Rolling the dice of history
Experience a slice of smart heritage in this ancient games workshop by Kreeda, Nazariya and The Courtyard
The names Chowka Bara, Alaguli Mane, Kattayam Vilayattu, or Kalanay Balaney, may evoke a sense of nostalgia in some, and perhaps curiosity, in others who may not know what these words mean.
Nazariya, Kreeda and The Courtyard’s collaboration in this upcoming workshop will cater to both these segments, through their workshop on these ancient games. Titled ‘Let the sacred games begin’, the workshop is part of Nazariya’s Forgotten Cultures Workshop Series.
“One of the objectives of the workshop is, of course, to have fun and enjoy. The other objective is to introduce, or reintroduce traditional games to people,” says Vinita Sidhartha, founder, Kreeda Games. “There are people who have played them before, but have forgotten them; there are people who have seen them or have heard of them, and there people who haven’t heard about them. Through these games, one can build interactions between them, what is also important is that somewhere along the way, we are in danger of losing our games.”
That is why, she says, the purpose of the workshop is to show why these games are still relevant today.
“Though preserving these ancient games for nostalgia is by itself important, we also need to preserve them because in our daily lives, we can learn from them, imbibe lessons from them. That is the third reason why we do this.”
There is learning at various levels in every single game, for children, teenagers and adults, she adds. As more and more people are exposed to the games, she hopes there is movement to preserve them. “And I have seen this over the last 15 years that I have been working on them.”
The games are also known to offer insights into Indian history, mythology, traditions, architecture and antiquity. “Every game comes with its own learning, it starts from the kind of materials we use to play them; to the thought, psychology, and sociology behind the game; and the associated folk tales. Sometimes it is about the types of material, at other times, it is about where you find these games, the kind of monuments, temples, where these games are found, all these in some way contribute to a better understanding of our own psyche as Indians.”
Additionally, many of these stories come from oral traditions, since the rules were never written down. “When more and more play, they trasmit their knowledge. This is a fantastic way of bridging generational gaps, and building relationships.” The workshop will take place at The Courtyard, 105, KH Road, on October 13, from 11 am to 1 pm. For details, call 7338677996.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Harshini Vakkalanta / October 11th, 2018
Now, dine in the sky 180 feet above Bengaluru
So you have tried costumed dining, blind dining and blood-and-guts dining. Next, you can book a table for sky dining.
Bengaluru :
So you have tried costumed dining, blind dining and blood-and-guts dining. Next, you can book a table for sky dining. Bengaluru-based ‘Sky Lounge’ offers to lift you, your table and your dinner companions up in the air for an hour-long meal. A crane will lift you 180 ft above Nagawara Lake, and the meal will begin. Serving staff will also be with you.
The concept, which is present in more than 45 countries, is operational in India for the first time. The sky dining experience is located at Nagawara next to Manyata Tech Park in Hebbal and has been operational from the last two days. Fly-dining, according to the owners, has been experienced by more than 150 people in just three days.
On Saturday, the first weekend after the launch, a Bengaluru-based youngster got lucky when he proposed to his girlfriend 180 ft above the ground. “He was extremely happy and said the couple had the best experience of their life. The girl was thrilled about the very idea of being proposed at such a height with a beautiful view,” said Avinash J, managing partner of Sky Lounge.
Kishan Kalavadia, director, Sky Lounge, said, “We chose Bengaluru to be our destination as we know people here are ready for an adventure with good food. It is more of an adventurous experience.”Fly-dining is a structure supported by a crane, which can accommodate 22 people around the table and four staff at the centre. “As of now, we have only started the mocktail and dinner options. The mocktail session, which is for half-an-hour, starts from 5 pm while dinner commences at 7 pm and will be for one hour. Limited supply of alcohol, only foreign brands, will be provided for extra charge,” said Kalavadia.
Explaining that there are strict guidelines which need to be followed, Avinash said the primary rule is that the visitor should not weigh more than 150 kg. While children below the age of 13 will not be allowed, the minimum height required is 145 cm. Customers are not allowed to take bags on board, but phones are permitted. If something does get dropped, there’s a “safety” area below.
“Not only is the table supported by 16 huge metal ropes (and just one of them can hold it up on its own), but it is designed and tested by the global provider of technical, safety and certification services TÜV Rheinland. It boasts of a 100% safety record, and you are harnessed and strapped in,” he said.
The diners are expected to pre-book and reach the venue 15 minutes before the dinner as they will be shown a pre-recorded video about the experience and also explained about the brief history of the company. “Just a quick word to a crew member about any kind of emergency will bring you down in five minutes. A health professional is also part of the crew,” Avinash added.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Chetana Belagere, Express News Service / October 14th, 2018
State award for Rajeev Taranath
Sarod maestro Pandit Rajeev Taranath has been chosen for the 2018 ‘Rajya Sangeetha Vidwan Gourava Prashasthi’, given to eminent musicians by the State government.
The selection committee, headed by M. Venkateshkumar, Dharwad, selected Pt. Rajeev Taranath, said an official release.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Bengaluru – October 09th, 2018
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Bengaluru astrophysicists go on quest for rare herbs across the city
Team spots rare and endangered species of medicinal plants
Eight researchers from Indian Institute of Astrophysics cycled all the way from Koramangala to The University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences & Technology in Yelahanka to explore rare and endangered species of ancient medicinal plants. The tour started at 6 am on Sunday.
The researchers reached their destination in three hours and their excursion proved to be worth the pain. They encountered rare medicinal plants that find mention even in Ayurveda and other Vedic texts.
Binu Kumar Nair, postdoctoral researcher at IIAP, says, “The campus has all those plants that can grow in the South Indian climate. Being an Astrophysics scholar, it was interesting to come across and know about so many plant species. These are plants that we come across every day, but we don’t know about their value.”
Since TDU also has a hospital on the campus, the patients are treated using the herbs and medicinal plants found here.
The university campus has about 1,600 species of medicinal plants and 600 of them available at their nursery for people to take at minimal costs. Of the 1,600 species available, 200 are endangered species.
When Ganesh Babu, Senior Research Officer, visited IIAP a couple of days ago to identify and name the plants available in IIAP, he had invited the researchers to come and explore a variety of species at the Trans-Disciplinary University. He explains, “We have a cure for almost all diseases through our medicinal plants. PterocarpusMarsupium is used for diabetes, Syzygium Caryophyllatum gives nutricious fruits like jamuns which are very sweet, and Wild Moringa helps in joint pains. There are 10 such trees with such rots that are used in medicines. We have 45 tree gardens in all demarcated according to the medicinal uses for example one for treating fever, one for diabetes, one that enhances water quality and so on.”
The researchers also came across the Seetha Ashok tree which helps with female infertility and is endangered, the Rudraksha tree which cures blood pressure, and the Camphor tree and four different types of incense stick trees.
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore / by Reya Mehrotra, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / October 09th, 2018
Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology becomes first Karnataka hospital to go digital
The project aims at integrating and managing all aspects of a hospital’s operations such as medical, financial, administrative, legal and compliance, health records online.
Bengaluru :
Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology (KMIO) has become the first government hospital in Karnataka to execute the Central government’s e-hospital project, the first round of implementation for which started last week. The project aims at integrating and managing all aspects of a hospital’s operations such as medical, financial, administrative, legal and compliance, health records online.
“This system will also ensure that people coming from rural areas across the state need not wait for hours or struggle with losing files,” said Dr C Ramachandra, Director, KMIO.
How will it work?
E-hospital Kidwai will register the patient in the hospital system at the OPD (out patient department) on entering. A patient identification number and a patient-specific barcode will be generated, after which the patient will be given a ‘health card’. At the electronic queue management centre, they will be issued a token which will tell them where to go and which doctor to see.
A senior doctor from KMIO explained that a doctor will scan the patient’s barcode to receive information about the patient, such as medical history, allergies, and demographic data. After the consultation, he will then enter the diagnosis, prescription, and any further tests which should be taken into the system. “For instance, if you were to take a blood test, then you would be directed to the lab and the technician will have already received information about you. The blood sample will then be labelled with a barcode, enabling the technician to retrieve vital information before recording the test results,” he explained.
Digital healthcare
A team from Infosys Foundation is helping the doctors at Kidwai to streamline the data and also link the departments.
On the benefits of digital health care, the director said, “It is one of the answers to our disorganized, overcrowded state hospitals, and the inconsistent quality of hospital services. It is also instrumental in managing information more efficiently.”
He explained that it improves connectivity within healthcare institutions, so there is better coordination between healthcare personnel and also recorded data. Individuals from disadvantaged or low-income backgrounds, who do not manage their health due to poverty or lack of awareness, will be able to have the hospitals manage their health for them, he said.
Dr C Ramachandra also added that Kidwai was the first hospital to ensure that the OT was operational even on holidays.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Chetana Belagere / by Express News Service / Ocotober 09th, 2018
This Bengaluru chef can cook for hours blindfolded
In the future, Sandesh hopes to open his own restaurant, one where he can practise exactly what he likes.
Bengaluru :
“Cooking is my girlfriend,” says Sandesh Adugemane, who has spent most of his life in the kitchen of his father’s restaurant in Gangavati, a town in the state. Now, the chef, who works in Hyderabad and is here in the city for an event, says that his ability to cook blindfolded for hours, has brought him fame.
“I first cooked blindfolded at 18. Since I’ve been in the kitchen since I was about three – I was able to identify ingredients such as turmeric, chilli, tamarind by then – cooking is something that comes to me naturally, and I was confident enough to cook without being able to see,” says Sandesh.
He had to drop out of college in his second year due to personal problems. He started working in the hotel and that’s when the idea to do something different came to him. “Even though word spread that I was cooking blindfolded, my father didn’t support me. People would come from different states to watch me, but my dad didn’t think what I was doing was worthwhile,” he says, adding that the longest he has cooked blindfolded was six hours. He has appeared in over 100 local cooking shows, he says.
It took him over a year to perfect his technique.
“The first dish I made blindfolded was gobi manchurian. A well-wisher happened to take a video and circulated it,” says Sandesh, who can make Indian and Chinese dishes blindfolded, but is trying to perfect continental cuisine.
About the mishaps when he just started cooking blindfolded, Sandesh says, “I can’t count the number of time I spilt hot oil onto myself. One time, because of being blindfolded and working in the kitchen for hours, my eyes had swollen up so big that I couldn’t open them for two days. My mother was worried and tried to get me to stop, but I was determined.”
In the future, Sandesh hopes to open his own restaurant, one where he can practise exactly what he likes.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Lifestyle> Food / by Express News Service / October 08th, 2018
Skin bank richer by 85 donations, 1,500 pledges
With increasing awareness, State’s first such storage is seeing a rise in donors
With organ donation picking up in the State, awareness on the concept of skin donation is also catching up. The State’s first skin bank set up in the government-run Victoria Hospital has had 85 donations ever since its inception in March 2016. Donated skin has been used for grafting in nearly 40 patients, with skin damage due to burns.
One among the beneficiaries is an eight-year-old boy, who recently suffered third-degree burns after he tried to imitate a stunt that he saw during a Muharram procession.
The son of a driver from Tilaknagar in the city, the boy had burns on his chest, feet, and upper limbs, and was rushed to the Mahabodhi burns ward in Victoria Hospital. Skin grafting and it was done on him 10 days ago.
K.T. Ramesh, head of the department of plastic surgery in Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI), told The Hindu, “Although some patches of skin from his thigh area were used, it was not enough. We used donated skin on a major portion of his chest, and the boy is doing well now. He will be discharged in a few days.”
A great help
With the burns ward in the hospital getting nearly 220 admissions (of which over 70% are serious cases), the skin bank is of great help to patients who deal with the trauma of disfigurement. Hospitals from across the State are placing requests for the facility.
“The skin bank is a boon for patients as there is no blood-group matching required in skin grafting. Anyone over 18 years, who does not have skin disease or infections can donate,” Dr. Ramesh said.
The bank, set up in association with Rotary Bangalore Midtown and Ashirvad Pipes (Rotary Ashirvad BMCRI Skin Bank), did not get a good response in the first year. BMCRI then roped in Kannada cine stars — Prem and Kumar Bangarappa — to popularise the concept of skin donations. “While the actors participated in a few awareness programmes, our skin bank team comprising of paramedics — Nagaraj, Prasanna, and Lakshmikanth — have been doing yeoman service. Apart from visiting colleges and public functions to create awareness, the team also accompanies grief counsellors from Jeevasarthakathe, the State-run body that facilitates the cadaver organ transplantation programme, to hospitals where brain deaths are declared,” said Dr. Ramesh.
‘People call us’
Earlier, despite counselling, relatives of patients who breathe their last in Victoria Hospital (where the bank is located), were not ready to come forward. “Now, we are glad that people call us when there is a death in the family and say they are interested in donating skin. This apart, we have received over 1,500 pledges so far,” the doctor added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Shan Yasmeen / Bengaluru – October 05th, 2018