna from ISKCON and another in the form of Hanuman Gade from the Doddanjaneya Temple in Mahalaxmi Layout.

Her treasured assets also include keychains in the form of toys and handmade dolls bought from exhibitions.     At the Dasara exhibition, she had bought keychains with cloth dolls and jute boys. There are keychains with Channapatna toys picked up from ‘khadi’ exhibitions. She also has a keychain with two girls from the Kalakruthi exhibition.

Although handmade keychains are the ones she treasures the most, she says, “I have many favourites. I have a beaded keychain which I bought from Akshardham in Delhi for Rs 80. It happens to be the costliest and one of my favourites. I also have a keychain which is in the form of a cycle made from unused wires.

A few other pretty ones come from handloom exhibitions in Chickpet and Channapatna.” She also has ‘multipurpose keychains’ in her bouquet of collection.     They are in the form of torches, screw-drivers, Pepsi bottles with pens, nail-cutters, measuring tapes and a weighing instrument that she carries around with her.     Roadside vendors have also contributed to her collection with intelligently-shaped designs. From simple keychains in the form of gambling dices, cigarette-shaped ones, girls and money to gory ones like skeletons and fish-bones, her collection is unique.

Sabhyata says, “Designs of keychains have changed a lot ever since I started collecting. I used to have bare metal keychains. Soon, handmade, jute and wooden keychains were an intimate part of my collection. Now, the keychains of cartoons and caricatures are in vogue. My daughter keeps me updated on keychains from shows like ‘Chhota Bheem’, ‘Jaggu’, ‘Bal Hanuman’ and about Barbie dolls and ‘Angry Birds’.”

She adds that her daughter picks up keychains for her when she visits old shops. Her family, too, has generously contributed to her hobby. “My aunt gave me a keychain from a Nepal trip.” But she says she finds the best keychains during train journeys, especially the ones from Bengaluru to Mysuru. From Delhi,  she has bought at least six keychains.   She would like to pursue this hobby as collecting keychains comes in handy.

“It’s a cost-effective hobby. Keychains are reasonably priced with beautiful colours and patterns.” Although, many a time, her child has not received return gifts from tours, Sabhyata makes sure she brings back her treasured keychains, which fully clink of stories.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> MetroLife / by Anushka Sivakurma / DHNS – April 06th, 2015

New Tech in City Station to Help Seniors Climb Stairs

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Science & Technology, Travel

Bengaluru :

The City Railway Station is likely to become the first station in the country to get a stairlift, a mechanical device to carry people up and down stairs.

Essentially a chair mounted on rails, the stairlift helps the elderly, differently abled and those with knee problems. It is new in India, but has been around in the United States since the 1930s, helping victims of polio negotiate stairs.

Picture for representation
Picture for representation

In Bengaluru, product testing is under way on Platform 1 since Thursday, and so far, no problems have been reported. A woman passenger, weighing 120 kg, was among those who volunteered to test the stairlift.

Dr Arun Kumar Manocha, chairman and managing director, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), Delhi, is in town to demonstrate the technology to Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.

“The stairlift is imported from the Netherlands from a reputed company with a long innings in manufacturing safety products. It meets European passenger safety standards,” Manocha said.

The company’s Indian franchisee is in Bengaluru and so the City Station emerged as a natural choice to test the technology.

IRCTC is only looking at Platform 4 as it is the only one that lacks a pedestrian subway, Manocha added. The staircase is ‘Z’-shaped with a flight of stairs followed by a landing and another flight of stairs.

“We are looking at introducing two stairlifts, one for each flight of stairs. The passenger will have to walk the one or two metres between the two,” he told Express.

The cost of the two stairlifts and the 15 metres of railing it needs will work out to around Rs 6 lakh, he said. “We initially planned installing a railing on the flat surface also so that the passenger need not disembark and all steps leading to Platform 4 could be covered in one go. But it worked out very expensive (Rs 16 lakh),” he said.

New Tech in Station to Help Seniors Climb Stairs

The equipment and the railings can be installed in just two hours. If trials succeed in Bengaluru, many stations across the country will have it.

It works out much cheaper than an escalator or a lift, which require more time and space for installation, Manocha said.

Simple Apparatus

The stairlift, which can carry a passenger load of 140 kg, runs on mains, but will also have a chargeable battery so that it does not stop midway in case of a power disruption.

Initially, an attendant will man the operations, but gradually, the public will be allowed to handle it, Manocha said, describing the procedure as simple. To ensure safety, it will have a seatbelt.

After being approved by Suresh, the stairlift has to be okayed by the directors of IRCTC.

The operation is likely to begin in three months. IRCTC is installing the stairlift as part of a corporate social responsibility initiative.

“The Delhi passport office introduced a stairlift recently, but it was not working when I checked it out a few days ago,” Manocha said.

At the City Station, the IRCTC has also donated flashlights and horns for golf carts, four sophisticated wheelchairs (Rs 12,000 each) and a superior filtration system that can purify 200 litres of water an hour.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by S. Lalitha / April 04th, 2015