Category Archives: World Opinion

From Turkey to Bengaluru

Business & Economy, Records, All, World Opinion

Zuhair Fiyaz, who is in his mid-20s, discovered this ice cream parlour and fell in love with it.

TurkishIceCreamBF10nov2018

Bengaluru :

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Meet your sweettooth cravings here at The Maras, south India’s first Turkish ice cream parlour that opened recently on the busy Jyoti Nivas College Road in Koramangala.

MarasicecreamBF10nov2018

There are a variety of flavours that one can try here. A Turkish flavour, Saada, originated from the Turkish word Saadee, is also available here. Other flavours include the popularly-sold almond honey, chocolate brownie, kiwi (they claim to use the kiwi fruit for its rich flavour), pistachio, caramel and strawberry-banana, that tastes like a bubble gum.

It’s a joint venture by Nikita Agarwal, her husband, Vinay Agarwal and brothers in-law Manish and Nikhil Agarwal. They say they wanted to start something unique and hence, came up with this idea. “Our tagline – Serving cones with happiness – is in par with the way we serve Turkish ice creams to people. Our happiness ‘delivery man’, Mustafa, is from Turkey and the way he plays with the ice cream before handing it over is unique and exciting to watch. People, especially children, queue up in front of the shop and watch him prepare the ice cream for two minutes. It’s fun to watch him serve scoops of ice cream on the cone,” says Nikita.

But, why the name Maras? “Dondurma, the Turkish ice cream, as is originally called, is believed to have been found in the city of Maras in Turkey. Hence, we decided to just name it The Maras (pronounced Marash),” says Manish.

Apart from ice creams, they also sell Turkish sweets such as baklava and bulbul, and their sale shot up during the festive season. “We are open on all days, from 12.30 pm to 12 am. We were a hit during Diwali as people were looking for unique sweets for gifting purposes,” says Nikita. “We recently added the Matcha flavour, originally from Japan, which tastes similar to green tea, for diet-conscious people,” she adds.

Zuhair Fiyaz, who is in his mid-20s, discovered this ice cream parlour and fell in love with it. He says, “I have visited this ice cream parlour thrice and my aim is to try out all their flavours one by one. Mustafa is a delight to watch every time I buy an ice cream from him. They gave me a loyalty card which offers my 10th ice cream for free.” Approx. cost for two: Rs 150
Customers say watching Mustafa make the ice creams is a delight.

source:http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Sudeshna Dutta / Express News Service / November 10th, 2018

‘Work on Krumbiegel memorial to start in two months’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion
The Krumbiegel hall before it was razed.
The Krumbiegel hall before it was razed.

Archaeology Department says the tender process is on

A year ago, Krumbiegel Lecture Hall inside Lalbagh Botanical Garden was razed after a portion of the 100-year-old building collapsed following heavy rains. Facing criticism from all sides for failing to restore an important piece of the city’s heritage, the Horticulture Department, which is entrusted with maintaining the garden, decided to erect a memorial for Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel, the man who gave the city its green cover. However, a year later, the land where Krumbiegel hall once stood still remains vacant.

In his time, Krumbiegel used the lecture hall to practise his speeches. Over the decades, however, it fell to disuse and conservationists despaired over its neglect. Now the city and Krumbiegel’s family in U.K. are waiting for the memorial to come up.

The State Archaeology Department was roped in, and a plan and an estimate prepared. Officials in the Horticulture Department said that all necessary approvals for rebuilding the memorial are in place and that the Archaeology Department has initiated the tender process. “The tender process is taking long. Once finalised, the work can be completed in six months,” said M.R. Chandrashekar, Deputy Director, Lalbagh.

The Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage said it had presented an estimate of the project, which has been approved. “The tender process is on and is likely to take over a month. Meanwhile, we are getting technical approval for the project. The work is likely to start in two months,” said Venkatesh T., Commissioner, Archaeology Department.

Cost estimated at ₹98 lakh

As per the plan, a structure similar to the old Krumbiegel hall is to come up at an estimated cost of ₹98 lakh. “The Archaeology Department will keep the old design in mind to create the new space. The new hall will serve as a space to learn about the history and horticultural richness of Lalbagh. There will be audio-visual aids for tourists. Short films on the Botanical Garden will be played in both Kannada and English,” Mr. Chandrashekar added.

Alyia Phelps-Gardiner Krumbiegel, the great granddaughter of Krumbiegel, said she was eagerly waiting for the memorial to come up. “I’m so pleased to hear that at long last the new Krumbiegel hall is coming to realisation. Karnataka still owns the legacy of my great grandfather. He designed and landscaped his way from Baroda, Ooty, Bombay, Coochbehar, Jamshedpur, Delhi, Hyderabad, Trivandrum,Madras, Mysore and above all Bangalore. He found his home in Bangalore. He and the other four heavyweight superintendents of Lalbagh – William New, John Cameron, Rao Bahadur H.C. Javaraya and M.H. Marigowda – all deserve their own special monuments for their contribution.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Sarumathi K / November 08th, 2018

Bengaluru student to get USD 400,000 prize for self, teacher, school

Education, Records, All, World Opinion

Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a global science video competition designed to inspire creative thinking about fundamental concepts in the life sciences, physics, and mathematics.

Bengaluru :

Sixteen-year old Samay Godika, a city school student, will receive USD 400,000 in educational prizes for himself, his teacher and his school, as he emerged the winner in the fourth annual “Breakthrough Junior Challenge”, a global science video competition.

The US-based Breakthrough Prize announced Godika, a junior at the National Public School-Koramangala here, as the winner of this year’s ‘Breakthrough Junior Challenge’ for his video submitted in the life sciences category on circadian rhythms, which are physical, mental, and behavioural changes that follow a daily cycle.

Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a global science video competition designed to inspire creative thinking about fundamental concepts in the life sciences, physics, and mathematics.

“As the winner, Samay will receive USD 400,000 (approx Rs 2.92 crore) in educational prizes for himself, his teacher and his school,” Breakthrough Prize said in a release posted on its website Sunday.

Samay will receive a USD 250,000 college scholarship while his ninth and tenth grade science teacher Pramila Menon will get USD 50,000 prize.

Additionally, his school will receive a state-of-the-art science lab valued at USD 100,000.

Menon had encouraged his interest in life sciences and tutored him after school to encourage his curiosity about scientific ideas.

Recognising him as a Boston native who now lives in India, Breakthrough said, Samay’s video, submitted in the life sciences category, focused on circadian rhythms, the 24-hour biological processes that can affect simple daily experiences such as waking up for school or jet lag.

Because he has family members who suffer from Parkinson’s and other neurological diseases, Samay is particularly interested in the correlation between circadian rhythms and the effectiveness of medical treatments, it added.

“Participating in and now winning the BreakthroughJunior Challenge is life-changing, thrilling and such an honour. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to be recognised alongside so many of the world’s top scientists and tech industry leaders,” Samay said.

Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a global initiative to develop and demonstrate young people’s knowledge of science and scientific principles, generate excitement in these fields and engage the imagination and interest of the public-at-large in key concepts of fundamental science, it said.

www.newindianexpress.com/ The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by PTI / November 05th, 2018

PHWRs: Kaiga station’s Unit-1 creates world record

Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion
Unit-1 of KGS has been generating electricity continuously since May 13, 2016.
Unit-1 of KGS has been generating electricity continuously since May 13, 2016.

It completed 895 days of continuous operation on Thursday

The Kaiga Generating Station, which is already on India’s Nuclear Power Programme, has created a world record for the longest uninterrupted operation of units having pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs).

The earlier record for PHWRs was held by Unit-7 of Pickering Nuclear Generating Station at Ontario, Canada, which operated continuously for 894 days and a few hours. That record was set on October 7, 1994.

In an official release on Thursday, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCL) announced that Unit-1 of Kaiga Generating Station (KGS-1) completed 895 days of continuous operation.

Kaiga now stands first in the world for continuous operation with regard to PHWRs and second among all nuclear power reactors. The Advanced Gas Cooled Reactor (AGR), Heysham II-8 of the United Kingdom, holds the overall record of 940 days of continuous operation.

KGS-1 in Kaiga, located 56 km from Karwar, has been generating electricity continuously since May 13, 2016. KGS-1, an indigenously built pressurised heavy water reactor run by domestic fuel (uranium), began its commercial operation on November 16, 2000. This June, KGS-1 set a national record for continuous operation of 766 days and it reached the second position among PHWRs in the world.

Official sources informed The Hindu that KGS-1 was in good condition and was capable of continuing the power generation. As NPCL authorities want to continue the operation of KGS-1, the required procedures, as and when required, would be followed, sources said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Hubballi – October 25th, 2018

Bengaluru-based Trashonomics wins international waste educators award

Education, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Bengaluru-based Trashonomics, representing India at the Waste Education Awards,won the first prize, beating Greece and USA.

Trashonomics session in progress at a government school
Trashonomics session in progress at a government school

Bengaluru :

Bengaluru-based Trashonomics, representing India at the Waste Education Awards, won the first prize, beating Greece and USA. They were one of the shortlisted teams for The International Solid Waste Association Young Professionals Group’s (ISWA YPG) ‘Waste Education Award’.”We were awarded at the ISWA World Congress 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This was part of their global campaign #WhatHappensToMyWaste. We are happy to represent our country. We sent them all our work at Trashonomics, including the illustrative guide for children, our trainer programmes and workshops,” said Archana Prasad Kashyap, co-author of Trashonomics.

“We sent a presentation of our impact as well. For example, we have reached out to 20,000 students in government schools across Bengaluru, Mysuru and Delhi. As a part of training of trainers (TOT) programme, we have trained 300 people to in turn train other volunteers and conduct classes at other schools. This competition had waste educators participating from across the globe,” Archana added.

Of all the applicants, three were shortlisted. PCAI Junior from Greece and The Six R’s from USA, grabbed the second and third place respectively. People could vote for these organisations by sending an e-mail or voting on polls conducting on social media. The five-chapter guide titled Trashonomics, describes itself as a simple guide on solid waste management. It is used to teach children how to manage their waste in the above cities, with Bhubaneswar joining the list recently.

The idea behind Trashonomics is to make children relate to the concept of waste management. They learn to dispose of all kinds of waste – wet, dry, biomedical, electronic – in a responsible manner. The volunteers use hands-on activities in the classrooms such as asking the kids to bring dry waste from their homes and segregate them in the school.

The project is supported by The Anonymous Indian Charitable Trust (TAICT) and has recently received a grant from Millenium Alliance to train 150 government school teachers on the subject, so that they can take it forward without depending on volunteers. Their illustrative guide will soon be available in Tamil and Bengali as well.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Ranjani Madhavan, Express News Service / October 23rd, 2018

Muscular Dystrophy: Rare diseases find a cure at the nerve centre

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

India sees about 3,000 to 5,000 cases of Muscular Dystrophy.

PrasannaBF23oct2018

Bengaluru  :

India sees about 3,000 to 5,000 cases of Muscular Dystrophy. While England has about five specialised centres to handle such cases, India has none. This has given rise to India’s first paediatric neuromuscular service, called, ‘The Muscle and Nerve Clinic’. The initiative is for patients who suffer from rare diseases that affect their muscles and nerves, and was launched by Bangalore Baptist Hospital, in association with Organisation For Rare Diseases India (ORDI).

Prasanna Shirol, founder, ORDI, is the father of a girl who suffers from a rare disease, and knows first-hand of the plight one can face in such situations. “People suffering from rare diseases run from pillar to post to find appropriate help and treatment.

We started a rare disease care coordination centre in Indiranagar two years ago. This clinic provides care specialised in neuromuscular diseases and we hope to alleviate the struggle of families and young people dealing with it.”

The Muscle and Nerve Clinic was set up with an aim to provide treatment to families suffering from rare diseases. Some of the conditions treated here include Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Congenital   Myopathies, Congenital Neuropathies, Congenital and Acquired Myasthenias and Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy. These cause weakness in muscles and the affected may not be able to jump, run or even sit without any support.

The clinic is open every Thursday at the Baptist Hospital. Prasanna says, “There are 7,000 rare diseases and the majority of cases that we have observed  are related to muscle and nerves.

The challenge with a rare disease is its proper diagnosis. The symptoms can be visible at any age. Once these symptoms are identified and diagnosed, a treatment or support plan can be prepared. Prognosis can be identified and parents can also be mentally prepared to deal with it.” As many symptoms could be similar to other diseases, doctors might often miss out on these signs or wrongly diagnose them, he says. “This needs care from experts in multiple specialities such as paediatrics, nutrition and diet,” he adds.

Dr Ann Agnes Mathew, paediatric neurologist and neuromuscular specialist, said, “Many of these diseases may have a cure one day soon. But until then, we need to care for them so that children suffering from rare diseases can have a better quality of life. With a proper treatment plan, children who currently need support to sit may be able to do so without any help.”

Prasanna and others are also fighting for the implementation of the National Policy for Treatment of Rare Diseases. “We are filing a PIL. There is no clarity in the policy. It says `100 crore will be provided but the proper demarcation is not available. The treatments have also not begun. They say the treatment would be provided only to below poverty line patients but above poverty line patients may also not be able to afford treatment as costs could run into crores,” he says, adding that even insurances don’t cover rare diseases.

For emergencies contact: 080 22024700 For appointments contact: +91 8892555000 (ORDI helpline), Baptist OPD:080 22024322

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Akhila Damodaran, Express News Service / October 23rd, 2018

Life is looking up for Mudhol hound breeders

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
Venkappa Navalagi with his favourite Mudhol hound Raju in Lokapur village of Bagalkot district. Special Arrangement
Venkappa Navalagi with his favourite Mudhol hound Raju in Lokapur village of Bagalkot district. Special Arrangement

Most of them are Dalits, who now see a spike in the brand value of their dogs

The Indian Army’s growing interest in Mudhol hounds has pushed up their brand value among animal lovers, and in turn, helped the families of breeders escape the cycle of poverty.

The Remount Veterinary Corps (RVC) of the Army in Meerut has been training Mudhol pups for battle duty and this has increased the demand for the hunting breed from Mudhol and nearby areas of Bagalkot district.

Most of the families of breeders are landless Dalits or tribal families and they have been breeding the hound for generations. The new found interest in the indigenous breed seems to be turning around their fortunes.

Venkappa Navalagi, for instance, has turned prosperous. He earns between ₹5 to ₹7 lakh a year and has built a house for his dogs. His two children are in good schools. “But it was not so always,” he recalls. His father used to hunt rabbits and foxes to feed his children. Neither Venkappa nor his three siblings went to school.

When we were children, I remember bartering a pup for a cup of jowar. After a few years, we sold a couple for ₹10. By the 1990s, we were selling them for ₹800 a pair. Now my pups fetch me ₹10,000 to ₹1 lakh, depending on the bloodline, he said.

The Navalgis have eight dogs and Venkappa’s wife Lakshmi Bai calls them her “children”. A month-old pup sells for ₹10,000 while the adult dog earns up to ₹5,000 for each breeding attempt. A few years ago, Venkappa met with an accident and needed ₹1.5 lakh for a surgery. “Two dogs had 16 pups and helped their father get treatment,’’ says Laksmi Bai.

However, there has been significant government effort behind the spike in prices of the breed. Bidar-based Karnataka Veterinary Animal and Fisheries Sciences University (KVAFSU) started the Canine Research and Information Centre (CRIC) dedicated to the Mudhol hound in Thimmapur village near Mudhol in 2009. survey indicated that there were over 600 families, 90% of them from SC/ST families, that were making a living out of Mudhol breeding in Bagalkot district.

The university used Rs 3 crore of state government funds to set up the centre under the Special Component Plan and Tribal Sub Plan scheme. Of that, Rs 1 crore was used for infrastructure and the rest was set aside as an endowment to pay the salaries of scientists and staff.

The centre trains farmers in intelligent breeding and to avoid crossing between blood relatives or with nondescript breeds. “This ensures that the litter is purebred and fetches the best prices,” says Mahesh Dodmani, director of the centre. The bloodline certificates issued by the centre have ensured good prices for the pups, he said.

The centre’s scientists take breeders to dog shows in many States and help them build a network with kennel clubs, dog enthusiasts, and pet keepers. The CRIC keeps a database of lineage of dogs. It issues purebred certificates to pups bred by farmers and fixes prices for the dogs that can be sold. CRIC’s website and social media handles create awareness about the hound and create a platform for buyers to meet breeders.

“Setting up of CRIC using SCP /TSP funds has been a fruitful exercise. I can confidently say that the centre’s activities have ensured the welfare of Dalit and tribal families and fulfilled the objective of the funds,” said Suresh Honnappagol, Commissioner, Ministry of Animal Husbandry. Dr. Honnappagol started pushing for recognition to the Mudhol hound when he was the KVAFSU Vice-Chancellor. He added that the signals from the Army were positive about possible induction of the Mudhols into the forces. A final decision is yet to be announced, he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Rishikesh Bahadur Desai / Mudhol – October 20th, 2018

‘Sensational’ Bengaluru teen sets karting race afire

Education, Sports, World Opinion

14-year-old Mihir S Avalakki, a Class IX student at National Public School, Rajajinagar, Bengaluru, driving for birelArt India, won the Round 2 of FMSCI Rotax Max National Karting Championship 2018 (Junior Category), at ChicaneCircuit, Hyderabad recently.

Being the fastest, he earned P1 position in the qualifying round. After finishing P2 in Heat 1 and P4 in Heat 2, he stared at P2 in the pre-finals and moved to P1 in the very first corner itself and held on to the same till the end of pre-finals.

The final was a closely fought battle where Mihir started at P1 and held on to the position, for a nail-biting finish.

Mihir started his professional racing a year ago where he finished the 2017 FMSCI Rotax Max Championship at a promising sixth place, being a rookie.

Mihir also got a great International exposure where he represented birelArt India at the EasyKart Championship in Europe.

He raced in six different International Racing Circuits in Italy and is currently placed at seventh in the championship among 32 total drivers. This international exposure has helped him raise his level of racing in India, which was evident in his win in the Round 2 of the Indian FMSCI Rotax Max Championship.

Earlier, Mihir was the National Champion at FMSCI National 4 Stroke Karting Championship 2017, which earned him a free ticket to the FMSCI Rotax Max Championship for 2017.

Marco Bartoli, Owner of birelArt India and Former Formula 3 Racer said, “He drove like an experienced driver and he handled the pressure really well. He is shown to have great mix of technical skills, speed, consistency and maturity which are very rare for a driver of his limited experience. He is definitely proving to be a bright star of the future”.

Preetham Muniyappa, co-owner of birelArt India and former Asia Karting Champion, said, “I have been monitoring him from the time he has been driving with our team and he has proved that he is a champion in the making, which was evident in the round 2 of the National Level Championship at Hyderabad. This is the beginning for his long career.”

He is the son of Sushmitha Narayana and Suman Avalakki . His father said: “Mihir is so dedicated, which gives my wife and I, the confidence that he is going to be a great Racer for India even in international circuits.”

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Others / by Bangalore Mirror Bureau / October 06th, 2018

Bengaluru doctors perform rare heart surgery

Amazing Feats, Science & Technology, World Opinion

US citizen diagnosed with aortic valve disease, saved by intervention

Jim (58), from California, was on a business trip to India. On reaching Bengaluru, the fever that had subsided before his travel flared up again and he was brought to a private hospital in Sarjapura road. He was diagnosed with aortic valve disease.

Jim had been aware of his condition but never affected by it. In fact, he had participated in a marathon just a month ago.

Dr Joseph Xavier, the chief cardiac surgeon, Columbia Asia Hospital, Sarjapura Road performed the complicated surgery. “Due to significant aortic valve incompetence, blood that was being pumped out of the heart was flowing back into it, putting it under severe strain. Blood culture reports indicated that bacteria had already started developing in the blood. There was a fluid collection in his lungs and the other organs weren’t receiving getting enough blood, resulting in gradual failure of the kidneys and liver,” explained Dr Xavier.

The doctors found that the infection was destroying the valve and the heart muscles and the antibiotics would not clear the infection unless the source within the heart was removed.

Dr Xavier said, “This meant an open heart surgery to replace the infected and destroyed valve and its surrounding tissue. This was a tough call for the cardiac surgical team. If they waited to see whether the antibiotics worked, the kidney and liver failure would worsen making the post-surgery recovery difficult. But there was a good chance that after the operation, the replaced valve could get infected.”

However, the chief cardiac surgeon felt it’s better to ward of the post-operative organ failure and take a chance with a recurrence of infection. The decision paid off, Jim had a successful operation.

Dr Xavier added, “It was a difficult decision to operate on active infection of the heart valve as the tissue inside was in a state like butter, and it is very difficult to fix the valve in such cases. Also, the possibility of the implanted valve getting infected is very high in such a situation. The failing organs like kidney and liver because of the bloodstream infection were an added risk. Fortunately, after the operation, the patient recovered quickly and went home on the 12th day.”

source:http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Others / by Kumaran P., Bangalore Mirror Bureau / September 29th, 2018

Infosys gets $80.3 million contract from Canadian firm

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion
The logo of Infosys is pictured inside the company's headquarters in Bengaluru. File | Photo Credit: Reuters
The logo of Infosys is pictured inside the company’s headquarters in Bengaluru. File | Photo Credit: Reuters

The new platform will enable PSPC to purchase various goods and services through a single portal.

Infosys Public Services on Monday announced that it has been awarded a computer-aided design contract worth $80.3 million by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) to modernise and automate their procurement processes.

IPS is working with Ernst & Young and SAP Canada to digitise PSPC procurement system through the implementation and management of a cloud-based electronic procurement solution. The new solution will provide an intuitive, web-based portal for PSPC and its suppliers to access procurement information and services in both English and French, according to a company statement.

The new platform will enable PSPC to purchase various goods and services through a single portal, easily configure specific requirements, and access data, reporting, and analytics information in real-time to support more effective decision-making.

Based on the experience within PSPC, the government will determine whether to expand the solution to other federal departments and agencies. Provincial and municipal organizations will later be offered an option to use this new platform to streamline their procurement processes and reduce the administrative burden while engaging with more than 183,000 government suppliers.

As the prime system integrator, Infosys will implement the SAP-based solution and set up a network that provides tier 1, 2 and 3 support services. EY Canada will facilitate the design and deployment of future state processes and enabling technology to support the PSPC procurement modernization agenda. EY Canada will also provide change management and training support as the program gets rolled out.

“Navigating their programs and services to a digital future requires organizations to not only identify the right technologies to implement but also to enable them quickly and at scale,” said Eric Paternoster, Chief Executive Officer, Infosys Public Services.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Business> Industry / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – September 24th, 2018