Monthly Archives: April 2014

Mavalli Tiffin Rooms now in Bur Dubai

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nri's / Pio's, World Opinion
The Mavalli Tiffin Room's masala dosa is a must-try . / Satish Kumar - The National
The Mavalli Tiffin Room’s masala dosa is a must-try . / Satish Kumar – The National

“Thick, crusty dosas, tangy bisibele bhaat and freshly ground ‘filter’ coffee are nearly impossible to find at one place in the city,” says the 39-year-old Vikram Maiya, who craved authentic Karnataka cuisine whenever he visited Dubai.

Maiya is the managing partner of Mavalli Tiffin Rooms (MTR), a popular Bangalore-based chain of restaurants with a branch in Singapore.

Call it craving or conceit, but his desire to find bona fide Kannada food in the UAE has resulted in the expansion of MTR to Bur Dubai, where a new branch opened on Friday.

A question of quality

Set up for the first time in the Lalbagh area of Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka, in 1924, MTR is now an integral part of the city’s heritage. Step into any of the seven branches there any day of the week and you’ll find them doing brisk business.

In fact, the Dubai outlet will replicate the same model, and a band of veteran cooks has even been flown in to set up the kitchen here.

“Urad dal [black gram], a key ingredient in idli, dosas and vada [crêpes and deep-fried doughnuts made with fermented rice and lentil batter] will be sourced from Bangalore, along with the special masalas and coffee beans, which are all essential to good taste,” Maiya says.

And perhaps the best thing is that MTR focuses only on Karnataka cuisine, without the popular Indian favourites such as butter chicken or lamb biryani.

The lunch special

Try the lunch thali (platter), consisting of 16 items and unlimited servings, all for Dh25.

A freshly prepared fruit juice is served before the meal and paan (betel leaf) to end it. In between, there are curries, salad, veggies, sambar, rasam and raita served with puri (deep-fried dough discs) and several kinds of rice including pongal, bisibele bhaat, vangi bhaat and curd rice, in succession.

Three sumptuous desserts are also served; two with the main course and one at the end.

• Mavalli Tiffin Rooms opened at Al Tawhidi Building, opposite Apsara Super Market, Bank Street, Bur Dubai, on Friday. Open on all days except Mondays, from 7.30am to 10pm. Call 04 327 5909 or 056 206 7321 (prices are subject to change)

artslife@thenational.ae

source: http://www.thenational.ae / The National / Home> Lifestyle> Food / by Priti Salian / April 07th, 2014

Karnataka Sangh Qatar to organize Vasantotsav, Cultural Extravaganza at Al Ghazal Club on May 2

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nri's / Pio's, World Opinion

Doha/Qatar ;

Karnataka Sangh Qatar (KSQ) will be staging Vasantotsav, cultural extravaganza at Al Ghazal Club, here on Friday May 2 at 4.30pm (gate opens at 4.00pm).

The cultural extravaganza includes comedy and live orchestra. The renowned Kannada comedian, sandalwood actor, dramatist and celebrity chef Sihi Kahi Chandru, RJ Mayur of 92.7 Big FM Unplugged with Mayur fame,   Ajay Warriar,   Sinchana Dixit and their orchestra team with well known musicians from Karnataka will be performing live in Qatar.

KarnatakaSangahDohaBF22apr2014

The entire programme is dedicated to visiting artistes.  A nominal entry fee of Qatari Riyals 50 per person for above the age of 5 years will be charged.  The dinner packet will also be served.  Limited seats are available on first-come-first-served basis.  The entry passes are available with Maaza Restaurant, Hotel Maharaja, Aryaas, Canara Jewellery, Royal Udupi Hotel and Akshaya Jewellery.

For entry passes contact:

Mahesh Gowda: 66013225
Subramanya Hebbagilu: 55641025
Nagesh Rao: 55812324
Deepak Shetty: 66262477

source: http://www.bellevision.com / Bellevision.com / Home> News> Media Release / Doha-Qatar,  April 07th 2014

Theng Ravi – A magnificient coconut plucker and a fine stage artiste

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment

ThengRaviBF21apr2014

by Phalgunn Maharishi

Marakke naanu hedralla buddhi! Ave nange hedrathve” (I am not afraid of trees Sir! But they are afraid of me), is what one would frequently hear from Ravi, a young lad of 27 years, who comes all the way from Kalanhundi village of Chamarajnagar district to Mysore every day early in the morning and work in the city plucking tender coconuts from trees, gardening, washing vehicles, cleaning homes and also driving cars when needed.

Truly, a multi-faceted personality is what best describes Ravi who is popularly known among his regular customers as “Theng Ravi” (Coconut Ravi). He climbs nearly 80 trees every day to pluck tender coconuts. He has a long list of regular customers in Mysore and some in Bangalore too who wait for him to get tender coconuts plucked from their trees.

While speaking about when and how he entered into the profession, Ravi said, “I was in my 7th grade when I had come out of the exam hall with a blank answer sheet making a firm decision of quitting my studies. My parents then started forcing me to learn something to lead my life and hence, I learnt what my father was doing.” Yes! Ravi’s father was in the same profession; plucking tender coconuts and selling them. But Ravi is for sure a hand more than his father!

Ravi started climbing trees when he was just 15 years. He cannot read and write, yet his style of picking the phone and talking with his customers in Kannada with some English words added here and there, fixing appointments, working on first come-first serve basis and finally postponing some of his works for a day or two due to insufficient time, surely makes our lower jaws go lower! A person hailing from a village without education managing his profession so neatly in cities like Mysore and Bangalore is something really applaudable.

But that’s not it for Ravi. From his hard earned money through his profession, Ravi has recently joined hands with his friend and started agriculture in a five acre land on contract basis near the borders of Tamil Nadu. Ravi also helps his father Basavanna in cultivating their ancestral property near Kalanhundi village. Ravi is married to a supportive wife and blessed with a daughter recently. He has enough from his ancestors to lead his life peacefully, yet he believes in sweating hard and earning bread for himself and his family.

“Eight years ago, I came to Mysore for the first time to find some work. I had then turned my back with an empty hand and a sad face and started stepping towards the railway station. But then, a person from Ashokpuram approached me to pluck coconuts from a tree in his home. Later on, my profession slowly developed as days passed and today, a big list of my regular customers has been developed!”, commented Ravi while explaining his experiences when he started his work in the city. He then added, “Now people call me to fix their taps, clean their sumps and compounds, drive their cars, paint walls, cementing floors, along with plucking tender coconuts. They have made me an ALL-IN-ONE. And I am happy.”

Ravi is not just a magnificent worker who pours his sweat in the hot sun but also a fine artiste on stage who entertains residents of his village and the nearby people. He owes his talent of acting to his Guru, Shri Shivakumara Swamy of his village, with whom he has joined hands from 2007. Ravi, along with the group ‘Sri Basaveshwara Kala Sangha,’ has staged plays in front of thousands of villagers. He has acted as an antagonist in plays like Bhoomi Thookada Hennu and Thande Thaayi Aththige to name a few.

“I act in theatre because it is a refreshment which blows away my worries and headaches which I face whole day climbing trees and plucking tender coconuts in the hot sun. I enjoy entertaining the viewers,” said Ravi while speaking about his hobby of acting in theatre. He also added, “We are a group of twelve people who are from various professions who join together with our Guruji, select a novel and practice it for nearly two months and then present it in front of the people in our villages. A big gathering can be seen who enjoy our acts.”

Ravi even commented that he, along with his group mates, bares expenditures of the shows they act and present and the only returns they get is through the desired amount given to them by the viewers. Such hard working village people like Theng Ravi who are trying to keep alive the art of theatre acting even in their villages are in need of more encouragement by the people and the government.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles  / April 15th, 2014

Mysore artist G.L.N. Simha’s works at museum of sacred art in Brussels

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion
Seen in the picture are (from right) Artist G.L.N. Simha, Writer Dr. S. R. Ramaswamy, Bhaskar Kalale, Vice-President and Head India Ops - Theorem (USA), D. Ram Singh, Chairman, Ramsons Kala Pratishtana, at Kalaa Dhaaraa art exhibition at Pratima Gallery in city on Apr. 13.
Seen in the picture are (from right) Artist G.L.N. Simha, Writer Dr. S. R. Ramaswamy, Bhaskar Kalale, Vice-President and Head India Ops – Theorem (USA), D. Ram Singh, Chairman, Ramsons Kala Pratishtana, at Kalaa Dhaaraa art exhibition at Pratima Gallery in city on Apr. 13.

Mysore :

Several works of spiritual art by Mysore artist Gopalachar Lakshmi Narasimha, more widely known as G.L.N. Simha, have been acquired by the Museum of Sacred Art in Brussels, Belgium recently.

This was disclosed by R.G. Singh, Secretary, Ramsons Kala Pratishtana, at the fourth talk of Kalaa Dhaaraa, a mega exhibition of Contemporary Art initiative, held on Sunday at the Pratima Gallery in Nazarbad.

This exclusive museum devoted to sacred art is located in Brussels’ Baronial Castle which has a church attached to it. This church is now called Hindu Art Museum.

Stating that works of artists B.K.S. Varma and Ganjifa Raghupathi Bhat are displayed at Kremlin in Russia and the Victor and Albert Museum in London respectively, R.G. Singh said now an exclusive museum dedicated to scared art has acquired the works of G. L.N. Simha. It is a matter of pride that Kalaa Dhaaraa has the opportunity to showcase Simha’s works, he added.

Earlier, Dr. S.R. Ramaswamy, well-known scholar, writer, critic and editor of Utthana, delivering the fourth talk ‘Mantra Mukura – Artistic Incantations of G.L.N. Simha,’ took the audience on a scholarly journey along path where art diverged into Oriental and Western art. What may be perceived as beautiful by the Western mind, the eastern mind may well see spiritual intonations in the same. It is in this context that one should perceive the unique art of Simha, said Dr. Ramaswamy adding that it would be noticed by the viewer of the paintings on display that there is religious narrative that underlies each painting.

The chief guest of the evening, Bhaskar Kalale, Vice-President and Head, India Ops of the US-based THEOREM at its Mysore campus, spoke of the relevance of art in a person’s life.

The fourth edition of the talk series began with a Vedic invocation by Raghu Dharmendra, Curator and Art Historian of Ramsons Kala Pratishtana.

A few of the gems from Simha’s extraordinary oeuvre on display at Kalaa Dhaaraa are the Swarnamba which creates a contemplative vision of Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Shakti, the Shristhi series from the Kalika Purana, the Shree Sukta of the Rig-Veda which depicts the innate connection between man and divinity by the divinities emanating from the sacred flame of the Yagnya and the one of the Bhairava series that provides a pointer to modes of contemplation.

Senior journalist M. B. Singh, former Editor of Sudha and Mayura and adviser to the Ramsons Kala Pratishtana Trust , was also present.

The works of 15 new artists were introduced to the works already on display: Anil Devadiga (Mangalore), Ashok Vaidikar (Gulbarga), B.C. Devaraju (H.D. Kote), Jayavanth Shettigar (Manipal), N. Kantharaj (Bangalore), N.B. Kaverappa (Mysore), Manjunath Wali (Bangalore), B.R. Naveen (Mysore), M.R. Pavanje (Mangalore), Purushotham Adve (Udupi), N. Rajesh (Mysore), H.B. Raju (Bangalore), Ramesh Rao (Udupi), D.K. Ranganath (Bagalkot) and S.S. Shimpi (Gulbarga).

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / April 15th, 2014

India-Australia workshop on Epithelial Development

Education, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Mangalore :

School of Life Sciences, Manipal University will host a two-day India-Australia workshop on “Epithelial Development, Function and Disease — New Frontiers and Therapies” on April 11 and 12.

A number of experts and resource persons from across the country and Australia will take part in the two-day workshop which will facilitate intellectual sharing at two different levels. The first stream is visualized to provide a platform to share real-world experiences and solutions to clinical problems in Australia and India, besides defining achievable directions for delivery of products that will benefit both patients and the community in India and Australia, particularly those in rural and remote communities and with inadequate resources.

The second stream viz. Frontier Research and Emerging Technologies focuses on cutting-edge research and emerging trends in the field. Both streams converge to establish successful productive partnerships towards an improved understanding of epithelial cell function and will be crucial in future for the diagnosis and treatment of epithelial diseases.

The conference overview and introduction to the conference will be given by Dr Sheel Nuna, Director, Queensland University of Technology, Australia and Dr Zee Upton, Assistant dean, also QUT, Australia respectively. Dr MRS Rao of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) Bangalore will give the inaugural address and Vice Chancellor Manipal University; Dr K. Ramnarayan will present a special address.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangalore / by Stanley Pinto, TNN / April 10th, 2014

Bengaluru, India Hotel Recognized at Hotel Investment Conference South Asia

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Bengaluru , INDIA :

Though it’s the first Fairfield Inn to open in Asia Pacific, this Bangalore business hotel  has already made quite an impression. At the 10th Annual Hotel Investment Conference South Asia (HICSA), the Fairfield by Marriott Bengaluru Rajajinagar was named Best Mid-Market/Budget Hotel Opening, beating out three other well-known hotel brands for the title.

The annual conference, held April 2nd and 3rd, brings together influential decision-makers from the industry for meetings, networking and collaboration, and also honors new hotels that opened in the region within the last year.

To win the prestigious Best Mid-Market/Budget Hotel Opening award, this premium Bengaluru hotel  was evaluated on development cost, construction tenure, TripAdvisor ratings, location (access, visibility and proximity to demand), façade and public areas, guest rooms (interiors, design and amenities), food and beverage, facilities (spa, retail and entertainment), corporate social responsibility and judges’ discretion. This year’s judges included Cyril Jacob, Managing Director of Archetype Group; Manav Thadani, MRICS, Chairman – South Asia HVS; Ravish Swarup, Chief Executive Officer of Praxis Services; Ritu Bhatia Kler, Managing Director Total Integrated Design; Uttam Dave, industry expert; and Vinapy Gupta, VP Asset Management at SAMHI Smart Hotel Investments.

This extended-stay Bangalore hotel took the top spot in all categories with its contemporary, stylish interior, business-friendly in-room amenities, all-day dining restaurant Kava and modern fitness center.

In addition to the awards, the event included a full agenda of panels and seminars, with breaks for networking. Popular sessions included the Role of Social Media and Technology-Based Innovations; Big Data: The Next Frontier for Innovation, Competition and Productivity; How to Solve Development Woes; Business of Leisure, Wellness and Luxury; and More Than a One Night Stand (Extended Stay).

About the Fairfield by Marriott Bengaluru Rajajinagar
When the Fairfield by Marriott Bengaluru Rajajinagar first opened, it broke ground in more ways than one. The hotel is the first from the brand to open in Asia Pacific, and offers a unique blend of contemporary style and warmth.

source: http://www.digitaljournal.com / Digital Journal / Home> Press Release> Marketwired / Bengaluru – April 10th, 2014

Ed Hardy opens first store in Bangalore

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All, World Opinion

Apparel brand Ed Hardy brought to India by Arvind Lifestyle Brands has opened its first store at Forum Mall, Koramangala, Bangalore. The new store is spread over 940 square foot, offering men’s wear across various categories including T-shirts, jeans, trousers and shorts, with a new women’s wear range to be launched in the near future.

Typically grunge yet highly fashion forward, the collection at the Ed Hardy store reflects its creator’s journey from an artist to a tattoo pioneer and to popular brands. The collection boasts of bold designs accompanied by the bright solid colours.

After acquiring India operations of three major international apparel brands Debenhams, Next and Nautica, Arvind had signaled its strategy to grow big in the organised apparel market. Arvind Lifestyle Brands, subsidiary of Arvind, which already has an impressive brand line-up comprising Tommy Hilfiger, US Polo Assn, Elle, Geoffrey Beene, Arrow among others, acquiring the business operations of Debenhams has also paved a way for it into the department store segment.

The company has a presence in 950 stores. Around 200 of these are Megamart, 130 are Arvind Store and the rest are spread across other brands. Plans are in place to open 200-250 stores every year in metros and smaller cities.

source: http://www.fashionunited.in / Fashion United / Home / Friday – April 11th, 2014

World’s first startup hotline debuts in Bangalore

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Bangalore :

In a first, Microsoft Ventures in India has launched a hotline for entrepreneurs to get real-time professional advice on their business and technical queries.

A team of 4 professionals trained by Microsoft will staff JumpStart who will address queries related to accounting and taxation, legal, understanding term sheets and technology. Startup queries will be routed to a team of experts who will offer necessary interventions within 48 hours. The toll free number –1(800) 200-2114 -is open to entrepreneurs during business hours from Monday through Friday and supports Hindi and English languages to begin with. Microsoft Ventures is expecting 15-20 calls in the first few days that the number could gradually go up to 500-1,000 calls a month.

Kattayil Rajinish Menon, director, Microsoft Ventures in India, said, “Sometimes answering even simple questions about how to get started or which service provider to contact can really help startups avoid delays and cost overruns. While JumpStart cannot promise the success of a startup’s business, it can definitely help by educating entrepreneurs how to get started quickly by providing information on the vast resources available today.”

Microsoft Ventures has mapped all the states in India to provide local assistance by partnering with pointspersons at the district level to process queries coming from tier 2 and 3 regions. These could be lawyers, accountants and company secretaries identified in each district. “Our experience has shown that a major pain point for startups across the ecosystem in India, irrespective of their stage of maturity, is the lack of real-time support for various critical queries they face. JumpStart fills a major gap and ensures that startups get professional advice that enables them to make smart business decisions,” said Joseph Landes, general manager, Developer & Platform Evangelism in Microsoft India.

Srivatsa Krishna, secretary in the IT, biotechnology, science & technology in the Karnataka government, said this service will also be available shortly through the Karnataka new mobile governance system MobileOne Platform.

Ravi Gururaj, chairman of Nasscom Product Council, said, “Microsoft Ventures has identified this challenge that startups face, and taken concrete steps to address it, through JumpStart. It is an excellent initiative to get some support and start off quickly and efficiently. I urge everyone to take advantage of this facility.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bangalore / Shilpa Phadnis, TNN / April 11th, 2014

Infosys Leads 5 Indian Projects Shortlisted For Green Oscars

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

London :

IT giant Infosys leads five Indian clean energy projects that have been shortlisted for the annual Ashden Awards, referred to as the Green Oscars, here Wednesday.

The awards recognize worldwide contributions towards green energy initiatives and a move away from fossil fuels.

Infosys has been nominated in the ‘Ashden Award for Sustainable Buildings’ category for the Bangalore-based company’s cutting edge design of new buildings which helps keep offices cooler and maximizes natural light.
“Since 2008, global IT giant Infosys has cut more than $ 80 million from its energy bills and reduced electricity consumption per staff member by 44 percent. Its success lies in seizing every opportunity to reduce energy consumption in its existing buildings — from reducing the size of chiller plants for air conditioning, to painting roofs white so they reflect the heat,” reads the award nomination statement.

The other finalists include two projects from Maharashtra — Sakhi Unique Rural Enterprise (SURE) and Greenway Grameen — which have been nominated in the ‘Ashden Clean Energy for Women and Girls Award’ category.

SURE is a not-for-profit social enterprise in central Maharashtra that has selected, trained and supported more than 600 women micro-entrepreneurs to sell clean energy products like solar lanterns and cleaner cookstoves to other women.

Mumbai-based Greenway Grameen’s mission is to provide an affordable, desirable cookstove to improve quality of life for Indian women.

The Rajasthan Horticulture Development Society has been shortlisted for the ‘USAID Ashden Energy for Agriculture Award’ for its solar-powered water pump project and Mera Gao Power from Uttar Pradesh has been nominated in the ‘Citi Ashden Award for Innovation in Finance’ category for pioneering the use of unsubsidised commercial micro grids, which have so far connected more than 20,000 families to clean, affordable power.

“India is a hotbed of innovation in sustainable energy: from social enterprises that are meeting the energy needs of some of the poorest people in the country, to an IT giant that’s achieving staggering energy savings across all its business campuses.

“Together all five organizations are leading examples of what can be achieved. The rest of the world should take note,” said Ashden Awards founder Sarah Butler-Sloss.

A total of 14 Ashden Award winners will be announced at a gala ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society in London on May 22.

Winners will receive up to 40,000 pounds and global recognition as one of 2014’s green energy leaders.

source: http://www.siliconindia.com / Silicon India News / Home> News> Enterprise / Wednesday – April 09th, 2014

Climbing areca tree, made easy

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Science & Technology

 

MK Kiran of Shimoga district, a farmer who devised the arecanut tree climbing implement, demonstrating it at Peruvai Village in Dakshina Kannada district recently / Photo: AJ Vinayak / The Hindu
MK Kiran of Shimoga district, a farmer who devised the arecanut tree climbing implement, demonstrating it at Peruvai Village in Dakshina Kannada district recently / Photo: AJ Vinayak / The Hindu

Mangalore :

The shortage of labour is a common problem among farmers.

Crops such as arecanut require skilled persons to climb the trees to pluck arecanut bunches from the plant.

What if any member of the farmer’s family can climb the tree? That is what MK Kiran (30), a farmer from Mallesara village in Thirthahalli taluk of Shimoga district, has devised.

Kiran demonstrated an arecanut tree-climbing implement at a plantation of farmer Anantharamakrishna at Peruvai village in Dakshina Kannada district recently.

Kiran told Business Line that the prototype of arecanut tree-climber has been developed under the guidance of DN Venkat of Coimbatore.

Venkat has devised a climber for climbing coconut trees, he said.

Two steel frames, rubber bushes and ropes are the main parts of the arecanut tree-climber.

The basic principle is just like climbing an arecanut tree manually.

First, the steel frames are latched on to the tree trunk – one at the waist level of the person climbing the tree and the other on the ground. The person climbing the tree will have to sit on the frame at the waist-level and will have to pull up the frame at the ground level using his/her feet. Once the process is over, the person has to stand on the lower frame and pull up the upper frame further. These processes will continue till the person reaches the top.

To a query on the chances of these frames slipping, he said the rubber bushes inside the frames tightly hold them to the tree. The two frames are connected by rope or belt.

He has been working on this project for the past four years.

Stating that he had to face failures many a times, Kiran said he did not give up in spite of that. He has around 2-3 tonnes of scrap materials from this project at his home in Thirthahalli, he said.

This farm implement weighs around 6.5-7 kg and cost is around ₹10,500.

Kiran said that he climbed the prototype first.

“When I found it is safe for me, my mother and wife tried it. When I got their feedback that even they can climb the tree with ease, I ventured out to promote this implement,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Markets> Commodities / by A J Vinayak / Bangalore – April 10th, 2014