Category Archives: Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

Homes for all children was Nomita Chandy’s dream

Bengaluru:

From finding adoptive families for destitute children to providing creches for kids of migrant workers, child welfare activist Nomita Chandy had an inimitable way of addressing issues that otherwise got little attention from the authorities.

Nomita, who passed away on Monday, set up Bengaluru-based Ashraya which has been providing solace to hundreds of homeless children since its inception in 1982. A tireless crusader, Nomita put her heart and soul into social work. She believed that “every family has children, but every child does not have a family. As an institution, we can give just that much of attention, whereas a family can give a lot more. Take a child from anywhere and give love; the child will flourish.”

Born on August 21, 1946, to a general of the Army Medical Corps and married to a naval officer, Nomita was instrumental in setting up private adoption centres in Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam, Pune, Delhi and London. These centres were the arenas where she worked to overcome the stumbling blocks that plagued the country’s adoption process. “Since my aunty was the president of SOS Children’s Village, she mentored me in social service. I worked on setting up organizations for children wherever I went as a naval officer’s wife,” she had said after receiving the Padma Shri in 2011.

Nomita set up Ashraya, one of the first private adoption centres in Indiranagar, with the help of activists Shanti Chacko and Rama Bhattacharya. Struggling for words on Monday, Shanti could only share Nomita’s message: “Empower yourself and believe you can make a difference because only then you can. Each one of us can do something for the community, neighbourhood and society.”

Nomita was instrumental in starting mobile creches in Bengaluru as the city didn’t have any such facility for children of construction workers who barely had enough food, education and safety.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bengaluru / TNN / May 26th, 2015

K’taka doctors in Katmandu aiding quake survivors

Bengaluru:

Two teams of doctors from Karantaka have been working in the earthquake-hit Nepal conducting surgeries and offering counseling to the survivors.

Speaking to STOI, Dr Basavaraju KM, a general surgeon who is heading a team, said they have performed 15 surgeries in the past two days.

“We are largely seeing cases of brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and fractures among survivors rescued from under the debris,” said Dr Basavaraju, whose team of surgeons specializes in treating brain injury, spinal injuries, and fractures.

Every time the team rescued a survivor from under the debris, he or she is seen to have suffered various fractures. “Scans revealed pieces of wood in brains of some survivors, as they were almost buried under the debris,” said Dr Basavaraju, a general surgeon heading the BJP doctor’s wing in Nepal.

Meanwhile, officials of the health and family welfare department said the team of 10 doctors sent by the government has been doing an excellent job at the medical relief camps.

However, the doctors were not reachable due to lack of communication network in Nepal.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bengaluru / by Sunitha Rao, TNN / May 03rd, 2015

Achievers tie the knot

Dinaker Kenjur and Sabita Gundmi got married in Udupi on Tuesday.
Dinaker Kenjur and Sabita Gundmi got married in Udupi on Tuesday.

Both – Dinaker Kenjur (32) and Sabita Gundmi (29) – have firsts to their credit in the most backward Koraga community, a Scheduled Tribe, and both entered the wedlock in a simple ceremony on the Ambedkar Jayanti here on Tuesday.

The main occupation of the community is basket weaving and collection of minor forest produce. The population of this community in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada, and Kasaragod district of Kerala taken together is about 17,000.

While Ms. Gundmi is Assistant Professor at the Department of Sociology in Mangalore University for last one-and-a-half years, Mr. Kenjur is guest lecturer in the Department of Commerce in the same university since 2009.

Both Ms. Gundmi and Mr. Kenjur overcame heavy odds to make a mark in their community. While Ms. Gundmi is the first person from the community to pass National Entrance Test (NET) for lectureship conducted by the University Grants Commission in 2010, Mr. Kenjur is the first in the community to have done M.Com.

Ms. Gundmi lost her father, when she was five while her mother died in an accident when she was studying SSLC. She had to discontinue her studies for two years after SSLC due to financial problems.

But she persevered and completed M.A. in Sociology standing second in Mangalore University in 2010. She cleared the NET in the first attempt.

She also cleared the State-level Eligibility Test (SLET) for lectureship conducted by the University of Mysore. She is pursuing Ph.D. for the last two years.

Mr. Kenjur too was born in a poor family. He suffered a polio attack when he was young and it affected his leg. He too had to struggle to complete his education. He has also completed third semester in MBA course from Karnataka State Open University. He is trying to clear the NET.

Both are childhood friends. They had both decided to marry nine years ago. Both have no superstition and decided to marry on Ambedkar Jayanti here.

“I told my well-wishers that I was born on a Tuesday. I joined work on a Tuesday. It would make no difference to me to marry on a Tuesday [which is considered inauspicious]. I have been deeply influenced by Dr. Ambedkar’s philosophy. Hence I and Dinaker decided to get married on Ambedkar Jayanti,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Ganesh Prabhu / Udupi – April 15th, 2015

Bengaluru boy to head Indian team at G200 youth forum

Bengaluru :

A 19-year-old Bengaluru boy is all set to take part in the G200 youth forum 2015 in Germany. Shailesh Singhal, studying in St Joseph’s College of Arts and Science, has been chosen as the India head in the summit. Shailesh, a first-year BSc (Economics) student, will represent India as its Head of State at the G20 Youth Summit beginning on April 29. He will lead the Indian delegation and share his and his country’s views on global issues during the summit. Shailesh will join the Global Market Challenges Committee of the forum.

After a detailed application was sent, he was shortlisted for an interview through Skype and chosen. He received a confirmation letter in February from G8 and G20 alumni association headquartered in Geneva.

G200 Youth Forum will be the largest international event organized for young leaders in 2015, and about 500 young leaders, parliamentarians, students and academicians, representatives of the business world, governments and international organizations will be participating in it. The forum will take place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany from April 29-May 3. The youth forum serves as a unique opportunity for participants to gather together in an exchange of ideas and best practices and encourage stronger persona and professional relationships.

Speaking to TOI, Dr Fr Praveen Martis, principal of St Joseph’s College, said that the initiative was completely Shailesh’s and the college was supportive. “It is a matter of pride to have our student take part in an international summit. I wish him all the best. He is a bright student,” he said.

However, Shailesh is all excited that he will be able to spend his summer holidays differently. “All I wanted was to make good use of my two months’ vacation. I searched about taking part in international summits and got to know about G200 youth forum. I applied and got through. Currently I am reading more about global market and international relationships,” says Shailesh who wants to pursue higher studies in Economics. Though he’s from a business family, Shailesh is certain he won’t join it.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bengaluru / TNN / April 15th, 2015

As darkness looms, weavers spin success story

Hubballi :

At Vishwanath Kenchi’s handloom unit at Gajendragad in Gadag district, the steady clacks of the looms belie all expectations. At a time when the handloom sector appears to be losing the fight to power looms, the 43-year-old has taken 75 weavers under his wing to ensure that their livelihood isn’t affected by the winds of change.
Kenchi’s organization – Adishakti Kaimagga Nekarara Sahakari Sangh Niyamita – which boasts of a flat structure, has been receiving a steady stream of orders since its inception as a self-help group in 2007. In the cooperative society’s success story lies a potential model for the handloom sector’s revival.

The climb to self-sustenance, though, wasn’t smooth. Kenchi found himself without work in 2007 when a cash-strapped Karnataka Handloom Development Corporation (KHDC) stopped giving him assignments. Hundreds of weavers were left in the lurch and were forced to migrate at the time.
But even in the face of such hardship, Kenchi decided to stick to his ‘family profession’. Work orders were few and far between, but he drew courage and solace from his handloom. Soon, a few others joined his self-help group.

During a visit to Heggodu in January 2008, Kenchi was inspired by theatre director and activist Prasanna, who has, time and again, taken up the cudgels for handloom weavers. Prasanna helped him and other weavers land more orders.

Things soon began to look up. “To meeting the growing demand, we had to buy another loom,” says Kenchi, who had to drop out of school after Class 3.

The Gajendragad resident was also egged on by the Deshpande Foundation in Hubballi. The NGO conferred on him the Navodyami Award in 2011. “Apart from the cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, it helped him get a bank loan of Rs 5 lakh.”

The loan was used to buy 3,634 sqft of land in Gajendragad to help the weavers expand their business.

Shrikant Chuncha, an employee of the sangh, credits the flat structure of the organization for the success of its business model. “As all employees are also members of the sangh, we get profit dividends, besides our wages, at the end of a year,” he explains.

Shadimbi Shantagiri, another employee, says members are paid Rs 17 per metre. “We weave about 10 m per day. Some of us manage to go up to 20 m.”
Another worker, Drakshayani Ashapur, 50, says flexible working hours between 6am and 6pm help a number of women find part-time JOBS.

Gururaj, Kenchi’s son, says the sangh has 251 members and 75 members-cum-employees. “We plan to create about 1,000 JOBS here by 2020. We produce saris, and clothes for shirts and coats.”

Orders come from Charaka, a women’s cooperative society specializing in natural dyes and handloom weaving founded by Prasanna, KHDC and other organizations from across the state, he says.

The sangh has prepared a proposal, seeking 6-7 acres of land from the department of handloom and textile. “We provide insurance cover to weavers and scholarships to their children with the help of government schemes,” says Gururaj.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hubballi / by Sangamesh Mena Sinakai, TNN / April 10th, 2015

83-year-old woman gets her house back

 

Stella D’Souza was cheated by her relative.
Stella D’Souza was cheated by her relative.

Ravindranath Shanbhag, president of Human Rights Protection Foundation (HRPF), said on Tuesday that the foundation had helped one more senior citizen get back her house that was fraudulently taken from her by a relative in Mangaluru.

Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Shanbhag said that Stella D’Souza (83), who was a spinster and retired teacher, had a house at Vamanjur in Mangaluru.

Ms. D’Souza had not adopted any children. Her relative, a woman, used to visit her house under the pretext of enquiring about her welfare. During these visits, she used to persuade Ms. D’Souza to keep the land documents safe, preferably in the Sub-Registrar’s Office.

Trusting her relative, Ms. D’Souza agreed to her suggestion. Her relative took Ms. D’Souza to the Sub Registrar’s Office in Mangaluru on August 30, 2011, where the latter signed some papers, which she believed was for safe-keeping the land records. But Ms. D’Souza signed a sale deed selling the house to the relative for Rs. 3.31 lakh. “The motive appeared to be to grab the property after Ms. D’Souza’s death,” Mr. Shanbhag said.

A year later, Ms. D’Souza came to know that she had been tricked by her relative and she filed a case in the JMFC court in Mangaluru in 2013. Then she approached the HRPF here.

The HRPF took her case under the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007 to the court of the Sub Divisional Magistrate of Mangaluru.

The Sub Divisional Magistrate (Assistant Commissioner) ordered cancellation of the sale deed on March 9, 2015 and Ms. D’Souza got back her house, Mr. Shanbhag said.

Relook at the Act

He said that as per the Act, a case should be disposed in 90 days. But in this case, it took six months as Assistant Commissioner was busy. Besides, the Assistant Commissioner gave every opportunity to the relative to explain her position.

“It will be better if the government amended the Act and made a provision for interim order by the Sub Divisional Magistrate. There is no provision for an interim order in the Act,” he said.

Not many people knew about the Act. The government should create awareness about the Act among the public and also officials, Mr. Shanbhag said.

Ms. D’Souza, who was present at the press meet, said that she had been tense for the last four years. “Now I am delighted at getting back my house,” she said.

Mr. Shanbhag said that the HRPF had received 392 cases of fraud performed on senior citizens either by their children or relatives from different parts of the State. Of these, 12 cases had been disposed and 45 cases had been settled out of court, he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Ganesh Prabhu / Udupi – April 10th, 2015

Two ordinary women who have left their imprints on the city

The Mysore That Was… Part 27

TwowomenBF29mar2015

I am inclined to write about two Mysuru women from ordinary backgrounds, who, in their own style, made their lives memorable in a small way, though their impact will run for many decades. While the life of one of them was strewn with a path of thorns all through, she fought against all odds and rose to the desired level, the other’s life was a comfortable one after her marriage, her act of sacrifice and commitment to a social cause at the fag end of her life became a startling example to many in this world where majority of people see life through a narrow prism of self and self alone. Now read on:

Smt. M.N. Sarojamma was born on 17.10.1926 to Narasimha Iyengar and Vedavalli. Father died early and the family came under the care of grand mother and maternal uncle. Even when she was studying in high school she was married off to one M.K. Rangarajan, who worked in the ITL (Industrial Testing Lab, Bengaluru) and the duo got two pretty daughters in quick succession. Tragedy befell on the family like a thunderbolt when Rangarajan died at an early age leaving Sarojamma a widow at 23 years and two young daughters. All three of them came under the loving care of Sarojamma’s brother.

Sarojamma’s married life lasted only five years, but by then she had completed her middle school exams and her grandma insisted she should join high school and continue studies. After completing her SSLC after a short vocational course, she got her first job in a primary school. This was the period she became active in the cultural fields of singing and drama. The stout hearted that she was, she took all this in her stride, not losing faith in the Almighty, by exploring all avenues possible in expanding her professional and cultural activities. She did not rest at this and was determined to give her young daughters as good education as possible within her means.

In course of time, she made her foray into higher stages of education and qualified herself with M.A. B.Ed of Mysore and Sahitya Ratna from Allahabad Varsity. She studied hard and obtained ‘Sanskrit Kovida’ 1st Class degree from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay. She also served in the Adult Education Council for a while. An independent spirited lady from the beginning, she never sought free assistance from anybody and brought up her two daughters imbibing in them similar qualities of head and heart.

Sarojamma’s literary activities (her pen name was Rozi) includes fifteen dramas and a seven act-drama ‘Ramanuja’ which won a special award from the Central Hindi Institute, an offshoot of the HRD Ministry. She got a cash prize for this. The ‘Magnum Opus’ of her creative activity blossomed in the form of a translation into Kannada of the monumental work ‘Ramcharitha Manasa’ of Sant Tulasidas. This work took more than five years in preparation and she had to undergo tremendous physical and mental pressure in getting it printed and published.

At some stage she had to literally go from door-to-door with a bag containing those books hung on her slender shoulder. This has been the lot of many writers in Kannada those days and some of them ran out of their life in this process. Courage of conviction and fortitude were the hallmark of Sarojamma and she took upon all this drama on her slender shoulders.

Accolades came from many quarters for this work and former Chief Minister R. Gundurao honoured her at a function (see photo) and Dr. Rajkumar applauded her work with a cash prize saying, “I am offering a palmful (bogase in Kannada) of cash to an ocean (sagara) of literary gems.” The Karnataka Government wrote a nice letter !

Sarojamma’s life is a beacon light in the literary field and should inspire many aspiring writers for her quest for excellence in what she did in her lifetime. In her old age, she lived alternately with her two daughters Malini Srinivasan and Shalini Chari, both of whom have carved a niche for themselves in the cultural and social circles of Mysuru. Sarojamma had a peaceful end and died in her daughter Shalini’s house on 6.4.2014, at the ripe old age of 88 summers. A life lived with full of struggle and qualitative achievement in the field of literature. Hats off to that gentle soul.

A.R. Sundaramma, a homemaker, was born in 1923 in Mysuru to a lawyer-father K. Visweswariah and his wife. The family lived in K.M. Puram and had besides Sundaramma, two more daughters and two brothers. Her father gave his wards good primary education and as was the practice those days got his elder daughter married off to a boy in Bengaluru and as he could not find a suitable match to Sundaramma, he got her married off to a rich landlord who had lost his first wife. His name was A.K. Rangarao, who lived in Lakshmipuram with his parents. Rangarao had a younger brother who died early leaving the former the only heir to his ancestral property. The Rangaraos did not have any children and after the demise of her husband, Sundaramma became the sole inheritor of the property.

Sundaramma actively engaged herself in social and music activities in her own way and became a helping soul in her community encouraging poor boys for studying and setting them up in their own small ventures. She also encouraged young musicians.

Age caught her up in course of time and her younger brother Krishnamurthy, a retired engineer, started looking after her and her interests. In this connection, I should mention that she donated a large sum of money to her community organisation which was running a boys hostel. When she reached nearly ninety years of age, she took an important decision of her life and called her lawyer and made a registered Will thereby making a handsome gift of her huge ancestral house to her community Sangha and asking them to convert the property into a girls hostel, to be run by the said Sangha. What a fine gesture.

Within a few months thereafter, Sundaramma (90) passed away and only a few fortnights after this, the family (brother) and her lawyer called up the beneficiary Sangha and legally made over the gift deed to it at a small function in the premises of the same gifted house. At the time of her death, Sundaramma had a brother and children of her two sisters to whom normally she could have given the gift but as they were all well-settled in life, she thought otherwise and decided in her own way. This act speaks volumes.

In the present age when people, comfortably well-placed in life, leave their property to their own family members — all to me and my clan and none to others, here was a lady who thought otherwise and made a grand difference to the present generation. The beneficiary Sangha has already started a girls hostel in that property and fifteen girls have benefited staying there. The hostel is named after her.

Kudos to Sundaramma and may her tribe increase hundred fold and may her splendid act become a beacon light to many more people so that society grows equitably. What a brilliant idea of sharing one’s wealth.

e-mail: mlkswami@yahoo.in

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / Monday – March 23rd, 2015

PM invited to unveil Basaveshwara statue in London

Former Mayor of London Borough of Lambeth Dr. Neeraj Patil, who called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at New Delhi on Mar.24, is seen presenting a bust of Basaveshwara to the latter.
Former Mayor of London Borough of Lambeth Dr. Neeraj Patil, who called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at New Delhi on Mar.24, is seen presenting a bust of Basaveshwara to the latter.

Mysuru :

Extending an invitation on behalf of the British Indian community to unveil the Statue of the 12th century Indian Philosopher Basaveshwara in London, United Kingdom (UK), the former Mayor of London Borough of Lambeth, Dr. Neeraj Patil met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at New Delhi on Mar.24 and requested him to unveil the statue during his next visit to London.

Modi has expressed his willingness to unveil the statue during his visit to London, slated to be in the month of June/July this year after the British General Elections in May.

Modi has thanked the British Indian community for their efforts to get the approval for Basaveshwara Statue in the backdrop of Big Ben bell and the British Parliament.

As per the Statue’s Act of 1854 of United Kingdom, a petition to erect the statue of the 12th century Indian Philosopher, social reformer and Statesman, was approved by the Planning Department of the London Borough of Lambeth on Apr. 4, 2012 and subsequently by the British Cabinet Minister for Culture, Jon Penrose on July 3, 2012.

Paying tribute to Basaveshwara, Speaker of British Parliament, John Bercow said, “It is amazing and extraordinary that Basaveshwara professed, campaigned and advocated genuine democracy, human rights, gender equality way back in 12th century, even before anyone in UK had even thought about it.”

The statue of Basaveshwara which will be installed on the bank of River Thames will be the second statue of an Indian only after Gautham Buddha.

The other Indian leaders’ who’s statues have been approved and installed in London are that of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Rabindranath Tagore.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Friday – March 27th, 2015

Bengaluru biologist is WEF’s Young Global Leader

Bengaluru :

It’s good that the World Economic Forum (WEF) has recognized the importance of wildlife and conservation, says conservation biologist Krithi Karanth who was recently selected as one of the 187 Young Global Leaders (YGL) of 2015.

Bengaluru-based Krithi said very few wildlife people are selected as YGL. “So I am honoured and excited about being an YGL. This provides new opportunities to engage with the world’s brightest and most creative business leaders, politicians, entrepreneurs to do more for wildlife conservation. For me, the WEF has recognized the importance of wildlife and conservation,” she told TOI on Wednesday.

She is one of the 12 Indians selected as YGL this year.

An associate conservation scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Krithi has worked on several projects like examining human wildlife conflicts in seven states across India, bird and amphibian diversity in coffee-rubber-areca plantations of Karnataka’s Western Ghats, implementation and experiences of families being voluntarily relocated from many parks in India. “We go to villages and listen to their problems like devastation of livestock and crops caused by wildlife, and also discuss the compensation issue. We do a research paper and share it with the forest department.”

According to Krithi, red-tape is delaying compensation reaching people affected by wildlife. “The government should give compensation to the people affected by animals like tigers, leopards and elephants. There should not be any delay in this.”

On frequent elephant-human conflicts in the state, Krithi said elephants need space for their movement. “But their habitats are fragmented,” she added.

SHAPING THE FUTURE

The WEF chose Krithi Karanth as a Young Global Leader for her professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through inspiring leadership.

In a letter congratulating her on her nomination, Klaus Schwab, executive chairman and founder of the Forum of YGL, said, “Your nomination is in recognition of your record of professional accomplishments, your commitment to society and your potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through your inspiring leadership.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bengaluru / by G S Kumar, TNN / March 26yth, 2015

Oracle picks Bengaluru boy Thomas Kurian for top job

Boy from Bengaluru, Thomas Kurian, 48, has been elevated as president of Oracle responsible for software development.
Boy from Bengaluru, Thomas Kurian, 48, has been elevated as president of Oracle responsible for software development.

Bengaluru :

Boy from Bengaluru, Thomas Kurian, 48, has been elevated as president of Oracle responsible for software development, making him perhaps the single most senior executive in the company after co-CEOs Safra Catz and Mark Hurd. Kurian, who joined the $38-billion US company in 1996, was executive VP (product development).

Indians are now at top levels in many IT firms – the notable being Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, and Sundar Pichai, head of most major Google products. A recent entrant is Bhaskar Ghosh, management committee member and group chief executive of technology delivery at Accenture.

Kurian is an alumnus of Bengaluru’s St Joseph’s Boys High School. He holds a BA in electrical engineering from Princeton University, where he graduated summa cum laude (highest distinction). He has an MBA from Stanford University where he was an Arjay Miller scholar. He has served as an advisory member on the boards of several international venture funds and software companies. In Oracle, he has held various product management and development positions.

An Oracle India spokesperson confirmed Kurian’s elevation, but did not respond to a question whether any other executive had been similarly promoted. On Oracle’s website, the highest designation among executives below the CEOs is executive vice-president. If no other executive has been promoted, then Kurian becomes the only president in the company.

Oracle chairman Larry Ellison wrote an email to employees to announce Kurian’s elevation. “I’m pleased to announce that Thomas Kurian has been promoted to president of Oracle, responsible for software development. He has a long track record of developing suites of software products that go to achieve pre-eminent success in the marketplace. His first major engineering effort was developing the Oracle suite of Fusion Middleware,” he wrote. Oracle Fusion Middleware is a business innovation platform for the enterprise and the cloud that enables enterprise to create and run applications maximizing IT efficiency.

Ellison, in his email to employees on Thursday, said Kurian was focusing on engineering products required to transition software technology to the Oracle Cloud. “The transition is going well with the Oracle cloud sales starting to take off…The world can get a glimpse of how well Thomas and his team are doing their job,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Tech> Tech News / TNN / January 09th, 2015