CM to launch the service on an experimental basis on July 24
Mysuru :
The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) is all set to introduce India’s first Public Bicycle Sharing (PBS) service in city with the District in-charge Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa scheduled to launch the PBS logo and website on July 16.
This decision was taken at a recent meeting presided over by Deputy Commissioner C. Shikha, who is also the Chairman of the Project Implementation Committee, at her Office to discuss about the implementation of PBS service.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddharamaiah will launch the service on an experimental basis by flagging of a mass cycle rally on July 24. The meeting, which discussed the pros and cons of the project, decided to rope in a noted Sandalwood actor as its Brand Ambassador.
MCC Commissioner Dr. C.G. Betsurmath, DCP N. Rudramuni, MCC Deputy Commissioner (Development) Suresh Babu, Executive Engineer (JNNURM) Satyamurthy, Transport Planner in Directorate of Urban Land Transport, Bangalore, Sourav Dhar, Green Wheel Ride Contractor Mahesh and others attended meeting.
Under the Scheme, one can rent an electric bicycle from docking stations to be set up at 48 public and tourist places, and return it at any docking station. A total of 450 bicycles will be kept at 52 docking stations.
The MCC’s Rs. 19.03 crore project is being funded by the World Bank’s Global Environmental Facility project and the Ministry of Surface Transport.
Green Wheel Ride, Mysuru, which has won the contract for the project, will provide e-bikes with advanced lithium battery.
The MCC has taken up construction of docking stations at public places like Railway Stations, bus stands, near schools and colleges. To hire bicycles, one need to get a membership card, which will be like monthly and yearly passes. Users will have to just swipe the card to rent a bicycle
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / July 07th, 2016.
SLICE OF THE PAST:This photo of Bengaluru’s old Town Hall features in the Cantonment walking tour organised by Bangalore Storyscapes, an oral history project by the Centre for Public History.— photo: courtesy of G.G. Welling Photography Studios
Oral history project exhibits some of its collections at a conference
When the milkman knocked on the door, one woman was assigned to ensure that he didn’t cheat while milking the cow. In another recording, a woman described the coffee ice-cream at India Coffee House, which was on the menu for the princely sum of six annas. The stories of milkmen, local wrestling legends, entrepreneurs, murderers, and singers finally have a home, thanks to the Bangalore Storyscapes project.
The oral history project, founded four years ago by the Centre for Public History at Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, exhibited some of its work at the International Oral History Association Conference in the city on Wednesday.
“There aren’t very good archives or books on contemporary history,” said Avehi Menon, curator of the Centre for Public History (CPH) and treasurer of the Oral History Association of India. Some of the earliest memories the centre has on record date back to the 1930s, with tales of orchestra pits and silent films.
The project also details how the city felt the tremors of major historical events in their day-to-day lives, said Ms. Menon. For instance, the flour rations distributed during the Second World War resulted in the iconic Koshy’s, which began as a bakery.
How it began
The centre began by collecting stories from residents of the Cantonment area, and the rich oral history they gathered inspired Ms. Menon and her colleagues to create walking tours in the area, featuring audio from their interviews. The walks are designed to bring the stories back to the people of Bengaluru, said Priyanka Seshadri, a tour guide.
“We wanted to allow people to take ownership of public spaces,” said Ms. Menon. “This is history they contribute to.”
The CPH team aims to add to their oral history archive in order to make the collection more representative of the city. Their current sampling features more men than women because of the project’s focus on public spaces. This is something they would like to rectify. “We began by talking to business owners on M.G. Road, and most of them are men,” Ms. Menon said.
As the project gained popularity, the organisers received funding from the India Foundation for the Arts, with the goal of integrating the tradition of oral history with photography, art and cinema.
Even as the centre subsequently shifted focus to cinema in the Cantonment area, women were excluded from the conversation. For instance, one interviewee recalled that his sister was barred from watching Hollywood movies as his grandfather was worried they were too violent.
Domestic matters
To correct this gender bias, the team is now shifting focus to documenting the domestic life in Bengaluru. “Some women tell stories of the milkman coming to their house and cheating them if they didn’t stand and watch him milk the cow,” Ms. Menon said, adding that people like milkmen and plumbers would be invisible to historians without the contributions of women.
One concern is that the project interviews participants only in English, a practice that self-selects those from middle-class or upper middle-class backgrounds.
Keeping these limitations of Bangalore Storyscapes in mind, the organisers are excited to be approached by citizens who contest the version of events showcased in the project. “We ask to interview them also,” Ms. Menon said, explaining that she has created a platform for a multitude of viewpoints. “The way India is moving with the changing of our history books, it helps to remember that there is no single, definitive narrative of what happened,” she said.
We wanted to allow people to take ownership of public spaces. This is history they contribute to.
Avehi Menon,treasurer, Oral History Association of India
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Kasturi Pananjady / Bengaluru – June 30th, 2016
Maharaja of Mysore Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar will today tie the nuptial knot with Trishika Kumari Singh , who belongs to a royal family of Rajasthan.
The iconic Mysore Palace Amba Vilas Palace has been decked up for the royal wedding of Wodeyar family scion Yaduveer.
Trishika is the daughter of Harshvardhan Singh and Maheshri Kumari from the Dungarpur royal family in Rajasthan. The marriage ceremony will take place at the kalyana mandapa at the karkataka lagna and savitra mahurat time between 9.05 a.m. and 9.35 a.m.
The elaborate pre-marriage rituals had commenced on June 24.
The groom took a ‘yenne snana’ or oil bath early on Saturday morning, followed by a ‘pada puja’ of Parakala Mutt’s Abhinava Vagheesha Brahmatantra Swatantra Swamy , who is the family’s rajguru.
As per established custom, the rituals began in the Mysore Palace in the presence of Pramoda Devi, the Queen mother and other family elders.
24-year-old Yaduveer was crowned as the ostensible head of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family in a traditional ceremony held on May 28 last year.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / New Home> City> Bangalore / ANI / June 27th, 2016
Researching historical details can get confusing at times. This story for instance, begins in a Scottish city called Glasgow on a street named after the Saracen people from the Middle Ages. It then gets directed to a Victorian bandstand in a historic park laid out by a military engineer in South India’s tech-hub, Bengaluru. And if you think it’s quite knotted up already, that’s not the end of it. But maybe that’s also the fun of it.
Parks historian and author Paul Rabbitts says that the bandstand (or `band house’ as it was first called) was perhaps inspired by popular 18th century pleasure gardens like Vauxhall in London who also offered music pavilions and exotic entertainment including hot air balloons, tightrope walkers and fireworks. The bandstands were envisioned as a decorative focal point for the park and provided acoustic shelter for the brass, wind and military bands that played there. Their rich decorative elements and curved shapes also seemed to reflect oriental influences like the pagodas and chattri’s from the eastern corners of the empire. The first domed structure was reportedly built in 1861 at the Royal Horticultural Society, South Kensington. The concept soon captured the imagination of 19th century Britain where he says, approximately 1,200 bandstands were built between 1860 and WWII. Though these public parks were primarily designed for relaxation, they were also interpreted as an attempt to `humanise’ the grim townscapes that emerged during the Industrial Revolution.
The Cubbon Park bandstand with its traditional octagonal shape sits on the same axis as the Vidhana Soudha, Attara Kacheri and Government Museum. It is said to have been gifted to the park in 1914 by Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the Maharaja of Mysore and initially placed near the Seshadri Iyer Memorial Hall. It was shifted to its current location in 1937, over what was once called the Ringwood Circle.
Iron was strong, durable but light. Molten iron could also be poured into pre-fabricated moulds. This enabled accurate replication and extensive repetition. `Cast’ iron therefore became popular for ornamental and commercial purposes. The framework for Cubbon Park’s cast iron bandstand took shape in the Glasgow based Saracen Foundry, owned by architectural iron casters Walter Macfarlane and Company Ltd. The company was set up in a disused brass foundry on Saracen Street in 1851 and soon became a famous designer-manufacturer of ornamental fountains, park and garden seats, conservatories, flower vases, baths, pipes and fittings right up till WWII.
Bandstands fell out of favour following WWII but iconic Macfarlane and Co. Ltd cast iron designs were still spotted around the world. They included the main (northern side) entrance gates to Lalbagh and the conservatory style Glass House.
The Lalbagh bandstand is believed to have been conceptualised during the tenure of Superintendent Mr. William New (1854-1864). He organised the first few `Lalbagh Shows’ around it in the late 1860’s before the Glass House came up in 1890. Mr. John Cameron who succeeded New in 1874 recorded its repair and renovation; a granite platform was also added and the wooden roof was improved.
Old timers recall orchestras and military bands playing regularly at bandstands in the city, including Cole’s Park, while city chronicler Mrs Maya Jayapal mentions that live music was scheduled for the fourth Thursday of every month in the 1920’s. The bandstands now accommodate deep breathing pranayama practitioners in the morning, sleeping somari’s in the afternoon and performances by local school children and classical musicians on weekends. It’s always fascinating to see how our local history runs alongside, intersects with or unites stories of people and places around the world.
The writer is a cultural documentarian and blogs at aturquoisecloud.wordpress.com
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Columns> Others / by Aliyeh Rizvi, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / June 26th, 2016
Over the past seven decades, Excelsior bakery has established itself as the place to be for a slice of cakes, puffs and more
In 1926, the bustling Seppings Road was a rather quiet neighbourhood, very different from the bustling marketplace of today. It was in this neighbourhood that baker Sahadevan in a partnership with a British lady, Emery set up Excelsior Bakery.
The bakery has over the years gone on to establish itself as the must go place in the cantonment to head for cakes, milk breads, puffs and much more. The ownership has passed four generations and the bakery is currently being managed by IT professional turned businessman Saipreeth Muralidharan.
He says, “We have a very loyal clientele. In the preparation of the food items in the bakery, we use a lot of secret recipes that have been passed on from one generation to the other. Many of the residents who have moved away from the locality to places like Hebbal and Jayanagar come here regularly to savour our milk breads, Japanese cakes, puffs and spiced breads. I often meet people bringing their children to the bakery and narrating tales about cakes for their birthday parties as children arriving from Excelsior. We have even had instances of people coming from as far as Chennai to sample food from the bakery.” Saipreeth’s father Muralidaran, one of the owners weighs in, “One of our most popular items are the Christmas plum cakes. We add many special spices and essence. We start preparing the plum cakes for Christmas a month and a half in advance. We used to have people knocking the doors of the bakery at six in the morning for a loaf of bread.”
The family takes personal care to ensure the quality of the product. “I check every batch of puffs, breads and sweets that are created at the bakery. We have put systems in place to ensure that only fresh items are served to customers.”
Saipreeth says that over the passage of time, many functions in the bakery have become mechanised. “In the earlier days, we would have to physically knead the dough for the bread. My grandfather used to have army cadets volunteering for the job, in exchange for a loaf of bread. Many of these processes have become mechanised. However, we have still kept some traditional practices alike and most of our baking is done on a firewood oven.”
Once Saipreeth took over operations a few months ago, the bakery underwent changes. “We introduced a new menu with non-vegetarian components such as chicken puffs, rolls and pizzas. We also added sweets to the menu. We try not to use gels and preservatives in our items.”
Talking about the cantonment being a hub for a clutch of family owned bakeries, Saipreeth quips, “I think it was mainly because there was a large British presence in this part of town. They taught us to bake and eat bread.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus/ Nikhil Varma / Bangalore – June 22nd, 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
Mandd Sobhann, promoters of Konkani Museum, dubbed Konkani’s most ambitious project, have set themselves 3-year time frame to complete the project. CM Siddaramaiah laying the foundation stone for museum at Kalaangann, Shaktinagar on April 21 will mark another step towards realizing the project, cost of which is estimated at Rs 30 crore. The first step incidentally was laid on June 15, 2013 with a unique move of asking donors to donate a cent of land.
With the museum coming up on one-acre land abutting Kalaangann, the task before the cultural organization is now to raise required funds. Giving this dream project a small fillip is a budgetary grant of Rs 2.5 crore that Siddaramaiah announced in the budget this year. With a similar amount assured in next year’s budget, the organization is left with the task of raising a further Rs 25 crore and try and tap newer sources of funding rather than go to their usual donors.
Eric Ozario, gurkar of Mandd Sobhann told reporters that the Central government, governments of Goa and Kerala, and even UNESCO is on his organisations radar for funds. “We have spread our tentacles far and wide in our effort to raise funds for this project and even deputed people to liaison with authorities concerned to meet our objective,” he said, adding the plans for the museum are big and will require concerted efforts to realize the same with equal determination.
Describing the project as world-class anthropological museum in the making, Eric said it is largely inspired by the Don Bosco Centre for Indigenous Cultures, Mawlai in Shillong. “It is our endeavor to document, promote and preserve Konkani cultures of Konkani speaking communities wherever they exist for the future,” and not limit it to a mere collection of artefacts. “There will be digital documentation of all facets of Konkani cultures, traditions across communities,” he said.
The museum also has the potential to become a place of tourist importance in the future and even this will be kept in mind as the project takes shape and is completed, he said. “It will showcase the unique and rare, rich and diverse Konkani culture of Konkani’s belonging to all religions, regions, communities and dialects,” he said adding research will drive the museum’s endeavours.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Mangalore / by Jaideep Shenoy / TNN / April 18th, 2016
Did you know that Palace Road houses many mansions and buildings that are labelled heritage structures with intrinsic social and historical value?
Architect Naresh V. Narasimhan of Venkataramanan Associates was looking at the stretch on Google Maps, while working on the restoration of NGMA building, and was surprised to see the road extending from Tipu Sultan’s Palace to the Bangalore Palace.
He undertook a survey of the buildings on that road and presented the ‘Palace to Palace’ study for the government to consider declaring the stretch a heritage zone calling it the ‘Swarnavalaya’.
This study prompted photograher PeeVee (Perumal Venkatesan) to photograph some of the structures on the road for documentation.
He focused on nearly 60 to 70 buildings on the stretch for about a month and the result is an INTACH exhibition to mark World Heritage Day, which will showcase nearly 40 photographs.
The exhibition is themed ‘Palace to Palace’, and is showcased along the walls of the State Bank of Mysore on Avenue Road for two weeks.
“The exhibition will highlight some of the buildings along the heritage-dense road. We selected the public road for the showcase as it attracts a large footfall and wanted the show to be accessible to public,” said Meera Iyer, co-convenor, INTACH, Bengaluru.
“Having been through Balabrooie and Carlton House controversies, Mr. Naresh agreed that we should augment the heritage photo library of Bengaluru for a complete photographic documentation of the structures for posterity. That’s the reason when I approached INTACH with my work, they readily agreed for the exhibition,” says PeeVee.
Enjoyed photographing Chetty Hostel: PeeVee
Bengaluru: “I simply enjoyed taking photos of the Chetty Hostel on Avenue Road,” says PeeVee, explaining his observations during his shoot.
The Mohan Building that had housed the Chickpet Police station is now being used for sorting dry waste collected in the area.
The State Bank of Mysore’s old building at KG Road-Avenue Road junction was one of NIMHANS’ work places in the 1960s.
The stately Clock Tower at the Central College installed during British times demanded a stately heritage value.
The nearby Freedom Park that once housed the central jail, the UVCE building and JC Polytechnic also deserve heritage status.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Ranjani Govind / Bengaluru – April 18th, 2016
Car collector Dr Ravi Prakash promises to pull the wraps off over 900 classic beauties
Classic car lovers may soon be spotted wheeling down the state highway more frequently than ever before. Giving the finishing touch to his glossies, doctor-turned-vintage-car-collector Ravi Prakash is almost ready to steer open the doors of a nine lakh square feet property on the fringes of Bengaluru that will house a covetable collection of more than 900 classic cars, together with a range of time-honoured motorbikes and carriages.
Describing it as an ‘auto-history museum’, Dr Ravi says, “More than a treasure trove of vintage automotives, I hope to create an aural-visual and educative experience that every vehicle enthusiast and historian would want to have. The museum will illustrate the evolution of motor vehicles through its exhibits. But more importantly, it will replicate the bygone era, complete with the classic favourites, road networks as well as the people and attire of old times.”
From the Bentleys, Aston Martins and Rolls-Royces to the Mini Coopers, the museum will showcase a diverse collection of glistening steel beauties that could make even the most hard-nosed cynic quiver with excitement. Located on a farmland near Rajarajeshwari Nagar along the Mysore Road, the museum will not just line up the cars in an array. “Expected to be one of the 10 largest vintage car museums in the world, this state-of-the-art venue will promote awareness about old-style vehicles. The property will also comprise an automotive mall, serving as a platform for buyers and sellers,” adds the collector, who himself was a national rallying and racing champion between 1981 and 1984, and is a die-hard fan of the Mercedes Benz classics.
It’s not just this cardiothoracic surgeon who likes to travel back in time. His daughter Rupali also takes interest in old cars. “She is into vintage car merchandising and is quite passionate about it,” sums up Dr Ravi, who dreams to make this museum a major tourist hub in the coming years.
Zooming facts
The museum will be equipped with advanced technology, wherein each car will be displayed under individual sheds.
Among the lot will be a car driven by Motilal Nehru.
Visitors will have access to an enviable collection of 18,000 books and journals on automobiles, apart from other antiques.
Typically, the restoration and modification process for every car takes around six to nine months, while it may also vary between three to four years, depending on the amount of work required on the vehicle.
The restoration of the vehicles is a done by a team of 15 motor experts at a special workshop.
A restaurant featuring car-themed design and decor will be the star attraction of the auto-mall.
A charitable foundation will run the museum, the proceeds of which will be primarily spent for the treatment of road accident victims, while the rest of the money will be used for the acquisition and restoration of cars.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bangalore / by Reema Gowalla / TNN / March 28th, 2016
City’s Sneha Spandana Mahila Mandali, Kuvempunagar, was conferred with District Youth Club Award at the District Youth Convention jointly organised by Nehru Yuva Kendra, Department of Collegiate Education, Student Welfare Wing and NSS Unit, University of Mysore, (UoM) at Humanities auditorium, Manasagangotri here recently.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 25,000 and a citation.
Speaking on the occasion of award presentation, Mayor B.L. Bhyrappa said that Mysuru bagging the ‘Cleanest City in India’ tag for the second consecutive time, has brought enormous joy to him.
Pointing out that many Self Help Groups had joined hands with the MCC in keeping the city clean, Bhyrappa observed that relentless co-operation by Associations and Organisations, civic groups and members of the public, will go a long way in the city retaining the tag for a long time.
Maintaining that the MCC has launched several initiatives for making the city plastic-free, he called upon the co-operation of all stakeholders in this regard.
Noting that every individual has his/her own strengths, he opined that everyone should utilise their strengths for the betterment of society. He called upon Organisations to guide the youths in the right direction.
Joint Director of Collegiate Education Prof. Morabada Mallikarjuna, University of Mysore Dean Dr. M. Rudraiah, Administrative Officer Prof. C. Ramaswamy, Nehru Yuva Kendra’s M.N. Nataraj and others were present.
A total of 25 youth groups of the district were presented sports equipments on the occasion.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / March 28th, 2016
