On Sunday, after watching Kannada TV channels showing the burial of Kannada film world’s iconic matinee idol Puneeth Rajkumar, who had died of heart attack on Friday (Oct. 29), I came to office to get rid of that melancholic feeling. Very sad indeed. He bloomed as an actor rather early in life as a child artiste and withered too early at age 46.
In the office, I finished reading the book “Excellence Has No Borders” by Dr. B.S. Ajaikumar with Hemanth Gorur. Which means the actual writing was done by the latter. Star of Mysore had already published a review of this book by Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy of Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) that appeared on Oct. 26, 2021.
Dr. Shenoy wanted to know why the book was titled “Excellence Has No Borders.” After reading the book, I too thought likewise. Dr. Ajaikumar was looking beyond the Indian horizon and venturing to establish a brand of hospitals for cancer patients worldwide and call it as Health Care Global, acronym HCG. After reading the book, I thought it was a misnomer to call his venture HCG for it would be perceived as a hospital of general healthcare and not exclusively dedicated to cancer. Which was why some of his venture capitalist financiers, as detailed in the book, had difficulty in getting to know one real character of the venture they were contemplating to finance. I felt he should have christened his healthcare brand (Hospitals) as Cancer Health Care Global (CHCG) or simply Cancer Care Global (CCG).
Since Dr. Bhamy Shenoy has reviewed the book comprehensively touching on important human and business aspects, including sibling suspicions, I will not inflict on my readers a second dose of comments on the same episode.
However, there are many lessons for the professionals like doctors who aspire to become entrepreneurs in their given area of specialisation — like Dr. Ajaikumar, who is a qualified Oncologist.
No doubt higher the risk in any business, higher the profit. So also the loss. When one bites more than one can chew and swallow, he is bound to choke and die. We have many cases of people, nay adventurers, venturing to achieve success that is beyond their reach and committing suicide. With humility and modesty, I say, health and wealth are the personal responsibility of each individual. Probably, it is because of this axiom there is a wise saying ‘Each for himself and God for all.’ Reading this book, I realised the truism of this human experience.
All along his ambitious journey, it is Dr. Ajaikumar who was taking responsibility for planning, finance, negotiating to find the venture capitalists and more. Naturally, much travelling he had to do. It seemed, most of the time he was in the airports flying to America and India any number of times.
I salute him for his high ambition, high-octane energy and above all courage to take a chance and risk. Of course, the whole world loves the winner, failure is an orphan. Dr. Ajaikumar, for now, is a winner and being a Mysurean, we must feel proud of him. I should vouch for his humane healthcare service to Mysureans and to the cancer patients from around Mysuru by establishing his first designated cancer hospital, known as ‘Bharath Cancer Hospital’ in Hebbal. It was a Godsend those days. Even now it is the hospital of the first call for poor cancer patients.
The book reveals how difficult it was for Dr. Ajaikumar to get a piece of land to set up this hospital.
In 1987, he thought of starting a cancer hospital in India. He decided to have it either in Bengaluru or Mysuru being a Mysurean. He knew the well-known Prof. A.K. Ramanujam of the University of Chicago and on his suggestion went with him to meet the Karnataka Chief Minister, who was in Chicago, on some Government work. Sadly his suggestion was “laughed off.” Dr. Ajaikumar writes, “I was told they already had Kidwai for that and that there was no need for anything else.”
These are our rulers! Dr. Ajaikumar did not give up, did not accept defeat. He identified a 15-acre land on Nanjangud Road and Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) allotted it in 1988. However, Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) took objection and media too suspected his intention. He writes, “As the saying goes, ‘No good deed goes unpunished.’ So a good deed is punished heavily by the city of Mysuru.” Reading this, I thought of proposed ‘Viveka Smaraka’ by Sri Ramakrishna Ashram which is mired in controversy. As Dr. Ajaikumar said in his book, once again a good deed is punished heavily by the city of Mysuru.
Reading Dr. Ajaikumar’s account of his trekking expedition to Kangchenjunga and his experience with his Sherpa-helper Aan Pasang who dies “suddenly” and the opinion about our life and death, I could not but remember our Kannada film actor Puneeth Rajkumar who passed away “suddenly” last Friday and how we felt devastated.
Dr. Ajaikumar and his wife Bhagya also go on a trip to rural and semi-rural areas across India. And from what he writes, it seems he got ‘enlightened’ like Buddha or Yudhisthira (Dharmaraya) in Mahabharata. He remembers the incident with Aan Pasang that had taught him the life lesson about how suddenly things could change and how one needed to be prepared. ‘One day you were here and the next day you were gone.’ He then recalls one of the many questions the Yaksha asks Yudhisthira in Mahabharata known as ‘Yaksha Prashne’.
Question: What is most amazing in the world?
Answer: Every day people die, yet everyone thinks he will live for ever. What is more amazing than this?
Dr. Ajaikumar continues:
“Human life has a self-life. It derives meaning from accomplishments achieved during one’s lifetime. For this good health is crucial. For, anything can be bought or repaired with money, but there is only so much money can do when it comes to health.” What a profound observation!
Like a sting in the tail, the last paragraph of the last chapter of the book says, “There should be no difference in TREATMENT for the rich and the poor” and advises the (deaf, dumb and blind) government what it should do to reach this goal. It should not be like in our country ‘Bail for the rich and jail for the poor.’ Did you get me Steve?
May the tribe of service-minded professional entrepreneurs like Dr. Ajaikumar increase. After all, good of mankind is important and we need people like Dr. Ajaikumar to achieve this noble goal.
e-mail: voice@starofmysore.com
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Columns> abracadabra by K B Ganapathy / November 02nd, 2021
The inspiring story of a boy born in a family experiencing abject poverty, who began to sell peanuts at the Goan beaches to support the family, going on to become a part of the British army will soon turn into a biopic.
Gopal Wakode’s story is sure to give wings to the dreams of many poor youngsters whose life mostly is spent struggling with the problems of feeding the family members.
Gopal Wakode from Shahapur village in Koppal district was born into a family that was poor and illiterate. In a surprising development, the boy wriggled out of the family problems and joined the British army. He is currently serving the British military base in East Midlands, England.
Gopal is the son of the late Yellappa Wakode and Fakeeravva couple. He is one of the five children of Yellappa. He had an elder brother and three sisters. When Gopal was young, his father shifted to Goa along with his family in search of greener pastures. Yellappa became a liquor addict there and died in 1995. Later, Gopal’s mother too breathed her last. His elder brother died a few days after his marriage. His sister-in-law lives in Shanapur even now. His three sisters have been married to men from the same village.
Gopal was ten when his family started living in Goa. Gopal used to shed tears every day after witnessing his drug addict father torturing his mother. His brother and sisters were innocent. In the light of the problems faced by the family, Gopal stopped attending school and began to sell peanuts on the beaches. He worked day and night with the sole aim of helping the family through the financial crisis.
An elderly British couple, Brits Coroll Thomas and Colin Hanson, along with their close friend, Linda Hanson, used to undertake a tour of India every year. The couple accidentally observed Gopal selling peanuts at Bethel Bath beach. The way he went about selling peanuts without being bothered by the hot sun, and his love of life won over their hearts. They took him to a nearby cloth store where they got him new clothes and a bamboo basket for selling peanuts, apart from a wristwatch. They then visited his parents living in a tent by the side of a road in Margao. They took pity on his mother. They left him, with the promise of meeting him again the next year.
Even after five to six years of selling peanuts, Gopal’s family was as poor as it was. The British couple which came every year, extended financial assistance and behaved affectionately. When he turned 19, the couple took Gopal to England. From England, the couple used to extend financial help to his family. They also helped the family to marry off his sisters and to build a house. Gopal was provided cricket training in the local military barracks. Gradually, Gopal became a fine cricketer and became captain of the local cricket team. He also won several awards and honours considering his brilliance in sports and his behaviour. Considering his cricketing talent, a military officer admitted him into the army.
Gopal has since married Jasmin from England and has a daughter named Daisy. He is in England for the last ten years. For cricket and military service, he has travelled to Afghanistan, Kenya and Germany. He is a British citizen and visits his village once every three years.
Gopal rose in his life with his own efforts even though he was born in a poor family. He has been a subject of many foreign media reports considering his behaviour, gentle and caring nature, social service, and brilliance in sports. Considering that he was born in a backward hamlet to a poor family of illiterates and became a part of the British military will soon be on the silver screen in the form of a biopic. Media representatives and officers of the military are waiting for July 12 to watch the story of his meteoric rise in life.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / Daijiworld.com / Home> Top Stories / by Daijiworld Media Network – Koppal (SP) / July 07th, 2021
Meet the Mysurean behind conservation of priceless Murals & heritage monuments
Painting has been one of the means of expression from time immemorial. India, with a history of over 5,000 years, has been known for having murals of hundreds of years old. Restoring them is a biggest challenge. S. Subbaraman, retired Superintending Archaeological Chemist, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), has the credit of restoring murals from Ajanta Caves to Halebid temple and Bamiyan Buddha Statues in Afghanistan. A resident of Mysuru, the nonagenarian shared his experiences with ‘Star of Mysore’ in a freewheeling chat. —Ed
Star of Mysore (SOM): From Food and Drugs Analyst, how did your mind attract towards Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as Chemical Assistant. Is it out of passion or compulsion?
Subbaraman: I did not join ASI out of any passion for Archaeology. To be frank, I did not even know much about Archaeology at that point of time. It was the perceived higher importance attached to serving in the Central Government (rather than in a State Government), besides the lure of a higher pay. In the King Institute, Madras, I was getting a salary of Rs. 145. In my new job in ASI, it was the ‘princely‘ sum of Rs. 220 (160 Basic + 60 D.A.). For lower middle class people like us, the luxury of choosing our careers was not there. We just needed a job to make a living and we went wherever chance led us.
However, after joining ASI and working in such great monuments like Ajanta, I started developing an admiration and love for these monuments and started relishing my work more and more, besides realising my good fortune in being in the important field of preserving our priceless heritage.
After working in ASI for a few years, I came to understand one thing. Working on such objects of immeasurable value, such as the Ajanta paintings for instance, requires not only technical knowledge of the chemicals, materials, procedures and manual skill but a certain amount of artistic sensibility and a feel for these great works of art. Then only a conservator can be really successful. Perhaps, I had these qualities to some extent, without my being aware that I had them !
External Affairs Minister A.B. Vajpayee at Bamiyan.Team leader Subbaraman being introduced to Vajpayee.
SOM: Which was your first assignment after joining as Chemical Assistant in ASI ?
Subbaraman: My first assignment was to work on 13th century mural paintings in the Jain cave in a hamlet called Thirumalai, 2-km distance from Vadamadi-mangalam, in the North Arcot district of Tamil Nadu. Vadamadimangalam is a Railway Station on the Katpadi – Thiruvannamalai route.
My senior, K.T.M. Hegde, who was already there when I arrived on May 1, 1954, trained me in the work, which consisted of cleaning the paint surface with suitable organic solvents in order to remove dust, dirt etc., and bring back the colours to their original brightness, as much as possible and finally to apply a coat of preservative (1% solution of Polyvinyl Acetate in Toluene).
The paintings in this cave consisted only of designs and did not have any figures, which would have been there if any particular theme was depicted. So it provided just training ground but did not prove very exciting. For that, I had to wait for my next posting, namely Ajanta.
Ajanta Padmapani (Pic: Dr. My. Na. Sharma)
SOM: You mentioned about following a new technology for restoration of mural, what is that technology?
Subbaraman: When there are perennial problems like constant moisture in the wall, it becomes impossible to preserve mural paintings in situ. It then becomes necessary to transfer them from the wall and remount them on a different support. This work of transfer has been in practice in Italy for a long time and they have both experience and expertise in the work.
They have two techniques for this: 1. Strappo and 2. Stacco.
In all methods of transfer, the first step is to apply a facing of cloth on the paint surface in order to ensure its safety during the transfer. In the Strappo technique, the cloth facing is applied with the help of glue as adhesive. While drying, the glue undergoes shrinkage and this has the effect of pulling the paint surface away from the wall, which facilitates the later separation. After the facing has completely dried, the separation of the paint layer from the wall is effected by simply pulling away the faced paint layer. After the separated painting is remounted on a fresh support (such as fibre class), the last step is to remove the facing with the help of hot water. This is possible in Italy because the paintings there are all in true Fresco technique, where the paint layer is insoluble in water.
In the Stacco technique, a portion of the ground (namely, lime plaster) is also removed from the wall, along with the paint layer. For adhesive for applying the cloth facing, molasses is added to the glue to reduce the shrinkage, so as to keep the paint layer and plaster bound together during transfer. Other procedures are the same as in Strappo technique.
In all the transfer techniques described above, the transfer of the painting is from the wall and, therefore, there is no need to worry about the safety of the support from which the painting is being transferred. The use of chisel and hammer, when necessary, is therefore quite safe. In our work in Brihadeeshwara temple in Thanjavur, however, one layer of old mural painting was to be separated from another layer. As can be imagined, this is much more difficult and much greater skill and caution was required for the work.
Since the superimposed Nayaka layer was rather fragile, I ruled out the Strappo technique and decided to adopt the Stracco technique (in which a part of the lime plaster is also removed). Secondly, the use of glue as adhesive for facing cloth had also to be ruled out because you cannot use hot water for removing the facing at the end, the Nayaka paintings being in water-soluble Tempera. I decided to use a 20% solution of Polyvinyl Acetate as adhesive for facing cloth. This is a strong adhesive that can be easily removed with the help of an organic solvent like Toluene.
I also used rubber-tipped chisels and a wooden mallet (instead of hammer to minimise pressure) so as to avoid causing the slightest damage to the Chola layer during the separation. I thus used already known techniques, suitably modified to fit our conditions and did not invent any new technique. It was the skill in execution and abundant caution exercised that were more important.
Ajanta painting
SOM: Explain how the restoration work begins?
Subbaraman: A mural painting is basically a layered structure, consisting of: 1) Support (which is stone or brick wall); 2) Ground (mud plaster in early examples like in Ajanta but lime plaster in murals from 7th century onwards); 3) Paint layer.
Old mural paintings in our country are mostly in the Tempera technique, in which the pigments are ground in an organic binding medium such as gum or glue and the painting is done on a dry ground.
In the West, what is called the True Fresco technique has been practiced from very early times. In this, the pigments are ground only in water and the painting is done on the lime plaster when it is still wet. During the drying of the painted plaster, the lime reacts with atmospheric carbon dioxide and is gradually turned to lime stone, integrating the paint layer firmly with the plaster and also rendering the paint layer to be insoluble in water.
In the conservation of mural paintings, the aim is to ensure the sound condition of all the three layers and their mutual adhesion. The first step is to fix back all loose, hanging or bulging portions back to the wall with help of lime-casein adhesive. Loose edges are all filleted, using lime plaster, suitably tinted so as to merge with the surroundings.
The next step is cleaning, in order to remove all accretions on the paint layer such as dust, ingrained dirt, oily or sooty deposits, bird or bat droppings etc., that we find in old monuments, in an attempt to bring back the colours to their original brightness as much as possible. We cannot use aqueous solutions for the cleaning because the medium (gum or glue) in our Indian paintings is water-soluble. We have to use organic solvents after first experimenting in a small corner to find an effective as well as safe solvent. In practice, mixtures of two or more solvents are sometimes found to be more effective than a single solvent. Cotton swabs dipped in the solvent are gently rolled over the paint surface to remove the accretions.
The last step is the application of a preservative coat for protecting the paint surface from the atmosphere. We normally use a 1% solution of Polyvinyl acetate (PVA ) in Toluene. It leaves a colourless, perfectly transparent coating on the paint surface and remains stable for at least 20 years. After that, the coating can be easily removed with the help of Toluene and a fresh coating applied.
Subbaraman separating Nayaka layer at Thanjavur temple.
SOM: How did you restore Ajanta Cave paintings and other paintings in Lepakshi Temple?
Subbaraman: The first mural painting conservation project in India was undertaken by the Nizam of Hyderabad for conserving and restoring Ajanta paintings (Ajanta and Ellora lay in his dominions then) by inviting two Italian restorers, Cecconi and Orsini, who worked for two seasons of 4 months each in 1920 and 21. They did a very good job of consolidating the fragile paintings, strengthening them and cleaning them to the maximum extent possible. But one thing they did towards the end of their work happened to cause problems for future conservators like us. They applied a 5% solution of Shellac as a preservative coat on the paint surface. While the coating immediately brightened the paint surface, the Shellac gradually underwent oxidation due to reaction with the atmosphere and turned yellow and even brownish, distorting the appearance of the original colours.
The task before us of the ASI, when we started our work in the fifties, was to remove this Shellac coating without harming the paint surface in the least. This was delicate work requiring much skill and patience, especially in view of the tremendous value of these paintings. A number of organic solvents were experimented with before arriving at an optimum solvent/ solvent mixture.
Major portions of the paintings have survived in Caves 1, 2, 6, 9, 10, 16 and 17. In 1955, we started work in Caves 16 and 17 and successfully removed the Shellac coating and brought back the paint surface to its original brightness to the maximum extent possible.
Lepakshi: The Veerabhadraswamy temple here, built in late Vijayanagar period (around 1520 ), is noted both for its beautiful sculptures and paintings. When I came here in June 1958, the paintings on the ceiling of the outer Mantapa had already been conserved by my predecessors. I had to take up work in the interior. Here, the problem was of soot emanating from oil lamps and camphor arathis etc. The ceiling, about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide, had been covered with thick deposits of soot, completely hiding the paintings underneath. Only from faint outlines visible could we make out that there were paintings below the soot deposit. My task was to remove the soot and restore the paintings to their original appearance. This again was a challenging task, because the paint surface might have interacted with the oily and sooty deposits and become fragile. The soot had to be removed without harming the paint surface in the least.
The ceiling was about 15 feet high and bamboo scaffolding of suitable height was constructed to work on. A mildly alkaline organic solvent, Triethanolamine, was selected for the cleaning. The solvent (which has a high boiling point) was applied on the paint surface with a soft brush and allowed to react for about an hour. After that, the partly dissolved soot was removed by gently rolling over the surface cotton swabs dipped in petroleum spirit. After the area had dried, if some soot still remained, the process was repeated. A maximum of three such cleanings was required to remove the soot completely. The result was spectacular. A 16 feet long Veerabhadra figure, with crown and other ornamentation and five hands on each side, each hand holding a different weapon, emerged! It was as if Veerabhadra had hidden behind a dark curtain and he now came out by lifting the curtain!
The work was all the more difficult because it had to be done on the ceiling, the conservator having to keep looking upwards all the time, subjecting the neck muscles to great strain. (There were instances of workers doing similar work developing Cervical Spondilitis but I escaped unscathed!)
The work attracted lot of public attention. Kallur Subba Rao, a former Deputy Speaker of the Andhra Assembly, who belonged to that district, specially came over to Lepakshi and was extremely pleased to see the newly exposed, huge and magnificent Veerabhadra figure!
It may be mentioned in passing that Lepakshi also has the largest stone Nandi (28 feet long and 14 feet high) in the country (bigger than the one on Chamundi Hill and the one in Brihadeeshwara temple, Thanjavur).
Remounted Nayaka painting after separation at Thanjavur.
SOM: Explain about higher training in art restoration in Rome. Did you see the difference in restoration process between India and abroad?
Subbaraman: The Italians have a long experience of conserving and restoring mural paintings since they have a profusion of mural painting heritage, spread all over Italy. Therefore, they have lot of expertise too. Besides, I had a lot of fascination for Roman History from my school days, after reading about Julius Caesar and other heroes and Rome, being the epicenter of the Roman empire and having wonderful monuments of various epochs with sculptures and paintings galore, the chance to stay in Rome for 10 months (December 1960 to October 1961) and study their techniques was a unique opportunity for me to learn and add to my own knowledge and expertise in the field in which I was working.
I studied in the Central Institute of Art Restoration in Rome. There were classes as well as field work. But the one essential difference is that their paintings are all True Frescos and ours are Temperas. I have explained the difference between the two above. Naturally, therefore, the methods of treating them also should differ. The latest techniques that I learnt in Rome had to be suitably modified if they had to be used in our conditions.
But the exposure to the wider world of art restoration in a country like Italy was a valuable experience that stood me in good stead throughout my career.
I also utilized this opportunity of being in Europe to visit Museum Conservation Laboratories in other countries like Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, France and England (during my Institute’s summer break) to study latest conservation techniques.
Chola painting at Brihadeeshwara temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu.
SOM: What restoration works did you take up in Belur and Halebid temples?
Subbaraman: Even stone, one of the most durable of building materials, is not immune to factors causing deterioration. Stone monuments therefore are affected by various factors which may be classified broadly as physical, chemical and biological.
The growth of micro-organisms like mosses, lichens and algae etc., is one of the main biological factors. Their growth occurs when moisture is present or even when the atmospheric Relative Humidity is about 75% or more.
The work in the Hoysala monuments of Belur and Halebid (which I did in 1964-65) consisted in cleaning for the removal of darkish growth of moss all over, which was disfiguring the intricately carved sculptures in the exterior. Since the stone here is quite soft (steatite or soap stone), extra care had to be taken in the cleaning so as not to damage the stone surface. Soft brushes had to be used to avoid abrasion. At the end of the cleaning, the stone surface was protected with a coating of 2% solution of Polymethylmethacrilate.
SOM: After restoration, for how many years the murals survive?
Subbaraman: After the conservation/ restoration process is over, the survival of the murals in a good condition depends on maintenance. Moisture is the single biggest factor for their deterioration. Therefore, care should be taken to completely stop the ingress of rain water through repairs to the building and constant maintenance. If they are in a tourist centre like Ajanta, the number of visitors at any one time has to be restricted, so as to avoid too much of carbon dioxide breathed out by the people that will affect the paintings.
In our experience in monuments, we have found that after treatment, the paintings are in good condition over an indefinite period, the only attention required being the removal of the old preservative coat and applying a fresh coat, after about 20 years.
Lepakshi mural
SOM: How those paintings of 500 to 600 years old survived despite vagaries of nature. What kind of colours were they using?
Subbaraman: One of the main reasons why these mural paintings have survived for hundreds of years is that the pigments used are all of mineral origin and more resistant to chemical change. If pigments of organic origin, say from vegetables or flowers, had been used, they would have faded long since. Stability of temperature and relative humidity inside the buildings is another factor that helps.
SOM: We are eager to know about your experience as a team leader to Bamiyan, Afghanistan, for the conservation and restoration of the two gigantic Buddha Statues. How did you do it?
Subbaraman: It fell to my lot to lead the team to Bamiyan, Afghanistan in June 1977 when we completed the 9-year project of conserving and restoring the two gigantic Buddha Statues. The work on the small Buddha had been completed earlier and work on the 183-feet-tall big Buddha was in progress, which we completed in all respects, working from June to October 1977.
We had erected 200 feet high steel scaffolding, going up to the roof of the niche containing the Statue, for our work. You could also reach the head of the Buddha Statue by climbing a hillock from behind. If you stood on the head of the Statue, it looked like you were standing in a large room. You can also imagine the size of the Statue when I say that, when I climbed down the scaffolding 30 feet from the head, I would have reached just the shoulder!
The work consisted in consolidating the stone surface of the Statue and also conserving the mural paintings, depicting various Buddhist themes, on the walls and ceiling of the niche. The paintings belonged to the 3rd/4th centuries C.E., contemporaneous with Ajanta paintings. It was a most exciting and challenging job. I had an enthusiastic team with me who took up the challenge with zest and completed the work in expected time. We would start at 8.30 in the morning and finish by 4.30 pm, with a brief lunch break. The team members hurried to the camp at 4.30 for their tea and a game of volley ball. (I was 47 years old at that time but being an experienced player, I was the star spiker in the team. Once we playfully had a match between the over 40 and below 40 players. We, the over 40, won!)
I was told that when the project began in 1969, the local people were hostile to it, their religion being opposed to idol worship. But as the work progressed and more and more tourists began coming in with more hotels being opened and the economy of the village improving considerably, people became friendly. We found the local officials most cooperative. (Afghanistan has always been friendly to India. Even then, India had many development projects going in that country.)
Our Ambassador at that time S.K. Singh (who later became India’s Foreign Secretary) was very helpful to us. Whenever the team members visited Kabul, Embassy staff members used to invite us for dinner. It was all a very pleasant experience for us.
The visit of our then External Affairs Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, for formally handing over the monuments to the Afghan Government after the completion of our work, is memorable. The opening words of his speech are still ringing in my ears. He said: “Bamiyanaakar, Hamaara Afghanistan Yaatra Theerthyathra Bangaya.“
Bamiyan Buddha … and after destruction by Taliban
SOM: What was your initial response when you heard that the Bamiyan Buddha Statues were destroyed by Talibans?
Subbaraman: I was in the USA in 2001, visiting my son and daughter in California, when I heard the news of the destruction of the Statues by the Taliban. Such acts of barbarous vandalism would be saddening to any sensitive person but imagine the feelings of one like me, personally involved in their conservation! I was heart-broken.
SOM: How did you conserve Angkor Wat in Cambodia?
Subbaraman: I was only involved in the preparation of the project report for the conservation of Angkor Wat in 1982. The opportunity for studying this amazing monument over a period of four months and becoming acquainted with almost every inch of it was a God-sent opportunity. But I could not take part in the actual conservation work. The work was started by ASI only in 1986 and went on for 8 seasons. In 1986, I was nearing retirement and could not take part in it. However, earlier in 1986, I accompanied the Director General of ASI to Angkor Wat, for planning the first year’s work of the conservation project.
SOM: In India, how many murals have been destroyed for non-maintenance?
Subbaraman: More than 5,000 monuments have been declared as of national importance and protected by ASI. Many other monuments have been protected by the various State Departments of Archaeology. Those in Governmental control are being looked after well by the different Departments.
But there are still a very large number of heritage structures outside Government control. Voluntary organisations like the Indian National Trust for Cultural Heritage (INTACH) are trying their best to look after them by undertaking conservation projects with the help of donations or grants.
Sadly there was a case of some valuable mural paintings being lost due to a wrong procedure by ASI itself. The Bagh Caves in Madhya Pradesh had beautiful murals of the 4th /5th century C.E. The caves showed signs of sinking due to pressure from the rocks above and to prevent this, ASI decided to blast off part of the overlying rocks to reduce the weight and pressure from above. This was a good move by itself. But what they should have done immediately thereafter but failed to do was to seal off all fissures and cracks in the remaining rock surface. Rain water started seeping in freely from these cracks, spoiling the paintings (on mud plaster) on the walls of the caves. We salvaged a large part of them from transferring them from the walls.
There are mural paintings of the Nayaka period (16th-17th centuries) in a large number of temples in Tamil Nadu as well as in Kerala temples of about the same period. Most of them in Tamil Nadu are in the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (H.R. & C.E.) Department, who are not aware of the importance of preserving these properly. In some temples, they have simply white-washed in the name of temple renovation. This lack of awareness and negligence has resulted in the loss of many paintings.
In Karnataka, there are fewer mural paintings. One of them is in the Virupaksha temple at Hampi which is under the State Department of Archaeology and has been preserved. On the paintings at Sibi in Tumakuru district, the State Department is reported to have entrusted the conservation work to some wrong people and so some damage has been done. The Nippani Palace of Belagavi district has a large area of murals. Work is yet to be done there. There are paintings in the temples inside the Mysore Palace too. INTACH people have been contacted about their preservation.
SOM: Do you think mural restoration is getting adequate recognition?Subbaraman: My work has received sufficient attention among my peers if not among the general public. That is only understandable because not every one among the public is interested in monuments or mural paintings. One encouraging thing is that there seems to be greater awareness now among the authorities concerned to take proper care of these paintings, such an important part of our heritage and they are contacting agencies who can do the conservation work. However, in view of the huge amount of work still to be done and the slenderness of the available manpower, there is need to train more and more people in the work.
Angkor Wat
SOM: Can mural restoration attract youths?
Subbaraman: Some young people with an art background are taking up the work of art conservation. There should be enough encouragement and financial rewards for attracting more and more young people to this field.
SOM: Are you ready to help in case the State Government requests your services for the restoration of murals in Karnataka?
Subbaraman: In view of my age, I shall not be able to take active part in any future conservation project but my suggestions and advice will always be available.
SOM: In your service spanning over three decades, which was your joyous moment and the saddest?
Subbaraman: My most joyous moment during my 33 years of service in ASI was the successful execution of my work in the Brihadeeshwara temple, Thanjavur. (A close second was the treatment of the Panduranga Vithala idol at Phandarpur in 1988, which also won wide acclaim). The saddest moment, of course, was when I heard the news of the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas by the Taliban in 2001.
Messiah of Murals
Born on December 21, 1929, S. Subbaraman completed M.A. Degree (first class) from Loyola College, Madras (now Chennai) in 1951. [The post-graduate degree awarded by the Madras University even in Science subjects those days was M.A. The M.Sc. degree could be obtained only by doing research].
From 1951 to 1954, he worked as Junior Analyst in the Food and Drugs Analysis section of King Institute, Madras.
On May 1, 1954, he joined the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as Chemical Assistant and his first posting was at Thirumalai in the North Arcot District of Tamil Nadu to work on the preservation of 13th century mural paintings in the Jain cave there.
From February 1955 to June 1958, he worked at Ajanta, engaged in the conservation of the world-famous paintings there.
June 1958 to December 1960, he worked in the Veerabhadraswamy temple, Lepakshi; conserved the Vijayanagar period mural paintings in the temple.
December 1960 to November 1961, Subbaraman received higher training in Art Restoration in the Central Institute of Art Restoration, Rome, under an Italian Government Scholarship.
May 1966 to May 1975, he was on deputation to the Indian Museum, Calcutta (now Kolkata); Set up the Conservation Laboratory of the Museum and was responsible for the conservation of a large number of music objects of different kinds.
May 1975 to December 1987, he returned to his parent department, ASI and took charge at Hyderabad as the Head of the Southern Region of the Chemistry Branch of ASI — first with the designation of Deputy Superintending Archaeological Chemist (class I) and later promoted as Superintending Archaeological Chemist (senior class I).
As Head of the Southern Region, he held responsibility for the conservation of monuments in all the four Southern States, besides Maharashtra and Gujarat.
In 1976, he started work on the mural paintings of Brihadeeshwara temple, Thanjavur and it continued up to the 80s. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, on seeing the news about this work in The Hindu, sent a 4-member team to Thanjavur to film the entire operation, in 1986. It was later aired on TV as part of their programme ‘Beyond 2000’ highlighting the latest achievements in various fields.
During 1977 (June to October), he headed a 15-member team to Bamiyan, Afghanistan, for the conservation and restoration of the two gigantic Buddha Statues.
In 1982, he was among the 9-member ASI team to Cambodia to study Angkor Wat in detail and prepare a project report for its conservation.
He retired from ASI on December 31, 1987.
Post-retirement work
In 1988, he treated the idol of Sri Panduranga Vithala at Phandarpur, Maharashtra, since the stone surface of the image was being eroded due to constant abhishekas with milk, curd etc., every day.
1989 to 1991: Consultation work at the invitation of temples and other institutions.
1992: Project Officer in the Vrindaban Research Institute, Vrindaban, Mathura (UP) for developing the laboratory for the conservation of palm leaf and paper manuscripts.
1993 to 2006: Director of INTACH Chitrakala Parishath Art Conservation Centre (ICKPAC), Bangalore. A large number of art objects of different kinds like traditional paintings of the Mysore and Thanjavur Schools, Oil paintings, Water colours, Drawings, Manuscripts, Old bronzes, painted wooden objects, ivories etc., were conserved and restored by the Centre for Government as well as private institutions, besides individual owners.
Carried out mural painting conservation projects in Tamil Nadu: i) Srirangam temple (where the paintings were completely covered with soot due to a fire breakout that had taken place earlier); ii) Thanjavur Palace on the occasion of the World Tamil Conference in 1994; iii) Ramalinga Vilasam Palace, Ramanathapuram.
He also worked for the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM), Government of India, in visiting old manuscript collections in temples, mutts etc. and training the staff in preventive conservation of the palm leaf and paper manuscripts.
He was Karnataka State Coordinator for the National Survey of Manuscripts, conducted by NMM in 2005. They could identify and record about 2 lakh old manuscripts in the State.
In 2006, he took voluntary retirement from ICKPAC and shifted to Mysore (Mysuru) where he currently resides with his family on Sahukar Channaiah Road, Gangothri II Stage.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by ShyamSundar Vattam / June 15th, 2021
Bengaluru teacher Shyamala Ganesh, the former director of the Japanese Language School, will be conferred the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays.
In a press release, Consulate-General of Japan, Bengaluru highlighted Ms. Ganesh’s contribution to the spread of the Japanese language and culture in Karnataka.
The decision to confer the decoration is the first of its kind since the establishment of the Consulate-General of Japan in Bengaluru, the release stated.
Ms. Ganesh is also former President of the Bengaluru Chapter of Ohara-ryu Ikebana, and helped popularise not just the language but also other cultural traditions such as Ikebana, Japanese flower arrangements, and hosting exchange events.
As the Director of the Japanese Language School, Ms. Ganesh contributed to the spread of the language and trained candidates for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test course.
As an administrative executive of the “Lotus and Chrysanthemum Trust” whose establishment she has contributed to, Ms. Ganesh contributed enormously to the promotion of understanding and mutual understanding of both Japanese and Indian cultures, stated the release.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – April 30th, 2021
Test firing validated performance under extremely challenging scenarios, says DRDO
Indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LAC) Tejas added the 5th generation Python-5 Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) to its air-to-air weapons capability after successful trials, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said on Wednesday.
“Trials were also aimed to validate enhanced capability of already integrated Derby Beyond Visual Range (BVR) AAM on Tejas. The test firing at Goa completed a series of missile trials to validate its performance under extremely challenging scenarios,” a DRDO statement said.
Derby missile achieved direct hit on a high speed manoeuvring aerial target and the Python missiles also achieved 100% hits, thereby validating their complete capability, it said. “The trials met all their planned objectives.”
Missile carriage flight tests
Prior to these trials, extensive missile carriage flight tests were conducted at Bengaluru to assess integration of the missile with aircraft systems on board the Tejas, like avionics, fire-control radar, missile weapon delivery system and the flight control system. At Goa, after successful separation trials, live launch of the missile was carried out on Tuesday.
“Python-5 missile live firing was conducted to validate target engagement from all aspects as well as beyond visual ranges. In all the live firings, missile hit the aerial target.” The missiles were fired from Tejas aircraft of the Aeronautical Development Agency flown by the IAF test pilots from the national flight test centre.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by Special Correspondent / New Delhi – April 28th, 2021
Karnataka on Monday announced free vaccination for COVID-19 for all those aged between 18 and 44 in government hospitals and centres from May 1.
Health Minister K. Sudhakar said ₹400 crore had so far been allocated for the purpose.
The government has been providing free vaccination to all those aged above 45 in government facilities, though there have been multiple complaints of vaccine shortage. Asked about vaccine availability, he said stocks based on orders were yet to come and more details would be released soon.
At a press conference on Monday, after the Chief Minister announced the decision, Dr. Sudhakar said with third and fourth waves being seen in other countries, the need was to vaccinate as many people as possible as soon as possible. “A sum of ₹81.32 crore has been allocated for COVID-19-related medicines, and ₹28 crore for Remdesivir,” he added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Bengaluru – April 27th, 2021
Abevmy is approved for treatment in metastatic colorectal carcinoma, metastatic breast cancer, non small-cell lung carcinoma, glioblastoma, ovarian, cervical and renal cancer as part of a specific regimen.
Biocon Biologics has received approval for its cancer drug Abevmy co-developed with Viatris.
Abevmy 100 & 400 mg, a biosimilar of Bevacizumab has received marketing authorization approval from the European Commission (EC) following the positive recommendation by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency, said the company in a filing to the stock exchange.
Abevmy is approved for treatment in metastatic colorectal carcinoma, metastatic breast cancer, non small-cell lung carcinoma, glioblastoma, ovarian, cervical and renal cancer as part of a specific regimen.
The centralized marketing authorization granted by the EC is valid in all EU Member States as well as in the European Economic Area (EEA) countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
“The European Commission’s approval of our biosimilar Bevacizumab will enable us to offer this biologic therapy to cancer patients in the EU along with our partner Viatris. The addition of biosimilar Bevacizumab will strengthen our portfolio of biosimilars for cancer in the EU, which include biosimilar Trastuzumab and biosimilar Pegfilgrastim. This approval underlines our commitment to expand affordable access to life-saving biosimilars and make an enduring impact on global health,” said a company spokesperson.
source: http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / Home> Business News> India> Healthcare> Biotech>Pharmaceuticals / ET Bureau / April 26th, 2021
Researchers Anura V. Kurpad (left) and Sarita Devi from St. John’s Research Institute who have developed a new test to measure Vitamin B12 absorption.
Vitamin B12 deficiency arises mainly due to malabsorption
A team of researchers from St. John’s Research Institute (SJRI) has developed a new test to measure vitamin B12 absorption in humans with stable 13C isotopes. Earlier, this was possible only using the radio-isotopes-based Schilling test.
This major clinical development has been published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Vitamin B12 deficiency, that is widespread in India, is linked to many poor health outcomes. It is mainly due to a low intake of animal source foods or malabsorption. The problem lies in measuring whether it is well absorbed from the diet or from remedial supplements. Unless the absorption is known, it is very hard to design the appropriate dose to remedy deficiencies.
Sarita Devi from St. John’s Research Institute, who is the lead author of the paper, said unfortunately, the measurement of vitamin B12 absorption is not performed now, because the original or modified Schilling’s test requires radioisotopes. “The problem is the use of radioactive isotopes (Cobalt in this case), which is heavily restricted, to ‘label’ vitamin B12 so that it can be traced to quantify its absorption. This problem has continued for the last 70 years, since Dr. Schilling first published his eponymous testing method,” she explained.
The study describes the re-engineering and innovation of a new method to measure Vitamin B12 absorption. “We did this by biosynthesizing a novel Vitamin B12 molecule that was labelled with a ‘stable isotope’ of carbon 13C. This, as the name implies, is stable (not radioactive and therefore does not emit any harmful radiation) and is therefore safe for human use,” she said.
The molecule that the team of researchers synthesized, is a form of Vitamin B12 called 13 C-cyanocobalamin. This (cyanocobalamin) is one of the commercial vitamin B12 supplements that are prescribed. “We then used this to measure vitamin B12 absorption in humans, and also defined a new mathematical or pharmacokinetic model for this purpose. This test is safe and can now be used in a clinic and in any age group safely without radiation concerns,” Dr. Devi explained.
“This is a major development in nutrition that also changed the daily requirement of Vitamin B12 in a recently published report by the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition for Indians,” she said. Anura V. Kurpad, senior author of the paper and chair of the ICMR Expert Committee on Nutrient Requirement of Indians, said the earlier thinking was that dietary vitamin B12 was 100% absorbed.
As the researchers’ team led by Dr. Devi had measured this at about 50% absorption, Dr. Kurpad said: “This effectively doubled the daily dietary requirement from 1 microgram to 2 microgram/day. Since Vitamin B12 is only available from animal source foods, it is critical to ensure that an adequate intake of milk or eggs/meat is available in the diet.”
From a therapeutic viewpoint when treating the deficiency, the study also showed that the absorption of Vitamin B12 was very tightly regulated, in that it could not go above a certain amount. Hence, a high intake does not necessarily mean more absorption, she added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Afshan Yasmeen / Bengaluru – March 02nd, 2021
The Karavali Wikimedians User Group celebrated the 20th year of Wikipedia at a function in Mangaluru on Saturday. | Photo Credit: H.S. Manjunath
Karavali Wikimedians User Group makes appeal to doctors to contribute articles
The Karavali Wikimedians User Group, having those who write mainly for the Kannada, the Tulu, and the Konkani editions of Wikipedia, on Saturday appealed to doctors to contribute India-specific articles on medical sector.
Addressing presspersons on the occasion of 20th anniversary of the site, secretary of the group and editor of Vishvakannada.com U.B. Pavanaja said that doctors should come forward to write on diseases, management of diseases, medicine, medical tests, and other aspects relating to the medical sector with an India-specific focus.
If they write in English, others can translate for the respective editions of Wikipedia. The doctors can also help Wikipedia writers by suggesting appropriate words in regional languages while translating technical medical words and medical terminologies.
Those doctors who can write in Kannada can also write for the Kannada edition of Wikipedia.
Mr. Pavanaja said that wikimedians have launched Special Wikipedia Awareness Scheme for The Healthcare Affiliates (SWASTHA) in the country.
He said Wikipedia which went live on January 15, 2001, has completed 20 years.
The Kannada edition of the site has completed 17 years and the Tulu edition is five-years-old. So far, 24 Indian language editions of Wikipedia have gone live.
The president of the group Vishwanatha Badikana said that the process of forming Wikipedia associations in colleges in the coastal belt has begun. The group has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Canara College in the city to promote Wikipedia activities by organising workshops, training activities to write for the site and the like.
It will also sign agreements with other colleges in the coming days. With this a hub to promote Wikipedia activities can be created.
Women’s articles
K.T. Dhanalakshmi, president, Wikiwomens Mangaluru, said that 400 articles related to women have been written in Mangaluru so far.
Kishor Kumar Rai Sheni, treasurer of the group, spoke on the growth of the Tulu edition.
The group celebrated the 20th anniversary of Wikipedia by organising a function in Tulu Bhavana. Krishnamohan, a doctor, from Moodbidri spoke on the occasion.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangaluru / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – January 24th, 2021
Passengers between Bengaluru and San Francisco can now travel seamlessly between these two cities without a stop over at any other palce.
Members of the crew are Captain Zoya Aggarwal, Captain Papagari Thanmai, Captain Akansha Sonaware and Captain Shivani Manhas. (Photo | Ashish Krishna,EPS)
Bengaluru :
It marked a glorious moment for flyers when Air India’s Boeing 777-237 Long Range aircraft touched down at the Kempegowda International Airport at 3.07 am on Monday and later taxied to its bay by 3.25 am, a good 20 minutes before the scheduled arrival time.
Passengers between Bengaluru and San Francisco can now travel seamlessly between these two cities without a stop over at any other palce.
What makes flight number AI176, the longest flight ever operated by an Indian airline, so special is that it is also an all-women crew.
The four-member team of Captain Zoya Aggarwal, Captain Papagari Thanmai, Akansha Sonaware and Shivani Manhas as well as Captain Nivedita Bhasin, Executive Director, Flight Safety Section, who accompanied were given a round of applause by passengers and visitors to the airport when they emerged out the ‘Arrivals’ gate.
Replying to @NewIndianXpressAir India’s all-women cockpit crew’s first non-stop flight from San Francisco to Bengaluru landed at the Kempegowda International Airport. Express Photos | @ashishhpendse@XpressBengaluru
8:34 AM . Jan 11, 2021 . Twitter Web App
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They had broad smiles on their faces with the joy of their achievement helping them overcome the fatigue of covering a distance of 13, 933 kms between the two cities in nearly 16 hours. Airport staffers also handed them red roses.
Among the first passengers to come out of the terminal was 78-year-old Govinda Naidu and his son Ramana Anugant. “I have waited 20 years for this day. I have brought my 78-year-old father and 67-year-old mother along. They both cannot walk properly and use wheel chairs. We do not have to change over at Delhi or Mumbai. It is such a relief.”
71-year-old Subramaniam from Malleswaram who paid 1811 dollars for a business seat said, “I got stuck in my daughter’s house in California due to the Covid epidemic for a year now. I finally decided to come home and it is such a relief to have a direct flight like this.”
Agarwal, commander of the flight said, “Today, we created world history by not only flying over the North Pole but also having all women pilots who successfully did it.”
Billing the trip as “a fantastic experience” Aggarwal said that it challenging to fly over the North Pole. We have to be very careful when we enter the Polar Region and have received training for it. When you come out, it is completely dark.
29-year-old Captain Shivani Manas from J & K said, “I have just four years experience. I feel blessed to be given such an opportunity. This is an unforgettable day in my life.”
At 2.30 pm, the flight from Bengaluru towards San Francisco (AI 175) will depart with an all male crew commanded by CV Madhu. All the 238 seats on it have been booked.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Nation / by S Lalitha, Express News Service / January 11th, 2021
