A S N Hebbar, the city’s veteran lawyer of 50 years was felicitated by his interns and social welfare organizations at Government Pre-University College, here on Saturday November 30 evening.
The former Rotary governor Dr H Shantaram presided the function.
The former MLA A G Kodgi delivered the felicitation address.
The additional district and sessions judge G S Revankar, Udupi district journalists’ Assocition president Kiran Manjabail and others were present.
The journalist Chakravarti Soolibele delivered lecture on professional ethics and India.
The prizes were distributed to the winners of inter-district badminton and tennis tourney on the same occasion.
An exhibition of rare birds was held on the occasion.
Sugam Sangeet musical extravaganza and Yakshagana play was staged as part of entertainment programme.
About Hebbar
Seventy-three-year-old Airody Shankaranarayana Hebbar, popularly known as A S N Hebbar is active lawyer who attends court proceedings in Bhatkal, Honnavar and Udupi by driving his own car even now. His father the late Airody Venkatanarayana Hebbar was also a lawyer who mentored his son Shankaranarayana in professional ethics, in-depth study, humorous advocacy etc. The budding interns practiced with Sankaranarayan who has a great number of followers.
Besides, being busy at legal practice, Shankaranarayana was engaged in contributing his articles, poetry, humorous columns etc. He was the chairman of Udupi district seventh Kannada Sahitya Sammelan. He was the founder chairman of Jaycees Club International – Kundapur. He served as chairman of local school governing council and also bagged several awards for his philanthropic contributions.
He had participated in Akka Sammelan held in Chicago, USA. He was the founder president of Kundapur taluk journalists’ Association and founder vice president of Udupi district journalists’ Association. He has married to Sudha, daughter of Kasargod’s popular lawyer B S Kakkillaya. They have three children and many grand children.
source: http://www.bellevison.com / Belle Vision.com / Home> News / by Bernard J D’Costa, Bellevision Media Network / Kundapur – December 01st, 2013
H. Yoganarasimham (1897-1971) was one of the scholarly musicians of yesteryears. This retired District Education Officer and retired Principal of Maharaja Sanskrit Pathashala had initially learnt music from his mother and later became the disciple of the legendary Mysore Vasudevacharya from 1928 to 1935.
He was a musician, a musicologist, a composer, a critic and an author. He has composed about thirty-eight Krutis, including Swara Jatis, Varnas, Krutis, Padas, Javalis and Tillanas. His Krutis are composed with strict musical grammar and lyrical value. They are acclaimed by the musicians of that era and even M.S. Subbulakshmi has made some of his Krutis popular.
His sons (including H.Y. Sharada Prasad, former advisor to many Prime Ministers of India) and daughter Neeraja Achuta Rao took it upon themselves to popularise his Krutis.
Yoganarasimham has used ‘Deva’ as his signature in his Krutis. Therefore, an organisation by the name ‘Devagitam’ was founded in 2011. During the inaugural function, a twin CD pack containing 18 Krutis of Yoganarasimham was released.
Devagitam celebrated its second anniversary on Nov. 20, this year. The programme was planned in a unique way with a Bharatanatya recital by young danseuse M.S. Archana Rao, dancing to the composition of Yoganarasimham. Her husband, a well-known vocalist of the city, Manasa Nayana was asked to sing for the dance.
Another well-known Danseuse Nayana Shivaram took care of the Nattuvanga, G.T. Swamy provided the mridanga support and flautist C.N. Tyagarajan gave musical support. The dance was choreographed by the dancer herself and Chetana Radhakrishna, another dance Guru of the city.
Archana is a sprightly young dancer. The agility of this fragile danseuse on stage was something to watch. Dancing in a ‘Marga’ way or with a theme is something different. To dance to some Krutis, without creating monotony is altogether a different proposition. In this aspect, Archana is to be appreciated.
She began with a Pushpanjali, a short Jati composition in Adi Tala, saluting the deity, Guru and the audience. Apart from this, all other Krutis figured in this recital were the compositions of Yoganarasimham. Lord Ganesha was worshipped with Ekadantam Upasmahe, in Begade set to Adi Tala. Her innovation in the choreography was evident in the Sanchari, depicting the birth of Ganesha, and how he acquired the elephant head.
The next item was another fine Swarajati composition Bhajare Vrajabalam in Maya Malava Gowla, set to Chaturashra Rupaka Tala. There were three Sancharis ingeniously incorporated in this number. The first was the slaying of the seven out of the eight children to Devaki in Kamsa’s prison and the escape of the eighth child, Krishna. Transporting that child to Dwaraka, Adi Shesha giving protection from the rain to the child enroute, etc. were well depicted.
The second Sanchari was the Raasa Leela at Brundavana and the third one was protecting the cattle and the cowherds from the torrential rain, by lifting the Govardhana Mountain.
There was one more Sanchari Daksha Yajna in the next composition Sada Saranga Nayane (Ranjani-Adi), made famous by M.S. Subbulakshmi. Dakshayani, the consort of Shiva and daughter of Daksha learns that her father is conducting a Yajna. She wonders why she and Shiva were not invited. She wanted to go to that Yajna. Shiva refuses to go there as he was not invited and admonishes Dakshayani also not to go. If she ever go there, she will be ill treated, he says. With all this Dakshayani goes to the Yajna and the prediction of Shiva comes true. As she could not bear the insult, she jumps in to the ritual fire. Here, the danseuse used different Charis, the elements of Karana. Especially her use of Akashiki Chari many times was noteworthy. Karana (Adavu, as it is known now) being the part of a whole single Abhinaya. The use of many Karanas was also equally good.
Navavidha Bhakti was depicted in the next piece Kolalelli Kalakondeyo in Raga Malike (Bilahari, Manirangu and Arabhi), here Yashoda was enjoying the child pranks of Krishna. The next one was a Javali Panchaanga Nodi Bandiha in Khamach. Basically, a Javali is predominantly exploits the Shrungara Bhava. Here, the Nayike is eager to welcome her lover. She gets up in the morning, does the house hold chores like sweeping and watering the front yard, especially this day as her lover is coming, drawing the rangoli, plucking the flower & tying it in a garland, decorating the house with the flower garlands, make-up herself etc. Here the poet has made a little pun also. The lover is coming to her house, of course stealthily. But she questions if he has seen the almanac (Panchanga) and coming in an auspicious time!
Jatis and Nrutta had to be purposefully included into all the above Krutis. Therefore, they were brief. But the Abhinaya in all the Sancharis were excellent and Archana earns full marks.
Especially in Raasa Leela, the way she occupied the entire stage was noteworthy. As Dakshayani, the depiction of anxiety, disappointment, pathos, remorse and other Bhavas were wonderful. The Abhinaya as Yashoda, enjoying the pranks of Krishna, must have brought many sweet memories to many mothers present in the auditorium. The Nayike in the Javali, doing all the morning chores on stage, appeared as though she was actually performing it live. Her involvement was so intense.
Archana concluded her dance recital with a Tillana in Abhogi set to Khanda Triputa Tala. A Tillana is a real test for a dancer, which is the Nrutta part of a recital. When all other compositions figured in the recital were predominantly Abhinaya oriented, this perhaps was the only full-fledged Nrutta oriented composition.
Attempting to utilise his talent for dance for the first time, Manasa Nayana succeeded in getting the feel of it. The other accompanying artistes contributed immensely for the success of this programme.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / December 04th, 2013
Controversies related to malpractice in media and misuse of social networking sites were central to the the discussions at a conference organised by the Department of Communication at St Joseph’s College of Arts and Science here on Friday.
Speaking on the occasion, B G Verghese, a veteran journalist, said, “It is important to look at the dark side of the media to get to the better side of it. Portraying the Press Council as a weak institution, he highlighted the absence of a Statutory Complaints Commission for the electronic media, though tribunals had been set up with a limited reach. Hence, some measure of regulation is needed to ensure accountability, he added. “Ethics and social responsibility should be the watchword of every journalist. That is why integrity and truthfulness become crucial in maintaining the profession of journalism,” Verghese explained.
He said the misinterpretation and one-sided perspective of the media were challenges that needed to be overcome through unbiased reporting. He said any story should always be reported taking into consideration all viewpoints.
The media has a duty to provide a background for better understanding of issues relating to society. This may not be possible at one go, but objectivity can be maintained through careful investigation and follow up.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by Express News Service – Bangalore / November 30th, 2013
A cursory look at the Bangalore office of Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) — a house nestled in the heart of a bustling residential lane in Indiranagar — will probably not impress you much. But behind the ordinary door is a world of mythology, colour and fiction. Sanjana Kapur, who has been working for five years at ACK, says:
“A purple dragon adorns the wall of the home converted into an office. Stained glass paintings double up as storage shelves near the reception area, and depict excerpts from the Mahabharata.
“Every wall has a painting relevant to the work we do, and it makes the place come alive. Each team — editorial, art and digital, has put in some creative element into the walls. The art team works in a room whose walls have a scene from Kurukshetra. A vibrant painting of Arjuna riding with Krishna in a ratha spreads from end to end.
“Another highlight of the office is a huge wall, a divider between a conference area and a passage to the kitchen, featuring artwork by one of our own designers. There is a bookshelf on one side and the other side has a gorgeous yellow painting of a woman. This breaks the monotony of the passage and provides continuity of colour. Our work is often converted into posters and pin ups which we liberally use on pinboards and walls.
“The terrace is a favourite hangout where we take chatais and spread them on the floor. Here, we write stories on our notepads. We also take breaks in the balcony. Music is an important part of this office — there are two speakers, one on each floor. We play Hindi, regional or English music. Sometimes, our editor deliberately turns off the music so she can concentrate while writing.”
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Columns> Work / by Sindhuja Balaji, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / December 01st, 2013
Last year, the company acquired the medical equipment business of L&T.
Mysore-based medical device company Skanray Technologies Pvt Ltd has acquired healthcare business of Coimbatore-based auto component maker Pricol Ltd for an undisclosed amount.
“This is strategically a very important transaction for us, as it increases our strength in the respiratory segment, with the addition of Ventilators to our portfolio,” Vishwaprasad Alva, managing director of Skanray, said.
According to the company, respiratory ailments are on the rise and some of the biggest pandemic outbreaks in the recent past like avian flu have seen hospitals fall short of ventilators.
The company sees business from government epidemic and disaster management departments in several developed countries which are planning to buy large volumes of ventilators in case any pandemic outbreaks.
“With this addition, we will be able to offer complete ICU packages for hospitals and be a single point contact for supply, custom solutions and life cycle management of all equipment in the ICU,” Alva said.
This is the second acquisition of the company in as many years. Last year it acquired medical equipment business of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) through its fully owned subsidiary Skanray Healthcare.
Between Skanray Healthcare and Skanray Technologies, the group has 12 USFDA approved products in segments such as X Ray imaging, vital sign monitoring and surgery devices. The company plans to launch more products in the US and European markets.
“We started the healthcare business to use the synergy of the core technology that Pricol has in embedded hardware and software, mechanical subsystems, engineering plastics and systems integration. We are happy to transfer the healthcare business to Skanray who are growing aggressively in the primary healthcare segment,” said Vikram Mohan, MD of Pricol.
Skanray Technologies, which was set up in 2007, specialises in high frequency X-Ray imaging systems, critical care devices and primary healthcare & telemedicine-compatible devices.
The company recently raised $14.7 million from Ascent Capital. It has also raised an undisclosed amount from Arun Kumar, promoter of public listed pharmaceutical company Strides Arcolab.
(Edited by Joby Puthuparampil Johnson)
source: http://www.vccircle.com / VC Circle / Home> M & A / by Lohit Jagwani / Tuesday – November 26th, 2013
HCG Hospitals, organized a press conference on treating 36 year old Indian from USA, diagnosed with liver cirrhosis, underwent marathon 16 hour liver transplant surgery, with the organ donated from his wife.
A year ago, the patient had weakness and loss of appetite. During his routine health check-ups, he was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis, due to autoimmune hepatitis. After further investigations he was placed on the Liver Transplant waiting list in USA. With time running out, he did not get any organ offers and returned to India, for the liver transplant surgery.
Dr. Basant Mahadevappa, Consultant, Liver Transplant Surgeon, HCG Hospitals, said, “The patient was in a difficult situation, as he was decompensated with severe ascites (Liquid in the abdomen). His wife was worked up for donation. Anatomy of the donor was complicated, and was left with no other donor. With a multi-disciplinary team approach we took up the challenge and performed the transplantation. The patient & the donor are doing well and are on regular follow up.”
(From Left): Mrs. Shilpa Arun Kumar, Donor, Dr. Basant Mahadevappa, Mr. Arun Kumar, Recipient and Dr. Ganesh Bhat
Dr. Ganesh Bhat, Consultant, Gastroenterologist, HCG Hospitals, “The incidence of liver disease is on the rise and 2% to 3% of the people are living with Hepatitis B & Hepatitis C. People diagnosed with hepatitis B, are more likely to develop into liver cancer. Most of the times, its asymptomatic and when the patients start to see the see the symptoms, it’s in an advanced stage, which may require liver transplantation or a liver surgery. Early diagnosis of the disease helps in better medical outcomes.”
Mr. Arun Kumar, Recipient, said, “I was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis, and the only medical solution was Liver Transplant. With my condition worsening & surgery being an emergency I was lucky to find a donor in my wife. She came forward to donate her liver, though it was high risk surgery. I have recovered and got a new lease of life.”
source: http://www.moneylife.com / MoneyLife / Home / Bangalore, Karnataka, India / Business Wire India / November 27th, 2013
(Top left ) Syed Faizan (Top right) Robinson Samuel (Below) Shireen Reginald, Associate Marketing Manager, N. Ranga Rao & Sons, who won second prize in the District-level Arm Wrestling Championship for the award ‘Mysore Shree’ held at Sarada Vilas Centenary Hall in city recently, posing with the runner-up shield.
Mysore :
Arm Wrestling, though not new to the globe, is definitely new to the city as very few people know about it.
Mysore, which has produced a lot of sports persons in various sports like body-building, athletics and cricket, with some of them reaching international-level, has also produced arm wrestlers.
Syed Faizan and Robinson Samuel from city are among those who have taken up arm wrestling.
The 23-year-old Faizan, a body-builder who took up body-building for fitness participated in the Mysore Shree Arm Wrestling Men’s Championship organised by Karnataka Arm Wrestling Federation, Mysore, held for the first time in city recently and won the title.
Son of Syed Abdul Khader, Proprietor of Biriyani Paradise on Sayyaji Rao road, Faizan, a B.Com graduate from MES College in city took up body-building at the age of 18 and is being coached by Mansoor, himself a body-builder who has won ‘Mr. Mysore’ title numerous times.
Faizan, speaking to Star of Mysore, recalled that his parents were hesitant to send him to gym in the beginning, but later agreed and allowed him to pursue body-building.
Apart from being a body-builder and an arm wrestler, Faizan is also an actor, who has acted in an African movie as a fighter and a model for many brands.
Faizan said that one has to work hard honestly and without taking short cuts to achieve in the sport.
Mansoor, coach of Faizan, said that arm wrestling has been around since the days humans figured out that they had arms and added that the sport became more popular in 1950s and 1960s when contests took place all across the United States and today, arm wrestling competitions are held around the world for men, women and kids in various weight categories.
Mansoor said that various factors play an important part in one’s success in arm wrestling. Technique and overall arm strength are the two important contributing factors to win an arm wrestling match. Other factors such as length of the arm, muscle and arm mass, hand grip, wrist endurance and flexibility, reaction time, etc. can add to the advantages of one arm wrestler over another.
Faizan said that his aim is to win ‘Mr. Mysore’ and ‘Mr. Dasara’ titles and also to win a medal for the State.
Robinson Samuel, 25, a final year M.Sc (Medical Biochemistry) student at JSS Medical College in city, is the son of Krupanand Samuel, a retd. Employee of District Tuberculosis Centre in city and Esther Celestian, a senior Lab Technician at Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMC&RI) in city.
Robinson won the second place in the Mysore Shree Arm Wrestling Men’s Championship held in city recently.
He said that initially he was into arm wrestling with his friends and took it seriously drawing inspiration from his elder brother Calvin Cornelius, a body-builder.
Robinson said that his parents were surprised when he expressed his desire to take up arm wrestling as a sport and supported him in all ways.
He says that he would exercise at home with the equipments he had made by himself for the training and added that he also goes to a gym just to keep himself fit. Robinson said that there are many different moves in arm wrestling such as Hook, Toproll, i Press etc. and added that arm wrestling is really a leverage sport. These moves all create different types of leverages, helping you to beat your opponent.
He said that because different moves work for different individuals, it is important to figure out which move provides the best leverage advantage to get the best chance of winning.
Apart from arm wrestling, Robinson has a music band in Chennai which plays Gosple music and soft rock.
Robinson said that his aim was to win titles but to be a full time Biochemist.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by S. Kenneth Shishir / December 02nd, 2013
Dr. Ajai Kumar Singh has been selected as President of the 11th Akhila Bharatha Sharana Sahitya Sammelan to be held at Dharwad from Dec. 27 to 29.
Dr. Singh, the retired State Director General of Police (DGP), has obtained Post-graduate degree in Hindi from Bangalore University and a doctorate from Bangalore University for his thesis ‘Studies on 12th century spiritual leader Allamaprabhu and Saint Kabir of 16th century.’
Apart from two poetry collections, many of his short stories, poems and articles on tour experiences have been published in English and other language newspapers.
Even though Dr. Singh has professionally served the Police department, he has interest in different fields including literature, spirituality, yoga, expedition etc. Dr. Singh, who has special interest in Vachana sahitya is originally from Uttar Pradesh.
Dr. Singh is the second non-Kannadiga, who has been selected as President of Akhila Bharatha Sharana Sahitya Sammelan.
Earlier, Dr. Bhagwan Das Tiwari of Madhya Pradesh was selected as the President of the Akhila Bharatha Sharana Sahitya Sammelan held in Raichur.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / December 02nd, 2013
Dr. Meenakshi Hegde, a Paediatric Oncologist at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, was awarded the 28th Schweisguth Prize from the International Society of Paediatric Oncology for her scientific paper “Combinational targeting offsets antigen escape and enhances effector functions of adoptively transferred T cells in High Grade Glioma,” which was presented at the 45th Congress of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology in Hong Kong last month. The award is given in honour of Dr. Odile Schweisguth, renowned clinician, investigator, founding member and the first President of the Society.
Dr. Meenakshi, hailing from Sirsi, is the wife of Dr. G. Bharath Raj, a renowned Tennis Player and a Psychiatrist at Houston and the proud daughter-in-law of Sumana and D. Guru Raj of Kuvempunagar, Mysore.
Her completed research paper was recently published in Molecular Therapy. The prestigious Schweisguth Prize is awarded only to best scientific contribution to the Paediatric Oncology field in the world.
Her research focuses on developing novel treatment for malignant gliomas that targets more than one tumour associated-proteins simultaneously with the aim of decreasing the risk of tumour recurrence. Malignant gliomas are tumours that often do not respond to even the most aggressive forms of therapy currently available. Less than 25 percent of children with this type of brain tumour survive after five years.
Dr. Meenakshi Hegde completed the research during her fellowship training at Texas Children’s Cancer Centre and at the Centre for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / December 01st, 2013
A file photo of Mysore Grahakara Parishat [MGP] holding its first meeting which was attended by (from left) Chiranjiv Singh, IAS, Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy (Working President), V.P. Baligar, IAS, Dr. H.A.B. Parpia (President) and A.K. Ranganathan (Secretary).It was a cold winter night. Dr. Bhamy Shenoy and his wife were returning from Vontikoppal after making some purchases to their house on Vivekananda Road in Yadavagiri at about 8 pm. As they were nearing the house, walking, Dr. Bhamy Shenoy got a bit curious to find a person standing at his gate with a bicycle. On enquiry, about the reason for his being there at that odd hour, the answer surprised Bhamy. The man was wanting to complain to the Mysore Grahakara Parishat [MGP] against the Principal of the Regional College of Education [RCE] where he himself was employed as a Group D employee. His name was K. Madhu.
Madhu had two children, M. Tara and M. Bhaskara. After they completed their CBSE X, he admitted them to vocational courses at DMS in 1989. He had seen an advertisement in Star of Mysore by Demonstration Multipurpose School (DMS) that these courses were recognised by the government of India.
However, when his children completed their studies and got their certificates, he found that because of the failure on the part of RCE to get them recognised by the State government, they could not get jobs. It was then that he decided to approach MGP seeking help.
Usually MGP does not help individual cases. Since Madhu was illiterate and did not have one to help, MGP took his cause. He used to come to office by bike from RCE campus in the night and wait patiently for MGP members, says Dr. Bhamy Shenoy. “Even today I remember how he used to wait when MGP was closed. Some times he might have returned without meeting anyone. I do not know how many times he must have travelled to MGP office,” says Dr. Bhamy Shenoy trying to recollect the past.
“We first wrote to RCE and DMS officials. When it did not produce any results, we complained to Consumer Court in Mysore in 1993. They gave a judgement in favour of Madhu’s children in 1997. They gave an award of Rs 10,000 in each case finding fault with RCE. RCE went on appeal to State Consumer Court which again ruled in favour of Madhu in 2001. They then went on appeal to the National Commission,” recalls Dr. Bhamy Shenoy.
As Dr. Shenoy could recall, Madhu won the case at the National level also and RCE appealed to the Supreme Court.
In the mean time, as the case was going through, Madhu died. His children contacted MGP and it continued to help them. However, MGP did not think they got any compensation despite all our efforts. Bhaskara, despite his qualification, ended up as a day labourer and Thara worked as a seamstress. This is our justice system.
Though this was not the biggest achievement of MGP, which over the past 25 years has fought many battles for the consumers and the citizens of Mysore City, the case is suggestive of the sincerity of purpose with which MGP takes up any common cause or a complaint that comes before it.
Mysoreans are familiar with the city’s renowned-NGO Mysore Grahakara Parishat which was set up on March 15, 1989. It will be celebrating its silver jubilee in March 2014 and plans are underway.
MGP, like all well-intentioned organisations for common cause, had its own birth pangs. The first impediment came from the Government itself. Instead of playing the role of a facilitator in a Democratic Welfare State like ours, the Sub-Registrar’s office where the founders of MGP went to register the organisation as a society, found the officer their first road block. Dr. Bhamy, Dr. Parpia and others of the first seven members of MGP registered their first protest, in their long 25 years journey, in the Sub- Registrar’s Office !
Dr. Bhamy called the District Registrar to complain with no result except the assurance that he would look into it. When this was mentioned to the then Congress MLA D. Jayadevaraja Urs, the politician, as if by habit, said he would get it done. Dr. Bhamy refused the offer saying no such influence should be used.
The Deputy Commissioner was approached. The DC was requested to tell the Sub-Registrar not to make them visit his office again and again to give one document or the other; instead, ask the Sub-Registrar to give a checklist of documents he required so that they would furnish the same to him in one visit. They also said no bribe would be paid as a matter of principle. This worked and then came into existence the MGP.
Interestingly, the same group of good Samaritans of MGP had also formed an organisation called Mysore Lokswaraj Andolan to fight for civic rights, environment etc. However, this was ruined when certain persons with vested interest came to occupy the office of President and Secretary. The organisation died a natural death; of course, not without a Court battle.
According to Dr. Bhamy Shenoy whom this writer met, there are 687 members in MGP. Out of this, 676 members are life members and there are 11 annual members as on March 31, 2013. The members meet regularly once in a month at Dr. Bhamy Shenoy’s residence. Though there are 687 members, about 25 members who are active attend the meeting.
Over the years, MGP has fought many battles. Some may be mentioned here: The greening of the barren land around the Lakshmikanth Temple in Hebbal Industrial Area; the court battle fought against City Corporation to prevent it from constructing buildings inside the Cheluvamba Park; preventing the unholy barter deal the City Corporation and the Government of Karnataka had entered into in the matter of constructing a Public Library in the People’s Park with a land developer in exchange for leasing out a huge area of the park by the side of the main road free of cost for constructing a shopping complex and helped to conserve Kukkarahalli, Lingambudi, Hebbal, Bogadi and Karanji lakes.
Similarly, MGP had taken up steps to control air pollution in certain industrial areas. It was primarily responsible for closing down a lead battery factory which was polluting the air causing health hazard to the people living in the surrounding areas. It was the time when the unscrupulous elements in the society were selling petrol by adding lead into it to improve the petrol octane rating which enables the vehicle to run faster. It is a worst pollutant of the atmosphere. Happily these days lead-free petrol is also available.
At present MGP is pre-occupied with the Mysore Master Plan 2031 and also the issues related to JNNURM and JUSCO.
Asked about the nature of calls MGP receives, Dr. Bhamy Shenoy says there is a variety ranging from a complaint against dry cleaners, telephone exchange, electricity, water supply, MRP issue to such major issues like garbage accumulation and disposal and the Master Plan.
To run an NGO of this kind, it is imperative to have advocates to take matters to Court where it is unavoidable and inevitable. When asked if MGP has a panel of advocates, Dr. Bhamy says yes. It has right now four advocates on their panel and their service is free because MGP is an NGO. However, MGP gives them out-of-pocket expenses.
The MGP has for all its 25 years in the service of the tax payers of Mysore city has about Rs. 15 lakh, raised from the membership fee, put in Fixed Deposit. The interest derived from this is used for filing PIL, buying stationeries, to meet travel expenses and more importantly to publish its monthly newspaper called ‘Grahaka Pathrike’ in Kannada.
At present MGP has an Executive Committee of nine members. The new Executive Committee of Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) was installed at its 24th annual general body meeting held recently.
The nine-member Committee, which will serve for the period 2013-2016, consists of Prof. R. Chandra Prakash, President; Ashok Kacker, Working-President; Vishwas Krishna, Secretary; K.R. Seshadri, Treasurer; Maj. Gen. (Rtd.) S.G. Vombatkere, B.V. Shenoy, Uma Shenoi, Prof. S. Sobana and Prof. S. Sekhar, are Executive Committee Members.
When MGP was registered on March 15, 1989 the Founder-Members were Dr. H.A.B. Parpia, who recently passed away, President; Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy, Working-President, who has offered the cellar of his house free for running the office of MGP; D.K. Ranganathan, a retired Railway employee, Treasurer and A.K. Ranganathan, Secretary.
It may be interesting to mention here how politicians pursue their personal agenda, well reinforced with a big ego, that often affect the developmental works, discourage those who want to take up social service and sometimes even embarrass the lesser mortals.
It appears the Treasurer and Founder-Member of MGP D.K. Ranganathan was also a social activist at Metagalli, where he lived. The simple folks of the area with a sense of gratitude named a park in that area after Ranganathan. However, the politician changed the name of the park to his own name. No comments.
May the MGP, a torch-bearer for Mysore city as an NGO when there was none, grow from strength to strength.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / December 01st, 2013
![A file photo of Mysore Grahakara Parishat [MGP] holding its first meeting which was attended by (from left) Chiranjiv Singh, IAS, Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy (Working President), V.P. Baligar, IAS, Dr. H.A.B. Parpia (President) and A.K. Ranganathan (Secretary).](http://www.bangalorefirst.in/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/MGPbf07dec2013.jpg)