Category Archives: World Opinion

Bicentennial celebrations of arrival of Rev. John Hands to be marked

Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion

The contributions of Rev. John Hands, a lesser-known missionary who spent more than three decades in Ballari towards popularising Kannada and establishing Kannada medium schools, much earlier to Rev. Fernand Kittel, is being recalled by celebrating bicentennial celebrations of his arrival here way back in 1810.

John Hands has many firsts to his credit. He was the first Protestant missionary to be sent by the London Missionary Society to come over here on May 5, 1810, with a view of establishing a Canarese (Kannada) Mission. He commenced the study of the ‘Canarese’ language. On realising that it was difficult for him to study without a dictionary or grammar book, he laid emphasis on preparing a lexicon from English to Kannada and vice-versa, as well as studying Kannada grammar.

In 1811, he established a Kannada-medium residential school in Fort area of the city, and an English-medium school for the children of the British. He was also instrumental in setting up a school for girls in Fort area.

Rev. Hands was also the first to translate the Bible in Kannada.

In recognition of his pro-academic activities, the East India Company allotted ‘Neelamma Garden’ to him in Brucepet, which came to be known as mission garden, where Rev. Hands established a Kannada school, a church, a Kannada printing press (the first to be established).

In 1844, the first Kannada news paper ‘Samachar’ was printed at the Ballari Mission Press. Several Kannada books, including Bible, were also published from here.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Ballari – February 04th, 2015

Mysore Varsity ties up with Japanese University

Education, World Opinion
Mysore University Vice-Chancellor Prof. K.S. Rangappa is seen greeting Hokkaido University President Prof. Keizo Yamaguchi after exchanging the MoU at a press meet held at Crawford Hall here this morning.
Mysore University Vice-Chancellor Prof. K.S. Rangappa is seen greeting Hokkaido University President Prof. Keizo Yamaguchi after exchanging the MoU at a press meet held at Crawford Hall here this morning.

Mysuru :

The University of Mysore has tied up with Hokkaido University of Japan for exchange of faculty, students and research fellows, academic materials, publications and to conduct joint research projects to include symposiums, conferences and workshops. This was disclosed by Vice-Chancellor Prof. K.S. Rangappa at a press meet held at Crawford Hall here this morning after signing an MoU with representatives of Japanese University.

Elaborating on the subject, Prof. Rangappa said the agreement was valid for five years which could be extended and the alliance would boost research and academic works.

The VC said that Mysore University, Hokkaido University and a South African University had already taken up a joint research work on early detection of cancer. He further said that the State government with approval of Union Ministry of Human Resource Development was contemplating to establish an Exclusive Research University and Mysore University was vying to get that honour.

Hokkaido University President Prof. Keizo Yamaguchi, Professors Makoto Demura, Shinichiro Nishimura, Kenju Monde and Mysore University Registrar Prof. C. Basavaraj were present.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Thursday, January 29th, 2015

City boy’s space idea takes him to NASA

Education, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Sanjay will present a paper with a set of plans to explore the outer solar system and beyond

Sanjay Lakshminarayana
Sanjay Lakshminarayana

A 20-year-old Bengaluru boy is on his way to Texas to present a paper at the prestigious National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Sanjay Lakshminarayana, a mechanical engineering student, has been selected to present his ideas and attend conventions. These will study important observations made by recent planetary missions and emerging nuclear technologies for space exploration and travel.

The youngster, who has been interested in space since childhood, will present a set of plans to explore the outer solar system and beyond. The ideas will have a significant focus on nuclear systems as enabling technologies.

Sanjay said he would use this opportunity to discuss the knowledge gaps in exploration of extra-terrestrial environments and the most recent discoveries in this area.

The youngster, who also has an interest in car designing, told BM that his background in mechanical engineering provided a base for his interest in space exploration and his consistent research in the area.

Unexpected invite

The meetings on Sanjay’s agenda have been sponsored by NASA and the American Nuclear Society. Speaking on the unexpected invite, Sanjay said, “It was at a meeting in Russia, that a professor from NASA noticed my interest and sent me an invite for this year”.
Commenting on what this opportunity meant for him, he said, “I want to learn a lot about the latest developments and share my ideas with scientists from across the world. I am looking to gain immense knowledge, a sense of direction and meet people who will be able to help me in my research. ”

The meetings are scheduled between February 3 and March 16. These will be held at various locations including the Lunar Planetary Institute in Houston. Sanjay has also been invited to present his paper titled “The Magneto-Confined Fusion Ion Thruster” at the 2015 Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS-2015) conference to be held in Albuquerque.
Sanjay’s schedule

1. 2015 Nuclear and Emerging Technologies for Space (NETS-2015) conference, March 23rd-26th, Albuquerque

2.Workshop on Early Solar System Impact Bombardment III, February 4th-6th, Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Others / by Apurva Venkat, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / February 03rd, 2015

Shilpa Hegde of M’luru Origin in Team Obama

Nri's / Pio's, World Opinion
A file phot of Shilpa Hegde, senior assistant staff secretary in the White House with President Barack Obama
A file phot of Shilpa Hegde, senior assistant staff secretary in the White House with President Barack Obama

Mangaluru :

The reach of Mangaluru origin people has touched the White House, the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States of America. Shilpa Hegde, an Indian American, is now senior assistant staff secretary in President Barack Obama’s office.

She belongs to Belinje family of Perdoor, an obscure hilly town in Udupi taluk. Her parents Vidya and Sadananda Hegde are well respected Medical practitioners in the US. Shilpa, however, had joined politics and worked in Obama’s campaign of in 2008 in North Carolina. In 2009, she worked as a research analyst at Atlas project and in the following year, she was appointed as the assistant director of the White House. She was later  promoted as the senior assistant staff secretary there.

“Her entire family is in the medical field. Her father Sadananda Hegde is a well-known cardiologist in Lumberton town situated on Highway 99 and mother looks after the clinic. Her brother Akhil Hegde specialises in Nephrology in the US. We still are wondering what made Shilpa take up Law  when she joined the Democratic party and became the field organiser of  campaign  in North Carolina during the first run of Obama to the office. She was just 18 then. Later, when she was appointed at the White House she had to give up her Law education. The university there allowed her, but she still have to attend the university if she wanted to complete her Law graduation,” her aunt Dr B Vasanthi Shetty told Express.

Her uncle Dr Subhashchandra Shetty said, “She loves Tulu language and I am sure she will learn Tulu one day. She still visits her ancestral house in Perdoor and loves coastal food.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / January 28th, 2015

A novel vehicle to deliver genes

Science & Technology, World Opinion

Researchers at Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a novel, controllable, extremely tiny vehicle to safely deliver genes into biological cells. The new vehicle, derived from a ‘lipopolymer’, is an improvement on known vehicles; it is more efficient and less toxic. Its unique structure also allows researchers to control the timing and site of gene delivery. Delivering specific genes inside cells to supplement missing and faulty genes or to silence disease-causing genes is a powerful tool in gene therapy.

Lipopolymers , as the name indicates, contain complex assemblies of fats and repeating chemical compounds. Prof Santanu Bhattacharya’s (chairman, Department of Organic Chemistry, IISc) group created the new vehicle by attaching ferrocene, a metallic compound that can switch between two chemical states, to a branched polyethylenimine (BPEI). This was then mixed with a ‘helper molecule’ – a naturally occurring lipid called 1,2-dioleoyl phosphatidyl ethanolamine (DOPE). Controlling ferrocene’s state allowed the researchers to control the vector’s structure, and in turn gene delivery. When they oxidised ferrocene, the vector’s structure became loosely packed and gene uptake by cells dropped dramatically. When they reduced ferrocenium by adding ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) to the cell culture, the vector became more compact and gene uptake by cells retained its original efficacy. This type of controlled ‘switch’ would allow researchers to pinpoint which population of cells should take up the desired gene, and when, by tweaking ferrocene’s oxidation state as needed.

“We could potentially deliver any therapeutic gene or molecule to the desired population of cells siRNA to silence mutations or p53 to stimulate cell death in cancer cells, for example,” explained Krishan Kumar and V Gururaja, IISc PhD students and joint first authors of the upcoming Journal of Materials Chemistry B paper.

Modified viruses are the most popular vectors, but they are not only expensive but also highly toxic to living cells. Recently, non-viral vectors have become popular, particularly lipopolymers. Lipopolymers are more stable, less harmful and cheaper to scale up than viral vectors. Such vectors may also be useful for gene transfer in agriculture or veterinary science, said Santanu Bhattacharya, senior author of the paper.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Others / Bangalore Mirror Bureau / January 27th, 2015

Hubballi womanpreneur makes a mark in e-commerce

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Hubballi :

It’s the age of startups and e-tailing. And hopping on to this bandwagon is Deepali Gotadke. This computer science engineer has managed to carve a niche in an e-comm world where big players call the shots. Deepali’s ClickHubli.com helps deliver flowers, delicacies like Dharwad peda, jowar roti and cakes and traditional Ilkal and Kasuti sarees across the globe, sitting in Hubballi. Deepali has 18 techies working under her with several women from poor families also doing part-time jobs. She has also developed a network of 30 bakers/sweetmakers and 50 florists to ensure fresh flowers and food items are delivered.

The idea of becoming an entrepreneur took shape when she settled down in Hubballi after marriage. She found that while online services were well-entrenched in metros and big cities, their reach in smaller cities was minuscule. Initially, her website that was started in 2001 offered services in Hubballi-Dharwad. Later it extended its network in cities like Belagavi, Solapur, Mangaluru, Mysuru, Pune and Goa and finally had a global footprint too. The firm now has 12 e-commerce portals and a network of florists, sweetmakers and bakers across the country through which it delivers gifts of and flowers. However, durable items like Ilkal and Kasuti sarees are delivered across India and abroad.

“Now we deliver flowers and eatables all over India with the help of florists and bakers of respective area. For instance, If we receive an order of Dharwad pedha from Bengaluru, we will convey it to our network of sweetmakers in Bengaluru, who deliver the order to the door -step of the costumer,” she says.

ClickHubli also provides information on Kasuti, an embroidery typical of north Karnataka, and undertakes the responsibility of booking and delivering saris and dress material with Kasuti work. This has provided employment to rural Kasuti artisans.

Apart from this, Deepali also does web designing and development works and has developed over 500 websites for government agencies and business establishments.

Deepali has also been recognized for her efforts. She has won various awards including ‘High Performing Women IT Entrepreneurs’ by software technology parks of India and IT/BT, Karnataka government for 2010. She has also helped Hubballi-Dharwad police solve a cyber crime case involving misuse of credit cards on e-commerce sites in December 2009 and is also on the IT advisory committee of the HDMC.

Waiting for land:

Deepali, who launched the first e-commerce website in North Karnataka region, is struggling along with five other IT companies, to get a site at Aryabhata Technological park since 2010. “Though HDMC had recommended 10.5 acres of land for six IT companies, it was pending before the government. Without offeringany reason, now HDMC itself has taken U-turn and called for fresh applications. This is a hurdle for the growth of IT sector in NK region,” Deepali said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hubballi / Sangamish Menasinakai, TNN /January 07th, 2015

For the first time, a priest from coastal region is canonized

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Mangaluru :

Most Rev Bernard Moras, Archbishop of Bengaluru diocese, said let the shrine of Blessed Joseph Vaz satiate the spiritual hunger of those who approach in need of strength.

The Archbishop on Friday unveiled the statue of St Joseph Vaz to mark the end of the three-day celebration of the canonization of the saint at the Miracle Hill shrine. The Archbishop also launched a free meal programme for devotees by pouring rice into a pot. The shrine will provide free meals once a week to devotees on Friday.

The celebrations were a bit dampened after chief minister Siddaramaiah and his cabinet colleagues missed the event due to state mourning announced in the wake of the death of former governor Rameshwar Thakur on Thursday.

This is the first time a priest from the coastal region has been elevated to sainthood.

The statue of Blessed Joseph Vaz was brought to the shrine in a procession from Panir to Mudipu in a decorated vehicle on January 9, in the run-up to the event. Pope Francis on January 14 raised Blessed Joseph Vaz, who performed miracles on the hill of Mudipu, to the altar of sainthood in Sri Lanka.

Earlier during the mass, Mangaluru Bishop Aloysius Paul D’Souza, Msgr Denis Moras Prabhu, PRO Fr William Menezes, and others took part. In his homily, Moras said Blessed Vaz brought more people near God with his work and dedication. Bishop Aloysius Paul D’Souza said apart from his missionary work, his service to society in helping the needy was exemplary.

Who’s the saint:

Joseph Vaz was born on April 21, 1651, in Benaulim, Goa. He was the third son of Christopher Vaz and Miranda. He became a priest in 1676 and served in different parishes of Goa till 1681. Later, he was sent to Canara. Fr Joseph Vaz travelled from Goa barefoot. He served in Honnavar, Basrur, Kundapur, Gangolli, Mulki, Mangaluru and Panir. He was miraculously saved from an attempt on his life in 1684 while serving as the parish priest of Panir Church.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangaluru / TNN / January 17th, 2015

Team Mangalore set to wing its way to Dubai International Kite Festival

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion

Mangaluru :

City based intrepid group of kite flyers – Team Mangalore are headed for the fourth Dubai International Kite Festival. They are going there on an official invitation at the event organised by Classic Concepts LLC, an event management company in connection with Dubai Shopping Festival that will end on February 1. The kite festival will be held at Jumeira Beach from January 29 to 31.

This unique kite festival will showcase some of the best kites flown by flyers of international fame around the world. Team Mangalore (India), a regular in international kite flying scene will be represented by Sarvesh Rao B, the founder of the team, Nitin J Shetty, Subhash Pai and Sathish Rao. Kites of all shapes and sizes will be on display including some massive character and theme based kites.

These include the Garuda, Yakshagana, Pushpaka, Delta Devil kites and many more. The team’s new creation Vibhishana will be added attraction to this event. It will be an annual gathering of all the kite lovers in the Middle-East. Earlier, Team Mangalore has participated in various International Kite Festivals held at Canada, UK, France, Thailand, Korea, Italy, and Hong Kong, Sri Lanka among other nations.

Team Mangalore incidentally had unveiled Vibhishana at an international Kite festival at France winning accolades from the people of France. In addition to Vibhishana, the Team is going to showcase their other variety of kites including Yakshagana, Kathakkali – the largest kite in India and also various other kites such as Garuda, Delta Devil, Durga, Owl, Pushpaka Vimana, Bird, Bat Series.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangaluru / by Jaideep Shenoy, TNN / January 25th, 2015

Santosh conquers Dakar Rally

Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

31-year-old Bengalurean proves his resilience by finishing 36th in the gruelling rally despite suffering a fractured toe and an injured left shoulder

SatishBF21jan2015

It’s just getting to be crazy. Even in the best physical shape of my life I am so tired that I can hardly stand. The Dakar is excruciating,” CS Santosh wrote on his official Facebook page, mid-way through his 14-day-long Dakar Rally. Considered the world’s deadliest rallies, a Dakar participant needs to find his way through a jungle of rocks, rivers, slush, rain, sand and sweltering heat and freezing cold to survive the 13-stage 9,000 kilometres race traversing through three South American countries – Argentina, Chile and Bolivia

And Santosh conquered that, earning tremendous respect from the biking community in India. This 31-year-old, six foot, Bengalurean finished at an overall 36th position.It is his resilience and hunger to earn respect among his own that makes him a unique sportsperson.

Out of the 160 riders, Santosh, the lone and first-ever representative from India, started the race in the 85th position. By the end of stage two he had climbed up to the 50th position. In the following stages, he jumped up the order despite suffering multiple falls injuring his left shoulder and a bleeding nose due to harsh weather conditions.

Scores of sporting enthusiasts in the country following the Rally posted their best wishes on social networking sites when he had a major fall while overtaking. He was only 15 kilometres into stage six and ended up with a fractured toe on his left foot. But that didn’t stop Santosh from pursuing his dream challenge.Three injections and tight strapping later, he went on to complete the 318 kms treacherous stretch at an unbelievable 64th position.
“I am on some really good medication and feel no pain,” he told Bangalore Mirror, a day after the race concluded in Buenos Aires late on Saturday.

Injuries are not new to this rider.In 2013, Santosh suffered life-threatening third degree burns when his bike caught fire following fuel overflow in the sweltering desert in Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. This incident took him months to recover physically and mentally. “I fell about 10 times in all that slush,” he said.

Through the 784 kms challenging terrain in stage eight, which required him to service and repair his bike without any support, Santosh recorded his best finish yet, ending at 32nd position after starting from the 65th position. In the following stages he had to jump start his bike, nearly got swept away by a freak river, injured his shoulder, spent 30 minutes draining the air box and changing the filter. Once he made it to the destination, he had no energy left, even to get off his bike. “Shivering and unable to speak, I was warmed up with a good shower and some traditional Bolivian clothes. I struggled and fought every day and in this epic race I managed to carve out a name for myself like all the heroes I have read about in history books,” Santosh said via an interview on WhatsApp.

“What is life if not for the possibility of a seemingly impossible challenge and it was great to see that hundreds were behind me 100 per cent. I’m so overwhelmed by all the support,” he added. Santosh arrives in Bengaluru on Wednesday and is expected to get a roaring welcome from the biking community in the city.

Who is CS Santosh? 

Chunchunguppe Shivashankar Santosh has been a pioneer in the Indian adventure biking scene for the past decade. He started participating in international events from 2010, winning India’s toughest rally, the Raid De Himalaya, in an incredible first attempt.

He then went on to bag the 9th position in the World Cross Country Championship, which is like a proving ground for future Dakar participants.

Riding a number 59 KTM 450 rally bike and supported by Red Bull, CS Santosh became the first Indian to participate in the history of Dakar, which is going on as you read this, through Argentina, Chile and Bolivia on a looping 9,000 km route, to end on January 17.

Why is the Darkar Rally deadly?

Since its inception in 1978, over 60 people have died during the course of this rally-raid. Competitors have to cross anywhere from 200 to 900 kms in a day, on difficult terrains. In this race, Fabrizio Meoni, who won the race in 2001 and 2002, crashed and died during the 2005 event.

In the 2015 edition, KTM Factory rider and one of the upcoming stars of Dakar Sam Sunderland crashed out of the rally in the fourth stage.The British rider suffered collarbone and shoulder injuries while 39-yearold Polish competitor Michal Hernik died while racing the third stage of the course. His body was found roughly 300 meters off the course’s path. Tests performed later by doctors suggest that Hernik succumbed to dehydration and hypothermia. He was an experienced rider, but this was his first Dakar outing.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Others / by Nandini Kumar, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / January 20th, 2015

Bengaluru theatre goes abroad

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion

Plays from the city travelled across the world and the seven seas, new forms flourished… It was an exciting year for the city’s theatre scene

The Bangalore theatre scene, this year was marked by new productions, new forms, re-runs of older plays, and plays from the city staged abroad. Apart from the regular theatre festivals, including The Hindu MetroPlus Theatre Festival and Jagriti Season 2014, Ranga Shankara celebrated turning a decade and the 60th birth anniversary of veteran theatre personality, Shankar Nag, with a theatre festival that showcased some of the best contemporary Indian productions.

S. Surendranath, artistic director of Ranga Shankara, names three. “Ramneek Singh’s Chidiyon Ka Pinjra was very well received by the audience. Abhishek Majumdar’s Kaumudi was one of the best productions that happened in Indian theatre. The writing, the performances and the overall structure were excellent. And A Straight Proposal from Delhi was an eye opener.”

A scene from Trivial Disasters. Photo: special arrangement
A scene from Trivial Disasters. Photo: special arrangement

Nimi Ravindran and Shiva Pathak are ecstatic with how much they have achieved with Sandbox. “We have done 110 shows. There have been 35 shows of Anish Victor’s Koogu. It was staged in Delhi, Kolkata and Assam and even travelled to Kenya. We also had 26 shows of Ajay Krishnan’s Trivial Disasters,” says Nimi. The focus of Sandbox is to stage plays at alternate spaces. Shiva adds that performances, so far, have primarily been held in home spaces. “But we have also had plays at offices, at academic spaces like IIHS quite a few performances at Humming Tree in Indiranagar and at Beaglesloft.”

A scene from Koogu. Photo: special arrangement
A scene from Koogu. Photo: special arrangement

Remote Bangalore, presented by Rimini Protokoll and produced by Goethe-Insitut, Max Mueller Bhavan, was another unique theatre experience for Bangaloreans. The ‘performance’ involved a re-look at the city through a tour through undiscovered spaces. Sandbox Collective closely collaborated with German-based Rimini Protokoll for Remote Bangalore. Sandbox is set to welcome 2015 with travelling with The Company Theatre’s Piya Behrupiya to Chile.

2014 was yet another year of achievement for Abhishek Majumdar. He won the first Shankar Nag Theatre Award. His theatre company The Indian Ensemble, which he founded with Sandeep Shikhar, also had a fruitful year. Two landmark productions, Thook, commissioned by the Hunger for Trade Project, an international theatre network, and Kaumudi, were presented by Indian Ensemble. “It was a challenging year for us,” says Abhishek. “We have never had two openings in the same year. Thook andKaumudi were very different productions. Also, Indian Ensemble came together in a way that has made us very happy. We had our first international tour as a company. We travelled to the United States and performed at Carriage House Theatre in Hartford Connecticut and the Iseman Theatre at Yale.”

This year Indian Ensemble started the Director’s Programme. “It was started with four students, Basav Biradar, Amit Sharma, Anju Alva Naik and Karen D’Mello. The students have already put up individual scenes from Sakharam Binder.”

There were other members from Indian Ensemble who won awards and acclaim for their work. Ramneek Singh received the Inlaks Scholarship to continue his studies at LISPA and Anshuman Acharya won the Hindu MetroPlus Playwright Award.

Bangalore Little Theatre, the city’s oldest English theatre group, lived up to their reputation of staging stunning productions, including Finding Ananda, a tribute to Swami Vivekananda on his 150th birthday, Ira Hauptman’s Partition, directed by Sridhar Ramanathan, both held as part of the History of Ideas Programme, and Our Iceberg is Melting, directed by Amjad Prawej.

Vijay Padaki, director of BLT, says: “One of the most successful productions in the History of Ideas programme has been The Prophet and The Poet. Prasar Bharati commissioned a tele-film of the play. It was broadcast by Doordarshan twice in the year. An event of great significance was a theatre festival facilitated by BLT. It involved four other theatre groups of Bangalore, and was a tribute to the playwright-statesman Vaclav Havel. The experience of the Theatre Collective was presented by me in an international conference in Prague on Havel’s life and works. BLT organised the All-India Arts and Heritage Management Conclave that was held in Bangalore.”

Actor and director Vivek Madan says this year a lot of shows travelled abroad. “There were a lot of collaborations. New forms developed because of Sandbox Collective. There was also Zip Zap Pow, an all-woman, one-minute festival.”

But 2014 was also a year of loss and bereavement for the theatre community. One of the most talented light designers in the city, Beary Mustafa passed away, leaving behind a void in the theatre community.

“We worked together for ten years. It is a huge thing to adjust to going to a theatre space and not seeing him,” says Abhishek.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Sravasti Datta / December 29th, 2014