Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Celebrity speak…: Sneha Kapoor, The Indian Salsa Princess in city

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

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Sneha Kapoor, the award-winning Salsa connoisseur has a career resume that any dance-lover would love to possess at an age as young as 27. While she is fondly called the ‘Indian Salsa Princess,’ this damsel who also is an expert dance choreographer and instructor well-versed in varied dance forms, enjoys the privilege of being the first woman in the country to have won some of the world’s most prestigious international Salsa championships.

Born and brought up in Bangalore and currently based at Mumbai, Sneha has awards from the Australian Salsa Classic, Sydney, the European Salsa Masters, UK and the Asian Open Salsa Championships, Hong Kong, in her kitty, apart from having surfaced as one among the top 20 finalists in the famous Indian television dance reality show Dance India Dance in the year 2011. The young and talented danseuse, who also is an exponent in other dance forms such as Bachata, merengue, Jive, hip-hop, adagio and Bollywood, was in Mysore to perform at a New Year’s eve event when Star of Mysore caught up with her for an interview. Excerpts…

Star of Mysore (SOM): You are called the Indian Salsa Princess. How does it feel to be called so?

Sneha: I feel humbled. I got the title after I won a series of International Salsa dance championships held at various places across the globe during the year 2007 such as the Australian Salsa Classic in Sydney, the European Salsa Masters at the UK and the Asian Open Salsa Championship held at Hong Kong, apart from being a semi-finalist at the ESPN World Salsa Championship held at Orlando, Florida, the same year. It feels wonderful to be called so. It’s quite touching.

SOM: How was your stint with the reality show Dance India Dance? How did the show really help you?

Sneha: The first reality show I took part in was India has Got Talent. I participated in Dance India Dance (DID) later which was a great learning experience. I not just got recognised through this show but also got to learn several more dance styles as a participant. And getting trained and groomed under the best of judges was yet another advantage of DID. I had the best of judges in Geeta Kapoor, Terence Lewis and Remo D’ Souza. It was a great experience altogether.

SOM: You were an athlete and wanted to make it big in the field of sports. Then what made you take to dance?

Sneha: I never knew I would become a dancer or choreographer one day. It happened by default. I was initially an athletics enthusiast who aimed to make it big and represent India in athletics. However, I unfortunately suffered an injury in my knee because of which I had to give up athletics. During the time, my friends at college forced me to take part in a dance competition which I reluctantly did. I must admit I made no great dancer in the beginning. However, I gradually picked up the skills, joining the Lourd Vijay’s dance studio in Bangalore. In all, becoming a dancer has been a roller-coaster ride.

SOM: You also hold a Guinness World Record for having done the most number of swing dance flips in a minute. Tell us about it.

Sneha: Yes. We were a team of four who broke the record set in the UK and it fills me with a sense of pride. I and my team broke the record of 33 flips in a minute that was set four years ago. Our new record stands at 39 swing dance flips in a minute.

SOM: What are the plans in pipeline?

Sneha: I would love to see myself going a few more steps further as a choreographer and making it big in the field. I have choreographed for a South Indian movie and reality shows Just Dance and Perfect Bride. My current interest is acting and I have been working towards it. Acting isn’t my forte so I have more to learn.—AN

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / January 04th, 2014

The party moves out of city centre

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Revellers prefer Indiranagar, Koramangala

The New Year party in the city is no longer just at Brigade Road and M.G. Road. Those leafing through party announcements will find that Indiranagar and Koramangala are giving the central business district a run for revellers’ money.

Take 25-year-old media professional Sanjana Shetty, for example. For her gang of friends, for whom wining and dining at the most happening resto-bars every New Year is almost a ritual, heading all the way to M.G. Road from their homes in and around Marathahalli is no longer a sound option. “We obviously drink if it is a New Year party and being stuck in the chaos on Brigade Road past midnight is not a good idea as the group mostly has women. Indiranagar is a lot closer and the celebrations are more subdued,” she said.

Parthiv K., a 31-year-old advertising professional, is a resident of Vijaynagar. He will be driving across town with his wife and friends to Indiranagar 100 ft Road. “On that road alone, there are easily more than 50 good restaurants, pubs and microbreweries. The criterion is to usher in the new year with people you care about, at a nice place, over a good meal. Going to an overly crowded Brigade Road does not fit the bill,” he explained, when asked why they don’t find a place closer home.

Steady crowd

Ashish Kothare, president of the Association of Bars, Restaurants and Pubs, and owner of Le Rock and Legends of Rock, said Koramangala and Indiranagar are emerging as alternatives to the CBD. “Vehicles aren’t allowed in the CBD on that day in the evening. Our pubs have been getting steady crowds, being houseful every year. Places such as UB City too have been doing well, but are exorbitantly priced. Koramangala and Indiranagar have good places for people to go to,” he said.

Early deadline

The early deadline too can be a dampener. The police recently issued an order issuing ‘no objection’ from their side to pubs and restaurants staying open till 1 a.m. Pubs and restaurants were required to get a licence from the Excise Department to serve liquor beyond the usual deadline of 11.30 p.m., an excise inspector attached to the Ashoknagar division said.

However, some pubs in the CBD are happy to down their shutters early on New Year’s Eve. The manager of a popular pub on Residency Road, on condition of anonymity, said every year, they prefer to close by 9 p.m. “The number of guests increases after 9 p.m. as many come to Brigade Road. In pubs, which are already filled to capacity, it becomes difficult to handle more people. Business would double on December 31 but we want to avoid the risk of brawls and other unsavoury instances where people leave without paying,” he said.

One pub’s loss is another’s gain. The staff of a popular pub in Indiranagar said they already had 50 per cent reservations for December 31. The pub, usually known to serve food and drinks at reasonable prices, has an entry fee for that day — Rs. 5,000 per couple — and is expecting to be full house (the capacity is 350).

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bangalore / by Staff Reporter / Bangalore – December 27th, 2013

‘NADABRAHMA’ title to be conferred on VID T.P. Vaidyanathan

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

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Mysore :

As part of its 58th anniversary celebrations and Dr. A.K. Gopalarajan Memorial Concert, Sri Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha has organised various music programmes at its premises on JLB Road city from Jan. 3 to 5 between 5.30 pm and 9 pm. On Jan. 5, the Sabha will confer ‘Nadabrahma’ title on Sangeetha Vidwan T.P. Vaidyanathan.

Profile: Born in Mysore in 1934, Vidwan T. P. Vaidyanathan, who was a child prodigy, started learning vocal music when he was barely 6 years old. He is the disciple of (late) Sangeetha Choodamani, Mysore B. K. Padmanabha Rao.

Vaidyanathan’s maiden concert was at “Akashavani” Mysore, when he was just 16. He then shifted to Chennai where he soon became a leading performer.

He is a graduate in Economics from Delhi University, besides an ‘A’ Grade artiste for the last 36 years both in AIR and Doordarshan. He was featured in the Radio Sangeetha Sammelan Bombay, besides participating in several programmes and features at the national level at AIR.

Not one to go always on the beaten track, Vaidyanathan has added to his repertoire, a variety of composers like Mysore Vasudevachar, Mysore Sadashiva Rao, Papanasan Shivan, Mayuram Viswanatha Sastry and many others. He has given exclusive thematic concerts and lecture-demonstrations in these compositions. He has produced a musical feature on Mysore Sadashiva Rao. He has taken active part in several other features produced both for AIR and and Doordarshan.

Recently, he has published a book “Sadashiva Kusumanjali” containing the compositions of Mysore Sadashiva Rao.

He was closely associated with the Madras University where he also served as examiner in Music for a number of years. He has taught at the prestigious Kalakshetra at Chennai for several years.

With an experience of over 50 years behind him and with his excellent communication skill, he has groomed several students, some of whom have already made a mark for themselves.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / January 03rd, 2014

Richa’s First Step Made a Huge Difference

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

It was a five-year-old girl who changed Richa Khator’s outlook of the world. The child suffered from blindness and could not read beyond a line during a routine eye check, where Richa was a volunteer.

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Six months later, Richa is a self-motivated person who strongly believes that even a single person can make a lot of difference. “Before my first activity where I met this girl in Austin Town, I thought a single person cannot make any difference to the world around us. I was happy that I was able to get that girl the medical attention she needed during that eye camp. Now, I can definitely say that I can help at least ten people,” says Richa, a second year BBM student at Jain University Centre for Management Studies.

Richa joined Yuva Ignited Minds, a student-driven NGO, as a volunteer and she presently handles its public relations. “I organise media coverage for our activities besides taking active part in them,” Richa says. She was a part of Yuva’s latest venture towards religious tolerance. “We started with Buddhism and very recently, we had a seminar on Islam. We went to a mosque where renowned personalities spoke about Islam and clarified many misconceptions surrounding the community,” she says.

Thanks to her stint with Yuva, Richa is able to strile a balance between college, her internship and social service. “It has shaped my personality and keeps me happy. Social service is something that I want to be associated with for the rest of my life,” she says.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express /  Home> Education> Edex / by Bharat Joshi – Bangalore— bharath.joshi@newindianexpress.com / December 30th, 2013

WATERWISE : The sacred and the mundane

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Nature
by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
by Special Arrangement / The Hindu

The spring or the ‘Jhira’ flows continuously, carries sweet water and fills in a pond where pilgrims take a dip at Bidar, says S.Vishwanath

Bidar is a lovely town with a salubrious climate. Closer to Hyderabad than to Bangalore it is a remote yet beautiful outpost of the State. In this land over 500 years ago Guru Nanakji set foot. At the request of the local people it is said, he created a spring which flows to this day with sweet water. The Gurudwara Shri Nanak Jhira Saheb, two kms from the bus stand, was established at this site in a nice valley, surrounded by laterite hills on three sides.

Continuous flow

The spring or the ‘Jhira’ flows continuously, carries sweet water and fills in a pond where pilgrims take a dip. Part of the towns business comes from these crowds who gather at the spot built around water. It stands to reason therefore that special attention should be paid to the spring and great care taken of this water resource. The Gurudwara itself has organized the tunnel and the point where the spring emerges very well. A glass panel enables viewing, yet protects the spring from desecration.

by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
by Special Arrangement / The Hindu

However, science, and particularly the science of hydro-geology, should come into play, and quickly. The recharge zone of the spring, the surrounding hills are being built upon at an unprecedented rate. Septic tanks and soak pits are sending the waste-water generated into the ground. The surface is being crusted up with roads and buildings preventing the seepage of water into the ground.

It is likely that the sacred ‘Jhira’ will first be contaminated by the bad water and if steps are not taken quickly, may also run dry due to lack of recharge of waters in the hills.

We should not allow such a sacred spot to suffer such a fate. It is in the interest of society, the hospitality trade and the governments to intervene quickly, commission a study, understand the geology and take the necessary steps to preserve the waters. Science and spirituality need to talk fast. That would be water wisdom for Bidar.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features>Habitat / by S. Vishwanath   zenrainman@gmail.com / January 03rd, 2014

One-man army takes on fleecing autowallahs

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

Commuters, near City Railway Station, are at the receiving end of auto drivers ever ready to fleece them. But Monday morning was different.

If first impression is the last impression, then those who come to Bangalore, especially early mornings, and have to depend on autorickshaw for commuting, will have a poor opinion of the city.

On Monday, at 4.30 am, with the temperature hovering at 15 degrees in Majestic area, it was like any other winter day: Auto drivers waiting with relish for their prey. The difference on this nippy day was a sub-inspector from Upparpet Police station who took it up on himself to, well, make a difference.

The cop, Shivaswamy, took guard near City Railway Station and KSRTC bus stand, stopped every auto he found not metered down and ferrying passengers. His three-hour vigil fetched him 19 violators, as the word spread among auto drivers in the vicinity of his solo campaign in and around the City Railway Station/Majestic area.

Whenever he found an auto in the wrong, he would immediately call a constable over on the phone and seize the vehicle which the driver has to get possession of again after paying the penalty at the court. The surprise drive found bizarre rates being charged: In one case, an auto driver charged Rs 50 to ferry a businessman from Chennai from Anand Rao Circle to Bell Hotel, less than a kilometre.

Shivaswamy ensured the passengers of the autos were not left stranded, by finding alternative autos for them, and giving them his mobile number to call, to ensure they were not cheated again.

Unfortunately, even some passengers did not fully back the sub-inspector. A passenger told Bangalore Mirror, ”The auto drivers take us around the city and finally drop us to the place we have asked for. Instead of coughing up hefty sums and wasting time going round and round, it is better to talk to them about what they want and get into the autos.”

This passenger could be an aberration in a city where most commuters would only hope for many more Shivaswamys round the clock.

The charge against overcharge

Passengers blamed

Police caught an auto ferrying a single woman without turning on the meter. It was plying on the road between the BMTC and KSRTC bus stand. When stopped, the driver tried to blame the passenger. Shivaswamy switched on a digital camera and asked the customer to explain what happened. The lady, Shailaja, told the police that she is new to the city. The auto driver asked her to pay Rs 70 for taking her from Malleshwaram to the Railway Station. Finally, he agreed to ferry her for Rs 50. The police calculated the fare would be Rs 30 rather than Rs 50. She was directed to take the subway to the railway station. She said, “I was shocked when the police stopped me, but realised that they were actually helping me. If police everywhere help passengers, auto drivers will not harass us.”

Rs 70 for walkable distance

Another auto was stopped in which passenger Shivram, a 26-year-old businessman from Trichy, was travelling. He said, “I came to meet a vendor. The auto driver asked me to pay Rs 70 from Anand Rao circle to Bell Hotel.” The distance is walkable and at the most, the driver could have collected the minimum amount of Rs 25.

The auto driver Shivu was not carrying any documents. He was booked for overcharging and driving without valid documents. His auto was taken to Upparpet traffic police station. Shivram said, “I don’t know how much it would cost for the distance. This is the first time I am coming to Bangalore. I realised I am being cheated when police stopped the auto.”

Didn’t realise time

At Shanthala Circle, Shivaswamy found an autorickshaw without the meter turned on, carrying a passenger. The auto driver had charged Rs 220 to bring the passenger to Majestic from Hebbal. The passenger, Varun Kumar, said, “I work for a private firm in the city. I am from Puttur. When I asked the driver to take me to Majestic, he demanded Rs 250 and I agreed to pay him Rs 220.

Auto driver Jagadeesha said, “I did not realise that the time is 6am now, so I charged him one-and-half.” But his story did not convince the police. The auto was seized. The driver was even found driving without displaying his identity card in the auto.

Just across the road

Another auto driver, Arul Das, had charged Rs 50 to passengers who wanted to go to Shantala Circle from KSRTC bus stand. Once again, it was just across the road. The family said they were from Kolar. They had gone to Dharmastala and were on their way back to Kolar. Though Shantala circle is next to KSRTC bus stand, the driver took the family on a ride across Gandhinagar before dropping them at Shantala Circle.

Wrong direction

Sreeraj from UP works in a private firm in the city. He was travelling from Majestic to Koramangala and was asked to pay Rs 130 by the driver, who had refused to turn on the meter. When police caught him at Majestic, the driver was found to be taking the passenger in the wrong direction. He had kept his display card near the tools compartment rather than in front of the passenger seat. Sreeraj said, “I regularly take auto from Anand Rao circle to Koramangala. The auto drivers take us around the city if we prefer metered fare. So when the auto driver asked me for Rs 150, I brought it down to Rs 130.” The auto was seized by the police for excess fare and for not displaying the identity card. Police arranged another auto for Sreeraj.

Escape attempt

In another incident, when an autorickshaw driver was asked to stop by Shivaswamy at Gandhinagar, the driver managed to escape. Shivaswamy chased the driver Anand and caught the auto (KA02 AB4363) near Shantala Circle. Two passengers who were in the auto were put in another auto as they had to catch a train at the City Railway Station. The auto driver, a resident of KP Agrahara, was fined for reckless driving, driving without licence, demanding excess fare, driving without display card and without uniform.

WRITE TO US: If you face any issue with auto drivers, write to us with subject line as ‘Auto Problem’ at bmfeedback@gmail.com. We will take it up with the authorities.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Cover Story / by Chaitanya Swamy HM , Bangalore Mirror Bureau / December 24th, 2013

Music critic S.R. Krishna Murthy cremated

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
S.R. Krishna Murthy's wife Amrita being consoled by a relative at their residence in Bogadi yesterday.
S.R. Krishna Murthy’s wife Amrita being consoled by a relative at their residence in Bogadi yesterday.

Mysore :

The last rites of city’s music critic and Star of Mysore & Mysooru Mithra columnist S.R. Krishna Murthy (70), who died in the Bangalore-Nanded train fire mishap in the early hours of Saturday last, were conducted at the cemetery at the foot of Chamundi Hill in city last night amidst rituals.

Krishna Murthy was among the 26 passengers who perished in the fire mishap that occurred near Kothacheruvu in Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh on Saturday (Dec. 28) morning.

The mortal remains of S.R. Krishna Murthy, popularly known as SRK, was brought from the mortuary of Victoria Hospital, Bangalore, to Mysore at about 6 pm yesterday and kept at his residence in Bogadi for some time to enable family members, relatives and friends to pay their last respects.

Krishna Murthy, who had occupied seat No. 9 in the B 1 (AC) bogie that caught fire, was initially suspected to be missing, before he was declared dead on Monday.

Though, a body among the unidentified corpses kept at the mortuary of Bangalore’s Victoria Hospital matched his features, the authorities decided to go for a DNA test, when S.R. Krishna Murthy’s elder son S.K. Vinay, a Wing Commander with the Indian Air Force, Bangalore, gave his blood samples for the test.

However, the family finally succeeded in convincing the authorities with the photographic evidence of the gold chain with a heart-shaped pendant he was wearing, to hand over the body to them.

The gold chain was gifted to S.R. Krishna Murthy by his children when he turned 60, it is learnt.

Krishna Murthy leaves behind his 90-year-old mother Annapoornamma, wife Amrita, sons Wg. Comm. S.K. Vinay and S.K. Sanjay (of Bhasange Balaga), daughter Anupama and a host of relatives and friends.

Krishna Murthy, a Civil Engineer by profession, was a native of Saragur in Chamarajanagar District. He had served in different places before retiring from Karnataka Power Corporation (KPC) at Karwar, as Assistant Executive Engineer, Civil. It was only after his retirement that he settled in Mysore and began his tryst with music.

Many musicians, artistes, dancers and theatrists from city including Pt. Indudhar Nirodi, Dr. Vasundhara Doraswamy, Dr. H.R. Leelavathi, Madhuri Tatachari, Rama Bennur, R.N. Srilatha, Raja Anantakumar, Virabhadra Hiremath, Sarog Mukherjee, Krupa Phadke, Shivashankar, Somashekar, Srikanta Gundappa, members of Bhasange Balaga and others were among those who paid their last respects.

Union Railway Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge, expressing shock over the train fire mishap, announced a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh to the family members of each victim.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / December 31st, 2013

Bangaloreans get paged

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
(Shinie and Den )
(Shinie and Den )

The city’s lit-loving lot headed to a star hotel in the city to attend the launch of Manreet Sodhi Someshwar’s book, The Hunt for Kohinoor, on Saturday.

Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway was packed with book lovers who wanted to get a chance to meet the author and get a copy of the book. We spotted Munira Sen at this event, as well as Rubi Chakravarti and Imtiaz Furniturewallah.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Events> Bangalore> Bangaloreans / TNN / December 24th, 2013

All she loves to do is Dance !

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

PoojaBF05jan2014

Mysore :

Her approach towards her passion is special. While many pursue things of their interest as a hobby, she decided to make her passion her job. Dance is what she loves most as she believes it is a brilliant form of communication and says doing what she loves most and also teaching the same to aspirants around her has filled her with a sense of fulfilment.

Pooja Joshi is the artiste and teaching and performing varied varieties of dance forms is what she does at her dance studio in city — Beyond Taalas which she loving has called a ‘creative factory.’ “It’s my first baby,” says the mother of a 6-month-old, “I started the institute in 2011 with an aim to provide a platform to the talented dancers in city to help them bring out their best and ever since I did, I have been thoroughly enjoying learning, teaching and performing dance.”

Pooja who has completed her Masters in Business Administration, initially worked as a lecturer at colleges in city while doing which she yearned to come up with something of her own and be an entrepreneur. And being married to Snehal Igloor — yet another talented dancer helped her give shape to her thoughts. “I loved teaching but I always felt I should do something of mine as dance had been my passion since childhood,” gushes Pooja who started dancing at the age of four, adding: “I discussed it with my husband who was full of encouragement and I took the risk of starting off the dance studio which is shaping up well with time.”

Taught at the studio are about 10 different forms of dance that include pure Bollywood, hip-hop, Latin-American and salsa to name a few.

Pooja is well trained in all the forms of dances taught within her studio. While she is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer, she has also had the privilege of learning Bollywood dance form from none other than the ace dance choreographer of the Tinsel Town — Saroj Khan herself. “I went to attend a dance workshop by Saroj Khan at Bangalore where I got an opportunity to get trained under her. Apart from this, I have attended several other workshops and have learnt all forms of dances taught at my Studio,” Pooja adds.

The artiste also invites talented and renowned choreographers from Mumbai to teach students at her studio, apart from conducting exclusive dance classes for women and kids which she says are a platform for them to open up, apart from learning the technicalities of dance. “Being a woman, I started an exclusive women’s batch as I always felt women never get an opportunity to open up and express themselves as they spend most of their time doing things for their families within the four walls of their homes.” And the batch was an instant hit where she saw women shed all their inhibitions and dance with happiness Pooja says, who feels happy that she was successful in achieving what she wanted to.

What’s more, the dancer says she has also made everyone at home including her parents and in-laws dance at a family wedding just to help them understand what she does and how wonderful dancing can be. “And they all loved doing it,” she says, who is glad that they have all been very open minded and supportive and not conservative like most others.

Pooja has given over 70 performances so far, apart from having been rewarded several times by varied organisations in recognition of her talent and expertise as a danseuse and choreographer. And at an age so young, Pooja has managed to train several talented people who also have gone on to start their own dance institutes and studios which fills Pooja with a sense of pride. “I am glad I have trained people to a level that they have established themselves. ”

Pooja is a resident of Vijayanagar in Mysore and can be contacted at her studio or on Mob: 98862-41091.

— AN

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / December 30th, 2013

City-based Professor Dr.Paniveni gets Indira Gandhi Sadbhavna Award

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Resources of Free Materials, World Opinion
Dr. Paniveni Udayshankar is seen receiving the Indira Gandhi Sadbhavana Award from former Union Minister M.V. Rajashekharan at a function held in Bangalore recently. Agriculture University Vice-Chancellor Dr. Narayana Gowda GEPRA Secretary Pasha and others look on.
Dr. Paniveni Udayshankar is seen receiving the Indira Gandhi Sadbhavana Award from former Union Minister M.V. Rajashekharan at a function held in Bangalore recently. Agriculture University Vice-Chancellor Dr. Narayana Gowda GEPRA Secretary Pasha and others look on.

Mysore :

Dr. Paniveni Udayashankar, a Professor in Physics at NIE-IT in City, was presented with the Indira Gandhi Sadbhavana Gold Medal Award for individual achievement and service to the Nation.

The award, instituted by Global Economic Progress and Research Association (GEPRA), a non-government organisation in Tamil Nadu, has been presented to Dr. Paniveni for her ‘Outstanding contribution in the field of Education and Research’.

The award was conferred on Dec. 14 at a function in Bangalore, attended by Former Union Minister M.V. Rajashekaran, Minister for Agriculture Krishna Bhyre Gowda, Agricultural University Vice-Chancellor Dr. Narayana Gowda, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Dinesh Gundu Rao, District and Session Judge Justice V. Padmanabha Kedilaya and other dignitaries.

About 40 participants all over India were selected in different fields.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / December 29th, 2013