Monthly Archives: November 2020
Meet Niharika, the comedian behind viral Instagram videos
Bengaluru’s funny girl Niharika NM talks to CE about her Netflix debut, life in California, and the muse behind her characters
Bengaluru :
A South Indian aunty or a Californian girl – Niharika NM can imitate any with the same ease. Currently riding high on her latest stint in Netflix’s Behansplaining, featuring Srishti Dixit and Kusha Kapila, and her viral comic video strips on Instagram, Niharika has a lot to be beaming about these days. Getting into a show where comic artistes like Dixit and Kapila have made their niche might be a risk, but Niharika says she was ready to give it her best shot.
“It feels great to be a part of the Behensplaining universe. I was super stoked when Netflix reached out and wanted me to be a part of it. Kusha, Srishti and Aisha are super talented and I’m just trying my best to match their awesomeness,” says the Bengalurean, who is currently pursuing her MBA in Los Angeles.
Confessing that she started comedy with her ‘terrible dad jokes’, Niharika never knew it would go so far. “I did computer science engineering for my undergrad, and a year into it, I just knew that I’d be a useless engineer. I also knew that the only thing that made me tolerable to most people were my dad jokes, that were so bad they were almost good.
“So, I started a YouTube channel as a creative outlet. I started making comedy skits, sketches and rants about everything under the sun,” says Niharika. She initially started by creating characters from her childhood. “I’ve been trying to showcase my personality while creating content because it just feels more authentic to me right now and I’m getting slightly comfortable just being myself and dipping into my South Indian roots,” says the 23-year-old, who moved to LA in 2019.
“Life in the USA is different, but quite exciting. Quarantining by myself wasn’t the greatest feeling in the world especially as it was the first time I was ever away from my family. However, I did try my hand at cooking, which I very quickly realised I absolutely suck at,” jokes Niharika, who tried her hand on short format content for the first time during the lockdown.
“I think the Instagram rant that I made about the quote, ‘If you love someone, let them go’, has been a game changer for me. I did not expect it to get the type of response it got, but it definitely surprised me to see how many people could relate to it,” says Niharika, whose video was shared by South Indian actors like Khushbu Sundar.
“Every time a celebrity reposts my videos or tells me I’m funny, I can never digest it and I’m always excited about it,” says Niharika, who tries her best to stay calm while responding to them. “But Khushbu is such a legend that I could not even act calm about getting her attention,” she laughs.
Winning hearts
Earlier this month, Niharika NM posted a video on the popular saying – ‘If you love someone, let them go’. In it, she angrily rants to ask if she’s running a lodge, where one could come and go as they please. With heavy usage of Bengaluru street lingo, the video managed to reach, and crack up, all kind of audiences. The video has garnered close to 5.5 lakh views and has been shared by many. Actors Samyukta Hornad and Kavya Venkatesh left comments on it too.
Ansr acquires Bengaluru-based AI firm FastNext
The US-based Ansr on Wednesday announced acquisition of Bengaluru-based artificial intelligence (AI) firm FastNext in a cash and stock deal.
However, the company didn’t disclose the acquisition cost.
Post the acquisition, FastNext employees will join Ansr and work closely with its product Talent500.
“The acquisition will enable Ansr empower global enterprises to build the best teams for their global capability centres (GCC) by using deep learning and AI-powered tools across talent acquisition and management, smart workspace management and management and business workflows,” Ansr said in a statement.
The first of the capabilities Ansr aims to build with FastNext is in AI driven talent acquisition and management that will augment existing consulting and technology capabilities. It will help clients in areas such as talent acquisition and management.
“Ansr’s Talent500 will play a pivotal role in this partnership for achieving comprehensive 360-degree candidate profiles,” the statement said.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> City> Top Bengaluru Stories / by PTI / November 05th, 2020
Field trials of Rajamudi rice to resume soon
This is a precursor to seeking GI status
The second set of field trials to prove the unique characteristic features of Rajamudi, Karnataka’s premium variety of rice, will be resumed in due course as a precursor to seeking Geographical Indication (GI) status for it.
The results of the first set of trials — which was said to be encouraging — was published some time ago in the international rice journal Oryza and scientists involved in the exercise are confident of securing the coveted GI tag for Rajamudi within the next two years.
The process is lengthy and entails scientifically proving that the characteristic features of Rajamudi cannot be replicated when cultivated in other areas.
“It is in this connection that we intend to take up its cultivation in different parts of Karnataka, including Shivamogga, Davangere, Bidar etc. this year,” said M.P. Rajanna, a research scientist at VC Farm in Mandya, who is involved in the project.
Once successful, it will be the first paddy variety of Karnataka to share the honours with Gobindobhog of Bengal, Kalanamak of Uttar Pradesh, and Ajara Ghansal of Maharashtra, which have received the GI tag.
The State government is keen to secure the GI tag for Rajamudi, which was the preferred rice variety of the Wadiyars of Mysuru who chose to receive it from the farmers of the region in lieu of tax. This was due to its unique taste and the perceived higher nutritional value which was proved scientifically in recent years, said Krishnaprasad of Sahaja Samruddha, an NGO spearheading the movement to save and popularize the indigenous variety of rice in the State.
He said cultivation of Rajamudi variety of rice is currently restricted to parts of Holenarsipur, Arkalgud, Channarayapatna, Hassan, and Mysuru taluks in south Karnataka region. However, the acreage or area under cultivation is only around 25,000 acres to 30,000 acres and was on a decline raising concern that it could be on the brink of extinction as it is being supplanted by hybrid variety.
Explaining the rationale for securing the GI status, Mr. Krishnaprasad said it will not only help conserve the paddy variety but will prevent other variety of rice cultivated elsewhere in the State from being foisted on consumers as the genuine Rajamudi product.
The initiative to secure GI tag for Rajamudi was announced almost two years ago by the Karnataka Agricultural Price Commission and the Department of Agriculture. Besides Rajamudi, there are plans to seek GI status for other varieties of rice, including Gandhasale and Ratnachudi.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – November 23rd, 2020
Tributes paid to artist Solabakkanavar
Artist T.B. Solabakkanavar, who was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi, not only showed how to lead a self-reliant life through fine arts but also set an example for others to follow, Sri Fakira Siddarama Swami of Fakireshwar Samsthan Mutt, Shirahatti, has said.
He was speaking at Nudi Namana, a programme organised at the Janapada Mandir of Utsav Rock Garden at Gotagodi in Haveri district on Monday to pay tribute to artist and chairman of Karnataka Bayalata Academy T.B. Solabakkanavar who passed away recently.
The swami said that through his art works and cement sculpture and his work to promote traditional folk form, Bayalata, Solabakkanavar brought a name to North Karnataka and had left behind sculptures that convey social message. He said that apart from leading a self-reliant life through fine arts, Solabakkanavar also showed the other artists how to live for art and also make it a source of livelihood.
Artist Kariyappa Hanchinamani, writer Sankamma Sankannavar, Somaling Ulligeri, Srishail Huddar, Suata Akki, Siddappa Biradar, artist Parimala Jain, M.S. Malawad, Fakiresh Kondayi and several others recalled their association with the late artist and also spoke on his contribution.
Basavaraj, Viresh Badiger and Sharif Makapur paid a musical tribute to the artist by singing folk songs. On Monday, several political leaders, including the former Minister Rudrappa Lamani, the former MP Manjunath Kunnur, and others paid their tributes.
On Monday night, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai met the family members of the artist and paid tributes to the artist. Mr. Bommai recalled his father’s association with Solabakkanavar and said that the same association had continued with him too.
Recalling the artist’s contribution to the field of art and folklore, he said that by establishing the Utsav Rock Garden at Gotagodi, Solabakkanavar had placed the village on the tourist map of the State permanently. He hoped that his family members would implement several projects that Solabakkanavar had envisaged. The government would extend necessary help, he added.
Director of Rock Garden Prakash Dasanur, curator Vedarani Dasanur, artist Rajaharsha Solabakkanavar and other family members were present.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Hubballi – November 24th, 2020
Frizzell D’Souza’s début single is as new as freshly brewed coffee
Bengaluru-based singer-songwriter Frizzell D’Souza’s début single is about a relationship on the cusp of feeling jaded
For this fourth-year student of RV College of Architecture in Bengaluru, success as a singer-songwriter was something she stumbled upon by accident.
“Growing up, my sister and I were encouraged to learn music,” says 21-year-old Frizzell D’Souza, over phone from Mangaluru. “She had piano lessons, while I learnt the violin for eight years. However, I took to the guitar and ukelele a few years ago, on my own.
“I started doing music about two-and-a-half years ago, with covers of some of my favourite artistes such as Ed Sheeran, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson and Eric Clapton. When Prateek Kuhad himself shared my rendition of his ‘Cold/Mess,’ it boosted my confidence and my viewership.”
It was only in the thick of the lockdown, that she began meeting independent artistes online who had started going live. “Established musicians such as Ehsaan sir (of Shankar Ehsaan Loy fame) and others kept encouraging musicians to use the time to work on their own music.” That was when she began working on creating an original number.
“I did not have any real experience writing before; I’m not even much of a reader,” she admits candidly. “When I saw others trying their hand at composing lyrics, I realised I couldn’t go on singing covers forever. Writing my songs was the next step up.”
Frizzell began by writing a few lines every day and would keep honing it till she was satisfied. “When I finished ‘New,’ a few of my friends encouraged me to put it out there.”
Frizzell says that over the course of the lockdown, she not only came up with the music and lyrics for ‘New,’ but also got down to producing it. “It was pretty challenging to produce it on your own especially when you are restricted to working from home. The Urban Weaver, an artist collective, helped me with it, and they released ‘New’ in August.”
Apart from online classes for her semester, Frizzell says she has been working on her music and is set to release another single. “When I’m not drawing or drafting for class or working on my music, I do a lot of painting.”
Her next track ‘Drown Away’ is about her childhood memories of Goa and will be released shortly.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment>Music / by Ruth Dhanraj / November 25th, 2020
Back with a bounce
City hoopster talks about staying alone and training amid the pandemic in the US
Bengaluru :
Bengaluru girl Sanjana Ramesh is currently in her second year with the Northern Arizona University (NAU) women’s basketball team in the United States. But this year has been completely different from the last season due to the pandemic, and with the 19-year-old living away from her family, life is not easy for her in the prevailing situation.
Sanjana is adjusting to the new normal, wherein she gets tested for Covid-19 thrice a week, and gyms are also open during a specific time. Even when it comes to food, there is no dine-in and takeaway is the usual option. She has also been extra careful about isolation, and hopes to get involved more in the upcoming National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Basketball Season.
“I have had to make sacrifices due to Covid-19,” the India hoopster said in a virtual interaction. “I don’t want to take any risks. I am here in the United States. What if I get the virus? I will not have the support system that I have back home. I am more isolated. It is the necessary sacrifice to make if you want to play this season and I want to do that.”
After spending three months in India, Sanjana, who is majoring in business administration, travelled to the US in July. She had to quarantine for 14 days before starting her light training. Initially, she had to train one on one, before gradually picking up and starting practice with her teammates. With her team starting the NCAA Division I campaign on Nov. 25, she is now looking forward to it, but has a weird feeling too. “Now we all play as a team and we have progressed in training. And, I will have to change my mindset that I have to play against another team. It is a little strange, knowing that we will be touching, breathing and sharing the air in the same place,” said Sanjana.
The team has also held a meetings about the dos and don’ts around Covid-19. This season is going to be a big test for all players, including Sanajana, at both the physical and the mental level. They have had sessions with therapists too.
“My personal goals are that at least for 10 minutes a game, I want to be the leading shot blocker in our conference, get rebounds… Also, it is going to be hard if even one of the players gets Covid in our team. Even if everyone else is fine, we have a 14-day shutdown,” Sanjana said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / November 24th, 2020
The right match
City-based singer Soundarya Jayachandran on crooning her first Hindi song for Netflix’s new show Mismatched, which also features renditions by popular names like Prateek Kuhad and Ritviz .
Bengaluru :
Fresh off its Friday release, Netflix’s new show, Mismatched, is all about teenage love and dreams, set in the scenic locales of Rajasthan. But besides winning hearts, the show – which stars Rannvijay Singha, Prajakta Kohli and Rohit Saraf – also offers an array of foot-tapping music, featuring songs by well-known names like Prateek Kuhad, Nikita Gandhi and Ritviz. Joining this lineup is city-based singer Soundarya Jayachandran, who lent her voice for the song Jaana.
Jayachandran recalls this collaboration as things just falling in place at the right time. “Nigel Rajarathnam, who has produced the song, and I had worked together previously. When he got to know that Jasleen Royal, who has written the song, was looking for a voice for the song, he got in touch with me. He felt my voice will fit the song,” says Jayachandran, who adds that the song has a mellow yet dark tune.
Mostly known for her English songs – original and covers – she does get nervous about singing in Hindi. “It’s just that I am too critical about my Hindi pronunciation. But I do love singing Hindi ballads, since I have been trained in Carnatic classical music for 10 years,” says Jayachandran, confessing that she still finds it a little difficult to write songs in Hindi.
Apart from being trained in Indian classical music, the singer, who is in her mid-twenties, is also trained in guitar from Trinity College of Music, London, and learnt western classical vocals from AR Rahman’s KM Music Conservatory in Chennai.
Jayachandran also recently launched her first album, Riding Daylight, which has 11 songs. “It’s a visual concept album where every song has an abstract video. The first song, In The Middle, is out now and on the 11th of every month, I am going to drop the other songs,” she says.
She is also working on her own firm, Catiko Productions. “It will take care of content creation, ad films, set design, etc. The last six months have been tough. Through this production house, I look forward to financial stability,” says the singer.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Monika Monalisa / Express News Service / November 24th, 2020
‘Soorarai Pottru’: Sky is the limit for Captain GR Gopinath
From being an Army man to an entrepreneur, Captain Gopinath speaks about his life and the events that inspired the latest Suriya-starrer ‘Soorarai Pottru’.
Bengaluru :
Captain Gopinath’s phone has not stopped buzzing with congratulatory messages ever since the release of Tamil movie Soorarai Pottru, which is based on his life and stars actor Suriya in the lead role. However, he still finds fame awkward.
While Gopinath is quite happy with the way the movie has turned out, he tells CE that Girish Karnad was the first person to convince him that his journey should be made into a movie.
“After reading my book Simply Fly: A Deccan Odyssey, he told me, ‘Captain, you have village, army, politics, helicopter, airplane… your story is so visually fascinating. It should be made into a movie’, but I was shy. He later told my wife Bharghavi too that if I am ready to give the rights, he is ready to wear the greasepaint,” laughs Gopinath, as he recalls the conversation that took place in 2017, two years before Karnad passed away.
Even when the film’s director Sudha Kongara approached him to get the rights of his book for a movie, Gopinath was still not sure.
It was when Guneet Monga, the co-producer of the movie, who has critically acclaimed movies like Gangs of Wasseypur, The Lunchbox, Masaan, Period. End of Sentence to his credit, reached out that something changed in Gopinath.
“Guneet Monga said the story held a special place for her because the first flight she ever took was Air Deccan. Then I researched her work and felt it would be good to give the rights of the movie,” says Gopinath, who was well aware that the makers would take creative liberty.
“My concern was that the message should not be lost. While there is masala, there is also meat beneath it. I am happy the message is loud and clear in the film,” emphases the 68-year-old, who shuttles between Bengaluru and his village Gorur in Hassan district, and remains busy with “writing, and mentoring inspiring entrepreneurs”.
Gopinath was also all praises for the makers for portraying the female lead as a “strong support than a subordinate”.
He says it was important to show the female lead playing his wife’s character as someone who had her own dream. “When there is a success story, there is usually a team behind it. My wife is that support for me,” adds Gopinath, whose wife still runs her bakery, Bun World Iyenger Bakery, which currently has four branches in Bengaluru, the oldest being the one in Malleswaram that was opened 25 years ago.
Talking about the scene in which Nedumaaran Rajangam (played by Suriya) asks Bommi (the wife, played by Aparna Balamurali) for financial help, Gopinath says no such thing happened in real life. “It was like a metaphor. Though I never asked for any financial help, she was my strongest support,” says Gopinath.
Thinking of a low-cost airline at a time when flying was still a luxury, he admits, was an audacious step. “One day, I was driving to my village and I came across a computer training centre, which was a new thing. It seemed like a new country, one with hungry consumers, where people had refrigerators and other electronic items displayed in their living rooms,” he says.
“It’s not always hard work and perseverance that brings success, it’s also optimism. It is important that you wake up and believe that things will work out.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> Tamil / by Monika Monalisa / Express News Service / November 23rd, 2020
Five Smart Bio Awards announced
The Bengaluru Tech Summit on Saturday showed that biological sciences are integral to the tech ecosystem. This year the Smart Bio Awards were conferred on companies and organisations in five categories.
Fibroheal Woundcare, a healthcare biotech startup that has developed biomaterial-based wound healing products, was recognised as the ‘Startup of the year’. The products, containing bio-active silk protein, heal wound faster and with reduced scar formation.
Nibedit Dey, founder and CEO of Ibrum Technologies, a multidisciplinary engineer and creative technologist with a background in biomedical engineering, embedded system and biodesign, was named ‘Innovator of the year’. The company is developing a novel point-of-care pneumonia screening device for primary healthcare users to screen and refer babies with early symptoms.
Kavitha Iyer Rodrigues, co-founder and CEO of Zumutor Biologics Pvt. Ltd., was recognised as the ‘Woman entrepreneur of the year’ for her entrepreneurial acumen and leadership qualities. Zumutor is focused on developing novel techniques for fighting cancerous tumours.
ShanMukha Innovations’ product was named the ‘Best product against COVID-19’. It seeks to bring the diagnostic lab to the samples through translation of technologies developed at the lab into products and solutions for the Indian market. The company has developed Mobile Infection Testing and Reporting Labs to provide RT-PCR testing infrastructure.
Jalodbust, recognised as the ‘Best social enterprise/institute’, is working on the problems of manual scavenging and exposure of sanitation workers to disease, drudgery, and social ignominy.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – November 21st, 2020