Monthly Archives: October 2014

Mangalore Varsity VC felicitated

Education, Records, All
Mangalore University VC Dr. K. Bhyrappa and his wife K.T. Sunita Bhyrappa, who were felicitated at Senate Bhavan in Manasagangotri yesterday, are seen Suttur Seer and others.
Mangalore University VC Dr. K. Bhyrappa and his wife K.T. Sunita Bhyrappa, who were felicitated at Senate Bhavan in Manasagangotri yesterday, are seen Suttur Seer and others.

Mysore :

“Born in a farmer’s family in Paduvarahalli here Dr. K. Bhyrappa excelled in his career to become the Vice-Chancellor of Mangalore University,” commended V. Sreenivasa Prasad, District in-charge Minister.

He was speaking after releasing the felicitation volume ‘Spatika Prabhe’ at a function organised by Vijnana Bhavana of Mysore University in Senate Hall in Manasagangotri here yesterday.

Prasad said that Dr. Bhyrappa was a down-to-earth humane person having obtained a Ph.D. Degree from Moscow State University, Russia. He added that Dr. Bhyrappa was a role model for the entire farming community having excelled in Science.

The Bhyrappa couple were felicitated on the occasion.

Former VC of Kuvempu University Dr. K. Chidananda Gowda delivered the felicitation address.

Suttur Seer Sri Shivaratri Deshikendra Swamiji and Adichunchanagiri Mutt Mysore branch Seer Sri Somanatha Swamiji graced the occasion.

Mysore University VC Prof. K.S. Rangappa presided. H.L. Bhat of Centre of Nano Science, Felicitation Committee Chairman Krishnegowda and others were present.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Saturday ,  October 18th, 2014

Karnataka’s first hovercraft glides into Mangalore

Records, All, Science & Technology, Travel
Indian Coast Guard Hovercraft H-196, the third series of Air Cushion vehicle (ACV) built by UK, arrives at Panambur Beach in Mangalore on Monday.
Indian Coast Guard Hovercraft H-196, the third series of Air Cushion vehicle (ACV) built by UK, arrives at Panambur Beach in Mangalore on Monday.

In what will boost the patrolling capabilities of the Indian Coast Guard in the State, the first of the two hovercraft arrived in Mangalore on Monday. This is the first time a hovercraft will be stationed in the State.

On a sunny morning, the amphibious vehicle rode the waves, skimming over choppy waters, before parking on Panambur beach near the ICG, Karnataka headquarters.

With this acquisition, the hovercraft that has a speed of 45 knots (90 kmph) becomes the fastest vehicle in the coast guard fleet in the State.

“Not only is it fast, it can also go to areas where our ships cannot go. For example, the ships have to keep an eye on the depth of the sea and so cannot approach the shore or have to be wary of shallow seas. The hovercraft can easily land on the shore,” said Gulvinder Singh, Commandant of the hovercraft. He leads a team of 11 men.

Manufactured in the United Kingdom, the Hovercraft H-196 is 21m long and will be used for surveillance, search-and-rescue, emergency missions and to provide assistance to smaller boats at sea.

Coast guard officers said the craft is armed with heavy machine guns, radar and satellite communication — allowing it to effectively keep an eye on the 320-km long Karnataka coastline.

Mr. Singh said the crew had obtained specialised training in London and have been operating the craft along the coast since September. The Coast Guard expects the arrival of the second hovercraft within ten days.

The vehicles will be stationed in a makeshift centre at Panambur, close to the ICG Karnataka headquarters until a permanent hoverport facility will be developed over a 15-acre site at Tannirbhavi beach.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Mohit M. Rao / Mangalore – September 22nd, 2014

Bangalore’s first pet crematorium ready

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
The crematorium will allow pet owners to say a decent goodbye
The crematorium will allow pet owners to say a decent goodbye

The city’s first pet crematorium has been completed. And it was done so in record time, 15 months, at the cost of Rs2.35 crore. The crematorium is near Sumanahalli on Magadi Road.
The crematorium will begin operations in November and makes Bangalore the third city in the country, after New Delhi and Mumbai, to have a crematorium for pets. Official said, “The crematorium has two incinerators, one for small pets like cats and dogs and a bigger one for large livestock. For the religiously inclined, the crematorium will offer a facility for rituals to be done to dispose of a pet’s ashes.”

Per day, up to 20 animals can be cremated. Veterinary doctors will be stationed at the facility to conduct post-mortem on animals that die due to disease. The BBMP is yet to work out cremation costs but its officials say the fee would be less than what some private operators are charging.

According to sources, the cost would be less than Rs1,000, an official said.
BBMP commissioner M Lakshminarayana said, “The construction of a pet crematorium was undertaken after the High Court issued orders to the BBMP stating that it is an obligatory duty of the civic agency to treat dead animals in a proper manner. Keeping in mind the High Court’s direction we took up construction work and within due time the project has been completed.”

The genesis of the crematorium is found in a PIL filed in the High Court of Karnataka. The court had in 2008 ordered that the BBMP should come up with a crematorium for animals. Five years later, work has begun.

Four years ago, BBMP proposed a crematorium on a five-acre plot in Medi Agrahara, Yelahanka. But the project didn’t take off as the civic body failed to create an alternative road to the crematorium. However, the crematorium site at Sumanahalli is well connected.

Bangalore is already home to South India’s first pet cemetery. Run by People for Animals, it is located on a half-acre plot near Kengeri. However, as with cemeteries for humans, the need for more land prevents the establishment of new cemeteries.

Crematoriums for pets have an advantage over pet cemeteries in that they do not require more land over time. They also are preferred by many communities in Karnataka that cremate their dead and would also prefer to dispose of their pets similarly.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror /  Home> Bangalore> Civic / by Atul Chaturvedi,  Bangalore Mirror Bureau / October 22nd, 2014

Kannada music album gets a Czech-up

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

For the first time ever, a foreign orchestra has scored for a Kannada music album. And that too for a song glorifying Kannada and Karnataka.

The Czech Symphony Orchestra in Prague has worked on the album, Ananya Aalaapana, which is the second album by the group, Techies for Kannada, and KChords. The album with seven songs will be released on November 2.

The music is composed by Karthik Somanath, a technical architect at a major IT firm in Bangalore. The lyrics were penned by Karthik and Paawana Poonacha, a content architect. Poonacha, said, “The album is targeted at Kannada professionals living outside Karnataka. These people are exposed to a lot of different kinds and flavours of music. We also wanted to enhance Kannada music with a foreign orchestra,” explaining the need for the Czech Symphony Orchestra.

The Kannada patriotic song, Jagadalli Yelle Hodaru Moodada Mohaka Anubhava, is one of seven songs in the album. This is the only song in the album that will also be filmed as a video which will be released along with the album.

“Our first album had romantic songs. The idea is to show that life is beautiful.”and portray the different flavours of beauty. There are songs about nature, music, peace and brotherhood, love and friendship.”

“It was not easy to get a European orchestra. “The album is self-funded and we are looking for sponsors. The Czech orchestra came down a little on the money front. But is was still quite a bit for us to go there and get the music scored. We wanted the ‘first-of-its-kind’ element to be there and theefore went to great lengths,” said Poonacha.

The KChords team comprises IT and medical professionals translating their passion for music and Kannada into compassion for under-privileged schoolchildren in Karnataka. The proceeds from the album will go to the KChords Trust which will introduce music for under-privileged school children.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror /  Home> Bangalore> Others / by Shyam Prasad S,  Bangalore Mirror Bureau / October 24th, 2014

Farman Basha wins bronze at Incheon Para Asian Games

Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
A file photo of weightlifters Farman Basha and Sakina Khatum in Scotland.
A file photo of weightlifters Farman Basha and Sakina Khatum in Scotland.

‘I owe a lot to my physio, Dr. Rajkumar Amaravathi’

Farman Basha did India proud at the Asian Para Games in South Korea on Sunday by winning a bronze medal in power-lifting in the men’s 49kg category. Basha, a resident of T.C. Palya in the city, lifted 155-kg weight to finish behind Vietnam’s Le van Cong and Iraq’s Mustafa Salman Radhi.

“The competition was very tough. I hadn’t expected a medal. I owe a lot to my physio, Dr. Rajkumar Amaravathi,” he said from Incheon. The 40-year-old made up for the disappointment of Commonwealth Games held in August, when he failed to complete all his lifts. “I was heartbroken after what happened at Glasgow. My shoulder was injured then. But I am better now,” he said.

At the previous edition of the Para Asian Games at Guangzhou four years ago, Mr. Basha had won a bronze medal — later upgraded to silver — in the men’s 48-kg category. “We have only one person as support staff – Mohd. Jawahir Rahi. He too deserves many thanks,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Sports Teporter / Bangalore – October 20th, 2014

A little bit of history you should know before you bite into an Indian Coffee House cutlet

Business & Economy, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

CoffeOneBF23oct2014

For most people, a beetroot is not something that they would eat with relish. But the Indian Coffee House (ICH) chain in Kerala has used the vegetable to make its signature cutlets that many of its patrons swear by.

From almost being shut down in the mid 1950s, the restaurant chain has held its own against stiff competition to be one of the most popular eateries in the state.

The coffee house chain was first started in 1936 by the Coffee Cess Committee, the first restaurant was opened in Bombay. There are now around 400 outlets all over India, and it is the biggest chain of restaurants in the southern state.

coffeeTwobf23OCT2014

Over the years, however, the chain incurred losses, forcing the union government to consider shutting it down. At this point, Communist leaders, especially those from Kerala, took a special interest in it and began a movement demanding that the ICH outlets be handed over to the workers of the Coffee Board.

Once the government agreed, the workers organized themselves into the Indian Coffee Workers’ Co-operative and since then the ICH has been achieved not just financial stability, but more importantly it had secured for itself a place in the palates of its patrons.

The first Society was formed in Bangalore on August 1957 and the outlet by the newly formed society opened in Delhi on 27th December 1957.

In Kerala, Communist leaders like A.K. Gopalan, T.K. Krishnan and N.S. Parameswaran Pillai spearheaded the movement. The ICH in Thrissur was the first to be started in Kerala in 1958, and it was the fourth in the country.

Despite stiff competition from new restaurants, the ICH in Kerala has managed to continue to run all of its 51 outlets. There are a few specific cuisines in the ICH outlets in the state like French toast, bread omlette, etc for which attract large number of people. The coffee powder sold at reasonable prices is also a good source of revenue for the co-operative society in Kerala.

ICH Thiruvananthapuram
ICH Thiruvananthapuram

 In that the movement for the chain’s survival was spearheaded mostly by Communist leaders, after Kerala, another communist bastion – West Bengal – has the second largest number of outlets.

The ICH outlet in Kolkata opposite to the Presidency College is the most famous among all. Popular singer Manna Dey, immortalized the coffee house chain in a song “Coffee Houser Shei Addata”. The song is about a group of friends who would meet there regularly and how they now had little contact.

The Kolkata coffee house was truly an “adda”, or a meeting place for many leading intellectuals of the time, like Rabindranath Tagore and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. When the government decided to shut down the outlet in 1958, some professors of the Presidency College successfully petitioned the government against it, asking the government to take into consideration the heritage value of the hotel.

ICH Kolkata
ICH Kolkata

 “Over the years, the society (Indian Coffee House) has stuck to the traditional values of good taste, courteous service and unmatched quality” and it is because of this that it still remains the biggest restaurant chain in Kerala, says their website. Now, the ICH is governed by an eleven-member body elected from within its employees.

CoffeeFiveBF23oct2014

source: http://www.thenewsminute.com / The NEWS Minute / Home / by Siddharth Mohan Nair / October 22nd, 2014

Farmer among five to get Rachana awards

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All

Gabrial Stany Veigus lauded as agriculturist of the year

Farmer Gabrial Stany Veigus of Perar, a retired forest official who turned a 37-acre land into a model farm with innovative practices, is among five persons to receive the Rachana awards, instituted by Rachana, the Mangalore Catholic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, for 2014. Mr. Veigas has been recognised as Rachana agriculturist of the year for introducing sustainable farming practices.

He has planted 3,400 coconut saplings, mango, rambutan, cashew, grafted variety of jackfruit and breadfruit over the last 10 years and converted his land into a high-yielding agricultural plot. Jenette Pinto, a social activist from Mumbai and a professor of history who co-authored the book ‘Slavery in Portuguese India’ will receive the outstanding woman of the year award. Raphael Sequera has won the entrepreneur of the year award.

Anil Keith D’Cruz, a Mumbai-based Oncology surgeon, has won the professional of the year award and Ligoury D’Mello, chairman of the D’Mello group of companies, Oman has won the NRI entrepreneur of the year.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangalore / by Govind Belgaumkar / Mangalore – October 22nd, 2014

NIE wins inter-college Throwball championship

Sports
Seen in the picture are (sitting from left) V. Dharini (Captain), Shankaranarayana, PE Director, Dr. G.L. Shekar, Principal, J.E. Sanjana (Vice-Captain) and D. Nindhy; (standing from left) M.S. Mekhala, Sushmita Nair, B.S. Poojashree, Yochita J. Prakash, K.C. Mouna, M. Niveda, S. Deeksha and Punya Nanjappa.
Seen in the picture are (sitting from left) V. Dharini (Captain), Shankaranarayana, PE Director, Dr. G.L. Shekar, Principal, J.E. Sanjana (Vice-Captain) and D. Nindhy; (standing from left) M.S. Mekhala, Sushmita Nair, B.S. Poojashree, Yochita J. Prakash, K.C. Mouna, M. Niveda, S. Deeksha and Punya Nanjappa.

Mysore :

The NIE team won the Mysore City Inter-Collegiate Throwball Championships – 2014-15 organised by Mysore City Inter Collegiate Tournaments Committee at JSS Women’s College, Saraswathipuram, in city recently.

In the finals played between NIE and JSSCW, JSSCW won the first game by 27-26. NIE team fought back and won the second game by 25-13. The deciding third game was very interesting and both the teams exhibited good attacking skills. However the NIE team which was trailing at 10-16 fought back with some very good display of skills by Captain V. Dharini and won over JSSCW by 25-20.

The prizes for both the teams were distributed by International Throwball Referee Kashinath.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home>Sports News / Thursday ,  October 16th, 2014

Sunitha Chandrakumar, City’s lady music composer !

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

SunithaBF220ct2014

Sunitha Chandrakumar is an extraordinary musician who is a worthy feather in the cultural crown of Mysore! She is a great example of how a woman can succeed in this male-dominated music industry, especially in the aspects of music composition. To her credit, she has around 10 marvellous music albums composed by herself and sung by some of the big shots of Indian Music Industry like Shreya Ghoshal, S.P. Balasubramanyam, Vijay Prakash, Praveen Godkindi and many others. To back her constant success, she has around twenty years of strong foundation in various forms of music.

by Phalgunn Maharishi

Born in Mysore, Sunitha grew up in an environment filled with music and dance. Sunitha said, “My father had a deep interest in Bhajans and Bharatanatyam and my mother used to sing devotional songs and light music. My two sisters were learning Veena. The whole family had pledged itself into the deep roots of music and dance. Probably that was my inspiration.”

Sunitha as a kid learnt Karnatak music under Vijayalakshmi and Bharatanatyam under Vishnudas which she pioneered in a span of around eight years. While speaking about her interest in music, Sunitha said, “I was always very much active in co-curricular activities during my school and college days which opened up many opportunities to me.”

“During every school programme, I was initially made to stand in the last row, the reason being my height! But, later due to my interest and confidence I guess, I was given opportunities to lead the group from the front line,” she adds with a smile.

According to Sunitha, she slowly started shifting her interest towards light music when she went to Bangalore to pursue her graduation at the Central Institute of Home Science. In her own words she said, “Only after I met Mysore Ananthaswamy in Bangalore, my interests in lyrics started growing more. I started feeling that I could play more with words only through light music and not classical.”

She added, “I never knew I was so interested in music until I completed my PU. It was only during the last year of my graduation that I started framing my aims and dreams properly, which paved me a way for an opportunity to understand music in-depth.”

Sunitha got married in 1992 to Chandrakumar, a business person and came back to Mysore to lead her family life. While speaking about her life back in Mysore, she said, “My husband started supporting me very much and he started observing my interest in music as his own. I then got an opportunity to learn under H.R. Leelavathi for the next ten years!”

“My concentration in learning music had grown to a great extent and I was always inspired seeing the postures of Leelavathi Madam standing in a corner during the classes and composing a tune,” she said adding, “I too started dreaming about my compositions !”

While speaking about her first time experience in music composition, Sunitha said, “Usually Leelavathi Madam used to give the tunes and lyrics for us during our performances at Akashvani. But, once she had been abroad and there was a sudden programme for which we had to get ready. So, I immediately took an initiative and composed the tunes for it. It was a shocking news for our madam but she was happy with it.”

Sunitha then started composing music slowly one by one and very soon her interests got tuned up and she also started teaching music through her very own ‘Raghuleela School of Music.’ She on behalf of her music school started producing many thematic live programmes. Her very first such programme was Janapada Sirigandha. Sunitha said, “It was truly a great experience working on my first thematic live programme with my school students participating in it.” She also commented that many people were sarcastic at her efforts, but only after seeing her success they truly appreciated her!

Sunitha Chandrakumar is very much known in the music industry for developing her own style of music composition. The perfectionist composer then started concentrating more on composing and producing music albums. Sunitha said, “I can proudly say that my album Baandhevi was the first ever singing attempt by Shreya and Chitra in Kannada light music.”

She also added, “We have a co-ordinator by name Mysore Sudarshan who helps me in booking the singers and completing the album.” Sunitha said that she is very much thankful to all the musicians for tolerating her strict and unique style of working. She said, “I am very much particular when it comes to my work and I always believe in working from 9 am to 9 pm with all the musicians assembled together recording the track live,” with a smile on her face.

Sunitha Chandrakumar always worked with a strong belief that running behind money would not fetch any satisfaction in life. Thus, she ran behind her dreams trying at all odds to make them come true! Being a truly dedicated music composer from Mysore, Sunitha said that she has now become addicted towards music composition. Her students too have earned good name and fame in the music industry today with many being popular participants of music reality shows like “Ede Thumbi Haaduvenu” and “Confident Star Singer.”

Sunitha is also a proud recipient of the Best Music Composer award in the light music genre at the Karnataka International Awards held in 2013 at Bangalore.

Mysore city is really proud of such great talents who have taken light music from their home in Mysore all the way to the studios in Mumbai! Dedication at this best is what one can see in Sunitha.

She can be reached through 9945307633.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home>Feature Articles / Thursday ,  October 16th, 2014

Union Health Minister to lay foundation stone for the ‘Centre of Excellence and Museum’ at AIISH tomorrow

Education, Records, All, Science & Technology

Inauguration of ‘Audiometric Block’ and ‘Knowledge Park’

Model of the proposed Centre of Excellence and human face-shaped Museum.
Model of the proposed Centre of Excellence and human face-shaped Museum.

 Mysore :

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, will lay the foundation stone for the ‘Centre of Excellence and Museum’ and inaugurate a newly built ‘Audiometric Block’ and ‘Knowledge Park’ at All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH), Naimisham Campus, Manasagangotri, here on Oct. 17 at 9 am.

U.T. Khader, State Minister for Health and Family Welfare, V. Sreenivasa Prasad, Revenue Minister and District in-Charge Minister and Pratap Simha, MP, Mysore & Kodagu, will be the chief guests. Dr. S.R. Savithri, Director, AIISH, will be present.

Centre of Excellence: The institute was given the status of Centre of Excellence by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, New Delhi. Under this project, it is envisaged to initiate 5 research centres, 5 clinical centres, 2 other centres and a museum on speech and hearing.

The building is housed in G+3 floors with a basement for 2/4 wheeler parking space. The building consists of the following units: Centre for hearing sciences, Centre for hearing impairment in children, adults and senior citizens, Centre for persons with swallowing disorders, Centre for persons with tinnitus and vestibular disorders, Centre for speech and language disorders in Children, Adults and senior citizens, Centre for Speech and Language Sciences, Centre for AAC and sign language, Centre for prevention of communication disorders, epidemiological research and cognitive behavioural sciences in communication disorders, Centre for Informatics & Patents and Rehabilitation engineering, Acoustics & Biomedical engineering (CRAB), Centre for surgical Rehabilitation of Communication Disorders, Centre for public education in communication disorders.

Museum: The museum, first of its kind, would be in the shape of a human face and would be a great learning experience about how we speak and hear.

Audiometric Block: The newly-built Audiometric Block housed next to the Department of Clinical Services, is a boon to the patients with hearing impairment. In total it has 18 double room suites and 3 single room suites, meaning an infrastructure where 21 clients can be tested simultaneously.

The set up has a dedicated block for paediatric and geriatric patients with independent patient waiting areas. All these rooms are acoustically treated and have state-of-art technology equipment that meets international standards. The new block will cater to the needs of growing number of patients visiting AIISH for audiological evaluation and management.

Knowledge Park: The knowledge Park houses 10 classrooms and a seminar hall.

For details, contact PRO A.R. Keerthi on Mob: 98441-81080.

Minister to visit ESI Hospital

Addressing media persons at his office in Jaladarshini on Hunsur Road in city on Wednesday, MP Pratap Simha said that Dr. Harsh Vardhan would be taken to ESI Hospital on KRS Road where he would discuss the issue of providing equipments before the Minister proceeds to Periyapatna. In Periyaptna, Dr. Harsh Vardhan will address tobacco growers before returning to Bangalore in the evening, said th MP.

Earlier, the Minister will inspect K.R. Hospital and hold meeting with officials.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home>General News / Thursday ,  October 16th, 2014