UK parliament to honour Kannada actor Darshan

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion
In a letter to the actor, Veerendra Sharma, British MP, said, 'It's a great honour and privilege to host you at the House of Commons, on October 19. We've decided to felicitate you, for the hard efforts you've put in through your movies to promote Karnataka's art and culture.'
In a letter to the actor, Veerendra Sharma, British MP, said, ‘It’s a great honour and privilege to host you at the House of Commons, on October 19. We’ve decided to felicitate you, for the hard efforts you’ve put in through your movies to promote Karnataka’s art and culture.’

Popular Kannada actor Darshan Tugudeepa has been invited by the United Kingdom Parliament to receive an honour on October 19, for his contributions to Karnataka’s art and culture through his movies. Darshan is the first South Indian and fourth Indian actor to receive the honour.

The actor, who is busy shooting for his upcoming film ‘Kurukshetra’ in Hyderabad, will fly to London on Wednesday and will return on October 26. The event has been organised by the Karnataka Business Chamber, London.

In a letter to the actor, Veerendra Sharma, British MP, said, “It’s a great honour and privilege to host you at the House of Commons, on October 19. We’ve decided to felicitate you, for the hard efforts you’ve put in through your movies to promote Karnataka’s art and culture.”

Sharma was on a visit to Karnataka recently. He was greatly influenced by the state’s art and culture. During his visit, he came in contact with Manjunath Vishwakarma, who briefed him about Darshan and his contributions.

On September 16, 2016, Bollywood star Salman Khan received the Global Diversity Award at Britain’s House of Commons.

Darshan initially worked in trivial roles in a few films and television shows. He later made his debut in a lead role in in the film Majestic in 2001. He has since then starred in many commercial and art films.

It may be recalled that Darshan was accused of assaulting and threatening his wife, Vijayalaxmi, with a revolver in 2011. The actor had spent 14 days in judicial custody after his wife compalined about domestic violence. It was later settled out of court.

The actor has failed to give a hit in the last two years. Darshan’s much-awaited movies Ambaressha (2014), Jaggu Dada (2016) and Chakravarthy (2017) flopped at the box office. He bounced back with his latest flick ‘Tarak,’ which has received good response from the audience.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Entertainment / by Jagadish Angadi, Bengaluru / DH News Service / October 18th, 2017

Ancient Tibetan manuscripts may be shifted from Dharamsala to Ramanagara

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion
 TibetanBF20oct2017
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Highlights

  1. The Centre for Tibetan Studies will be located at the 3.8-acre Dalai Lama Institute for Higher Education near Ramanagara
  2. The present location, where these ancient and priceless Buddhist manuscripts are kept, falls within the notorious sub-Himalayan zone 5
  3. ___________________________________

Concerned over the safety of nearly 80,000 ancient Buddhist manuscripts and artefacts, the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA), one of the most important libraries and institutions of Tibetan works in the world, will set up its first preservation centre near Bengaluru. The main LTWA is in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.

The Centre for Tibetan Studies will be located at the 3.8-acre Dalai Lama Institute for Higher Education near Ramanagara on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway.

“We’re worried about the safety and security of the invaluable manuscripts housed in LTWA, Dharamsala. The present location, where these ancient and priceless Buddhist manuscripts are kept, falls within the notorious sub-Himalayan zone 5 which is considered the highest risk belt for earthquake in the seismic hazard zoning map of India. In the long run, it may be dangerous to keep so many priceless manuscripts in one place,” LTWA director Geshe Lhakdor told TOI.

Further, he said, the climatic conditions at Dharamsala have proven extremely detrimental to the collection. “Due to high levels of humidity, Dharamsala receives very heavy rainfall which stretches for several months. We need a better environment to store and preserve these manuscripts. What better place than Bengaluru which has technological advantages too to preserve these ancient manuscripts ” he said.

Lhakdor said the drawing for the proposed centre near Bengaluru is ready. “The project requires huge funding. We are looking at philanthropists, who can give us funds for preserving these ancient manuscripts. These are priceless collections and we cannot afford to lose them at any cost,” he added.

Priceless collection

Founded by the 14th Dalai Lama on June 11, 1970, the LTWA houses ancient manuscripts and artefacts relocated from Tibet in 1959. The manuscripts relate to Tibet’s history, politics, culture and art. The library has more than 80,000 manuscripts, books and documents, over 600 Thankhas, statues and other artefacts of Buddhist heritage, apart from thousands of photographs. “The main aim of the library is to preserve, promote and foster the culture and identity of Tibet. We want to share the collective knowledge and wisdom with the world,” Lakhdor said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / by Seetha Lakshmi, TNN / October 20th, 2017

City college raises awareness about mental illness

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education

CityCollegeBF19oct2017

World Mental Health Day is celebrated on October 10 every year and in a bid to create awareness on mental illness, Jain University CMS — B School this year organized a session on the same. Keeping in mind the theme of the World Mental Health Day this year (Mental Health at Workplace), the management organized the session at the B-School for MBA students.

Speaking about the event, Uma Warrier, chief counsellor and professor, Jain University, said, “About 350 students including faculty members were present at the event. Since this year, the theme is mental health at workplace, we wanted to have this session for MBA students who are trained to be future managers. We believe that by having such a session, students will be able to adapt at their workplace faster and implement what they have been taught, in addition to understanding their coworkers better.”

The session, Uma says, will help teachers as well as they can identify those suffering from mental illness. “If we can create awareness and sensitize teachers, then they will share a better relationship with students who suffer from mental illness,” says Uma, adding that at the event, a ‘self-check’ handbook was also given for better understanding of the issue.

The event helped in addressing mental illness, which is otherwise considered a taboo in the country. “We still treat mental illness as a taboo. We need to eradicate this mindset and address mental illness with care. At the event, we were told how to identify people suffering from mental illness as well as how to improve one’s own mental health,” says Nabeel Nasar, first year MBA student, CMS Business School, Jain University.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / by Sandra Marina Fernandes / October 17th, 2017

Rajalakshmi is India’s entry for Miss Wheelchair World 2017 pageant

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

Dentist Rajalakshmi had to take the wheelchair after she met with an accident

In a world where people with disability have to often compromise their goals, 31-year-old Rajalakshmi S.J. from Bengaluru fought all odds and kept her priorities straight.

She is all set to represent India at Miss Wheelchair World 2017 pageant to be held in Poland.

A dentist by profession, Ms. Rajalakshmi had to take the wheelchair after she met with an accident 10 years ago, and let her life to mould in a different direction.

“It was a whole new body, it was a whole new world around me,” she recollects. Instead of losing herself, she pursued her interests in psychology and fashion and eventually she won 2014 Miss Wheelchair India.

She is also the chairperson of her organisation S.J. Foundation, which works for the causes of the disabled.

Now Ms. Rajalakshmi is all set for the pageant and has been preparing herself with proper diet, and workout and most importantly fuelling her confidence with the support of her loved ones.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Bengaluru (Karnataka) / September 27th, 2017

Here, women call the shots

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Records, All

WomenBF17oct2017

Kolar has distinction of women holding all top executive posts

International Day of the Girl Child has gotten a special meaning in Kolar district, which is witnessing a women’s empowerment, albeit in a different way.

With G. Sathyavathy’s appointment as the Deputy Commissioner of Kolar, the district has the rare distinction of women holding all the top executive posts. Ms. Sathyavathy, DC of Chikkamagaluru, succeeds K.V. Thrilokchandra, who was the Deputy Commissioner for last 35 months.

Many prominent elected bodies also have women as presidents and vice-presidents in the district.

K. Vidyakumari (Additional Deputy Commissioner), Rohini Katoch (SP), B.B. Kaveri (Zilla Panchayat CEO) are the other prominent women holding higher posts in the administrative structure.

For Ms. Vidyakumari, it’s not a question of gender but the work that has to be done. “An officer is an officer. There is no difference in executing the administrative duties and responsibilities by men or women”, she said.

However, she admitted that a prejudiced view of gender roles where women are seen as weak still exists.

Ms. Vidyakumari, who has been ADC in Kolar for one year, highlighted the smooth smooth running of zilla panchayat by its CEO Ms. Kaveri and police department headed by Ms. Katoch in the district.

“Girls need to be encouraged to take up higher education, which will result in women make foray in to administrative system,” Ms. Vidyakumari added.

Pallavi Honnapura, senior assistant director of Public Relations and Publicity Department, says it is a very good sign. “People expect more work from the bureaucracy and particularly they pose trust in women authorities as they can do work efficiently,” she said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Vishwa Kundapura / Kolar – October 16th, 2017

Pepperfry Launches its First Franchise Studio in Bengaluru

Business & Economy, Records, All

Aims to spread the studio network across 20 cities in India

Ashish Shah, COO and Founder, Pepperfry inaugurates the first Franchise Studio at HSR Layout with P K Ramesh, Nagendra Kaushik and A R Ramaprasad, Partners, Prakruthi Enterprises
Ashish Shah, COO and Founder, Pepperfry inaugurates the first Franchise Studio at HSR Layout with P K Ramesh, Nagendra Kaushik and A R Ramaprasad, Partners, Prakruthi Enterprises

PepperFry.com, India’s No.1 Furniture and Home marketplace announced the launch of its first franchise Studio in Bengaluru. In the last 3 years Pepperfry has been rapidly grown its omni-channel network across the country through 22 Pepperfry owned Studios in 11 cities with plans to expand this network to 20 cities by 2018. The first franchise launch in Bengaluru marks the second phase of Pepperfry’s strategy to build the largest omni-channel business in the furniture and home segment.

As the market leader Pepperfry was the first online marketplace to set-up an offline experience centre in the form of Pepperfry Studios in December 2014. Today, 25% of the sales on the online platform relate to customers who have experienced the services extended at Pepperfry Studios. A one-of-its kind concept Pepperfry is outspreading the Studio proposition to first-time and experienced entrepreneurs presenting them with an opportunity to establish a truly differentiated and highly profitable franchise business.

Pepperfry has launched the first franchise owned Studio in partnership with Prakruthi Enterprises. It is owned and operated by three partners – P K Ramesh, Nagendra Kaushik and A R Ramaprasad. The franchisee partners have an extensive experience of over two decades in managing high-growth franchise businesses for Titan, Fastrack, Helios, Titan Eyeplus, to name a few. They are excited about Pepperfry’s vison and are committed to offering superlative customer experiences through the Pepperfry Studios.

Pepperfry’s franchise model is a truly unique business model with immense potential to scale. It is unlike any franchise business in the country and does not require partner to hold product inventory and is based on 100% price parity. Pepperfry is offering a lucrative commission structure where the franchise owners can benefit by earning commission on each online transaction made at the franchise studio. Pepperfry will manage the customer experience end-to-end, starting from pre-sales to post-sales thereby providing a seamless shopping experience to customers.

Ashish Shah, Founder and COO, Pepperfry says, “We have received an overwhelming response for our franchise business from all across the country. With Bengaluru being our key market our first franchise outlet kick starts an exciting journey for us where we are looking at unlocking the entrepreneurial potential in the country. We want to be available to our customers in as many touchpoints as possible to help them build beautiful homes. We are already present in major metros & cities and are geared to spread our network across other TIER I and TIER II cities.”

He added, “I am extremely excited about our association with Prakruthi Enterprises and I am confident that it will accelerate our journey to becoming the largest omni-channel network in India. Our franchise partners bring in a strong understanding of the retail franchise space. They will add immense value and bring along their experience to help us scale-up our omni-channel network. They are in sync with our goals and believe in our Studio franchise model. We look forward to associating with them to open more franchise Studios”.

Speaking about the launch A R Ramaprasad, Partner, Prakruthi Enterprises said, “We were looking to partner with a brand which is honest and has a strong credibility. We were truly impressed with the franchise model created and offered by Pepperfry. Pepperfry has built a formidable business in less than 6 years and is synonymous with furniture and home purchases in the country today. The Studio concept presents us with a unique proposition to build a large customer franchise. We are looking forward to partnering with Pepperfry to open more franchises while they are on their journey to help create 20 million beautiful homes by 2020.”

Pepperfry will establish 48 owned and franchise Studios by the April 2018. 

source: http://www.busineswireindia.com / Business Wire India / Home> New Details / Mumbai, Maharashtra – Friday, October 13th, 2017

Embassy flat sells for Rs 50 crore, highest ever in Bengaluru

Business & Economy, Records, All
The 1-million-sqft project, previously called CityView, was originally owned by Goldman Sachs (73%) and Dayanand Pai's Century Real Estate Holdings (26%). (Photo: TOI)
The 1-million-sqft project, previously called CityView, was originally owned by Goldman Sachs (73%) and Dayanand Pai’s Century Real Estate Holdings (26%). (Photo: TOI)

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Embassy Group has sold an apartment for Rs 50 crore to chairman and chief executive of engineering outsourcing company Quest Global.
  • Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone and some of the Infosys co-founders were among the first to invest in these branded residences.

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Bengaluru :

The Embassy Group has sold an apartment for Rs 50 crore to Ajit Prabhu, chairman and chief executive of engineering outsourcing company Quest Global, making it the biggest residential deal in Bengaluru, according to people familiar with the matter.

Prabhu has bought the 16,000-sqft apartment in Embassy One, near Hebbal, which houses a 230-room Four Seasons luxury hotel, 110 Four Seasons-branded residences, 150,000 sqft of office space and 60,000 sqft of retail space. The per-sqft rate for the apartment works out to about Rs 31,000. Last year, Flipkart’s Binny Bansal acquired a 10,000-sqft home in Koramangala III Block -a coveted neighborhood of self-made billionaires -for Rs 32 crore.

Prabhu, who grew up in Hubballi, divides his time between Singapore and India. He will own the yet-to-be customized apartment on the top of the South Tower, and it’s the 30th floor. The first 21 floors will be dedicated to the Four Seasons hotel, and the rest will be serviced residences. Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone and some of the Infosys co-founders were among the first to invest in these branded residences. Embassy confirmed the deal, but declined to confirm the buyer. Prabhu could not be immediately reached for comment. “Sales like this bring a great sense of confidence in the market,” Reeza Sebastian, head of Embassy residential marketing and sales, told TOI.

The 1-million-sqft project, previously called City View, was originally owned by Goldman Sachs (73%) and Dayanand Pai’s Century Real Estate Holdings (26%). The investment bank entered into a conditional agreement to sell it to RMZ a few years ago, but failed following opposition from its minority shareholder.

Embassy, led by its flamboyant billionaire promoter Jitu Virwani, stepped in and bought the entire project for Rs 605 crore. During this period of uncertainty, the project was hobbled by delays and ran the risk of being classified as a nonperforming asset by the State Bank of India (SBI).

Prabhu, who has made 75% of the payment, is expected to move in once the apartment is ready by the middle of 2018. Sebastian said the company has sold about 52% of the apartments. The residences will have concierge services, 24 hour valet parking, and residents will enjoy the hotel’s paid services such as room service, limousines and apartment-cleaning.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / by Avik Das / TNN / October 11th, 2017