Sagar wins Air Rifle shooting competition

Records, All, Sports

AirRifleBF05aug2014

Mysore :

Mysore District Rifle Association (MDRA) conducted its first .177 Air Rifle Shooting Competition on July 19-20.

M.S.R Sagar emerged as the winner in senior men’s category. He was followed by D. Punith Kumar and B.G. Den Thimaiah.

In junior men’s category Deeraj Prabhu won the first prize. While, M. Harshith Kuttappa emerged runner up. Neeraj Belliappa emerged victorious in sub junior men’s category. While, T.P. Gagan and Athish Aaj secured second and third place respectively.

In senior women’s category, S. Raksha won the first prize, while, Sheethal and Geetha secured second and third place respectively.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports l News / July 30th, 2014

City’s Cycle Pure Agarbathies wins Mysore KPL team bid

Business & Economy, Records, All, Sports
Arjun Ranga (third from left) and Pavan Ranga (extreme right), partners of NR Group receiving the Franchisee Certificate for Mysore KPL team from KSCA President Ashok Anand at an event held in KSCA Bangalore this morning. Also seen is KSCA Treasurer Dayanand Pai.
Arjun Ranga (third from left) and Pavan Ranga (extreme right), partners of NR Group receiving the Franchisee Certificate for Mysore KPL team from KSCA President Ashok Anand at an event held in KSCA Bangalore this morning. Also seen is KSCA Treasurer Dayanand Pai.

Mysore :

Strengthening its continuous endorsement of the game of cricket, City’s Cycle Pure Agarbathies, world’s largest incense sticks manufacturer and part of the Mysore-based NR Group, announced that they have won the franchisee for the Mysore team in the upcoming Karnataka Premier League (KPL) 2014.

Announcing the win, Arjun Ranga, Partner, NR Group said, “We are extremely delighted to have won the franchisee for the Mysore team. Apart from Mysore players, the team will be a platform to promote grassroot talent from the region. It will have young upcoming cricketers from Kodagu, Chamarajanagar, Nanjangud, T. Narsipur, Hassan and Mandya districts.”

“Apart from winning the tournament, our vision is to ensure that in the next 3-5 years at least 2 players from the team should be making it to the national cricketing arena. With continuous support from the mentors and public, we are confident that we will be able to reach there,” added Arjun Ranga.

Pavan Ranga, Partner, NR Group, was also present.

Modelled on the lines of IPL, the T20 tournament is organised by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and will witness competition between eight teams representing six cities.

Started in 2009, the Karnataka Premier League is now in its third season, which will be held from August 23 to September 13. The first phase of the tournament will be held in Hubli and will be followed by Bangalore. The finals will be held in Mysore on September 13.

KPL renamed Wadiyar KPL

The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) will name Karnataka Premier League (KPL) after its former KSCA President Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar who initially put forward the idea to start the KPL.

Wadiyar was keen to revive the KPL which was stopped after two editions. With the sudden demise of Wadiyar after a month of being elected as KSCA President, the KSCA authorities decided to name the tournament after its former President.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / July 30th, 2014

Princess of the paddle

Records, All, Sports

 

PASSION Propels Archana Kamath to achieve more. Photo: Shreedutta Chidananda
PASSION Propels Archana Kamath to achieve more. Photo: Shreedutta Chidananda
Archana Kamath, the reigning national sub-junior table tennis champion, is set for greater things

There’s a spontaneity about young Archana Kamath that is endearing. It is fear, she says, quoting Vivekananda impromptu, that brings misery, death, and evil.

“And what causes fear? Ignorance of our own nature.” As a devout student of the Swami’s teachings, this spirit she has embraced fully, Archana says; it is how she plays her table tennis and does much else: with freedom.

The 14-year-old is the reigning National Sub-Junior table tennis champion (the first to emerge from Karnataka since B.M. Ashwini in 1999) and finished 2013 as the state’s top-ranked player in four age-groups (Sub-Junior, Junior, Youth, and Women). Last year, out of the 42 competitions Archana entered across categories, she made the final in 40. And won 32.

“I feel no pressure about delivering results,” she says. “I enjoy playing. I just go and play and come back. I ask my mother if she is happy with my effort. If she says yes, that’s good enough for me.” Against older, taller, stronger opponents (and it must be noted that a girl of 18 holds a massive physical advantage over one of 14) there is no fear whatsoever.

“My approach is that I have nothing to lose. They, on the other hand, don’t want to lose to a small girl.”

For all the abandon that it appears Archana wields the paddle with, she is driven by a fervid devotion to the game. Her day begins by 6 a.m., with fitness work squeezed in before school, and winds down after some five hours of training . Her coach at the Cantonment Rail Club, Bona Thomas John, calls her focus and work ethic “brilliant”.

It is Thursday and he tells a story from this morning, when the evening’s training was brought forward on account of the bandh. “Archana was one of the last to leave and she came up and asked me what time to report in the evening. That’s the kind of girl she is.”

At tournaments, Archana has her mother tape her matches, to be reviewed later. At the China Junior and Cadet Open Table Tennis Championships in Taicang last month, where she finished a creditable ninth in the Cadet singles event, Archana filmed Chinese players she was impressed by. “It’s just so great watching them,” she gushes. “The amount they train, it seems as if they have 48 hours each day.”

The stated absence of pressure from any quarter is due, in no small part, to the atmosphere her ophthalmologist parents – Girish and Anuradha Kamath – have enabled. “It’s only her passion for the game that keeps her going,” says Anuradha, who gave up her practice three years ago to support her daughter’s blossoming table tennis career. “It is she that asks me to take her to practice. She’s making us do what she wants – not the other way round.”

It’s an important distinction. Her school, Poorna Prajna Education Centre (Sadashivanagar), where Archana is a class nine student, has also been hugely supportive, Anuradha says. “We know how much of a difference this makes.”

Archana started playing as a nine-year-old, when her parents installed a table in the basement of their RMV Extension home. She improved in a hurry, winning in just over a year’s time an under-12 state-level tournament.

Her subsequent rise has been nothing short of staggering; it has pleased although not surprised Anuradha. “One thing I can say is that she gives 100 per cent of her attention to anything she does, whether it is academics or table tennis. Sometimes when I watch her at the table, I can’t believe she is a 14-year-old. She’s so focussed.”

The future looks undeniably gilded but there is still a long way to go. “We must not forget,” reminds Bona, “that she’s only 14.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Shreedutta Chidananda / Bangalore – August 03rd, 2014

Commonwealth bronze sweetens life for Sakina Khatun

Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
Sakina khatun with the bronze medal she won at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. / The Hindu
Sakina khatun with the bronze medal she won at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. /
The Hindu

Her success is all down to her hard work: coach

Life has not been kind to Sakina Khatun, who won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday.

In Glasgow’s Clyde Auditorium, the 25-year-old Bangalore-based para-athlete lifted a weight of 88.2 kg to finish third in the women’s powerlifting event (Lightweight Group A). It was a success that came after prolonged hardship.

“My parents cried when I broke the news to them on the phone,” she told The Hindu from Glasgow.

Her coach and mentor Farman Basha, who also competed at the Games, faltered in his event on account of an injury, but his delight was enormous. “She has been through a lot. So I’m very happy for her,” he said.

Sakina hails from Basirhat in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district. Her mother is a farm labourer while her father, ailing with a serious back condition, is unable to work. “He can’t even walk,” Sakina said. “We don’t have the money for his treatment.”

Afflicted with polio at a young age, she took up swimming on her doctor’s suggestion, learning in ponds in her village before a teacher in school noticed she had an aptitude for it. “Despite steady success at the national level, I was ignored for the 2010 Commonwealth Games team. It left me disheartened and I quit the sport,” she said.

Sakina switched over to powerlifting on the advice of one of her swimming coaches, and in 2010 was directed to Basha. “She wanted to come over to Bangalore to be trained by me,” he said. “She had no money and I couldn’t afford to spend a rupee on her.”

But Sakina found a benefactor in Dilip Majumdar, a businessman who volunteered to support her training. “I’m a girl and my parents were against my leaving home,” she recalled. “But my sponsor managed to convince them.”

“At first, she could only lift around 25 kg,” recalled Basha. “But gradually she improved. Her success is all down to her hard work.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bangalore / by Shreedutta Chidananda / Bangalore – August 04th, 2014

HIEMA presents laptop to IIT-JEE Topper in city

Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All
IIT-JEE topper from city Prasanth is seen receiving the laptop from ACP (Traffic) Prabhakar Bharki as Srinivas- Past Secretary, Subramanian- Secretary, Nagaraj- Past President, Harsha- Treasurer, Jayanth- President, Raghavendra- Past President, Kumar- Vice President, Prakash- Joint Secretary and Harish- Past Secretary look on.
IIT-JEE topper from city Prasanth is seen receiving the laptop from ACP (Traffic) Prabhakar Bharki as Srinivas- Past Secretary, Subramanian- Secretary, Nagaraj- Past President, Harsha- Treasurer, Jayanth- President, Raghavendra- Past President, Kumar- Vice President, Prakash- Joint Secretary and Harish- Past Secretary look on.

Mysore :

HIEMA (Hebbal Industrial Estate Manufacturers Association) after reports published in SOM that C. Prasanth, son of Chandra Nayaka, a daily wager, who secured 255th rank in IIT-JEE exam wanted financial help, HIEMA approached him to extend financial assistance.

When they approached him, he said that he wanted a laptop which would be of immense help to pursue his studies.

Few industrialists joined together along with HIEMA and purchased the latest HP Laptop with graphic card as Prasanth had opted for Mechanical Branch.

The laptop was presented to him by ACP (Traffic) Prabhakar Bharki at a function organised in city recently.

The industrialists who supported this cause includes Nagesh of Vinay Packings, Jayanth of Sri Sachidananda Industries, Jayanth of Enn Forgings, Raghavendra Raghavan of Baba Industries, Srinivas of Elcap Systems, Nagaraj of Chamundi Electrial Stampings, Subramanian of Deepak Tools Heat Treaters, Satish of Mysore Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Siddharth of Thimpson Cables, Prabu and Abhisekh of MGM Computers, Lakshmesh of Global Enterprises, Abhilash of Baba Mechanical Industries and Ghouse of Canara Packings.

Prabhakar Barki Asst. Commissioner of Police (Traffic) presented Laptop to Prasanth.

Jayanth- President welcomed the gathering, Raghavendra- Past President of HIEMA introduced the chief guest while Subramanian- Secretary proposed vote of thanks.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / July 29th, 2014

Bangalore’s rail connectivity turns 150 years

Business & Economy, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Science & Technology, Travel
A front view of Bangalore City Railway Station some time before it was completed in April 1968.
A front view of Bangalore City Railway Station some time before it was completed in April 1968.

It has been 150 years since Bangalore appeared on the railway map of India. It was on August 1, 1864 that Jolarpet was connected to Bangalore Cantonment.

According to information provided by South Western Railway, the first train journey in south India took place on May 28, 1856 from Royapuram to Wallajah Road. Eight years later, Madras Railway Company opened the Jolarpettai-Bangalore Cantonment branch line. The Madras-Bangalore Mail was launched the same year.

In 1862, the line reached Renigunta and then to Raichur in 1871.

The Yeshwanthpur-Doddaballapur Meter Gauge line was opened in 1892.

In 1944, the rail network was nationalised. On April 14, 1951, the three major networks administered by the erstwhile Madras and Southern Maratha Railway, the Southern Indian Railway and Mysore State Railway were joined to form Southern Railway.

Due to historical reasons, the headquarters of the erstwhile Mysore State Railway was located in Mysore though Bangalore was the hub of operations. To improve administration and enhance monitoring, Bangalore Division was inaugurated on July 27, 1981.

No rail museum

The city does not have a museum to showcase its rail journey. Till a few weeks ago, memorabilia was being exhibited on Platform One of Bangalore City Railway Station. At present, visitors can go to Platform Five where two galleries exhibit cartoons and paintings related to trains.

The galleries had no visitors on Friday. Staff in both galleries said that visitors show up only when trains are delayed.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bangalore / by Renuka Phadnis / August 02nd, 2014

So few and far between

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All
Tradition prevails: ‘Perfect Peace’, the home of Merlyn and son, Paul D’Souza, is located at Inner Circle, Whitefield. / Photo: K. Murali Kumar / The Hindu
Tradition prevails: ‘Perfect Peace’, the home of Merlyn and son, Paul D’Souza, is located at Inner Circle, Whitefield. / Photo: K. Murali Kumar / The Hindu

The D’Souzas recall the days when Whitefield’s roadsides were venues for long conversations

Sipping a glass of Mango Fool in the tranquil company of squirrels and birds, in a house that dates back to the early 1900s, can give you a natural high. The house, ‘Perfect Peace’, owned by Merlyn D’Souza, is the quintessence of Inner Circle, Whitefield. It has withstood the test of time amid the onslaught of rapid commercialisation.

The Inner Circle is part of the Anglo-Indian settlement which was set up in 1882 on land granted by the Mysore maharaja. Remnants of the colonial era are reflected in the architectural style of the beautiful garden, high-tiled roof and wooden decor and the antique curios in the house (on cover). Merlyn’s son, Paul Gerard D’Souza, explains that very few houses in the area retain the charm and history of the bygone days.

Paul reminisced about the days when Whitefield was a small community of Anglo-Indians and a trunk call away from Bangalore. “Everybody knew each other in the community,” he recalls. “We often got together in the Whitefield Club and at the Memorial Church.” He fondly remembers the days when there was no traffic in Whitefield and the roadsides were perfect venues for long conversations. He recalls that the Whitefield Club, which was then an exclusive Anglo-Indian body, was a place where one could feel the richness of their culture. “Young and old, from toddlers to grannies, were called for parties and gatherings at the club. There was no age distinction. We always got together as a community,” he says.

With the advent of the IT industry in Bangalore, tech parks have spilled all over the town, changing not just the landscape of the area but also the lives of the old Anglo-Indian settlers. Paul lamented that the Anglo-Indian community in the neighbourhood is nearly nonexistent today. “Whitefield today is associated with the rich and the IT industry. A lot of land is being grabbed for big projects,” he rues. The Inner Circle today has very few houses owned by Anglo- Indians. As Paul says, “There is no other place like this in Bangalore, and I intend to preserve the perfect peace of the Inner Circle.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities. Bangalore / by James Prashanth Lobo & Sandra Marina Fernandes / May 11th, 2011

Champion horse ‘CJ-15’ dies at Pinjrapole

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Sports

CJ15BF03aug2014

Don’t gallop me up the Hill,

Don’t drop me down the Hill, Don’t spare me on the Plain Ground,

Don’t drop me of the feed, Don’t deprive me of the warm bed

Don’t neglect me when I am sick and old, Don’t forget me when I am dead..

This is the prayer of the horse to its master when it stays with him and acting according to his commands. The horse hopes that his master will look after him even in its old age and shall not be deserted. But, the same was not true in case of ‘CJ-15’, the Champion Horse, which died in Mysore yesterday.

21-year-old ‘CJ-15’ which brought laurels to Mysore and the country by winning national and international medals and trophies died a sad death at Pinjrapole in Mysore.

One of the greatest showing jumping Indian Horse, which served in the Mounted Police in Mysore, was left to die unattended. The Mounted Police which is also responsible to look after the horses after they retire did not do much to look after ‘CJ-15’. It died just two days after being sent to Pinjrapole.

‘CJ-15’ was brought from Clive Stud Farm in Bangalore in the 1993 to Mounted Police and it was trained by former Mounted Police Commandant Maribashetty. It was the 15th horse in the fold and was not considered to be an ideal horse for equestrian sport by the stud owner. But, the horse was brought to Mysore and was professionally trained and it yielded good results by winning numerous medal and trophies both at the national and international level. v‘CJ-15’ retired recently as it had grown old. But, it still had eight good years to live as it was healthy. The sudden death of ‘CJ-15’ has come as a shocker for animal lovers, who have been great fans of the horse which was a show stopper during the Torch Light Parade at the Bannimantap Ground held on the last day of the Dasara festivities. vSpeaking to Star of Mysore, Srinivas, a horse rider, expressed the ‘CJ-15’ was a champion horse which had great fan following in the national level. v“The horse was healthy and fit when I last saw in the Mounted Police premises when I visited to see the newly brought horses. The officials informed me the horse would retire soon as it was old. But, none of them informed they would send the horse to Pinjrapole. The sudden death of CJ-15 has come as a shocker. We never knew that it would be sent to Pinjrapole. The Mounted Police have sufficient space to look after the old horses. If the department had made an announcement at least the horse could have been adopted. The horse deserved a decent death since it was a champion. The last rites of the horse should have been performed with state honours”, said Srinivas.

Listed among the Grade I horse by the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI), CJ-15 was a great fighter when it came to competitions. Both S.G. Maribashetty and his son Arun Maribashetty have won medals and trophies with CJ-15.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, S.G. Maribashetty, former Commandant, Mounted Police, expressed his condolences to the death of CJ-15 and remembered the days he spent with horse while in service.

“CJ-15 never came back without winning a medal in the competitions it participated. Such was the calibre and efficiency of the horse”, he added.

The saddest part is that ‘CJ-15’ did not get the treatment it deserved. When horses and dogs, which retire after serving the Police Department in western countries are taken care by their trainers or handlers till their death, why that provision is not in India?

The Mounted Police need to come out with an answer as to why ‘CJ-15’ was sent to Pinjrapole when it had the facilities to look after it. Did the Commandant of Mounted Police check for the facilities available at the Pinjrapole before deciding to admit the horse?

With the death of ‘CJ-15’, Mysore City has lost a Champion Horse, which died a inhumane death, all thanks to the Mounted Police. — VNS

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / July 28th, 2014

Revving up once again with Jawa and Yezdi

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Sports
Blazing saddles: Riders getting ready to take out a rally on their Jawa and Yezdi motorcycles to mark the 12th International Jawa Yezdi Day in Bangalore on Sunday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy
Blazing saddles: Riders getting ready to take out a rally on their Jawa and Yezdi motorcycles to mark the 12th International Jawa Yezdi Day in Bangalore on Sunday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

On Sunday, enthusiastic motorcyclists got together to celebrate their passion for the classic Jawa and Yezdi motorcycles.

It also marked the 12th International Jawa Yezdi Day. A worldwide event held on the second Sunday of July each year, it celebrates the power and legacy of the motorbikes manufactured by the Ideal Jawa Company in Mysore till 1996, when the company shut down.

Exotic machines

Organised by the Bangalore Jawa Yezdi Motorcycle Club, close to 280 motorcycles — 60cc and 125cc — as well as twin cylinder motorcycles took out a rally from Wilson Garden to Mysore Road. Around 15 members of the Jawa club of Mysore also took part.

The motorcycles are credited with making a mark in Indian automotive history as an exotic piece of machinery. They were known for their reliability and low maintenance cost.

The Bangalore Jawa Yezdi Motorcycle Club, which has been in existence since 2007, tried to bring these classic motorcycles back on the road. It boasts of having over 600 Jawa and Yezdi motorcycles, which have been completely restored by passionate mechanics.

“They include rare imported motorcycles such as Jawa Perak, Czeta and Jawa 350,” said Brian Ammanna, the club’s co-founder.

The annual event also acts as a platform for biking enthusiasts and collectors to interact with some of the oldest Jawa riders and employees of the Ideal Jawa factory.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bangalore / K.C. Deepika / Bangalore – July 13th, 2014

National Karate Championship

Sports

SidharthBF02aug2014

Mysore :

Sidharth Tom became the national champion in the recently held National Karate championship “Beat Down 2014” organised by Wakayama Karate-Do, India, at Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore.

More than 1500 karatekas from different parts of India participated in the event. Sidharth is a student of Okinawa Shorinryu Karate Shinkokai and Kobudo Association, India and trained by Renshi K.P. Johnson in the Ramakrishnagar Dojo.

He is the son of Tomy Mathew and Swapna Tom, residents of Sharadadevinagar, Mysore. Sidharth is a student of Christ Public School, Bogadi.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Voice of the Reader / July 27th, 2014