Flight of the flamingo

Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Travel

FlamingoBF20jun2013

If you love bird-watching and are on the look-out for spots in the State where you can spot an exquisite kind of birds such as flamingos, look no further than the banks of the backwaters of Krishna river in North Karnataka, or near Bagalkot.

You can also spot these birds in Raichur’s Manchalapura. The many lakes and tanks here are home to flamingos which land here in January. You can spot them till the months of May-June.

The flurry of activities revolving around the flight of these birds is a treat to watch. A feast for any photographer. The birds gather in huge flocks; their attempts at self-defence, their foraging for food and their mutual co-operation are all worth observing.

The Greater Flamingo (phoenicopterus roseus), the species that can typically be spotted in India  is the most widespread species of the flamingo family. It is found in parts of Africa, southern Asia (coastal regions of Pakistan and India), and southern Europe.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Spectrum / by M. R. Manjunath / DHNS – June 11th, 2013

Mother Teresa Award

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All

Mysore :

Reginald Lawrence Sharaon, Course Director of Mysore Interiors and Designs Academy, has been selected for ‘Mother Teresa Award’ for his outstanding achievements in the field of Interior Design Studies.

The award will be presented by Integrated Council for Socio-Economic Progress at a function to be held at the Central Court Hotel, Hyderabad, on June 23 at 4 pm.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> In Brief  / June 14th, 2013

Oh God! Who is driving the car?

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Sports

 

26-year-old Farhan from Koramangala who controls the steering of the vehicle with just two fingers and the brake and accelerator from the side passenger seat. / The New Indian Express
26-year-old Farhan from Koramangala who controls the steering of the vehicle with just two fingers and the brake and accelerator from the side passenger seat. / The New Indian Express

Caution! No driver in this car. These words may seem familiar to those few who may have come across this placard but definitely strange to many of those Bangaloreans who may have not witnessed this. We are talking about 26-year-old Farhan from Koramangala who controls the steering of the vehicle with just two fingers and the brake and accelerator from the side passenger seat. People look at his car with amusement when they realise that the car is without a driver. It makes them wonder as to who is driving the car and that too amidst the chaotic traffic of Bangalore city.

Interestingly, for the last one month, Farhan has been using his unique talent to promote awareness on many issues. He has pasted a few messages like ‘Wear helmet and drive’, ‘Give respect to women’, Leave sooner, ‘drive safely, safety is must’, ‘Do not drink and drive, ‘ ‘Keep the city clean’ and ‘Do not use mobile while driving.’

Speaking to City Express, he says, “It is because of my friends’ support that I came up with this idea. Since I am a working professional, I do it during the weekends only. But I am happy to do something which hopefully people will implement in their personal life.”

It has been nine years since Farhan has been driving, steering from the side passenger seat. He has even made it to the Limca Book of Records in 2009 by covering the distance from Bangalore to Ooty. Even the Guiness Book of world records have taken note of this unique record. He says, “They have not approved this feat as of now as they feel it is not legal to drive on the roads in this manner. Now I want to drive from Kanyakumari to Ladakh to set a new record, but the Regional Transport Office has not approved it. I am on my own and do not have any backing from any other organisation. Since what I do is considered illegal, it is difficult to get the permission.”

Give him any vehicle and any type of traffic, Farhan can manage it perfectly. It all started from his father’s old Fiat car when he was in his second year of his B.Com.

He said, “Being a tall guy, I had problems driving my father’s vehicle from the driver’s seat. One day, when my younger brother was sitting beside me, I told him to move back and took the side passenger seat and tried driving it from there. I was able to drive the Fiat without any glitch and from that day onwards, I am on a roll and there is no stopping to my passion.”

Farhan has neither faced any problems with the traffic department nor been fined by them anytime.  But he has undergone his share of many challenges. Farhan tried to convince Dr M A Saleem, Additional Commissioner of Bangalore Traffic Police to grant him permission to drive from  Kanyakumari to Ladakh but was disappointed when he was threatened to put behind bars.

“There are so many people doing wrong things, why are they not threatened with arrest? What is wrong with what I do?” he questioned.

In another instance, a  journalist from a TV channel who interviewed him, took the matter to a traffic personnel stationed at MG Road who threatened him with dire consequences if seen on MG Road again.

His talent has not only grabbed the eyeballs of the common people but also politicians.

He was once approached by a member of the Aam Aadmi Party to travel around in his car with posters of Aam Aadmi but Farhan said, “I do not want to be associated with politics. I want to support causes that I believe in and that too as an individual.”

Undoubtedly, he attracts a lot of attention when he is in his car and he loves it. He says, “I love every bit of it. When I am walking on the streets of Bangalore, I am like any other person but as soon as I am in my car I am treated differently by everyone around.  I feel that they are in a dilemma whether to come up and start a conversation. In fact, I am happy to speak to anybody who approaches me.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by Sangeeta Bora – Bangalore / June 11th, 2013

Doctors for low-cost devices to reduce maternal mortality

Science & Technology

Bangalore,  (IANS) :

Specialist doctors favour low-cost devices to reduce maternal mortality and ensure better healthcare for women in India.

“By using low-cost devices, quality healthcare can be provided to reduce the maternal mortality ratio in our country, where divergent people live in remote and inaccessible areas,” a leading practitioner said at a medical conference here late Monday.

On a pilot basis, the Federation of Obstetrics & Gynecologists  Societies has introduced low-cost devices in partnership with Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, to train doctors in modern reproductive system and demonstrate the benefits of smart technology.

“There is an urgent need for low-cost technology to provide quality healthcare services in distant and remote areas where trained medical staff are inadequate,” Jhpiego vice president Harshad Sanghvi told about 500 delegates at the World Congress on Obstetrics and Gynaecologists.

Jhpiego has developed a labour monitoring tool, a hand-held device that allows recording of clinical observations, predictions of complications and quick decision-making.

The device includes a sensor module for partial automation of data collection and a telemedicine module to allow midwives seek guidance from distant clinicians.

“The electronic partogram supports main workers and brings essential services to women. We also collaborated with the (state-run) National institute of Design in Ahmedabad to produce better user interfaces,” Sanghvi pointed out.

Similarly, Jhpiego developed another low cost device – HemoGlobe – to detect anaemia among women without drawing blood.

The device, developed in collaboration with the bio-engineering centre at John Hopkins, has been designed to convert mobile phones of health workers into a ‘prick-free’ system for detecting anaemia at the community level.

India has reduced the maternal mortality ratio to 254 for every 100,000 births during the past decade though any preventable maternal death is one too many.

According to federation president Hema Divakar, maternal death is a serious concern and the direct causes were haemorrhage (38 percent), sepsis (11 percent), hypertensive disorders (five percent) and abortion (eight percent), a category that can include indirect causes such as anaemia.

“In the labour room, we are always fighting to save two lives – mother and baby . With our population growing exponentially, technology plays a vital  role in ensuring quality healthcare services,” Divakar observed.

The federation has also launched a fast track initiative – ‘Helping Mothers Survive’ (HMS) – to reduce the maternal mortality ratio.

The three-day congress of the specialist doctors deliberated on women’s health-related such as infertility management, challenges in setting up low-cost fertile centre, scarless surgery, infertility practices and high-risk pregnancy .

With 219 member societies and about 27,000 members from across the country, the 63-year-old federation is the largest apex body representing practitioners of obstetrics and gynaecology across the country.

source: http://www.newstrackindia.com / News Track India / Home> Others> Karnataka, Health/Medicine / IANS / Tuesday – June 11th, 2013

And this fella pulled it through from a powerless home

Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features
This is how Sucheth had to study every night, relying entirely on LED lamps. - Mohan Kumar B N/DNA
This is how Sucheth had to study every night, relying entirely on LED lamps. – Mohan Kumar B N/DNA

To live in a house that has no power can be arduous in itself. But when a boy from this very building studies his way to bag the second rank in both CET and COMED-K exams, the story is probably one of much more than simply resilience, perseverance and grit. But Sucheth S Kunchem of Chandra Layout has done just that.

Sucheth studied under solar lamps and using torches, all because of a civic agency goof-up that left the family groping in the dark. The culprit essentially is a high tension wire that passes through their compound.

When Sucheth’s father Suresh Prabhu started construction of the house, the civic regulation was that the roofs of houses should be at least four metres below such wires.

Yet, by the time the construction could be completed, the new regulation spoke of a five-and-half metre cut-off height. The house was denied power, and the family was told that this would remain so till the first floor of the house was demolished. Since then, the travails have been endless: the family has to fill up the overhead tanks manually, and Prabhu has to charge the cellphone at his office.

Sucheth believes he could have fared better still if his house had a power connection. He could, at the most, study for four hours at night, and thus decided not to appear for the JEE exams. He, needless to say, didn’t have access to a computer at home either.

After his son’s achievement, Prabhu had approached the local MLA, who had assured that he would look into the matter. So far, there has been silence from that end.

source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> Bangalore> Report / by Allen Reji Varghese, Agency:DNA, Place: Bangalore / Wednesday – June 12th, 2013

Puttur: Deviprakash represents India at Romania World Karate Championship

Sports

Puttur :

Deviprakash Bhandari from Puttur is representing All India Budokan Karate Federation, India in the World Union of Karate Do Federations (WUKF) World Karate Championship at Bucharest, Romania from June 5 to June 9.

He had participated in the WUKF intercontinental championships held at Delhi in November 2012 and also the National Level Championship at Vishakhapatnam in February this year and had emerged winner in both Kata and Kumite categories.

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Apart from these recent competitions, he has also participated and won in several state and national-level championships in his martial arts career spanning the last 15-plus years.

Introduced to Karate at a very early age, Deviprakash has been practicing different forms of martial arts from the last 15 years under the guidance of his coach and instructor Shihan Suresh M who is the assistant chief instructor of Institute of Karate and Allied Arts (IKAA), Mangalore and is one among the senior-most instructors of the institute.

In spite of having more than 15 years of practice in Karate, Deviprakash still holds a brown belt and is yet to appear for his black belt grading which typically takes 4 to 5 years.  When asked about it, he humbly says that he still has lots to achieve in the field and his longtime dream has been to win a Grand Champion Title in a karate competition before he can consider himself eligible to receive the coveted black belt degree.

“Devi” as he is popularly known, is the son of well-known Yakshagana artiste Sridhar and Usha Bhandari from Puttur, and is currently employed with Airtel as territory manager.

source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Top Stories / Saturday, June 08th, 2013

Luka, Sahana win gold, long jumper Prem Kumar sets new meet record

Records, All, Sports

Chennai :

Olympians Sahana Kumari  of Karnataka and  Tintu Luka  of Kerala won their respective events while Tamil Nadu long jumper Prem Kumar set a new meet record on the second day of the 53rd National Inter-State Senior Athletic Championships on Wednesday.

Prem Kumar cleared 8m in his fifth and final jump to set a new meet record. Arshad of Karnataka (7.85m) was second while Ankit Sharma  of Madhya Pradesh was third in 7.67m.

Favourite Luka, watched by her mentor P T Usha, won the women’s 800m race in 2min 04.14secs. She led all through the race and finished three seconds ahead of Gomathi of Tamil Nadu (2:07.33). Haryana’s Sushma Devi (2:07.95s) was third.

32-year-old Sahana, a mother of a seven-year-old girl, was the main attraction at high jump event and she won it with an effort of 1.88m. She, however, flopped in her all three attempts to reach her own mark of 1.92m, which is also the national record.

Mallika Mondal of Bengal (1.74m) and N D Tintu of Kerala (1.68m) won the silver and bronze medals respectively.

Coming back from an injury after two years, G Gayathry, a local collegiate from St Joseph’s Academy, brought cheers to the home state, as she won gold in 100m hurdles, while Kerala’s Pinto Mathew bagged her maiden title at senior level when he clinched gold in a tight race in men’s 110m hurdles.

22-year-old Gayathry covered the distance in 13.97secs which was just 0.53 seconds below Anuradha Biswal’s meet record set in July 2000. It was one-two for Tamil Nadu as J Hamasree (14.04s) claimed the silver, while Kerala’s K V Sajitha (14.33s) settled for bronze.

In the men’s hurdles, Pinto won gold in 14.56secs, while Tamil Nadu’s Balamurugan (14.76s) and Sandeep Parmar of Maharashtra (14.82s) were second and third respectively.

In women’s shot put, Andhra Pradesh’s Udaya Laxmi, a silver medallist at home last year, threw the iron ball to 13.68m to win gold while Neha Singh (13.56m) of M P and Punjab’s Navjit Kaur (13.49m) won silver and bronze respectively.

Results: Men: 400m: 1. Kunhu Mohammad (Ker) 46.71 secs, 2. Neeraj Pawar (UP) 46.97secs, 3. Rajiv Arokia (TN) 47.08secs.

800m: 1. Sajeesh Joseph (Ker) 1:49.04secs, 2. Manjit Singh (Har) 1:49.11 secs, 3. Francis Sahayam (TN) 1:49.77 secs.

110m Hurdles: 1. Pinto Mathew (Ker) 14.56 secs, 2. Balamurugan (TN) 14.76secs, 3. Sadeep Parmar (Maha) 14.82secs.

Long Jump: 1. Prem Kumar (TN) 8.00m, 2. Arshad (Karna) 7.85m, 3. Ankit Sharma (MP) 7.67m.

Decathlon: 1. Bharatainder Singh (Har) 6963 pts, 2. Daya Ram (Raj) 6925 pts, 3. Kumbhar K Dilip (Maha) 6831pts.

Shot Put: 1. Inderjeet Singh (Har) 18.92m, 2. Ashwani Solanki (Del) 18.35m, 3. Tejinderpal Singh (Pun) 18.30m.

Javelin: 1. Krishna Kumar (UP) 74.80m, 2. Samarjeet Singh (Raj) 73.16m, 3. Rajender Singh (Har) 72.96m.

Women: 400m: 1. Poovamma (Karna) 52.85secs, 2. Nirmala (Har) 53.94 secs, 3. Anu Mariam Joseph (Ker) 54.59 secs.

800m: 1. Tintu Luka (Ker) 2.04.14secs, 2. Gomathi (TN) 2:07.33secs, 3. Sushma Devi (Har) 2:07.95 secs.

100m Hurdles: 1. G Gayathry (TN) 13.97 secs, 2. J Hamashree (TN) 14.04secs, 3. K V Sajitha (Ker) 14.33secs.

High Jump: 1. Sahana Kumari (Karna) 1.88m, 2. Mallika Mondal (Ben) 1.74m, 3. N D Tintu (Ker) 1.68m.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Sports> More Sports / by PTI / June 05th, 2013

MSRIT-Bangalore walks away with Blaze-2013

Business & Economy, Education, Science & Technology

Bangalore :

Schneider Electric India recently concluded the finals of ‘Blaze 2013’ at RVCE College, Bangalore. ‘Blaze’ is an annual energy efficiency contest by Schneider Electric exclusively aimed at students from engineering colleges across India. The contest witnessed nail biting finish when MSRIT-Bangalore was declared winner for Schneider Electric’s Energy Efficiency challenge this year. The winning team was awarded Rs 75,000.

The first runner up team from PESIT-Bangalore and the second runner up team from VIT-Vellore were awarded with Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 25,000 respectively. VIT-Vellore was awarded the “Best Diversity Team” for a healthy mix of team members from different engineering branches and gender balance. RVCE-Bangalore, NIT-Trichy and MSRIT-Bangalore won the “Best White Paper Award” while MSRIT-Bangalore also took the “Best Audit Report Presentation Team Award”.

The contest this year was launched online across 14 engineering colleges from India. Applications were received from more than 80 teams covering more than 500 students across different colleges. Based on the performance in initial rounds of the contest top 14 teams were selected for the mega finals.

The contest comprised of two rounds in which engineering students submitted a white paper on the topic “Energy Efficiency First” in the first round. In the second round, selected students undertook energy audits of their respective university campus. The teams that made through the different rounds then battled it out in the mega finals where they submitted their reports to the jury and the winning team was decided.

The 14 colleges who competed in the final round were Jadavpur University-Kolkatta, IIT-Delhi, NIT- Durgapur, VJTI-Mumbai, COEP-Pune, New Horizon-Bangalore, SJCE-Mysore, IIT-Chennai, MSRIT-Bangalore, MIT-Manipal, RVCE-Bangalore, VIT-Vellore, NIE-Mysore, NIT-Trichy.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bangalore / TNN / June 02nd, 2013

Viveka tribal students excel in SSLC exam

Education

VivekaTribalBF14jun2013

Mysore :

In the recently held SSLC exams, Viveka Tribal Centre for Learning (VTCL), has secured 100% results. Out of 31 students who appeared, 6 students have secured first class and 8 students secured second class.

Jayapradha, an Yerava girl from Brahmagiri haadi has topped the school securing 76.8%. She is followed by N.S. Shivaraju-72.64% (Jenukuruba-Boradevaramunti haadi); Sangeetha-66.4% (Yerava-Metikuppe); Chandini-65.6% (Jenukuruba-Bheemanahalli haadi); Kavya-65.6% (Yerava-Yashwanthpura) and Raju Oyilmanjil-65.44% (Kadukuruba-Metikuppe).

Viveka Tribal Center for Learning (VTCL) is a Unit of Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, which is an exclusive residential school for the indigenous forest based tribals. The school which was started in 1988 as a non-formal school in the fringes of the N. Begur range of the Bandipur National Park was recognised by Department of Education, Government of Karnataka, in 1990.

Children belonging to the particularly vulnerable tribe Jenukurubas, other forest tribes namely Bettakuruba (Kaadukuruba), Yerava, Paniya and Bunde Soliga, study from Class 1 to 10 in the school located in Hosahalli Tribal Colony in H.D. Kote taluk in Mysore.

The parents of the tribal children are not only taking interest in the education of their children but are also playing an active role in the functioning of the school by being part of the student admission committee and school management committee.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com  / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / June 08th, 2013

Artists send out positive message to society: B Ramanath Rai

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Mangalore  :

A work of art by an artist is not merely an array of colours. On the other hand, the colours within a line art sketch sends out positive message to society, B Ramanath Rai, minister for environment and forests and Dakshina Kannada district in-charge, has said.

It is therefore imperative for society to promote fine arts and artists, for they contribute to the wellbeing of society in a positive way at that, he said.

Inaugurating the Chitra Karanth arts complex at Shivaram Karanth Bala Vana at Parladka in Puttur, 50 km from here on Saturday, Rai said the fame of litterateur Kota Shivarama Karanth is widespread, thanks to his works in the field of Kannada literature and yakshagana. It is therefore apt that the complex has been set up in a place where the writer spent a major part of his life with sections on literature, arts and exhibition, Rai said.

Mangalore MP Nalin Kumar Kateel observed that while politicians cannot grow to the exalted levels of Jnanapeeth awardee Kota Shivarama Karanth, they can definitely strive to inculcate the principles that he stood by in his life such as forthrightness, time sense. “If people in general and politicians in particular imbibe Karanth’s qualities in life, it will be a befitting tribute to the likes of Karanth,” he added.

Rekha , daughter of eminent artist KK Hebbar unveiled a painting of Karanth as envisaged by her father. H Prasanna, Puttur assistant commissioner said the complex houses 55 works of art based on literature of Karanth.

All steps have been taken to ensure that art camps and other activities are held at Bala Vana on a continuous basis, he said. Kshama Rao, Karnath’s daughter, gave an Odissi dance performance on the occasion. Shakuntala T Shetty, Puttur MLA, presided.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangalore / TNN / June 02nd, 2013