City Scholar Dr. V.S. Sampathkumaracharya has been selected for the prestigious Rajya Sangeetha Vidwan award given by the Department of Kannada and Culture for outstanding achievement for the year 2013.
The award, carrying a certificate, a memento of Goddess Saraswathi and a citation will be presented to him by Chief Minister Siddharamaiah at a function organised at Mysore Palace premises today at 6 pm. District Minister V. Sreenivasa Prasad will preside. Kannada and Culture Minister Umashri will be the chief guest.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / October 05th, 2013
“May the Dasara festivities continue to bring in unity and harmony among the people,” said renowned litterateur Dr. Chandrashekar Kambar, in an interview with SOM yesterday.
Dr. Kambar, 77, who arrived in city yesterday at 2 pm, inaugurated the Dasara festival atop Chamundi Hill this morning.
Dr. Kambar said that he is penning another novel in Kannada, but refused to divulge its name as yet. Here are the excerpts of the interview:
SOM: How do you feel about inaugurating Naada Habba tomorrow?
Dr. Kambar: I feel honoured. The royal tradition is now being carried forward under a democracy. The Vijayanagar empire’s tradition was revived by the erstwhile rulers of Mysore, the Wadiyars. We must really appreciate the patronage given by them to art, literature, culture and Kannada language.
SOM: The religious festivities of yore are being continued even now… aren’t they?
Dr. Kambar: So, what’s wrong in that? True religion that preaches good things must be accepted. This is not only a religious festival, but encompasses art, culture and literature.
SOM: Can’t Dasara be bifurcated from religion and celebrated as Naada Habba?
Dr. Kambar: Why oppose religion? But too much religion is also not good. Mysore State had given the first people’s representative government. They also introduced the reservation facility which became exemplary for the country. People of different communities have been living in harmony here. There are some Mutts that have Samadhis of Muslims. The Veerashaiva Swamijis of the Mutt wear green cloth and visit the Dargahs for 15 days while the Muslims, wearing saffron, visit the Mutts. Why I am saying this is there should be no individuality.
SOM: Have you seen Dasara before?
Dr. Kambar: I had inaugurated the Dasara cultural programmes once and also inaugurated Dasara Poets’ Meet a few years ago. That apart, I had heard a lot of legends about Dasara, which I liked.
SOM: There is a dissent from some about the achievements of the Wadiyar rulers…
Dr. Kambar: The erstwhile rulers might not have fought wars. But their model of administration, foresight and public services are truly commendable.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / October 05th, 2013
Family helps: Raghav Reddy learnt the tricks of Uno from his sisters. / Photo: K Gopinathan / The Hindu
It is his family’s favourite pastime, but to 13-year-old R. Raghav Reddy, it is a serious game: Uno. Raghav, who is the first ever national Uno champion (the national finals were held in Mumbai recently), will now represent India at the Uno Asia Championship among seven countries in Tokyo in November. This is for the first time that India will participate in a world championship in Uno.
“I am very happy that after a challenging and tough round, I have emerged as India’s champion. I thank my family for introducing this game to me,” says Raghav, a class 8 student at Narayana e-Techno School in R.T. Nagar.
Raghav was initiated into the game when he was in class 2. His elder sisters Ramya and Raksha, who were then in class 5 and 8, were his gurus. It wasn’t always an equal match with his older siblings, but soon the little boy learnt the tricks of the trade. “Later, I was able to point out all their ploys and we always had a hearty laugh,” says Raghav.
Uno is as much a game of skill as it is about luck, explains Raghav. “There are five different sets of cards – skip, reverse, wild, draw four, and draw two. You need to display your skill at saving important cards, knowing when to put down those cards, playing the colour change card to your own advantage and finally yell ‘UNO’ to win the game!”
Speaking about the national competition, Raghav says that after the semi-final round held in various cities, contestants from Pune, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai battled it out in the final rounds at Mumbai. About 50 children participated in the Bangalore round. Raghav was accompanied by his sister and father to the finals at Mumbai. His sister Raksha, now a medical student, provided tips to Raghav so he could improve his game in the finals. “My family is a great source of inspiration,” Raghav says.
Though he is busy attending his mid-term examinations, preparations for the international competition are in full swing. “Everyday, I play Uno for an hour with my family and I am trying to hone my skills further,” says Raghav who wants to train to be an aeronautical engineer in future. As for Uno he says: “I think this game comes naturally to me.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bangalore / by A. B Sudhindra / October 01st, 2013
The State government on Tuesday decided to implement ‘Universal Health Coverage’, a scheme which envisages bringing every citizen under a health scheme.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the State Health Mission Authority headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The scheme, which has been planned as per the recommendations of the High-Level Expert Group of the Union Planning Commission, will be launched on a pilot basis in Mysore and Raichur districts.
Health Minister U T Khader said the department will now begin preparations for implementing the scheme which is the first of its kind in the country. The Union government has agreed to fund the pilot project, he added.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State / DHNS / Bangalore – October 01st, 2013
Three IISc professors have added more feathers to the institute’s cap. Whether for unearthing synthetic bones and cardiovascular patches or providing a breakthrough in cancer treatment, Bikramjit Basu, Dr Sathees Chukkurumbal Raghavan and Vijay Balakrishna Shenoy are among eight eminent scientists who’ve bagged the Swarup Bhatnagar Award for the year 2013.
Dr Sathees Chukkurumbal Raghavan (Biological Science)
Over 20 years of hard work finally paid off for this associate professor in the department of bio-chemistry at IISc. Dr Sathees received the honour for discovering a cancer therapeutic agent and the cause of cancer in human cells.
“I got the award for discovering SCR7. It’s a chemical compound that blocks DNA repair in cancer cells. This accumulates DNA damage inside the cell, causing its death,” explained Dr Sathees, who’s been working on two types of cancer, leukaemia and lymphoma, and the modalities of how cancer cells are generated.
“The basic cause of cancer is chromosomal abnormality and translocation. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy break the DNA inside the cancer cells, causing their death. Our research says if SCR7 is used alongside radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the rate of recovery can be doubled and doses of radiation cut to half.” Said Dr Sathees. Tests have been done only on animals, and human trials could take at least a decade.
Bikramjit Basu (Engineering Sciences)
This engineer bagged the honour for his work in the field of medicine. Research by Bikramjit Basu, 40, associate professor at Materials Research Centre, concerns the heart, nerves and bone disease. Basu has come up with lab-grown synthetic bone, cardiovascular patches and bio-material for damaged nerves and orthopaedic surgeries.
“My work highlights the interface of material science and biological science. The outcome of the research helps in orthopaedic surgeries, neural tissue engineering like nerve repair and cardiovascular implantation, and also expanded our understanding of cell functionalities,” said Basu.
“The polymeric and ceramic materials (bio-material) are non-living patches that can be used in case heart or nerve tissue gets damaged. A part of my research is also based on ‘socket acetabular’, which can be called an advancement in the field of hip replacement surgery,” said Basu.
Vijay Balakrishna Shenoy (physical science)
The era of super computers could end, and quantum computers may be a reality soon.
“Many technological marvels — from supercomputers to phablets – are based on condensed matter physics. I work on its theoretical aspects. There are many open and challenging problems in this area such as understanding systems with high temperature superconductivity, a state where electrical resistance goes to zero! One example can be quantum computers which can solve more difficult problems in a much shorter time as compared to computers of this generation,” says Shenoy.
In the past decade, a traditionally different branch of physics — atomic-molecular-optical physics — has provided new opportunities to simulate condensed matter systems with atoms. This area is called “cold atom quantum emulation”.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bangalore / TNN / October 01st, 2013
Nidhi Prakash’s first book, Animation World, will be launched on Saturday in the garden city of Bangalore.
– A Veeramani / DNA
Bangalore’s youngest author at nine years, Nidhi Prakash (see picture) is set to launch her book on Saturday.
Nidhi, a 5th standard student of Bangalore’s Bishop Cotton Girls’ School, started writing the book Animation World when she was eight years old.
The 50-page book, published by Goa-based CinnamonTeal Publishing, will be officially launched at the Easy Library in Koramangala on Saturday.
Animation World is about 10-year-olds Annie and Sarah who see a number of shooting stars as they walk near the woods. Both enter the woods to see the stars disappearing into a mysterious blue portal.
Do they jump into the portal? What do they find at the end of the portal? Will they ever be able to come back home or will they be stuck there for eternity? To find out one has to read the book.
What motivated Nidhi to write this book? “My cousin Sona wrote a book, A Slip in the Summer. Sona’s hard work motivated me to write this book,” Nidhi said with a smile.
She claimed that it took her a week to write Animation World. She thanked her English teacher Priscilla for going through the draft and making necessary corrections. “I am grateful to Insha Ummehani, the art faculty at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bangalore, for illustrating the book. I also thank my class teacher Priscilla for helping me write this book.”
She acknowledged the support of her parents and sister. Her father K Prakash is director, postal services department, and mother Durga Rani Prakash is the GM, BSNL, Bangalore.
Nidhi’s favourite author is Mary Pope Osborne. “My second book Old Creek Mansion will be published shortly… I am working on my third book. It’s about a girl living in Korea,” she said.
Nidhi is fond of story books and wants to pursue writing as a hobby. But she wants to become a civil servant. “I want to become a deputy commissioner to serve the people.”
source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> Bangalore> Report / by Y Maheswara Reddy / Place:Bangalore, Agency:DNA / Thursday – September 12th, 2013
Centenarian Brijita Lobo with her daughter Philomena Lobo.
Rotary Club of Mysore Royal
by Rtn. Pius Saldanha
This doctor neither has a medical degree nor has she gone to any school but she was an expert in herbal medicine. Meet Brijita Lobo, who celebrated her 101st birthday recently.
Born on Sept. 30, 1913 in Betolli village of Virajpet taluk, and settled down in Beppunad (Kedamullur village) after marrying M.P. Lobo (late), who was a Shirastedar in Virajpet court, she celebrated her 101st birthday on Sept. 30 at Bangalore. Many joined the celebrations which included a Thanksgiving Mass and prayed for her good health.
Like a Kannada saying goes, ‘Aadu muttada soppilla,’ there is no ailment that she did not handle and was an expert as Gynaec. The nearest town, Virajpet being six kilometres away, she was often disturbed for midnight emergency. Any difficult delivery, she handled with confidence. She was fondly called as ‘Badavara Bandhu’ (Messiah of the Poor) by the villagers.
I was her neighbour and in the summer of 1977 came down on holidays from Haryana. Following day, I was relaxing under a tree, talking to my neighbours. I saw her coming down from a hillock, situated a kilometer away. On seeing me, she came and enquired fondly, ‘how are you my son!’ (kosuasaiputa?). I said, ‘Moushe, (O Aunt) I can’t lift my right hand, a dozen boils under my arm due to the heat of summer. On examining me, she went back to the hillock, and returned after 45 minutes and treated me with her herbs. Next day, I could lift my hand with ease and on the following day, I was cured totally.
My cousin Trecilla, a teacher delivered a baby girl in a hospital, and was suffering with acute stomach ache. After a week, this ‘doctor’ treated Trecilla with her herbal medicine, the dead twin baby was flushed out. Trecilla is enjoying her retired life with good health now. Her first twin girl is a mother of two now.
The grand-mother, Brijita Lobo is living with her children in Bangalore. Last year, well-wishers and friends wished her for her 100th birthday. She can be contact on Mob: 9482220399.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by Rtn. Pius Saldhana / October 04th, 2013
Waseem Pasha, a tailor near Brigade Road, has good reason to hold his head high. The 22-year-old returned Rs 12,000 that a customer forgot in the pocket of the shirt she gave him for alteration.
On Saturday afternoon, Imola Jamir walked into his small shop in Tibetan Plaza — the basement of Indo-Dubai Complex, on Rest House Road, off Brigade Road — and gave her husband’s new shirt for alteration.
Later, when Pasha picked up the shirt to work on it, Rs 12,000 fell out of its pocket. The sole breadwinner in his family, who earns Rs 15,000 a month altering clothes, decided then and there to return the money. But he didn’t have the contact info of his customer. He had to wait till Imola returned.
Meanwhile, Imola and her husband Ben Dang Aier, both aged 47, realised the money was missing only on Sunday evening. She said, “My husband didn’t like the shirt’s collar. So, I decided to give it for alteration and surprise him. But I had no clue he had left Rs 12,000 in that shirt’s pocket. That money was meant to pay the school fees for one our daughters.”
The couple from Nagaland, who run a paying-guest in their house in Koramangala, rushed to Pasha’s shop. When they asked him if he had found any money in the shirt’s pocket, Pasha took the receipt from them, confirmed the shirt was theirs and promptly returned the altered shirt along with Rs 12,000. Imola and Ben couldn’t believe they had got the money back. They thanked Pasha and offered him Rs 500 as a reward for his honesty.
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore / by Bellie Thomas / October 01st, 2013
Expanding its arecanut marketing, the city-based Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Ltd. (Campco) has opened its an arecanut sales depot at Porbandar, Gujarat. Konkodi Padmanabha, President of the cooperative, inaugurated it on Sunday.
M. Suresh Bhandary, Managing Director of the cooperative, said it was the 10th arecanut sales depot of Campco in North India and first in Saurashtra region.
He said in the first year, the cooperative was expecting to sell about 5,000 quintals of arecanut in the depot. It was selling retail packets of 1 kg and large bags of 65 kg at wholesale price.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangalore / by Special Correspondent / Mangalore – October 01st, 2013
(Top) The entry point into the world of art… (Below) An enthusiastic lot at work…at The Hobby Place.
Mysore :
Some people take years to realise and discover what their passion is. But this young lady had set her mind to see herself as an entrepreneur when she was a child. Entrepreneurship had been her dream and choosing it for life came naturally to her, courtesy: being born into a family of entrepreneurs and also being married into one later.
Some years ago, city’s Savitha Shenoy Ranga started off her career as a software engineer after graduating from NIE. Her quest to feed her brain with things knowledgeable made her do many things different. Post her tryst with a corporate firm she set out to teach graduate and undergraduate classes in Mysore and New York and even worked with non-profit organisations in the Heritage City. But she proved that dreams do come true when she established her own art studio – The Hobby Place recently.
The Hobby Place in city is a creative hobby centre that conducts for art enthusiasts, a variety of art classes and workshops each day. Home to a team of talented artists with years of experience in teaching various art forms, art lovers can go here to see, learn or even teach art if they intend to.
Talking of her firm and the reasons behind her starting it, Savitha says, “I firstly did not want to become a stereotype so always tried my hands on different things. Having travelled extensively across six continents, I realised that life is perpetually busy no matter how old you are and that taking time to live will only inspire you to work better. With this life lesson, I envisioned a hobby centre in Mysore with the aim of making learning and pursuing hobbies more accessible to Mysoreans of all age and to make childhood more fun for kids and to broaden their exposure to newer activities out of the ordinary.”
At the Hobby Place, people can conduct special events and workshops, private lessons and custom events as well. “We also undertake orders from individuals, interior designers, architects, and organisations and execute tailor-made designs. It could be anything from customised pottery to a mural and one of a kind art piece to kitchen-ware, ornament or a hand-crafted gift for a friend,” says Savitha, adding, “our team of experienced artists will make sure it is implemented right to the finest detail.”
Some of the art forms that one can look forward to learning or practicing at the place include pottery-making, mosaic art, painting, crochet, knitting, courses in theatrics and more. And the clay used for pottery making is all natural and chemical-free and most other hobby materials are hand-made by rural women, according to Savitha.
Apart from running the art studio, Savitha also volunteers as an honorary teacher at Rangarao Memorial School for disabled and is a volunteer consultant at SVYM-V-LEAD under Dr. R. Balasubramaniam.
“But if I am talking so much about my dream profession today, it’s all because of my family which has supported me extensively in making my dream come true,” the 29-year-old gushes, “if not for my husband’s help, I couldn’t have researched so much about art, found such unique artists and set up The Hobby Place,” speaking of her better half Vishnu Ranga – Managing Partner, N. Rangarao & Sons, Mysore, and adds, “and everyone else in my family including my in- laws and parents have been equally supportive as well.”
And aware of the fact that the life of an entrepreneur is all of challenges, Ms. Ranga asserts, “The Hobby Place will do its best to keep the artists and art lovers continually enthused, hosting and organising the best of things by the dexterous most. It is then that the rest will follow…”
The Hobby Place is located at Yadavagiri and is open to public between 10 am and 11 pm all days except Monday.
— AN
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / October 03rd, 2013
