Yet another flash mob rocked the conscious of Bangaloreans in the heart of the city—Brigade road.
Students of The Frank Anthony Public School in the Interact Club, affiliated to Rotary Club danced and spoke in public about women safety, gender bias and female feticide issues at Brigade road.
About 70 odd students from standard 8 to 12 participated in the flash mob events. They requested the men folk to change their mentality and the way they look at the feminine gender and also told them not to judge a girl by what she wears.
Principal of their school KV Boye was also there to support the children in their attempt to cleanse social evils.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bangalore / by Aparajita Ray, TNN / October 22nd, 2013
Manasa posing with her bronze medal at the Asian Schools Chess Championship at Delhi.
Mysore :
This chess kid is a dreamer. Her love for the world renowned board game began when she was just in class II, courtesy: being born in a family full of Chess lovers. While her tryst with the chequered board actually happened at such young an age for she was a hyperactive child, it is because of the same energy she possesses that Manasa is today an achiever of sorts at the age of 14. Her aim is to see herself as a world champion one day.
H.R. Manasa, a student of the city’s De Paul International Residential School is the daughter of H.S. Rajendra Prasad and Suchitra Prasad. Talking of her daughter’s journey into the world of chess, Suchithra recalls, “while Manasa was bound to play chess since all of us at home loved the game, we put her into it at such a young age as she was hyper active and her energy had to be diverted towards something positive. While she initially learnt the basic level at home, we put her into the Mysore Chess Centre a little later where she began practicing the game professionally.”
Explaining that her coach at the Centre, Suresh, has been a wonderful teacher to her daughter, Suchitra recalls that her daughter not just picked up rapidly in the game but also took part in the State level under-nine Chess Championship in just six months after she joined the coaching centre.
Till date, Manasa has participated in several National level School Chess Championships, has won a silver medal in the National School Chess Championship held at Delhi in 2012 and has also bagged a bronze medal at the Asian Schools Chess Championship – 2012 at Delhi. Coming December, the chess kid will be taking part in the Dubai World Chess Championship. “I will be participating in the under-14 Championship and I’m eagerly looking forward to it,” Manasa says, adding, “I want to win the World Championship. It’s my dream.”
When asked about her excellence in the game, Manasa dedicates it all to her parents and coach who have stood by her constantly. And her mother Suchithra joins in to say, “she has to thank the people of her School De Paul International too as it is because of them that she has been able to reach this position today,” adding, “since the School realised she is a talented kid, they not just gave her an admission at their school but are also providing free education to my child and also sponsor one National championship every year. They give her leave whenever she has to be part of a contest, promote her talent and also give her individual attention and extra coaching classes whenever she misses her classes, as they believe a strategy board game like chess will always help kids achieve academic progress, ability to develop logical thinking and concentration.”
Manasa is currently at Cochin to be part of a tournament.—AN
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / October 25th, 2013
Bangalore Mirror presents Cranium 2013 where the finalists will contest on the sea en route to Singapore, Phuket and Langkawi
Ever thought of participating in a college fest while sailing on the sumptuous blue ocean? Bangalore Mirror presents Cranium 2013, a first of its kind of B-School fest, where the students of India’s top business schools will gather together to test their mettle against each other. And after the nerve wracking prelims, the grand finale will take place on the sea in a plush cruise that will sail to Singapore, Phuket and Langkawi.
Though it might sound tempting, the fest that is organised by CMS Business School, Jain University, promises to blend pleasure with strict business. The sole objective of the fest is to find the finest MBA aspirants who top all the four verticals of business world — marketing, finance, human resources and operation skills.
The prelims are scheduled on October 21 and 22 at CMS B-School. Following the prelims, the finals will be held between November 15 and November 19 on the cruise. With over 50 colleges participating for the coveted prize, the fest promises to be a keenly contested affair. “We have roped in some of the best judges to have a fair evaluation,” said Rahul A Jain, one of the organisers.
He also said that to maintain transparency, the organisers are keeping out of the contest.
The event is the brainchild of the dean of Jain University, according to the organisers. Dinesh Neelkant, dean of CMS Business School, said, “We have always encouraged our students to take risks and think big. We wanted to redefine the concept of management fest and Cranium is a result of that.” He added that the fest aims to test the abilities of management students at the highest level and give them a platform to showcase their skills and reach the peak of management performance.
“This is the first edition of Cranium and we are going for an overseas finale. Not just that, during programmes, we want to expose students to the social issues of today and hence we have tied up with an NGO,” said Manjushri Shenoy, a second year MBA student and an organiser.
As the main attraction is the finale in the cruise, the organisers expect it to be one of the best fests with tough competition.
“We have raised the difficulty level of the competition so that only the toughest and the smartest can claim the top honour. We hope the fest is going to be a grand success,” added Varun Aggarwal, another student organiser.
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Others / by Sridhar Vivan / October 18th, 2013
The couple at the welcome place are owners Nagaraj Gopal and wife Poornima.
A few days back I went visiting an old friend at his apartment to enquire about the post-surgery progress of his wife’s knee problem, the arthritis. There was good news, but it came along with painful periods spaning over two months. Some times I feel that physical pain of threshold level and even beyond, is more dreadful than death itself. That, no doubt is one of the reasons why euthanasia is advocated. Which is why the english poet Keats says that pleasure is often a visitor; but pain clings cruelly to us.
Anyway, having heard the good news, we decided to eat-out for dinner. My friend’s choice was the newly-opened hotel ‘Malgudi’ a ‘pure vegetarian’. Is there an impure or adulterated vegetarian hotel? His wife stayed back as there was climbing involved and she was not yet quite ready for that adventure.
Being an ardent admirer of R.K. Narayan I instantly accepted my friend’s choice of the hotel more for its name than any other reason. Being located on K.D. Road, as youngsters call the Kalidasa Road, there was the problem of parking which made me reconsider his choice. But he was determined to take me there and explained why. The hotel true to its name ‘Malgudi,’ a fictional town created by that famous Indian-english novelist R.K. Narayan has got its walls painted with images from the Malgudi town as described by the author in his famous works and also from the successful TV serials directed by Shankar Nag also titled ‘Malgudi Days.’
This was enough for me to shut my mouth deciding to open it only at the hotel while eating. After some efforts to park the car in the pouring rains, we got into the hotel where the owner Nagaraj Gopal and his charming wife Poornima received us with broad smiles and warmth. I know we were in for a free dinner. I know that in America it is a common saying that ‘there is no free lunch’ in life, meaning you got to pay for everything in life.
But then we are in Mysore where these days some newspapers are offering free advertisements or for a token tariff. Let it be. But I got a free dinner at hotel Malgudi. Thank you Nagaraj Gopal and Poornima. Food was good and came in a variety that needed three floors to serve, each dedicated to a speciality food. And the walls of every floor are painted with images and pictures of characters that appear in R.K. Narayan’s books and stories revolving around the fictional town Malgudi.
And as we left the hotel under heavy rains, my mind continued to engage instelf with the thought of R.K. Narayan who was fond of me. We used to interact occasionally while he was at his Yadavagiri residence.
I felt sad that his house built in 1948 here at Yadavagiri, from where he wrote most of his books, is standing there in a dilapidated condition, partially demolished, with a guard keeping watch. When BJP government was in power and K.S. Raikar was the Corporation Commissioner, the government intervened to stop the demolition of the building by a contractor. The house was sold by Narayan’s son-in-law after Narayan’s death on 13th May 2001 in Chennai. The government bought the house and the BJP government declared that it would be converted into a memorial for the great writer with a museum, seminar hall etc.
However, with the fall of the BJP government, there was no one to take the idea of the memorial forward. Just as it has happened with the memorial for Swami Vivekananda at the grounds of the almost defunct government NTM School after the new Congress government came to power.
This is the fate of a memorial for Narayan who is credited with bringing Indian writing in english to the rest of the world. His greatest achievement was in opening a window through his works for the world to see India and understand her.
Narayan’s works were acknowledged as of world class by world class writers like Graham Greene, Somerset Maugham, John Updike, E.M. Forster, V.S. Naipaul and others. Narayan has won many awards and honours — Padma Vibhushan, Central Sahitya Akademi award, Rajya Sabha member, doctorates and more. He was also mentioned for Noble prize for literature in TIME magazine.
Many may not know that Narayan worked for a time as a reporter to the Madras-based paper called “The Justice” dedicated to the rights and causes of the non-Brahmins despite being a Brahmin Iyer himself. It is significant that there was always a hidden message in his writings — about the injustice suffered by women due to the socially accepted practices, plight of students, domestic discord between husband and wife with the latter having to put up with the husband’s cruelty or non-sense etc.
And I feel sad that a city known for its cultural heritage is unable to recognise its great son with a memorial ! A Society which does not remember and honour its famous sons is doomed to remain static. No wonder we are already perceiving that atmosphere in our city. What the government or our city could not do to honour R.K. Narayan’s memory, the hotelier Nagaraj Gopal seem to have done in his own way !
Tailpiece: It is interesting to know how and when the name Malgudi, the fictional semi-urban town in South India was conjured up! Narayan created this town in 1930, incidently on Vijayadashami Day which we celebrated on 14th of this month. Indeed an auspicious day to build a town! It appears, his grand mother chose the auspicious day!!
The exact location of Malgudi is a matter of speculation and to my mind seemed to be either near Coimbatore or Mysore itself. The name, it is possible, could have been inspired from a real town Lalgudi on the banks of river Cauvery.
However, my host Nagaraj Gopal of Hotel Malgudi says his research showed that the name was coined by taking three letters from Bangalore’s Malleshwaram and combining them with the last four letters of Basavanagudi — Mal+Gudi=Malgudi. Howzzat?
e-mail: kbg@starofmysore.com
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Abracadabra……Abracadabra / by K.B. Ganapathy / October 24th, 2013
Come 2014 and the more than 200 year-old bungalow of Dewan Poornaiah, Dewan of erstwhile Mysore State in Yelandur, Chamarajanagar district, will be turned into a museum to give a glimpse of his persona and achievements.
Heritage Commissioner Dr. C.G. Betsurmath has said that as per the deadline of December set by the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage, which is overseeing the renovation works, the works are almost complete and added that they were now focussing on developing a museum at the bungalow.
The fact that the revenue administration adopted by Poornaiah two centuries ago is still the guiding force for administration in the State speaks volumes about his acumen as he not only streamlined revenue but also conducted land surveys in a methodical manner and we want the museum to depict this and speak about his acumen, Betsurmat said.
After inspecting the site, the Heritage Commissioner said that only about 5% civil works were pending and added that they were collecting the belongings of Poornaiah to put the same on display at the two-storied structure. He also said that officials of the department had contacted Poornaiah’s family members in this regard.
Dewan Poornaiah was a leading administrator who served under three kings namely Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan and Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar as Dewan before retiring, which was followed by his death in 1812.
He was also well known for his skills in accounts and proficiency in several languages, Besturmath said and added that the department was spending Rs. One crore to renovate and open a museum at the bungalow where Dewan Poornaiah lived.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / October 24th, 2013
The policy is aimed at making Karnataka the largest IT cluster on the planet by 2020 overtaking the Silicon Valley in the U.S.
The industry has welcomed the “Karnataka i4 policy: IT, ITeS, Innovation Incentives Policy” released by the Karnataka government on Tuesday at BangaloreITE.biz 2013. This policy has been framed keeping in mind several objectives. The first objective is to reposition Bangalore and Karnataka as the preferred global investment destination for IT/ITeS/BPO sectors. The second objective is to focus on newer areas of knowledge and innovation-based industries such as start-ups, ESDM, animation and graphics, and other web-based and mobile-based creative areas. The third objective is to leverage Karnataka’s leadership position in IT to create many transformational e-governance projects and the fourth is to strengthen Karnataka’s leadership position as the global IT capital.
As part of the policy, IT/ITeS/BPO/Animation/KPO industries will be treated on par with public utilities to exempt them from disruptive effects of general strikes and bandhs. These sectors will also be entitled to stamp duty exemption of 75 percent in Mysore and Mangalore, in addition to other location as per the Industrial Policy. Start-up companies will be eligible for plug and play space with Internet at concessional rates of Rs 5-15 per square feet, depending on location. Another unique feature of the i4 policy is the Employment-Linked Incentivization of Land Allotment (E-LILA) outside urban Bangalore and rural district limits, which translates to land allotment for the concerned sectors at concessional price, linked to employment generation.
NASSCOM, the apex body of the Indian IT/BPO sector said they welcome the i4 IT policy and appreciate their efforts to position Bangalore and Karnataka as the preferred global investment destination for the sector. “Government’s renewed focus on providing a fillip to innovation-based industries focusing on areas like start-ups, ESDM, animation & graphics, and other web- and mobile-based creative areas will help Karnataka retain its leadership position in the technology landscape. Further, five year extension from the applicability of Karnataka Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Rules and declaring this sector as essential services and will enable ease of doing business in the state. The focus on start-ups and tier 2 cities is particularly welcome as it supports the wave of entrepreneurship and innovation in the country.”
Srikar Reddy, MD & CEO Sonata Software also echoed NASSCOM’s voice. “The policy announced shows the vision and commitment of the Government of Karnataka in building on the leadership status of the state in the IT & ITES industry,” he said. “Bangalore is the 4th largest technology cluster in the world after Silicon Valley, Boston and London, making it imperative to nurture the needs of the industry with a global perspective, while yet moving ahead to build a wider base for sustained growth and social impact. The policy balances these needs well. Sonata as a company has a significant part of its investments and operations in Karnataka and will look to further enhance them in taking this policy and its intended benefits farther.”
source: http://www.informationweek.in / Information Week / Home> News Analysis> Software / October 24th, 2013
Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) graduates have bagged NASSCOM Budding Engineering Innovation (NBEI) Award 2012 for designing a Flapping Wing Robot (FWR), an electro-mechanical bird that flies by flapping its wings.
FWR designed by aeronautical engineering graduates Nishant Jain and Isha Atreja is capable of flapping its wings like bats and birds. It also performs various flight exercises.
Nishant and Isha, who passed out from MIT in July, 2012, had spent nearly Rs 60,000 from their own purse to develop FWR. They told told TOI that the NBEI award ceremony held in Pune in September was a significant milestone in their life. “The FWR belongs to the class of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles).
A unique feature of FWR is that, its wings produce both lift and thrust so as to keep it airborne and propel forward. This eliminates the need of using any separate thrust production mechanism thereby making it very lightweight in comparison to fixed-wing UAVs,” Nishant explained adding that they have named it as Flyingspur.
“The flapping mechanism that we designed is a simplified variant of the complex biological wing. We have developed a 129gm and 927mm wingspan monoplane configuration. It is quite portable and can be controlled by using a remote controller. The portal FWR can be separated into three parts and can be taken anywhere. It consists of four subsystems including flapping wing, tail, battery and flight control system. The skeleton of Flyingspur is made up of carbon fibre rods and plates which make it quite sturdy and reliable,” he said adding that the prototype is capable of flying at a low altitude.
They recalled that they had dedicated about two to three hours a day for the project. “We are in the process of improving the prototype. We will apply for a patent for the model once it is modified,” he said. MIT aeronautical and automobile engineering department associate professor B Satish Shenoy was their guide.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangalore / by Vinobha KT, TNN / November 10th, 2012
It was an evening of soul-stirring music as the Swiss Orchestra performed for the first time in India at the Movenpick Hotel & Spa Bangalore over the weekend.
The event saw music lovers — including Rolf Frei, Aruna Sunderlal, Michelle and Aslam Gafoor and Manjusha Maheshwari — turn up in droves to get a chance to listen to the orchestra. The guests first spent some time catching up over drinks before they sat down to listen to the orchestra, which was headed by Christopher Morris-Whiting. Later, everyone headed home after an evening they would not forget in a hurry.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Bangalore / TNN / October 16th, 2013
Announces tie-up with Ministry of Tourism’s Incredible India campaign
Bangalore, India :
Genesys International Corp., India’s leading geospatial solutions company, announced the launch of WoNoBo.com.
Users will be able to search, explore and share ‘points of interest’ across the length and breadth of the country. At launch, the service will be available for 12 major Indian cities and will soon be expanded to 54 cities.
WoNoBo.com also announced a tie-up with Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, for the launch of Walking Tours, a unique and exciting product that will enable users to navigate and route their way through cities based on a number of interesting themes.
“The Ministry of Tourism is partnering with WoNoBo.com to create a Walking Tours platform, one of the first such initiatives to be undertaken in any country. We believe that this innovative and entertaining technology – aimed at making our most-visited cities extremely easy to walk or drive through – will add a completely new facility to our Incredible India campaign,” said Parvez Dewan, secretary, Ministry of Tourism.
WoNoBo.com also offers several other services. One, for instance, enables users to illustrate, using 360-degree views, the colourful, chaotic, dramatic lives they lead in different corners of the country. It also offers guides, created by users as well as experts, showing locals where to eat, what to shop for, where to take your children while visiting and a lot more.
source: http://www.ciol.com / CIOL / Home> Developer> News / by CIOL Bureau / Tuesday – October 15th, 2013
The Bangalore-based firm will use the money to expand operations
Global private equity biggie Silver Lake, which shot into prominence after acquiring PC maker Dell Inc along with Michael Dell, has made its first India play by investing in Bangalore-based Eka Software Solutions, a firm that creates software for commodity trading.
Silver Lake, which is leading the nearly $41 million investment round through its growth capital fund Silver Lake Kraftwerk, will pick up a minority stake in Eka Software.
“This is a strategic investment in the global commodity marker where technology is playing an increasingly critical role,” said Bryce Lee, a Managing Director at Silver Lake Kraftwek.
“We look forward to working with the Eka team, and helping them explore new opportunities and develop innovative products and solutions for customers,” he added. Eka, which has been growing at a 35 per cent CAGR over the last five years, will use the investment to expand the company’s international presence, bring new product offerings at a faster pace and acquire more companies.
The investment in Eka marks Silver Lake Kraftwerk’s first investment in India, according to a company statement.
“We are very excited to partner with Silver Lake.The partnership will further accelerate our growth and help us achieve our long term strategic vision. We now look forward to working with Silver Lake to further expand and build our platform,” said Eka founder and CEO Manav Garg, in a statement.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Business> Industry / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – October 16th, 2013
