As many as 4,850 students from 23 degree colleges wearing the same badge sing Vande Mataram to enter the Golden Book of World Records on Malpe beach in Udupi on Saturday.
They all wear the same badge and sing Vande Mataram on Malpe beach
A new record of the “Largest congregation of people wearing the same badge” was created and entered into the Golden Book of World Records on the Malpe beach here on Saturday.
This record was created by 4,850 students from 23 degree colleges, who wore the same badge with the slogan “Save nature for the future” and sang the full version of the national song, Vande Mataram.
Vivekananda birth anniversary
As many as 23 singers also joined the students in singing the full version of Vande Mataram. The event, organised by a voluntary organization, Samvedana Foundation, aimed at creating awareness for saving nature.
This event was organised to mark the 155th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
Certificate
After the students wearing the badges sang Vande Mataram, the representative of Golden Book of World Records, Santhosh Agarwal, handed over the certificate of “Largest congregation of people wearing the same badge” to Prakash Malpe, coordinator of the programme and the head of Samvedana Foundation.
The certificate was handed over in the presence of Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister for Fisheries, Youth Empowerment and Sports.
Earlier, the students brought a 1,750-ft long and nine-feet wide national flag in a procession from the Gandhi Shatabdi Grounds to the beach here.
Meenakshi Bannanje, president of the Udupi City Municipal Council, Dinakar Babu, president of the Udupi Zilla Panchayat, Raghupati Bhat, former MLA, and G. Shankar, philanthropist, were present.
Speaking to presspersons here, Mr. Santhosh Agarwal said that the record of “Largest congregation of people wearing the same badge” was a new one which was created here.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangaluru / by Special Correspondent / Udupi – January 13th, 2018
The Vallombrosan Benedictine Confederation supplies its products to many five-star hotels and restaurants.
Vallombrosa Cheese/Facebook
Pray and work.” That’s the driving tenet of the Vallombrosan Benedictine Confederation , or as they put it in Latin, “Ora et Labora”. Thirteen years ago, the Bangalore chapter of this order of Roman Catholic monks hit upon a rather unique way to pursue their goal of making a sustainable living: they decided to manufacture cheese. Today, their little factory, nestled in the leafy confines of Gualbert Bhavan in TC Palya, churns out cheese so divine that is has amassed a loyal clientele in five-star hotels and restaurants not just in Bangalore but across India.
“Taj, Oberoi, Trident, Marriot, Hyatt, Park…they all take cheese from us,” said Father KL Michael, the head of the order’s Bangalore chapter. The monks currently produce ten varieties of cheese, including buffalo mozzarella, ricotta, burrata (a hot favourite with the hotels at present) and parmesan. They are sold under the brand name Vallombrosa.
Vallombrosa’s USP, said Michael, is that the monks don’t use any preservatives. “Buffalo milk is very tasty in itself and we use the full cream version which adds to the taste,” he said. It is the freshness and taste, he believes, that convinces outstation chefs to pay a premium for flight charges to procure the cheese, allowing Vallombrosa Cheese to hold its own against much larger players such as Impero and Dairy Craft. Nothing gladdens Micheal more than hearing chefs telling him his cheese “is as good as Italian cheese”.
Burrata’s uniqueness lies in its soft buttery centre, made from fresh cream and shredded mozzarella. Photo credit: Vallombrosa Cheese/Facebook
In 2000, when Michael was appointed to take charge of Gualbert Bhavan, where young men preparing for the priesthood study, he began to think about an economic activity they could undertake to finance themselves. Cheese-making wasn’t something that had crossed his mind until it was suggested by a Italian businessman, a friend of the monastery, who had business connections in India: “He said since there was no buffalo mozzarella in India, it was something we could produce.” Michael went to a cheese factory in Naples, Italy, and spent a week there, learning and writing down everything about the cheese-making process.
In India, though, the situation was totally different. “We struggled to get good buffalo milk,” said Michael. “The milk we got was watered down and was not good for making cheese.” They finally chanced upon a society in Hoskote, whose buffalo milk made the cut. The small factory with its asbestos roofing and three second-hand machines imported from Italy was also ready. With a supply of 20-30 litres of milk per day, Michael started making small quantities of mozzarella cheese in 2004.
Finding clients was the next challenge. Michael turned to the internet. Searching for “Italian restaurants in Bangalore”, he came upon Herbs and Spices in Indiranagar, one of the city’s most popular Italian restaurants at the time, headed by Chef Manjit Singh. A cold call was made, a sample of mozzarella sent, and within a week, Vallombrosa Cheese had received its first order.
Father KL Michael learned cheese-making in Naples. Photo credit: Vallombrosa Cheese/Facebook
Today, the monks produce 100 kg of cheese every day, using 400 litres of milk. Work begins at around 8.30 am everyday and goes on till around 3 pm. One of the most crucial aspects of the process is checking the temperature of the milk. “The cheese sets faster in the summer and takes longer in the cold weather, so we have to be careful about all this,” said Michael. Once the purity of the milk is checked, it is gradually heated to the perfect temperature. Then bacterial cultures and rennet are added to curdle it. After the curd forms, it is cut, drained, cured and shaped while still hot. The initial process is done manually, but the cutting and shaping is done by machines. The cooled cheese is packed in light brine and sent out for delivery.
The soft cheeses, such as mozzarella and ricotta, can be stored for up to 15 days in temperatures of 1-4 degrees Celsius. The hard cheeses such as parmesan and pecorino, actually improve with age.
The soft cheese retails at Rs 800 per kg, the hard cheese is Rs 1,500 per kg while the goat’s milk cheese sells for Rs 2,000 per kg. Currently, the factory uses three machines. Michael and four other monks are involved in the entire process. He also has two drivers, one to get the supplies and the other for delivery.
He plans to eventually build a larger, more sophisticated factory. “Our production will increase and the factory will be a lot more modernised, Italian style,” he said with a smile.
Pecorino is a hard and salty Italian cheese made from sheep’s milk. Photo credit: Vallombrosa Cheese/Facebook
Michael returned to Italy last year to learn more about cheese-making and plans to go there again in 2019 to get more ideas. “When I was there in 2016, I learnt how to make Italian butter,” he said. “It is very different from the butter you get here. I plan to start making that once the new factory is ready and sell that to Italian restaurants.” His cheese expertise is in demand now, with college catering departments approaching him to deliver lectures on the challenges of making cheese.
The monks don’t eat cheese everyday at the seminary though. “We serve it only twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays when we have chapati and porotta for dinner,” said Michael with a laugh. His favourite cheese is bocconcini. But the joy his products bring clients is incidental to the enterprise. Said Michael: “The important thing is that this has allowed us to become self-sufficient and we are no longer dependent on the Italian order for any money.”
Nik Gugger, who was sworn in as member of Nationalrat in Bern, still cherishes his Kerala connection
His is a journey from Thalassery to the Swiss Parliament and he still maintains his connection with the town where he grew up till he was four.
Nik Gugger was sworn in as member of Nationalrat (Swiss Parliament) in Bern around 7.30 p.m. Indian time on Monday. The 47-year-old father of three children has been elected to Swiss Parliament as a candidate of the EVP (Evangelical Party in Switzerland). An Indian by birth, he was adopted by a Swiss couple and he still cherishes his association with people and institutions at Thalassery. Though he was born at the Basel Mission Hospital at Udupi, he had grown up as an orphan in what is now the Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF) campus at Illikkunnu at Thalassery till his adoption by his Swiss parents. The NTTF itself is a symbol of the Indo-Swiss cooperation aimed at promoting technical education among the youth of this country.
Likely to visit Thalassery
“I am proud to be in between the two cultures, the Swiss and Indian culture,” Mr. Gugger told The Hindu over the phone. Recalling his association with the late Murkot Ramunni and the Gundert Foundation School the latter had founded, he said he would probably visit Thalassery in March next year when the 70th anniversary of Indo-Swiss friendship would be celebrated. Mr. Gugger started his political career as a councillor in the town parliament of Winterthur, the sixth biggest town in Switzerland, and as a member in the Cantonal Council. He is one of the youngest members in Swiss Parliament. He recalls that his foster father was an experienced social worker who had played an important role in shaping him as a social worker. His social work had given him an opportunity to work in Colombia as a youth worker. He studied at the Center for Agogics in Basel, the University of Amsterdam and also at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences.
Helped in fund-raising
“I still keep in touch with Mr. Gugger,” said Raghunatha Kurup, a native of Thalassery, who had retired from the NTTF. Mr. Gugger was part of the delegates from the Volkart Foundation, Switzerland, who had visited the Gundert Foundation School at Thalalssery in 2006, he recalled. Mr. Gugger had also helped the school by collecting funds for it, he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Mohamed Nazeer / Kannur – November 27th, 2017
In 1837, this anger turned to action for freedom and the British suffered a temporary defeat, says N.S. Deviprasad Sampaje, Writer.
The Jangama Kalyanaswamy’s flag used during the Sullia rebellion was hoisted by Guddera (Guddemane) Appaiah against the British in 1837 was later adopted as the Kodagu Gowda coat of arms. They are also called Arebhashe Gowdas
Mangaluru:
It was the first armed uprising against the British, which took place 20 years before the First War of Indian Independence in 1857. The men who laid down their lives in this uprising of 1837 in Mangaluru are not forgotten.
The Tulunadu Rakshana Vedike and several others organisations marked the 179th anniversary of the uprising on Tuesday at Bavutagudda, where the rebels hoisted the Indian flag to mark their victory over the British on April 5, 1837.
“The people of Kodagu and Canara (coastal Karnataka) were unhappy with the British for various reasons. In 1837 this anger turned to action for freedom and the British suffered a temporary defeat,” recalls writer, N.S. Deviprasad Sampaje.
Mr Sampage , who wrote the book ‘Amara Sulliyada Swatantrya Sangrama,’ detailing this early struggle for freedom, says it was a mass movement and not restricted to some villages or caste.
“It received unprecedented support from the people of Dakshina Kannada. However there were efforts to tone it down by labelling it ‘Kalyanappa na Katakayi, or ‘loot of Kalyanappa’.
But in reality it was a major movement for freedom in the region, which scared the British. The reports of the then Collector of Dakshina Kannada, Leven, reveals this,” he says.
The rebellion was led in Kodagu by leaders such as Aparampara, Kalyanappa and Putta Basappa and continued in Sullia, Puttur before culminating in Mangaluru, the seat of the British Collector.
It is said the rebels held control of the city for 13 days before British reinforcements arrived in Mangaluru and recaptured it.
But it took two months more for the British to arrest the rebels and hang them in public to silence the movement.
“The government must do a proper study of the entire movement so people get to know its importance,” emphasises Mr Sampaje.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation>Current Affairs / by Gururaj A. Paniyadi, Deccan Chronicle / April 06th, 2016
Dean of the Agriculture College, Kalaburagi, Jayaprakash R. Patil addressing A press conference in Kalaburagi on Wednesday.
The Kalaburagi red gram, “Gulbarga Tur Dal”, which is known internationally for its superior quality, will soon be added to the list of Karnataka producers with the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
Dean of Agriculture College Jayaprakash R. Patil and senior agriculture scientist Raju Teggalli, addressing presspersons at the Agriculture Research Station in Kalaburagi on Wednesday, said that the University of Agriculture Sciences (UAS) Raichur and the Karnataka Red Gram Development Board, with the help of ICRISAT, Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre (IPFC), Hyderabad, filed an application with the Geographical Indications (GI) Registry in September 2017. Geographical Indication (GI) tag for “Gulbarga Tur Dal” will be awarded within a month from now.
Dr. Patil said that the red gram grown here has distinctive features having to do with this region’s unique soil and climatic conditions. The prominent characteristics of the crop grown in Kalaburagi district are good taste and aroma compared to those grown elsewhere. It consumes less time to cook when compared to tur dal grown in other regions.
Dr. Teggalli added that initially conferring of GI status may not work wonders for the farmers of the district, but in the long run, farmers and manufactures will be able to get better price for the brand in the market.
Red gram is considered to be the main kharif crop in the region. Of the total 9 lakh hectares of red gram cultivated across the State, 3.7 lakh hectares under red gram is in Kalaburagi district.
Farm scientist Muniswamy said that securing GI for the product will help farmers in getting premium price and creating international demand for produces. “The ultimate beneficiaries of this whole process are farmers,” he added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Kalaburagi – January 10th, 2018
Students sing Vande Mataram on the shores of Malpe beach in Udupi on Saturday. DH photo/Umesh Marpalli.
As many as 4,580 students from 23 colleges sung ‘Vande Mataram’ on the shore of Malpe beach in the backdrop of the rhythmic tune provided by the jingles of waves on Saturday.
The programme by Samvedana Foundation, Malpe, organised to create a world record by reciting Vande Mataram, indeed spread the fervour of patriotism all over the surrounding. Although the aim was to achieve a Golden Book of World Record, the major goal was to create patriotic fervour among the students.
Singers, like Sangeetha Ravindranath, Malini Keshav, Suhana Sayeed and others joined the group of students. A 200 metre-long national flag was carried in a grand procession from Gandhi Shathabdhi Maidan in Malpe to the beach before the programme. More than 5,000 people, excluding students, were mute spectators to the mega event.
The uniqueness of the event was that it was held to mark the birth anniversary celebrations of Swami Vivekananda.
The record was created for the green initiative is already being considered at Udupi by the foundation which enabled the students to wear the badges carrying the slogan of saving nature for future. The students were trained for a couple of days to join the chorus of patriotism.
Speaking on the occasion, District In-charge Minister Pramod Madhwaraj said that youths should strive for building the country following the ideals of the greate visionaries like Swami Vivekananda.
The message of patriotism imbibed among the youths should send the unique message of oneness and brotherhood, he added.
Singer Suhana Sayeed said that event is an outstanding and memorable one.
It is a special experience that thousands of students joined hands to sing Vande Mataram, she added.
Golden Book of World Record, Delhi, chief organiser Santhosh Agarwal said that Udupi has created a world record wherein a large congregation has come together to sing the national song.
“This is for the first time that the maximum number of people gathered at one place and wore the badges. This is a new world record,” he added.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DH News Service, Udupi / January 13th, 2018
Curiosity often makes us question, and that is exactly what pushed Sebastian Thomas, a first year BSc student from St. Joseph’s College to work on his research that won him laurels recently.
Sebastian was awarded the Albertian Best Young Scientist Award and the grand prize in the model exhibition at the International Science Conference held in Kochi earlier this month.
From a group of 5,000 participants across the world, his work on the Fibonacci sequence — the golden ratio pattern and its application to five different fields — received appreciation from the panel.
Speaking to us about his achievement, Sebastian says, “The competition has a lot of place for mathematics. So, when I got to know about it, I started working towards participating in this competition. I discovered unique properties in Fibonacci numbers. The Fibonacci series has a special position in analytical number theory, basically for its pattern and golden ratio. Hence, I began exploring and thought of its application in five different fields.”
The result of Sebastian’s research can be applied in five different fields — in the field of Fourier analysis, in the growth of Hollyhock flowers (which he discovered on the college campus), in genetics where the human genes follow the golden ratio pattern), in the field of ECG and drug monitoring system.
He says, “In the field of ECG, to get an analysis done is very expensive. During an ECG, doctors mainly look at the QT interval and tell the condition of your heart. So, I thought of inter-linking my work to find the QT wave interval and I devised a new mathematical formula and the result coincided with the results of an ECG.”
Maria Thomas, faculty at St. Joseph’s College and guide for Sebastian’s research work calls him the young Ramanujan, and says, “I feel extremely overwhelmed and proud of his hard work. I am proud to say that I am his teacher. I haven’t seen such potential in anyone in the past 14 years of my career. His month-long research work is being applied in five different areas is something extraordinary. Sebastian’s research work is more about real-life applications such as in the field of ECG, which is cost-effective.”
Sebastian hopes that his findings will help the pharmaceutical industries to come up with cost effective methods in the field of research.
The next step, however, he says will be to submit his findings to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he hopes to have an equation named after him.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / by Sandra Marina Fernandes / TNN / January 12th, 2018
There were prizes for members of the audience too. | Photo Credit: K_MURALI_KUMAR
18th edition of The Hindu Young World Quiz sees huge participation from schools across the city
The regional finals of the multi-city event The Hindu Young World Quiz was held at Chowdiah Memorial Hall on Wednesday. This year’s event, presented by State Bank of India and powered by Eveready Industries India Ltd., saw huge participation of teams from schools across the city. The competition, which is an integral part of The Hindu in School (THiS) initiative, was open for students in two categories — Juniors (from classes 4 to 6) and Seniors (from classes 7 to 9).
Juniors
The team from Presidency School, Nandini Layout, led from the front and aced the competition in the Junior category. Aditya Sharath and Kushagra Agarwal, both class 6 students, won the competition with 120 points. “We never expected to make it to the final round. Last year, I had failed to qualify. But, this year we are the winners. We are extremely happy,” said Aditya. Kushagra said that they spend a lot of time in the library to gather information. “Winning at such events gives us a lot of confidence,” he said. They received trophies and certificates from The Hindu, goodies and a bicycle each from sponsors.
Aryan. A and Sahil. G. from Vidyashilp Academy, Yelahanka took the runners-up position with 70 points. Meenakshi S. V. and V. Varsha from Sishu Griha Montessori and High School, New Thippasandra were the second runners-up.
They were followed by teams from Alpine Public School, Kanakapura Road; Presidency School, Nandini Layout; and Freedom International School, HSR Layout. They received trophies and certificates from The Hindu and goodies from sponsors.
Seniors
The team from National Public School (NPS), Indiranagar, emerged victorious in the Senior category. Class 8 students Vishnu Sampathkumar and Dhyan Vyas built the lead from the beginning and scored 141 points. Vishnu and Dhyan have won at previous editions of the event.
“It feels really good. I am winning this event for the third time. I have won twice in the Junior category. We are active participants in our school’s quiz club activities. We also participate in quiz-related workshops,” said Vishnu, who aspires to a career in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
“You need to know how to analyse questions quickly. There will always be clues in the questions,” said Dhyan, who plans to do develop video games.
They received trophies and certificates from The Hindu, goodies and a bicycle each from sponsors.
Ananya Patil and Merin Scaria from Presidency School, R.T. Nagar took the runners-up position with 96 points. Sampreet and Sahana, also from Presidency School, R.T. Nagar, were the second runners-up.
They were followed by teams from NPS, Koramangala; Sri Vidya Kendra The Smart School, Machohalli; and National Hill View Public School, Rajarajeshwarinagar.
They received trophies and certificates from The Hindu and goodies from sponsors.
Prize distribution
Farooque Shahab, Chief General Manager, State Bank of India, Local Head Office, Bangalore Circle, was the chief guest at the valedictory function. He said that quiz is a mind sport and helps develop self-learning among children. Such events give opportunities to children to put their acquired knowledge to test, Mr. Shahab said. He and Devika Khare, Area Manager (Marketing), Eveready Industries India Ltd., presented prizes to winners.
Sri Aurobindo Vidya Mandir (SAVM), Mahalakshmipuram, was presented a special prize for sending maximum teams to the event. In all, 200 teams participated in the Junior category and 263 teams in the Senior category.
Quizmaster V. V. Ramanan hosted the show. Fantom Bikes is the National Gift Partner of the event. Arrow Publications is the Knowledge Partner. Naturo was the Gift Partner while Bejois was the Beverage Partner.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / Sudhindr A.B. / January 10th, 2018
The new building of the Stella Maris Church, which resembles a boat and has a bell tower in the shape of a lighthouse, was inaugurated in the presence of three bishops, several priests and a large number of devotees here on Saturday.
This is the first boat-shaped church building in the State. It has been constructed in place of the old church.
Gerald Lobo, Bishop of the Udupi Diocese, along with Francis Serrao, Bishop of Shivamogga, and Robert Miranda, Bishop of Kalaburagi, inaugurated the church. Dr. Lobo blessed and sanctified the water that was used to bless the people and the structure of the church. The solemn inaugural mass was concelebrated by bishops and priests, with Dr. Lobo taking the role of chief celebrant.
In his homily, Dr. Serrao traced the history of building of the ‘House of God’ from the Old Testament. He emphasised the significance of the church and spoke about how it was closely associated with the lives of devotees.
After the homily, the Litany of Saints was recited. Then Dr. Lobo anointed the main altar with Chrism oil and sanctified it while Dr. Miranda anointed the walls of the church at four main points. Dr. Lobo then recited the prayer of dedication of the church. He handed over the lighted candle to Fr. Alban D’Souza, parish priest of Stella Maris Church, who in turn lighted the candles on the newly blessed altar. Meanwhile, all the lights within the church were switched on and the solemn mass continued.
At the end, after the distribution of Holy Communion, the Tabernacle was blessed and sanctified and the ciborium containing the Holy Eucharist was placed reverently inside the Tabernacle.
Later, a public felicitation function was held on the church premises. Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister for Fisheries, Youth Empowerment and Sports, said Stella Maris Church has always promoted harmonious relations among all people. Oscar Fernandes, MP, Ivan D’Souza, MLC, and Meenakshi Bannanje, president of Udupi City Municipal Council, were among those present.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Udupi – January 06th, 2018
Baldev Raj, 71, Director of the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), passed away on Saturday in Pune, Maharashtra, while attending a conference.
A recipient of the Padma Shri award, he took over as director of NIAS, Bengaluru, in 2014. He had also served as director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in Kalpakkam.
Author of around 1,000 academic papers in peer reviewed journals and more than 70 books, the professor won more than 100 awards and assignments in more than 30 countries, according to a NIAS release.
He was also the recipient of the Life Time Achievement Award of the Indian Nuclear Society, the Homi Bhabha Gold Medal, and the Dr.Y. Nayudamma Memorial Award.
A member of the Circle of Advisors, University of Cambridge, and a member of the Search Group for the Queen Elizabeth Prize in Engineering, he was also a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy and the World Academy of Sciences.
He was also the chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT Gandhinagar and a member of the court of JNU, New Delhi, the release added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Bengaluru = January 06th, 2018
