Category Archives: Records, All

NIFT test: Bengaluru girl bags top spot

Education, Records, All

SirigowriMPOs19may2018

Bengaluru :

She held her first art exhibition in her apartment when she was in Class 9. That was a clear indication for the parents of Sirigowri Kambalimath about her inclination. On Tuesday, this Bengaluru girl emerged as the all-India topper in the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) 2018 (general category) entrance test.

Sirigowri studied commerce with psychology in Sri Kumaran’s Children’s Home, Mallasandra campus, for higher secondary. “I was interested in psychology and I thought a combination with commerce would open many avenues. Psychology and design go hand in hand because we are designing for people and we must understand their choices and preferences,” she told TOI. Though she is second in the overall national ranking, she stood first in the general merit category.

“She has always been inclined towards art,” said her father Shivaprasad Kambalimath, a techie. “She was good at arts, story-writing and painting since childhood. In high school, she wanted to pursue a different career,” he added.

“I was aware of the branches of design, but didn’t know the scope of each stream. That’s why I joined Design Quotient Labs, a coaching institute where professional designers guided me to decide what exactly should I pursue in graduation,” Sirigowri said.

She is yet to decide whether to join NIFT Delhi or Mumbai. “I applied for fashion communication because fashion defines us,” added Sirigowri, who dreams of putting up her show at Milan, the fashion capital, one day.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Bangalore News> Schools & Colleges / TNN / May 18th, 2018

Award for forest guard

Records, All
Cricketer Rahul Dravid presenting the Wildlife Service Award 2018 to Forest Guard J. Yogaraja of Lakavalli range in Bhadra Tiger Reserve. In the middle is Forest Officer Manoj. | Photo Credit: G_P_Sampath Kumar
Cricketer Rahul Dravid presenting the Wildlife Service Award 2018 to Forest Guard J. Yogaraja of Lakavalli range in Bhadra Tiger Reserve. In the middle is Forest Officer Manoj. | Photo Credit: G_P_Sampath Kumar

J. Yogaraja was presented the Wildlife Service Award, which carries a purse of Rs. 1 lakh, by the Cricketers For Tiger Conservation (CFTC) on Friday. He was responsible for the arrest for seven poachers in Lakavalli range in Bhadra Tiger Reserve.

The forest official was felicitated by former Indian cricket team captain and national junior cricket team coach Rahul Dravid at Karnataka State Billiards Association.

“My father was a forest watcher for 30 years. I have grown up listening to stories about his job. When I got the opportunity to be a forest guard, I was more than delighted. Crime against wildlife is a serious offence and convicting poachers is very difficult. I was very happy when we were able to get 3-year jail terms for seven poachers,” he said.

Cricket and wildlife conservation his passion

Mr. Dravid said, “Cricket and wildlife conservation are two things I am very passionate about. Some of my best memories have been associated with the forests of Karnataka. What the Forest Department is doing to protect them is phenomenal. These men (forest guards) make a lot of sacrifices, staying away from their families. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude. Infusing cricket with this cause is commendable, as this sensitises children towards the need to conserve wildlife early on in their life.”

Dravid also gave away awards to the winners and best performers of the ‘Tiger Cup’ tournament.

CFTC was conceived by Sandeep Patil, Harbhajan Singh and Yusuf Pathan in 2012. This year saw the 7th Tiger Cup tournament.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / May 18th, 2018

Listen to stories of old cantonment towns

About Bangalore(Bengaluru) / Karnataka, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
The film documents the memories of about 25 families living in these areas. | Photo Credit: K Gopinathan
The film documents the memories of about 25 families living in these areas. | Photo Credit: K Gopinathan

INTACH to screen ‘Towns of Our City – People, Stories and Life in the old cantonment towns of Bengaluru’ on Sunday

Gulnaz Khan was born in Fraser Town. Her grandfather served in the British Indian Army. Though she now lives in Richards Town, Ms. Khan has very fond memories of Fraser Town.

“Every morning, when we would head to school, the entire street would resemble a carpet of flowers. We would hop and jump over them,” she says, remembering the tree canopy, something she greatly misses now.

This and many such memories of long-time residents of the old cantonment towns will be part of a one-hour long film to be screened by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) on May 20.

Speaking about the making of the film, Meera Iyer, co-convenor of INTACH, said, “The film is a result of the exhibition ‘Towns of City’ that was conducted last year to showcase the heritage and culture of Fraser Town, Cooke Town, Richards Town, Benson Town and Cox Town through walks, photographs and talks. We had spoken to numerous long timers, who gave anecdotes of the places. We recorded them and felt that sharing them with the public will make them know the neighbourhood better and also feel more connected to it.”

The film documents the memories of about 25 families living in these areas. “Most of them are descendants of original settlers,” she added.

Some narrators will also share their ideas for the future of these towns and how to preserve what remains of their heritage. “It is important for these stories to be told to preserve and promote the cultural and architectural heritage of these towns,” Ms. Iyer said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / May 16th, 2018

Bengaluru girls share all-India third rank in ISC exams

Education, Records, All

Bengaluru :

Scoring 99.1% in the ISC exams (class 12), Era Gupta and Sanyukta Giri of Bishop Cotton Girls School have clinched the all-India third rank and topped Karnataka.

ISCgirlsBF15may2018

Era, who scored centums in physics, chemistry and biotechnology, aspires to be a doctor and land a seat at AIIMS, New Delhi. “Most people who know of my ambition told me to focus on National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). But I didn’t want to sideline the boards and I’m glad my efforts have paid off,” she said.

Era said most of her time was spent in school and at Allen Career Institute, leaving her with only a couple of hours to study at home. “Swimming and dancing proved to be major stressbusters for me. My teachers were extremely supportive and never let me lose confidence,” she said.

Era, who even benefited from online content, said: “Social media is not a distraction. In fact, it helped me. My friends kept me calm whenever I was worked up,” she said.

Sanyukta scored centums in physics and biotechnology. “I don’t follow a schedule and just go with the flow,” she told TOI. Like her peers, she began preparation after the model examination. She didn’t attend coaching classes as she felt classroom lessons were sufficient. Sanyukta, who’d rather interact with others in person than online, spends her leisure time reading, her favourite author being Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky.

Her mother Anita Gopalan said, “She has always been interested in reading, and studied more than just her textbooks.” Sanyukta looks up to her brother Vikramaditya, a mathematician at University of Cambridge, for inspiration. She has appeared for NEET and plans to pursue medicine due to her love for biology.

Sanyukta said she was motivated by her parents’ pep talks. “They were very supportive and weren’t interested in marks as such,” she said.

-Priya Bhat M, Diya Kurien

State toppers

Rank—Student—–School————————-Percentage

1 —–——-Era Gupta——–Bishop Cotton Girls School— —–99

1 —-——–Sanyukta Giri——- Bishop Cotton Girls School———–99

2————Sanchia Allen Aranha—–Sophia High School————- 98.75

3–———-Nithyasri Ramaswamy—-Sophia High School————-98.5

3—-——-Disha R Reddy———–Christ Academy ICSE school——-98.5

3-———Leah Anne Johnson——Mallya Aditi International School—98.5

Source: Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News> Schools & Colleges / TNN / May 15th, 2018

These toppers did not let their textbooks rule their lives

Education, Records, All
Devaamsh Rajesh, (ICSE) Class 10 from Ekya School in J.P. Nagar, is a student of Western Classical music. | Photo Credit: Handout E Mail
Devaamsh Rajesh, (ICSE) Class 10 from Ekya School in J.P. Nagar, is a student of Western Classical music. | Photo Credit: Handout E Mail

They gave extracurricular activities as much importance as academics

Several toppers, who did their schools and families proud, share a common secret to success: they gave extracurricular activities as much importance as academics.

Leah Anne Johnson from Mallya Aditi International School, who secured 98.5% in the ISC board exams, has been volunteering at Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology for two years. She is an active member of Bounce Back, a group that aims to raise funds for cancer patients in association with the Sameeksha Trust. “My school has been instrumental in supporting social work. When it comes to studies, I always resorted to last-minute preparations. In contrast, I feel working for society will be an ongoing affair in my life.”

Another high scorer, Parth Behani, also from Mallya Aditi International School, has represented the school in national-level robotics and debate competitions, and enjoys basketball and swimming. He has scored a centum in maths and computer science, 99 in history, civics, geography, and science, 96 in English and 95 in German in his ICSE 10th board examinations. “I used to pay attention in class. I never attended tuitions,” he said.

For Class 10 student, Devaamsh Rajesh from Ekya School in J.P. Nagar, it was all about hitting the right notes. A student of Western Classical music, he has performed in Shillong, attended a workshop with a Russian music conductor in Hyderabad, and performs in old-age homes to raise funds. He secured an aggregate of 97.4% in his ICSE board exams and topped his school. “I was very attentive in class and would clear my doubts then and there, which helped me in better understanding concepts,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Sanath Prasad & Karthik Vittal G.S. / May 14th, 2018

Bengaluru gets first Geographical Indication-based products store

About Bangalore(Bengaluru) / Karnataka, Agriculture, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All, World Opinion

GIbf11may2018

Bengaluru :

The city has got a unique store which endorses some of the Geographical Indication (GI) products such as Channapatna toys and Devanahalli pomelo among others. This is also said to be the first GI-based products store in the country.
Located in HSR Layout, the store has been started by a group of GI product enthusiasts and will display unique items from artists and agriculturalists. The GI tag that is given to products that possess special features corresponding to a particular geographical location. This tag can be used for agricultural, natural and manufactured goods, emphasizing the heritage of each location.

Around the world, 10,000 products have GI tag, out of which 350 are from India with Karnataka  leading it with 36. The products include Mysore silk, Mysore agarbatti, Bidriware, Channapatna toys and dolls, Nanjangud bananas, Byadagi chilli, Devanahalli pomelo among others.

“It feels nice to set up a store for all GI products because this showcases the culture of the country,” said S J Tejas, owner of the store, which was started under the banner of Geographical Indications Tagged World Premium Products Limited (GITWPL).

The famous Villianur Terracotta works with huge statues of horses and elephants caught the eyes of many visitors at the shop on the first day. “We’ve been practising this artwork for many years now but after the GI tag was given to us, it gave more confidence and pride,” said artist V K Munuswamy. Because of the GI tag, he could take his art to Geneva, he added.

Ravi Kumar, an industrialist, said: “This is a unique store with products ranging from fruits to ornaments.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Bangalore News / TNN / May 11th, 2018

His farm-fresh innovations are helping many farmers

Agriculture, Records, All, Science & Technology

Sharanabasappa Patil has invented several low-cost equipment and methods that are helping farmers reap benefits

Sharanabasappa Patil of Hal Sultanpur village in front of his Solar hydroponics
Sharanabasappa Patil of Hal Sultanpur village in front of his Solar hydroponics

Kalaburagi  :

THIS farmer from Kalaburagi does not hold any degree in agriculture science, but that did not deter him from turning his field into a laboratory for innovations. In his 5-acre-farmland, both ideas and creativity take shape, and his innovations leave everyone in awe. Sharanabasappa Patil of Hal Sultanpur village has invented several low-cost equipment that are helping farmers of not only Karnataka, but also the neighbouring states.

Till date, he has eight inventions to his credit, and people from as far as Visakhapatnam visit his farmland to get an insight into ways to do farming with affordable equipment.Low-cost solar sirens, solar light trap and tur scion cutting machines are some of the innovations that have earned Patil accolades at the state level. He has won many prizes till date, including Krishi Pandit Award and Raita Vignani Award given by agriculture department and University of Agriculture Sciences, Raichur, respectively. He had also bagged the first prize at the state-level innovative farmers’ conference held in 2017.

“When I visited his farmland in Hal Sultanpur, I was completely bowled over by his innovations. I requested Patil to visit Visakhapatnam, and with his help I got my field covered with low-cost solar fencing. Now, I am adopting most of his innovations by using the machines and methods employed at his farmland,” says Ravindra from Visakhapatnam.

Patil02BF11may2018

Ningappa Molakera of Chimmeidalayee village says, “Many farmers of my village have put low-cost solar fencing around their fields. On their advice, I recently visited Hal Sultanpur to get myself acquainted with the new method of keeping animals and birds away from the field. I also procured the unique tur scion cutting machine from Patil.”

Tur scion cutting machine has helped thousands of farmers of the region who could not afford labourers. “Since workers are not easily available these days, this low-cost machine comes in handy and saves lot of time and money,” says Ningappa.

Patil’s another innovation is Solar hydroponics which can produce fodder without using land. He has also invented a monkey gun device to keep the stray animals like cows and pigs at bay.From where does he get the ideas to innovate? To this, the progressive farmer replies: “Necessity is the mother of invention. Drought, shortage of water for crops and attack on crops by pigs and pests are the trigger behind my inventions. Whenever any problem arises, I try to solve it rather than just complaining about it.”
And in his endeavours, he is also supported by the Agriculture Research Centre of Kalaburagi. “He has created wonders on his farmland. We provide him expert opinions and suggestions which help him fine tune his innovations and equipment,” says Centre head and senior agriculture scientist RajuTeggalli.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / April 29th, 2018

Daughter of school van driver tops in Udupi

Education, Records, All
Sathyashree with parents at Ankadakatte on Monday. | Photo Credit: handout_mail
Sathyashree with parents at Ankadakatte on Monday. | Photo Credit: handout_mail

A student of II PU from Kundapur in Udupi district has topped the Science stream in the district.

She studies at the same institution where her father works as a school van driver.

Sathyashree Rao, daughter of Ramesh and Lalitha Rao, and student of Sri Venkataramana PU College has got 593 out of 600 marks. Her combination of subjects is Physics, Commerce, Mathematics and Computer Science.

Her father has been serving as the driver in the same institution.

Ms. Sathyashree told The Hindu that she was expecting above 590 marks.

“While my father was happy with my marks, he was not surprised as he too was expecting it. He is satisfied by my performance in the exams,” she said.

Ms. Sathyashree, who lives in Ankadakatte, said that she would take up engineering and she would like to take up either Computer Science or Electronics and Communications.

“Routinely I used to study about two to three hours. During the exam holidays I used to study the from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. But I did not pressure myself,” she said.

Ms. Sathyashree’s hobbies are classical and film dancing.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangaluru / by Special Correspondent / May 01st, 2018

On Bengaluru’s iconic Excelsior Bakery and its legacy

Business & Economy, Records, All

ExcelsiorBF10may2018

For more than 80 years, people have been queuing up at Bengaluru’s Excelsior Bakery for cakes, milk bread and biscuits

In the 1940s, young Army recruits volunteered to knead the dough at this bakery because they wanted to build upper body strength. They were paid for their services with a loaf of bread.

The Excelsior Bakery in Bengaluru’s bustling Shivajinagar Market is not difficult to find: I just let the smell of freshly-baked bread lead me.

The family-run bakery began as an Indo-British partnership between Sahadevan, a local baker, and a British Lady Emery, in 1930. The establishment is currently run by Saipreeth, Sahadevan’s great-grandson and his father, Muralidharan.

For residents of the cantonment, Excelsior is the go-to place for milk bread, cakes and goodies such as ribbon cakes, cummtee cakes, kal kals, milk cakes, rose cookies, fresh cream cakes, masala biscuits, pastries, puffs and rolls.

“My great-grandfather was a confectioner, who began working at Honour Bakery, that was run by an Englishman in the 1920s. When that shut down, he set up Excelsior along with Lady Emery,” says Saipreeth.

Early birds

“Our bread and cakes were in huge demand. When the store opened at six in the morning, there would be a crowd waiting for a fresh loaf. We had to hand out tokens and only the first 100 customers got the bread! It was not uncommon for people to travel from the other side of town for our cake and a fresh loaf of bread. Even today, we have a huge demand for our plum cakes during Christmas. Our coconut barfi is also a huge hit, and there is also a demand for our day-old bread, since that works better for making sandwiches. I know a lot of people whose staple breakfast fare is our milk bread,” says Muralidharan.

Of course, Excelsior no longer has Army volunteers and now their kitchen is upgraded and less labour-intensive. There have been a few tweaks here and there, but the recipes have essentially remained the same for more than 80 years. Some of its staff have been with them for two generations. They say this has helped in maintaining quality.

The mornings are the busiest for them. The head baker arrives at six and the baking begins in right earnest, says Saipreeth.

“We deliver our products to many colleges and schools. Since we do not use any preservatives, most of our products do not have a very long shelf life, so we strictly follow a routine every day.”

In this weekly column, we take a peek at some of the country’s most iconic restaurants

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Food / by Nikhil Varma / May 03rd, 2018

Bengaluru girls to represent India at Jr NBA World C’ships in Orlando

Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
Bengaluru's girls basketball team, who will represent India at the Jr. NBA World Championship in Orlando, Florida in August
Bengaluru’s girls basketball team, who will represent India at the Jr. NBA World Championship in Orlando, Florida in August

Bengaluru :

Several weeks of preparation and hard-fought wins over some of the country’s best teams has finally paid off for a bunch of talented young women basketball players from Bengaluru, who will now represent India at the Jr. NBA World Championship to be held near Orlando, Florida, in August.

After a gruelling three-day league phase, the city girls overcame favourites Kerala 47-41 in the semifinals and then sealed a 41-38 comeback win over Chennai in the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA National Finals at the NBA Academy in Greater Noida on Wednesday. Among the boys, Delhi defeated Kolkata 81-71.

Both Bengaluru and Delhi teams, along with international teams from Africa and West Asia, Europe, Mexico, Canada, Asia Pacific, China and South America will take part in the first-of-a-kind global youth tournament for U-14 cagers which will be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando from August 7-12.

The National Finals featured the country’s top eight boys and girls’ teams from Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Kerala, Mumbai and Punjab, based on their performance during the Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA Programme held in January. The programme consisted of several individual skills contests and 5v5 competitions and following the city finals in March, each city picked its 10-member All-Star teams (boys & girls) for the National Final.

“The competition was tough, we were facing some of the best in the country. But the girls were confident. We had a good preparatory camp in the run-up to the tournament,” coach Prasanna Venkatesh told TOI on Wednesday. “In the league phase, we finished second behind Chennai and therefore faced Kerala in the semifinals. Kerala, with their tall players, were tough but we still beat them in the end by six points.”

In the final, however, facing old nemesis Chennai was not going to be easy. “There were some nerves because we had lost to them earlier in the league phase and at the 2017 Sub-Junior Nationals,” Sunishka Kartik, one of the team’s top performers, said.

Trailing 2-17 after the first quarter, the Bengaluru girls never lost hope and pushed hard to surge ahead at the break and then defend the lead for the win. “Seven of us have played together before for Karnataka so we rallied together as a team, fought hard and defended well. It was a victory to cherish forever,” said the Baldwin Girls’ High School student.

Asked if they had received any cash award for their achievement, Sunishka quipped, “It doesn’t matter. There is no award bigger than representing India.”

Winning squad: Sunishka Kartik, Diya J Kothari (Baldwin Girls’ HS), Smriti Vemula, Vedaa Anand (Greenwood High), Hamsa R, Meghana M (Carmel Convent), Shreya Ashok (Bishop Cotton), Shreya Bose (NPS HSR Layout), Moumita Mishra (Vibgyor High), Nuha Asif Masood (JSS PS). Coaches: Prasanna Venkatesh, Palani M, Jyothi Rao S.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports News> Others / by Maxin Mathew / TNN / May 03rd, 2018