Bengalurean pursues soccer dreams in Spain

May 15, 2019Amazing Feats, Records, All, Sports, World Opinionadmin

Brishti Bagchi has a dream. One that sees her kicking a football on the sun-soaked pitches of Spain. And unlike many, she even has a chance to realise it.

The footballer from Bengaluru has a foot in the door – an opportunity to play for the reserve side of Madrid Club de Futbol Femenino, a La Liga Division 1 side. She feels that’s all she needs to kick open that metaphorical door to be a full-time professional.

But the stumbling block remains finances, forcing her to turn to crowd-funding.

“I made the reserve team in Madrid and I want to return there in August,” she puts it matter-of-factly. “So I have to go back and train for four to six months with the reserve team before I can play for the first team.”

“Yes, because I have a visa based on that. The visa would be a student visa and I have the license to compete for the reserve team. Only once I make the main team and get a contract can I get a work permit and be paid. But until I do, I have to take care of my expenses.”

Brishti, playing for Bangalore United FC in the ongoing Indian Women’s League in Ludhiana, had a trial towards the end of 2018 with the Spanish club. After being scouted during her time with Dallas City FC B in the Women’s Premier Soccer League in the United States, she was picked for the reserve team at the end of her trial.

Having played in the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics league for the Oklahoma City University side before moving to North Texas University Club while pursuing a degree and research in Kinesiology, the attacker knows the level needed to make it as a professional.

“I had a trial for Houston Dash (in the US). I made it to the second round and they said international players have only four spots in the team and they were taken,” she opens up about her path.

The 25-year-old, coached by BUFC coach Chitra Gangadharan during her early years for SAI, was in the state and national circles before moving to the US. has knocked on many a door to help pursue her passion. The midfielder started a fundraising campaign on Milaap where she has detailed her ambitions and struggles. So far she has raised Rs 3,55,400. There is still a long way to go.

“This is a short-term investment so I’m hoping for a corporate sponsor.”

While her future remains in the balance, Brishti is keen to help in raising the popularity of women’s football and don the national colours. “Women’s football in India definitely has gone up. I think there is more hope but there needs to be more support. I know they are working on it and hopefully it will happen in the future,” she says.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports> Football / by Sandeep Menon / DH News Service / Bengaluru – May 15th, 2019

Stories behind names of some Bengaluru localities

May 15, 2019Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, Alladmin

(From left clockwise) Malleshwaram, Ulsoor, Yelahanka and Jayanagar

Bengaluru or Bangalore got its name from ‘benda kaluru’ or boiled beans.

Similarly, the name of almost every locality in Bengaluru has a story behind it.

Here are some of them:

Marathahalli: The area received its name from a fighter aircraft named ‘Marut’, which was designed and assembled at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited facility that’s located close to this area. ‘Halli’ in Kannada means village.

Ulsoor: This area used to have a jackfruit orchard. Jackfruit is called ‘halasu’ in Kannada. ‘Halasu-ooru’ became Ulsoor.

Domlur: This area, which was dominated by people of Telugu origin, was notorious for its mosquito menace. Mosquitoes are called ‘domalu’ in Telugu. Hence, the place came to be known as Domlur.

Doddenekundi: Another Telugu-dominated area, it was originally called ‘Dodda Nakka Vundi’, which translates to ‘there’s a big jackal there’. Eventually, it became Doddanekundi.

Nagarabhavi: The name ‘Nagarabhavi’ literally translates to ‘well of snakes’. Before urbanisation, a large number of snakes were found in the area and that led to its name Nagarabhavi.

Jayanagar: The name Jayanagar translates to ‘victory city’. It is said to symbolise the first name of one of the rulers of the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore, Maharaja Jayachamaraja.

Yelahanka: The region was called ‘Ilakipakka Naadu’ during the rule of the Cholas. During the Hoysala reign, the city was known as ‘Elavanka’. It eventually evolved to Yelahanka.

Kodigehalli: Kodigehalli was a gift from King Veera Ballala to a resident of that area who gave him a meal. In Kannada, ‘Kodige’ translates to gift.

Madiwala: ‘Madiwala’ in Kannada means washerman. The locality was home to a community of washermen and washerwomen and the place was named for them.

Malleshwaram: The locality derives its name from the famous Kaadu Malleshwara Temple.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Specials / by Rashmi Shetty / DH Web Desk , Benglauru / May 13th, 2019

NGO’s temple restoration effort set to reach a milestone

May 13, 2019Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

A 14th century temple in Holenarsipur taluk of Hassan district taken up for restoration under the project. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

In what is reckoned to be unique in the annals of conservation and restoration in the country, a non-governmental organisation is set to complete the restoration of 250 ancient temples of architectural and cultural significance that had been languishing in neglect.

The project, of Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Dharmothana Trust (SDMDT), is set to hit the 250-temple mark this financial year. Of these, 175 projects have been executed with the support of the State government under a public-private partnership (PPP) model of conservation launched in 2001-02.

As of date, the Trust has completed the restoration and conservation of 237 ancient temples across the State. Work on 13 temples is in progress. “We will complete the 250th restoration in the current financial year. Work on the 13 temples is in various stages of completion,” said A.H. Hariram Shetty, director of SDMDT. He said the total amount spent on restoration works over the years is ₹28.53 crore.

Besides this, the SDMDT has identified for restoration an additional 15 monuments spread across nine districts in the State. A ₹4-crore proposal has been submitted to the State government for approval, said Mr. Shetty.

Of the 15 temples identified, three each are in Chikkamagaluru, Mysuru and Tumakuru, while there is one each in Belagavi, Chamarajanagar, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada.

In the initial few years, the Trust was taking up the exercise entirely on its own. But the restoration projects received a fillip when the State government introduced the PPP model. “This was a great help and the government has continuously funded the project over the years without break,” Mr. Shetty said.

Under the PPP model, the government contributes 40% of the costs while any voluntary organisation engaged in restoration contributes a matching amount. The local community has to contribute the remaining 20% so as to get a sense of ownership of the restored monuments. The community also has to take care of the monument after restoration.

For Karnataka, which has over 30,000 unprotected monuments, in addition to 780 protected ones under the control of the Archaeology Department, the PPP model is reckoned to be the way forward to overcome cash crunch in protecting monuments. But there have not been many other such collaborative initiatives so far.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by R. Krishna Kumar / Mysuru – May 12th, 2019

Tulu Yakshagana prasanga writer passes away

May 13, 2019Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, Alladmin

Sixty-eight-year-old Anantaram Bangadi, who has written many Tulu Yakshagana prasangas (stories), passed away on Sunday following brief illness, at his house in Bangadi village of Belthangady. He leaves behind his wife Sumati and two children.

Mr. Bangadi, second son of Kutrottu Manju Bhandary and Kinyakka, has written more than 150 Yakshagana prasangas in Tulu and Kaada Mallige, Kachhuru Maldi, Bolle Ginde are among the popular ones. One among the prasangas he has written is on the life of Jesus.

Mr. Bangadi had formed the Souharda Kalavidaru Yaksharanga Bangadi Yakshagana troupe and held shows across the country and abroad for nearly 15 years. This troupe staged more than 50 Yakshagana shows on environment protection and awareness in schools and colleges.

Also a good astrologer, Mr. Bangadi has written a book in Tulu on astrology. Among the awards he has received are Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy Award and the Yakshadeva Award.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States / by Special Correspondent / Mangaluru – May 13th, 2019

Madhava Menon passes away: National Law School alumni pay homage

May 11, 2019Education, Records, Alladmin

In 1986, Menon came to Bangalore at the invitation of the Bar Council of India to set up the NLS and initiated a new model of legal education — the Five Year Integrated LLB programme. He served as the university’s founding vice-chancellor for 12 years

nlsui-bangalore-law-university-madhava-menon

In the year 1986, Madhava Menon came to Bangalore at the invitation of Bar Council of India to set up the NLSUI.

NR Madhava Menon , considered the father of modern legal education in India, passed away Tuesday night. He was 84. Menon was instrumental in building the prestigious National Law School of India University in Bangalore in 1986.

Alumni from the NLA remember Menon as forward-thinking, and recollect how he referring to NLS as the ‘Harvard of the East’.

Latha Nair, an intellectual property lawyer based in Gurgaon, said, “He was instrumental in setting up NLS in Bangalore. He ensured there were discussions during classes instead of the regular methods of teaching. He brought in a lot of versatility into legal education as he did not teach just Law.“

Nair recalled Menon as forward-thinking, as he often looked at models in the West. “He would refer to NLS as the ‘Harvard of the East’,” she said.

Nikhil Nayyar, who studied in the first batch of NLS, said, “Menon is the one who really started the institution and got it going. He dealt with several challenges, including building infrastructure and dealing with the shortage of funds. The University had a simple start.”

In 1986, Menon came to Bangalore at the invitation of the Bar Council of India to set up the NLS and initiated a new model of legal education — the Five Year Integrated LLB programme. He served as the university’s founding vice-chancellor for 12 years.

Speaking to IndianExpress.com , Vice-Chancellor of NLS R Venkata Rao said, “Menon is like a father figure, we feel orphaned. I would say he is not ‘Menon’ but he is a ‘pheno-menon’.”

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Cities / by Darshan Devaiah BP / Bengaluru – May 09th, 2019

Bengaluru women fly to US to attend Warren Buffett’s AGM

May 10, 2019Business & Economy, Records, All, World Opinionadmin

Shalini Manglani (third from right) was among the 28 members to attend the general meeting

Bengaluru :

Lately, Meghna Wadhwa, Nameeta Mohanka, Rachna Prasad, Shalini Manglani and Vandana Agarwal have been sporting wide grins. The Bengaluru women attended Berkshire Hathaway’s annual general meeting (AGM) by Warren Buffett, over the weekend in Omaha, USA.

The women were part of a 28-member team from Millennium Mams’, a non-profit organisation that helps women be more financially literate. Mentored by investor Bhishnu Dhanuka, the group planned the trip for six months to meet the person whose principles have played an active role in their investing decisions.
“Buffett is like our guru, so it’s like a blessing to watch him speak live. We’ve been watching his webcasts but listening to him live was another experience altogether. The experience has motivated us to take good care of our financial portfolio,” said Prasad.

Of the 28 members, five belong to the Bengaluru chapter of the organisation. According to Manglani, a nutrition advisor and the honorary secretary of the city chapter, the vibe was “electric” at Omaha. “We came across others who have been attending this for 10 years. Someone from Buffett’s own company came to listen to him so we weren’t the only ones buzzing with excitement,” the 47-year-old said.
For investor Agarwal, 64, although this was the second time she was attending the AGM, it was just as memorable as her first experience in 2012. “Nothing can describe the feeling of being in the presence of such a stalwart,” she said.

While a personal interaction with Buffett wasn’t available, the women did have a fan moment when they drove past the American investor’s house. “We paused to take photographs outside his house. He’s known to be simple and never flaunts his wealth,” said Wadhwa, 33, who has been a part of the organisation since her 20s and now handles her own stock portfolio.

Lessons learned

Besides the AGM with Buffett, the team had an interactive session with Ajit Jain, vice chairman of Insurance Operations at Berkshire Hathaway. “He gave us some much-needed advice. Every investor is familiar with the panic that settles in when a market is going crazy. But Jain told us the importance of trusting our gut. He told us to trust our evaluation of a stock and to stick to our conviction, which just made us feel much better,” Nameeta Mohanka, 44, said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Simran Ahuja / Express News Service / May 09th, 2019

Wipro acquires Filipino firm Splash

May 9, 2019Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinionadmin

Wipro Consumer Care has acquired a Filipino personal care company, Splash, for an undisclosed sum, marking its entry into the east Asian market.

This is Wipro’s 11th acquisition in the consumer care space. Among the brands Splash owns are SkinWhite, Maxi-peel and Vitress. Wipro Consumer Care’s international portfolio formed 51% of its total revenues in fiscal 2019, and with this acquisition it is expected to grow to 54%.

The deal is expected to close by June this year. Splash clocked in a revenue of 4.1 billion pesos ($80 million) in calendar year 2018.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – April 30th, 2019

Why Bengaluru-based Fintech startup Wizely built India’s first saving app

May 9, 2019Business & Economy, Records, Alladmin

Founded in April 2018 by father and son Vijay Bobba, Nihar Bobba, and Dan Kihanya, Wizely calls itself a digital piggy bank.

Vijay Bobba and Nihar Bobba. (Photo| EPS)

Bengaluru :

Observing the dichotomy of young India’s poor financial management habits and burning desire for aspirational purchases, Bengaluru based Fintech startup Wizely is helping the young manage money by launching India’s first saving app.

Founded in April 2018 by father and son Vijay Bobba, Nihar Bobba, and Dan Kihanya, Wizely calls itself a digital piggy bank built for the new generation of the up-and-coming India.

By bridging Fintech and Commerce, the app was founded with the simple idea of helping the up and coming Indian achieve everyday aspirations they can otherwise only dream of.

Over the past year, Wizely is making saving effortless, fun and rewarding, giving its user the feeling of joy and guilt-free achievement, through the life-cycle of the plan, save and spend.

According to the founders, Wizely emanated from the observation of young India’s poor financial management habits and their increasingly aspirational purchase behaviour.

After about a year of research, the app was launched in an
effort to make aspirations attainable and affordable by simplifying the way Indians save through easy, transparent and mobile first financial products.

“We began with the simple idea of helping our customers through the first and most important step in their financial journey – saving. By helping them build this foundation platform, we are not only helping them build trust in us but also in themselves. Further, we understand that a financial relationship built on trust and saving is the perfect recipe for a lifetime of financial well being, growth and achievement,” says co-founder of Wizely, Nihar Bobba.

Wizely presently has over four lakh signed up users and their target audience is primarily 18-30 year olds.

They have several streams of revenue whenever customers choose to spend their savings through Wizely upon reaching their goals.

However, Nihar says that they are going after a much larger long-term play that has multiple sources of revenue over time.

Revealing their USP, Nihar said, “Our USP is all about helping our users kick start their savings journey during the early stages of their financial journey. Our loyal users are those who may have a squeezed income, fixed budget, erratic income or are always overspending. For these users, their challenge is not with growing their money but instead saving enough money before they can think about other long term financial goals.”

Talking about the challenges he faced while establishing this start-up, 24-year-old Nihar said, “The key to being successful when building a startup is to appreciate and understand that you will face challenges of some sort every single day. Whether it is hiring, customer challenges, partner challenges. As long as you can keep your head out of the weeds and focus on the bigger picture you will be fine. Fintech has its own unique challenges that crop up from time to time but overall the ecosystem in India right now is ripe and conducive for the sector.”

Wizely has raised about $2.65 million so far through a seed round led by Javelin Venture Partners.

“We are now strengthening to evolve into a full-fledged savings bank account that will serve as the foundation for our users to not only achieve their short term savings goals but any financial goal or need that they may have,” said Nihar sharing their future plans.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Karthik KK / Express News Service / May 09th, 2019

Kannada version of Vokal formally launched in Mysuru

May 9, 2019Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Science & Technologyadmin

It is a knowledge sharing platform where users can get replies to queries

The Kannada version of Vokal, a knowledge sharing platform in vernacular languages, was formally launched in Mysuru on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters on the occasion, the platform’s founders Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka said Vokal, which seeks to provide answers from experts to questions by users, is aiming to serve vernacular Internet users.

It is also available in 10 other Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Odiya, and Assamese.

With most information on the Internet is available in English, Vokal seeks to serve the requirement of vernacular audience in the country, which has begun accessing Internet through smartphones.

“Anyone who doesn’t know English in India has a huge problem of accessing relevant answers to their questions. Their Internet experience is poor with a dearth of meaningful content,” said Mr. Aprameya.

“The smartest minds in the country answer the questions. This gives unparalleled access to a common man to the best minds that have subject matter expertise,” said a statement issued by Vokal.

Vokal is also the first Indian question-and-answer platform to enable audio and video answering.

A statement claimed that the platform has 2 million monthly users. The founders chose to formally launch the Kannada version in Mysuru, which is also the cultural capital of the State.

“Users get to choose from 10 or more interests and can follow creators around these. Users ask a question: in their local language, either through a voice message or a text. This is then answered by an expert. Experts are vetted, verified, and approved before they can start answering questions on the platform. Experts can also conduct live video sessions, allowing for greater interaction and knowledge dissemination,” the statement said.

More details can be obtained form their website https://getvokal.com

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – May 09th, 2019

Women play a vital but invisible role in weaving

May 6, 2019Business & Economyadmin

Lakshmi Sancholi (left) and Tirumala Palemari are among the many women who have taken to weaving to supplement the family income.

Their contribution goes unnoticed as weaving is an in-house activity for most weavers who live in house-cum-worksheds

A mother of two, Lakshmi Sancholi from Gajendragad in Gadag district is an important contributor to the family’s sustenance. After finishing her daily chores, she sits on the loom to produce cotton sarees in Ilkal designs to supplement the family income.

“Normally, we can finish a saree in two days, but I take a little more time. I weave after meeting the family’s needs,” says Ms. Lakshmi whose husband Ganesh is a pigmy collector. She is assisted by her daughters. Lakshmi, who earns about ₹200 per cotton saree, on an average weaves eight sarees a month.

Historically, women have been an integral part of weaving traditions, whose contribution goes unnoticed as weaving is an in-house activity for most weavers who live in house-cum-worksheds.

The latest data from the yet-to-be published handloom census shows that of about 33,000 weavers active in the State, nearly 11,100 are women.

In Yadgir, Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, Raichur, Mysuru, Bidar, Chamarajanagar, Chikkamagaluru, Davangere, Dharwad, and Kodagu districts, women weavers outnumber men. In Bagalkot, Belagavi, Gadag, and Haveri districts — among the important weaving clusters — women weavers are almost 40% of the total active weavers.

“Even if women are not weaving, they will be part of the allied workforce since it involves the entire family. For handloom, three allied workers are required by the main weaver, and they invariably would be from the same family, involving womenfolk,” says Ms. Lakshmi.

In Guledgudda, Tirumala Palemari is known to weave some of the intricate designs in the khana (blouse piece). After four decades of weaving, she says: “I have taken a break now. But I do weave on handloom once in a while.” Her son Hanumanthappa Palemari, who is a master weaver, credits her for his skills in weaving and generating family income.

Migration

Weaving profession in the dry and arid North Karnataka region, which has been seeing migration to cities in search of jobs, is also seen as empowerment of women. Migration most often affects women in the family, whether they move with menfolk to other cities or remain in their villages/towns.

“Migration is terrible for women. It destroys home life, children, education, and health. A traditional weaver is homebound and that is why there is a lot of participation of women in it. Any rescue of handloom is rescue of women at large,” theatre personality Prasanna feels. “In fact, it is also a profession that can allow womenfolk from socially lower castes involved in farm labour or other work to graduate to become weavers,” he said.

(This is the second of a series on handlooms in Karnataka.)

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Karnataka / by Sharath S. Srivatsava / Gajendragad (Gadag District) – May 05th, 2019

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