Puttur: Women power rules in Bajattoor gram panchayat

Business & Economy

Puttur, Feb 28:

Even as concerns are raised about the safety of women in the coastal region, especially in the light of recent cases of rapes and murders, a small village in Puttur has set an example of women power to the rest of the world.

Bajattoor village in Puttur taluk is governed by women who occupy most of the administrative positions. Here, panchyat president, vice-president, development officer, secretary, staff, librarian, taluk panchayat member, and the school principal are all women.

In the present society, dominated by men, Bajjathur village is a role model. The village has nurtured many important political personalities and is a peaceful place. Panchayat president Vijaya Damodhar and vice-president Lalitha, were elected under the women reservation quota.

B Shashikala is working as PDO in this panchayat while Chandravathi was appointed as secretary. Bharathi is the clerk while Mamatha is the computer operator and Savitha is the librarian.

All the gram panchayat positions are shared by women. Mallika from this village was elected to the taluk panchayat and the nearby school principal is Chitravathi. All prominent positions are occupied by women who are ably discharging their duties.

source: http://www.DaijiWorld.com / Home / by Arun Uppinangady / Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur (DV) / February 28th, 2013

Colourful start to Mallamma utsav

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Hubli :

The first ever edition of Belavadi Mallamma Utsav-2013, organized as a tribute great woman warrior Belavadi Mallamma, began on Thursday at Belavadi village in Bailhongal taluk.

In the morning session, local MLA Jagadish Metgud hoisted the flag of Belavadi Sansthan and inaugurated the procession ‘Janapada Kalavahini’, in the absence of MP Suresh Angadi and district in-charge minister Umesh Katti.

Speaking on the occasion, Metgud said Mallamma was a great warrior. She was the first woman who formed a women’s army and fought against Maratha king Chatrapati Shivaji in the 17th century. The history of Mallamma should be passed on to the future generation.

He informed that government has released Rs 30 lakh for the utsav.

Various folk art teams comprising Hejje Mela, Karbal Kunita, Datti Kunita, Dollu Kunita, Kolata, Karadi Majalu, Zanz Pathak, Kudure Kunita, Kola Nrutya, Veeragase, Dhol Pathak, Tase Vadan etc., added colour to the procession. Different tableaux depicting life of Mallamma were the star attraction of the procession, which began from Mallamma Circle. Kumbh Meravanige comprising hundreds of women with a pot on their head followed the procession.

Zilla panchayat CEO V Shankar, Bailhongal AC Siddalingayya Hiremath and deputy director of information department Basavaraj Kambi participated in the procession. However, participation of the people of Belavadi and surrounding villagers wasn’t as per expectation.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Hubli / by Ravi Uppar, TNN / March 01st, 2013

SWR’s railway protection force sniffer dog wins silver medal

Records, All

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Caption: SWR Railway Protection Force’s Sniffer Dog ‘Seizer,’ which won the silver medal, is seen with V. Sasi, Constable of RPF Dog Squad, who trained and handled it.

Mysore, Feb.23 :

 Seizer, an 8-year-old Labrador Retriever, the sniffer dog of South Western Railway’s (SWR) Railway Protection Force (RPF), representing Indian Railway Team won the silver medal with certificate in explosive category (sniffer) in the All India Police Meet-2012 conducted by Madhya Pradesh State Police at Bhopal from Feb. 7 to 15.

In all, 23 States’ Police teams and 5 Para Military Force (PMF) teams including RPF, BSF, CRPF, CISF and Indian Tibetan Border Protection (ITBP) contested with 80 dogs at the event.

In the performance level, ‘Siezer’ of RPF stood second and won the silver medal while the gold and bronze medals were won by the dogs of Ma- harashtra State Police and Madhya Pradesh State Police respectively.

This sniffer dog, Seizer, is trained and handled by V. Sasi, Constable of RPF Dog Squad- Bangalore Division, SWR, under the supervision of K.K. George, Sub-Inspector, RPF, Hubli. This dog was trained for one month before participating in the event.

The Indian Railway team was guided by R. Pacharwal, Chief Security Commissioner, SWR, and supervised by Louis Amuthan, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, Bangalore Division for participation in the Police Meet.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> General News / February 23rd, 2013

Indo-Canadian symposium on Nano-Science & Technology concludes

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

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Caption: Seen in the picture are (from left) S.L.Ramachandra, Hon. Secretary, NIE M.Sreepada Rao, Vice-President, Prof. Peter Mascher, Faculty of Engineering, McMaster University, H.N. Ramathirtha, NIE Director, Prof. Rajasekara Murthy, Emeritus Scientist, National Water Research Institute, Canada, S.K. Lakshminarayana, Hon. Treasurer, NIE and Dr. G.L.Shekar, Principal, NIE.

Mysore, Feb.23 :

The first Indo-Canadian Symposium on Nano-Science and Technology, organised by the National Institute of Engineering (NIE), Mysore, in association with McMaster University, Canada, concluded on Feb. 21.

Prof. Peter Mascher, Professor and William Sinclair Chair in Optoelectronics, Associate Dean (Research and External Relations), Faculty of Engineering, McMaster University, delivered the valedictory address.

Prof. Rajasekara Murthy, Emeritus Scientist, National Water Research Institute, Canada, was the guest of honour.

H.N. Ramathirtha, Past-President and Director, NIE, presided over the function.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> General News / February 23rd, 2013

Poland wants Indian businessmen to invest there

Business & Economy

PolandBF28feb2013

Bangalore:

Poland on Wednesday invited Indian investors to explore the emerging business and investment opportunities in the eastern European country.

Polish Deputy Economic Minister Dariusz Bogdan said, “We are the sixth biggest country in the European Union with a working age population of 26.6 million and a strong export performance (135 billion euros in 2011).”

The country has maintained sound policies, financial stability and competitiveness, the minister said.

“We are also well integrated with the EU in terms of trade and foreign direct investments,” Bogdan said at an interactive session with chief executives of Polish and Indian firms here.

The Polish labour market was flexible with educated workforce, which is competitive in wages, Bogdan said.

A recent survey by global services firm Ernst & Young rated Poland as the second most attractive investment destination in Europe for the next three years after Germany and followed by Britain, Russia and France, Bogdan added.

“With sound policies, we have been able to keep our economy stable in terms of inflation, output gap and current account, which is covered by net FDI (foreign direct investment) inflows and EU capital transfers,” the minister told executives at the session, organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).

According to Polish information and foreign investment agency’s board member Bozena Czaja, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) ranked Poland as the sixth most attractive foreign direct investment (FDI) destination worldwide.

The ‘Financial Times’ has listed Poland at the third place globally in quality of processing industry.

“Within Poland, the eastern part is one of the fastest developing area, with lowest labour cost and one of the most eco-friendly regions in Europe. There is a huge potential for road infrastructure development,” Czaja said.

Priority sectors in eastern Poland are food sector, furniture production, metal and machinery, aviation, yacht, tourism and back office operations (business process outsourcing).

The interactive session is a part of road shows the eastern European country is holding on ‘doing business in Poland’ with the participation of a visiting 14-member Polish business delegation, representing aviation, machinery and food processing industries.

Welcoming the Polish delegation, FICCI executive member and Axis Aerospace & Technologies Ltd. vice-chairman Sudhakar Gande said India was also a huge business opportunity for investors and exporters in Poland.

“You have the knowledge and expertise and we have markets, not just in India but much beyond our borders,” Gande said on the occasion.

Apart from traditional items of trade, both the countries have to collaborate in developing aviation, renewable energy and healthcare facilities in India.

source: http://www.pardaphash.com / Homepage> Business / by Shubhanshu Sharma / Wednesday- February, 27th, 2013

Low-cost airline pioneer says he’s ready to fly again

Business & Economy

After selling Air Deccan,  India ’s first low-cost airline, to Kingfisher Airlines in 2007, Capt Gopinath is set to get his pan-India  wings again. All that’s needed now is a green signal from civil aviation regulator DGCA.

In Bangalore Captain G R Gopinath, who ushered in the era of no-frills low-cost airlines in India , is getting ready to fly again with a new domestic licence. Speaking to Mirror, he said the empowered committee under the civil aviation ministry had cleared his application to run a domestic airline.

However, this does not mean his second airline can take off immediately. The final nod is yet to come from the Director-General of Civil Aviation(DGCA), the regulator of the Indian aviation industry. “I reapplied for a national airline licence when the government changed the rules allowing foreign airlines to invest up to 49 per cent (in domestic carriers). Both have been cleared,” he said.

While he can technically start running the airline after DGCA’s approval, he will still need the Foreign Investment Promotion Board’s approval to bring in a foreign equity partner to part-fund his venture. After the sale of his first aviation venture Air Deccan to Kingisher Airlines owner Vijay Mallya in 2008, Gopinath was bound by a cooling-off period of five years before he could return to the business. This period comes to a close this April.

However, two days ago, civil aviation minister Ajit Singh told a financial daily that he is not opposed to giving any fresh licence to anyone who comes with a joint venture partner. “I never said anything about JVs. Nobody else has applied so far except Gopinath, so there was nothing we could do, he already has a regional licence. Let him run that first and then we would consider upgrading it.”

Apart from finding a foreign equity partner, Gopinath’s biggest challenge will be in running his new airline profitably at a time when most domestic carriers are finding the going tough. Despite being the first lowcost domestic carrier, Air Deccan did not see profits until the end of 2006. Business conditions have only gotten worse since then, with the price of aviation fuel going through the roof.

The regional licence the minister referred to is Deccan Charters, which focuses on short-haul flights using choppers and small aircraft that can be hired by celebrities, politicians and industrialists. Gopinath also has an air logistics business under the Deccan 360 banner.

 Flying high 

1997: Starts a chartered chopper service, Deccan Charters

2003: Starts Air Deccan,  India’s first low-cost airline

2007: Sells Air Deccan to Kingfisher

2009: Starts Deccan 360, also known as Deccan Cargo & Express Logistics

2013: Gets civil aviation ministry approval to re-enter domestic airspace

source: http://www.mumbaimirror.com / Home> News> Nation> Story / by Kalyan Subramani / Thursday, February 28th, 2013

Bangalore to Host “Modern & Contemporary Indian Art Auction 2013”

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Historical Links, Pre-Independence

Bangalore :

Works of S.H. Raza, F.N. Souza Among Others Slotted to go Under the Hammer Along With a Private Viewing of the Bentley Cars

Catering to the growing number of art patrons aspiring for International quality art has prompted Bangalore to feature the ‘ Modern & Contemporary Indian Art Auction ‘ . The rare event will host a blend of top notch Indian artists and their works. The event will be attended by a mix of art patrons and connoisseurs representing diverse backgrounds but unified by their love for art.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130227/599791)

The auction is being held in aid of Christel House India, a charity that works to break the cycle of poverty for some of the world’s poorest children. The creativity filled event will be held on 1st of March, 2013 at the ITC Windsor, Bangalore,7pm onwards.

Close on the heels of the recent success of the annual art event ‘ Art Bengalur ‘  held at UB City  each year, the first edition of the ‘Modern & Contemporary Indian Art Auction’ is organized by Sublime Gallery and  ArtChutney.com in association with the UB City and Prestige Group. The event is also supported by Forbes India and partnered by Four Seasons and Black Dog. ITC Windsor is the hospitality partner.

Christel DeHaan, Founder, Christel House International and Co-Founder, Resort Condominiums International, philanthropist and respected art lover will be gracing the event with her presence. She adds, “On behalf of the children of Christel House India, I express my heartfelt gratitude to Prestige Group and Modern & Contemporary Indian Art Auction 2013 for selecting Christel House to be the beneficiary of Bangalore’s largest charity art auction.” This year the objective of the auction is to bring about a unique platform inspired by international art events. Adds Uzma Irfan, Co-Founder of ‘Modern & Contemporary Indian Art Auction’, “This Spring Edition of the ‘Modern & Contemporary Indian Art Auction’ aims to present an exclusive event which will bring together renowned work from across the country, in an effort to introduce a higher level of art appreciation. The platform will play host to some of the most revered names in modern art, all in support of a single cause and their love for true art.”

‘Modern & Contemporary Indian Art Auction’ is being organized in association with well-known art patrons including Sanjiv Shanmugham, Jeeva Bhat, Sumeeta Chopra, Shaista Baljee, Vijay Rekhi, H.S. Rattha, Akash Khanna, Yash Saboo, Andrew Hendrian, Jawahar Gopal, M. Mohan, Vinita Chaitanya and Dr. Utpal Ray.

Artworks which are slotted to feature in the auction include works of Francis Newton Souza, Manu Parekh, Arpana Caur, S.H. Raza, Shuvaprasanna, Chitrovanu Mazumdar,Anupam Sud, S.G. Vasudev, Yusuf Arakkal, Paritosh Sen, Jogen Chowdhury, Pradip Maitra, M. Senathipathi, Bimal Kundu, S. Nandagopal, Vijender Sharma, Shipra Bhattacharya, Prabhakar M. Kolte, Paramjit Singh, Arunanshu Chowdhury, Jayashree Chakravarty and Thota Vaikuntam.

The auction catalogue shows the vastness and quality of the artworks. The event will have as many as 122 lots being auctioned on the 1st of March. The artworks are a blend of carefully selected contemporary artists, in addition to many established artists whose works are not easily available in the city. Sublime and ArtChutney were the first to introduce a serious art festival ‘Art Bengaluru’ to Bangalore following which they have started the trend of formal luxury art auctions in the city to help increase art appreciation.

The auction will be followed by a lavish poolside dinner and a private viewing of the Bentley Mulsanne and Continental GT.

The exclusive website with complete details of the event is live on http://www.modernandcontemporaryartauction.com. The website is equipped with the auction catalogue, absentee bid forms along with all other details.

source: http://www.itnewsonline.com / PR Newswire / February 27th, 2013

Fashion from the amateurs

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

Budding Designers

Wills Lifestyle hosted the seventh edition of ‘The Debut’, an initiative for young fashion students, the future designers of the country, to promote their creativity and showcase their skills.

The event, held recently at Orion Mall, saw 13 students presenting their works to a panel of judges comprising eminent designers Manoviraj Khosla, Raj Shroff and Cora Goteman, head of department, fashion design, Pearl Academy.

These candidates were shortlisted after qualifying in a previous round, wherein their illustration-based design portfolios were evaluated. In this round, they were judged on parameters like creativity, technicality and commercial viability.

“‘The Debut’ is a unique platform that nurtures and recognises young talent in the field of fashion design. We are delighted at the response received and are sure that the initiative will only become stronger in the years to come,” says Atul Chand of ITC’s lifestyle retailing business division.

Stunning hand-tailored outfits by the students were displayed by the City’s models and the regional round saw some really good designs and themes explored. From ‘Retro Circus’, using clown collars and circus tents as inspiration to ‘Op Art’, using 3D structures and lines to ‘Indomania’, which concerned the country’s past — it was evident that a lot of time, thought and effort had gone into each collection.
Even the judges were quite impressed by the craftsmanship. “I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. At the end of the day, clothes need to be commercially viable because someone will wear it. Some of these students have understood that and have a lot of potential to make a difference in the industry,” expresses designer Manoviraj Khosla.

It was quite interesting to hear the designers speak about the look they chose and describe the inspiration behind it. “It took me three weeks to make my collection. I focussed on the hippie culture and recreated the ‘Summer of Love’ in 1967,” shares an excited Sanjana Jain of Pearl Academy, Chennai, one of the winners of this round for her turquoise gypsy dress and hipster shorts. She informs that she is already planning her third outfit for the finals.

The other short-listed participants to go the finals in New Delhi are Anubha Jain (Pearl Academy, Delhi), Mridul Jacob (Pearl Academy, Chennai), Raunaq Arora (NIFT, Hyderabad) and Padmaraj (NIFT, Bangalore).

source: http://www.DeccanHerald.com / Home> Supplements>MetroLife / by DHNS / February 26th, 2013

Fellowship for CFRI scientist

Leaders, Science & Technology

Mysore, Feb.20 :

Dr. K.S.M.S. Raghavarao, Chief Scientist, CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), has been elected a Fellow of the prestigious Indian National Academy of Engineering by its Council, effective from 1st January 2013.

The Indian National Academy of Engineering is the premier association of academic engineers and recognises outstanding personal contribution by engineers through Fellowships.

Dr. Raghavarao has received the honour for his research contribution in the area of Chemical engineering.

A scientist-engineer for the past 25 years, Dr. Raghavarao has published more than 155 research publications in national and international journals.

He has 25 International patents and 50 Indian patents, 20 processes to his credit and has guided 18 students for Ph.D. degree.

He was Fellow of Institution of Engineers (2010) and recipient of National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI)-Reliance Industries Award (2008), National Award, Ministry of Agriculture (2006) and Institution of Engineers Platinum Jubilee Award (2010), according to A.S.K.V.S. Sharma, Head, Information & Publicity, CSIR-CFTRI, Mysore.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> General News / February 20th, 2013

NMA gives nod to shift Tipu armoury

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

Hurdle cleared for Mysore-B’lore track doubling work?

Mysore, Feb. 20 :

With National Monument Authority (NMA) of the Archaeology Survey of India (ASI) giving clearance to shift the 18th century Armoury of Tipu Sultan in Srirangapatna, the major hurdle for the much hyped and long delayed railway track doubling work between Mysore and Bangalore crossed a major hurdle.

R. Gopal, Director, Department of Archaeology, Government of Karnataka, speaking to SOM said that that the NMA had finally given its clearance to move the monument and the file has been referred to the Secretary, Department of Kannada and Culture, who heads the NMA (South) overseeing monuments in Mysore and Bangalore division to get the approval from the Ministry of Kannada and Culture and added that this is expected to happen soon.

Gopal said that three proposals (a) To move the monument as it is slowly which is a two months process, (b) to cut eight blocks, shift & plaster and (c) To shift brick by brick and reconstruct it was laid before the NMA. Of the three proposals, the first one was chosen as it would retain the heritage look better than the two other proposals which required plastering and reconstruction.

He further stated that as the monument would be moved 100 mts. beyond the temple, the clearance was given and said that the work on moving the monument would be completed in two months from the date of commencement and added that this method of moving of monument inch by inch using the skidding method was the first of its kind in the country.

Gopal said rocks and stones had been used in the foundations of the armoury which is 10 ft deep and added that a new foundation would be laid before moving the armoury. Regarding the work, he said that it is yet to be decided wether the experts would called in or tenders would be called.

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Home> General News / February 20th, 2013