University of Mysore Registrar Prof. C. Basavaraj is inaugurating the Alumni Association of University of Mysore Sports Persons at a function held at Maharaja College Grounds yesterday. Also seen are (from left) SAI Volleyball Coach Dr. N.B. Suresh, University College of Physical Education Prof. Thirumalai Gopalan, Department of Physical Education Director Dr. C Krishna, Sports Authority of Karnataka Vice President P.M. Somashekar and former University of Mysore athlete and triple jump record holder M.A. Cariappa. Picture right shows former University of Mysore athlete M.A. Cariappa being felicitated by the Department of Physical Education during the inauguration of alumni association of sports persons yesterday. Mysuru, June 8- The University of Mysore Sports persons Alumni Association
Mysuru :
The University of Mysore Sports persons Alumni Association, formed with sports persons who have represented University of Mysore in various sports activities, was inaugurated at a function held at Maharaja’s College Grounds in city yesterday.
The Association was inaugurated by University of Mysore Registrar Prof.C. Basavaraj by lighting the camp.
Around 600 athletes who had represented University of Mysore were present during the inauguration.
Speaking on the occasion, Department of Physical Education Director Dr.C. Krishna said that the alumni association was a step in the right direction and it was the first of its kind in the country.
He hoped that sports persons from different disciplines who had represented the University of Mysore became the members of the alumni association and interact with each other with an objective to improve sports and infrastructure at the University.
He also added that the Vice Chancellor Prof. K.S. Rangappa has supported the idea of forming the alumni association at the time when the varsity was preparing for centenary celebrations.
Dr. Krishna also said that University would be conducting South Zone Inter University Women’s Hockey Tournament in November 2015 and All India Inter University Men & Women’s Wrestling Championship in January, 2016 which have been allotted by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
Speaking on the occasion Registrar Prof. C. Basavaraj said that forming an alumni for the sports persons was a good initiative to bring together the sports fraternity and also to work together for the upliftment of sports activities at the University.
Lauding Dr. Krishna’s efforts in convening a meeting for the same, Prof. C. Basavaraj praised Dr. Krishna’s efforts and vision for promoting sports activities.
On the occasion the Department of Physical Education, University of Mysore honoured M.A. Cariappa, former Mysuru University athlete, whose Triple Jump record of 49 feet 11.5 inches created in the year 1963-64 while studying in Yuvaraja’s College, Mysuru, remains unbroken even today, with a memento and a cash award of Rs. 25,000. The cash award was given by Mysore District Athletic Association Hon. Secretary Srikanth and Mysore Athletic Club Hon. Secretary M. Yogendra.
Speaking on the occasion, M. A. Cariappa thanked Dr. Krishna for remembering yesteryear sportspersons and honoring him during the function.
Sports Authority of Karnataka Vice President P.M. Somashekar. On the occasion, Tennis Coach M.J. Charan, former University of Mysore tennis player) was chosen as the Hon. Secretary of the association.
Department of Physical Educaiton Deputy Director Dr. Krishnaiah, University College of Physical Education (UCPE) Professor Thirumalai Gopalan, SAI Volley Ball Coach Dr. N.B. Suresh and others were present on the occasion.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / Monday – June 08th, 2015
Brunda Malhotra of Aircel is seen handing over the keys of the Mobile Veterinary Service vehicle to H.C. Kantharaju, Conservator of Forests, Bandipur, yesterday as others look on.
Chamarajanagar :
In what could be said as the first ever in the State, a Mobile Veterinary Service (MVS), to treat injured wild animals, was launched at Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR) yesterday.
Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), in collaboration with the Forest Department and Aircel, launched the service for the first time in Karnataka to facilitate the rescue of wild animals and respond to all wildlife emergencies.
A vehicle to carry out the service was handed over to Conservator of Forests and Bandipur Project Tiger Director, H.C. Kantharaju, by WTI Zonal Head Jose Louis and Brunda Malhotra of Aircel.
Kantharaju, speaking on the occasion, said: “In the past couple of years, there have been instances of large carnivores venturing out of the forests into human habitations which has resulted in human and animal deaths. With an MVS like this, we can immediately tend to these animals and put them back into the wild or provide necessary treatment, if needed.”
The mobile unit will have a trained veterinarian, two wildlife conservation staff and a driver, who would respond at any time for any emergency reported from the region, Kantharaju added.
BTR is surrounded by close to 200 villages with a population of more than three lakh inhabiting these villages and over two lakh cattle. These areas surrounding Bandipur have witnessed frequent occurrences of conflict with tigers, leopards and elephants. In addition, the spurt in poaching activities and use of snares in Bandipur over the past few years have had authorities and conservationists on their toes.
The unit would be based at Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) camp at Melkhamanahalli and will be operational 24×7 and villagers can call Ph: 08229-236043 or Mob: 87621-11704 in case of an animal emergency.
Meanwhile, WTI Zonal Head Jose Louis said that the vehicle, apart from responding to emergencies in Bandipur limits, will also provide service in Biligiri Ranganatha Temple (BRT) Wildlife Reserve, Nagarahole, Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Reserve and would also provide services in Mudumalai Forest in Tamil Nadu and Waynad Forest Reserve in Kerala.
DCF Keshavamurthy, Wildlife Warden D. Rajkumar and others were present
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / January 10th, 2015
The demise of her grandfather last week was a big personal loss for this 23-year-old. “Though girls are supposed to get married early in the Marwadi community, my grandfather Ramvilas Mahajan, who passed away last week, used to encourage me to achieve my goal,” recalls a teary eyed Shruti Mahajan.
Shruti, who claims to be the first fashion designer-entrepreneur of Hubballi, featured in Kerala Fashion League-2015 where she met James Ferreira, one of the leading fashion designers in the country and founder of James Ferreira designer label. The event was held in Ernakulam last month.
Speaking to TOI, Shruti said that it was amazing to meet icons of Indian fashion designing industry about whom she had read in textbooks. “It was an occasion to meet designers like Aslam Khan, Sanjana. Tamil actress Kalyani was the showstopper for my designs,” she says.
Shruti completed BSc in fashion and apparels from Vogue Institute of Fashion Technology, Bengaluru, in 2014. She floated Conch Designs Studio in June 2014 and had been creating awareness on fashion design in tier-II cities like Hubballi.
“In the beginning, it was very difficult to convince people about fashion design. I patiently convinced them by saying: ‘give me any kind of girl or woman, irrespective of physical fitness, fairness and complexion, I will make her beautiful’,” she says.
Waseem Bahadur, proprietor of an event management company in Hubballi, says that Shruti has the sense of painting and craftwork which shows in her designs. “She is the lone fashion designer in Hubballi who has taken fashion designing as an entrepreneurial venture. She upholds Indian culture and tradition in clothing and also meets the requirement of young generation by designing Indo-Western and Western designs,” he adds.
Shruti has provided employment to five skilled artisans from Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad. She received the “Best Costume Award’ in a show organized by Ramesh Dembla for the promotion of “Desi Boys”. She has also exhibited her designs in events like Metro Life Fashion Show, War of Designers, corporate fashion show organized by Infosys in Mysuru.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hubballi / by Sangamesh Menasinakai, TNN / June 10th, 2015
BV Narayana was in his early twenties when he lost a leg after being hit by a group of motorcyclists. After three decades, he decided to tour across the globe to make people aware of traffic norms so that they could be saved from the pain that he had to undergo.
A sports and adventure enthusiast, Narayan had earlier gone around the world, covering 59 countries on bicycle in 1979 when he was 19 years old. Narayana started his journey from his birthplace Bangalore on February 5. He passed through the city on way to Delhi on Monday for onward journey that covers around 90,000 kms. He has designed a vehicle in which his bags, medical kits and other items have been kept.
He said, “I want to sensitise people about physically and mentally disabled persons and above all, I want to ensure that people especially children learn traffic rules and strictly abide by them.”
Narayana, who is employed as a marketing executive at a transport company, opts to call himself a ‘Fabricator’. He designs special vehicles for physically disabled by modifying the ordinary vehicles.
Narayana has put a banner on his bike in which he has make an appeal to parents not to give vehicles to minors, use helmet while driving two-wheelers and not to talk on cell phones while driving. He has also make an appeal to get the blood group of bridegroom checked before marriage.
“Scientists says that same blood group of bride and groom may results in deformity of future generation so I have displayed this prominently,” he said. He intends to tour 25 countries across in West Asia, Africa and Europe. “After receiving visa from Delhi, I would to Mumbai from where I have planned to catch the flight to UAE,” Narayana said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / by Vinod Khanal, TNN / June 02nd, 2015
1) The Royal staircase, constructed using white marbles was used by VVIPs at the Lalitha Mahal Palace. 2) The bed room of the Viceroy’s room. [Pics by Ramesh Sarkar]by S.N. Venkatnag Sobers
One of the must visit places in Mysuru is the famous Lalitha Mahal Palace which is located in Siddharthanagar. Lalitha Mahal Palace is the largest Palace in Mysuru after Amba Vilas Palace.
Lalitha Mahal Palace was built by the then King Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar in 1921 for the Viceroy of India, who visited Mysuru. Built on a raised ground, the Palace was fashioned on the lines of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and is one of the imposing structures of Mysuru city.
Painted in pure white, Lalitha Mahal Palace was converted into a heritage hotel in 1974. The hotel is now run by the Lalit Ashok Group belonging to India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), Government of India. Despite the hotel being taken over by the Government, it has made sure retain the royal ambience.
Set amidst sprawling landscaped gardens below the Chamundi Hills, the Lalitha Mahal Palace was planned by E.W. Fritchley, the architect from Mumbai and constructed by B. Munivenkatappa. The Palace built in Renaissance architectural style is considered as an adaptation of the St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, particularly the central dome. The architecture of the Palace reflects English manor houses and Italian Palazzos. It is a two storied structure. The supporting structure of the Palace is of Ionic double column. At the ground level, there is a projecting porch. Spherical domes with the dominating central dome sets the front elevation of the Palace. Decorative stained glass has been extensively used to enhance the elegance of the Palace, both in the exterior facades and in interiors doors, windows and ceilings. A lovely view of the Chamundi Hill to the left and in front the Mysuru city is seen from the balcony.
The Palace has exquisitely designed Viceroy Room, a Banquet Hall, a Dancing Floor and an Italian Marble Staircase and is also embellished with small ornamentations, which are said to be replicas from various Palaces in Britain. The full length portraits of the Wadiyar Kings, Italian Marble Floors and Belgian Crystal Chandeliers, Cut Glass Lamps, Heavy Ornate Furniture, Mosaic Tiles and a couple of exquisite Persian carpets gives the Palace its regal ambience. With conversion of the Palace into a heritage hotel, interiors have been modified to provide modern conveniences but most of the earlier sections of the Palace such as the dancing and banquet halls have been retained in their original elegance but adopted as dining halls and conference halls for holding meetings and conventions; these have polished wooden flooring and three stain glass domes in the ceiling. The ballroom in particular, which has been converted into the Dining Hall, is a baroque hall with immensely high ceiling with domed skylights made of Belgian glass. The floor of the ballroom is also fitted with springs that are adjustable. The ballroom was used by the British for organising parties. The floor was made adjustable to the type of dance they wished to perform on that day. A swimming pool is now an additional provision. The elevator which was installed here in 1921 is still in working condition and is used by the guests who visit the hotel.
Unique features of Lalitha Mahal Palace
Lalitha Mahal Palace is known for some unique features which are not seen in any hotels in city. Paintings of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar and Jayachamaraja Wadiyar which are displayed here are unique as they are three dimensional. One can see the painting turning towards us as we move to different directions in front of the paintings displayed in the lobby area. This was discovered only when the paintings were sent for restoration at Regional Conservation Laboratory a few years ago. The paintings were done by artistes A.R. Vasu and Nagaraj in 1944.
The ITDC has also maintained the fittings in the bathroom which were installed during the construction of the Palace.
Speaking to Star of Mysore, Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel General Manager Joseph Mathias said that the ITDC had taken up restoration works of the Palace since it was old. “The Palace was constructed using the mixture of limestone and mud. For the Palace to be restored, we need experts to take up the restoration works. The ITDC had approached the Regional Conservatory Laboratory (RCL) for the restoration works, they have prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) which has been submitted to our head office in New Delhi. The works will be taken up soon after an approval is given for the same”, said Joseph Mathias.
The ITDC plans to take up the restoration of the domes of the Palace in the first phase soon after the monsoon season ends and in the later stages it will take up the renovation of rooms and other works.
No information on disinvestment
Joseph Mathias said that neither he nor ITDC had received any information with respect to Central Government’s decision to disinvest in Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel. He added that though the Minister had expressed his opinion, no official communication had been received.
Further, he added that the Lalitha Mahal Palace had earned a net profit of Rs. 27 lakh in the past couple of months after he took over the charge as the General Manager of the hotel. He also said that the ITDC had earned a total profit of Rs. 40 crore in last fiscal year.
The reason for the Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel to incur loss in the last fiscal year was due to expenditure on repair works. The ITDC has spent Rs. 54 lakh on repair of roads within the hotel premises, Rs. 26 lakh on Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) and Rs. 10-15 lakh on electrical works, said Mathias.
If the hotel is privatised it will become a concrete jungle and the green space which is surrounding the Lalitha Mahal Palace will vanish. People living in surrounding areas of Lalitha Mahal Palace will have no place to go for their morning and evening walks.
The Palace is located on 46 acre land, only 10 acre of land is used for the construction and the rest has been preserved as green cover to provide fresh air for the guests as well as the people living in surrounding areas.
Training for students
ITDC has been conducting training programme for the students who have been brought from the North Eastern States of the country. The corporation has been a part of a programme called Development of North East Region (DONER) which focuses on giving exposure to the students of North-East region.
They are trained for a year in various aspects of Hotel Management such as the Front Office, Food and Beverage Department and others. ITDC also helps in placing these trained students in various hotels across the country.
New initiatives
General Manager Joesph Mathias said that he plans to introduce new schemes for the benefit of Mysureans who wish to visit the Lalitha Mahal Palace.
He added that soon, ITDC would introduce a programme where a person can visit the Palace Hotel paying Rs. 1,200 and stay till evening. The day starts at 11 am; he/she will be given a traditional welcome with a welcome drink. Later, the visitor will be taken on a tour of the Palace Hotel, lunch will be served, he/she can also use the swimming pool. Before checking-out the visitor will be served with tea/coffee and cookies. Others, who do not wish to pay Rs. 1,200 and just want to visit the Palace, will have to pay Rs. 100 as cover charge. They will be allowed to go around in the ground floor of the Palace Hotel and later will be served with coffee or tea. However, they will have to pay extra for having food and beverages.
Mathais also said that he has plans to organise ‘Steak and Sizzler’ festival during August or September and later ‘Dandiya Nights’ during Dasara festivities.
A place for marriages
Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel is known for hosting wedding events. The elite class in Mysuru have had their marriages arranged at the Palace Hotel. The hotel rents out the entire Palace for the wedding and other events. There is also a banquet hall, ball room, swimming pool area, front area of the Palace which are rented out for wedding and other occasions.
Film Shooting
Lalitha Mahal Palace has been a popular destination for film shooting. There have been more than 600 films been shot here. Films starring Rajnikanth, late Vishnuvardhan, Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha and other superstars have been shot in Lalitha Mahal Palace premises.
With ITDC coming up with new initiatives, we only hope the Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel continues to attract a lot of guests who will enjoy their stay at the magnificent structure in city.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / Saturday – June 02nd, 2015
As a school-going boy, he saw the Mysuru Maharani’s Daimler pick his grandmother up from his house. Fascinated by the Daimler, the young boy came running out and sat on the compound wall staring at this royal beauty.
He had made up his mind. He was firm on owning this royal machine one day. Now a retired businessman, Ramanna is the enthusiastic owner of a 1951 Daimler Consort, which he has named — Betty.
“It is a Daimler passion rather than a vintage passion,” says Ramanna proudly. Recalling his school days, he says, “When I used to sit on the wall watching the Daimler, the driver of the car came up to me one day and said, ‘Boy…you will become a driver like me if you sit here and watch. Go inside and study,’ and these words thrilled me and I decided that I will own a Daimler one day, instead of sitting in my grandfather’s Austin 7.”
The original Daimler company closed down but Ramanna’s dream was still alive. Years passed, and one day, in 1998, his brother rang up saying, “There is a Daimler for sale, are you interested?” Without wasting a second, Ramanna said yes and there was his dream. “The car was in pieces. There was no wiring, no headlights. But she was a Daimler,” he says. She lay in their house in pieces for four years and the mission of fixing her began after Ramanna’s retirement.
“There were hardly any mechanics who were ready to come and she would not go out of this house. Finally, I got my father’s mechanic, Murthy. He was old and we used to work from morning to noon and take a break,” he explains.
The slow process kickstarted again when Ramanna’s daughter went to London Business School. “I did not know the technicalities of the car. As my daughter was in London, I could get in touch with ‘Daimler and Lanchester Club’ and many other Daimler owners,” he informs.
He wrote about his Daimler dream in the Club’s journal and it is then that he met a British guy who owned three Daimlers. He let Ramanna rip the parts of one of his spare Daimlers and Ramanna says, “He asked me to take all the parts I needed and I sat for four hours removing just four bolts! The British guy then came with a hammer and ripped all the parts and gave it to me,” he reminisces.
The parts were transported to India and he recalls, “My wife Mridula safely trolleyed the parts and no one questioned her at the customs.”
Ramanna’s Betty has undergone various stages of restoration and each part of hers has a story to tell. While Betty’s upholstery was done by a local sofa repairer riding a bicycle, her wiring was done by a mechanic who was a Dubai return.
“I had to pick up this Dubai returned mechanic in my Mercedes car. But later he did not finish the work and I completed it referring to the book given to me by the Daimler Club,” he says. The book was given to him as an appreciation for his passion by one of the British guys.
His strong passion for Daimler has also taken him to Gujarat as he says, “One
of the Daimler club members wrote to me to get the measurements of Maharaja’s Daimler in Gujarat, as he had the same model. I went till Gujarat and took the measurements and sent it to Britain. I did this, also because, I would get a ride in my dream car,” he explains.
Betty has rewarded Ramanna with a lot of new friends in the City and abroad. She has also let them be part of many vintage rallies including the ones in London.
Betty is taken out on Saturdays and Sundays on Sankey Tank Road or Cubbon Park. “We have three cars. One is Betty. The Mercedes we have is Veronica and the Esteem is Lucy. Veronica comes out for clubs and dinners and Lucy for all the regular work,” he says lovingly.
“Our children are abroad and now these three are our daughters,” the couple say. Ramanna adds that it has been a great journey with the Daimler and concludes, “Daimler was a dream and now it has become a reality after Betty came home.”
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> MetroLife / by Prajna GR, DHNS / June 02nd, 2015
1) Mysore style portrait painting of Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar seated on the Golden Throne based on the 2013 Khas Darbar. Artist: K.S. Shreehari, 2014. Size: 41×51 cms. Collection: Ramsons Kala Pratishtana, Mysore. 2) Portrait painting of Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar seated on the silver Bhadrasana. Artist: Manish Verma, 2015. Size: 37×51 cms. Gouache on paper. Collection: RKP, Mysore.
by R.G. Singh, Secretary, Ramsons Kala Pratishtana, Mysore
Peacock pavilion of the Mysore Palace is where the coronation of the new Scion of the Mysore Royal family is scheduled to be held tomorrow. In the hall adjacent to this pavilion is the portrait gallery that has on its walls the official portraits of several Wadiyar rulers along with their family members. It is here that one begins to realise the importance that a royal portrait played in private and public life of the nobility.
Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV
But it was also special events that were to be immortalised on canvas or photographed or painted. The Daly Memorial Hall of the Mythic Society in Bengaluru greets the visitor with a portrait officially commissioned of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV on the him being conferred the honour of Knight Grand Commander Star of India on January 1, 1907.
The oil on canvas portrait shows the king partly in profile. The Honour is pinned to a sash. The bejewelled necklace covering the neck of sherwani only adds to the richness of the attire. The fluted and feathered plume with a jewelled brooch holding it in place to the turban also adds to the portrait’s grandeur.
11-year-old Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV
Royal portraits have hidden sutras embedded in them that takes the viewer back in time. The Official Coronation portrait of the 11-year-old Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV is one such portrait.
This is a stylised photographic portrait and has several artfully placed emblems; the jacquard seat of the chair, the three-legged table with a curved triangular holder, a clock and some leather covered folders. The young prince is shown resting one hand on them while the other is on his hip. A Beagle stands motionless under the table.
Photographer Buranuddin of Mysore has used all possible elements that signify royalty in composing this photograph.
Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar
The autographed official photograph of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar to mark the Silver Jubilee of his coronation in 1927 shows the then King dressed sombrely resting one hand on the back of a chair. The single-row bejewelled necklace and the chain and fob in the upper coat pocket add a touch of elegance. Even the Mysore peta is unembellished. The photograph was printed in Germany on water-marked archival paper.
Chamaraja Wadiyar
Another painting at the Jaganmohan Palace is the coronation scene of Maharaja Chamaraja Wadiyar. The painting was created by the artist Venkata Subbu in 1868.
There is an official portrait of Chamaraja Wadiyar on being conferred with the Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India in 1892. The above photograph reproduced here was ‘clicked’ by the famous Raja Deen Dayal of Hyderabad.
While the English royalty painters used pastoral themes their Indian counterparts used the very ‘Indianness’ of such public events of those days to display their virtuosity.
For instance, the 1927 Silver Jubilee of Nalwadi’s coronation has been commemorated with a beautiful portrait done by artist Keshavaiah; this masterpiece is on display at the Banquet Hall of the Vidhana Soudha. Interestingly, the advent of photography did not deal a death knell to the art of portrait paintings. Instead it led to another innovation – the painted photograph.
Jayachamaraja Wadiyar
By the time Jayachamaraja Wadiyar ascended the throne, both photography and painted photographs were very much in vogue. But such was the ingenuity of the Indian photographers that their photographs of the Royalty was a marriage of these several stylisations. Thus you have photographs of Jayachamaraja Wadiyar shown in what was supposed to be a candid form. At various times you had special photographs of Jayachamaraja Wadiyar ‘clicked’ by the then well-known City Studios like Star Studio, Palace Studio and Raj Studio. The variation was of course the painted photograph of Jayachamaraja Wadiyar by M.N. Murthy.
The photograph taken by the unknown photographer of Palace Studios of Jayachamaraja Wadiyar in 1940 to commemorate the king’s coronation has been replicated as a painted photograph by artist M.N. Murthy and is now in the RKP collection. But at no stage did photographs or painted photographs replace the portrait painter.
The tradition of painting historical events continues to this day. The last scion of the Royal House of Mysore, the late Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar along with his sisters and their husbands have been painted as several individual portraits by M. Ramanarsayya, the former Superintendent of Jaganmohan Palace.
Keeping the art of Painted Portraits alive
Ramsons Kala Pratishtana, in its efforts to keep alive the art of painted portraits, first commissioned artist K.S. Shreehari in 2014 to paint a classical portrait of Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar in the Mysore style (see pic. top right) based on photographs of 2013 Navaratri Khas Darbar.
This was followed by commissioning artist Manish Verma to recreate a Mysore style painting using a photograph of the Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar. This classic Mysore style portraiture shows the young scion accoutred in his royal vestments and Mysore peta adorning his head while his posture follows the classic from that can be seen in many of the older Wadiyar portraits. He is seated on the silver Bhadrasana which suggests that he has just been invested with the (symbolic) royal authority of Mysore Kingdom.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Wednesday – June 02nd, 2015
Rarely do you come across a young painter who is also a business administrator. Priya Ostwal, 22, is one such person.
Being the daughter of Gautam Ostwal, CEO of Ostwal Group and president of The Indus Entrepreneurs, Hubballi chapter, Priyal could have easily led a luxurious life. But she has chosen to become an incubatee of Sandbox Startup of Hubballi to nurture her firm Art Street. It is not easy to sell painting in tier-2 cities like Hubballi, but Priyal she is committed to working hard to get value paintings — not only her own, but also that of other artists.
Priyal is planning to launch www.artstreetinternational.com, an e-commerce website, in a month to help artists from across the world upload and sell their paintings. “This website is aimed at helping poor artists. Artists from smaller cities and rural areas don’t get opportunities to sell their paintings. There is still a myth in semi-urban and rural India that painting is just a hobby that cannot bring financial value. I also had the same opinion five years ago before turning my passion into profession,” she says.
Priyal wants to promote artists from the North Karnataka region. She has approached about 200 artists, taking consent to upload their works.
Sharing her business plan, Priyal says there will be a theme every month. “They (artists) have to make paintings on the said theme. Apart from the theme, artists can upload any paintings of their choice. At the other end, buyers will also be given an option of customizing their orders. They can approach us via email, describing their idea and requirement and even insist on a particular artist’s works,” she explains.
Priyal’s tryst with painting started even before she joined nursery classes. “She was drawing some sketches on the wall and floor whenever she used to get pencil, wax crayons or sketch pens,” recalls her mother Manju.
Priyal, is pursuing MBA from Sikkim Manipal University. She has been successful in getting a one-year collaboration with The Gateway Hotel, Hubballi, to display her paintings.
Hotel manager Dharmesh Kariyappa says customers have appreciated Priyal’s paintings. “Considering visitors’ response, we are thinking of expanding the display in the hotel’s corridor,” he says.
Her paintings have found place in a Chennai art gallery and been exhibited at about 10 exhibitions in various cities of the nation.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hubballi / by Sangamesh Menasinakai, TNN / May 28th, 2015
“Photographers are being neglected in the country,” bemoaned S. Thippeswamy, renowned Wildlife Photographer.
He was speaking at a programme organised at Sriranga auditorium in Rangayana premises here yesterday by Chalana Publishers to mark the release of the books, ‘Hakki Mattu Goodu’ and ‘Vadabalu’ written by H.V. Krishna Malavalli.
Thippeswamy observed that the achievers by various sectors were being felicitated but the government had not come forward to honour a lensman or encourage their tribute.
He pointed out that the country had excelled in photography field and an International award had been won six times and added that the teams were from Karnataka.
Thippeswamy said that the State had the highest number of wildlife photographers in the country. He pointed out that there were over 1,000 species of birds in the country with over 500 species in the State and researching on their food habits, lifestyle and movement was a difficult task.
He lauded the book, ‘ Hakki Mattu Goodu’ which contained research findings of the life of 25 species of birds.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / May 25th, 2015
Journalist Sanath Kumar, author Krishna M.V. Malavalli and others were present.
Passion has little to do with euphoria and everything to do with patience,’ said American author Mark Z Danielewski. Having an unaltered passion for antique beauties is Ashwath Narayan, an automobile engineer. A collector of vintage and classic cars, Ashwath bought his first car when he was 15 years old. “My first ride was a Morris Minor,” Ashwath says proudly. An automobile consultant then, his career doubled his love for cars, which he says will never perish.
“The love for cars dates back to my childhood. My father had Dodge, Rampage and Plymouth…then. I grew up with these cars and this is the root to my enduring passion,” he explains. A youthful person, he now owns the 1936 Austin, 1956 Super 10, 1949 Morris Minor and 1964 Morris Traveller. The list does not end there as he has a unique and a popular two wheeler — Rajdoot Runabout. “This bike was not very popular at the time of its manufacture. But it became a household name after Dimple Kapadia and Rishi Kapoor’s movie ‘Bobby’. In the movie, the hero and the heroine elope on this bike. It is after the success of this movie that this bike came to be called as ‘Bobby’ bike and everyone wanted to own this then,” he explains.
Parked with utter care in his garage, the Super 10, a raven beauty with red upholstery, is as good as it was during its time of manufacture. “This car was restored completely by me from scratch. I am its only owner and I have done everything from suspension, gear box, tinkering, painting and upholstery. It was in complete clapped out condition when I bought it,” he says. The Morris Traveller, an English beauty with wooden framed doors, was directly imported from the UK in its original form. The other convertible car — Austin, is part of a family as his sons Sanjay and Rajeev say, “We have grown up with Austin.”
Sanjay adds saying, “Austin is a very reliable car that has a rich heritage. We have spent our childhood in this and there were times when the car has given up on us, especially during the rallies. But the power of this car is such that people came readily to help push it to start. However, these things are very rare to be experienced now. There is no such camaraderie anymore and there is no human touch to all of it, which I sometimes miss.”
As the phrase goes — like father, like sons — Sanjay and Rajeev both share a connection with the classic machines and Rajeev puts it across as, “We have this passion in our DNAs.” While Rajeev is enthusiastic about these cars, Sanjay has added more to this inherited passion as he has developed an ultra-lightweight road bike Colnago Master, which is the only surviving bike of its sort in India. The passion bug has also smitten Ashwath’s wife Sulochana and Ashwath says, “My wife is very supportive about my passion and she is equally enthusiastic about these cars.”
The rallies are also a time for family outing in these cars. Ashwath, has also driven his Super 10 and Morris Minor till Mysuru to take part in the rallies.
Maintained in first-rate condition, Ashwath says, “I am sometimes scared to take these cars out on the roads as there is a lot of attention pouring in while driving them, which sometimes becomes disturbing.” He comments on the technology of these cars as rough and tough. “It is a costly affair. But once restored and maintained well, they will not give you any problem,” he adds.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplement> Metrolife / by Prajna GR, DHNS / May 26th, 2015
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