Category Archives: Education

Carmelites create Guinness world record

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All, World Opinion

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More than 900 students of Mount Carmel College created a Guinness world record for opening the most number of softdrink cans simultaneously at their annual ‘Cul-Ah 2016’ fest on Friday.

They broke the previous record created by Ltd CidoGrupa (Latvia) in Ligatne, Latvia, on August 2, 2014, involving 689 people. Representatives of the Guinness World Records, who were present on the occasion, validated the new world record and an official certificate will be issued in a week, said a release.

Niveditha Umesh, general secretary, Students’ Union, Mount Carmel College, said, “We at Mount Carmel College always look for something different in whatever we do and that has been our key differentiator. We are happy to partner with TWISS to set this new record. We hope to become the first college in India to take away this kind of Guinness World Record honour. Cul-Ah, our annual cultural fest, is the right platform for this.”

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> City / DHNS – Bengaluru – January 23rd, 2016

Golden Jubilee Celebration of Mysore Diocesan Edn. Society begins

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education

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Mysuru :

The day-long Golden Jubilee Celebration of Mysore Diocesan Educational Society (MDES) began at St. Philomena’s College Indoor Stadium in Bannimantap here this morning.

The programme commenced with thanksgiving concelebrated high mass.

Rev. Dr. Bernard Moras, Archbishop of Bengaluru, Rev. Dr. Thomas A. Vazhapilly, Bishop of Mysuru and President of MDES and Rev. Dr. Francis Serrao, Bishop of Shivamogga, graced the occasion.

The programme features two lecture sessions with Rev. Dr. Francis Serrao speaking on the topic ‘The Vision and Mission of Christain Education and Prof. M. Krishnegowda, Principal, St. Philomena’s College, speaking on the topic ‘The challenges in this era of competitive world and the role of teachers in preparing the students for meeting such challenges,’ in the second session.

The valedictory will be held later in the evening.

Rev. Fr. Dr. N.S. Marie Joseph, Rev. Fr. Desmond, Rev. Fr. Joseph Manipadam and others were present.

Hundreds of students and teachers from educational institutions run by the MDES in Mysuru, Mandya, Kodagu and Chamarajanagar districts are taking part in the day-long event.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Saturday – January 23rd, 2016

St. Joseph’s Convent School to celebrate 125 years on Friday

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

St Joseph’s Convent High School for Girls will observe its quasquicentennial (125 years) jubilee in a grand manner here on Friday. Superior General of the Canossian Daughters of Charity from Italy M. Annamaria Babbini will be present to witness the celebrations.

Addressing a press conference, school principal Thankam Michael said here on Tuesday that the school had been functioning under the management of the Canossian Sisters Congregation since 1891.

It was founded 125 years ago when the British civilian and military officers petitioned the then Archbishop of Goa to establish an English-medium school here.

In response to the request from the Archbishop, Mother Stella of the Canossians in Hong Kong sent five nuns who reached Cochin by ship and then Belgaum (now Belagavi) covering the distance by bullock cart and on foot. Since then the school has shaped the lives of a large number of girl students of Belagavi, Goa and north Karnataka region.

To commemorate the occasion, the school has given a facelift to basic infrastructure and also launched a project, Light a Lamp, to help the poor and deserving girl students. Donors and philanthropists could sponsor a girl child for education.

About 15 former students, including social activist Olive D’silva, Anita Rodrigues, Ruhi Sait, Padmashree award winner Sucheta Dalal, psychiatrist Belinda Viegas Muller, Sadhan Pote, renowned artist and sculptor Veena Chandavarkar and the former Deputy Mayor of Belagavi Asma Tahsildar, who have excelled in various fields, would be honoured.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Belagavi – January 21st, 2016

On a glorious path

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All

Celebratory mode

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The St Joseph’s Indian Educational Institutions located on Vittal Mallya Road is all set to celebrate 110 years of its existence. The institutions have relentlessly transformed thousands of lives over the years.

It was started in 1904 by priests of the Paris Mission Society. They first began working out of the basement of St Joseph’s European School building on Residency Road before the management of the school was taken over in 1937 by the Society of Jesus. In 1968, the school moved to its current location on Vital Mallya Road. In the last 110 years, the institutions have had more than 50,000 students pass out.

Currently, St Joseph’s Indian Educational Institutions encompass a complete range of educational institutions such as St Joseph’s Indian Primary School, St Joseph’s Indian Middle School, St Joseph’s Indian High School, St Joseph’s Indian Composite PU College and St Joseph’s Community College.

Talking about the philosophy of the school, Fr Sunith Prabhu SJ, director St Joseph’s Indian Composite PU College and director of St Joseph’s Indian Middle School, says “We have always mentored and trained our students to be able to face the competition in the outside world. We not only prepare them academically but also to face life. There are 23 clubs in the school and every club has its unique activities that do well to mould the personality of the students,” he explains.

The education is predominantly value-oriented with a special emphasis on providing educational opportunities to the poor and the disadvantaged sections of society. Fr Gerald Furtado, principal of St Joseph’s Indian Composite PU College, says one of the biggest strengths of the institution is the importance given to sports.

“We not only give importance to academics but also to sporting activities so as to keep the students physically, emotionally and mentally active,” he shares. He also says, in addition to sports the management also stresses on every student enrolling in extra-curricular activities.

One other significant wing of the institution is Community College which was started 10 years ago. Fr Melwyn Lobo, director of Community College, states that the courses have been thoughtfully designed in keeping with the current business trends in the market.

“Our emphasis is on the character formation of students through our many programmes, giving equal importance to students, from all classes of society and the importance on sports has given us that extra edge,” explains Fr Melwyn.

The school has produced some of the best minds across the country which includes several social activists, sports personalities and politicians. The list is rather exhaustive but a few notable names among them are TV Mohandas Pai, Kumar and Madhu Bangarappa, Ashok Kheny, actor Prakash Rai, singer Rajesh Krishnan and theatre artiste Sunder Raj just to mention a few.

St Joseph’s Indian Educational Institutions will celebrate the completion of 110 years with a two-day programme on January 10 and 12.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald /Home> Supplements> Metrolife / by Nina C. George, DHNS / January 08th, 2015

Bangalore university trifurcated

Education, Records, All

Bengaluru :

In future, students of Bangalore University, which has around 600 colleges affiliated to it, need not go to its Jnana Bharathi campus to sort out issues related to academics and admissions. Last week, in a special gazette, the state government notified the trifurcation of BU.

The three new varsities will be Bengaluru University that will continue functioning from the BU’s existing campus at Jnana Bharathi; Bengaluru Central University that will function from Central College and Bengaluru North University that will be established near Hoskote.

The existing 600 colleges will get affiliated to these three universities based on their respective legislative assembly constituencies. For the two new varsities, two new VCs will be appointed. A special officer appointed by the state government will take necessary steps to establish Bengaluru Central and North universities.

In February, a subcommittee headed by the then higher education minister RV Deshpande disclosed that BU will be split into four varsities, but in May the cabinet approved trifurcating BU.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> Education> News / TNN / December 30th, 2015

National Institute of Technology students develop shopping app

Business & Economy, Education, Science & Technology

Mangaluru :

A team of students from National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) have developed an Android App that will come in handy for shoppers, who visit malls.

Winkl, a first of its kind app available on Play Store, provides relevant, contextual and personalized information as shoppers walk around the mall. Third year mechanical engineering students Pratham Pramod, Supreet Deshpande, final year metallurgy engineering student Rahul Singh Thakur and final year mining engineering student Nikhil Kumar took nearly three months to develop the app.

Pratham Pramod told TOI that they have made tie-up with Forum Fiza Mall in Mangaluru and very soon more malls across the state will brought under the Winkl’s service network.

“Once the app users enter a Winkl Zone, real time shopping feed including all the latest arrivals, trending, offers and recommendations will be displayed on your smartphone. As customer walk around the mall, content keeps loading on the phone based on indoor mall location and personal interests. This way, shopper knows exactly which store he or she would like to walk into as they enter the mall or a particular floor in the mall. This will save lots of time and help one experience the products they are interested in,” Pratham Pramod said.

“Today, in the present world, offline shopping has hit a new low mainly because of the lack of easy access to useful and engaging content to users like offers, recommendations, product reviews, latest arrivals and trending. Winkl, a young start-up by NITK students addresses this problem and is bringing offline shopping back to life. Offline shopping has obvious advantages like touch and feel and instant delivery. Winkl has partnered with Forum Fiza Mall and it is active there from today (Friday). Users also will get a chance to win a lot of exciting rewards. Winkl automatically provides users with Winks (points) for walking into their favourite stores which can be redeemed for rewards,” he added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Mangalore / by Vinobha K T, TNN / December 26th, 2015

Medallists aim high

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All
Winners of the gold medal in various fields at the convocation of the Karnataka State Dr. Gangubai Hangal Music and Performing Arts University in Mysuru.— PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM
Winners of the gold medal in various fields at the convocation of the Karnataka State Dr. Gangubai Hangal Music and Performing Arts University in Mysuru.— PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

R. Raghu, son of Ramu, a truck driver in KMF, got two gold medals in B.A. in classical music at the Karnataka State Dr. Gangubai Hangal Music and Performing Arts University. Mr. Raghu said that he got interested in music from his school days and is aiming to pursue his studies in classical music before being a teacher.

Ashwini, who also secured two gold medals in M.A.(Hindustani Vocal), said that she is the disciple of the granddaughter of Gangubai Hangal – Vaishnavi Hangal. She wanted to do PhD in Hindustani music. M.S. Archana, who got the gold medal in M.A. in Bharatanatyam, is the daughter of a priest in Kolluru Mookambika temple. Her husband is a vocal artist. She said that she was inspired by musicians and noted dancers who had come to Kolluru.

S.C. Katyayini who got the gold in B.A.(Bharatanatyam) said that she was disappointed when her teacher refused her to include in the dance troupe to perform at the school day function. Then she decided to learn dancing.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by H.S. Narasimha Kumar / Mysuru – December 01st, 2015

Hyderabad-Karnataka’s first private varsity to start functioning soon

Education, Records, All

Sharnbasav University, the first private university to be established in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, is all set to start functioning from the ensuing academic year, offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses in different disciplines here.

The private university is a dream project of Poojya Sharanbasvappa Appa, president of the Sharanabasaveshwar Vidya Vardak Sangh and the 8th peetathipathi of the Sharanabasaveshwar Samasthan.

The University has cleared all the hurdles of getting permissions and is awaiting the visit of a high-level team of State government officials to inspect the infrastructure facilities available.

Based on the findings of the high-level team, the State government would formally give a notification for the establishment of the private university and notify the courses which would be available for the students, which was only a formality.

The government has already given its green signal for using the 61 acres of agriculture land available on the outskirts of the city for the construction of the buildings to house the Sharnbasav University.

Dr. Sharanbasvappa Appa told The Hindu that the establishment of the private university was his dream. All out effort would be made to provide quality education at an affordable cost, which has been the hallmark of the educational institutions run by the Vidya Vardak Sangh.

Dr. Appa said as per the conditions imposed by the State government, a corpus fund of Rs. 10 crore would be kept in the joint account of the State government and the Vidya Vardak Sangha.

Another Rs. 5 crore as bank guarantee would also be provided. The State government would allow 25 per cent of the interest accrued from the Rs 10 crore deposited in the joint account for the development work of the university every year and the remaining 75 per cent would be added to a corpus fund. Dean of the Appa Institute of Engineering Technology Anilkumar Bidwe, who is closely involved in the work of establishing the University, said that all the unaided undergraduate and postgraduate courses offered in different educational institutions of the Vidya Vardak Sangh would be affiliated to the private university.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by T.V. Sivananadan/ Kalaburagi – December 01st, 2015

President pays tribute to HK region’s cultural legacy

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Leaders, Records, All
Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Karnataka H.M. Maheshwaraiah felicitating President Pranab Mukherjee in Kalaburagi on Tuesday. —Photo: Arun Kulkarni
Vice-Chancellor of the Central University of Karnataka H.M. Maheshwaraiah felicitating President Pranab Mukherjee in Kalaburagi on Tuesday. —Photo: Arun Kulkarni

‘Karnataka is a land of a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-lingual nature’

President Pranab Mukherjee has paid rich tributes to the unique features of Karnataka and its rich historical background and termed the State as the land of “a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-lingual nature”.

He also spoke very highly about the rich cultural legacy of the Hyderabad Karnataka region, while delivering the convocation address of the Central University of Karnataka at the ESIC Medical Education Complex auditorium here on Tuesday.

The President said that religions such as Buddhism, Jainism, Veerashaivism (Lingayatism) and Islam flourished in the region. The Vachana movement, Sufi movement, keertanakars and thatva padakars had shaped the hearts and minds of the people, Mr. Mukherjee said.

The Hyderabad Karnataka region had its own indigenous identity as Urdu and Persian literature along with Kannada folk literature flourished here.

“The land also carries with it a rich legacy of diverse educational experiments and experiences,” he said.

Mr. Mukherjee said that the region was the seat of two universities in the past –Anubhava Mantap of the 12th century and Mahmud Gawan’s Madarsa which attracted intellectuals from across the country and abroad. The ancient Buddhist centre of learning was located at Sannati in Chitapur taluk in Kalaburagi district and Nagavi Ghatikasthan too was located at Chitapur. “It is incumbent on the contemporary educational institutions in the State to take forward this tradition of knowledge.”

Mr. Mukherjee said that the Central University of Karnataka could set its educational priorities in its nascent stage itself to achieve the lofty ideals set by the seers and educationists.

The university, which had a modest beginning, made tremendous progress in a short period of time, the President said.

He said that the university was proceeding in the right direction to mould the destinies of the youth of this region. Mr. Mukherjee paid compliments to the university authorities for waiving the fees of girl students from economically weaker sections of society.

Mr. Mukherjee said that the students passing out with merit from the university had been provided with implements to shine wherever they go and flourished whatever they do. The students should comprehend the hopes and expectations of their relatives, society and nation at large and they were duty bound to uplift the underprivileged and the alleviate the burning problems of society.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by T.V. Sivanandan / Kalaburagi – December 23rd, 2015

Mysore University faculty bags Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam National Award

Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technology
Dr. K.N. Amruthesh (right) is seen receiving the National Award from former Chief Minister of Goa, Digambar Kamat, at the awards ceremony held in Panaji, Goa, on Dec.6.
Dr. K.N. Amruthesh (right) is seen receiving the National Award from former Chief Minister of Goa, Digambar Kamat, at the awards ceremony held in Panaji, Goa, on Dec.6.

Mysuru :

Dr. K.N. Amruthesh, Senior Lecturer and Principal Investigator at Department of Studies in Botany and Co-ordinator, CSIR/UGC- NET Coaching Centre of University of Mysore, has been given the prestigious “Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam National Award” by the International Institute for the Social and Economic Reforms, Delhi.

This award was conferred for his significant contributions in the field of major agricultural crops’ disease management strategies, especially for his extensive research work on pearl millet downy mildew host pathogen interaction and reporting of two new plant species to the Science, Research Publications and Teaching.

Dr. Amruthesh received the National Award from former Chief Minister of Goa, Digambar Kamat at the Entertainment Society of Goa, Panaji, on Dec.6. The award comprises a certificate, memento and a citation.

Dr. Amruthesh, who obtained his doctoral degree from University of Mysore with Government of India, ICAR Fellowship, completed his post doctoral degree research work at University of North Texas (UNT), Texas, United States of America (USA).

He started his professional career in 2002 as a Senior Scientist with the Danish Government, Copenhagen-funded collaborative research project at the Department of Biotechnology and subsequently was appointed as a faculty in 2004 to the Department of Botany of the Varsity.

Dr. Amruthesh has published more than 65 research articles in the national and international reputed journals and 3 book chapters so far on plant – microbe interaction and disease management strategies. He has successfully guided 7 Ph.D. scholars for their doctoral degree and currently 7 Ph.D. scholars are working under his guidance. He is the Principal Investigator for three research projects funded by DST, UGC and DBT. Dr. Amruthesh is also the recipient of Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) & Department of Science & Technology (DST)- Young Scientists’ Awards among others.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Monday – December 14th, 2015