Kunti Betta is a hillock near Pandavapura Taluk head quarters in Mandya District. It is a mine of ancient archaeological site of importance for the researchers. Situated at about 2882 ft above the sea level it has the evidences of Megalithic culture. Stone hut of the Stone Age man was discovered at this place, which is a rare and a unique discovery in the subcontinent.
Dr. S.G. Ramadasa Reddy, HoD of History and NSS officer of Govt. First Grade College, Kuvempunagar, Mysore, along with Prof. B.S. Manjunatha, D. Banumaih’s College, Mysore and NSS volunteers, conducted field survey of Kunti Betta and were successful in tracing the rare stone hut of Stone Age man.
At the outset, the stone hut appears triangular in shape and seem to be constructed by the ancient man. It appears that they must have cut stone rocks and inclined in a triangular shape with a supporting heavy rock at the back, and stone slabs fixed to the floor. The door of the hut is of 5.7 ft width and 6.5 ft height. The inside dimension is 8 ft wide, 6.5 ft width in the middle and 8.2 ft width at the back. Considering all these details, one may come to the conclusion, that the ancient man must have used this stone hut for living purpose.
Similar stone huts have been discovered in various parts of the world but is the first of its kind in India. For instance American Research and Preservation Department has discovered four stone huts in Colorado. There is a marked similarity between them and the stone hut discovered at Kunti Betta.
Similar stone hut has been found at Terra Amite in Mount boron in nice in France. This is the first discovery of the stone hut of the old Paleolithic man. Upper Paleolithic man hut was found in Israel’s Bahalo II.
Huts made out of the bones of the mammoth animals, were also discovered at Chi Chu Bu in Japan, Sub Sahara of South Africa and South Russia. The hut at Ukraine is a mammoth animal bone hut in the shape of a room of 8 ft space. Similar hut is also found at Kostenski Bershevo in Malt and Berlet sites near Masco.
Kunti Betta with all such rare evidences of ancient culture and civilisation richly deserves to be taken note of by the concerned departments so as to shed new light on the history of Ancient India by excavation, research and conservation.
[e-mail:ramadasareddysg@yahoo.in]
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / August 26th, 2014
Prof. K.S. Nagapathi, Director of Mahajana Tourism Development Institute, Mysore, has been awarded D.Litt. (Doctor of Letters) degree by Rani Channamma University, Belgaum, for his thesis ‘Karnataka – A delight for tourists.’
He has been instrumental in procuring funding for the establishment of the Institute from Govt. of Karnataka. With assistance from Dept. of Tourism, he has also helped to start one year Diploma in Hotel Management and several short duration courses in tourism and Hospitality for the benefit of economically weaker sections of the society.
From current academic year, the Institution is starting a Masters program in Tourism and Air Travel Management.
Prior to joining Mahajana FGC in 2005, the Prof. Nagapathi retired as Professor and HoD of Commerce from D. Banumaiah’s College of Commerce and Arts, Mysore. Prof. Nagapathi has authored the following books: Management Accounting; The Art of Entrepreneurship; Tourism Development – A new Approach (Both in English & Kannada); Mysore Guide- Edited; Karnataka – A Delight for Tourists; Tourism and World Heritage (Hand book) and Samskruthi (a hand book on heritage and cultural tourism).
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / August 26th, 2014
Zoo Executive Director B.P. Ravi is seen presenting a memento to the representatives of Kumar Organic Products Ltd., Bangalore, which renewed the adoption of Tigress ‘Manya’ for the 6th time and her son ‘Shaurya’ for 4th time consecutively.
Mysore :
Kumar Organic Products Ltd., Bangalore, has renewed the adoption of Tigress ‘Manya’ f or the 6th time and her son ‘Shaurya’ for 4th time consecutively by making a payment of Rs. 2 lakhs for a period of one more year ending up to 24.8.2015 and 28.9.2015 respectively for both mother and son.
Mysore Zoo, has in a press release, expressed its gratitude to Kumar Organic Products for their support and involvement in conservation efforts.
“We hope that their continued support inspires other Corporates / Institutions to take up the cause of conservation,” said the release and added, “There is overwhelming response from the sponsors towards adoption and till date the total amount collected towards adoption is Rs. 17,18,393 compared to Rs.16,65,393 collected during the last year on the same date.”
Adoption of Animals
The II PU students of Maharshi PU College have adopted a Love Bird of the Zoo for a period of one year from 22.8.2014 to 21.8.2015 under ‘Adoption of Animals’ scheme by paying Rs.1,000 as adoption fee.
The following persons have also adopted the animals under the scheme: Shivu (Kajani), Mysore – Indian Cobra (Rs.2,000); Vikrant Yadav, New Delhi – Love Bird (Rs.1,000).
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / August 26th, 2014
DEPUTY Prime Minister Nick Clegg praised the drive and innovation of a Wakefield firm as he opened its base in India.
The Sheffield Hallam MP held up Group Rhodes’ new purpose-built facility in the country’s hich-tech capital Bangalore, as a shining example of special relationship between UK and Indian companies.
Around 50 to 60 UK jobs are expected to be created with the facility, a 30,000 sq ft joint venture south of Bangalore with Indian firm, MEU Engineering, which makes cutting tools for the aerospace sector.
In recent years, the company has secured a number of lucrative contracts, including a deal to supply forging presses to Asia and around a third of the company’s £20m turnover, is linked to international markets.
It hopes to secure other work in the Indian aerospace sector.
Mr Clegg, who unveiled the base during a three-day trade visit to India, said: “India is at a major crossroads in its economic destiny, and Bangalore is a shining example of how technological expertise can be harnessed to create a powerhouse for growth.
“This city is among the top ten preferred locations for entrepreneurs in the world, and home to more start-ups than any other city in India.
“What I see in Bangalore is that India’s prowess in aerospace and hi-tech is growing fast. This is fertile ground for UK and Indian firms to do business, and that’s been proven by the deals done today by UK companies setting up shop here in India.”
Group Rhodes is one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of special purpose machinery for advanced applications in sectors such as aerospace, metalforming, heavy ceramics, composites, environmental and deep-sea oil and gas.
Group Rhodes managing director, Mark Ridgway, said: “It is a great honour that the Deputy Prime Minister has agreed to inaugurate the Rhodes India facility. The Government has been very supportive of the advanced engineering sector in the UK.
source: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk / Yorkshire Evening Post / Home> Business News / August 28th, 2014
SCHOLAR: Dr. R.L. Kashyap. Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash
Harvard-educated Dr. Rangasami L. Kashyap is fascinated by the Vedas and set up an institute to further his passion.
He has a Masters degree from IISc and a PhD. from Harvard. But Dr. Rangasami L. Kashyap is happiest when he is discussing the Vedas and Vedic studies. The Bengaluru-based scholar was recently honoured by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan for his contributions to Vedic study, and conferred an Honorary D. Litt by the Karnataka Sanskrit University. He has translated 23,000 Vedic mantras, in 26 volumes. In addition, he has brought out 50 books in what he calls the “Compact Series”, where each book runs to just 100 pages.
But what is interesting is Kashyap has not studied in a Veda Patasala. “My only acquaintance with Sanskrit in the early years was in school; it was my second language. I was taught Sandhyavandana mantras by my father,” he says.
Kashyap was curious about the import of the Vedas, but there was no one to answer his questions. Formal education claimed most of his time. He stood first in the State in his Inter exams, and went on to do BSc in Physics, Masters at the IISc and PhD in Harvard, where he won the Gordon McKay Prize Fellowship, and completed his PhD in less than three years. He became a faculty member at the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, at the Purdue University, West Lafayette, U.S. He has published more than 250 research papers and guided 50 doctoral students. His doctoral work, ‘Ho-Kashyap algorithm’ is quoted even today in text books. He, along with with Dr.Ho, started the journal IEEE Transactions of Pattern Analyses and Machine Intelligence. And yet ask him if he gives lectures in his field of study after his retirement, and he replies, “Rarely. All my time is spent in Vedic studies.”
When did he start studying the Vedas? He answers, “When I was in the U.S., I first had my scholarship money and later during my tenure at Purdue, I had more money at my disposal. So I bought books on the Upanishads, the Gita, and translations of the Vedas by Griffith and Keith. I was surprised to find that although Rg Vedic mantras are quoted explicitly in the Chandogya and Brihaddaranyaka Upanishads, this aspect was not touched upon by speakers on Vedanta.”
In any case, with all the questions he had, Kashyap was in need of a guru. The visit to the U.S. by Madhav Pandit from the Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, was a godsend. Kashyap was drawn to the work of Aurobindo and Kapali Sastri, and his translations and interpretations of the Vedas are inspired by their works.
Post-retirement, Kashyap set up SAKSI (Sri Aurobindo Kapali Sastry Institute of Vedic Culture) for the revival of Vedic knowledge. He clarifies that SAKSI has nothing to do with the Sri Aurobindo Ashram or with the Aurobindo Society.
What was it that drew him to the work of Aurobindo and Kapali Sastri? “Aurobindo points out that Vedic mantras had a symbolic meaning. Kapali Sastri identified 30 key words such as Agni and Gau, which occur more than 500 times in the Rg Veda. These help you arrive at the deeper meaning.”
But if there are such deeper meanings, does he mean to say that no one had noticed them before Aurobindo did? “The concept is indicated in the Mahabharata. Madhvacharya in his ‘Rg Veda Bhashya’ said that Vedic passages have three meanings – one referring to Gods (Adhidaivika), one referring to rituals (Adhi-Yajna) and the esoteric meaning (Adhyaatmika). Later, Raghavendra Swami looked at the last aspect more elaborately in his work ‘Mantraartha Manjari.’ Aurobindo made a pertinent observation. He said that to understand the Vedas, the Vedas are the only guide.”
Do the Vedas talk of moksha? “By and large, no. Not in the sense in which we understand it. They talk of the divinisation of human beings.”
Is sanyasa recommended by the Vedas as the way to attain such divinisation? “No. Marriage was not regarded as an obstacle to spiritual progress in the Vedas. That idea came much later.” So how did that idea gain currency? “Some people might have felt that they could get more spiritual ideas that way. But the Vedas don’t have this material versus spiritual idea. They emphasise on holistic perfection.”
Kashyap says women were not excluded from studying the Vedas. He points out that of the 400 Vedic rishis, 30 were women. He says that even the words used to describe women seers show the importance they had – Aditi, because she is not dependent (Nirukta 4/22); Vishrutaa, for she is learned, Dhruva, for she is firm and so on. “Even in the Upanishadic times, you have the example of Gargi participating in philosophical discussions.”
Hasn’t the oral tradition been responsible for the preservation of the Vedas? “Oral chanting was an excellent strategy, because manuscripts could be destroyed. Also when people chant in different ways like krama, jata, ghana etc., errors can be detected. So, we had an Error Correcting and Detecting scheme, thousands of years before the West rediscovered it in the 1950s, for computer and communication applications. But the downside was that when invasions took place, patronage for Vedic learning dwindled, and many sakas were lost. Patanjali speaks of 98 sakas of the Yajur Veda. Today, we have only six!”
Veda patasalas keep alive the tradition even today, with emphasis on oral chanting, I point out. “What is the use of just learning how to chant? The meanings are more important. Sadly, even the teachers often don’t know the meanings. In any case, how many students stay for the entire duration of the course? Once they get the hang of things, they leave to become purohits.”
Kashyap says we shouldn’t look at Western solutions to Indian problems. He says that it is wrong to conclude that with the coming of industrial agriculture, fewer people are engaged in agriculture. What has happened is that work has shifted from the fields to the making of tractors and the monotonous work of extraction of oil, to fuel the tractors and harvesters. Kashyap gives statistics to buttress his arguments against the use of pesticides and fertilisers. “In 1948, farmers in the U.S. used 50 million pounds of pesticides, and crop loss was 7 per cent. In 2000, a billion pounds of pesticides was used and crop loss was 13 per cent. So that shows that the bugs have developed resistance. Organic farming, on the other hand, allows insect predator population to have a healthy presence.”
Kashyap practises what he preaches. He has a completely organic farm at the Edumadu village, near Kanakpura, Bengaluru, where he has cows, and grows vegetables and fruits.
•SAKSI has published 160 titles in eight languages.
•SAKSI has its own recording studio, and 18 CDs have been brought out on the Vedas, Upanishads etc. In addition to chanting, the CDs give the meaning too.
•Teachers in schools catering to the poorer sections of society, have been trained by SAKSI, and they teach Vedic chants to their pupils. The children say their memory power and their creativity have improved, as a result.
source: http://www.m.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sections / by Suganthy Krishnamachari / July 31st, 2014
The 26-member committee has to submit its report within three months
The government has set up a 26-member expert committee, headed by the former Law Minister M.C. Nanaiah, to suggest amendments to the law related to sexual assault cases and enhancement of punishment for the crime.
According to a government release on Wednesday, Mr. Nanaiah will have the Cabinet Minister status. As the chairman of the committee, he enjoys powers to invite opinions and suggestions from experts and officers concerned. The committee is expected to submit its report along with its recommendations within three months from the date of its formation, the release said.
Increase in the incidents of sexual assault on women and children, followed by protests both inside and outside the House, prompted the government to constitute the expert committee comprising legislators, representatives of social organisations and women and children’s organisations, and legal experts.
Legislators Shakuntala Shetty, Y.S.V. Datta, Motamma, Jaimala, Tara, V.S. Ugrappa, Basavaraj Horatti, K.B. Shanappa, Govind Karjol, Tanveer Sait and Vinisha Nero, the former Minister Rani Satish, the former MLC Prafulla Madhukar, Leela Sampige, retired IPS officer Jija Hari Singh, writer Suchitra Rao, journalist Gouri Lankesh, Sangeetha Saxena, Krupa Alwa, Chandramouli and M.R. Hegde are members of the committee apart from four government officials from the departments of Home, and Law and Parliamentary Affairs.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / Special Correspondent / Bangalore – July 31st, 2014
Prestigious schools in the city, Bishop Cotton Boys’ School and Bishop Cotton Girls’ School turn 150. As the schools and the Old Cottonians’ Association celebrate the landmark event through the year, Vidya Iyengar brings you some rare photos of eminent personalities who sat on those benches.
POWERPUFF GIRL J. Jayalalithaa (66) Fatima Jaffer, 68, 7th from left, standing in first row) was a class four student in the early 1950s at the Girls’ School. Her classmate was Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who studied only in junior school. “I think she was a good student, though I didn’t know much about her. We studied together for a very short time,” she says. Apparently, Jayalalithaa and Jaffer were admitted to the school on the same day — sometime in January (the term back then was between January and December) On Jayalalithaa’s birthday in February every year, sweets are distributed at the school.
FERTILE MIND Dr Kamini Rao (60) Taken in the garden of the Girls’ School in 1962, this photograph of Dr Kamini Rao, the pioneer in the field of Assisted Reproduction in India, shows her in class two. The photograph was taken on Prize day, when she was awarded five prizes. The bright and ambitious student was allowed to come to school in “colour dress”, she recalls, for her outstanding performance.
CHEMICAL POTENTIAL Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (61) We dug out this picture from the school magazine of the ’60s, which mentions that the Chairman and Managing Director of Biocon, Kiran Mazumdar was a senior prefect in 1968. She was part of the games committee (hockey). The 1967 records mention that she was also a junior prefect of the school.
A FLAIR FOR DRAMA Gautami Tadimalla (45) A ctress and Kamal Hassan’s partner, passed out in the early ’80s. Gautami Tadimalla studied until high school in Bishop Cotton Girls’ School. She was a boarder at the school because her doctor parents practiced in Vandiperiyar, Kerala.
INFORMATION-BOUND Nandan Nilekani (59) This is a class photograph of Std 5 B from 1965 which was the centenary year of BCBS. Can you spot business tycoon Nandan Nilekani? Recalling his classmate, CN Kumar (first on the last row), remembers Nilekani as a bright student who’d always stand first in class. He joined in class four from St Anthony’s School. He was part of the Pakenham-Walsh house. “He was there until class six or seven after which he went off to Dharwad,” he says.
MIND OF STEEL General Thimayya The late General Thimayya is a soldier of the Indian Army who served as Chief of Army Staff from 1957 to 1961, the years leading up to the conflict with China in 1962. This picture was taken when the general visited the school circa in as CAOS and met with Rev IL Thomas, Warden, BCBS. A few years later, on retirement from the Indian Army, he went on to command the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus, where he died of a heart attack (1965).
WINNER Lalit Rai (58) A batchmate of Nandan Nilekani, Lalit Rai was a soldier of the Indian Army, who had the task of capturing the strategic heights of Khalubar in the Batalik sub-sector during Operation Vijay in the Kargil War. He was well-known as a football player. Joining the school in class five, he was there until class 10. He was part of the Pope house. Fun and mischievous is how C N Kumar recalls the colonel.
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Columns> Sunday Read / by Vidya Iyengar, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / July 19th, 2014
Hundreds of tourists visit the famous temples at Halebid which was also known as Dwarasamudra.It was their capital and when they changed the capital to Belur, this place became famous as old capital or Halebidu. Normally, tourists visit the famous Hoysalesvara temple here and enjoy the beauty of the delicate sculptures. Generally people do not even know the existence of three Jaina temples in the same place. Though these three Jaina temples do not exhibit that enchanting beauty of the Hoysalesvara temple, they present another facet of Hoysala art.
Many may wonder how Vishnuvardhana, a devoted Vaishnava was able to build these three temples in his capital Halebid. To understand this we have to just go back to some incidents that happened in the early life of Vishnuvardhana. His original name was Bittideva and was a staunch Jaina by religion. After coming into contact with the great Sri Vaishnava Saint Ramanujacharya, he became a Vaishnava and changed his name Bittideva to Vishnuvardhana. There are no historical records to support these incidents but these legends are very strong and make us believe them. One such legend states that Vishnuvardhana had a daughter by name Hariyaladevi and she was a problematic child physically and mentally from her birth itself. The physicians of the Palace could not cure her and make her normal. At that time Vishnuvardhana who had heard of Ramanujacharya paid a visit to him and narrated him the plight of his daughter. The saint by uttering some mantras cured the daughter of Vishnuvardhana and the latter was greatly imp
ressed by the spiritual power of Ramanujacharya and became his disciple and consequently he changed his name to Vishnuvardhana.
There is another slightly different legend to explain the name Vishnuvardhana. Bittideva had many wives among whom Lakshmidevi was the most beautiful and charming. She was a follower of Sri Ramanujacharya. She used her influence on her husband and converted him to Vaishnavism from Jainism. Naturally Bittideva changed his name also and began to be known as Vishnuvardhana. All these legends have no historical basis but they are strong in the minds of the people and the historians. Though Vishnuvardhana was a Jaina in the beginning and got converted to Vaishnavism, he was tolerant of Saivism which was one of the major sects of the period. This is evidenced by many Siva temples built by him.
The Jaina architecture is based upon Hindu architecture itself but the Jainas made some innovations and changes to suit the needs of their religion. They followed the usual pattern of Garbhagriha, Sukhanasi, Navaranga and Mandapa in a row. They added a pillar in front of the temple and it became unique as Manastambha. The Jaina art can be studied on dynastic pattern as Ganga, Chalukya, Hoysala, etc. That shows their inclination for adaptability. The double storeyed sanctum was an innovation of the Jains. But this did not become popular. The uniqueness of the Jaina sculptural style is the highly glossy polish of the Tirthankara images, even if the structure was built of granite. Another unique feature is the presence of tall metallic images found in many Jaina temples.
The three Jaina temples in a row at Halebid are dedicated to Parsvanatha (west), Adinatha (central) and Shantinatha (east) Tirthankaras. Parsvanatha was the 23rd Tirthankara (Jaina guru) and many people consider him as the real founder of Jainism. He was the son of Asvasena of Kashi. He lived as a housholder for 30 years and later became an ascetic. After deep meditation for 83 days, he attained the highest spiritual knowledge. He had a huge following of 1,64,000 men and 3,27,000 nuns who were highly devoted to him. He died at the age of 100 years on the summit of mountain Sammeta. Scholars have placed him in 8th century BC.
The temple dedicated to Parsvanatha was built by Bopparaja, the son of the famous Hoysala General Gangaraja. It was built in memory of Gangaraja. At this time the news of the victory (vijaya) over Bankapura was conveyed to Vishnuvardhana and he named the deity as Vijaya Parsvanatha. The temple is built of soapstone and consists of garbhagriha, sukhanasi and a navaranga and a detached enclosure. The square garbhagriha and the walls of the navaranga are decorated with pilasters at intervals. The most important attraction of this temple is the image of Vijaya Parsvanatha which is imposing by its height of 14 ft. The deity has a seven-hooded serpent over his head. The Tirthankara is a perfect yogi or a realised soul with sympathetic and benign smile on his lips. The lathe-turned elegant pillars in the navaranga are highly polished and exhibit mirror-like glossy surface.
The next temple is dedicated to Shantinatha. This is also similar to the first temple. It was built in 1192 AD during the reign of Ballala II (1173-1220). He was the next great king in Hoysala dynasty after Vishnuvardhana. He was born in 1154 AD and was appointed as a Yuvaraja as a child. He began taking interest in administration from his eleventh year. He was ruling for sometime with his mother Echaladevi and subsequently as an independent king. His father Narasimha was weak and was immersed in worldly pleasures. Ballala rebelled against him and after his father’s death, he assumed full powers and defeated many kings including Chalukya and Yadava kings. He was a patron of art and architecture also. He built this Jaina temple dedicated to Shantinatha. It consists of a garbhagriha, sukhanasi, navaranga and a mandapa. The first three parts were built during the Hoysala period while the mandapa was added during the Vijayanagara period. The sanctum has a fine image of standing Shantinatha which is 14ft in hei
ght. The navaranga pillars do not exhibit the glossy quality. Perhaps it was not finished at all.
The frontal mandapa contains granite pillars which are tall but are not artistic as those of the hoysala pillars. But they provide good support to the roof of the mandapa. Before the temple is a tall pillar referred to as manastambha which is similar to garudagamba or nandi kamba of vaishnava and saiva temples respectively. The manastamba is very elegant and indicates the special feature of jaina temple art, and can be seen in all Jaina temples. They can be seen in Sravanabelagola in plenty which is a great Jaina architectural centre not only in Karnataka but also in India.
Sravanabelagola is not only an ancient Jaina centre but also has a large number of Jaina monuments including temples and an evolution of Jaina architectural and sculptural art can be traced. Infact, its history starts from the Chandragupta basadi. The present structure is of a later period but scholars have opined that at that very spot existed the ancient Chandragupta basadi almost contemporary to the migration of King Chandragupta and the sage Bhadrabahu. Even at this great centre we do not come across three Jaina temples in a row close to each other. Thus it is unique feature here at Halebid.
The last temple is slightly smaller in dimension. It is dedicated to Tirthankara Adinatha. It was built in 1138 AD during the reign of Vishnuvardhana. He had a minister by name Mallayya and this temple is his initiative. An inscription is available and it records some historical details. Thus the three temples built by hoysala kings in their capital Halebid gives a hint to the importance given by them to jainism in addition to other religious of the State. This religious harmony of the hoysala period is specially noteworthy. This reminds us of a hoysala inscription which enunciates the equality of all Gods like Siva, Vishnu, Brahma, Budda, Jina, Karta etc. That this was not an empty boast and a lofty idea in theory but was practised in daily life is proved by the temples built by hoysala kings to all the religious faiths of their kingdom. That was the greatness of the hoysala dynasty.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / July 26th, 2014
Karnataka Mangalore :Sumith (centre) a student of Sharada Vidyalaya who ranked 38th in JEE Advanced examination Teaching students who would be writing JEE next year.Mangalore on Wednesday 25th June 2014./ Photo: R.Eswarraj / The Hindu
Since announcement of the Joint Entrance Examination (Advanced) results last week, 18-year-old Sumith, who has ranked 38, is keeping himself busy giving lectures and helping students training for the JEE and another national-level entrance examination.
“I try my best to explain the concepts. There are some problems related to preparation (for competitive exams); I am in a better position to answer (help),” says Mr. Sumith as he is getting ready to take a class at Kuntikana-based institute on Wednesday. Apart from giving lectures, Mr. Sumith also spends time preparing test question papers for the trainees and solves problems brought before him. “Our seniors held sessions for us and I am following suit,” says Mr. Sumith.
Mr. Sumith, a student of Sharada Vidyalaya, has been the topper among the students from Karnataka who wrote the JEE Advanced Examination. With his ranking, Mr. Sumith is hopeful of pursuing computer science course in IIT Mumbai. He reasons, “Computer science involves logical thinking. IIT Mumbai’s computer science branch is the best.” Mr. Sumith is waiting for the announcement of the first list on July 1.
Mr. Sumith has been ranked third in the Common Entrance Test and seventh in the Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana examination. He is among 38 students from selected from the country for the orientation-cum-selection camp for International Physics and Chemistry Olympiad held at the Homi Bhabha Centre For Science Education last month.
Mr. Sumith says his preparation for the examinations was centred on understanding concepts.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangalore / by Staff Correspondent / Mangalore – June 28th, 2014
Bikers taking part in a slow race in an awareness camp on ‘safe roads for self and others’ organised by Jawa & Yezdi Owners Club of India in Mangalore on Sunday./ Photo: Eswarraj / The Hindu
Classes on motorcycle maintenance, changing flat tyre and driving
Nearly 60 bikers participated in Riders’ Boot Camp, a road safety awareness initiative, organised by Jawa & Yezdi Owners Club of India, Mangalore, here on Sunday where they were informed about the fallouts of careless driving and given tips about safe driving.
The club took this initiative of organising the event in the wake of increasing road fatalities, particularly involving two-wheeler drivers, said Arun Shiri, a club member. While the World Motorcycle Day was on Saturday, the club organised the event on Sunday to attract more people. Mr. Shiri said the initiative is a trial run, which would later be taken to the public.
The participants were shown many video clippings of accidents, majority of which were captured through CCTV cameras installed at busy junctions in various cities. The participants were told to learn safe driving by watching such incidents and not to commit similar mistakes.
Maintenance training
There were presentations about road safety by civil engineer Sudhir Bhandarkar and first-aid by Brijesh Khandige. Rohan David, who had been to Laddakh a couple years ago on his Yezdi, shared his experiences and elaborated about the preparations before and during the expedition.
There were many practical events to test drivers’ skill in various aspects, including on maintenance and driving. After a brief about bike maintenance and repair, a competition on changing flat tyre was organised. Similarly, a slow bike racing was organised for the enthusiasts.
Joyel Fernandes from Zero Gravity, a professional stunt group, performed stunts and advised the participants to confine stunts to secluded places and not endanger life of public. Those performing stunts should wear safety gears to protect themselves, he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangalore / by Special Correspondent / Mangalore – June 23rd, 2014
