Black Beauties at Krishi Mela

Agriculture, Business & Economy
Kadaknath chickens are famous because their feathers, skin, blood and flesh are all black
Kadaknath chickens are famous because their feathers, skin, blood and flesh are all black

Three Kadaknath chickens were the cynosure at the annual Krishi Mela held at the University of Agricultural Sciences on Friday. The arrival of these rare chickens was doubtful until the last minute. And when they arrived, everyone, including the farmers who came to the mela, could not stop clicking photographs of these black beauties.

Kadaknath are famous because everything from their feathers, skin, blood and flesh is black in colour. They are native to only one district of Madhya Pradesh and are reared by the Bheel and Bhilala tribes there.

Grown up Kadaknath hens normally weigh one kg and cocks can weigh up to 1.5 kg. The hens lay 80 eggs annually.

Protein content in this breed is 25 per cent higher and it also boasts lower cholesterol content. Kadaknath chickens also have 18 amino acids and vitamins including B1, B6, B12, C and E. But their biggest claim to fame is their alleged aphrodisiac properties.

The mela attracted farmers in their thousands on the second day on Friday. The mela is on till Sunday. Many new technologies introduced in agriculture sector are also on display at the mela.

Equipment such as coconut and areca nut dehusker machines; sunflower, maize and groundnut decorticators have attracted farmers as present day agriculture is facing shortage of labour.

Apart from farmers, professionals who are interested in agriculture were in attendance.

“The mela will definitely help farmers as all information regarding introduction of new technologies will be available here. Such melas will help those who are planning to venture into agriculture,” said Chandrashekhar, a farmer from Chamarajanagar.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / BangaloreMirror.com / Home> Bangalore> Others / by Bangalore Mirror Bureau / November 18th, 2017

IISc. team wins gold at iGEM 2017

Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Triumphed over 300 other teams from around the world

With a new device to measure the growth of microbes as well as a novel method to purify proteins, a team of undergraduates from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) took home the gold medal at the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition held in Boston, U.S.A. from November 9-13.

The team triumphed over 300 others from around the world who participated in the competition, which encourages students to build genetically-engineered biological systems.

The six-member core team from IISc. developed a new method to purify recombinant proteins — that is, a protein enclosed in a gene — by using naturally-occurring gas vesicles isolated from Halobacterial species of bacteria, which thrives in salt-rich environments. In liquids, gas vesicles help bacteria float to the surface, and using biotechnology and gene cloning, the team was able to purify protein by tagging them to these vesicles.

Similarly, the team designed a device, Growth Curve and Optical Density Device (GCODe), to ascertain microbial growth through real-time optical density measurements that can even be read through a smartphone. The device, said IISc., is less than a fourth of the price of a commercially-available spectrophotometer.

The team — comprising Raj Magesh, Sai Padma Priya, Kunal Helambe, Rajas Poorna, Sharath K. Menon and Rohith K.M.S. — worked on the projects for over six months. They were mentored by Dipshikha Chakravortty, Utpal Nath from Department of Microbiology & Cell Biology, and Akshay Datey from Biosystems Science & Engineering at IISc.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / November 16th, 2017

Botanist’s great granddaughter mourns state of Krumbiegel Hall

Agriculture, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Records, All, World Opinion
Alyia Phelps-Gardiner Krumbiegel | Photo Credit: Bhagya Prakash K
Alyia Phelps-Gardiner Krumbiegel | Photo Credit: Bhagya Prakash K

Following a report in The Hindu about the crumbling state of Krumbiegel Hall, Alyia Phelps-Gardiner Krumbiegel, Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel’s great granddaughter, expresses her displeasure over the neglect of the historical structure.

In her letter to The Hindu, Ms. Krumbiegel writes about how her forefather realised that he had found home when he first touched Indian soil at the age of 26. Excerpts from the letter:

My great grandfather was a master at economic botany, encouraging the exchange of plants and seeds. He continued this at Lalbagh Botanical Garden. His very last planning assignment for the Indian government when he was 90-years-old was to plan the Rajghat memorial gardens (New Delhi). Royalty protected him when the British saw an enemy in every German. He gave Karnataka so much.

The lecture hall which he spent so much time in was renamed Krumbiegel Hall in his honour. Which now brings me to the sad state of how Lalbagh (authorities) have treated a building named in honour of one of the five superintendents who made substantial differences to Lalbagh and Bangalore.

Was Krumbiegel Hall a heritage building or was is it not a heritage building? In 2013, it seemed to be a heritage building.

I really have heard it all ….. assurance that it was under restoration. Broken promises.

‘Whatever he touched he adorned’ is written on his tombstone. But, a man who gave so much to the country he found a home in – he always wanted independence for India and was never afraid to voice these views while he lived and breathed India — his life’s work is slowly being wiped away to be memories in the wind.

Krumbiegel Hall runs deep in my veins. I’m very hopeful that the department will recognise that Krumbiegel Hall needs to be rebuilt with the original frontage restored and reinstated once again.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / November 16th, 2017

Bengaluru girl bags national award for social service

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All

NikhiyaBF15nov2017

Bengaluru :

Nikhiya Shamsher, a student of the city’s Greenwood High International School, has become a role model for fellow students at the age of 15. On Tuesday, she won the prestigious National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement 2017 from President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The Class 10 student, who has achieved a milestone in social service, runs a registered NGO spearheading various campaigns to ensure that every child has equal opportunities to access basic necessities, learn and become successful in life. The award, instituted by the Centre in 1996 to recognize works of those aged 5-18 in various fields, carries Rs 10,000, book vouchers of Rs 3,000, a silver medal, certificate and a citation. Nikhiya’s initiative of Bags, Books and Blessings aims to provide schools and students with basic supplies such as uniforms, pens, paints, crayons and schoolbags. This campaign, which is in its third year, has helped over 7,700 students. The focus is mainly on underprivileged children and government school students.

Another campaign run by Nikhiya is Yearn to Learn, which opened free science and maths labs in schools and colleges that lack infrastructure. Thirty-five laboratories set up at various schools have been serving 6,000 students. This year, she launched an ecommerce website, knicnacs.com, to raise funds and sustain the activities of offline campaigns. The website sells quirky and unique gifting products. “I hope this will help me reach out to a wider audience and encourage more people to get involved in social activities. The world’s population is around seven billion and some people see this as a burden, but I see it as a huge opportunity. If we can get 10% more students into technological fields, we can solve a lot of problems, such as climate change, scarce resources and conflicts that plague us today. It is simply a statistical advantage,” Nikhiya pointed out

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / TNN / November 15th, 2017

Grounded huduga from Gulbarga

Records, All, Sports

22-year-old Anand Doddamani small town boy, who has taken the KPL world by storm.

Belagavi Panthers
Belagavi Panthers

A humble, yet determined bloke from Shahabad, Gulbarga, this small town lad made news when he took a remarkable hattrick in recent the KPL semi-final. A chat with 22-year- old Anand Doddamani will certainly leave you smiling as his simplicity and passion to make it big is evident during the conversation. The cricketer, who played for the Belagavi Panthers, which went on to win the KPL trophy, spoke to us about his journey from the gullies to the city, his admiration for Manish Pandey and more…“My KPL experience was really nice – I got to play all the matches and we bowled well in the semis. I don’t think anybody expected the hattrick, especially in a big game. It was great to see two hattricks in the same innings,” beams the bowler, who created a record with co-hattrick taker D Avinash and went on to win the ‘Man of the Match’ award.The youngster is glad to have mingled with seniors in the squad and shares,

“Aravind (Sreenath) was a great captain and the other players like Stuart Binny and Manish Pandey guided us well. That gave me more confidence.”

Anand Doddamani
Anand Doddamani

As he reminisces his early days, Anand reveals that he took to the game when in sixth grade. He started by playing gully cricket and in school tournaments and soon, his coach Mr. Arshad Hussain called him home and trained him in his camp.

The move to the big capital seemed surreal for this bowler. “I didn’t understand anything as I had not travelled anywhere before. I was always at home! I was thrilled to move to a city like Bengaluru and that’s when I decided that I have to play well and stay here in the future as well,” says the driven cricketer, who stays at the Just Cricket Academy in Yelahanka. Ask him about his inspirations in the sport and he instantly says, “Daniel Vettori is my absolute favourite – I’m also a left-arm spinner just like him. I like Yuvraj Singh too his hard work is commendable. I’ve learnt a lot from them.”

When it comes to the current Indian team, he can’t help but praise Bengaluru boy Manish Pandey. “I’ve played with him for three years. I played my first KPL, thanks to him. In the Karnataka first division league, I took 50 wickets, he noticed that and recommended me for the Mysuru team. Thanks to him, I played the KPL for three years. He’s supported me a lot and even now, he calls me and asks if I need anything and helps me,” smiles Anand, who wants to perform better and play the Ranji Trophy and of course, for India.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Sports> Cricket / by Ikyatha Yerasala, Deccan Chronicle / October 01st, 2017

Bengaluru’s cultural hub

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All

NIKCbf13nov2017

From morning to night, NIKC is thriving with cultural activity

There was a time in namma Bengaluru, where one could only think of Bharatanatya when it came to classical dance. But, Natya Insititute of Kathak and Choreography (NIKC), founded by the late dancer-teacher and Kathak Exponent Dr Maya Rao changed that.

Founded by Rao in 1987, the institute was affiliated to the Bangalore University for years and offered degrees in dance. “But a few years ago we decided to go back to a diploma. Now, the courses are shorter and ideal for those who want to do a crash course in dance and choreography, making it a liberal arts course,” explains Madhu Natraj, dancer and daughter of Maya Rao, who adds, “My mother started this place in Malleshwram as she was born here and had many friends in the area, inlcuding Vimala Rangachar, who offered this space. That is how NIKC was built in the premises of MEWS (Malleshwaram Enterprisers Women’s Society).”

Today NIKC, is one of the most sought-after spaces for every form of cultural activity. Be it yoga, Kathak, lecture demonstrations, dance workshops or contemporary dance — NIKC is open to all.

The idea, adds Natraj, was to convert the place into a cultural hub. NIKC was originally on the ground floor. “It was just a huge hall with a restroom in the back,” recalls Natraj. Five years later they moved to the first floor and Natraj, who has a fascination for designing interiors, kept converting the place to suit the multi-functional works of the dance institute. The huge hall is now divided into two with a foldable door. “We shut the door when we have two workshops happening simultaneously. The foldable doors are also used as side wings for performances,” adds Natraj, who also conducts choreography and contemporary dance classes here.

The place also boasts of a huge library with over 2,000 books on dance, culture and dance history. Natraj also adds that many travelling dancers — Astaad Deboo, Anita Ratnam, Helen Acharya — visit NIKC to conduct workshops and lecture demonstrations. “Kalanidhi Mami (a well-known abhinaya teacher) opened up her first workshop in Bengaluru here,” she adds.

The the space is also let out for an event called Company Kutcheri, where they invite artistes on a regular basis. So there are also talks and seminars besides music that are held on its premises.

“In fact, we fight for the space. We have students, performers, Kathak dancers, working women, contemporary dancers and yoga practitioners — all trying to fit in and use this space. From morning 8 am to 9 pm, we have something happening here. It is always thriving with some activity or the other,” laughs Natraj.

(Where we discover hidden and not so hidden nooks and crannies of the city)

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style / by Shilpa Sebastian R / November 13th, 2017

MIT students devise GreenBoard for purification of air, obtain IPR

Education, Records, All, Science & Technology
Students Dhruv Suri, Rahil Nayak and Priyanshi Somani have developed the billboard
Students Dhruv Suri, Rahil Nayak and Priyanshi Somani have developed the billboard

Mangaluru :

The air quality in India is deteriorating by the day and to tackle this problem, a group of students from the Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal University, have devised a green billboard. Conceived by a budding aeronautical engineering student and his team, GreenBoard incorporates an air purifier into an ordinary billboard and purifies the air flowing through it.

The team obtained the Intellectual Property Right for it on Thursday. Dhruv Suri and Rahil Nayak, both aeronautical engineering students, and Priyanshi Somani, a computer science engineering student developed the billboard. Dhruv said carbon is one of the most important building blocks of life. Industries, automobiles, power houses, exhaust vents — all produce carbon dioxide and increase its concentration in the air.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Mangalore News / by Kevin Mendonsa / TNN / November 12th, 2017

Colonel Giridhari Singh square inaugurated in Bengaluru

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Bengaluru :

A square dedicated to the former erstwhile commandant of ASC Centre North, Colonel Girdhari Singh, was inaugurated in the city on Saturday. The Colonel was responsible for shifting of the centre from its initial location in Meerut to Gaya city in Bihar.

A memorial for Colonel Girdhari Singh, AVSM, was inaugurated at the ASC Centre and College in the city on Saturday. (Express Photo Service)
A memorial for Colonel Girdhari Singh, AVSM, was inaugurated at the ASC Centre and College in the city on Saturday. (Express Photo Service)

A bust of the Colonel was inaugurated by Lieutenant General Vipan Gupta, Commandant ASC Centre and College in a grand ceremony at the ASC Centre on Saturday. “Colonel Girdhari was a thorough professional, under whose dynamic leadership, the centre had successfully moved and re-established itself in Gaya in an incredibly short time. He had been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal by the President of India in 1978,” a statement from the Ministry of Defence said.

A memorial to the Colonel was already existing in Gaya and when the ASC centre moved to Bengaluru in 2011, it was felt that the new campus must also have a memorial in order to keep up the heritage of the centre.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / November 11th, 2017

Bengaluru beats San Francisco in confidence to go digital

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Bengaluru has been ranked first, ahead of San Francisco, for the confidence of businesses in their ability to do digital transformations.
  • Business leaders in Bengaluru expressed the highest confidence in their digital environment based on innovation and entrepreneurship.

_______________________________________

Bengaluru :

India’s Silicon Valley – Bengaluru -has been ranked first, ahead of San Francisco, for the confidence of businesses in their ability to do digital transformations based on the skills and infrastructure  available in their immediate environment.

According to a study by The Economist Intelligence Unit, three Indian cities bagged top 4 ranks. San Francisco is ranked at No. 2, followed by Mumbai and New Delhi. Business leaders in Bengaluru expressed the highest confidence in their digital environment based on innovation and entrepreneurship, people and skills, development of new technologies, financial environment, and ICT infrastructure. In each of these categories, the city ranked No. 1.

“Indian cities may suffer more from infrastructure deficits, pollution, poverty and other ills, but when it comes to the environment for digital transformation, their executives are remarkably optimistic. This is particularly true of Bengaluru, where business leaders express the highest levels of confidence in their digital environment than in any other city in the study,” the report authored by Denis McCauley says.

ChartBF10nov2017

It goes on to say: “Their compatriots in Mumbai and New Delhi are only slightly less bullish, and they are not alone in the emerging world: seven of the 10 highest confidence levels in the survey are recorded in emerging Asian cities. Among rich-world cities, only San Francisco (2nd) registers in the top five and two others (London, 9th, and Madrid, 10th) made it to top 10. By contrast, developed cities account for eight of the 10 lowest readings in the barometer, with executives in Berlin, Yokohama, Tokyo and Taipei the least confident of all.”

The report notes that across geographies and industries, businesses are embarking on, or preparing for, a mission to put digital technology at the heart of everything they do, an exercise that has come to be known as digital transformation. It can be an enormously difficult and complex un dertaking, requiring not just the deployment of advanced technologies but also the overhauling of business processes and a large degree of cultural change.In most cases, firms’ existing internal resources will not be enough to pull transformation off, and they need to look outside their own four walls for additional support,” the report says.

For this reason, EIU decided to check which cities provide the best environment for their businesses.The analysis in the report is based on a survey of 2,620 executives in 45 cities conducted in June and July this year.

Almost half of surveyed executives (48%) say their firm has considered relocating operations to a city with a more favourable external environment.

Alpesh Shah, senior partner in Boston Consulting Group India, is quoted as saying he is only slightly surprised at the bullishness that executives in Bengaluru, Mumbai and New Delhi display toward their local digital environments.

He notes that these cities’ educational institutions consistently churn out large numbers of quality technology graduates. The report says the three cities also boast a multitude of formal and informal networks, forums and communities where digital entrepreneurs, technology managers and others come together almost daily.

Shah, the report says, reserves particular enthusiasm for Bengaluru’s digital entrepreneurship environment. It is the “closest thing to Silicon Valley” in Asia, he is quoted as saying.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / TNN / November 09th, 2017

46 chosen in Udupi for Rajyotsava award

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

As many as 46 individuals and six organisations have been chosen for the district-level Rajyotsava awards in Udupi district for their contributions in different fields.

According to a press release here on Tuesday, the individuals who have been chosen for the award are: Kota Suresh Bangera, Yalampalli Jagannath Achari, Heranjalu Subbanna Ganiga Noojady, K. Sadashiva Amin, Surendra Paniyur (Yakshagana), Padmaraj Hegde (medicine), G.K. Prabhu (education), Babu G. Poojary, Yermal Chaitra A. Salian, Vishwanath B., Krishna Devadiga, G.V. Ashok (sports), Natraj Parkala (literature/culture), Jayaraj (art), Sulochana Venugopal (fine arts), Neelavar Surendra Adiga (literature), Chandrahasa Suvarna, Panduranga Prabhu, Marvin Shirva, Sandeep Shetty Mavinabettu, K. Vasant Shenoy, Srinivas Bhat (theatre/films), Prasad Kharvi G.T. (arts), Matti Lakshminarayana Rao (agriculture), Alevoor Dinesh Kini (journalism), Rukmini Hande (Harikathe), Raghunath Manohar (innovation), M. Ravindra Hegde, Rangayya Shetty, Sitanadi Vittal Shetty, U. Vishwanath Shenoy, Shabbir Hussain, K.S. Jaivittal, Dayananda Hejmady, Ravi Katpady, Santosh G. Poojary, Vishu Shetty Ambalpady (social service), Tukra Panara, Aleya Raghavendra Udupa, Uggappa Parava, Sachin Salian, Altur Gautam Hegde (folklore); Sundar Serigar, Shammi Gafoor (music), Deepak Shetty, and Subrahmanya Hebbagilu (Horanadu Kannadigas).

The six organisations are: Hanuman Vithobha Bhajan Mandir, Nama Tuluver Kala Sanghatane, Chaitanya Yuva Vrinda, Madhur Yuvak Mandal, Udyavara Friends Circle, and Budaga Jangama Tanda.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangaluru / by Special Correspondent / Udupi – November 01st, 2017