Category Archives: Records, All

I don’t have a special someone yet, says Pankaj Advani

Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sports

Having won his eighth world title, ace cueist Pankaj Advani  opens up to Chennai Times on his sport, love and life.

You have won a record eight world titles now. How do you motivate yourself to better this achievement?
In each phase of a sportsperson’s life, the aims, goals and the purpose of playing the sport changes. For me, initially, when I started out, I just wanted to enjoy playing the sport and improve my rankings. Later, when I started winning the titles, the challenge was to retain my position. And, now, I want to push myself further and perform consistently and play as perfectly as possible.

With this title, you are already being talked about as a serious contender for the Greatest Of All Time tag. How do you view this?
Of course, being talked about in such a manner is definitely a huge morale booster. But such statistics and comparisons can wait till I retire or can rise towards the end of my career. Also, these talks can give you a false sense of confidence and I don’t want to be carried away.

Who is your inspiration?
It’s my coach Arvind Savur. He agreed to coach me without charging and penny and his knowledge of the game is incredible. But more than a coach, he is my friend, philosopher and guide. I also get inspired watching  Roger Federer  play. He is definitely the greatest sportsperson of all time. To play so gracefully and successfully all these years is just fantastic. I haven’t met him yet but I would like to. I would also love to watch him play live.

So what’s your idea of an ideal break?
I spend time with my friends and family. And, sometimes, I go to Goa and spend some time by the seaside. It is very relaxing. As a professional player, I get very few days to unwind and so, I try to get adequate sleep and rest. And, yes, I do like to walk the ramp, if only to relax. (Laughs)

What do you think of sportspersons taking an interest in films of late?
Well, people perceive a sportsperson in only one light. They don’t generally see you beyond your game. So, unless your priorities have changed, you should stick with your career. But once you have decided, you have to be yourself as you don’t want to make a fool of yourself in public. Even I got a couple of acting offers and a filmmaker was interested in my life story, but every time I decided to give it a thought, some important tournament would come up and I put it on the back burner.

You are considered one of the most eligible bachelors in India…
Actually, it feels great to be in this category. But I would like to stay an eligible bachelor for some more years. And, no, I don’t have a special someone yet. I have been traveling between India and England for the past six years and with the amount of travelling, it’s wise to stay out of a relationship. But, then, you don’t plan to fall or not to fall in love. If the moment and the person arrive, there’s nothing you can do.

Do sportspersons need to be socially active?
I think it is important that sportspersons involve themselves in social causes in any little way possible. There are so many issues that need to be addressed and each sportsperson or celebrity who has an appeal can go out there and do something for the society. Aamir Khan’s Satyameva Jayate was an excellent concept. Yes, it had a lot of drama and emotions but it brought out a lot of issues that need to be addressed today.

How has 2012 been for you and what plans for 2013?
2012 has been the best year in my career so far. Of course, it involved lots of struggle and was the toughest yet but it was also the most productive and fulfilling. I’ll be concentrating on my fitness in the coming year as health is very, very important when you play at the global level. I would also like to relax and stay mentally fresh.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Sports> More Sports / by M Suganth, TNN / December 31st,  2012

Rockets of Tipu Sultan to get pride of place

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Cannon used by Tippu Sultan’s forces at the battle of Seringapatam 1799 – Wikimedia commons

Srirangapatna:

Saluting the vision of the father of  modern missile technology, Tipu Sultan, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) plans to set up India’s first  archaeological rocket centre at his rocket court in Srirangapatna from where he fired the world’s first war rocket during the Anglo-Mysore battle.

DRDO Chief Controller (R&D), Dr W. Selvamurthy, who visited the rocket court on Friday  with other top defence scientists, was shocked  to see its condition. A portion of the front wall has collapsed and illegal constructions have cropped up on all sides.

Dr Selvamurthy said, “It’s really sad and appalling. The matter is of a great concern. The place which gave birth to the basics of rocket technology can’t be treated this way.  I will immediately write to the state Chief Secretary, the Archa­eo­logical Survey of India and the  state Dep­a­rtment of Arch­a­eology and Mus­e­u­ms  to restore and convert the mon­ument into an archaeological centre of great importance.”

He said that in the 16th century, the country’s core competence in rocket and missile technology was superior to rest of the world. The DRDO proposes to use the space to showcase India’s technological advancements. The wea­p­onry of  Mysore under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan was formidable and quite ahead of its time, he noted.

“We could have a life-size prototype of BrahMos, and models of a wide-range of missiles that India has developed like Prithvi, Agni and ballistic missiles, besides an original piece of Tipu’s rocket at the archaeological rocket centre we are proposing,” he added.

Meanwhile, the ASI and the state archaeological department continue to pass the buck on  the conditon of the rocket court. While  ASI representative, Satish Kumar says the department is responsible for the upkeep of the moument,  Mr. Gopal, director of the state department, contends it is the ASI’s job to restore it.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com  / Home> News> Current Affairs / by S. v. Krishna Chaitanya / December 29th, 2012

Tipu’s rocket court in Sr’patna to be converted into museum

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Science & Technology

Models of missiles and related information will be on display

Chief controller of Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) W Selvamurthy said that appropriate measures will be taken to convert the rocket court (Garrison Ball Alley) of Tipu Sultan reign in Srirangapatna, Mandya district into a museum.

Speaking to press persons during his visit to unit, which is said to be world’s first rocket court, he observed that the unit has become dilapidated, while the surrounding area has been encroached. Houses have been built illegally on the way to the monument.

Elaborating on the project, he said that DRDO will acquire the houses and convert the space into road and will be used for other necessary purposes.

He mentioned that the important monument had been subjected to negligence as there has been a confusion between State archaeology department and
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) about who has to take care of the court.

Noting that a letter of correspondence will be done with both the departments and even chief secretary of Karnataka government, he said, appropriate measures will be taken immediately to conserve the place.

Selvamurthy said, models of all missiles developed in the country will be on display including the original one of Tipu reign.

Information regarding development of missile will also be made available for public.

Many do not know that India was the country which introduced missile to the world. The museum will stress on such facts and which will stress on further researches.
Prior to this, Selvamurthy visited Daria Doulat.

Director of Defence Food Research Laboratory Harsha Vardhan Batra, additional director Radha Krishna, Satish Kumar and others were present.

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> District / Srirangapatna (Mandya Dist.), DHNS / December 28th, 2012

Sheraton Bangalore Hotel GM wins General Manager of the year award by Hotelier India

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All

Martin Wuethrich, GM, Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway was awarded as the General Manager of the Year-2012, upscale business hotel category at The Hotelier India Awards in Gurgaon, New Delhi. The Hotelier India Awards is a celebration of excellence; that recognizes individuals who have made a remarkable difference in the field of hospitality.

On receiving the award, Martin Wuethrich, GM, Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway said “Winning an award is always a very nice feeling. It is always good to know that your effort has been recognized. Our objective at Sheraton is to delight customers; this award re-iterates that we are working towards our strategic objectives.”

Representatives of 100 + hotels participated in the awards ceremony and the winners were chosen according to their contribution to the Hotels performance above and beyond their call of duty.  The judges reviewed stories of integrity, innovation, customer focus, responsibility, accountability and respect when selecting the winner for each category.

source: http://www.voyagersworld.in / Home / Monday, December 24th, 2012

Unravel secrets about Tipu Sultan in Kere Thonnur

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

 

While a lake provides relief from the Mysore heat, temples at  Kere Thonnur  shed new light on Tipu Sultan’s legacy, shares, Arjun Kumar…

The inner sanctum of the Narayana temple was cloaked in inky darkness which my eyes could not penetrate. That did not deter the elderly priest from walking swiftly past me, his eyes either better accustomed to the dark or his soul more enlightened to see the Lord where I could not.

A moment after he entered the Lord’s chamber, the darkness was broken by a tiny spot of light. The spot quickly increased in size and intensity in the process dispelling darkness from all but the corners of the inner sanctum. If I sound a shade philosophical, put that down to to the influence of Kere Thonnur. I go into a region mentally preparing myself to find traces of  Tipu Sultan , a man who spent more time at war than at peace, and a man who – as some historians say – was a religious fanatic.

And then I tumble into Kere Thonnur. There is no trace of conflict here, no broken fortifications as there are in nearby Srirangapatnam and no tombs of warriors, old or new.

Instead, I drive past a mix of well-built houses and mud huts, glance quickly at what looks like an old wall on my right and go on to the hill yonder. It is a very short drive up the hill. On the way I pass a group of people happily splashing around under a mini waterfall. I find myself wondering what the source of the cascading water could be.

That question gets answered at the top of the hill for on the other side is a lake, an expanse of clear blue water. The water is clean, something quite remarkable in today’s age. On a weekend, there are a couple of dozen people milling about, enjoying the water and vista.

The cool water invites me to jump in for a swim and as I look around I find half-a-dozen people who accepted similar invitations and taken the plunge.

The water of the lake is deep in parts but there is no one to warn people to be careful. Instead, there is a partially submerged idol of  Nandi  – Shiva’s celestial bull – which looks ready to pray for your soul if you venture too far.

This place is called the Thonnur Lake, also known as the Tirumala Lake. That it is not crowded is because it has not been discovered by the residents of Bangalore and Mysore.

I go back to the village and this time, I drive slowly. And I stop at the place where I saw the old wall, leaving my vehicle to walk up for a closer look. I end up circumambulating the old wall on the track and find a huge gateway looming before me. It stands by itself at a distance from the wall, looking like part of a building block puzzle someone forgot to put in.

On the left is a gap in the wall, which is the doorway to a temple. This is the Krishna Gopal Swamy temple, one of several in Kere Thonnur dedicated to the God  Vishnu  or his incarnations.

Passing through that doorway, I find myself in a large courtyard at the centre of which is the main shrine. On my right is a pillared structure which looks like a shelter for devotees to gather. All around the inside of the old wall – which looms up to about 15 feet in height – runs a pillared corridor with small shrines at the corner. The most interesting feature of this temple is the set of drawings on the walls. These are outline drawings and not full paintings. Gods and goddesses, elephants and birds are all depicted here.

Unfortunately, the flaking of plaster from the walls has severely damaged some drawings while in other places, blurring of the outlines has caused the image to become barely visible.

Across the road from the Gopal Swamy temple is the Narayana temple. Like the former, this temple too has a high wall around it. The most striking feature of this temple is the solid stone pillar in front of it.

About 40 ft in height, the pillar has iconography representing Vishnu on all four sides. Between the pillar and the temple entrance is a small stepped tank, used for cleansing.

Of singular architectural importance in this temple is that the inner sanctum is protected by a wall at the back.

The space between the wall and the shrine thus forms a  parikrama  where devotees can move around the shrine in ceremonial prayer . Within the sanctum, the place comes alive when the priest lights a small lamp. As the flame gradually increases and touches the far corners of the sanctum, I look around in wonder at the idols tucked away into alcoves all around, forming a protective army for the main idol of Vishnu.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Life & Style> Travel / by Arjun Kumar, TNN / September 27th, 2012

His 99th Xmas is coming

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All

So you can understand when he finds the festival ‘stale’. Here he recalls the memorable ones to Khushali P Madhwani

Ashley Homes is an old age home situated on an isolated street in Horamavu. It is here that I met, Allan Arthur Wash, seated in the sunny verandah of the home, with an edition of Bangalore Mirror in hand. He was following the story of the “Chinese making a move on the Japanese” – it must’ve brought back old memories for he spent three years in a Japanese prison as a soldier.

Ramrod straight, an open smile and twinkling eyes match is suave self dressed in clothes as neat and crisp as rice paper. “I was always told to patch up your clothes, polish your shoes and dress your hair,” reminisces this retired army officer. And he’s been following it for the last several decades.
Wash was born in Madras on March 13, 1914. Yes, he has an elephantine memory and can rattle of time, date and year without any difficulty. He lost his father when he was a boy. His mother couldn’t support him and his sister, so he was sent to a “home in Madras called Civil Orphan Asylum” where he could “live and study too. I studied in this school till 1923.” Christmases were mostly spent in the hostel. “On Christmas day we would be served pulao, chicken, sweet, fruit custard and bread pudding.”
At 17, he began working as a telephone operator. “We had to plug the receiver and shout loudly and people would scream loudly to us. I couldn’t do it,” Wash recalls. Two years later, Wash joined the army. Today four medals – Campaign medal, star medal, victory medal and independent medal – keep him company, reminding of the bygone days.
After his stint in Bangalore, he was posted in Malay, Singapore. In 1924, he was captured by the Japanese and remained imprisoned for the next three years. “The Christmas I spent in captivity was a poor Christmas,” says Wash.”I remember eating maize and palm oil.” After three years of incarceration, he returned to India. “I lived in Hyderabad for sometime before moving to Bangalore. “The Bangalore today is not the same as I remember it. As I see it, it is the dirtiest city in the country,” he says. Wash today receives 30,000 as pension, which he passes on to his 62-year-old daughter who cares for him. “At this age what should I buy and what should I spend it on? The Lord has kept me free from wants,” he says.
While in the army, Wash married Pamela in Mysore. He had four girls and four boys. After retiring from the army, Wash worked at Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysore. “I didn’t like civil life. Today, the civil officers are highly corrupt,” he says. In 1962, the government gave Wash eight acres of land on which he built a house. His family stayed with him on this farmhouse till 1978. “Some of Pamela’s people, her brothers and sisters joined us in the farm in 1971 for a memorable Christmas. “They made sweets. We had all kinds of meat dishes…” recalls Wash. But, his all-time favourite Christmas meal, he says, will always be the custard and roast chicken prepared by his wife. Oh, yes and he also remembers what she wore on the Christmas of 1968, “She wore a gorgeous red and black checked plaited dress stitched by a good ladies tailor from Goa.” That Christmas, Wash’s eight children and grandchildren joined them in the celebrations. When the kids were little, they would set up a tree at home, decorate it and give their Rugrats gifts. “The girls got dolls and the boys got toy trains,” he says.
In 1975, Wash spent Christmas in Mysore with an Anglo Indian German gentleman and his brother, who threw a grand party for all friends. The hosts were dear friends of Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, who looked after them. “Srikantadatta Wadiyar was a little boy then. I got some novels and something to take home… I think it was a vase,” says Wash. In 1986, Wash and Pamela entered Little Sisters of the Poor in Mysore. After nine days his wife passed away. Like last year, even this year, Wash intends on going to his daughter’s house for Christmas to be with his children and grand children.
“Christmas has become stale because it is the same thing over and over again. It is the same meal, same recipe only the environment and company changes,” says Wash. Celebrating 99 Christmases will get to me too, I guess /
source: http://www.BangaloreMirror.com / Home> Sunday Read> Special> Story / by Khushali P Madhwani / December 23rd, 2012

Dr Devi Shetty recognised as Indian of the Year

Business & Economy, Leaders, Records, All, Uncategorized
Dr Devi Shetty, who runs most economical heart care and healthcare institute, Narayana Hrudayalaya in Jamshedpur, was recognised by CNN-IBN as Indian of the Year 2012. At a star-studded awards ceremony held in New Delhi, winners across politics, sports, entertainment, business and public service categories were announced.

Over years, these awards have achieved prestige and credibility unmatched by awards instituted by other media organisations.  The awards adhere  to a transparent and unique four-tier selection process  that includes the IBN Editorial Board drawing a list of nominees, which are authorised by the Jury, followed by voting by Electoral College and India’s citizens.
http://www.dailypioneer.com / Home> PNS> Jamshedpur / Friday, December 21st, 2012

City’s sports stars

Records, All, Sports

By S.N. Venkatnag Sobers

Mysore:

Nobody can dispute the fact that Mysore is tagged as Heritage City or the City of Palaces. Being home to some of the best historical structures and Palaces, our City is also home for many sports personalities who have made a mark in their respective sport. Among them are ‘Mysore Express’ Javagal Srinath, Lawn Tennis player Poojashree Venkatesh, Chess players M.S. Thejkumar, Girish Koushik and others. This Weekend Star Supplement brings together some of the young and upcoming sports stars who have earned accolades both at National and International level.

Sporting talents born to excel

Pratheek Raja

Talented skater Pratheek Raja has done everyone proud with his feats in the Roller Skating scene in the National and International-level. His feats were given due recognition when the Karnataka Government awarded him with the Ekalavya Award earlier this year.

Prateek captained the Indian team in the Asian Games held at Guangzhou, China. He won 5 gold medals and the Individual Championship in the men’s section and emerged as the fastest skater of the meet at the 48th National Roller Skating Championships at Vaizag. He was part of the Karnataka team which retained the Overall Championship title in the National championship.

Pratheek took up to roller skating at a young age of 7 years. He is the current National Men’s champion. Now 23 years old, Pratheek is a B.com graduate and has started his own club — Imperial Skating Club — in city and has trained many skaters who have gone on to win medals in the National and State-level championships. He is encouraged by his mother Mahalakshmi who is working in the District Training Centre.

Pratheek has won the National championship title in the men’s section for 5 years and has secured 14 golds in National championships. He has donned Indian colours five times. Presently he is training under K. SrikanthaRao, Ekalavya Awardee and Indian Team coach, at the VMRSC & Rao’s Roller Skating Club in city.

He represented the country in the 13th Asian Roller skating championship at Haining, China during 2008 and also in the 10th Asian Roller Skating championships at Akita, Japan during 2004. Pratheek intends to do well in the forthcoming championships representing India and bring laurels to our Country and State with his performance.

Shraddha Rani B. Desai

Shraddha Rani B. Desai did everyone proud with her feats in the recently concluded 24th National Inter-zone junior athletic meet held at Pune by winning gold in the 1,500 m event in the girls U-20 section. Sharaddha, 20, is a student of Teresian First Grade College in city. She is a product of the Sports Hostel Mysore and is being coached by former International athlete Damodar Gowda. With the encouragement and guidance from DYSS, College and support from her coach this talented athlete has the potential in her to make her mark in higher level.

J. Suchith

All rounder J. Suchith has been performing consistently and has represented Karnataka in the Shafi Darashah All-India cricket tournament held in Bangalore. He captained the Mysore Zone U-19 team at the Inter-Moffussil tournament which was held at Mysore. Suchith bowls left-arm spin and bats in middle-order. He has represented Karnataka in the Cooch Behar All-India U-19 tournament. He represented Mysore Gymkhana in the KSCA Mysore Zonal league in the first division. He represented the State U-13, U-15, U-17, U-19 and U-22 teams and South Zone in the U-15, U-17 and U-19 levels.

H.S. Sharath

Mandya and Mysore Zone player Hosagaviappa Shivalingiah Sharath announced his arrival in the National circuit by scalping a 5 wicket haul in his debut Ranji trophy match against Uttar Pradesh in Meerut recently. He rocked the UP batting line up and returned with figures of 5/60 on his first day in first-class cricket. His performance helped Karnataka to restrict UP to 273/9 in 90 overs on the first day.

This 19-year-old Mandya lad, who began his cricketing career at PET Cricket Club, Mandya in 1997, was initially coached by Mahadev, cricket coach at the PET Institutions. A tall lad with good pace, Sharath developed into a good medium-pacer and represented Mysore Zone in the U-16, U-19, U-22 & U-25 levels. He also earned the State cap in the U-16, U-19, U-22 and U-25 levels. His consistent performance for Karnataka in the U-25 Col. C.K. Nayudu Tournament helped him to earn a place in the State Ranji squad.

He is the son of Shivalingiah and Puttagowramma from Hosagavi village in Mandya. It was Sharath’s mother who brought him to PET grounds in Mandya to enroll him in the Cricket Club.

He attended the MRF Pace Foundation Camp in Chennai this year and learnt the finer points of fast bowling from none other than Australian cricketer Glenn McGrath. He has emerged as the front-line bowler in the Karnataka bowling line-up in the absence of Vinay Kumar and Mithun, who were out with injuries.

M.V. Spoorthy

Table tennis player M.V. Spoorthy has been consistently winning titles in the State-level both in the sub-junior and junior girls sections. Spoorthy is a product of the PTTA, Mysore and is coached by Rajashekar. Encouraged by her parents, this lass has been performing well in the State-level tournaments as well in the National-level. She has represented Karnataka in the Nationals in the sub-junior girls and junior girls sections. Spoorthy is a student of CFTRI School in city. Spoorthy won the titles in the State championships held at Belgaum, Dharwad, Bangalore and also at Mysore. An attacking player on both the flanks, this girl is seeded No.1 in the sub-junior girls section in the State and intends to work hard and win a medal in the National level in the days to come.

Nisha Joseph

Nisha Joseph of Sports Hostel Mysore, is being coached by Ashok, SAK, Volleyball coach at DYSS. Nisha is a final year B.Com student at Teresian College. DYSS volleyball team finished third in the All-India Dasara Invitation volleyball tournament and Nisha played an important role. She led the Mysore University Volleyball team at South Zone Inter-Varsity volleyball championships at Guntur in October. She captained the Indian team which finished 6th in the Asian Junior Volleyball championships at Bangkok. She is the daughter of Joseph Mari and Elizabeth Rani and a native of Dooranahally in KR Nagar. She started playing when she was in 8th standard. She joined Vidyanagar Sports School, Bangalore and started making heady progress in the sport.

Suraj R. Prabodh

Suraj R. Prabodh of Mysore Tennis Club in Chamarajapuram has been consistently performing well in the senior U-18 sections, both in the International and National-level. He also played in ITF One Jet Grade IV tennis tournament for juniors at Bundung, Indonesia, where he reached the semi-finals. Suraj has also taken part in the two ITF tournaments held at Mandya and Mysore in the men’s section. He won the men’s singles title in the recently concluded AITA NVK Men’s 50k All-India Ranking Tennis tournament 2012 at Hyderabad.

Suraj had represented India in Australian Open junior tournament and played in the qualifying round last season. He is presently ranked 340 in the World in the junior rankings. He is among the top 10 junior players in the country. He won his maiden ITF Junior title after winning at Indian ITF Junior tournament (Grade V) at Guwahati in 2011. He also took part in the ITF tournaments in Mumabi. Suraj performed well in the Adidas-MCC National junior tennis championship held at Chennai where he entered the semi-finals in the singles event.

He is the son of Renukananda Prabodh and Tejawathi. Suraj is so indulged in Tennis that his father Reukananda said that there were no backup career options for Suraj if tennis did not work for him as he is very confident of excelling in the sport.

S. Varun Karthik

Varun Karthik is a talented footballer from Mysore. Having started playing football from the age of 10, he has gone on to represent State in Junior National Championships. The 21-year-old Varun has represented Sports Union FC, Nanjangud, Ganesha FC and Dugramba FC in the Mysore District Football League. He is currently representing Royals FC in the league matches and credits the Club for his success. Varun plays in forward position and is a prolific scorer in the league matches held in Mysore.

Varun was also a member of University of Mysore Football team which participated at the South Zone Inter University Tournament held at Trivandrum last year.

Varun has been a getting a lot of encouragement from his parents T. Subash and N. Shantha and aims to play in higher level. He also credits his physical education teachers Mahesh and Shivanna for his success. He is currently a pursuing his 2nd year BBM at TTL college in Mysore.

M.S. Abhilash

This 23-year-old footballer started to play football at a young age of 9 years. Abhilash has achieved a rare feat of representing the State in the prestigious Santosh Trophy. He also represented Mysore University 3 times and has led the team in 2010. Abhilash has presented Karnataka in Sub Junior, Junior and U-21 National tourney. Abhilash represents Royals FC at the Mysore Division Football League. Currently, he is pursuing MBA at Bahadur Institute of Mana-gement Sciences, Manasagangothri. He credits his coaches and parents M.K. Sundaresh and Vishalakshi for his success.

S.K. Apsana

Apasana is from the Vidyanagar Sports Hostel in Bangalore. Her field of interest is 400 mts hurdles. But, she has also won medals in 4×100 relay and 4×400 mts relay events at the University level.

Apasana is currently being trained under the watchful eyes of SAK Coach Damodhar Gowda. She is a silver medallist in the 400 mts hurdles in Amateur National Championships held at Lucknow recently.

Apasana has also represented University of Mysore in All India Inter University championships. She is currently pursuing her 1st year degree at Teresian College in city.

Reena George

Reena George was a student of Vidyanagar Sports Hostel in Bangalore. She came to Mysore after completing her high school education. Later, she joined Mysore Sports Hostel and got trained under athlete coach Damodhar Gowda. Reena has emerged as undisputed champion in 400mts and 200mts run. Currently, she holds record in 400 mts for University of Mysore and also in Dasara Sports. She also won a gold medal in U-20 National Championships held recently. She has been representing University of Mysore at various levels. Reena is a part of Mysore University Athletic team which will be participating at the All India Inter University Athletic Championships to be held at Kolkata in Jan. 2013. She has been selected for the Indian camp which is preparing for the Asian Track and Field Championships to be held at Chennai in 2013. Reena is studying at Teresian College in city.

Bibi Sumaya

Bibi Sumaya is the current U-20 National 200 mts champion. A student of Teresian College, she is currently undergoing training under Damodhar Gowda, SAK Athletic coach. Sumaya is a product of Kudgi Sports Hostel in Coorg. Sumaya took up to athletics while she was studying 6 std. Later, after completing her high school she came to Mysore to pursue her training in athletics as well as higher education.

Sumaya has emerged as an undisputed queen in 100 mts and 200 mts. She currently holds record for 200 mts in Women’s Nationals, Mysore University and Dasara Sports Meet. She was also the part of the team which won the gold medal at University-level in 4×100 mts relay and also 4×100 mts relay and 4×400 mts relay in Dasara Sports. Currently, she is preparing for the Asian Track and Field Championship which is scheduled to be held in Chennai later in 2013.

Kavyashree

Kavyashree is an upcoming hockey player from city. She was trained in Kudgi Sports Hostel initially before she moved to Mysore.

Kavyashree has been representing the University of Mysore for the past four years.

She will be representing the University of Mysore at the All India Inter-University Championships to be held in Rajasthan later in January, 2014.

B. Pourush

Pourush is an upcoming swimmer from city. Having specialised in breath stroke, he has won medals at State-level Inter School Championships. He started his training since the age of 3 and continues to train under the University of Mysore Swimming Coach Puttaswamy and retired coach Nabhiram. He is currently studying 9th std. at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Mysore.

Muthamma

Muthamma is an upcoming hockey player in Mysore. Previously, she has been a part of Senior Women’s Hockey camp which trained in Bhopal. Having proved her potential, Muthamma has been selected to represent the State in Junior National Championship which will held in Delhi during January 2014.

Muthamma started to play hockey when she was in 6th std. and was initially trained in Kudgi Sports Hostel in Coorg. After, coming to Mysore, she has been able to reach great heights and Muthamma has represented the University of Mysore for three years at the Inter-University Hockey tournaments.

A.S.Deekshith

Deekshith is a promising swimmer from Mysore. A student of Anantha Geetha Vidyalaya in J.P. Nagar, Deekshith aims to achieve great heights in the field of sports he loves.

Deekshith has won medals in many District and State-level swimming championships. He specialises in 50 mts freestyle and 50 mts backstroke swimming.

V.N. Prathamesh

He is a student of Vijaya Vittala Vidyashala. Prathamesh has been performing consistently in every swimming championship he participates. Prathamesh has taken up all major events in swimming which includes butterfly, backstroke, freestyle and breadth stroke. He is currently studying in 5th std and aims to reach great heights in the future.

Dr. Varsha Puranik

Dr. Varsha Puranik is pursuing her M.D (Mirco Biology) at JSS Medical College. She is trained by Ekalavya Awardee Sr-ikanth Rao. She took up roller skating in 1990 after being inspired by her elder brother. Varsha is the first roller skater from India to win a medal at Asian Cham-pionship in 2001. She has won 28 gold medals at National level. She was a part of Indian contingent which took part in the world championships in Italy.

Nirmith Nityanand

Nirmith is a right hand batsman and also bowls leg spinners. He has represented U-15, U-17, U-19 and U-22 State teams. Nirmith has been representing RBNCC in KSCA Mysore Zonal-level league matches and FUCC in Bangalore league. A BE graduate in Construction Technology & Management from SJCE, Nirmith played for U-14 and U-16 National-level C.K. Naidu tournament in his school days.

V. Varshith

Varshith started his career in roller skating in 2001-2002 and from then on he has made a name for himself in roller sports. He is a remarkable skater and has been winning almost every championship he has participated in so far. Varshith has won several gold medals at National and State level championships.

Varshith won bronze medal in the 15th Asian Championship when he was 14 years in the Under 19 category, held at Kaohsiung city, Taipei from July 16 to 25, 2010. He was also impressive in the Junior Men 3,000 mts relays where he won a bronze medal and was placed 4th in 500 mt road race, 4th in 20 km elimination & 5000 m relay and also 5th in 10 km point-to-point and 6th in 15 km rink elimination races.

He has won 9 National gold medals with three Individual Championship, 6 silver medals and 4 bronze medals. His overall Medals in International, National and State championships are 45 gold, 15 silver and 13 bronze medals.

He recently participated in the 15th Asian Championship held in China and was placed 4th in 3000 mts relay. His brilliant performance in the 28th State Championship recently held at Belgaum earned him 3 gold medals and Individual Championship. In the year 2014, he will try to become the first skater in the Country to win gold medal in the 16th Asian Championship.

He is currently studying in I PUC at Chaitra PU College in city. He is the son of B.Venugopal, who was recently conferred with the Rashtriya Udyog Ratna Award by the National Organisation of Commerce and Industry and Geetha Venugopal.

Ruthu Rohit

Ruthu Rohit is a student of St. Joseph’s Higher Primary School. She won her first State ranking tourney at Bangalore conducted by Canara Union Malleshwaram. She won her 2nd title in Sir M. Vishvesvarya Memorial TT Tourney at CFTRI. In the State championships conducted by Karnataka TT Association in memory of C.V.L. Shastry, Ruthu won the cadet event by beating top seed Ayesha Siddiqui. Ruthu will be representing the State Cadet team in the 74th cadet and sub junior nationals at Gandhidham, Gujrat from Jan 16, 2014. She is the daughter of Rohit Ramdev and Rekha.

Ridhi Rohit

Ridhi is one of the most promising table tennis players in Mysore. Ridhi captained Karnataka State under-14 team to 53rd SGFI National school games held at Mizoram in 2007-2008. She won 8 out of 9 State ranking tournaments in cadet (U-12) in 2008-2009. She also led State U-12, U-14, State sub-junior teams. She represented the State in National schools games held in Chandigarh in 2008-09, sub-juniors at Chennai in 2009-10, State Junior U-17 and U-21 teams at Youth Championships held at Ahmedabad in Gujrat. She is a student of St. Joseph’s High School.

Ranjitha

Ranjitha, a native of Shimoga, is an upcom-ing volleyball player and is currently pursuing final year B.Com at Teresian College. Ranjitha has also represented the State in Senior National and University-level tournaments. She was a member of the Indian team which took part in the Jr. Asian Championships at Thailand in 2011-12. She has been representing University of Mysore at Inter-University Championships for the past 3 years. Currently, she is gearing up for Senior Natl. Championships to be held in Rajasthan next year.

Akash Aaradhya

Akash Aaradhya holds the National record for under-19 short distance roller skating. He won a gold and silver medal at National championships.

Akash Aaradhya was also a member of Indian team which participated at World Championships in Italy and Asian Championship in China.

Akash is being trained by Ekalavya Awardee Srikanth Rao, who has been producing talented roller skaters from the city over the past few years.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> Feature Articles / December 15th, 2012

Kundapur: Sripathi Hegde Haklady Bags Basava Jyothi State Award

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Kundapur, Dec 19:

Sripathi Hegde Haklady, correspondent of Vijayavani Kannada daily bagged Basava Jyothi State Award for the year 2012.

Sri Basaveshwara Karmaveera Kala Sahitya Samskrati Vedike has been conferring national as well as state awards for the past eight years. This year they will be presenting 16 national awards and 50 state level awards.

The award ceremony will be held at Kandagal Shree Hanumantharaya Rangamantappa on December 25 where the awards will be presented by Bellabbi, district in-charge minister of Bijapur and Sudarshan, speaker.

source: http://www.daijiworld.com / Home> Karnataka / by Hemananth Padubidri – DaijiWorld Media Network, Kundapur (VM) / Wednesday, 19th December 2012

Life of a Hubli boy with Pi

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

The 3-D English movie — Life of Pi, which has had movie going audiences in its thrall, specially awed by the real life actions its animated tiger and animation segments, the world over — has a Hubli connection that should do the City proud.

And if you are one who stays put till the last credit rolls past before you leave the auditorium, you would have noticed the Indian name you may have instantly connected with Tanseer Ahmed Bangewale, the local lad, who has not only carved a niche for himself on the global movie marquee, but also put the Hubli city in spotlight as well, doing its citizens proud.

Marooned on the boat with a tiger, the film’s protagonist Pi keeps the feline at bay with a long stick and a loud shout. The animated scene was achieved after six-months’ effort. Besides the entry of the strange animals towards the end of the movie was also astutely visualised and conceived by the animator Tanseer.

Basking in the glory of his achievement, and new found attention his work has brought him, Tanseer, a resident of Koppadakere, Dharwad, residing in Mumbai, was in City on Sunday and shared his experience.

Working with the Academy award-winning director Ang Lee of ‘Life of Pi’ , says Tanseer, was a satisfying experience, explaining that a degree in fine arts opened a wide opportunity, although it required a lot of effort. “One need not just become a drawing teacher. Technical expertise is an added advantage,” he says.

Tanseer, 28, completed his BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) from a local college at Gadag with a first class. He followed it up with a course in animation in Mumbai from Hindi movie director Ketan Mehta’s Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC) studio. He was employed by the Rhythm and Hues Animation Studio at Malad, Mumbai, during campus recruitment.

At the studio, Tanseer, who animated for the Hollywood movie ‘Hulk-2’, also worked with the makers of ‘The Mummy Returns’, ‘The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’, ‘Incredible Hulk’ and ‘Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian’, besides animating for the chipmunk in the movie ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel and ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked’.

Impressed by his animation skills, especially for the movie ‘Yogi Bear’, visual effects experts at Rhythm and Hues headquarters in the US took him on board for their works which saw Tanseer join a 20-member team for the movie by Company ‘Golden Compass’, released in 2007. The movie went on to win an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 2008.

Happy that the family’s effort in enabling Tanseer achieve his ambition had borne fruit, a beaming father M J Banglewale, a senior professor at Vijaya Mahantesh Arts Institute, said: Tanseer is my younger son. I sent him to Mumbai so that he could learn something special, since we had to pay a fee of Rs 1.20 lakh for his course in 2005. Funds were difficult, but we did not refuse.

Sure enough, Tanseer has been true to the faith reposed in him.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Entertainment / Hubli, DHNS / December 16th, 2012