Taski Ali’s brain surgery lasted for two hours, according to doctors
Bengaluru :
A 31-year-old Bangladeshi computer science engineer, who was operated for a rare neurological disorder in a city hospital two weeks ago, was strumming his guitar during the procedure.
Taskin Ali was suffering from guitarist’s dystonia, which rendered his left hand numb. The two-hour brain circuit surgery to tackle the disorder was performed in Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain Hospital on May 17.
Ali first noticed the problem in 2013 when he was playing guitar for no less than 10 hours a day. He worked in a company that developed video games and his job was to provide background music for the games.
“I used to find it difficult to move my left hand fingers while playing the guitar but that was my bread and butter. I thought I should practise more and increased it to 14 hours a day. But my condition only worsened. I was not able to play guitar at all,” Ali told TOI. Soon, his condition was diagnosed as Guitarist’s Dystonia in Dhaka but he was told that there was no treatment for the same.
In 2017, Ali read a Times of India report about a surgery conducted in Bengaluru on a guitarist suffering from the same disorder. He got in touch with Dr Sharan Srinivasan, consultant neurosurgeon at Jain hospital who had conducted the surgery. He also got in touch with the guitarist, Abhishek Prasad, who had undergone surgery.
Ali sold one of his guitars and other music equipment to raise money for the surgery that cost him Rs 2.25 lakh. Ali didn’t inform his parents too and landed in Bengaluru with his uncle on May 14.
Guitarist’s dystonia occurs due to abnormal and involuntary flexion of muscles because of rigorous use. “We usually do not extensively use the last two fingers of the hand, especially left. But that’s quintessential for the guitarists. No CT scan or MRI scan can show the problem,” says Dr Sharan.
Ali was put on local anaesthesia during the surgery. He played the guitar, Dr Sharan and and Dr Sanjiv CC, a movement disorder neurologist, operated on him.
“Through a 14 mm insertion to the brain, we burnt 9.3 cm of the ‘problematic’, ‘misbehaving’ circuit the brain. We made eight burns for 40 seconds each and parallelly checked the movement of the fingers in his left hand as he played the guitar. These extremely challenging surgeries improve the quality of life. Throughout the surgery a special MRI scanning was done and we used a software for precision,” Dr Sharan explained.
The disorder is said to affect one percent of musicians, especially guitarists. “For musicians suffering from this problem, fingers do not coordinate with each other. The problem is resistant to medical drugs and surgery is the only option,” said Dr Sanjiv.
Ali said he was conscious of his finger movements throughout the surgery. “I was unable to even hold a cup of coffee in my left hand or flip a coin. Now, I have to retrain my left hand fingers for my regular work,” he said.
Ali’s parents landed in Bengaluru on Wednesday. They were shocked to learn that their son had to undergo a brain surgery to fix the problem in his hand.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Bangalore News / by Sunitha Rao R / TNN / June 01st, 2018
Farmer couple Shankar and Roopa have cultivated 13 different varieties of Ladies Finer at their land in Periyapatna taluk
Mysuru:
Organic farming is no longer just a buzzword that inspires those living in cities to leave their highly lucrative and conventional, ‘Nine to five’ jobs and return to the roots, and till the soil to reap the dividends of their labour. Tucked away in a small village in Periyapatna taluk, a farmer couple has successfully managed to cultivate 15 different varieties of ladies using organic means.
With the help of the city-based NGO Sahaja Samrudha, farmer couple Shankar and Roopa have managed to harvest a rich yield of ladies finger crop – all 15 varieties are of Indian origin – on their half acre plot in Hittnehebbagilu village in Periyapatna taluk. The NGO had organised Field Day on May 17 to encourage farmers to grow indigenous varieties of vegetables.
The seeds of the many varieties of ladies finger and other vegetables have been collected by Sahaja Seeds, an organisation that has gathered them at crop and agriculture fairs held across the country. It was from Sahaja Seeds that Shankar and Roopa managed to get the seeds for their plot.
Star okra from Odisha, red bhindi from Puducherry, Sri bhindi from Sri Lanka, besides breeds local to Karnataka are among those that have been cultivated by Shankar and Roopa, in what was an experiment to see if different breeds of ladies finger could be grown under the same climactic conditions.
The farmer couple planted 30 seeds of each variety in single beds, and have managed to reap a rich yield, with each plant bearing at least 25 ladies finger, much to their delight.
“I have not used chemical fertilisers or pesticides in my plot. I used a type of organic pesticide called Jeevamrutha, which has earthworm compost as one of its ingredients. Compared to growing other vegetables, cultivating these Indian varieties of ladies finger did not require as much money. The seeds will be processed further,” Shankar told TOI.
Asha of Sahaja Seeds, said that on Field Day, farmers were shown a wide assortment of seeds of ladies finger. “Farmers, who had years of experience, selected those varieties that promised a good yield. Women from the village, meanwhile, prepared dishes using the ladies finger, and we held tasting sessions throughout the day. Farmers have already chosen what varieties they want to cultivate,” she told TOI.
Assistant professor at the College of Horticulture JS Aravind Kumar said, “Organic breeds are rich in nutritional value, when compared to other vegetables. In the coming days, through participatory varietal selection, more farmers in Periyapatna will be able to grow different breeds of vegetables. Lately, there is a lot of buzz around organic food and health consciousness, and demand for ‘Desi’ ladies finger will be high on the market.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Mysore News / May 24th, 2018
Maharshi Sanket set out from Bengaluru on May 21. | Photo Credit: The Hindu
The student wants to raise awareness about abuse, bullying
A song asking the perpetrator of abuse to think from the perspective of the victim; paintings that depict the theme of bullying; a cycle tour from Bengaluru to Mumbai to spread awareness — this is what a 15-year-old has embarked on to get people to ‘Speak out’ against bullying and sexual abuse.
Maharshi Sanket, a student of Treamis World School, launched the campaign to break the silence around abuse.
“We keep hearing news about rape and abuse every day, so much so that people have become used to it. I have seen many of my friends who have silently endured abuse, unable to speak about the trauma. All of this is disturbing. I wanted to do something about it,” said Sanket.
To spread awareness among people in rural and urban areas, he decided to go on a cycle tour from Bengaluru to Mumbai, covering towns and cities along the way. “I chose to cycle because unlike travelling by a car, this ensures there are no barriers and brings you closer to people,” the young campaigner said.
He started from Cubbon Park on May 21 and will bicycle through Tumakuru, Sira, Chitradurga, Davangere, Haveri, Dharwad, Belagavi, Kolhapur, Satara, Pune and Lonavala. He expects to reach Navi Mumbai and Mumbai by June 2. He is accompanied by art director Sukant Panigrahy, and a social activist to speak on the cause.
The idea occurred to him during his board exams. Once he was done with the exams, he started planning the campaign.
He always found art to be an effective medium for expression. Before venturing out on his cycle, he launched the campaign with an event displaying his paintings on the theme of abuse and its effect on the victims. He also released an anthem, which was produced and composed by Chris Avinash, penned by Sadhu Nityanand and sung by Ankita Kundu.
“Bullying is still not part of the mainstream discourse and victims are asked to ignore the issue. When boys try to talk about it, their masculinity is questioned. Such abuse can have long-term effects. Hopefully, my campaign will encourage people to open up and talk about the issue, without shame or taboo,” said Sanket.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / May 23rd, 2018
From suave bags fashioned from tetra paks, denim and other textile wastes to fancy tea coasters made using motherboards and vinyl records, Rimagined’s range of upcycled products is indeed a revelation.
India produces 1,00,000 metric tonnes of solid waste on a daily basis, and this amount is higher than the combined solid waste generated by many other countries.
While one can argue that the demographic and area-population ratio perspectives are skewed and debatable while comparing such statistics, it is high time that we admit that the country has failed to manage the insurmountable waste generated by an increasingly burgeoning population, and is in the throes of a crisis.
Therefore, instead of routing the waste to overflowing landfills and putting together half-baked and clumsy measures that are hazardous to the environment, we have to start looking for solutions that are sustainable and can reduce our waste burden.
India’s waste burden. Source: Flickr.
Come to think of it, before materials like plastic and styrofoam entered the country, what exactly were our grandparents or great-grandparents using in place of every synthetically generated item that we have become habituated to?
It wasn’t as though they weren’t practising waste management. On the contrary, their traditional way of life incorporated upcycling even before coinage of the term, and our forefathers truly believed in and practised zero wastage to perfection.
Upcycling is once again becoming popular in India but is currently an option for a limited few. This could be attributed to our age-old aversion towards garbage, and the offensive idea of using products that are made out of somebody else’s waste.
However, some ventures are making a mark with their range of upcycled products in recent times, and we bet that most people wouldn’t be able to distinguish from regular products if not enlightened beforehand.
Rimagined is one such entrepreneurial venture founded by Bengaluru resident Shailaja Rangarajan in 2016, which not only provides supercool and interesting upcycled products in diverse categories such as furniture, jewellery, clothes, and home décor but also employs women from underprivileged sections of the society to offer them a dignified source of livelihood.
With 15 years of experience as a business consultant in the IT sector, Shailaja’s tryst with waste management began when the local residents association began actively practising waste segregation and in-house composting.
The brains behind the venture, Shailaja Rangarajan.
This paved the way for her to begin volunteering with two NGOs—Whitefield Rising and subsequently, Solid Waste Management (SWM)—for about three-and-a-half years.
“This period was a great eye-opener for me, given the massive mounds of waste generated in Bengaluru on a daily basis. Looking at my little daughter, I often wondered what kind of world were we leaving for our children that was overflowing with garbage and extremely depleted of resources. During this volunteering period, I noticed that a large percentage of waste could be put to better use instead of being cast away to landfills. Recycling was an available alternative, but I felt that alone wasn’t enough,” says Shailaja to The Better India.
At that point, she knew many people who were already practising upcycling but in a restricted manner. For them, their customer base was confined to their friends’ circle, and their ventures weren’t about making money or profit.
Understanding that the waste crisis was man’s own creation, she decided to step down into the field herself and spent the next seven to eight months conducting extensive research on upcycling and meeting people associated with waste management in every possible scope.
This would eventually lead her to conceptualise and give wings to Rimagined.
She quit her job and in April 2016, she placed Rimagined on an online marketplace with 10 vendors and 60 products. To gain a greater reach and better visibility, she also put up stalls with these products at local events hosted in Bengaluru.
“The whole purpose of taking this forward was to drive upcycling as a movement rather than just selling products. Also, this was an opportunity to push for conscious consumption in an otherwise consumerism-driven population. Because our products were skilfully crafted with a trendy finish, it took our customers by complete surprise when they came to know these were upcycled products. The wow factor and word-of-mouth together helped in gradually taking Rimagined to greater heights,” Shailaja remembers.
Seven months later, she launched Rimagined as a label.
This happened thanks to an intervention from Devika Krishnan, a well-known designer in Bengaluru, which led to a collaboration, with Rimagined becoming the retail face for Joy@Work.
Devika Krishnan (behind, left) along with the womenfolk of Bengaluru unit. Courtesy: Rimagined.
With a production unit comprising a group of women artisans from a low-income background, Rimagined now envisioned to provide them sustainable livelihoods through upcycling.
“This also proved to be a great learning curve as now I got to witness every stage first-hand in a social entrepreneurial venture—right from waste procurement to the end sales. With a growing customer base and greater demand of products, Rimagined finally had its retail outlet set up in Whitefield in July last year, which is more on the lines of a prototype store,” she says.
In November, Shailaja visited her friend, Debopriya Biswas in Kolkata, who was a teacher at a special needs school for children hailing from underprivileged sections of the society.
“What I had noticed here was that many mothers spent close to 4-5 hours waiting for their children in the school premises. These were impoverished women whose financial state was in shambles due to the lack of opportunities, and we decided to change that,” she mentions.
Shailaja decided to expand the scope of Rimagined’s workforce. Following a discussion with the women who readily showcased interest, she chalked down a training period of three months.
“They surpassed my expectations, and within a month, production-ready pieces with quality finish were laid before my eyes. Now, we have a production unit in Kolkata with around 45 women, and another batch of 35 women are waiting to be trained. There is another team of 15 women in Odisha which will shortly materialise to reality as another production unit,” she proudly adds.
While the implementation of upcycling to this extent in itself is a noteworthy factor, what makes Rimagined’s undertaking even more significant is how the venture is helping women from financially strapped households to take control of their lives with dignity and pride.
“These talented women have proved that if they are given right opportunities, they too can shine. Through this venture, we want the women to rise over their financial circumstances and feel empowered through their capabilities and skills,” Shailaja clarifies.
From suave bags fashioned from tetra paks, denim and other textile wastes to fancy tea coasters made using motherboards and vinyl records, Rimagined’s range of upcycled products is indeed a revelation for even the most cynics.
The best part is that these are not too expensive when compared to other upcycled products in the market, thus giving an opportunity to people from all walks of life to consider purchasing upcycled products and become conscious and responsible consumers.
Also, each product that you see on Rimagined’s website has an assigned score based on the decomposition rate of its content materials and its contribution to overall waste.
Optimal utilisation of Tetra packs, broken glass pieces and fabric wastes to make new products. Courtesy: Rimagined.Stools made of fabric waste and bed sheets fashioned out of denims. Courtesy: Rimagined.
“This will give one an insight over the quantity of waste materials that he or she just pulled away from a landfill by purchasing any one of our products,” she explains.
Having upcycled approximately 60-70 tonnes of varying categories of waste until now, Shailaja hopes to take the concept of upcycling across the country as a movement and bring back the traditional way of living practised by our ancestors, besides helping the country manage its waste in a creative and sustainable manner.
Folks in Bengaluru can reach out to Rimagined if they wish to contribute old denim, fabric waste, e-waste and any segregated solid waste that they think can power their vision.
Rimagined will shortly flag off operations in Indiranagar, one of Bengaluru’s busiest zones, from a new retail unit and we wish the team a great and successful journey ahead.
To check Rimagined’s awesome range of upcycled products, click here. You can reach out to the team at contactus@rimagined.com.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
source: http://www.thebetterindia.com / The Better India / Home> Bengaluru / by Lekshmi Priya S / May 04th, 2018
Paresh apartments was build in 1974 by contractors H N Anantharaman (top right) and H N Dwarkanath
Bengaluru :
While Bengaluru today is dotted with apartment complexes and housing societies, many may not know that one of first steps in this direction was taken by H N Anantharaman, now aged 91, and his 89-year-old brother H N Dwarkanath way back in the 1970s.
Having been hired as contractors by the Paresh Apartments Cooperative Society , the duo built the city’s first apartment complex in 1974, which stands tall in Malleswaram even today.
“In the early 1970s, 24 of us got together and bought this plot of land. Anantharaman and Dwarkanath were the contractors, and we all respect them for building such a solid structure,” said Sooryakanthi Madiman, who moved into her flat in 1974 at the age of 27, following her marriage to Madiman, who was a DRDO scientist.
Sooryakanthi says that while newer and fancier buildings are plagued with problems like seepage and leakage, theirs has a strong foundation. “When workers carry out repairs in our houses, they find it very hard to even drill a nail into the wall,” she added.
The complex comprises a cluster of three-storey buildings, and a majority of the original 24 families continue to live here even though the surroundings have rapidly transformed, with individual houses giving way to large apartment complexes.
Born in Hiremagalur, a hamlet in Chikkamagaluru, the brothers were brought to Bengaluru — where they studied engineering — by their older brother who was working here. After a few years, during which they worked in Tamil Nadu, the brothers decided to get into business and started building water tanks, water treatment plants and civil structures.
“They were ahead of their time. They realised that with the rising growth rate, people would start running out of land to build houses on. So, they started constructing multi-dwelling units and venturing into joint-development projects, which was rare at that time,” said Narayan Babu, Dwarkanath’s son.
“They wanted to build homes for people who had saved their hard-earned money for the purpose, unlike today when people are entering the industry purely for business gains,” said Gopinath, Anantharaman’s son.
The duo worked in tandem — while Anantharaman handled financial matters by meeting people and raising funds, Dwarkanath designed the structure and monitored the work.
The brothers, however, are unhappy with the current state of affairs under which members of lower-income groups are unable to find affordable homes within city limits and so have to live on the outskirts.
Honour for pioneer
Anantharaman was recently honoured by Rotary Bangalore Downtown, and conferred the Rotary Pioneer award in recognition of his “pioneering contributions to the field of group housing and construction by developing the first apartment block in Bengaluru, and establishing the industry association KOAPA (Karnataka Ownership Apartment Promoters’ Association), the precursor to the present CREDAI.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / by Niharika Alva / TNN / April 28th, 2018
The jungles of Mysuru had caught the attention of a number of Britishers during the colonial era, particularly during the period of Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV. The royal city was a must in their itinerary for hunting and for witnessing the thrilling Khedda operations at Karapur. Special Khedda operations were arranged for the visiting Viceroys and Princes by the Maharaja. Along with them came the Hollywood film producers.
Films like the Elephant Boy, featuring Mysuru’s Sabu Dastagir and the royal elephant Airavatha and the Harry Black and the Tiger, starring Stewart Granger, Barbara Rush and Anthony Steel were shot in these forests and these films became famous. Increasing hunting activity gave an impetus to the business of taxidermy. Taxidermists like Van Ingens earned international reputation for mounting animals life-like.
Britishers, who had settled down in places like Mysuru and Bengaluru, were lovers of game. They did not miss a weekend opportunity to go for hunting or fishing. Forests and scrub areas were just a few miles away and wildlife was abundant.
However, by mid-1900s awareness towards wildlife began to gain importance. Hunting had to be done by taking a license. Even prior to the introduction of license, hunting of tigers had been banned. The landmark Wildlife Protection Act in 1972 finally brought a halt to even licensed hunting.
Among the White hunters, there were lovers of the forest and wild animals. Donald Anderson and his father, Kenneth Anderson, were two such Britishers who had settled down in Bengaluru, and made frequent trips to the jungles in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Though they hunted some animals for sport in the early years, they became lovers of the forest and the wildlife later. That was even before the 1972 Wildlife Act. Kenneth was a conservationist and an author too. His outhouse in the Cantonment had lots of cages that were filled with his pets “including python, a slender loris, hyenas, jackals, geese and iguana, and even a small mugger (crocodile)” in 1960s. They only shot man-eaters which struck terror and carried away cattle in the villages, sometimes harming the life of villagers. The Forest authorities often sought their expert shooting skill to destroy panic creating tigers or panthers.
“In his youth, Dad may have shot a few tigers and panthers for sport, but as he grew older, he only shot when it was absolutely necessary — when he felt that human life was at stake,” says Donald in “The Last White Hunter,” reminiscences of a Colonial Shikari, written by Joshua Mathew.
Lamenting over the loss of a lot of India’s wildlife, Donald says, “I know of high-ranking government officials who shot tigers in the early eighties, from forest department jeeps, with huge flashlights.”
He also bemoans that the genuine love for the jungles and its denizens is not imbibed in those who have been given the responsibility to do so today. “Back in the day, every official would know every bend in the road, every nullah, every rivulet that traversed his kingdom.”
Donald, who began going to the jungles at the tender age with his dad and until his last days with his junior friends, including Joshua, more for the love of it, was the last White shikari.“I am the last heir of the Anderson family. I am possibly the last living Scot from British India, who chose to stay on after Independence. And I am the last of the white hunters for whom the forests of India have provided unimaginable adventure and excitement,” Donald, who remained a bachelor, says.
In his 265-page book, Joshua takes us back to the bygone age by chronicling the life and adventures of both Donald and his dad in a captivating style. He superbly weaves the last white hunter’s life in Bengaluru, experiences in the jungles when he accompanied his father, and later went with his friends hunting tigers, panthers and small game. He gives a graphic account of their thrilling encounters with wild elephants, and angling trips to catch and release back into the waters the famous mahseer in the Cauvery, Donald to become a record holder by catching a 104-pounder in 1989. He also describes how Donald acted as a stunt double in the Hollywood film, Harry Black and the Tiger that was shot in the Bandipur forest in 1958.
“The Last White Hunter” is an extraordinary story of Donald’s life from 1934 to 2014, when he passed away in penury. It is a book all those who love the jungles and the life in the days of the Anglo-Indians must read.
email:gourisatya@rediffmail.com
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by Gowri Satya, Senior Journalist / April 26th, 2018
Arun Kumar (second from right) with his mother Manjula, father Shivanna, and Akshay Rao of Sankalpa Gopalswamy College.
S. Arun Kumar of Sankalpa Gopalaswamy College in the city, who is awaiting his II PUC results, is the son of Shivanna, a banana seller at Nanjumalige Circle, and Manjula, a daily wager.
A II PUC student from a humble background has done his parents and teachers proud by qualifying in the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY).
KVPY is an ongoing National Programme of Fellowship in Basic Sciences initiated and funded by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, to attract highly motivated students to pursue basic science courses and research in science.
S. Arun Kumar of Sankalpa Gopalaswamy College in the city, who is awaiting his II PUC results, is the son of Shivanna, a banana seller at Nanjumalige Circle, and Manjula, a daily wager.
He was brilliant
“We found that he was brilliant and put him through competitive examination coaching conducted by a dedicated cell in our college to train students. And he excelled,” said Akshay Rao, Academic-in-charge in the college.
Based on his performance, Arun is expected to get admission at IISc. based on merit. He will pursue an integrated pure science course leading to a PG. During the course of his study, he will receive scholarship which will be enhanced periodically till the completion of his postgraduation, according to Mr.Rao.
Apart from Arun, two other students – Riya Pearl Menezes and A. Akanksh Manjunath – from the same college have also cleared the KVPY exam and interview by a panel of top scientists at IISc. The college authorities are confident that they will easily make it to either IISc. or Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER)
“The best and the brilliant minds are opting for professional courses. Hence, the government has introduced this scholarship programme to draw young minds to pursue pure science courses. This will ensure the growth of best scientific minds to undertake research and development for the country. Arun Kumar, Riya and Akanksh have proved their potential,” Mr. Rao said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – April 23rd, 2018
Gururaja shows his silver medal and mascot Borbi after winning the Men’s 56kg Weightlifting final during Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast on Thursday. | Photo Credit: AP
Gururaja was third after snatch, pulling off a best of 111kg after two good lifts before surviving a few nervy moments in clean and jerk.
Weightlifter P Gururaja opened India’s medal account on the first competition day of the 21st Commonwealth Games, claiming a silver in the men’s 56kg category in Gold Coast on Thursday.
The 25-year-old Gururaja equalled his personal best of 249kg (111+138) to finish second in a field where Malaysia’s three-time Commonwealth Championships medallist Muhammad Izhar Ahmed (117+144) broke the Games record for snatch and overall lift.
Gururaja was third after snatch, pulling off a best of 111kg after two good lifts before surviving a few nervy moments in clean and jerk. The Indian failed in his first two attempts before managing a good lift off his last chance to zoom to the top half of the table.
Ahmed, meanwhile, bettered his compatriot Hamizan Amirul Ibrahim’s snatch record of 116kg, created in 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games. He then broke the overall Games record, which was also in the name of Ibrahim.
The third position was taken by Sri Lanka’s Lakmal Chaturanga (114+134).
Gururaja, a low-ranking Indian Air Force employee, is a quintessential Indian sports story of immense hardships and just a tiny bit of luck.
Son of a truck driver, Gururaja had aspired to be a wrestler for the longest time before being pushed into weightlifting , by a watchful coach who saw potential in him.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports / PTI / Gold Coast – April 05th, 2018
Google Doodle: Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay | Photo Credit: Google Doodle
Kamaladevi participated in the freedom movement
On Tuesday, Google celebrated the 115th birth anniversary of the multi-faceted freedom fighter, activist and promoter of the arts, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, with a doodle.
Kamaladevi, who bagged the Padma Vibhushan in 1987 (a year before her death), was a woman of many firsts. She was an active participant in the freedom movement, championed women’s rights, founded the All-India Womens Conference (AIWC), led the renaissance of Indian handicrafts and handlooms, and worked for the development of the performing arts in India.
Born in Mangalore in 1903, Kamaladevi was widowed at 16. She married Harindranath Chattopadhyay when she was 20 and then headed to London where she graduated with a diploma in Sociology. She joined the freedom movement when she returned to India and she eventually became the first woman to run for a legislative seat in India, when she ran for the Madras Provincial Legislative Assembly.
She then founded the AIWC, which did a lot of work for social reform. She was credited for persuading Mahatma Gandhi to encourage more women to march with him during the freedom struggle. In 1930, Kamaladevi was part of Gandhi’s salt satyagraha team and she was later arrested for entering the Bombay Stock Exchange to sell packets of contraband salt.
Post independence, she worked for the rehabilitation of refugees. She then dedicated her life to the promotion of Indian indigenous arts and crafts and theatre. Thanks to her work behind the scenes, several renowned institutions, including the National School of Drama, Central Cottage Industries Emporium, and the Crafts Council of India, came into existence. She later headed the Sangeet Natak Akademi and in 1974 was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship.
The doodle, created by Finland-based artist Parvati Pillai, salutes Kamaladevi’s contribution to the creative fields. It depicts the various fields she promoted, including the sitar, sarangi, Karthak dance, embroidery and basket weaving.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by The Hindu Net Desk / April 03rd, 2018
A professor from Mangaluru has developed a first-of-its-kind mobile application for tuberculosis patients ahead of World Tuberculosis Day on Saturday (March 24).
An Android-based application ‘N-TB’ was developed by Dr Anurag Bhargava, professor of medicine, Yenepoya Deemed to be University, Mangaluru in collaboration with McGill International TB Centre, Canada, to calculate the body mass index (BMI) of patients with tuberculosis.
According to doctors, TB often results in significant weight loss, which can exacerbate under-nutrition. Under-nutrition in TB patients points toward a consistent risk factor. Such patients are also at a higher risk of side-effects of drugs, poor absorption of drugs, reduced ability to return to work, and recurrence of the disease.
The application will tell the users their BMI and will counsel them on an appropriate diet regime which includes daily caloric and protein intake based on their BMI.
“The application is currently intended to help healthcare providers to quickly assess the body mass index of patients with TB and how severely undernourished the patient is so that they can be guided accordingly,” said Dr Bhargava.
He added that the TB cards currently record the weight alone and not the height to assess the nutritional status of the person, whereas the new application assesses the height and weight to calculate the BMI of the person.
He said the new N-TB mobile application specifies the weight and height and raises a red alert if it is below the desired weight.
The application was launched on Thursday (March 22) and is yet to be rolled out. It can currently be downloaded from Playstore free of cost.
“Certain aspects for the application such as analysing nutrition component, counselling are to be improvised,” said Dr Bhargava.
The application, endorsed by Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) and World Health Organisation (WHO), was included in the new initiatives unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the Delhi End TB Summit on March 13, 2018.
“We are glad that such as application was developed, but we are yet to receive information on the use and implementation of the application,” said Dr Ramachandra Bairy, Joint director, TB, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Karnataka.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> States / DH News Service, Bengaluru- Mangaluru / March 24th, 2018
