Visitors at the museum on Monday. | Photo Credit: V Sreenivasa Murthy
The Archives was inaugurated on Monday
The Archives, an informal museum of sorts that records the history of the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and contemporary biology research in the country, was inaugurated on Monday.
It has been set up in a 1,500 sq.ft. space in the Eastern Lab Complex (ELC) in NCBS, and includes reading rooms, exhibition areas and a professional recording room for oral history interviews and podcasts. The Archives has been shaped by over 40 students and professionals between 2016 and 2018.
It is free and open to the public.
From manuscripts and negatives to books and scientific equipment and field and lab notes, The Archives aims be a collecting space that enables ‘diverse’ stories of biological research, says a release.
For now, The Archives has five manuscript collections, seven institutional collections, two artefact collections, two bibliographic collections, and an oral history collection.
The caption was corrected for a spelling error
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / February 04th, 2019
The massive engine whirrs beneath your body, wind strikes your face and your hair whips around you.
Meeta and Amit Walavalkar applied for adoption in 2016
The massive engine whirrs beneath your body, wind strikes your face and your hair whips around you. Every action has an immediate consequence when riding, according to Meeta Walavalkar, whose life motto is to live in the moment. However, the 40-year-old mother of three has not gone riding in the last 45 days.
On December 17, 2018, Meeta, her husband Amit, and their two sons welcomed their three-year-old daughter, Shambhavi, into their home. “My husband and I were so busy with all the paperwork at the time that we did not actually take in the fact that one of the ten children inside was going to be our daughter. We were more concerned about how she would react to coming home or if she would have any language barriers,” said the owner of Soul Bakery, which supplies organic food to Chennai and Bengaluru.
However, she said her two sons, Ved and Darsh, were inside, spending time with their new sister. Shambhavi, who came to Bengaluru from Chattisgarh. Now, she’s seen her 13-year-old and 10-year-old sons become protective of their sister.
In March 2016, after attending an inner engineering workshop with Sadhguru, the Bengaluru-based NGO consultant and her husband came away feeling lighter – spiritually and mentally. Meeta told her husband that she wanted to adopt a girl child, and Amit was onboard. After some discussion with her family, they applied for a girl child through the Central Adoption Resource Authority system, and two-and-a-half years later, they brought their daughter home.
Her name, Shambhavi, is the energy form consecrated in Sadhguru’s ashram in Coimbatore, said Meeta, who is a follower who can perform pujas. The day before Shambhavi came home, Meeta reminded her sons to express any concerns without fear of judgment.
The three-year-old loves school, and wakes up every day excited to learn. “She comes home before they boys do, and asks when her bhaiyas will come home. Before, the boys would come home, eat something, and go out to play. Now, they spend some time with their little sister before going,” said Meeta.
Coming from a family with many male children – Meeta’s father had two brothers, as did Amit’s father, and she has two sons – Meeta has found little changes in her parenting. “With the boys, if they fall and hurt themselves, I just have to put a little dettol and send them off. I’m not used to mollycoddling my children, but Shambhavi wants to be held and cuddled if she falls,” said Meeta.
There was some hesitancy from her and Amit’s parents initially. Meeta had a bustling daily schedule, and caring for a child would take up a lot of time. When the topic was broached to her parents, Meeta’s father was averse to the concept. “Now, he videocalls every other day to see her. You know the Queen song Bohemian Rhapsody? She calls out to him the same way they sing ‘Mama…’ in the song. So she’ll go, ‘Ajuba…’ and call out for him,” said Meeta.
Shabhavi has a high emotional intellect for a child her age, said Meeta. “The other day, my father called, and he had hurt his hand. He showed it to her, and she was very affected by it. She came into our room crying, saying that her Ajuba was hurt,” said Meeta. Another trigger for Shambhavi was when her plate was taken away from her, as in the funds-strapped orphanage she grew up in, that was a sign of having no food.
Meeta and her husband know that eventually, Shambhavi will want to meet her parents. “All I hope is that the process goes as smoothly as possible, for her. We will be there with her, of course,” said Meeta.
It’s too soon to plan for the future, she said. Meeta is not one to live in anything but the present, but for one instance – “When we ride, I take the youngest and Amit takes the older one. Now with Shambhavi, we need to figure out a way to take all of them when we go riding next.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Rochana Mohan / Express News Service / February 04th, 2019
Padma Shri R.B. Patil, who established North Karnataka’s first comprehensive centre for cancer in 1977 from voluntary donations, passed away in Hubballi on Saturday. He was 93.
He is survived by a son and two daughters, who are all doctors.
A native of Angadageri in Basavanabagewadi taluk of Vijayapura district, Dr. Patil came to Hubballi after completing his education in England and continued to see patients until recently before his health deteriorated.
The mortal remains of the surgeon were kept at his nursing home in Vidyanagar, Hubballi, for people to pay tributes.
His son, B.R. Patil, said the funeral will be held at his native place on Sunday. Journalist Patil Puttappa, former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, former Chairman of Legislative Council Basavaraj Horatti, Minister C.S. Shivalli, former Minister Vinay Kulkarni, MP Pralhad Joshi, MLC Pradeep Shettar, Srinivas Mane, MLA Prasad Abbayya and several others have mourned his demise.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Hubballi – February 03rd, 2019
The duo were felicitated with the ‘Good Samaritan Award’ by HOSMAT Hospital on Saturday. This is the second such appreciation the duo has received and they are very happy.
Bengaluru :
Little did Gangadhar (29), a BMTC driver, and Srinivas, a conductor, think that their Good Samaritan act of saving a constable’s life will bring them so much appreciation and calls from people across the state.
The duo were felicitated with the ‘Good Samaritan Award’ by HOSMAT Hospital on Saturday. This is the second such appreciation the duo has received and they are very happy.
“From an auto driver who wanted to write our names on the back of his auto to our MD of BMTC, we have been appreciated,” said Gangadhar, who has been a driver with BMTC since the past six years, and a native of Hassan.
Recalling the day, Gangadhar said, “On December 29, around 8pm, after finishing our duty, we (he and the conductor) were heading towards Nelamangala from Yelahanka when we saw a crowd of people. I stopped the vehicle thinking people were waiting for a bus but then I noticed a severely injured man in a pool of blood. There were severe injuries on his head and over 50 onlookers were standing there taking videos.”
He continued, “We immediately shifted the victim into the bus and went to the hospital.”
HOSMAT Hospital’s chairman and chief of Orthapaedics, Dr Thomas Chandy who presented the awards to the duo, appreciated them for their courage and kindness.
“It is rare that we find such people. HOSMAT sees at least 25 to 30 accident cases every day and we come across at least 20 per cent of people who would have died due to people not risking to bring them to the hospital on time. Such compassion is needed,” he said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / February 03rd, 2019
Gaganyaan is the “highest priority” for ISRO in 2019, according to the space agency, and the plan is to have the first unmanned mission in December 2020 and second for July 2021.
ISRO Chairman K Sivan addressing press conference at ISRO Head office, in Bengaluru on January 11, 2019. (File |EPS)
Bengaluru :
Gearing up for its maiden manned space mission ‘Gaganyaan’, ISRO unveiled its Human Space Flight Centre here Wednesday.
The space agency is gearing up for the human spaceflight programme by 2021-end that is likely to include a woman astronaut.
Gaganyaan is the “highest priority” for ISRO in 2019, according to the space agency, and the plan is to have the first unmanned mission in December 2020 and second for July 2021.
Once this is completed, the manned mission will happen in December 2021. K Kasturirangan, former ISRO Chairman, in the presence of K Sivan, ISRO Chairman and Secretary, Department of Space, inaugurated the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) Wednesday at ISRO Headquarter campus in Bengaluru, the space agency said on its website.
Directors of other ISRO Centres, former Chairman and other dignitaries were also present, it said, adding that a full scale model of Gaganyaans crew module was also unveiled during the event.
HSFC shall be responsible for implementation of Gaganyaan project which involves end-to-end mission planning, development of engineering systems for crew survival in space, crew selection and training and also pursue activities for sustained human space flight missions, ISRO said.
It will take the support of existing ISRO centres to implement the first development flight of Gaganyaan under the human spaceflight programme.
S Unnikrishnan Nair is the founder director of HSFC, while R Hutton is the project director of Gaganyaan.
The Union Cabinet gave its nod for the Rs 9,023 crore programme recently.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Nation / by PTI / January 30th, 2019
A visual spectacle unfolds at Sampangiramnagar Kalyani (tank) in the last week of Karthik Masa when devotees light lamps. Bengaluru was considered a holy place, as it had many temples and kalyanis (tanks). | Photo Credit: K_MURALI_KUMAR
A group of heritage enthusiasts attempt to look at the pre-Kempe Gowda era and how the region might have been
What was the ‘IT capital’ and ‘garden city’ like before it became one of the fastest growing cities in the country?
The Revival Heritage Hub, a city-based group of heritage enthusiasts, most of whom are students, will be releasing a book on Bengaluru in February. Titled ‘Kalyanapuri Bhudrushya’, the book in Kannada will trace the origins of the city pre-Kempe Gowda.
“We chose to keep Kalyanapuri as the title of the book because according to legends, it was the city’s old name. It is believed that after the 12th century Veerashaiva revolution in Kalyana, Kodikal became the second Kalyana. Later, this was shifted to south Karnataka to a place called Gumbalapura, located near Hosur in Tamil Nadu. Soon after this, Shiva Sharanas shifted to Bengaluru, and this place was called as the 4th Kalyana. Bengaluru was considered a holy place, as it had many temples and tanks (kalyanis). It is believed the name Kalyanapuri might have been derived from the word kalyani. ‘Kalyanapuri’ is also mentioned in the Karagpurana of Bengaluru Karaga. The name is also documented in a 19th century inscription found in a temple in Nagarpet,” said Rajeev Nrupathunga, a history lecturer, who started the group along with his students.
The book will give glimpses of the ‘pete’ area and its surroundings. “We have tried to trace and research local gymnasiums (garadimane), bhajan mandalis, temples, waterbodies, and major festivals. The book will also comprise old photographs and community stories, apart from history,” he said.
Manteswamy Mahakavya
The Revival Heritage Hub will also be releasing a documentary on Manteswamy Mahakavya, one of the most celebrated oral folklore figures of Karnataka, in February to showcase its richness and cultural importance.
“Manteswamy was a Veerashaiva saint, who is believed to have lived during the 15th century. He was a revolutionary figure who fought against caste-based division in society. There are many stories about him. Some see him as a man who performed miracles and fought demons and evil forces. There are stories of him uplifting communities such as the Kumbaras by breaking the monopoly of the blacksmith community over use of iron, which was essential for making agricultural tools. There are also stories that speak of connections between Manteswamy and Adi Yaduraya, the founder of the kingdom of Mysuru. We want to present these various facets on this saint’s life to the people,” said Mr. Nrupathunga.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / January 27th, 2019
Leaving a mark: George Fernandes THE HINDU ARCHIVES
George Fernandes, who hailed from Mangaluru, was perhaps the first politician from the State to make it big on the national political landscape.
Though many leaders from the State held the charge of key Union Ministries before him, what set him apart from them was the mass appeal he enjoyed even outside the State. From the then Bombay to Bihar, he grew as a tall leader with mass appeal who could deliver electoral victories for his party in those turfs — a career that doesn’t seem to have any parallels in the State. “He was perhaps the only leader from the State to emerge as a national political icon for the railway strike and his underground resistance to the Emergency of the 1970s,” said his brother and politician Michael Fernandes.
Mr. George Fernandes also nursed ambitions to become the Prime Minister, says social activist Nandana Reddy, daughter of Snehalata Reddy who was closely associated with the late leader from 1954.
“He was an incredible trade union leader. Look at the way he led a three-week-long railway workers’ strike, which brought the country to a grinding halt. He had a flair for dramatics and was aware of its role to build and sustain a social movement,” she said. Recounting an anecdote, she said: “He used to say ‘1, Safdarjung Road’, where the Prime Minister then stayed was just a few steps away.”
However, it never came to be. She said that though he was a key follower of socialist Ram Manohar Lohia, he did not have a firm ideological stand needed to achieve his ambitions and him joining the NDA led by BJP betrayed this.
Though Mr. George Fernandes was mostly active on the national stage — first in Mumbai and later in north India — he remained a key figure during the Janata Party years in the State through the 1980s and ’90s.
Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, paying homage on Tuesday, said Mr. George had helped him in the beginning years of his political career. He was the key man who influenced JD(U) in the State, then led by Ramakrishna Hegde and J.H. Patel, to form a pre-poll alliance with BJP that eventually helped BJP make inroads in the State. However, in the only electoral foray he made in the State, by contesting from Bangalore North Lok Sabha constituency in the 1984 general elections, he lost to C.K. Jaffer Sharief of Congress.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Muralidhara Khajane & K.V. Aditya Bharadwaj / Bengaluru – January 30th, 2019
Painting is seen as one of most niche forms of art, but speed painting is a rare skill where an artefact is painted at a breathtaking pace. 35-year-old Vilas Nayak from Mangaluru is being hailed as Asia’s first speed painter who paints on stage in just 3 minutes.
Vilas is unique and so is his art. He had started painting when he was just 3. He began speed painting 2004.
Vilas Nayak
“There was a point when I failed (in academics) and was not so confident. But when I concentrated on painting and fine arts my confidence and dedication started reflecting in academics as well. I was a rank holder in college,” smiles Vilas. “Parents often tell their children not to focus on anything else but concentrate on studies — I don’t believe in that personally. I feel your passion for anything helps you grow in every aspect,” Vilas told The New India Express..
Making your passion your profession is quite a decision as it brings many concerns including the financial ones and Vilas thinks one should always do it if he has a comfortable fall back option.
“I earn an average of one to two lakh rupees per show in India. If it’s outside the country I charge more. I do charity events for free though. When you follow your passion and work 24/7, you do have advantages too. Whatever I have earned in the last eight years, I wouldn’t have been able to earn the same at my corporate job,” he said.
Vilas had heard from someone about an artist who did the speed painting on stage 40 years ago and it triggered the hidden passion within Vilas.
“I followed it up with research over the internet and YouTube and I was inspired by Denny Dent, a US painter. I started with a small piece of paper, then moved to a bigger canvas. Facing the crowd was the biggest challenge as I grew up being an introvert kid. However, the confidence painting gives me is unexplainable,” he recalls.
He started it in 2004 and his first-speed paint took 15 minutes to get completed. But gradually, he bought his time in between three to six minutes to complete a painting.
Before he decided to breathe the art he loves every moment, Vilas was working as an HR executive in Bengaluru. He worked there for six years before quitting his job in 2011 to pursue his passion. “In 2010, I performed at a regional reality show in Karnataka, then waited one year to take part in India’s Got Talent in 2011. I was still working for IBM at that time. After the show, I waited for six more months before I finally quit my job. I wanted to see how it goes before I took such a massive step and start speed-painting full-time,” says Vilas.
Vilas was the finalist of the third season of India’s Got Talent and also the winner of ‘EC live quotient Most Innovative Act Award’ 2012 and he currently one of the known speed painting artists in the world. “After eight years of performing as a speed painter professionally, now the challenge is to come up with different themes and paintings for each show in a very short span of time. I am almost always travelling. It gives me extremely less time to ponder and come up with something unique every time,” he says, adding, “Every show is different too. What I paint at a college show it would not be the same as what it would be at a corporate event or a fundraiser. There’s a different crowd each time, they have separate vibes and that needs to be kept in mind while painting.”
For the budding artists and people who want to follow their passion, Vilas advised, “Take risks but calculated ones. You can’t just quit your job with no backup plan when you wish to do something ambitious. Follow your heart but use your brain too in the process. At the end of the day, you have to come back home and eat something to fill your stomach,” says Vilas. “I have seen a lot of aspiring artists just take to it because they have interest. One must have the right aptitude for it too. Thus, spend more time with yourself because that’s how you know what you are actually good at.”
source: http://www.indiatimes.com / IndiaTimes / Home> News> India / by Maninder Dabas / January 25th, 2019
As many as 1,235 cyclists pedalled a 4-km stretch in a single line in Hubballi on Saturday to set the record. | Photo Credit: Kiran Bakale
1,235 of them pedal a 4-km stretch in a single line
As the nation celebrated the 70th Republic Day, hundreds of cyclists from across the country landed in Hubballi to pedal 4 km in a single line to set a new Guinness record and make the country proud.
In all, 1,500 cyclists from places such as Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka congregated in Hubballi on Saturday for the attempt. Finally, 1,235 of them made it to the Guinness World Records for “the longest single line bicycles parade”
The earlier record was in the name of Bangladesh, where 1,186 cyclists had pedalled in a single line for 3.2 km in 2016. Hubballi Bicycle Club (HBC), in association with cyclists from across the country and various organisations, had been planning meticulously for the last six months for the attempt and they succeeded on Saturday evening.
Official adjudicator of Guinness World Records Swapnil Dangarikar announced that a new record had been created and handed over the certificate to president of the HBC Shrikant Deshpande and other office-bearers as the cyclists and a large number of people cheered and applauded.
Although the record attempt began in the afternoon with 1,500 cyclists above the age of 15, the first attempt failed as the requisite distance between cyclists and speed was not maintained. Subsequently, several cyclists were dropped and the record attempt began with 1,235 cyclists, who then pedalled to glory by cycling the 4-km stretch between Oxford College on the outskirts of Hubballi to Kusugal on National Highway 218.
The record attempt was part of the Cyclotsava organised to mark the Republic Day with the message ‘Respect cyclists’. It was also aimed at creating awareness on the benefits of cycling on personal health and in reducing carbon footprint.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Hubballi – January 28th, 2019
Chandana M R was the lone female participant from Mysuru district and was selected from a pool of 1,800 candidates under the Karnataka and Goa NCC Directorate after rigorous tests.
Chandana M R
Mysuru :
It was a day of pride for tea vendor Rajendra Kumar when his daughter, a first-year diploma student, marched with the NCC contingent at the Republic Day parade at Rajpath in New Delhi on Saturday.
Chandana M R was the lone female participant from Mysuru district and was selected from a pool of 1,800 candidates under the Karnataka and Goa NCC Directorate after rigorous tests. “It was a proud moment for me sitting in the humble tea shop to say that my daughter marched for the country at the Republic Day parade,” said Rajendra, who runs Vani Tiffins, a small tea shop near Kuppanna Park in the city.
Chandana’s mother Pushpalatha was elated as she spoke about her daughter. “To have my daughter march in the parade was a great moment for me,” she added. According to Pushpalatha, it was her daughter’s determination that helped her achieve this feat. “Last year too she tried, but she could not clear it. This year, she worked hard and she made it,” the proud mother said.
Speaking to TNIE from New Delhi, Chandana said, “It was beyond what I had even dreamt of. Many people were cheering as we marched, we all cried out of joy after the march past. To have marched along with the heroes in our armed forces is a great achievement for me.”
Chandana, who wants to become an army officer, said the opportunity has given her more courage to pursue her dreams. “Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman herself came to our camp and encouraged us. We also attended a tea party at the Army Chief’s house. We will also attend a dinner party with our President. All this has affirmed my dream to become an officer in the Army,” added Chandana.
Apart from Chandana, two youths — Dharma and Manja — from the city also marched with the NCC contingent in the Republic Day parade. After the state-level trials, nine girls were selected for the parade to represent state and Goa.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Ajith M S / Express News Service / January 27th, 2019
