Category Archives: Education

NSS officer helps aspirants make their way to Indian Army

Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

With the word spreading about his offer of free training, nearly 30-40 people enrol themselves every year and are trained by him.

Mysuru :

At  the age of 18, he cleared the interview at a recruitment rally held in Bengaluru to join the armed forces but was rejected for having a dental issue. He was dejected for not being able to get the opportunity to serve the nation. But this did not make him give up his dream, today he finds satisfaction in offering free training to hundreds of young army aspirants, mostly from the rural areas, and helping them join the armed forces.

Meet Dr R Raghavendra (39), a  native of Baburayanakoppalu village in Srirangapatna of Mandya district, who has trained hundreds of army aspirants in the last seven years. Raghavendra continued his studies, completed M.PEd, did his Ph.D. in sports, and served as physical education teacher and NSS officer in several colleges.

With the word spreading about his offer of free training, nearly 30-40 people enrol themselves every year and are trained by him. As the clock strikes 5 in the morning, at least 20 army aspirants throng the Srirangapatna taluk stadium where Raghavendra equips them to clear in the rigorous selection procedures at the army recruitment rally.

Raghavendra, who is currently serving as  NSS programme officer at Seshadripuram Degree College in Mysuru, not only helps the aspirants with the physical exercises and trains them to run long distances in a short time, but also helps them prepare for the written test and provides them the necessary study materials spending money from his pocket.

At least 10 of his students are recruited in different forces including a regiment of Artillery, MRC regiment, ASC regiment in various ranks.

Vitthal, who currently works at the Army Service Corps (ASC), Bengaluru, says that the training and guidance provided by Raghavendra helped him get recruited.


Perumal C, who has been appointed as a para commando at the Artillery centre in Maharashtra, attributes his success to Raghavendra.

“I underwent rigorous training under Raghavendra for four years. He motivated me to participate in the recruitment rally and prepared me well in advance. I received my appointment order sometime ago, but due to the Covid-19 situation, I have been asked to join duty this month,” he said. Besides Army training, Raghavendra also gives assistance to those preparing for police, forest and RPF recruitments. With new opportunities for women aspiring to join the Indian Army, several girls are also getting trained by him.


Most of them are motivated and strong, I am just giving them the right direction to reach their goal,” says Raghavendra.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Karthik K K / Express News Service / October 04th, 2020

Former VC on AIIMS advisory body, chosen as CSIR-Emeritus Scientist

Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology

Recognition has come to him over his contribution to the field of biological sciences and development of science, says K.S. Rangappa

Former Vice-Chancellor and scientist K.S. Rangappa has been nominated to the top advisory body of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has chosen him as a member of AIIMS PGIMER in Chandigarh and AIIMS in Bhubaneswar, Bathinda, Guwahati and Srinagar.

Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Prof. Rangappa said the nomination for a period of five years had been made in recognition of his contribution to the field of biological sciences and development of science in the country.

“Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has appreciated my research work and publications, particularly on cancer drug research, in various journals and my work as the chairman of the Indian Science Congress. The AIIMS is a prestigious central institution and I have been nominated to offer my opinion on research and other areas of science,” he said.

The former V-C of University of Mysore said he has been selected as CSIR-Emeritus Scientist (ES) by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi. “The CSIR-ES scheme was launched to recognise and encourage meritorious scientists who are above the age of 62. I believe it’s an honour for the University of Mysore to have a CSIR-Emeritus Scientist on its campus.”

COVID-19 vaccine race

On the COVID-19 vaccine race, Prof. Rangappa, who is into cancer research, said several vaccine candidates are in various clinical evaluation stages and some are undergoing clinical trials in India, China and Europe.

Usually, a vaccine takes at least two years to be available considering the evaluation processes involved in its development. In the case of COVID-19, which is spreading rapidly with a high transmission rate, many top-rated universities and research institutions have expedited their vaccine development and some are said to be close to achieving a breakthrough, the scientist explained.

A time-frame for availability of the vaccine cannot be fixed as it has to go through various trials before it is made available, he said, adding that the vaccine development has not been slowed down as seeming as researchers are moving thoughtfully to ensure no side-effects of the vaccine are felt on normal human health.

On cancer research with China

About his research collaboration with China, the former VC said he had entered into an understanding with a Chinese University which wanted to conduct clinical trials on six of his patents pertaining to cancer research. The mega research project had been kept in abeyance after the COVID-19 outbreak despite more than 10 video conference sessions between scientists from India and China on the project so far.

To a question on whether he would pursue the project in the wake of strained relations between India and China, he said, “The project has not taken off yet. It is in a deferment mode. It will be pursued only if the relations are good since my country is my priority and I will comply with what the laws say.”

‘Wake-up call’

The COVID-19 pandemic has come as a wake-up call for India to step up its funding to research, especially in science, as United States, China, South Korea and others set aside huge research grants in field of research and development.

Mr. Rangappa, while welcoming the National Education Policy (NEP), said India spends 0.69 per cent of its GDP on research while it is 4 per cent in Israel, 3 per cent in United States, and 4.5 percent in South Korea. “The allocation is very less for a thickly populated country like ours. The NEP has laid emphasis on research but there is no clarity on the extent of funding the area should get. As a scientist, I suggest India spends more on research like others since the pandemic has come as a lesson for all us,” he opined.

He said the NEP will help to erase discrepancies in the education sector and provide ample opportunities to the people from the deprived sections of the society for accessing quality education.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – October 03rd, 2020

Honorary doctorate for Dakshayini S. Appa

Education, Leaders, Records, All

Dakshayini Sharanbasavappa Appa, chairperson of the Sharanabasaveshwar Vidya Vardak Sangha and member of the Board of Governors of Sharnbasva University, has been selected by the Davangere University for a honorary doctorate this year.

The honorary doctorate will be conferred on Ms. Dakshayini Appa at the university convocation to be held on the main campus, Shivagangotri, on the outskirts of Davangere on Wednesday.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / Kalaburagi – September 30th, 2020

IISc, Wipro GE Healthcare open research lab

Education, Records, All, Science & Technology

The facility will work with over 50 students and three faculty members of IISc.

File Photo of Indian Institute of Science (IISC) in Bengaluru. (Photo | Express Photo Services)

Bengaluru :

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Wipro GE Healthcare on Thursday announced the inauguration of an advanced centre for innovation and research — WIPRO GE Healthcare – Computational and Data Sciences Collaborative Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence in Medical and Healthcare Imaging — at the IISc campus here on Thursday.

The facility, located at the Department of Computational and Data Sciences (CDS), will work on next-level healthcare diagnostics with deep learning technology, artificial intelligence and future-ready digital interfaces, to provide highly sophisticated diagnostic and medical image-reconstruction techniques and protocols for faster and better imaging.

The facility will work with over 50 students and three faculty members of IISc. Some of the use cases that the collaboration will explore are lightweight deep learning models for classification and segmentation of Covid-19 lesions in lung ultrasound and CT images, deep learning models for improving as well as classifying spectral domain optical coherence tomography images in ophthalmology, deep learning-based medical image reconstruction methods and, exploiting the structure of 3D volume data that necessitates fewer annotations.

The infrastructural requirements, including finished interiors, power backup, internet connectivity, and air conditioning, among others will be met by IISc. Wipro GE Healthcare is supporting the centre with a one-time grant, as part of its CSR efforts.

source: http://www.nieindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / September 25th, 2020

Mangaluru girl masters writing with both hands

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All
Aadi Swaroopa displaying her writing skills.   | Photo Credit:  Special Arrangement

Swaroopa toys with nine other forms too, including simultaneously writing in Kannada and English

15-year-old Aadi Swaroopa can write with ease using both the hands in unidirectional way. She has also mastered writing in nine different ways including speed writing with right and left hand, reverse running writing and mirror image writing.

Daughter of Gopadkar and Sumadkar, Ms. Swaroopa recently secured a certificate from Uttar Pradesh-based Barelia Lata Foundation for writing 45 words in a minute in an unidirectional way.

Ms. Swaroopa, who is writing the SSLC examination this year as a private candidate, picked up writing with left hand two years ago during a summer camp conducted by her parents, who manage Swaroopa Adhyayana Kendra – a centre that promotes self-learning.

It’s during the lockdown, when there were not much children at the Kendra, that Ms. Swaroopa started practising different forms of writing using both hands. “It’s continuous practice that helped me to improve my speed,” said Ms. Swaroopa, who started writing at the age of three. “I keep on adding new forms of writing.”

On Monday, Ms. Swaroopa demonstrated her skill before reporters by writing the line “See the line where the sky meets the sea ..” unidirectionally. She then wrote the same sentence in the opposite direction, followed by speed writing with right and left hand separately and also writing the mirror image of the sentence. She also showed her heterotopic style of writing, and the hetero linguistic style that involved simultaneously writing in Kannada and English. She showed dancing form, exchange form and her blindfolded writing skill too.

Ms. Swaroopa, who has already come out with a short story book in Kannada and a fiction book in English, said writing with both hands has had positive effect on her creativity. “I am now writing my second novel,” said Ms. Swaroopa, who is a voracious reader, an Yakshagana artiste, a Hindustani classical singer and an artist. She loves mimicry and performs beatbox.

Gopadkar and Sumadkar said they have liberated their daughter from the pressure of learning in a classroom. “She has all the skills to become a good writer,” said Sumadkar.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mangaluru – September 23rd, 2020

‘Pitch’ing a new idea

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

The app, which will be available on Android to begin with, has online training modules for voice artistes and people who will benefit from voice improvement/ development training.

Bengaluru : 

Shakiness of voice, weakness of sound or pitch, or volume-related issues… If you’ve faced these but have not dealt with them hands-on, voice artiste and therapist Divya RT (36) is providing tools to do so, through her app VoxCoach, which will be released this week. A former Chemistry lecturer at Mount Carmel College, Divya has been running Voxcoach, a venture dedicated to professional voice training, since 2017.

“I’m hoping that users will understand the science and exercises applied to singing, speech and voice therapy. People who suffer from vocal nodules, or have lost their voices for a period of time, etc can come to us for direction on how to get their voices back,” says Divya, adding that among the advisors is Sridhar Ranganathan, CEO and founder, Shankar Mahadevan Academy. 

The app, which will be available on Android to begin with, has online training modules for voice artistes and people who will benefit from voice improvement/ development training. “Training is delivered through a series of voice exercises,” she says. But it’s not just for singers and voice artistes. “It is for anybody who wishes to get past their voice-related roadblocks, with issues like running out of breath while speaking and singing.

It is for anybody who wishes to learn about how voice behaves and which parts of the body are involved,” explains Divya. This will be done through exercises that will make the voice flow better and stronger. “The first part of our three-part course is about breath control and vocal flow,” she adds. 

The existent format on the website is live online and has full certificate courses. The app includes recorded courses and subscription material voice tools. “The target audience is kids, teenagers experiencing voice changes, adults, people with voice disorders, singers, voice-over artistes, and actors, etc,” says Divya.

Besides Divya, the coaches are singer Madhura Gowda and rapper Karthik Gubbi. In-app subscription models are being worked on. Incidentally, the idea for the app was brewing before the pandemic hit. While there are other such apps too, Divya feels hers differentiates itself by not providing self-help tools. “We do a lot of handholding, and at the end of it, a user can check if, for instance, if his pitch has improved,” she says.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / September 12th, 2020

Satellites, space and bonds of friendship

Business & Economy, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

France and India, according to Consul General of France, Dr Marjorie Vanbaelinghem, have had an intense and fruitful strategic partnership in space programmes since the ’60s.

Bengaluru :

Then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with then French President Francois Mitterrand in 1981

France and India, according to Consul General of France, Dr Marjorie Vanbaelinghem, have had an intense and fruitful strategic partnership in space programmes since the ’60s. And now, an online exhibition on Indo-French partnership in space will highlight the major joint breakthroughs. Hosted by Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), it is being showcased at the International Space Conference and Exhibition from Sept. 15 to Oct. 10 and will be available on the virtual stand of CNES/France.

Vanbaelinghem points out, “It is a lesser-known part of our bilateral relationship and common history. The exhibition, which features beautiful photos, is in itself an illustration of this bond of friendship as it is a collaboration between the Alliance Francaise Hyderabad, the CNES bureau of Bangalore and the Space Museum in Hyderabad, whose curator, Pranav Sharma, gives a fascinating account of the more humane side of this enterprise.” For instance, the Ariane Passenger PayLoad Experiment (APPLE) – the experimental communication satellite successfully launched by Ariane-1 – from Kourou, French Guiana, on June 19, 1981, marked an important milestone in India’s space programme.

APPLE was designed and built as a sandwich passenger-carrying Meteosat on top and Capsule Ariane Technologique. VIKRAM engine was developed by India by learning from liquid propulsion technology developed by CNES and shared with India after Societe Europeenne de Propulsion (SEP)-ISRO Agreement signed in 1974. 

According to Sharma, who has curated India’s first interdisciplinary Space Museum in Hyderabad and is passionate about sharing the Indian history of science, the exhibition is an attempt to explore friendship between the two countries. “This exhibition is an extension to its predecessor that was hosted at WINGS-India 2020 in Hyderabad as a travelling exhibition.

This version brings interesting insights and personal memoirs of people and their families involved during the transfer of liquid propulsion technology,” he says, adding that it’s meant for anyone, but may particularly be of interest to students and those interested in the history of science.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / September 13th, 2020

With 99.99 per cent, Bengaluru boy bags AIR 65 in JEE Mains

Education, Records, All

Shubhan R of Bengaluru, the state topper in JEE Mains, is looking to pursue artificial intelligence at IIT Bombay.

Karnataka topper in JEE Mains, R Shubhan

Benglauru : 

Shubhan R of Bengaluru, the state topper in JEE Mains, is looking to pursue artificial intelligence at IIT Bombay.

“The field has changed the world around us in unfathomable ways, has possibilities of changing may people’s lives, and perhaps is the way forward for biomedical purposes, including new drug creation,” he told TNSE.

Shubhan secured 99.99 percentile during the January attempt and retained his position as the state topper in the JEE Mains, and bagging an all-India rank of 65. Son of Ravi Prasad J, who works in the medical transcription industry, and Sudha Gopalakrishnan, Shubhan decided not to attempt the mains in September. “My main goal is to prepare for the JEE Advanced and had wanted to avoid exposure crowding in the pandemic situation,” Shubhan told TNSE.

A student of an integrated course at the Sri Chaitanya PU College, Vidyaranyapura, Shubhan said he was coaching classes during the lockdown, and was in touch with his teachers online. Karnataka, which has been at the forefront of conducting multiple examinations, be it the board exams or the entrance tests for various courses, could not get into the Top 50 for JEE Mains that was held in two phases – January and September.

For some of the toppers, the lockdown came as a boon as they used the time to prepare well for the examination. They told TNSE that because of the lockdown, they were comfortable by the time the JEE Mains was held in September.

Anniprakash, a parent, said that by the time JEE was near, her son had already attempted several other entrance examinations, including CET, IIIT and COMEDK, which added to his comfort level. Her son, Shashank P, a student of Expert PU College, Valachil, secured 99.73 percentile in the September attempt of JEE Mains.

Shashank told TNSE that the January attempt was a bit more difficult owing to the new pattern of the paper, and by September, there was enough time to work on the mistakes.  Another Student, Rakshith, who secured 99.8 percentile, agreed that the lockdown gave him enough time to prepare better for the mistakes committed in the January test.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Pearl Maria D’Souza / Express News Service / September 13th, 2020

Suchitra Film Society to start a film school

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All
The Suchitra Film Society launched a yearlong golden jubilee celebration on Saturday.  

The society, which enters its 50th year, will also revive film festival apart from holding a host of workshops

Bengaluru’s Suchitra Film Society, which completed 49 years on August 28, launched a yearlong golden jubilee celebration on Saturday as it entered it’s 50th year. Only four other film societies have achieved this feat in the country.

Suchitra Suvarna Sambhrama will feature two international film festivals and the start of a film school, apart from a host of workshops, retrospectives of auteurs among other programmes through the year. Filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli has been roped in to chalk out the programme for the yearlong celebration.

“It should not only celebrate the achievements of the past five decades, but also try to provide insights into film as a medium and look at how the film society can meaningfully contribute to the industry in the future,” Mr. Kasaravalli said.

Significantly, the society wants to restart an annual international film festival from this year. It was Suchitra Film Society that began the Bengaluru International Film Festival in 2006, spearheaded it for three years and later handed it over to Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy. “We want to restart the Suchitra film festival. We had planned for an international film festival to kickstart the golden jubilee celebrations. But the pandemic has forced us to postpone it to November or December. The festivities will conclude with another international film festival in August 2021 and we plan to continue holding the festival in August every year,” said B. Suresha, filmmaker and president of the society.

There are also plans to start a film school. “An announcement will be made in January and classes will begin from the next academic year. The school shall offer a one year diploma course and a two year PG diploma course,” he added.

H.N. Narahari Rao, one of the founding members of the society in 1971, has suggested that a digital film library be established in the society. Reminiscing the origins of the society, he said Mayura Film Society that began in 1969 in the city was so active and popular that bagging a membership was a Herculean task. “When I asked the founders of Mayura Film Society for a membership, they suggested we should start a society of our own. And so Suchitra was born,” he said.

Historically, film societies played a key role in providing accessibility to international films, but that is no longer the case. “With access to films almost free, film societies have moved to curation, appreciation, film perspective and education worldwide. Suchitra made that shift in the early 2000s,” said N. Vidyashankar, artistic director, BIFFes and a Suchitra veteran.

But what has remained a big challenge is a gap between the film society, the audience and the Kannada film industry.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by K.V. Aditya Bharadwaj / Bengaluru – August 30th, 2020

Three teachers from State to receive national award

Education, Records, All

It recognises their contribution to education

Three teachers from Karnataka have been selected to receive the prestigious President’s National Awards for Teachers 2020. In all, 47 teachers from schools across the country will receive the award instituted by the Union Ministry of Education.

From Karnataka, Chemmalar Shanmugam, headmistress, Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2, AFS (East), Jalahalli, Bengaluru; Yakub S., teacher, Government High School Nada, Nada, Belthangady, Dakshina Kannada, and Surekha Jagannath, teacher, Government High School, Bandarwad, Afzalpur, Kalaburagi, are the recipients.

The award, instituted in 1958, is presented to recognise the unique contribution of teachers. The award would celebrate commitment and efforts of teachers in improving quality of school education and also enriching the lives of their students. Every year, the award is presented on September 5 that marks the birth anniversary of former president Dr. S. Radhakrishnan.

Selection process

This year, the Ministry’s Department of School Education and Literacy constituted a national level independent jury to select the recipients. The jury reviewed a list of 153 teachers as shortlisted by committees set up by States and Union Territories and also organisational selection committees through a videoconference.

The jury considered the applications and presentations made by all shortlisted teachers and after detailed deliberations, recommended names of 47 teachers. Ms. Chemmalar is the only teacher from Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghatan to be selected for the award.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Sudhindr A.B / Bengaluru – August 24th, 2020