A long journey from Thalassery to the Swiss Parliament
Nik Gugger, who was sworn in as member of Nationalrat in Bern, still cherishes his Kerala connection
His is a journey from Thalassery to the Swiss Parliament and he still maintains his connection with the town where he grew up till he was four.
Nik Gugger was sworn in as member of Nationalrat (Swiss Parliament) in Bern around 7.30 p.m. Indian time on Monday. The 47-year-old father of three children has been elected to Swiss Parliament as a candidate of the EVP (Evangelical Party in Switzerland). An Indian by birth, he was adopted by a Swiss couple and he still cherishes his association with people and institutions at Thalassery. Though he was born at the Basel Mission Hospital at Udupi, he had grown up as an orphan in what is now the Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF) campus at Illikkunnu at Thalassery till his adoption by his Swiss parents. The NTTF itself is a symbol of the Indo-Swiss cooperation aimed at promoting technical education among the youth of this country.
Likely to visit Thalassery
“I am proud to be in between the two cultures, the Swiss and Indian culture,” Mr. Gugger told The Hindu over the phone. Recalling his association with the late Murkot Ramunni and the Gundert Foundation School the latter had founded, he said he would probably visit Thalassery in March next year when the 70th anniversary of Indo-Swiss friendship would be celebrated. Mr. Gugger started his political career as a councillor in the town parliament of Winterthur, the sixth biggest town in Switzerland, and as a member in the Cantonal Council. He is one of the youngest members in Swiss Parliament. He recalls that his foster father was an experienced social worker who had played an important role in shaping him as a social worker. His social work had given him an opportunity to work in Colombia as a youth worker. He studied at the Center for Agogics in Basel, the University of Amsterdam and also at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences.
Helped in fund-raising
“I still keep in touch with Mr. Gugger,” said Raghunatha Kurup, a native of Thalassery, who had retired from the NTTF. Mr. Gugger was part of the delegates from the Volkart Foundation, Switzerland, who had visited the Gundert Foundation School at Thalalssery in 2006, he recalled. Mr. Gugger had also helped the school by collecting funds for it, he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Mohamed Nazeer / Kannur – November 27th, 2017
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1837: When the rebel flag fluttered high
In 1837, this anger turned to action for freedom and the British suffered a temporary defeat, says N.S. Deviprasad Sampaje, Writer.
Mangaluru:
It was the first armed uprising against the British, which took place 20 years before the First War of Indian Independence in 1857. The men who laid down their lives in this uprising of 1837 in Mangaluru are not forgotten.
The Tulunadu Rakshana Vedike and several others organisations marked the 179th anniversary of the uprising on Tuesday at Bavutagudda, where the rebels hoisted the Indian flag to mark their victory over the British on April 5, 1837.
“The people of Kodagu and Canara (coastal Karnataka) were unhappy with the British for various reasons. In 1837 this anger turned to action for freedom and the British suffered a temporary defeat,” recalls writer, N.S. Deviprasad Sampaje.
Mr Sampage , who wrote the book ‘Amara Sulliyada Swatantrya Sangrama,’ detailing this early struggle for freedom, says it was a mass movement and not restricted to some villages or caste.
“It received unprecedented support from the people of Dakshina Kannada. However there were efforts to tone it down by labelling it ‘Kalyanappa na Katakayi, or ‘loot of Kalyanappa’.
But in reality it was a major movement for freedom in the region, which scared the British. The reports of the then Collector of Dakshina Kannada, Leven, reveals this,” he says.
The rebellion was led in Kodagu by leaders such as Aparampara, Kalyanappa and Putta Basappa and continued in Sullia, Puttur before culminating in Mangaluru, the seat of the British Collector.
It is said the rebels held control of the city for 13 days before British reinforcements arrived in Mangaluru and recaptured it.
But it took two months more for the British to arrest the rebels and hang them in public to silence the movement.
“The government must do a proper study of the entire movement so people get to know its importance,” emphasises Mr Sampaje.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation>Current Affairs / by Gururaj A. Paniyadi, Deccan Chronicle / April 06th, 2016
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Exhibition of products by women entrepreneurs in Udupi from tomorrow
The Platform of Women Entrepreneurs (POWER) will be organising an exhibition-cum-sale of products manufactured by women entrepreneurs of Udupi district and other places, titled “Power Parba” (Power Fest) at the Mahatma Gandhi Bayalu Ranga Manidra, Beedinagudde, here from January 11 to 14.
Addressing presspersons on Tuesday, Gayathri R., president of Power, said various items, including handicrafts, jewellery, textiles, garments, fashion accessories, cosmetics, home décor, food, and paintings, would be on display at the exhibition. Women entrepreneurs from not just Udupi but also other districts and States have already registered. A total of 170 stalls will be put up.
The theme of the fest is “Go green,” as the district administration was giving importance to cleanliness. Hence, buyers should bring their own cloth bags. Only steel and paper plates would be used in food stalls.
The objectives of the parba included providing a platform for women entrepreneurs to display and sell and thereby promote their products, bringing rural and urban women entrepreneurs under one umbrella, and promoting mutual learning and collective learning between the rural and urban entrepreneurs. It aimed at creating awareness amongst the local community about these entrepreneurs. It would disseminate marketing, management, and technical knowledge.As a precursor to the fest, a car and bike rally would be held from Rajatadri in Manipal to Udupi and back to Rajatadri. Members of Power and exhibitors will be participating in this rally. The rally will be flagged off by DC Priyanka Mary Francis at 4.30 p.m. on Wednesday. Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister for Fisheries, Youth Empowerment and Fisheries, will inaugurate the Power Parba on Thursday.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Udupi – January 10th, 2018
Engineering students in Bengaluru launch 3 race cars
On the combustion, hybrid and electric platforms
Ashwa Racing, a brand under Ashwa Mobility of RV College of Engineering, Bengaluru, on Saturday launched three new race cars on the combustion (AMF RZX8- CO), hybrid (AMF X8-HY) and electric (AMF-RZX8 -ELE) platforms for the 2018 race season.
Undergraduate students, who conceived, designed and build formula race cars, would be competing in national and global events in the coming months.
The combustion vehicle (210 kg without driver) development is headed by team captain Sweekruth Shetty, project manager Rakesh H.N, chief engineer Prateek Bhustali. The racing hybrid vehicle (300 kg) development is headed by team captain Asfan Khan, project manager Suhas B.U., chief engineer Uday Naik and chief communication officer Tarun Kasa.
The electric vehicle (200kg) development is headed by team captain Pranave Nanda, project manager Rahul S.D., chief engineer Gautam Singh and chief communication officer Srivatsa Deshpande.
The combustion and electric divisions of Ashwa Racing would be competing in Formula Bharat, which will be held in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu from January 24 to 28, 2018.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / January 15th, 2018
GI tag for ‘Gulbarga Tur Dal’ in a month
The Kalaburagi red gram, “Gulbarga Tur Dal”, which is known internationally for its superior quality, will soon be added to the list of Karnataka producers with the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
Dean of Agriculture College Jayaprakash R. Patil and senior agriculture scientist Raju Teggalli, addressing presspersons at the Agriculture Research Station in Kalaburagi on Wednesday, said that the University of Agriculture Sciences (UAS) Raichur and the Karnataka Red Gram Development Board, with the help of ICRISAT, Intellectual Property Facilitation Centre (IPFC), Hyderabad, filed an application with the Geographical Indications (GI) Registry in September 2017. Geographical Indication (GI) tag for “Gulbarga Tur Dal” will be awarded within a month from now.
Dr. Patil said that the red gram grown here has distinctive features having to do with this region’s unique soil and climatic conditions. The prominent characteristics of the crop grown in Kalaburagi district are good taste and aroma compared to those grown elsewhere. It consumes less time to cook when compared to tur dal grown in other regions.
Dr. Teggalli added that initially conferring of GI status may not work wonders for the farmers of the district, but in the long run, farmers and manufactures will be able to get better price for the brand in the market.
Red gram is considered to be the main kharif crop in the region. Of the total 9 lakh hectares of red gram cultivated across the State, 3.7 lakh hectares under red gram is in Kalaburagi district.
Farm scientist Muniswamy said that securing GI for the product will help farmers in getting premium price and creating international demand for produces. “The ultimate beneficiaries of this whole process are farmers,” he added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Kalaburagi – January 10th, 2018
Students create world record in singing ‘Vande Mataram’
As many as 4,580 students from 23 colleges sung ‘Vande Mataram’ on the shore of Malpe beach in the backdrop of the rhythmic tune provided by the jingles of waves on Saturday.
The programme by Samvedana Foundation, Malpe, organised to create a world record by reciting Vande Mataram, indeed spread the fervour of patriotism all over the surrounding. Although the aim was to achieve a Golden Book of World Record, the major goal was to create patriotic fervour among the students.
Singers, like Sangeetha Ravindranath, Malini Keshav, Suhana Sayeed and others joined the group of students. A 200 metre-long national flag was carried in a grand procession from Gandhi Shathabdhi Maidan in Malpe to the beach before the programme. More than 5,000 people, excluding students, were mute spectators to the mega event.
The uniqueness of the event was that it was held to mark the birth anniversary celebrations of Swami Vivekananda.
The record was created for the green initiative is already being considered at Udupi by the foundation which enabled the students to wear the badges carrying the slogan of saving nature for future. The students were trained for a couple of days to join the chorus of patriotism.
Speaking on the occasion, District In-charge Minister Pramod Madhwaraj said that youths should strive for building the country following the ideals of the greate visionaries like Swami Vivekananda.
The message of patriotism imbibed among the youths should send the unique message of oneness and brotherhood, he added.
Singer Suhana Sayeed said that event is an outstanding and memorable one.
It is a special experience that thousands of students joined hands to sing Vande Mataram, she added.
Golden Book of World Record, Delhi, chief organiser Santhosh Agarwal said that Udupi has created a world record wherein a large congregation has come together to sing the national song.
“This is for the first time that the maximum number of people gathered at one place and wore the badges. This is a new world record,” he added.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DH News Service, Udupi / January 13th, 2018
City student wins Young Scientist Award in the field of mathematics
Curiosity often makes us question, and that is exactly what pushed Sebastian Thomas, a first year BSc student from St. Joseph’s College to work on his research that won him laurels recently.
Sebastian was awarded the Albertian Best Young Scientist Award and the grand prize in the model exhibition at the International Science Conference held in Kochi earlier this month.
From a group of 5,000 participants across the world, his work on the Fibonacci sequence — the golden ratio pattern and its application to five different fields — received appreciation from the panel.
Speaking to us about his achievement, Sebastian says, “The competition has a lot of place for mathematics. So, when I got to know about it, I started working towards participating in this competition. I discovered unique properties in Fibonacci numbers. The Fibonacci series has a special position in analytical number theory, basically for its pattern and golden ratio. Hence, I began exploring and thought of its application in five different fields.”
The result of Sebastian’s research can be applied in five different fields — in the field of Fourier analysis, in the growth of Hollyhock flowers (which he discovered on the college campus), in genetics where the human genes follow the golden ratio pattern), in the field of ECG and drug monitoring system.
He says, “In the field of ECG, to get an analysis done is very expensive. During an ECG, doctors mainly look at the QT interval and tell the condition of your heart. So, I thought of inter-linking my work to find the QT wave interval and I devised a new mathematical formula and the result coincided with the results of an ECG.”
Maria Thomas, faculty at St. Joseph’s College and guide for Sebastian’s research work calls him the young Ramanujan, and says, “I feel extremely overwhelmed and proud of his hard work. I am proud to say that I am his teacher. I haven’t seen such potential in anyone in the past 14 years of my career. His month-long research work is being applied in five different areas is something extraordinary. Sebastian’s research work is more about real-life applications such as in the field of ECG, which is cost-effective.”
Sebastian hopes that his findings will help the pharmaceutical industries to come up with cost effective methods in the field of research.
The next step, however, he says will be to submit his findings to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he hopes to have an equation named after him.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / by Sandra Marina Fernandes / TNN / January 12th, 2018