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Janopakari Doddanna worked selflessly and tirelessly for Bengaluru

K. H. Ramaiah, a prominent personality of yesteryear Bangalore, often referred Gubbi Thotadappa as a fatherly figure (appa), Janopakari Doddanna as (Anna), elder brother. The services they rendered encompassed a very large strata of the city irrespective of class, cast and creed.

A vivid description of the life and contribution of Doddanna to Bengaluru is found Prof. V Krishna Setty’s book (1997), who had a long association with the institution founded by Doddanna.

Doddanna Shetty was born on February 3, 1840 to a pious couple Nanjundappa and Siddamma. They belonging to a vegetable oil extracting and trading community. They lived in Commercial Street in Cantonment area during 1830s. In addition to being god fearing and spiritual, the couple were also widely known for their charity and hospitality. Nanjundappa was the head of the community and was referred to as ‘Yajaman’.

Doddanna, got the education required for the family business, and after the death of his father assumed the post of Yajaman, and continued the family trade. He had also inherited the parents’ trait of charity and hospitality and without any bias, helped the downtrodden to live with dignity.

He used to go during night with a few of his associates to distribute good food and blankets to help the destitute and vagabonds on the streets and also the wandering monks who took shelter at Poornaiah Choultry which was located next to Tulasi Thota near Dharmambudi Tank, the present day Kempegowda Central Bus stand.

Paramount Theatre  

He renovated the Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple, his family deity, on Old Poor House Road in Cantonment and liberally donated for such work undertaken by other temples in Bengaluru. He had also given away a portion of his land near Bangalore East Railway station for the use of Buddha Centre. Because of these liberal contributions he used to be even referred to as ‘Daanashoora Karna’, a prominent character known for such charitable acts in the epic, Mahabharata. In spite of being benevolent to the society, as if to test his inner strength to face the adversities, he lost three wives, one after the other. Though two sons were born to the fourth wife she too died soon.

Yet, he recovered from these onslaughts of the fate and continued to serve his city. During 1898, there was severe plague attack in Bengaluru and the first son Lakshminarayana fell a victim for the pandemic. Realising that isolation is the sole solution to prevent the spread of the disease, Doddanna got about two hundred shelters built in a village Venkatapura for the benefit of the members of his community. The plague had also deprived the education to many downtrodden children. To groom the future generation on proper moral and ethical grounds, he took some space near the present day KR Market in 1900 and started a lower secondary school to impart free education especially for poor children. He treated these kids as his own and took personal care even in giving them oil bath, food and clothing.

Pouring a major chunk of his wealth he also started to construct a huge building to run the school. He wanted this structure to represent the culture and ethics of the land and should also be big enough to serve the purpose of a school, choultry, theatre and assembly hall. Later, his building became a landmark in the city as Doddanna hall and also as Paramount theatre.

Around the year 1900, the Mysore Government had started the construction of the building of Revenue Survey Office in Cubbon Park, near KR circle. The contractor, Tatayaa had given the responsibility of the construction to Rangappa. Everyday, while walking from Cantonment to his school in the City Market area, Doddanna used to pause a little and observe the construction and used to discussthe details with Rangappa. Finally, when the building was completed, he liked the elegant front elevation of the structure and the excellent quality of work. He wanted his building also to represent the native culture and tradition. He engage d Rangappa to give his dream a realistic shape.

Inspiration for Doddanna Hall  

The construction work under his personal supervision was going on. At this juncture, fate shot another major blow by taking away the life of his second and the only surviving son, Lakshminarasimha. Since the son died at the beginning of the construction, some elders advised him not to continue the work as his planetary positions were not in his favour. But, he accepted the adversities as challenges and proceeded with the work.

Doddanna’s philanthropic activities and his persisting efforts for the welfare of the downtrodden in spite of stumbling blocks, were known to the elite of the city.

Some other elders told him that his walking all the way from Cantonment to the City Market area was strenuous, Doddanna did not agree. “I can afford to have a personal coach for my movement. But, I feel, the money I spend for the same can be used to get few more cups of milk or oil to give bath to the poor little ones in my school…”

To continue…

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source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Art / by Suresh Moona / October 01st, 2020

NSS officer helps aspirants make their way to Indian Army

Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

With the word spreading about his offer of free training, nearly 30-40 people enrol themselves every year and are trained by him.

Mysuru :

At  the age of 18, he cleared the interview at a recruitment rally held in Bengaluru to join the armed forces but was rejected for having a dental issue. He was dejected for not being able to get the opportunity to serve the nation. But this did not make him give up his dream, today he finds satisfaction in offering free training to hundreds of young army aspirants, mostly from the rural areas, and helping them join the armed forces.

Meet Dr R Raghavendra (39), a  native of Baburayanakoppalu village in Srirangapatna of Mandya district, who has trained hundreds of army aspirants in the last seven years. Raghavendra continued his studies, completed M.PEd, did his Ph.D. in sports, and served as physical education teacher and NSS officer in several colleges.

With the word spreading about his offer of free training, nearly 30-40 people enrol themselves every year and are trained by him. As the clock strikes 5 in the morning, at least 20 army aspirants throng the Srirangapatna taluk stadium where Raghavendra equips them to clear in the rigorous selection procedures at the army recruitment rally.

Raghavendra, who is currently serving as  NSS programme officer at Seshadripuram Degree College in Mysuru, not only helps the aspirants with the physical exercises and trains them to run long distances in a short time, but also helps them prepare for the written test and provides them the necessary study materials spending money from his pocket.

At least 10 of his students are recruited in different forces including a regiment of Artillery, MRC regiment, ASC regiment in various ranks.

Vitthal, who currently works at the Army Service Corps (ASC), Bengaluru, says that the training and guidance provided by Raghavendra helped him get recruited.


Perumal C, who has been appointed as a para commando at the Artillery centre in Maharashtra, attributes his success to Raghavendra.

“I underwent rigorous training under Raghavendra for four years. He motivated me to participate in the recruitment rally and prepared me well in advance. I received my appointment order sometime ago, but due to the Covid-19 situation, I have been asked to join duty this month,” he said. Besides Army training, Raghavendra also gives assistance to those preparing for police, forest and RPF recruitments. With new opportunities for women aspiring to join the Indian Army, several girls are also getting trained by him.


Most of them are motivated and strong, I am just giving them the right direction to reach their goal,” says Raghavendra.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Karthik K K / Express News Service / October 04th, 2020

Letters signed by Mahatma to go on the block

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The letter in English, dated March 6, 1930, with a personal letterhead of ‘Gandhi Niwas , Rajkot, India’, is written in blue ink.

A handwritten letter of Mahatma Gandhi to the secretary of Congress, a week before he started the Dandi March to defy the salt tax from Sabarmati Ashram, are among three of his memorabilia that are going under the hammer in Bengaluru on Gandhi Jayanti on Friday.

While a physical auction is taking place in the city, bids are being invited online too.

The letter in English, dated March 6, 1930, with a personal letterhead of ‘Gandhi Niwas , Rajkot, India’, is written in blue ink.

The letter just says: “I will go next Sunday. All the member should present in the meeting. The meeting is very important for us.” The Mahatma signed the letter as ‘MK Gandhi’.

He commenced the 240-mile, 24-day Dandi March on March 12 as part of the Civil Disobedience Movement and tax resistance. While the letter was written on a Thursday, the “next Sunday” was March 9. The important meeting that he was referring to could be a meeting ahead of the Dandi march.

Rajender Maru of Marudhar Arts, one of the few ASI-licenced auction houses in India, which is auctioning the memorabilia, said that the other handwritten letter of the Mahatma is in Gujarati. The letter received by Kumar Ranjit Singhji, the ruler of Nawanagar, on April 12, 1939, is written in blue ink on handmade paper, which is still in good condition.

The third item is a rare black-and-white photograph of the Mahatma with an undated signature in Hindi in black ink as ‘M.K. Gandhi’.

“Handwritten and signed letters of Mahatma Gandhi are unequivocally rare and are amongst the most sought after collectibles in the Indian autographs category. This is important due to its rarity,” Mr. Maru told The Hindu.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Sharath S Srivatsava / Bengaluru – October 01st, 2020

Former VC on AIIMS advisory body, chosen as CSIR-Emeritus Scientist

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Recognition has come to him over his contribution to the field of biological sciences and development of science, says K.S. Rangappa

Former Vice-Chancellor and scientist K.S. Rangappa has been nominated to the top advisory body of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has chosen him as a member of AIIMS PGIMER in Chandigarh and AIIMS in Bhubaneswar, Bathinda, Guwahati and Srinagar.

Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Prof. Rangappa said the nomination for a period of five years had been made in recognition of his contribution to the field of biological sciences and development of science in the country.

“Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has appreciated my research work and publications, particularly on cancer drug research, in various journals and my work as the chairman of the Indian Science Congress. The AIIMS is a prestigious central institution and I have been nominated to offer my opinion on research and other areas of science,” he said.

The former V-C of University of Mysore said he has been selected as CSIR-Emeritus Scientist (ES) by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi. “The CSIR-ES scheme was launched to recognise and encourage meritorious scientists who are above the age of 62. I believe it’s an honour for the University of Mysore to have a CSIR-Emeritus Scientist on its campus.”

COVID-19 vaccine race

On the COVID-19 vaccine race, Prof. Rangappa, who is into cancer research, said several vaccine candidates are in various clinical evaluation stages and some are undergoing clinical trials in India, China and Europe.

Usually, a vaccine takes at least two years to be available considering the evaluation processes involved in its development. In the case of COVID-19, which is spreading rapidly with a high transmission rate, many top-rated universities and research institutions have expedited their vaccine development and some are said to be close to achieving a breakthrough, the scientist explained.

A time-frame for availability of the vaccine cannot be fixed as it has to go through various trials before it is made available, he said, adding that the vaccine development has not been slowed down as seeming as researchers are moving thoughtfully to ensure no side-effects of the vaccine are felt on normal human health.

On cancer research with China

About his research collaboration with China, the former VC said he had entered into an understanding with a Chinese University which wanted to conduct clinical trials on six of his patents pertaining to cancer research. The mega research project had been kept in abeyance after the COVID-19 outbreak despite more than 10 video conference sessions between scientists from India and China on the project so far.

To a question on whether he would pursue the project in the wake of strained relations between India and China, he said, “The project has not taken off yet. It is in a deferment mode. It will be pursued only if the relations are good since my country is my priority and I will comply with what the laws say.”

‘Wake-up call’

The COVID-19 pandemic has come as a wake-up call for India to step up its funding to research, especially in science, as United States, China, South Korea and others set aside huge research grants in field of research and development.

Mr. Rangappa, while welcoming the National Education Policy (NEP), said India spends 0.69 per cent of its GDP on research while it is 4 per cent in Israel, 3 per cent in United States, and 4.5 percent in South Korea. “The allocation is very less for a thickly populated country like ours. The NEP has laid emphasis on research but there is no clarity on the extent of funding the area should get. As a scientist, I suggest India spends more on research like others since the pandemic has come as a lesson for all us,” he opined.

He said the NEP will help to erase discrepancies in the education sector and provide ample opportunities to the people from the deprived sections of the society for accessing quality education.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – October 03rd, 2020

Exhibition-cum-sale to revive purchase of handmade products made by rural women

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy
A file photo of Gandhi Bhavan in Kumara Park East, which will be the venue of the first exhibition-cum-sale of handmade products.   | Photo Credit: K_MURALI_KUMAR

The slogan is ‘Come in as a consumer, go out as an activist’

The Heggodu-based Charaka and Desi Trust, which had shut down operations due to huge losses and lack of sales due to the pandemic and the lockdown, is organising a series of exhibition-cum-sale of handmade products to get back on its feet. The first such exhibition will be held at Gandhi Bhavan, Kumara Park East from October 2 to 4.

Charaka, the largest naturally-dyed handloom fabric manufacturer in the country being run as a co-operative by women, is saddled with a whopping 87,000 metres of unsold fabric and about ₹16 lakh worth of garments.

Desi, which markets products of Charaka through 15 stores in Karnataka, has a stock of garments worth around ₹1 crore. “We continued working during the lockdown to ensure the women do not lose jobs. But there was no sale, which has left us with unsold stock. We have run out of cash and were left with no choice but to shut down operations,” said theatre person Prasanna, the key force behind Charaka and Desi Trust.

Grama Seva Sangh has now taken up ‘Save Gramodyog’, a two-part initiative which will include a rural campaign where villagers will picket panchayat offices seeking answers as to why the rural economy is in dire straits, and an urban campaign led by consumers to encourage the purchase and support of handmade products.

The exhibition at Gandhi Bhavan is the first of a series of exhibitions, which will be held across the State. The slogan for the exhibition is ‘Come in as a consumer, go out as an activist’

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / Bengaluru – September 29th, 2020

8000 disposable railway sleepers used to build goods sheds at Bidadi

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This will help with loading and unloading activities at the yard and also boost gypsum trade from Chennai Port to Bidadi, nearly 30 km from Bengaluru. 

The goods shed surface improvement was planned for 600mx15 m area. In the first phase, 390m x 15 m areas has been made ready.

Bengaluru :

 A total of 8,000 disposable railway sleepers have been put to efficient use by the Bengaluru Railway Division by building a goods shed at Bidadi from scratch within a month.

This will help with loading and unloading activities at the yard and also boost gypsum trade from Chennai Port to Bidadi, nearly 30 km from Bengaluru. 

Thousands of railway sleepers are released by the Railways annually as new sleepers are laid when tracks are renewed.

This is the third such goods shed made in the Division with the previous ones made at Nelamangala and Penekonda.

Speaking to The New Indian Express, Divisional Railway Manager A K Verma said, “The Pre-Stressed Concrete (PSC) sleepers have been utilised to develop a 360 metre unloading platform. This has been done on the request of the Chennai Division of Southern Railway.”

The three goods sheds have been developed from scratch by utilizing 30,000 released sleepers, he added.

Sleepers are sturdy and can withstand a great load which makes them excellent material to develop roads or any surface which is likely to carry much weight.

Saint Gobain has a huge manufacturing facility at Bidadi.

“Gypsum from Chennai Port can be transported here. There is a potential of loading 2,00,000 Metric Tonnes per year,” he said.

“We got rich dividends in the form of substantial increase in NMG loading and first ever Roll On–Roll Off service of South Western Railway,” Verma added.

Senior Divisional Commercial Manager A N Krishna Reddy said, “Usage of sleepers is cost effective. Being M55 PSC, the surface can withstand movement of heavy machinery and loaded lorries. It has saved us much transportation cost.”

The goods shed surface improvement was planned for 600mx15 m area. In the first phase, 390m x 15 m areas has been made ready.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by S. Lalitha / Express News Service / September 30th, 2020

Ambulances donated

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Continuing its CSR initiatives, HAL on Tuesday donated one ambulance each to the State-run Institute of Nephro Urology situated on the Victoria Hospital campus and Sir C.V. Raman General Hospital.

“Considering the pandemic, we are doing whatever we can to strengthen the health infrastructure,” said R. Madhavan, CMD, HAL.

The ambulances are equipped with facilities like air conditioning, basic life support system, analog oxygen delivery system, auto loader stretcher trolley with floor mounting mechanism, and a doctor’s seat. They are particularly useful for patients who require medical monitoring in transit and non-invasive airway management.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – September 30th, 2020

Honorary doctorate for Dakshayini S. Appa

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Dakshayini Sharanbasavappa Appa, chairperson of the Sharanabasaveshwar Vidya Vardak Sangha and member of the Board of Governors of Sharnbasva University, has been selected by the Davangere University for a honorary doctorate this year.

The honorary doctorate will be conferred on Ms. Dakshayini Appa at the university convocation to be held on the main campus, Shivagangotri, on the outskirts of Davangere on Wednesday.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / Kalaburagi – September 30th, 2020