Star Kids:“If you can dream it, you can do it ”

Amazing Feats, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All
Nagashri with her parents Geetha and Guruprasad.
Nagashri with her parents Geetha and Guruprasad.

We know kids of the Gen-Next are super-fast and thoughtful. They’ll know their aims and plans for future way ahead of time and even start working towards achieving their goals well in advance. Shall we get introduced to one such thoughtful and brilliant kid from your city today?

Meet G. Nagashri, a child from Mysore who is all of ten, but knows what she wants to do once she grows up. “I want to be an IAS officer,” she adorably says when asked what her aim is for life, “I will study real hard to achieve this goal.”

But dreaming apart, what is the little girl doing to achieve her dreams? Nagashri, a V std. student of Avila Convent is an Abacus expert. Learning the same since 3 years now, she has been constantly winning first prizes and also Super first prizes in every Abacus competition that she competes in and is admired and looked up to by her Abacus tutors.

Talking of her expertise in the same, Vijayalakshmi Muralidhar, Chairperson of the Up Kidz Abacus Academy where Nagashri is training says, “Nagashri is a brilliant kid who is very good at Abacus. She joined us three years ago. We have about 20 centres of our own across Mysore for all of which we together conduct competitions frequently. And ever since Nagashri joined us, she has been constantly winning the first prize and super first prize in all the contests held. We are glad to have a student like her.”

The girl has won over 7 prizes and can easily solve 50 mathematics sums in three-five minutes, with or without the Abacus instrument which makes her a brilliant child, according to Vijayalakshmi.

What’s more is, the girl also excels in academics at her class and is a staunch lover of Mathematics according to her mother Geetha.“She joined abacus to sharpen her brain and to be able to learn and study better,” Geetha says, adding, “We enrolled her into abacus coaching as we wanted her to find the subject of Maths interesting. And once we did, she has been simply enjoying the subject all the more. And we are glad she is liking it as Maths is one subject which will help her sharpen her brain in all ways.”

Having started learning abacus at the age of 7, it has helped her lot in solving her school mathematics as well, the kid says and feels excited that she can answer complicated maths sums within minutes with ease. And her mother adds on to say that the course is also helping a lot in boosting her potential and aiding a positive augmentation of self confidence within. Let us wish Nagashri all the luck !

Nagashri is the daughter of Geetha and Guruprasad.

Abacus and it’s uses

• Abacus, also called a counting frame, is a calculating tool that was used centuries ago before the adoption of the written modern numeral system.

• Abacus method of calculations is believed to be one of the fastest methods of calculations and the Abacus device was invented in-order to aid counting of larger numbers.

• Abacus motivates kids, boasts their self-confidence, brilliance and attentiveness.

• Helps them love the subject of Maths and solve Mathematics sums with ease. — AN

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / December 27th, 2013

Women need a platform to showcase their talents : Nirmala Matapathi

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Suvarna Awardees (from left) — Journalists K. Deepak, Amshi Prasanna Kumar, Biligiri Ranganath and S.T.Ravikumar — are seen with (from left) Nirmala Matapathi, Asst. Director, Dept. of Kannada and Culture, Suma Raghunandan, President, Suvarna Ladies Club, Mysore, K.B. Vaidya, Senior Executive Producer, Suvarna TV and H.V. Rajeev, Founder-President, Pramati Hill View Academy, Mysore, at the celebration programme.
Suvarna Awardees (from left) — Journalists K. Deepak, Amshi Prasanna Kumar, Biligiri Ranganath and S.T.Ravikumar — are seen with (from left) Nirmala Matapathi, Asst. Director, Dept. of Kannada and Culture, Suma Raghunandan, President, Suvarna Ladies Club, Mysore, K.B. Vaidya, Senior Executive Producer, Suvarna TV and H.V. Rajeev, Founder-President, Pramati Hill View Academy, Mysore, at the celebration programme.

Mysore :

“There is a need to provide a platform for women to bring out their hidden talents,” opined Nirmala Matapathi, Assistant Director, Department of Kannada and Culture.

She was speaking after inaugurating a programme organised by Suvarna Ladies Club, Mysore, in association with Suvarna TV, on the occasion of completing 150 shows. The ‘Suvarna awards’ were also presented to journalists of the city on the occasion.

‘A woman is no longer confined to the four walls of a house. She is on par with the menfolk in all fields. All that she needs is the right platform to unearth the hidden talents,’ said Nirmala Matapathi and lauded the efforts of organisations like Suvarna Ladies Club which have been successful in providing such platforms.

City’s journalists — Biligiri Ranganath, S.T. Ravikumar (of SOM), K. Deepak, B.S. Rakesh, Shivashankaraswamy, Nanjundaswamy, Ranganath Mysore, Bherya Ramkumar, Latha Mohan, Shilpa, photojournalists Pragati Gopalakrishna, Nagesh Panattale — were presented with ‘Suvarna awards’ for this year.

Pramati Hill View Academy Founder President and Hon. Secretary H.V. Rajeev presented the awards to the media persons. Speaking on the occasion, he said, ‘women are no longer treated as just home-makers, they are contributing significantly to the society and achieving great success.’ Speaking about the activities of the Club, Rajeev appreciated the club’s programmes which help in inculcating spiritual, mental and philosophical perspectives in a woman. He expressed happiness about the activities carried out by the club and the channel.

Senior Executive Producer of Suvarna TV K.B. Vaidya delivered the keynote address and also gave a brief account of the new initiatives of the channel. The channel plans to set-up Suvarna Ladies Club at regional, district and State level. At present, the Mysore Suvarna Ladies Club has more than 2,000 members who are doing excellent work. On the occasion, Vaidya congratulated Mysore Suvarna Ladies Club President Suma Raghunandan and appreciated her team in successfully carrying out various activities.

Suma Raghunandan spoke about the activities of the club and thanked her colleagues and the management for their constant support.

Cine actor Vikram compered. Members of the club presented various cultural programmes.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / December 26th, 2013

Rare achievement by city girl

Records, All, Sports

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Mysore :

Sanjana Koushik, a city girl, has achieved a rare feat of being selected for the finals of All India-level Indian Classical Music competitions, conducted by Indian Association of Universities. She represented University of Mysore and has won the first prize in the South India-level of the competition.

Sanjana is a student of Maharani Arts and Science College, studying in first year BA (first semester). She was initiated to music at a young age, at Chandigarh, when her father was working there. Her first Guru was Gita Dutt of Chandigarh. When her father came back to Mysore, she continued her musical studies under Veerabhadraiah Hiremutt. Later, she came under the tutelage of Nagabhushan Hegde, who has now migrated to Sagar in Shimoga District. She later continued under Niranjan and Padma Gopal.

Currently she is pursuing her studies once again under Nagabhushan Hegde, who conducts classes in Bangalore. She is the daughter of Tara and Ravindran of J.P. Nagar.

This girl Sanjana, has made the city proud by her rare achievement and we wish that she come out victorious in the finals. —SRK.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / December 26th, 2013

NIE alumni of 1983 batch celebrates 30th anniversary

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All

 

The alumni of NIE 1983 batch are seen at the 30th anniversary celebrations.
The alumni of NIE 1983 batch are seen at the 30th anniversary celebrations.

Mysore :

‘The alumni play a vital role in building their alma mater,’ said S.L.Ramachandra, Hon.Secretary, NIE Managing Committee.

He was speaking at the 30th anniversary celebrations of NIE students of 1983 batch held at NIE premises in city recently.

Ramachandra said that in many Universities, more so in top-notch global Universities like Harvard and Stanford, the alumni’s involvement would be so impressive that some of those Universities have built corpus fund amounting to billions of dollars.

NIE, being one of the oldest engineering institutions started in 1946, is trying to build very strong alumni network across globe, he said.

The alumni of 1983 batch who attended the 30th anniversary celebrations included Dr. G.L. Shekar, Principal, NIE, S.B. Ravishankar, Investment Banker in London, Dinesh, Consultant in US, Rajshekar Bhat, Vivek Kutti and Mathew Joseph, entrepreneurs, Nataraj Krishnappa, General Manager (HR), BEL, R. Narayan and Sadananda Rao, ISRO Scientists and T.N.Ramesh, Executive at J.K.Tyres. About 70 alumni went around the college to see various facilities.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / December 26th, 2013

City couple on a national mission to prevent suicide

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Travel
(Top) M.V. Santhosh and Akshatha S. Rao enroute their mission. (Below) Santhosh addressing a group of students during one of their expeditions.
(Top) M.V. Santhosh and Akshatha S. Rao enroute their mission.
(Below) Santhosh addressing a group of students during one of their expeditions.

Mysore :

With an aim to educate and create awareness among the young minds on how precious life is, a couple from Mysore is on a cycle expedition throughout the country on a modified tandem cycle. The couple who started their journey from Mysore on August 11 has toured Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat till now with a message to prevent suicide and educating youngsters that suicide is not the only solution to solve problems.

M.V. Santhosh and Akshatha S. Rao, both Ballroom dance instructors & residents of Gokulam in city, have been visiting schools and colleges across the country with the message of suicide prevention among youngsters. They also hold interactive sessions with these youngsters and tell them about ways of combating suicidal tendencies if any.

Till the now the couple have visited 53 institutions and interacted with more than 9,000 students. Currently, they are in Bharuch, Gujarat and will be travelling towards Rajasthan after completing their mission in Gujarat. Speaking to Star of Mysore, Akshatha said that the so far the tour has been successful with lot of youngsters coming forward and sharing their experiences with them.

She said, in most of the cases the students were forced to take the extreme step due to the examination pressure and also pressure from their parents. “Some reasons also included molestation and rape not only among girls but also boys, addiction, betrayal from friends by not keeping their secrets, relationship issues.” We interact with the students and also stay at a place for a sometime to interact one-on-one with students if need be,” said Akshatha.

When asked about her inspiration to go on a cycle expedition with a social cause, Akshatha said that it was during a dance workshop in one of the colleges in Kollegal in Chamarajanagar district, they found out that four girls of the college had committed suicide in a single academic year unable to bear examination pressure. This inspired us to go on a expedition with a message to youngsters not to end their lives.

Akshatha also mentioned that during their interaction, on an average, around 4-5 students have the courage to tell them that they have had suicidal tendencies citing various reasons. “We interact with them and educate them regarding their precious lives. There have been many examples of students changing their minds not to take extreme steps and assuring us to not to end their lives through suicide,” added Akshatha.

The couple also conduct dance classes at the places they visit and collect funds to continue with their journey. During their recent visit to Maharashtra, Santhosh and Akshatha met Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chauhan and actor, model Milind Soman and shared their message.

They have been visiting NGOs who have been working on distress helpline, share their experiences and also learn from them. COOJ (You Matter) in Goa, Connecting NGO, Pune, Samaritans, Mumbai are a few of the NGOs that the couple have visited so far.

The couple have not planned their date of return back to city. As of now, they are happy touring the entire nation.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / December 25th, 2013

Award for retd. CFTRI Scientist

Records, All, Science & Technology

AwardBF31dec2013

Mysore :

Dr. Baldev Raj (left), a retired scientist of CFTRI, Mysore, was conferred Dr. Mahadeviah Award-2012 by the All India Food Processors Association, New Delhi, in recognition of his contribution to the development of “Food Packaging Technology.”

The award, comprising a Silver Plate and Citation with cash, was presented by Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries, Tariq Anwar, at a function held at India International Centre, Delhi. Dr.Baldev Raj, a Ph.D in Polymer Science and Technology from UOM, has 35 years of experience in the Field of Food Packaging Technology at CFTRI, Mysore.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / December 25th, 2013

Titan’s 1,000th Store Opens In Bangalore

Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All

Bangalore:

Leading retail chain Titan Industries opened its 1,000 store here, becoming the first Indian firm to have a thousand outlets across the country in seven formats.

“It has been a fascinating journey for us since 1988 when we opened our first watch store in this tech city. It was a bold step then when consumer products and retail market were unorganised and underserved,” Titan managing director Bhaskar Bhat told reporters on the occasion.

With a retail footprint in 177 cities across 26 states and a retail area of 13,95,712 sq ft, Titan has stores for watches under World of Titan, Helios and Fastrack, jewellery under retail brands Tanishq, Zoya and GoldPlus and Eye Plus for multi-brand eyewear.

“As our manufacturing expertise produced world-class products, we envisioned an elevating experience for customers when buying. This is where we saw an opportunity to start retailing through our stores, which worked well for us,” Bhat said.

In a retail journey spanning a quarter century, Titan has changed the retail fabric of the country, he said. 

“For us, retail is beyond stores, which has become our company’s face to consumers across country and a commitment to deliver service and experience through human and technological intervention,” Bhat noted.

Noting that technology changed the rules of the game, Bhat said laser engraving service at watches store, Karatmeter at jewellery stores and visual map developer at eyewear stores had given the company a competitive edge in the retail space.

As a joint venture of the Tata group with the state-run Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (Tidco), Titan recently entered the fragrances segment with Skinn and forayed into making helmets under its Fastrack brand.

The company posted 15 percent growth in fiscal 2012-13 with net sales of 10,009 crore.

Rev. Dr. Jose Aikara elected unanimously as Vice-President of COBSE

Education

DrJoseBF30dec2013

Mysore :

Rev. Dr. Jose Aikara CM was elected unanimously as the Vice-President of COBSE (Conference of Board of School Education) at the meeting held in New Delhi recently.

Fr. Jose Aikara was the founder Principal of De Paul International Residential School, Mysore. At present, he is the Chairman of the ICSE Board, New Delhi.

COBSE is the apex body of chairpersons of all school education boards in India, including National Boards and State Boards. Representatives of some of the neighbouring countries also attend the COBSE meeting. This body meets, studies and proposes new changes and policies in the field of School Education which are being introduced by various school boards.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / December 24th, 2013

Stories in a frame

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Paresh Hazra’s new show marries the apple and the lotus — two seemingly unconnected motifs — in works that take you from lust to stillness

Bangalore-based artist Paresh Hazra has no problems creating a series. But it is the first painting that is like the “birth of a child”, filled with its share of joy and pain. It was the same with his new series The Apple and the Lotus that is now on display in the city, which had its inception in the sight of lotus blooms in a pond at his studio in Shantiniketan late last year. “I knew I had to capture the sight,” he says.

“After having been an artist for over 40 years, one tends to make connections and narratives,” he adds. “What becomes important is the composition of the story I want to tell.” His first painting came to being after his storyboard had connected the dots between a lotus and an apple. “Yes,” he laughs, “it was a combination that made sense.” His first painting of the series was done there and although there are 19 paintings in all, that particular painting remains conspicuously absent from the display.

It is in the possession of his second daughter, artist Aditi Hazra. “I will give my daughters paintings instead of dowry,” he says in a jocular vein. In fact, he has always discussed his ideas with his wife and two daughters. “I tell them all my thoughts before starting off with a series. When they are bad, my daughter threatens to take me to Brigade Road to see some beautiful girls.” His older daughter, a scientist in the US, joins in the discussions via the Internet.

The story for the series found approval with them. The Apple and the Lotus symbolises several metaphors. Adam and Eve ate the apple and were banished from Paradise. Eating the forbidden fruit, according to Hazra, denotes an evil mind. “With atrocities on women happening frequently, the eating of the fruit symbolises the evil acts.” Another metaphor is to connect the “aesthetically pleasing” apple with the female form. By showing it on his canvases without the complete identity, he feels that the body can be depicted as a site of victimisation. The apple in his paintings becomes a symbol of desire, lust and unbridled temptations, he explains.

The lotus started out as a symbol of peace, but by combining it with the apple, he hopes to depict the period of stillness that comes after any action. “After every action, there comes a period of silence, of absolute tiredness and disconnect — which is what the lotus is connected with. After all, even if you are quarrelling, how long can you quarrel? You have to be quiet a little later,” Hazra expostulates. And so the unlikeliest of symbols become strange bedfellows.

Hazra has seldom made just one single painting — it has always been a series, like storytelling. One scene follows the other in rapid succession. In this case, it took painting all day, every day, for three-four months in his studio, to complete the series. The apple series is done in charcoal whereas the lotus series is done in the medium of old egg tempera. He acknowledges, “I don’t go out much. I don’t socialise. I paint in my studio and remain in it like a prisoner.”

Hazra is already preparing for his next stint in Shantiniketan, where he plans to begin his new series. The idea, he says, came to him when he was helping his wife cook his favourite meal of fish. Fodder for some more unlikely themes? Certainly.

The Lotus and the Apple, till Dec 30, 11 am – 7 pm, at Gallery Time and Space, 

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Entertainment> Lounge / by Jayanthi Madhukar, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / December 16th, 2013

Bosch enters consumer retail space

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Bangalore : 

Bosch India , known for its technology prowess in the automotive market, has entered the Indian consumer retail space with the launch of its first home appliance store in Bangalore. It’s also Bosch’s first retail store in the world.

“India is a very different market where you have this concept of independent brand stores. And this concept of exclusive brand stores for Bosch is unique globally,” said Michael Steinborn, director, head of business development Asia, BSH (Bosch and Siemens Home Appliances Group ).

BSH is a joint venture company that Bosch has with Siemens AG that is the largest manufacturer of home appliances in Europe and the third-largest home appliances manufacturer worldwide.

With a plan to open 10 retail stores by the end of next year across Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune and Delhi, Bosch will be taking on the likes of South Korean majors Samsung and LG, and US-based Whirlpool, all of who have gained significant market share over the last decade.

However, Bosch is looking to tap the premium end of the market in appliances, carrying a 10% to 15% premium over its competitors. Last year, Bosch had announced an investment of around Euro 50 million to set up a manufacturing facility in Chennai for its consumer retail business, which would be operational by the end of the next year.

The retail stores will also include consumer products from the Robert Bosch Power Tools division such as garden equipments and DIY (do-it-yourself) products. The DIY segment had sales of Rs 30 crore last year. The company aims to grow the business to Rs 100 crore in the next 2 years through the consumer retail channel and exclusive DIY centres.

“On a global level, this is the first store where Bosch home appliances, power tools and security solutions will be retailed under one roof,” said Vijay Pandey, VP, Power Tools Division. Bosch entered the Indian home appliance market two years ago with a range of refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers, but was present through organized multi-brand electronic retail channels. “Our success in India has been tremendous. At the moment we are the market leader in imported refrigerators,” added Steinborn.

By the second quarter of next year the company will launch its range of kitchen appliances such as hoods and hobs, a segment where homegrown players TTK Prestige and Pigeon dominate.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Business> India Business / by Anshul Dhamija, TNN / December 13th, 2013