Sanskrit scholar Bannanje Govindacharya is seen launching the website as Prof. Bhashyam Swamiji, Vid. Seshadri, Vid. H.M. Shingappa and Sudharma editor K.V. Sampath Kumar look on.
Mysore :
The country’s first Sanskrit newspaper Sudharma launched its website www.sudharmasanskritdaily.in to mark its 45th anniversary celebrations at a function held at Vidyashankara Kalyana Mantapa near Gun House here on Sunday.
The newspaper was conceived by K.N. Vardaraja Iyengar in 1970 with the objective of reviving the language by bringing current events to readers in Sanskrit. The daily is now being managed by his son K.V. Sampath Kumar, who doubles up as a reporter-cum-proof-reader and editor.
“The launch of the website marks a major milestone in the annals of our newspaper, which has a print subscription of 3,000 copies, but over 1,00,000 people access the e-paper from all over the world,” said Sampath Kumar and added the e-paper could now be accessed through its website.
Renowned Sanskrit scholar Bannanje Govindacharya, who was the chief guest, launched the website. Prof. Bhashyam Swamiji, Principal, Maharaja’s Sanskrit College, was present.
On the occasion, a set of books in Sanskrit were also released.
Vid. H.M. Shingappa, retired professor of Maharaja’s Sanskrit College and Vid. Seshadri of Sri Lakshmivenkataramanaswamy temple were felicitated.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / July 21st, 2014
Budding danseuse Anoosha Sri’s story is special for reasons way too many. A dancer, actor, singer, swimmer and a pianist that she is, Anoosha is aptly gifted, well-trained and highly intelligent. She has several good endowments all in the bag and no wonder; her feats are big as the girl is still all of 12!
Though lass of many hats, we wish to tell you about one special feat of Anoosha’s today. The girl is all set to present her Bharatanatyam Rangapravesha. Wondering what is special about it, as way too many of them often present Rangapravesha performances? Anoosha’s Rangapravesha is an achievement in itself as the girl has been tutored through Skype — the widely used voice-over-IP service and she has gained expertise to reach up to the stage of performing a Rangapravesha in the beautiful traditional Indian dance form in just a year’s time. Having decided to learn it this unique way as she happens to be a resident of Louisville, USA, Anoosha’s classes began through online training by noted city-based dancers Badari Divya Bhushan and Dr. Anjana Bhushan last July.
“It wasn’t easy at all,” says Bhushan, talking of his favourite Skype student who is here to meet him in person for the first time, ever since he began training her last year. “My academy has been tutoring students via Skype since a few years now. We tutor about 16 students from countries like Berlin, USA, Dubai and Australia of whom, Anoosha is one who is excellent and my favourite. I never agree to teach students via Skype easily as it’s strenuous for the student as well as us tutors since we need to adjust to each other’s country’s timings,” explains he, “But before I decide to say yes, I interview the student over phone. And when I did it with Anoosha, I found that she is really interested in learning and had perfectly done her homework about the art and was not wanting to learn the dance just for the sake of gaining a so called degree in Bharatanatyam, which many receive but do nothing than simply add it to their personal bio-data.”
According to him, Anoosha who was already trained in the basics of Bharatanatyam by tutors Akila Iyer and Smitha Paily at the US seemed to be really interested in learning it with momentousness and they thus began her classes and that too in Tamil (their mother tongue) during weekends since July last year. Such was her keenness that in just a few months’ time, Anoosha requested Bhushan to tutor her for more hours, jut to expertise the skills better, says the tutor. And slowly with time, she picked up several skills to perfection all by Skype which was amusing to watch and she even performed at a couple of events in the US by learning exclusive moves for different dance shows, he adds.
But how is it that she developed such keen interest in this Indian art though born and brought up in the USA? “I love this dance form the most as I believe it is the hardest one to learn as well as to be executed,” explains the little girl who is getting all geared up to present performances at several places in India after her Rangapravesha in Bangalore this weekend. Anoosha is here exclusively for these performances along with her parents Srinivasa and Mayura, both engineers at the USA.
Talking of her achievements, they explain: “It was at the age of 3 that she first performed on stage. She sang at an event. But we always saw that she loved dancing as she used to dance for every music that played on TV. And we thus decided to get her trained. However, we wanted her to learn the same more precisely under more able guidance and that is when we came across this online training by Bhushans which we took to. We are extremely happy she has learnt so much from them in such a short period of time.”
And their happiness about their child’s achievements knows no bounds as dance is not the only thing she excels in. Apart from this, Anoosha is a talented pianist who has been part of an International Piano Composition Contest and was rated excellent for her composition, she is well-trained in both Karnatak and Hindustani Classical music, is excellent at academics because of which she skipped two grades once she joined school and she is a prize-winning essayist and the 12-year-old is a member of the National Junior Honour Society, Donna Wilkinson Chapter, too. “All her teachers at her schools too are extremely proud of her back in the US, which makes us feel wonderful about her,” gushes Anoosha’s mom who can go on and on about her little daughters achievements with excitement brimming in her eyes.
You can watch her sway in the traditional dance form at the Guruvandana programme to be held at Jaganmohan Palace in Mysore on July 25 from 6 pm onwards. —AN
Anoosha’s feats: 2012-2014: Member of the National Junior Honour Society, Donna Wilkison Chapter
2014: Won Daughters of the American Revolution Essay Contest; Participated in the Tuttle Memorial Music Competition at Cleveland, USA.
2013 and 2014: Won an honourable mention and rated superior for her composition in International Piano Composition Contest.
2013: Value of Life Award Essay Contest winner; Invited to the grand recognition ceremony at Duke University USA, based on ACT Test Scores as part of the Duke Talent Identification (TIP) programme.
2010-2013: National Piano Playing Auditions – National Member.
2010: Won Kentucky Tamil Sangham Tamil Competition.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home>Feature Articles / July 20th, 2014
The University of Mysore (UoM) Academic Council which met here yesterday, gave nod for direct admission of students who have completed ITI to degree courses.This decision follows after Davanagere University granted permission for ITI and JOC passed students to join Degree courses such as B.A, B.Com and BBM.
The other decision taken by the Council included allowing a Singapore-based University to start an International Centre of Physical Biology at UoM, making Computer knowledge and PU education mandatory for candidates seeking appointment to non-teaching posts, granting affiliation to degree colleges started by the Government at Bettadapura, Saragur, Talkad, Chamarajanagar, Terakanambi and Arehalli and bracing itself to implement ‘Connect to India’ scheme as suggested by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
VC Prof. K. S. Rangappa presided over the meeting, which also took the historic decision of providing admission to students from Hyderabad-Karnataka (HK) region. With the decision, the UoM becomes the first University outside HK region to allot 8 per cent seats to students from the backward region under the provisions of article 371(J) of the Constitution.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home>General News / July 19th, 2014
Prestige Group head Irfan Razack buys a 4000-sq ft plot once owned by the late Ambaram Fakirbhai. The property is just a block away from a shop from where the rags-to-riches story of the construction group began
Irfan Razack says he bought the property since it is close to their first store, Prestige Men’sStore, on Commercial Street
Virgin land in the heart of the city is priceless. Those with ramshackle old buildings on them command a hefty price. But the benchmark was raised on Monday when a plot on upscale Commercial Street was sold for Rs 62,500 per square foot — the highest in the city so far.
Irfan Razack, head of the Prestige Group, the top realty firm, purchased the 4,000-sq ft plot from the heirs of late Ambaram Fakirbhai, the textile businessman who once owned large swathes of land in the area now known as Indiranagar. Razack was the lone bidder in the auction.
The plot, which bears municipal registration numbers 15 and 16 and includes a dilapidated building, was bought for a staggering Rs 25 crore at a public auction. This is the second largest realty deal in Bangalore in the last fortnight; the previous one was an eight-acre plot in Koramangala which sold for Rs 345 crore.
“The going rate around Commercial Street is in the Rs 40,000 – 45,000 per sq ft range,” a realtor who monitors transactions in the central business district said. “But the Ambaram deal is a real stunner.”
The Prestige Group are not saying what they plan to do with the plot just as yet, but a source said, “The area is close to the hearts of the Prestige Group founders as they started with a cloth shop on Commercial Street close to the Ambaram plot. By buying land a stone’s throw away from their old store, they have shown that they want to stay attached to their Commercial Street roots.”
Confirming the transaction, Razack told Bangalore Mirror, “The property is very close to my property – Prestige Men’s Store. I bought this because there is only one property between this and our property. The Prestige Men’s Store is a family business run by me and my brothers (two of them). It was a matter of pride to buy a property on this street.”
On the exorbitant price, Razack indicated that he had little choice. “The court had fixed a minimum price of Rs 25 crore for the property,” Razack said. “We were the only ones to participate in the bidding as two others who had registered their names, didn’t participate. Though the price is on the higher side, I don’t think I will regret my decision five years later. It is a family deal and my company has no role in this. This was a personal decision.”
The auction brought the curtains down on a 43-year-old feud by heirs of Ambaram over the land. “Since the heirs could not reach a consensus on sharing the prime property, the court decided to auction it,” sources said.
According to the copies accessed by Bangalore Mirror, the original propositus was Ambaram Fakir Bhai. He married Jeeva Bai and after her death, he married Girija Bai. They had six sons — Thakurdas, A Venilal, A Ramanlal, A Sukhlal, A Krishna, A Narayan — and five daughters — Umiya Ben, Vichkore Ben, Parvathi Ben, Narmada Ben and Tara Ben.
After the death of Ambaram, his eldest daughter, Vichkore Ben, filed a suit for partition of her 1/12 share in the estate left behind by her father. Though the suit was still pending, she sold her right, title and interest in favour of four of her brothers — Krishna, Venilal, Sukhlal and Narayan. Similarly the other four daughters received a certain sum of money from these four brothers in lieu of their share in full and final settlement. Thakurdas and Ramanlal were each allotted 1/7th share.
The above suit culminated in final decree proceedings initiated by Thakurdas in 1981. A commissioner was appointed to work out the modalities of actual partition. He reported to the High Court that the properties were not divisible and that it should be disposed in a public auction. Dispute arose in regard to the mode of partition of shop premises No 15/15, Commercial Street and premises No 27 F, E and D of Hospital Road. It resulted in a civil revision petition before the High Court (CRP No 2920/1973).
All the brothers, however, had reached an agreement that Thakurdas and Ramanlal were to be given first option to purchase 5/7 share of the parties to the suit by depositing Rs 10.71 lakh in the trial court on or before November 14, 1974. When they failed to deposit the amount, the other brothers – Venilal, Sukhlal, Narayan and Krishna — purchased the share of Thakurdas and Ramanlal by depositing a sum of Rs 1.75 lakh each.
Since the four brothers did not have funds, they had obtained a loan from Vijaya Bank to buy their bothers’ shares. It was also agreed that immediately after the purchase of share of Thakurdas and Ramanlal’s shares, premises bearing No 15 and No 16 of Commercial Street and premises No 27 F, E and D of Hospital Road will be substituted as security for the repayment of the loan in place of the individual properties of Venilal and Sukhlal.
Property was locked for 15 years
The three brothers entered into possession in April 1976, while another brother, Narayana, took actual possession of the entire premises in 1978. But he kept the premises under lock and key for 15 years, rendering it unfit for human habitation. Moreover the loan obtained from Vijaya Bank had not been repaid despite repeated reminders. A fresh suit was filed in 1991 for partition of the property. The suit was contested and during the pendency of the suit, two brothers, Venilal and Sukhlal, died.
During the pendency of appeal, parties decided to settle the matter amicably and they filed a compromise petition before the High Court on September 5, 2005. The court decided to auction the property.
Earlier bids unsuccessful
The court’s reserve price for the Commercial Street property was set at Rs 12 crore, while that of the Hospital Road properties was Rs 6 crore. All bids were to commence for a price higher than the reserve price indicated above.
Advocate K N Krishna Rao, representing the family members of Ambaram, told Bangalore Mirror, “During 2005, the Hospital Road property was sold for Rs 18 crore at an auction, but there was no buyer for the Commercial Street property. The Commercial Street property was again put up for auction in 2008 and again there were no bidders. Finally on Monday, the auction was conducted with the initial bid amount of Rs 25 crore and if was successful.”
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Cove Story / by Atul Chaturvedi, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / July 23rd, 2014
JSS University VC Dr. B. Suresh is seen addressing the press persons in city today as Dr. Basavanagoudappa, Dr. P.A. Kushalappa, Dr. B. Manjunath and Dr. H.G. Shivakumar look on.
Mysore :
The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), USA reviewed the Doctor of Pharmacy degree programme of Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara (JSS) University Colleges of Pharmacy, Mysore and Ooty for the purposes of certification and granted Certification to the College’s Pharm D programme.
Disclosing this at a press conference at Patrakarthara Bhavan this morning, Dr. B. Suresh, Vice-Chancellor of JSS University said that the certification status of the College’s professional degree program is listed in the directory of certified programmes of ACPE on its website and the Board’s review and certification was based on due consideration of the Evaluation Team Report (ETR), the Self-Study Report, and the recommendation of ACPE’s International Commission.
He further said that the purpose of seeking certification is to set benchmark for the quality of pharmacy education and particularly Pharm D programme that the University provides in the region with that of global standards and expectations.
Dr. Suresh said that with this coveted ACPE certification, JSS College of Pharmacy in Mysore and Ooty have not only become the first institution in the country but also in the Asia Pacific region and are now poised to provide education on international standards.
Dr. H. Basavanagoudappa, Principal, JSS Medical College, Dr. P.A. Kushalappa, Director (Academics), Dr. B. Manjunath, Registrar, JSS University and Dr. H.G. Shivakumar, Principal, JSS College of Pharmacy were present at the press meet.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / July 18th, 2014
The CBR at the IISc was set up earlier this year with funding from a charitable trust set up by the former Infosys CEO. (Source: PTI photo)
SUMMARY
Carnegie Mellon University is a world-renowned leader in many areas of research and education.
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Infosys co-founder and former CEO Kris Gopalakrishnan has announced a donation of USD 1.8 million for the Carnegie Mellon University in the US to establish a research tie-up with the Centre for Brain Research (CBR) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore for studying aging related disorders of the brain like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
“Carnegie Mellon University is a world-renowned leader in many areas of research and education. I am very pleased to support President Subra Suresh’s strategic vision for the collaboration between CMU and IISc through this gift so that we can address one of the grand challenges of our times by understanding the human brain,” Gopalakrishnan said.
The CBR at the IISc was set up earlier this year with funding from a charitable trust set up by the former Infosys CEO.
The partnership between the Carnegie Mellon Universoty, one of the foremost in brain research and the Centre for Brain Research at the IISc aims to leverage the research strengths of the two premier research institutions.
“This partnership will provide opportunities for applying new technologies from fields ranging from imaging to machine learning to address critical questions about neuro-degeneration and one of the most pressing challenges facing humanity is to understand the human brain. Our hope is that this new research collaboration will lead to discoveries about neuro–degenerative diseases that afflict the aging population, and that those findings help improve our diagnostic and treatment capabilities for such diseases,” Carnegie Mellon University president Subra Suresh said.opalkrishnan who was instrumental in taking Infosys from a start up in 1981 to a USD 8 billion revenue company, has a personal wealth valued at USD 1.4 billion and is among the top 1500 billionaires in the world at present.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The New Indian Express/ Home> Cities> Bangalore / by Express News Service / Banglaore – July 17th, 2014
Dr. Maha Jabeen, Administrative Officer, Yuvaraja’s (Autonomous) College, has been appointed as the Principal of the University College of Fine Arts.
She earlier served as Associate Professor and as the Head of Department of Urdu, Maharaja College before being appointed as administrative officer of Yuvaraja College. She is also a renowned Urdu writer and poetess. Dr. Maha Jabeen has represented University of Mysore in numerous seminars and workshops held across the world.
She has authored five books in Urdu language of which one has won the National Award by Government of Uttar Pradesh.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / July 16th, 2014
In order to recognise academic success in the classroom, the US Department of Education presents President’s Award for Educational Excellence every year.
Nikitha Chalgeri, daughter of Smitha R. Chalgeri and Raju Chalgeri, residents of US, has been awarded American President’s Education Award for outstanding excellence for achieving all-round progress in Academic as well as extra curricular activities during 2014. She is pursuing her 7th standard in Tesoro Del Velle School, California, USA. Nikitha’s elder sister Nidhi Chalgeri was also awarded similar education award during 2010.
President Barack Obama has also sent a congratulatory message from White House for achieving this unique Education Award which reads as follows:
“Please accept my congratulations on receiving the President’s Education Award. I am pleased to join your family, friends and teachers in honouring this tremendous achievement.
America’s continued success depends on how well your generation is prepared for the future, and this special recognition is a testament to the dedication and skill you have shown in the classroom. I am proud of you for pushing yourself academically, and I am counting on you to continue to set a good example and help others whenever you have the opportunity. Smart, driven young people like you remind me that America’s best days are yet to come. And as long as you continue to stay focused on your education and work hard, no dream will be beyond reach.
Congratulations, again. I hope this award inspires you to continue seeking out new challenges and setting your sights on new horizons. I wish you all the best for the years ahead.”
Nikitha and Nidhi are the grand-daughters of Rohini and Dr. P.D. Padmakumar Jain, retd. Joint Director of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services, residing in Kuvempunagar, Mysore.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / July 16th, 2014
The University of Mysore has uploaded six volumes of its Kannada Encyclopedia to the web which can now be accessed by the general public through Wikipedia. The remaining eight volumes will be uploaded gradually.
The uploading to the web was launched by Vice-Chancellor Prof. K.S. Rangappa at a function organised at Kuvempu Institute of Kannada Studies (KIKS) in Manasagangotri here yesterday.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Rangappa advised the students to make best use of internet for gaining knowledge.
U.B. Pavanaja, Programme Officer, Centre for Internet and Society said that the varsity had set a benchmark by uploading the encyclopedia which would be a boon for Kannada medium students. KIKS Director Prof. R. Ramakrishna, Wikipedia Convenor Tejas Jain, University Project Director Prof. S. Ravi and others were present.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / July 16th, 2014
Grey clouds hover over Russell Square. They growl menacingly and then spit out fat raindrops. I take cover at the newspaper stall next to Luna Sweets.
A group of men sit on wooden benches outside a chai shop, sipping hot tea.Theycomplain that Shivajinagar is definitely dirtier and more crowded than before. Prasad, the news stall owner tells me that it affects business.”It was not like this in earlier times”recollects a grey haired Syed Anwar.
“The Shivajinagar Bus Terminus used to be a football field called the ChotaMaidan in the late 40’s. At the corner of the Square opposite St.Mary’s Basilica was a petrol bunk and in the middle was a large public toilet and well.” They begin to swap stories and I am included in the reminiscences.
“When my father moved his business here in 1957, military officers and Europeans from the Cantonment came to get watches fixed.” says a bespectacled Syed Mahmood. I peek into his shop; the Paris Watch Company.
It is filled with timepieces; grandfather clocks hang on the wall and squat little brass vintage alarm clocks tick merrily inside a tiny work cabin. “Our earlier shop, the Pearl Watch Company (present Mota Chambers) was on Brigade Road. Business was good there.” The shop shifted to Shivajinagar in 1957.
“My family was originally from Chikmagalur where my grandfather had a circus. He was good with animals but it ran at a loss so he shifted to fixing watches.” My eyes widen. I have unexpectedly come across astory on this rainy evening in Bangalore. Perhaps the city speaks only when we stop to listen.
Syed Mahmood’s father, Syed Jaffer,was a respected horologist,well known amongst vintage watch collectors in the city.”One day in the late 70’s, Dr.Ajaz Ahmad, a Unani specialist from Mysore called him about a very important job.
Watchmakers across the country and beyond had failed at it since the three missing parts were irreplaceable. My father manufactured the parts,re-assembled the clock in 30 days and took it to Delhi where he presented the working Mantel Clock to its owner, the Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi. He charged only `3000 for the job” says Syed Mahmood “but Mrs.Gandhi gave him `10,000.”
Syed Jaffer refused to teach his son the craft through books. “I learnt how to repair and assemble watches standing beside him all day.” His eyes grow moist. “He was a very fine man.”
Syed Jaffer was returning from weekly prayers at a mosque in Kumbarpet when he was unknowingly caught in police firing on MG Road in December 1986, duringa protest over a fictional story in a local newspaper. The stray bullet damaged his voice and his vocation. His shaking hands never fixed a watch again till his demise two years later
The shop fills with sadness. Syed Mahmood wipes his eyes.
The clouds pass and thestories end. The men discuss world events. Paris Watch Company goes back to work. Syed Mahmood hunches over a dial and scrutinises it carefully.He fixes all kinds of clocks and watches including new ones, but the vintage French mantel clocks are a personal favourite. “Like the English clocks, they are almost impossible to replicate.”
Customers arrive to pick up their resurrected Omega or Rolex watches. They tell me that his skill and dedication too, are equally irreplaceable.The shop’s reputation remains unaltered by time.
The writer is a cultural documentarian and blogs at aturquoisecloud.wordpress.com
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Columns> Others / by Bangalore Mirror Bureau /July 14th, 2014
