NRI scientist on a mission to find the next Ramanujan
Bengaluru :
A city-based computer scientist who spent over four decades in the US and racked up an outstanding body of work is starting a first-of-its-kind talent search programme in the state. For this initiative, he has had inputs and backing from another titan in the field of science — Prof C N R Rao, who will inaugurate the programme’s award function in Indian Institute of Science on Friday.
The programme, called NIAS-Maiya Prodigy, involves 10 meritorious students from various parts of the state — some from rural areas — who will receive a scholarship of `50,000. The students can be from any field. The USP of the programme is that the 10 students will have a mentor assigned to them who will guide them in their studies and careers and monitor them over five years. This programme is a joint initiative by the food brand Maiya, National College and the Iyengar Medical Foundation.
“Nobody else in the world is doing this, not even in the US,” says Prof Sundaraja Sitharama Iyengar, who conceived the project and had it executed over the past 18 months.
Prof Iyengar is currently the Ryder Professor and Director of Computer Science at Florida International University, Miami, USA. During his career, he has received many prestigious awards including the NRI Mahatma Gandhi Pradvasi Medal at the House of Lords in London on October 2013.
When asked about his biggest accomplishment, he says, “It was mentoring younger minds. Even now, what I want is to discover the next Ramanujan or C N R Rao.” It was this thought, along with the urge to give back to his country that made him come up with the programme.
The seeds of the idea were sown two years ago when he spoke to Prof Rao about his idea, and the latter liked it. Iyengar then set about an exhaustive selection process. After multiple selection rounds, 10 students were chosen for the scholarship, and their names will be announced at 3.30 pm on Friday at NIAS Auditorium, IISC.
Describing the students, Iyengar says, “I came across some bright students with lofty ambitions, and they are all technically good. One of them wants to win a Nobel Prize. Another wants to find a cure for blindness. We have so much potential, but there are problems like inability to articulate well and lack of confidence. Their mentors will work with them and teach them how to ask questions.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Tushar Kaushik / Express News Service / January 06th, 2017
110-year-old railway overbridge to be demolished
The Railway authorities have decided to demolish the 110-year-old railway overbridge connecting Gogte Circle to Basaveshwar Circle on Khanapur Road in the city and replace it with a four lane bridge. Officials of the South Western Railway, Hubballi division and Belagavi City Corporation inspected the bridge on Wednesday.
Later, BCC Commissioner Shashidhar Kurer told presspersons that the existing bridge will be demolished and a new bridge will be constructed by the Railways at an estimated cost of ₹12.30 crore.
Considering the possibility of double-decker trains being introduced on the route, the height of the bridge will be raised and made wide for smooth flow of traffic. Also, the work on the railway overbridge at the third railway gate on Khanapur Road will be taken up simultaneously at a cost of ₹23 crore, which will be shared equally by the Railways and the State government. It will be completed in 11 months, he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home>News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Belagavi – January 05th, 2017
Crafting mojris out of used denims, lending a hand
Bengaluru :
A Hundred Hands aim to create a livelihood for those in need of financial stability and strives for towards sustainability.
The team makes sustainable, evironment friendly products from scratch or from discarded goods.
Started as a non-profit organisation in the heart of Bengaluru off MG Road in August 2010, sisters Mala and Sonia Dhawan want to help facilitate the sale of products for the urban crowd by eliminating middlemen.
Apart from a host of handicraft and food items, their annual handmade collective, a exhibition is on its seventh leap this year in the city.
The team aims to expand to in other cities. The handcrafted alternatives are a healthy choice for everyone specially for those looking for a good living, inform the duo. As for the upcycling part, they have a range of products made from old denim jeans.
From denim footwear called mojaris, to bum bags, envelope clutches, dog harnesses and quilts, they have made optimum use of jeans to make a host of products. The initiative was started to help the patients at NIMHANS to assist monetary aid while they were undergoing treatment.
The trendy bags and footwear also provide livelihood to women from self help groups and NGOs.
“As A Hundred Hands has 86 artisan member groups, we thought we should collaborate with them as well and the idea of the denim mojaris and denim bum bags with tribal embroidery emerged,” says Mala Dhawan.
The designs on the products are made catchy to attract the urban crowd and it has earned quite a good fan base on the social platform, with over 13K likes.
“A Hundred Hands handmade collective is a commission free programme where all the collections from sales goes back a 100% to the creators. This eliminates the middle man or trader who just sources and sells without any value add and adds huge margins. Here the artist and the consumer come face to face so it is educative on both sides and a fair price to consumers and a fair earning for the artisan.” she adds.
Many people get to know about their initiative through word of mouth, posts on social media and through the coverage provided by the media. “Lambadi tribal embroidery and traditional leatherwork (bags and mojaris) are a big hit and unique in nature,” she says.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Rakshanna Pattabiraman / Express News Service / January 04th, 2017
Former MYLAC Managing Director M.V. Hemanth Kumar passes away
Mysuru :
Former Mylac (Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited) Managing Director M.V. Hemanth Kumar (60) passed away at a private hospital here yesterday following a heart attack.
A resident of Alanahalli Layout in city, he had also served as Additional Director of the Department of Industries and Commerce.
He leaves behind his wife, two daughters and a host of relatives and friends.
Last rites were performed at the foot of Chamundi Hill yesterday evening, according to family sources.
Condoles: Mylac has condoled the death of its former MD Hemanth Kumar. In a condolence meeting held at its premises yesterday, the speakers, who included Mylac Chairman H.A. Venkatesh, current MD Siddalingappa B. Poojary and General Manager C. Harakumar lauded the services of Hemanth Kumar.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / January 03rd, 2017
Five VTU students chosen for Stanford University’s fellowship programme
Five students of Visvesvaraya Technological University have been selected for University Innovation Fellows (UIF) programme of the Stanford University, U.S.A.
According to a VTU release, the programme has been designed to empower the students’ knowledge, skills and attitude and make a positive impact on the world economy.
As many as 169 students from four countries participated in the selection process. Samanth Mendke and Shriya Hukkeri from Gogte Institute of Technology, Belagavi; and Abhay Rangan V., Priyanka Srivastava, and Asher John Sathya from CMR Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, excelled through the selection process.
The fellows will be provided online training for six weeks on development and innovative projects aimed at bringing in a change in the university system. After the training, the fellows will attend the annual UIF Silicon Valley Meet scheduled in U.S.A. in March. They will also participate in workshops and exercises focused on topics such as movement building, innovation spaces, design of learning experiences, and new models for change in higher education.
VTU Vice-Chancellor Karisiddappa said the varsity had been encouraging international collaborations and interacting with globally reputed universities and organisations for collaborative research, exchange of faculty members and students to make value addition to their teaching and learning abilities.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Belagavi – January 02nd, 2016
This geek is ‘copying’ music for Star Wars
Bengaluru :
A Los Angeles based composer and vocalist Dhruv Goel will release a new song ‘Pinha’, that he recorded with the Berklee Indian Ensemble early next year.
In a brief chat with City Express while he was in the city, he spoke about his music venture and experience at the college and sharing the stage with A R Rahman.
He says it always feels amazing to be back in India. “Needless to say, I am always homesick. But the amazing Indian food in LA really helps calm that down,” he adds.
He was earlier in the city for the Bengaluru Ganesh Utsav 2016. He performed with the Berklee Indian Ensemble. “It was an amazing show. We also had guest artists Vijay Prakash and Raghu Dixit performing with us,” adds the 27-year-old.
Dhruv is a freelance composer and vocalist and has made music for various video games, travel shows and short films.
He is currently in the process of finishing up and releasing some new singles. He recently finished scoring a short film Shamas, directed by a London-based director Myriam Raja. It is premiering at the London Short Film Festival in January.
He says, “It’s set in England against the backdrop of a mass refugee crisis. Amongst the chaos and uncertainty, it is the story of one young man who must question his own humanity when his need to survive takes precedence.”
He is also currently working with John Williams on the next Star Wars film. A Star Wars geek, he calls it truly an unreal experience. He says, “Music copying in today’s time is a very diverse job, but in a nutshell, we make sheet music for the big orchestra that is being hired to play William’s background score and make sure all the music parts are coherent with his hand written scores.”
Born into a family that loves music, he started learning Hindustani Classical Music at a young age. It was his grandfather who insisted he learn music. “I was incredibly inspired by my grandfather. He was a poet, painter and had a great voice – but he was also an IPS officer and that took precedence.”
He adds, “By the time I started going to college in Delhi University, I was performing and writing a lot of music. It was sometime around mid way through my Economics degree at DU that I was convinced that I had to do music full time. After that Berklee happened and it has been a crazy ride ever since.”
He heard about Berklee in 2011 from his friend Ishaan Chhabra, who now works with A R Rahman. “Berklee was too expensive for me to afford, but after spending a lot of time working on the audition, I got a great scholarship,” he says.
His inspiration is A R Rahman. “He is one of the main reasons I wanted to write music. His music and writing truly moves and inspires me. Recording a cover of ’Yeh Jo Des’ and then performing with him at Symphony Hall was a surreal experience. He has amazing energy and its incredible to see the child like fascination he has with music technology.”
Ask what would be his ideal composing gig and he says, “Writing the score to a big sci-fi movie.” He adds he would love to explore India-based project as well. “But I am ’playing it by ear’ currently – pun intended!,” he concludes.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Akila Damodaran / Express News Service / December 31st, 2016
First successful heart transplant at a govt.-run hospital in Karnataka
Procedure done at Jayadeva early on Saturday
A 40-year-old security guard received a new year’s gift – a new heart – when he successfully underwent heart surgery at Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, early on Saturday. This is the first successful heart transplant at a government-run hospital in Karnataka.
Gangadhar was in need of a heart transplant as his heart was very weak and he used to become breathless even while on medication, sources at the hospital said. A team headed by Dr. Seetharama Bhat successfully conducted the transplant which lasted four hours.
The donor, 30-year-old Mario Shin Yuan Huang, had slipped from a rooftop and was admitted to Manipal Hospital for head injury. “The patient suffered an acute brain stroke. Even with the best possible treatment, we could not save him,” said Dr. Shanthala who treated him at Manipal Hospital. “His family was very keen on organ donation,” she said.
With the help of traffic police, a green corridor was created and the donor’s heart was transported from Manipal Hospital to Jayadeva Hospital at 1 a.m. on Saturday in just 11 minutes.
The transplant holds hope for poor patients who may not be able to afford the high cost of the operation in private hospitals. “In this case, we bore the entire cost of the operation,” said C.N. Manjunath, director of JICSR. “The transplant will cost Rs. 6 lakh to 8 lakh, and if the patient requires ECMO, the cost can rise up to Rs. 12 to 13 lakh,” he added. The institute also roped in the help of several charitable organisations and depending upon their ability to pay, patients’ kin are sometimes asked to make a part of the payment.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Cinthya Anand / Bengaluru – December 31st, 2016
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The cultural colonisation of Bengal and K’taka
Bengaluru :
Did you know Karnataka and Bengal share a deep-rooted literary bond? Neither did almost 800 Bengalis and 200 non-Bengalis who attended the three-day Bengali literature and cultural fest, held nearly after a decade in the city on December 25, to know that.
Ranjon Ghoshal, an engineer by profession and founding member of Bengali band Moheener Ghoraguli talked about the exchange of literature between Karnataka and Bengal since the 12th century. Ranjon is a literature and theatre enthusiast
He stated that the king who ruled Bengal and parts of Orissa in 1160 AD, Ballala Sen, hailed from the coastal region of Karnataka. Ballala Sen was a poet and literature flourished in Bengal during his reign. Ballala Sen authored two books Danasagara and Adbhutasagara.
“Bengal during the Sena regime can be considered a silver period,” said Ranjon Ghoshal. “The kingdom prospered and law and social responsibility was maintained so Bengal is indebted to the Sena dynasty,” he added.
The second link is the city of Gauda, that is located in the present day Malda. The city served as the capital of Bengal for more than 500 years and Bengal was almost synonymous to it. According to Ranjon, this co-incidence has something to do with the Goud Saraswat Brahmins of the Konkan Bay.
“I would suggest the link to the fact that Bengal had sent emissaries to coastal regions ultimately to reach the Konkan Bay. It was then that cultural colonisation took place between Bengal and Karnataka,” he said.
The third parallel drawn was when the spiritual leader,Chaitanya Mahaprabhu from Bengal started the Bhakti Movement in 15th century, his two primary disciples Roop and Sanathan were from Karnataka.
On further studying the links between two separate states, the 61-year-old literature-enthusiast found an intriguing similarity. “If you search the historical literary movements that shaped the country in the north and south, you will not find a concrete evidence to explain this coincidence. But if you search the Kabir and Chaitanya of the north separately and Dasa and Bhakti people of the south, all are contemporaries. There is a maximum of 50 years gap.” he said.
When the Kannada literary movement, Navodaya started in 20th century, it was heavily influenced by Tagore and vice-versa. Ranjon, gave the talk on the topic titled Ballal Sen to Banalata Sen, a Bengali poem written in 1942 by the poet Jibanananda Das with an idea to demarcate the span through which Bengal and Karnataka have been exchanging literature and culture.
“Bengal and Karnataka have exchanged more than glances with one another, the have looked deep into each other’s eyes with love and remand,” he said.
The three-day event called the 89th Annual Conference was organised by Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelan and was inagurated by the president of India, Pranab Mukherjee. The conference is held annually by the Bengali community to keep the regional literature alive among Bengalis living in different parts of the country.
It was held fourth time in Karnataka, the last one being in 2007 and the first one being in 1959.
“One of the biggest revelation from the conference was the historical link we share with Karnataka. Now we live in an era of mixed race. My daughter is married to a Kannadiga here but the it was amazing to know that one of our king was from Karnataka and the translation period of Karnataka and Bengal is so ancient,” said Manomita Roy, conference secretary of the event.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / December 31st, 2016