Monthly Archives: February 2015

Visually impaired strike a chord, win hearts

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

Chennai :

These aspiring singers required no accomplices, not a single musical instrument. Their sole voices would do the job for them once they were handheld and aided to climb the stage. For, they were all visually impaired.

More than 100 students from- Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh endeavoured to hit all the high and low notes at the South Indian Singing Festival 2015 organised by the NGO, Nethrodaya. And it was 20- year- old Bhagyamma a student from Bangalore who was adjudged the best among them for her rendition of a Carnatic based Kannada cinema song and won Rs 50,000 in cash. The second and third winners were both from Chennai. “I don’t know what raaga I sang in, I’m not trained in music, but I have the gift of singing which I don’t want to waste,” says Bhagyamma, a BA History student from Bharat Education Society, Bangalore who has been visually impaired since she was born.

But the man who was placed after her in the third position is Gokula Krishna who has been training in Carnatic music since he was 6. This final year B Com student from Loyola College sang a medley of the popular Rajinikanth song raagangal pathinaru and the recent aanandha yaazhai. Krishna, 20 is also part of Loyola’s light music team. “Parents forced me into learning classical music but I began liking it,” laughs Krishna who now says he wants to make it as a professional singer. Krishna has a condition of low vision but like Bhagyamma he says they are not stumbled by difficulties. “No one deliberately isolates you, if you can mingle with a normal crows, it’s just fine. Fortunately my peers who have vision are friendly and cooperative,” Krishna says.

Six playback singers from Tamil cinema were the panellists who marked them on par with any other singing competition. Social Welfare minister B Valarmathi gave away the prizes. “The purpose was to provide entertainment and competitions for the visually impaired and to make an impact that they are on par with sighted singers,” says Nethrodaya founder C Govindakrishnan known as Gopi to Chennaiites. “The fighting spirit among is prevalent but they have no platform to showcase their talents. This is why we increased the price money to encourage the student community. It is a hope that now other clubs and organisations too will host competitions and fests for them.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Divya Chandrababu, TNN / February 22nd, 2015

From Caddie to Professional Golfer : K. Harish

Sports

Star this Week

HarishBF21feb2015

Caddies are golfers best buddies. Good caddies say the right things when the chips are down and ease the pressure of golfers. Lugging heavy bags, they walk all over the course, from hole to hole, dripping sweat and taking on the hot sun. A caddies life can be tough but some break out of the shell and make it big as a golfer. Rohtash Singh, Ali Sher were the first caddies in India who turned professional and showed the way to others.

Rags to riches stories have been rarely told in Mysuru golf, but the meteoric rise of city lad K. Harish who started off as a caddie at the JWGC and now being the only professional golfer from the city playing in the PGTI Tour Circuit is one such classic tale. Harish recently taking part in the 2015 PGTI qualifying school-final stage golf tourney held at Eagleton Golf course from Jan. 20 to 23, tied 13th with a four-day aggregate score of 290 (two over course) and qualified for the PGTI tour 2015. He is our ‘Star This Week.’

Harish, 30, used to caddie at the Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Golf Course when he was a nine-year-old for a living (1994). He was a very keen student of the game and learnt the finer points during his caddying days at the Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Golf course. His playing talent was spotted by Dr. Sundarraj and Raian Irani in 1997 and they encouraged him by giving him the permission to play in the course free of charge. He trained under the guidance of coach Sudharshan at the JWGC and improved his game. Harish played his first tournament as a Junior in Coimbatore and won a prize in the second tournament.

Harish improved his game by leaps and bounds and with the support from the JWGC club who have been giving him the needed support for playing as well as financially from then till now, has helped him to improve on his game and he has made a mark for himself in the Circuit.

Previously Rahul Ganapathy (former National Amateur Champion and ace professional golfer) and two caddie turned professionals Prabhu and Srikanta were the only others who played from Mysuru in the professional circuit.

Harish is the son of Krishna and Chikkamma who reside in Gowrishankar Nagar, on the foothills of Chamundi Hill. Harish qualified as a professional golfer in 2006 after securing his card from the qualifying school, played 6 tournaments in the 2007 circuit and it was a learning experience for him. He could not continue playing in the professional circuit due to lack of financial support.

In 2013, once again he started playing regularly and made the cut in three tournaments (the PGTI-Eagleburg Open-46th place, Indian Oil Servo Masters at Assam-36th place and PGTI players championships-Noida-37th place). In 2014, he started off well and gave his best performance of his career in the PGTI tour by making the cut in 7 tournaments. He finished 15th in the CG Open 2014 at the Mumbai Presidency golf course and won a cash prize of 1,45,000 which is his best performance in the tour till date. Presently, he stands 128 in the list of earners in the PGTI tour.

Harish intends to play the 2015 professional tour and starts off his campaign with the Golconda Masters 2015 at the Hyderabad Golf Club from Feb. 26 to Mar. 1. He will also play the PGTI Masters in Cochin and the Ahmadabad leg. He intends to train hard and improve on his chipping and approach shots to the green and aims to perform well in the higher level in the days to come and bring laurels to JWGC, his home club and Mysuru.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / February 15th, 2015

Ready for a Blast from the Past? Royal Collectible Goes Under the Hammer Today

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Bengaluru :

A letter penned by Sri Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV of the Mysore royal family, bearing the royal coat of arms in gold glitter, will be the cynosure of all eyes in the city on Saturday as it goes on auction.

The auction is being organised by Marudhar Arts, a licensed auctioneer, as part of the ongoing National Numismatic Exhibition. The “extremely rare” collectible is pegged at a base price of `25,000. It was sent by the ‘Philosopher King’ to Maharaja Sir Bhanwar Pal Deo Bahadur of Karauli (Rajasthan) on October 14, 1917.

The letter is a response to King Bahadur’s letter, which had lauded Wadiyar for conducting the Dasara festival in an excellent manner. Wadiyar’s letter runs thus: “My dear Maharaja Saheb, I thank Your Highness most sincerely for your congratulations to me on my Dasara festival and I hope, as you do, that it may prove an augury of the complete victory of the British Arms. With all good wishes for the health of Your Highness and your family. Your Highness’s sincere friend, Krishnaraja Wadiyar.”

Wadiyar ruled the princely state of Mysore from 1894 till his death in 1940. His rule was billed as `Rama Rajya’ by Mahatma Gandhi and the state was described as the ‘Model State’ by the British.

When asked about the price the letter is expected to sell at, Archie Manu, co-director at Marudhar Arts, did not give an exact figure but expressed optimism that it would fetch a high  amount. He explained that the base price was fixed at `25,000 because it was the sum paid to the collector (name withheld) who had sold Marudhar Arts the letter. His father and co-director Rajendra Manu was more forthcoming. “We already have internet bidders showing interest (to pay) up to `40,000. I am confident of it (highest bid) crossing `1 lakh.”

The auction will be held between 5 pm and 8 pm on Saturday at The Bell Hotel and Convention Centre. The letter is likely to come up for bidding around 7.30 pm, Manu added. Three photos signed by Wadiyar too will be auctioned.

A novel aspect of this auction is the real-time audio and video bidding that will happen simultaneously on the website www.maruuction.com. “This is the first time in Asia this has been done in a numismatic auction,” Manu claimed.

Coin Fetches `6.25L

One gold and one silver coin (sold as one lot) belonging to the reign of Mubarak Shah, fetched the highest price of `6.25 lakh at the expo on Friday. It was among the 348 coins auctioned. It was bought by a North Indian bidder, said Manu. The same dye has been used on both coins and this is something very unique as usually, different dyes are used, Manu told Express. The base price quoted was `6 lakh.

The coins have a quotation from the Quran on the reverse. Another lot, of one gold and one silver coin from the Sultanate era, fetched `4.25 lakh.

“This pair is exceedingly rare and was being offered on auction for the first time ever,” said Archie Manu. The day’s auctioning was described as “good and satisfactory”.

On day two (Saturday), 579 coins will be up for bidding in two auctions.

three-day National Numismatic Exhibition Opens

The interest shown by the country’s youth in numismatics (study or collection of currency) is heartening, said Jan Lingen, regional secretary (Europe) of the Oriental Numismatic Society of London, on Friday.

Delivering the inaugural address at the three-day National Numismatic Exhibition at The Bell Hotel and Convention Centre, Lingen said every coin tells a story of its own. Lingen, who was born in the Netherlands, is known across the globe for his passion for Indian coins, and has written extensively on the subject.

Rezwan Razack, chairman of the Indian chapter of the International Bank Note Society, said the expo offers a platform for coin dealers and collectors from across the country. Overall, 76 numismatic dealers are taking part in the expo. Among the unique pieces on display are two lithographs on the city’s past, including the 1794 piece ‘The East View of Bangalore with Cypress Garden’.

Coins from the Mughal, the Hindu Medieval and the Sultanate eras, old tokens, medals and paper money are on display. The expo is open from 10 am to 6 pm and entry is free.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by S. Lalitha / February 21st, 2015

State Central Library, 100 years and counting

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

StateLibraryBF20feb2015

The State Central Library, one of the oldest and largest libraries in the country, is all set to celebrate its centenary this year.

The government plans to use this occasion to give a fillip to all State libraries. It also plans to construct a library on the lines of the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai.

After meeting 40 writers and academicians from across the State on Thursday, Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education Kimmane Ratnakar said the government plans to launch a movement to promote libraries and inculcate the habit of reading among children. “Various writers and academicians from every district took part in the meeting on Thursday to discuss the campaign that will begin in May or June,” Mr. Ratnakar said.

Some of the prominent personalities who attended the meeting were Kannada filmmaker Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar, journalist Ravindra Reshme, and politician and writer B.T. Lalitha Naik.

Satish Kumar S. Hosamani, Director, Department of Public Libraries, said the department would send a proposal to the BBMP and BDA to construct a centenary library building.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Tanu Kulkarni / Bengaluru – February 20th, 2015

Rev. Fr. Michael Gonsalves passes away

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

FrGonsalvesBF20feb2015

Mysuru :

Rev. Fr. Michael Gonsalves (61), a Priest of the Diocese of Mysuru, passed away in the early hours here today. Born on Feb. 11, 1954, he was ordained a Priest on April 23, 1982.

Fr. Michael Gonsalves had served as a Priest in Chamarajanagar, K.R. Pet, Kushalnagar, Maradiyoor and presently was serving at Virgin of the Poor Church in Bannimantap, Mysuru.

The body will be kept at Prashantha Nilaya, (opposite Vidyaniketan SVD Seminary), Bannimantap, for the public to pay their last respects.

The body will be brought to Virgin of the Poor Church, Bannimantap, at 8 am on Sunday (Feb. 15) and there will be a Holy Mass for the repose of the soul of the deceased at 8.15 am.

Thereafter, the body will be kept in the same Church for the public to pay their last respects upto 8.30 am on Monday (Feb. 16).

There will be concelebrated funeral mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral (St. Philomena’s Church), Mysuru, at 10.30 am on Feb. 16 which will be presided by Most Rev. Dr. Thomas Antony Vazhapilly, Bishop of Mysuru. The deceased Priest will be laid to rest at around 12 noon at the Catholic Cemetery on Mahadevapura Road, Gandhi Nagar here, according to Rev. Fr. K.A. William, PRO – Diocese of Mysuru.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Saturday – February 14th, 2015

Wrestling coach Manjappa felicitated

Sports
Mayor R. Lingappa seen presenting a silver maze to L. Manjappa during the felicitation event held at Lions auditorium yesterday. Others seen are (from left) Dr. C. Krishna, Director, Dept. of Physical Education, UoM, Prof. K.R. Rangaiah, Secretary, Karnataka Wrestling Association and D. Ravikumar, CEO, Cauvery Neeravari Nigama & Secretary, Dasara Wrestling Committee
Mayor R. Lingappa seen presenting a silver maze to L. Manjappa during the felicitation event held at Lions auditorium yesterday. Others seen are (from left) Dr. C. Krishna, Director, Dept. of Physical Education, UoM, Prof. K.R. Rangaiah, Secretary, Karnataka Wrestling Association and D. Ravikumar, CEO, Cauvery Neeravari Nigama & Secretary, Dasara Wrestling Committee

Mysuru :

Wrestling coach L. Manjappa (SAI), who retired from service recently, was felicitated in a function organised by wrestlers headed by former National Level Wrestler Shankar Chakravarthy at the Lions Hall auditorium here yesterday.

Mayor R. Lingappa was the chief guest on the occasion. D. Ravikumar, CEO, Cauvery Neeravari Nigama and Secretary, Dasara Wrestling Committee, Dr. C Krishna, Director, Dept. of Physical Education, UoM and Prof. K.S. Rangaiah, Secretary, Karnataka State Wrestling Association were present on the occasion.

During his felicitation, Manjappa was presented with a silver maze by Mayor R. Lingappa.

Speaking on the occasion, Lingappa lauded the service of Manjappa to the society and said that he had produced quality wrestlers who had brought laurels to the country and state.

D. Ravikumar, CEO, Cauvery Neeravari Nigama, Mysuru, said that the State Level Wrestling Tournament would be held on Mar. 1, 2015 at the Devaraj Urs Multi-purpose Wrestling Stadium in honour of L. Manjappa and urged all wrestlers from the state to take part in the tournament.

Dr. C Krishna speaking on the occasion, said that L. Manjappa, had trained many a wrestlers who represented State and University at different levels. He also said that Manjappa was responsible to start women wrestling in University of Mysore. Ramya, a wrestler, who are trained by Manjappa, representing University of Mysore, won a bronze medal in the All India Inter-University Competitions. Later, Manjappa thanked all the wrestlers for felicitating him and said that even though he had retired from service he would continue to coach the wrestlers for another 10 years.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / February 12th, 2015

Karanji Lake to Host Its Second Butterfly Park Soon

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Travel
Mysuru :
Karanji Lake Nature Park, one of the most scenic places in Mysuru city, will soon open its second butterfly park.

One such park is already situated in a small island within the lake but hasn’t been able to attract many butterflies.

Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens executive director B P Ravi told Express, “Butterflies require specific eco-climatic conditions. The island concept is wrong. The habitat is not suitable and attracts very few butterflies as it is surrounded by water. The temperature and humidity needs to be mild. This is why a new butterfly garden is being set up near the entrance gate.”

Mysuru Zoo authorities own and maintain Karanji Lake.

Nearly 150 varieties of nectar and host plants will be planted in the garden to attract various kinds of butterflies.

Display boards with information on the kinds of butterflies along with their specialities and importance will be put up.

The lake authorities also plan to encourage college students to plant saplings and will teach them about the importance of conservation. Nearly 60 per cent of the work has been completed and the garden will be ready by March. Apart from this, visitors to the lake will get to visit an orchidarium (an area where orchids are cultivated), a cactus terrarium, and a paludarium (an area that incorporates both terrestrial and aquatic elements).

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / February 16th, 2015

WKC strives to safeguard Konkani heritage

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

Mangaluru :

Konkani Language and Cultural Foundation took the first step towards safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (ICH) of Konkani by organizing a national workshop at the World Konkani Centre (WKC) on Sunday.

Shubha Chaudhuri, associate director general, American Institute of Indian Studies, New Delhi, told TOI that dealing with intangible cultural heritage of any community is a big challenge. “No one can fully finish the process of documenting it,” she said, adding the first step in that direction should be making an inventory of what needs to be documented by consulting various stakeholders. “Community participation holds the key in this direction,” she said.

Explaining reasons for this approach supported by Unesco, which adopted ICH convention at its 32nd session in Paris from September 29 to October 17, 2003, Chaudhuri said, “There is no point in reviving the old. The focus is now on trying to promote existing cultural heritage and how best to stop them from going extinct,” she said.

It is always easy to document the tangible heritage of a community in terms of its buildings and other assets. But there are many communities in faraway islands tucked away in remote corners of the world, which have their own rich oral tradition.

Chaudhuri, who has worked in this area in Nepal, said: “If communities sans tangible assets have healthy transmission of their intangible oral tradition, that should suffice rather than worry about traditions dying,” she said.

Shigeru Aoyagi, director and Unesco representative to Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka and Maldives, said, “Safeguarding intangible heritage requires far more complex exercise than preserving a monument, because its survival depends on human factors,” he said.

He pointed out that the latest technologies cannot help much because intangible heritage by nature has to be safeguarded alive, and cannot be recorded or conserved as museum piece out of its social context. “What sustains intangible heritage is nothing but existence of a group of people – practitioners, scholars and public alike – who continue loving and giving sense to the tradition and perhaps this is the ultimate key to safeguarding intangible heritage,” he said.

Kiran Budkuley, HOD of English, Goa University, said, “We will be more than willing to share our experience with the World Konkani Centre to safeguard Konkani’s intangible cultural heritage,” she said. Goa University could moot signing MoU with the Centre if needed to formalize the same, she added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangaluru / TNN / February 09th, 2015

Flavour of Japan in Bengaluru

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion
An artiste performing at the Japan Habba in Bengaluru on Sunday.— Photo: Sudhakara Jain / The Hindu
An artiste performing at the Japan Habba in Bengaluru on Sunday.— Photo: Sudhakara Jain / The Hindu

The audience were enraptured while the famous Kannada song Anisuthide yaako indu from the filmMungaru Male was being performed. What was unusual about this was it was being performed by Kuboki Kazumasa, who is Japanese. They cheered on enthusiastically as Japanese women and children danced to famous numbers from Hindi film Hasee Toh Phasee .

The audience was even more enthralled and captivated when Japanese nationals staged a humorous drama on marriages in India in Kannada.

This was at the 11th Japan Habba organised here on Sunday. Organised by Bangalore University along with Consulate of Japan, Bengaluru, The Japan Foundation, New Delhi, and other Japanese organisations. The aim of the habba was to promote Indo-Japanese relations, besides creating opportunities for people to learn more about Japan.

As part of the habba, several cultural events were organised, including Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam performances by the Japanese, and Odori, a traditional Japanese dance, performance by Indians. Japanese martial arts — Aikido and Ninjutsu — were also demonstrated.

This is what attracted Rohan Jain, a BPO employee from Mumbai, to come down to the city. “I was mainly interested in cosplay (costume play) and it was an interesting experience,” he said. The habba also featured lip-smacking delicacies from Japan.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / Bengalurua – February 16th, 2015

Neeraja Puthiamadom bags 15 gold medals in B.SC

Education, Records, All

Horticulture College felicitates meritorious student

Neeraja being felicitated at Horticulture College, Mysuru, recently.
Neeraja being felicitated at Horticulture College, Mysuru, recently.

Mysuru :

Neeraja Puthiamadom, a B.Sc Horticulture student at the Horticulture College, Mysuru, who topped the B.Sc Horticulture examinations and was awarded 15 Gold Medals at the recently held 4th Convocation of University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot, was felicitated at her college in city recently.

Winners of Inter-collegiate Youth Festival and Inter-collegiate Sports and Games meet of the college were also felicitated on the occasion.

College Dean Dr. K.M. Indiresh, who was the chief guest on the occasion, lauded the brilliant performance of Neeraja and her achievement.

Dr. B.G. Prakash, Professor and University Head, Dept. of Crop Improvement and Biotechnology, College of Horticulture, Mysuru, who also spoke, explained the academic activities of Neeraja in different stages and stressed that apart from academic performance, personal behaviour was also important in achieving success.

Later, the College’s Inter-Collegiate Youth Festival team which achieved success and the College sports team which won the overall championship at the Inter-Collegiate Sports & Games Meet were also felicitated.

Professors Dr. Prasad Kumar and Dr. G. Janardhan and Assistant Professors Dr. B.N. Dhananjaya, Dr. K.P. Mangala and Dr. Vikram Appanna were present.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Wednesday – February 11th, 2015