Rev. Fr. Michael Gonsalves (61), a Priest of the Diocese of Mysuru, passed away in the early hours here today. Born on Feb. 11, 1954, he was ordained a Priest on April 23, 1982.
Fr. Michael Gonsalves had served as a Priest in Chamarajanagar, K.R. Pet, Kushalnagar, Maradiyoor and presently was serving at Virgin of the Poor Church in Bannimantap, Mysuru.
The body will be kept at Prashantha Nilaya, (opposite Vidyaniketan SVD Seminary), Bannimantap, for the public to pay their last respects.
The body will be brought to Virgin of the Poor Church, Bannimantap, at 8 am on Sunday (Feb. 15) and there will be a Holy Mass for the repose of the soul of the deceased at 8.15 am.
Thereafter, the body will be kept in the same Church for the public to pay their last respects upto 8.30 am on Monday (Feb. 16).
There will be concelebrated funeral mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral (St. Philomena’s Church), Mysuru, at 10.30 am on Feb. 16 which will be presided by Most Rev. Dr. Thomas Antony Vazhapilly, Bishop of Mysuru. The deceased Priest will be laid to rest at around 12 noon at the Catholic Cemetery on Mahadevapura Road, Gandhi Nagar here, according to Rev. Fr. K.A. William, PRO – Diocese of Mysuru.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Saturday – February 14th, 2015
Karanji Lake Nature Park, one of the most scenic places in Mysuru city, will soon open its second butterfly park.
One such park is already situated in a small island within the lake but hasn’t been able to attract many butterflies.
Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens executive director B P Ravi told Express, “Butterflies require specific eco-climatic conditions. The island concept is wrong. The habitat is not suitable and attracts very few butterflies as it is surrounded by water. The temperature and humidity needs to be mild. This is why a new butterfly garden is being set up near the entrance gate.”
Mysuru Zoo authorities own and maintain Karanji Lake.
Nearly 150 varieties of nectar and host plants will be planted in the garden to attract various kinds of butterflies.
Display boards with information on the kinds of butterflies along with their specialities and importance will be put up.
The lake authorities also plan to encourage college students to plant saplings and will teach them about the importance of conservation. Nearly 60 per cent of the work has been completed and the garden will be ready by March. Apart from this, visitors to the lake will get to visit an orchidarium (an area where orchids are cultivated), a cactus terrarium, and a paludarium (an area that incorporates both terrestrial and aquatic elements).
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / February 16th, 2015
Konkani Language and Cultural Foundation took the first step towards safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (ICH) of Konkani by organizing a national workshop at the World Konkani Centre (WKC) on Sunday.
Shubha Chaudhuri, associate director general, American Institute of Indian Studies, New Delhi, told TOI that dealing with intangible cultural heritage of any community is a big challenge. “No one can fully finish the process of documenting it,” she said, adding the first step in that direction should be making an inventory of what needs to be documented by consulting various stakeholders. “Community participation holds the key in this direction,” she said.
Explaining reasons for this approach supported by Unesco, which adopted ICH convention at its 32nd session in Paris from September 29 to October 17, 2003, Chaudhuri said, “There is no point in reviving the old. The focus is now on trying to promote existing cultural heritage and how best to stop them from going extinct,” she said.
It is always easy to document the tangible heritage of a community in terms of its buildings and other assets. But there are many communities in faraway islands tucked away in remote corners of the world, which have their own rich oral tradition.
Chaudhuri, who has worked in this area in Nepal, said: “If communities sans tangible assets have healthy transmission of their intangible oral tradition, that should suffice rather than worry about traditions dying,” she said.
Shigeru Aoyagi, director and Unesco representative to Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka and Maldives, said, “Safeguarding intangible heritage requires far more complex exercise than preserving a monument, because its survival depends on human factors,” he said.
He pointed out that the latest technologies cannot help much because intangible heritage by nature has to be safeguarded alive, and cannot be recorded or conserved as museum piece out of its social context. “What sustains intangible heritage is nothing but existence of a group of people – practitioners, scholars and public alike – who continue loving and giving sense to the tradition and perhaps this is the ultimate key to safeguarding intangible heritage,” he said.
Kiran Budkuley, HOD of English, Goa University, said, “We will be more than willing to share our experience with the World Konkani Centre to safeguard Konkani’s intangible cultural heritage,” she said. Goa University could moot signing MoU with the Centre if needed to formalize the same, she added.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangaluru / TNN / February 09th, 2015
An artiste performing at the Japan Habba in Bengaluru on Sunday.— Photo: Sudhakara Jain / The Hindu
The audience were enraptured while the famous Kannada song Anisuthide yaako indu from the filmMungaru Male was being performed. What was unusual about this was it was being performed by Kuboki Kazumasa, who is Japanese. They cheered on enthusiastically as Japanese women and children danced to famous numbers from Hindi film Hasee Toh Phasee .
The audience was even more enthralled and captivated when Japanese nationals staged a humorous drama on marriages in India in Kannada.
This was at the 11th Japan Habba organised here on Sunday. Organised by Bangalore University along with Consulate of Japan, Bengaluru, The Japan Foundation, New Delhi, and other Japanese organisations. The aim of the habba was to promote Indo-Japanese relations, besides creating opportunities for people to learn more about Japan.
As part of the habba, several cultural events were organised, including Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam performances by the Japanese, and Odori, a traditional Japanese dance, performance by Indians. Japanese martial arts — Aikido and Ninjutsu — were also demonstrated.
This is what attracted Rohan Jain, a BPO employee from Mumbai, to come down to the city. “I was mainly interested in cosplay (costume play) and it was an interesting experience,” he said. The habba also featured lip-smacking delicacies from Japan.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / Bengalurua – February 16th, 2015
Having come from a typical rural background, this person had no idea about his journey in life. After working hard for 14 long years, today he has become one of the most sought-after sound effects engineers in the country.
We are talking about Vijaykumar, a boy belonging to a poor family of Santhemarahalli in Chamarajanagar district, who braved all odds to become a successful sound engineer.
His journey began with him taking to distribute newspapers to households in his village. After suffering a loss in business, he headed to Mumbai and entered the film industry.
His latest movie ‘Roar: Tigers of the Sundarbans,’ directed by Kamal Sadanah, has been nominated for the prestigious 62nd Gold Reel Awards instituted by Motion Pictures Sound Editors.
Vijaykumar shared his experience in a brief teate-e-tete with Star of Mysore. Excerpts…
Star of Mysore (SOM): Your journey so far has been fascinating. Tell us something about your childhood?
Vijaykumar: I belong to Santhemarahalli in Chamarajanagar District but my native is Malavalli in Mandya district. Since my father worked in a silk yarn manufacturing company, we had to settle in Santhemarahalli and even today my parents are residing in the same village. I am the second son to my parents. After completing my primary education in Malavalli we shifted to Chamarajanagar. I attended high school and PU at Govt. PU College in Yelandur. I have completed B.Com from JSS College and later studied Diploma in Computer Science. Unfortunately, I did not get a suitable job for my qualification.
SOM: How did you enter into film industry?
Vijaykumar: After completing my education, I started a newspaper agency to help my family. Unfortunately, I had to suffer a huge loss and was unemployed for few months. Suddenly, I remembered one of my friends who had settled in Mumbai. I explained to him about the problems I was facing. Without much delay, he asked me to come to Mumbai and join ‘Aradhana Sounds Service’ studio.
After joining the studio as an office boy for a salary of Rs. 900, I used to attend to the students who visited the studio. While, the students were being explained about the sound engineering, I used to listen to the experts. This is when the diploma I has studied came handy. With things being explained in an unknown language (Hindi) I could only catch a few words. But, slowly I developed Hindi knowledge which helped in learning sound engineering.
SOM: Tell something about your journey from an office boy to a sound engineer?
Vijaykumar: While, I was working in the studio, Oscar winner Resul Pookutty who observed my eagerness to learn, took me as his technical assistant. Initially, my work was to arrange the computer system for him to work. While, he worked I stood behind him and observed his work. After his work was done I used to ask him questions to clear my doubts. It is because of his guidance and my hard work that I reached this level.
SOM: Share something about your relationship with Resul Pookutty
Vijaykumar: Resul Pookutty had a lot of affection for me. While he quit Aradhana Studio to setup his own, Resul sir took me along with him. I have worked in many Hollywood projects along with him as an assistant. He also received the Oscar award for ‘Slum Dog Millionaire.’ Now, ‘Roar: Tigers of the Sundarban’ has been nominated for Golden Reel Award.
SOM: For how many movies have you worked with Resul Pookutty?
Vijaykumar: I have worked for most of his movies. Slum Dog Millionaire, Ghajini, Kochadaiyaan, Robot are some of the movies that I have worked with Resul sir. I have worked in Sound Effects Department for the movie ‘Roar: Tigers of the Sunderban.’
SOM: Which are the other films vying for Gold Reel Awards?
Vijaykumar: There are four other films of foreign countries nominated for the award that is for technical excellence and the award will be presented at a function to be held in Los Angels in America on Feb. 14 and I am eagerly awaiting for the outcome.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / February 08th, 2015
A typical hero stone has been discovered 5 km from Kollur Mookambika Temple by Murlidhar Hegde, a junior engineer of the temple. This discovery is significant for the cultural history and antiquity of Kollur, said professor T Murugeshi, an archaeologist and associate professor in Ancient History and Archaeology, M S R S College, Shirva in Udupi district. Kollur Mookambika temple, 135 kms from Mangaluru, is an important pilgrim centre. Goddess Mookambika is in the form of Jyotir Linga here, incorporating both Shiva and Shakthi.
Murugeshi says erecting memorial stones in honour of the deceased was an ancient practice in India. Menhirs were erected in the megalithic period in honour of the dead and different types of memorial stones such as hero stones and sati stones were raised in different forms and styles. It was also introduced in coastal Karnataka where it is found in different styles and forms. The hero stone is divided into five strips with bottom three depicting war scenes. The fourth shows four dead warriors sitting with palms joined over their heads in salutation. The fifth has carved figures of four dead persons seated on either side of a royal figure, seated in a heroic posture. This is a distinct feature of this hero stone. In medieval hero stones the deceased are generally depicted sitting near god.
“The hero stone under study was prepared in the style and form of medieval ones. It is datable to the 13th-14th century AD. The temple’s history dates back to 17th century to the Keladi kings. But there is a belief that Shankaracharya established the temple in the 8th century. There is no historical evidence of the period between 8th and 17th centuries, and hence, this Hoysala-style discovery is crucial,” said Murugeshi.
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / BangaloreMirror / Home> News> State / by Deepthi Sanjiv, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / February 11th, 2015
The city-based public-spirited duo Dr. Anil Sangli (Consultant Neuro and Spine Surgeon) and Sripad Sangli (Certified Financial Planner and Music Therapist), founders of Scientific Research Innovations in Advanced Neurosciences (SRIAN) have organised an event “Neuroscience and Art” at Veene Seshanna Bhavan, Kuvempunagar) here on Feb. 6 from 5.30 pm comprising release of two books — ‘Ootada Battalalli Aarogya’ by Meenakshi Bhat and ‘Joy of Conquering Cancer: A spiritual dimension – A Journalist’s Memoir’ authored by veteran journalist Krishna Vattam.
The first book in Kannada presents in simple language the regimen of diet based on traditional food and food habits for healthy living. The second book is the English version of the Kannada publication by Vattam presenting his years of battling with cancer and the delight of overcoming the scourge with a positive mindset and prompt treatment, with the message that cancer survivors owe a duty to educate and involve themselves in cancer awareness campaigns.
Dr. B.S. Ajay Kumar, Founder-Chairman, Healthcare Global Enterprises Ltd., will be the chief guest. Dr. Vasundhara Bhupathi, Secretary, Karnataka Rajya Vijnana Parishat and President, Karnataka Lekhakiyara Sangha, will be the guest of honour. Ravindra Bhat, Special Correspondent, Prajavani and Bharathi Hegde, Chief Sub-Editor, Vijayavani will be the special invitees. Dr. Anil Sangli and Sripad Sangli will speak on the theme ‘Neuroscience and Art’ based on their research in the field.
The programme will begin with an invocation by renowned playback singer Veena S. Pandit followed by musical delight by Shreyas Sai, Mansi Pai and Shilpa Srinath. The event will be compered by Vidu. Rajalakshmi G. Sridhar while snippets will be presented by Niranjan Nikam and Bharathi Hegde.
SRIAN Envisions, an organisation that works with the theme ‘Harmonising Health-Wealth-Wellness,’ has been offering inter-disciplinary professional complementary services. SRIAN Envisions highlights the benefits of Neuroscience by bringing the essenc eof mind-body interaction and the art of attaining youthfulness.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Thursday – February 05th, 2015
The Fort High School at Chamarajpet in Bengaluru was built in 1907. File Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy
INTACH has taken up the structure for preliminary assessment to suggest areas that need restoration
The 108-year-old Fort High School building in Chamarajpet has braved the vagaries of time. The school that was built in 1907 has also witnessed several students graduate from its portals, right from freedom fighter H.S. Doreswamy and political statesman V.S. Krishna Iyer to the former cricketer G.R. Vishwanath.
However, the old building is crying for attention. The clay-tiled roof needs urgent replacement, while the walls are damp due to leakages. The steel and wooden trusses in the building need to be treated, the walls need plastering, and flooring and wooden staircase need work. Even the stucco work on the walls look damaged.
The structure has now been taken up for preliminary assessment by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), which will suggest areas that need restoration so as to bring back its colonial grandeur. “We will share our study with the Department of Public Instruction and anyone who is interested in taking up the restoration,” said Meera Iyer, co-convener of INTACH.
There are thousands of such old buildings in the city that can be preserved for value of antiquity. “As per INTACH’s listing, Ulsoor alone has nearly 90 heritage buildings,” she said.
The buildings in INTACH listing are grouped into various categories and grades, as per international standards. This helps identify the heritage potential of the buildings. Some of the buildings that have a public connect are assessed in depth by restoration experts and conservation architects to establish their social relevance.
“Recently, INTACH took up a study in Lalbagh to advice the Department of Horticulture for the restoration of three buildings — Library Building, Krumbigal Hall and Old Aquarium,” Ms. Iyer said.
It is the cost-factor that plays the spoilsport in the restoration of heritage structures, she said, and added that to bring back the bygone glory of a building, one requires not just “a feel for the old”, but also flair to identify the techniques required for restoration.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Ranjani Govind / Bengaluru – February 09th, 2015
When was the last time you went to a museum? If you can’t recall, this NGO’s project will help refresh your memory and revitalise the idea in your head
The Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum attracts 10 lakh visitors per year. (Top right) The National Gallery of Modern Art where they’re are organising new exhibitions, workshops, family quizzes, gallery walks and auditorium programmes to attract visitors
Swords, guns, king’s outfits, utensils, palanquins, artefacts, lamps, artworks… and life itself. Museums are much more than storerooms of strange and fascinating objects from a bygone era, preserved and labelled in glass cases with ‘Do Not Touch’ signs on them. They’re repositories of a way of life, showcasing a history and continuum that has brought us where we are today — whether sociologically or culturally. So why is that most of us rush to visit museums in other countries, but haven’t gone to one in our immediate vicinity since our school days, or without our children and grandchildren? Bengaluru NGO ReReeti, which hopes to transform Indian museums into spaces of learning, delight and meaningful engagement for Indian and overseas visitors, is attempting to answer that very question with a project called ‘Object of my Affection’.
In an effort to contemporarise the museum experience and re-introduce its value to a young audience, ‘Object of my Affection’ invites people to contemplate the value of objects in their home and imagine them in a museum 60 years from now. After all, “citizens get a sense of their ethnological ancestry, their nation’s cultural, scientific, historical, and technological progress through the materials on display at museums,” says Tejshvi Jain, Founding-Director of ReReeti. If you admire an object for its design, functionality or aesthetic appeal, and think it is precious today and may not be in use say 60 years from now, take a picture and upload it to Twitter or email them. Tell them when was the last time you visited a museum and why this object is museum-worthy or valuable to you. Through the exercise, which commences today and will go on for a month, ReReeti hopes to spark a thought process about the purpose of museums and help people look at them anew — as spaces that tell a narrative of a way of life.
More than objects
SK Aruni, City Director of Indian Council of Historical Research Bangalore, believes the time is ripe for such an initiative. Ruing that the revival of museums is not taken seriously, he says, “Each object has its own history, its own growth. But a museum needs to go beyond just labelling and displaying these items,” he believes. That could be done via cultural entertainment, “to show how life was lived at the time” and interactive displays or stories of the way art developed from ancient to modern times, “in art galleries”, he believes.
Great ideas, but not always successfully implemented. DK Chowda, General Secretary, Chitrakala Parishat says, “We have some of the best collections in the world including works by Bengal artistes and folk artistes, leather puppets and Mysore traditional paintings, among others.” He admits there is a need to attract newer audiences by making this a more lively space — by way of storytelling sessions around paintings, audio and visual aids, and a focus on promoting art and culture. “But we need funding and space,” is his refrain. Simple changes — like making the third floor “easier to reach”, and employing guides who can take people through the rich tapestries of the Mysore paintings (“Where did this style start? How did it emerge? What are the myths?”) are his suggestions, and hopes for the art school and museum.
Jain agrees. “Museums are perceived as dull, boring spaces,” she says. But that can be changed, if they work to fulfil people’s needs. She cites the examples of sleepovers in some US museums.
And in the UK, museums such as Tate and Victor and Albert Museum are, every so often kept open till late in the evening, and the look is changed, complete with disco lights and bars. “That attracts youngsters. Architecture students create theme-based activities — like games related to the architecture of the museum.” In Scotland, she recalls a Christmas-themed day at a museum when adults stood in a huge line, excited to make small badges with selfies on it. “In that process, they end up visiting the museum,” she says.
Have activities
It’s a philosophy KG Kumar, Director, Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, has been trying to further ever since his return to the institution two years ago. Proudly citing a figure of 10 lakh visitors per year “highest in the science council of museums”, he talks about the various initiatives he has undertaken to make the museum a more interactive space. These include storytelling around exhibits like the spinosaurus, attended by 700 children over two days, multimedia projections, the use of miniature props that add to the storytelling sessions, and the Wright Brothers Flight Simulator that replicated the first flight in 1903, complete with controls.
“Next, I’ll have an exhibition on natural disasters and how to prevent them, a science show using dry ice, an interactive exhibit around the meaning of DNA…” The list is long.
Outreach programmes, he stresses, are necessary to attract audiences. From activity corners to demonstrate small processes in the biotechnology lab to an innovation festival where the public is invited to demonstrate their ingenious daily innovations, Kumar is making an effort to generate interest in museums. “You’ll see a king’s or a Nizam’s outfit on display, with a boring label next to it. Why not create a story around it? When did he wear it and why?” he asks. At the National Gallery of Modern Art, where he is the “borrowed” Director, he is making similar attempts with new exhibitions, summer workshops, family quizzes, gallery walks and auditorium programmes. “There are original paintings, which immediately relate to history, and contain stories of the times they were created — say Partition. We need to tell those stories in a more engaging fashion.”
We can almost see Jain nod. “Museums are holders of tradition and history. Once you make them personal enough, make a connection and make it contemporary, people will see that.” With Object of my Affection, she hopes people start with themselves. “What would you want to preserve for your next generation,” she asks. How can you be proud of your city, your time and your history? “People take selfies every now and then. So we’re connecting it to what is around them with this project,” she says. All of which will finally culminate in an exhibition of things that are important to Bengaluru. There you have it — your very own museum of memories. Not so boring anymore, right?
Object of my Affection: Choose any object from your home: spoon, hair brush, cushion cover, cooking utensil, graphic novel, lamp, whatever strikes your fancy you would want to preserve for the next generation. Click a photo, upload the photo and type ‘Object of my Affection: xyz, tag @ReReeti, use the hashtags #ReReeti #museumworthy and post your tweet. Or email: ReReeti13@gmail.com. All photo submissions will be added to their Flickr account.
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Columns> Sunday-Read / by Sowmya Rajaram, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / February 08th, 2015
Sreshta K. Raagh is the little old daughter of doctor-mother Preetham and father Raghavendra Ratnakar, a singer better known by name junior Md. Rafi of Mysuru and the granddaughter of late Kannada cine actor Ratnakar Thus, the culture of being inclined towards artistry comes naturally to Sreshta. Being trained in music and musical instruments by her father and in dance and acting at the Chamaraja Film Institute, Mysuru and having participated in various television shows and won prizes, she is a kid too full of energy when it comes to learning anything new. Saying it is quite an achievement to have boldly participated in several television shows and also won a few, all at the age 4, makes Sreshta’s parents feel very proud of her.
Talking of her daughter, Preetham says, “For me, Sreshta has never seemed like a kid of her age till date. I always feel like she is way too mature and sensible for her age as I see that she behaves much like a kid of an older age. Her aims are way too high, her dreams are big and her approach towards them very different. I feel proud of her for all these. Also, she is lucky to be receiving an exposure for all these things, since my husband is a full-time singer and we own an orchestra of our own, thus getting to frequently host several music programmes in each of which she gets a chance to perform.”
The child, who first began performing on stage at the age of 2.2 years, has given over 25 stage performances, apart from appearing in television shows like Chinnara Chilipili, Chota Champion where she won a cash prize of Rs. 25,000 apart from being rewarded with the titles.
The little kid is an LKG student at Pramathi Hill View Academy in city, who is also lucky to have been receiving great encouragement from her school. Says her mother, talking of her school, “I am glad she is very positively encouraged by her teachers too, towards pursuing her interests. —AN
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / February 01st, 2015
