Monthly Archives: August 2019

11-year-old from Bengaluru student aims to master ancient Kannada language

Finding the language filled with tongue twists, Samruddhi Yadav decided to throw herself into learning it at the age of eight years.

Govt. pulls out all stops to promote over 40 Karnataka GI products

Channapatna toys | Photo Credit: S_S_Kumar
Channapatna toys | Photo Credit: S_S_Kumar

Karnataka has the distinction of securing the highest number Geographical Indications in the country

A mobile app that will help artisans promote GI products, easy availability of products on online retail platforms, a thriving brick and mortar marketplace that will showcase the best of what Karnataka has to offer. These are just some of the goals of the Karnataka State Geographical Indications Policy, which aims to promote and market the more than 40 registered GI products from the State.

From handicraft to textiles and horticulture to agriculture products, Karnataka has the distinction of securing the highest number Geographical Indications (GI) in the country. While some like Channapatna toys and dolls and Mysore Sandal Soap had strong brand recall and a huge consumer base even before getting the GI tag, others are still to find a wider market.

Gunjan Krishna, Commissioner, Industrial Development and Director of Industries and Commerce, said, “The policy is also aimed at protecting the rights of artisans and farmers as authorised users of the GI tag. For example, weavers of Ilkal sarees are authorised users of GI for Ilkal Sarees. They will have a mechanism as per the rules to initiate action against those who project and market some other saree as Ilkal sarees. We are already working at the ground level to sensitise artisans and weavers as well as consumers on importance of GIs.” There are also plans to increase their visibility on e-tail platforms. “We are already in talks with Amazon, Flipkart and other platforms on how to showcase GI products from the State online,” Ms. Krishna added.

Udupi Mallige | Photo Credit: handout_mail
Udupi Mallige | Photo Credit: handout_mail

The government is also contemplating setting up ‘design clinics’ across the State for the benefit of artisans. On the legal front, the department has reached an agreement with National Law School and other institution on how to protect the interest of GI users at ground level and dissemination of information on GIs.

As per the police, the State government will come up with a GI facilitation centre (GIFC) to implement all the schemes. The other objectives of the policy include a scheme for product standardisation and implementation of a quality control mechanism.

S.R. Satheesha, MD, Visvesvaraya Trade Promotion Centre (VTPC), which has been appointed as the nodal agency for the promotion of GI products, said the institute has already facilitated the registration of 126 artisans, farmers and groups as ‘users’, those who produce GI products in the State. “We have already started working at the ground level interacting with the artisans and farmers producing GI products in the State. We have to go a long way in protecting and promoting many of the GI products that have a strong legacy,” said Mr. Satheesha.

Kinnal toys and wooden fruits | Photo Credit: G_P_Sampath Kumar
Kinnal toys and wooden fruits | Photo Credit: G_P_Sampath Kumar

Safeguarding dying arts

Some GI handicraft like Udupi sarees, Navalgund durries and Kinhal toys have only a few families to carry on the craft as the younger generations have shifted to other more lucrative or sustainable jobs. “Artisans or farmers must get the right price for their effort. That will happen only when consumers are aware of the legacy of the products and how much labour goes into their making. Some NGOs are supporting artisans in promoting their GI products,” Mr. Sateesha added.

But awareness campaigns are slowly making an impact. He cited the example of some producers GI products like Mattu Gulla (Brinjal) in Udupi district where farmers know the importance of the tag and have taken the measures to protect their interest.

Listing new products for GI registration

The policy has also given impetus for new and prospective GI filings from the State. It states that new products which can be explored for registration include Gokak Toys, Vijayapura Raisins, Sagar Sandalwood carvings, Dharwad cotton sarees, Melkote Panche (Dhoti), Lavancha Craft in Coastal Karnataka, Savanur Betel leaves, Belagavi Kunda, Kadakola mats and others.

Financial assistance

The policy also talks about giving financial assistance to artisans to showcase their products in national and international fora by absorbing the cost of their (economy) plane ticket up to a maximum of ₹10,000 or reimbursing II Tier AC by Rail when they attend domestic exhibitions or fair. The State government will also provide up to ₹25,000 as stall rent and a dearness allowance for a a maximum of 15 days. For international exhibitions, artisans will get an economy airfare of up to ₹1.25 lakh, stall rent to a maximum of ₹1 lakh, and DA of $100 per day for a maximum of five days.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Suchith Kidiyoor / Bengaluru – August 21st, 2019

Bangalore University lecturer wins award for study on tribes

The award was announced on Independence Day. An elated Prabhakar said that however applying for the award was an ordeal.

Dr D K Prabhakar, guest faculty, Department of Studies in Telugu, Bangalore University.
Dr D K Prabhakar, guest faculty, Department of Studies in Telugu, Bangalore University.

Bengaluru :

For nearly 15 years, Dr D K Prabhakar, guest faculty, Department of Studies in Telugu, Bangalore University, with his roots in Kolar, has been studying tribal communities. Prabhakar told TNIE that his research was to take the path less trodden, an extensive focus on tribal folklore.

His study on  Dongra, Chenchu, Sugali and nomadic Koya tribes and their folklore and problems they face has not just shed light on what the government can do, but also won him the Presidential award of Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman for his contribution to Classical Telugu.

The award was announced on Independence Day. An elated Prabhakar said that however applying for the award was an ordeal. The application was to go in by post in June, and as soon as he was told about it he rushed to the general post office at 11.30pm to make his entry.

After two months wait, his works got a stamp of approval by the President’s office. However, this is not his first award. He has been the recipient of the ‘International excellence award’ in 2016 for the best monograph and Sri Krishadevaraya National Award, 2015.

This Kannadiga learnt Telugu literature while chasing his dream of civil services. His love for the language developed over the years, and he completed his PhD in the subject, shedding light on the roots of Telugu language and culture.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Pearl Maria D’Souza / Express News Service / August 19th, 2019

Indian Institute of World Culture turns 75

A view of the Library at The Indian Institute of World Culture at Basavanagudi in Bengaluru. Sudhakara Jain | Photo Credit: Sudhakara Jain
A view of the Library at The Indian Institute of World Culture at Basavanagudi in Bengaluru. Sudhakara Jain | Photo Credit: Sudhakara Jain

The Indian Institute of World Culture not just offers a huge library and cultural activities, but an impressive history of committed voluntary work

A huge hall nearly 100 feet in length is stacked with books running into lakhs on wooden racks. Cooled by ceiling fans on the high Madras ceiling, people of all ages are seen reading journals at the adjoining Behanan’s Reference Library. The building retains the old world charm with wide stairs and thick walls. It houses an auditorium on the ground floor where educational and cultural programmes happen throughout the year. The newly-renovated Children’s library is full of children running around and taking their books for interacting in friendly spaces. This is the Indian Institute of World Culture (IIWC), offering free programmes and activities to the public for more than seven decades now. A model institution run by a strong volunteer-base, IIWC, which stepped into its 75th year in August, was founded with a promise of creating an arena for cultural exchange.

August 1945, Bahman Pestonji Wadia, the founder-president of the institute and a well-known Thesophist, was extra jubilant as the inauguration event coincided with the message of the World War II coming to an end. “Under this double joy we flag off the Institute of World Culture and we shall move from darkness to light, illumined by culture and knowledge,” Wadia had said, as he launched one of the biggest institutes at Basavanagudi in South Bengaluru. The road named after Wadia after his death in 1958, is now an INTACH-listed heritage building.

Born in 1881, BP Wadia belonged to the famous Wadia family of shipbuilders from a village near Surat. Inspired by the Theosophical movement, Wadia had envisioned IIWC as a cosmopolitan cultural centre where books, arts and service thrived.

Wadia’s involvement is said to have been so deep that people had often joked, “if North Bengaluru has the Tata Institute (IISc.,) the South has the Wadia Institute,” says Honorary Secretary Arakali Venkatesh. “IIWC regularly had literary giants as DV Gundappa, VK Gokak, Masti Venkatesh Iyengar and MV Krishna Rao as part of their cultural events and the library during the 1950s and 60s. Its rich history is being preserved for people. And we plan to have a year-long programme of events to mark its Platinum jubilee,” adds Venkatesh.

The institute’s huge 4000 sq.ft. public library houses nearly 1.5 lakh books which are lent out free of charge, apart from a reading room called Behanan’s Reference Library (named after Dr. KT Behanan who handed a huge collection of classics in 1963) that extends 400 periodicals in various languages. The auditorium hosts public lectures, art exhibitions, film shows, and music and dance recitals. “We have had 150 programmes in a year without a break almost since the inception,” adds Venkatesh.

Former Justice MN Venkatachalaiah, past president of the IIWC Executive Committee, had wished to update the infrastructure to suit contemporary needs. “He wanted an auditorium that holds nearly 750 people. It is on our cards,” says the present president VJ Prasad adding that IIWC’s first renovation was the Children’s library. “We have ergonomically designed reading stations created for children to enjoy the near 4000 titles we have, apart from reference books and encyclopedias,” adds Prasad.

______________________

All for free
  • People are welcome to donate books to the IIWC library (080-26678581; www.iiwcindia.org) or become life members by donating ₹5000
  • The main library of IIWC houses 1.5 lakh books on a variety of subjects
  • The institute’s journal ‘Bulletin’ distributed free, has articles and event listings
  • The magazine section has rare collections offering even the first edition of Chandamama of the 1940s; old sets of comics as Tinkle, Champaka, Indrajal and Marvel DC amongst several more.
  • The reading room offers 400 magazines and 30 newspapers
  • IIWC has plans to bring in a fully-equipped auditorium and upscale its building and furniture with public funds

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From the IIWC library that started off in 1947 with 4,200 books and hundreds of people visiting, today the number has increased to nearly 40 times more. Public donations take care of the operating costs. “We have a modest budget of ₹1.5 lakh a month, but work with higher ideals that the founder believed in,” says Venkatesh.

Speaking about the nostalgia the institute is associated with, paediatric surgeon Dr. Vijayalakshmi Balekundri, Vice President of the committee says, from governors and presidents to Nobel laureates as CV Raman, Ralph Bunche and Julian Huxley, nuclear physicist Homi Bhabha, scientist Vikram Sarabhai, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and the erstwhile royals Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar and Travancore Marthanda Varma had visited IIWC. “The institute has been an epitome of economical functioning, but is generous in imparting culture,” adds Vijayalakshmi.

Reminiscing about his childhood who spent borrowing books from IIWC children’s library, businessman Ashish Krishnaswamy, a member of the executive committee says, “As a seven-year-old in the 1980’s I had the thrill of borrowing my first book with a library card. From all comics to Ruskin Bond and Jim Corbett’s amazing tales, the library not just offered books but had fun events to offer. We plan to get this going permanently,” says Ashish who has taken a keen interest in contributing funds and having the children’s library renovated.

The influence

BP Wadia joined the Bombay branch of the Theosophical Society in 1904, and shifted to its Madras branch in 1907. Wadia later worked in the Home Rule Movement along with Dr Annie Besant and George Arundale, which led him towards starting the first labour union in Indian history. Apart from attending conferences on trade union movement, he came into contact with United Lodge of Theosophists (ULT) founded by Robert Crosbie at the United States and worked for it. Thereafter he founded several ULTs in India and abroad along with his wife Sophia Wadia. “The institute shall remain a non-sectarian, non-governmental, private voluntary body to mainly promote inter-cultural exchanges,” Wadia had declared.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture / by Ranjani Govind / August 21st, 2019

Janata watches and Braille timepieces: A visit to HMT’s new museum in Bengaluru

The minutest components of a watch can be seen under a microscope in the ‘Parts of a Watch’ section. | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar
The minutest components of a watch can be seen under a microscope in the ‘Parts of a Watch’ section. | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

‘When former employees come here, they cry’

On the afternoon that I visit the HMT Heritage Centre and Museum in north Bengaluru, I meet Rajendra Rao, a project manager, his wife, daughters, and mother-in-law, who have just finished the tour and are now at the tiny souvenir shop that sells watches and miniature tractors. Rao tells me about his first HMT, passed on to him from his father-in-law — a Swarna limited edition watch with an Indian flag on the dial. “I have 16 watches of various brands, but today I bought my own HMT,” he says. “I wish the government had not shut it down. This was the essence of Make In India.”

Within the nondescript two-storey building — originally the official residence of the HMT chairperson — set in a sprawling four-acre space, lush with a hundred trees, the museum is as much about the story of HMT as it is about the intricate craft of watch-making.

My tour begins in a brightly lit room with pictorial charts on the walls marking milestones from 1953 when HMT (Hindustan Machine Tools Ltd) was incorporated by the government as a machine tool manufacturing company. In 1961, the foundation for the first watch factory was laid in Bangalore and operations began with technical know-how from Japan’s Citizen Watch Company.

Within the next decade, more factories were set up across the country, including in Srinagar and Ranibagh in Uttarakhand. There is a photograph of Jawaharlal Nehru receiving the first hand-wound HMT watch, manufactured in 1962, which he famously christened Janata, a legendary name now.

Up till the 90s, HMT watches enjoyed a golden era, controlling 90% of the market. In 2000, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was presented HMT’s 100 millionth watch. But with the arrival of quartz watches, cheap timepieces from China, and stiff competition, the slowdown in sales began, which was never stemmed.

A number of iconic HMT models are showcased across a sprawling four rooms. | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar
A number of iconic HMT models are showcased across a sprawling four rooms. | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

Losing steam

In 2013 the company reported a loss of a whopping ₹242 crores, and began to lose steam. The watches division was fully phased out by 2016. However, watches are still sold on their website hmtindia.com. There are still some two to three lakh watches on their inventory, and their wind-up watches are still in high demand.

“The demand for HMTs was so great that in the 60s, a pledge was made to set up a new factory every year,” says Jayapalan P., who worked at HMT for 30 years in the after-sales department, and now manages the museum.

I find myself in a room where the watch has been turned inside out. Titled ‘Parts of a Watch’, the display shows every single component that goes into a standard watch: movement pieces, hair springs, screwdrivers, horological jigs, pliers, watchcases, gaskets, dials, even straps.

There are hand-press machines that ‘coined’ the dials of the 60s’ watches, and the powerful eyeglasses used during assemblage. Jayapalan stops at one display that houses minute-hour markers, watch hands and dials. “This may look simple but the task of placing each component on the dial is exacting and tedious,” he says. And there used to be more women than men working in the assembly section, he says.

Interestingly, the museum’s display boxes — in bright yellows, reds and greens — are made from the old doors and windows of the HMT school in Bengaluru, which was shut down two years ago. The factory floor has been recreated as well, complete with all the heavy machinery. You can even insert a card into the punching clock as employees would once have done. In fact, most of the machines too are in working condition. Jayapalan points to an antique printing press manufactured by William Notting in 1760. “When former employees come here, they cry,” he sighs.

Gems and gold biscuits

On the shelves I spot the elegant Sujata (the first HMT ladies watch); Chandana, circa 1990, with a sandalwood dial ring and sold with a bottle of sandalwood oil to smear on it when worn); Kanchan (apparently every groom had to have this); the Tareeq series (the only one with a date interface); the Gem Utsav series (silver studded with semiprecious stones); and the ‘gold biscuit’ watches (with a gram of gold on the dial). HMT had Braille watches (1970) that came with a Braille handbook — “no one else did this in India” — and ‘nurse watches’ with just a dial that could be pinned to the uniform blouse.

Photo: K. Murali Kumar
Photo: K. Murali Kumar

There are watches commissioned by PSUs and government departments, watches with pictures of gurus, politicians and freedom fighters. Jayapalan shows off his 25-year-old Suraj watch, fully automatic and with no battery. “It works on the movement of my hand,” he says.

Jayapalan remembers standing in line at 5 a.m. to buy his Janata in 1970. And he spends no more than ₹20 each year to replace the glass casing. “Nothing goes wrong with it,” he says. “Maybe that’s why the factory closed; once you bought an HMT, there was no reason to replace it.”

Outside, children are taking joy rides on the HMT tractor or buying tiny tractor models. But Shivanand Patil, 24, the young tractor driver, doesn’t wear a watch. “I have my phone,” he says.

The freelance writer believes that everything has a story waiting to be told

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society / by Jayanthi Madhukar / August 17th, 2019

Let’s not repeat what was done to Fredericks

Manuel Fredericks. Picture credit: facebook.com/ Manuel Fredericks
Manuel Fredericks. Picture credit: facebook.com/ Manuel Fredericks

It has taken India a very long time to recognise Manuel Fredericks and confer him with the Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime achievement. Clearly, we could have done better for the former goalkeeper who was in the bronze medal-winning hockey team in the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The least the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and successive governments could have done was given him the Arjuna Award at least. Agreed that hockey is a team sport and everyone cannot get an award. But did he have to apply nine times before being finally considered for any award?

It was a well-known fact that Fredericks was not in the best of situations financially. Forget about awards, it is bewildering that he hardly received any help. He was managing to make ends meet by coaching school children and a small pension. His case is the perfect example of how we neglect our national sporting heroes.

The selection of Arjuna Awardees was ridden with bad decisions and undeserving winners. Not very long ago, it was a three-member selection committee and there was a big furore over the winners. Fortunately, it is a 12-member committee picking the winners.

It is also baffling as to why three-time Asia-Pacific Rally Championship winner Gaurav Gill had to wait this long before finally being given the Arjuna in motorsport. He was the champion in 2013, ’16 and ’17 and should have been conferred the award much earlier.

Another case is that of hockey wizard Dhyan Chand, whose birthday on August 29 is celebrated as National Sports Day. The Khel Ratna, Arjuna, Dronacharya and Dhyan Chand Awards are presented.

It is surprising that he has not been given the Bharat Ratna, considering that his feats remain unparalleled and was largely responsible for India’s first three hockey gold medals in the Olympics in Amsterdam (1928), Los Angeles (1932) and Berlin (1936). He got the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour, in 1956. But he clearly deserved the Bharat Ratna, no matter how late.

When master batsman and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar got the Ratna in 2014, several the hockey fraternity was up in arms and felt Dhyan Chand deserved it. That was probably the wrong way of looking at it. Tendulkar definitely deserved it, no question about that. However, what stopped the government from conferring it to Dhyan Chand earlier or later than 2014 is quizzing.

It is not always the fault or slip-up of the committee or Ministry that deserving candidates get left out. National federations and state associations sometimes fail to send in the nominations on time in order to be considered for the Award.

Take the case of sprinter Dutee Chand. The Odisha Government sent her nomination late and was thus rejected by the Ministry. Her nomination was also rejected because it was not in order. This is exactly the kind of lackadaisical approach that deprives a sportsperson of recognition.

Even when it comes to recognising sportspersons’ achievements and simply awarding them promotions, governments sometimes fail. For instance, sportspersons who are with law enforcement agencies like the police quite often go unrecognised. High-achieving sportspersons and employed with the Haryana or Punjab police are given generous promotions. It is difficult to think of other states that reward sportspersons as well as Punjab or Haryana.

There is one truth that we have to wake up to. If there is no timely incentive for good performances, it could very well have the negative impact of keeping youth away from sport. At a time when Indians are making their mark in international sport,  we could do well to reward them suitably.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Opinion / by Vivek Phadnis, DH WebDesk, Bengaluru / August 18th, 2019

President’s medal for CRPF IGP T. Sekar

His distinguished service recognised

T. Sekar, Inspector-General of Police of CRPF’s Cobra School of Jungle Warfare Training in Khanapur in Belagavi, has been awarded the President’s police medal for distinguished service on the occasion of Independence Day.

Hailing from Thirumazhisai in Tamil Nadu, he joined CRPF in 1986 as Deputy Superintendent of Police.

He has served in crisis situations in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Maharashtra. He has commanded Operational Range Gadchiroli (MH) and led and planned many Anti-Naxal operations. He has led various anti-terrorist operations in disturbed areas to curb terrorism and militancy. He has also served as an SPG officer from 1989 to 1998 on the security wing of VVIPs, including Prime Ministers and former Prime Ministers.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Belagavi – August 15th, 2019

Woman biker wins laurels at global championship

While Pissay is one of the youngest motorsport persons in India to bag the international title, she says it is a delayed achievement when compared to riders from other countries.

AishwaryaPissayBF16aug2019

Bengaluru :

Aishwarya Pissay from Banashankari has won the international off-road championship, FIM Baja World Cup 2019 Women’s Category in Hungary, becoming the first Indian to achieve this feat.

Pissay secured first position in the four-round championship with overall 65 points, whereas Rita Viera from Portugal came second with 61 points. The 23-year-old Pissay has been practising bike racing for five years. It was during her college days that she picked up this motorsport which made some raise their eyebrows over. “People also told me that it is not a thing that I should choose. But my motivation increased when I started participating in more rallies and races. With the support of sponsors, within a span of five years, I could win six national championships and two international championships,” tells Pissay.
This rider from TVS Racing, the factory racing team of TVS Motor Company, calls motorsport a serious sport, where riders are required to possess dedication, endurance and patience. She ensures that she is trained three days in a week at Big Rock Dirtpark in Kolar to improve her riding skills. Pissay also attends a performance lab on Cunningham Road for mental conditioning and nutrition care to make her fit for each race. “Meditation is my routine. It helps maintain my focus.”

While Pissay is one of the youngest motorsport persons in India to bag the international title, she says it is a delayed achievement when compared to riders from other countries. “I’m not really young in this field. But when we compare the situation in India, yes, I’m young. I think it’s absolutely a pride moment that I made a difference here and put India on the global motorsport. Just hope to see this change lead forward. I believe what I have done or what dignitaries like C S Santhosh has been doing is a hope to people. It definitely gives people hope that they can achieve outside the country and fly the tri-colour flag,” concludes Pissay, whose ultimate aim is to finish the Dakar Rally.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Lesly Joseph / Express News Service / August 15th, 2019

City dance team wins big in global contest

OneGroupDanceBF15aug2019

Bengaluru dance group ‘One Move’s’ kids team represented India in ‘Dance World Cup 2019’ held in Braga, Portugal. The event saw 56 participating countries with more than 6,000 participants.

India won the second position this year as compared to last year’s fifth position for the same category — ‘Under 14 ‘Hip-Hop duet/trio’. The dancers were Neha and Sampada. Meghan Singhal was placed sixth in the ‘Under 17 Hip Hop Solo (junior category).

The team comprising of 16 girls and one boy won the fourth position for the ‘Show Dance Category’ where they performed Bollywood and freestyle. In the ‘ Hip Hop group dance, they were placed fifth. Sushil Jay, director and founder, ‘One Move’, says, “After last year, I understood the competition level and prepared my kids accordingly. It is a year of hard work that has paid off. I am extremely proud of them all. We now look forward to next year’s competition. If we clear the qualifying round in India in December, we fly to Italy in June.”

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Metrolife> Metrolife – Your Bond With Bengaluru / by DH News Service – Bengaluru / August 13th, 2019

Bengaluru boy wins gold at Mathematics Olympiad

Pranjal
Pranjal

Pranjal, a student of National Public School- Koramangala, recently won the gold medal at the recently concluded International Mathematics Olympiad’s (IMO 2019) in United Kingdom.

IMO is revered as the biggest and toughest of the science competitions across the world.

Speaking to Metrolife, Ashish Srivastava, Pranjal’s father, says “What makes Pranjal’s medal noteworthy is that he is youngest ever to win a gold medal from India and his win has ends the seven-year drought of gold for India. The competition that had 210 countries and more than 600 participants, proved to be a memorable experience for Pranjal.”

After his return, Pranjal, was felicitated by legendary mathematician Prof Mahan Maharaj of TIFR.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Metrolife> Metro Lifestyle / DH News Service, Bengaluru / August 13th, 2019