The students of the NMAM Institute of Technology with the trophy at 38th series State -level Student Project Seminar and Exhibition at Adyar in Mangaluru recently.
The NMAM Institute of Technology, Nitte, was adjudged for the Best Performing College of 2014-15 during the 38th State-level Student Project Seminar and Exhibition organised by the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology at Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management at Adyar on August 20 and 21.
In a press release issued here, Niranjan N. Chiplunkar, principal of the NMAM Institute of Technology, said the award was presented by president of Institution of Engineers (India) Muralikrishna Reddy at the event. The project ‘Ethanol production from pure glycerol using Bacillus cereus ’ by final year B.E. students Samiyabanu, Krupa and Deepak, was awarded best project in the Biofuels category.
Another project ‘Unipolar SPWM-based Reactive Power Compensator’ by students Nishanth, Sourabh, Apoorva and Madhumita, was awarded best project in the seminar category. About 97 engineering colleges all over the State participated in the seminar and exhibition.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Ganesh Prabhu / Udupi – August 25th, 2015
“No clues, No clues,” came the fervent pleas from a crowd of 1,200 students from 200 schools, as they competed for a place in the finals of the Times NIE Quizomania 2015-16. It was held jointly with the State Bank of India at The Cathedral High School, Bengaluru, on Thursday.
The excitement and tension was palpable from the word go, as quizmaster Giri ‘Pickbrain’ Balasubramanium took them through 20 questions in the preliminary round, before 12 schools made it to the semifinals. Presidency School, RT Nagar, walked away with the winning trophy.
They also got an impromptu cash prize of Rs 10,116, from Vijaya Kumar, general manager-network II of SBI, St Mark’s Road.
From Viv Richards starting his cricketing career from K Chinnaswamy Stadium to RBI governor Raghuram Rajan starring in the Oscar-winning documentary ‘Inside Job’, to Fauntelroy being Donald Duck’s middle name, the students had answers to almost all the questions.
Chief general manager of SBI Rajni Mishra said: “Some of the questions bowled me over; the children know so much today. I am often asked where I see India going economically, and today I can say that India is going to be No 1 in the world soon. We will have brilliant scientists, entrepreneurs and leaders,” she said.
Isabella Simon, principal of The Cathedral High School, said quizzing is a fun way to learn and gather information. CEO of Greycaps India Pvt. Ltd Giri Balasubramanium said he was delighted to see so many girls taking to quizzing. “Girls opening up to a mind sport like quizzing is a fantastic new trend. The comfort level the youngsters have with all the information around them is also amazing,” he said.
The winners, Aymen Maqsood and Bavadharini Manohar attributed their success to the 40-minute quiz they have in school every day, and reading the newspaper. The prizes to the winners were sponsored by Vedantu.com. General manager-network I, YV Ramana Murthy was among those who gave away the prizes.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bengaluru / by Santrupti Rajankar, TNN / August 21st, 2015
The centenary of late Prof. E.N.K. Viswanathan, who was a Mathematics Professor at St. Philomena’s College, Mysuru, was celebrated in city recently.
Prof. E.N.K.V., who served the institution from 1947-1973, retired as Head of the Department of Mathematics. Some of the many disciplines he taught were geometry, algebra, trigonometry, calculus, analytical geometry, and astronomy. He also wrote a number of books on the various disciplines of mathematics.
Known to everyone as a teacher par excellence, he was also a great father to three daughters and a considerate human being to all his friends and colleagues. Prof. E.N.K. Viswanathan and his wife Vinodha Viswanathan were residents of Mysuru for over 50 years.
The centenary celebration at Dasaprakash Paradise was attended by over 125 people from far and near. Among the attendees were members of the family, students, colleagues, friends and well-wishers. Fr. Leslie Moras of St. Philomena’s College graced the function and spoke about Prof. Viswanathan. He belonged to the last batch of students taught by the Professor.
Family members, colleagues, and students spoke about Prof. Viswanathan, recollecting various facets of his personality, sharing anecdotes and sweet memories about the great teacher. They also spoke about his humble nature, honesty, integrity, and teaching skills. During the function, colleagues of the professor who had worked with him were felicitated.
One of the books written by Prof. Viswanathan, containing articles on mathematics and astronomy, was released during the function. A copy of the book was distributed to all the attendees.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Sunday – August 09th, 2015
Atul Vikas Kulkarni, an engineering graduate from The National Institute of Engineering (NIE), Mysuru, has secured All-India 180th rank in Civil Services Examination-2014 conducted by UPSC recently. He belongs to Computer Science batch of 2007.
Kulkarni hails from Gokak, a small town in Belagavi. After he graduated from NIE, he served at MindTree as Senior Software Developer for three years and later joined Tata Institute of Social Sciences, School of Habitat Studies, Mumbai, to pursue M.Sc in Habitat Policy and Practice. After M.Sc., he served at CRISIL Risk and Infrastructure Solutions Limited (CRIS), Mumbai, as Consultant at Nashik Municipal Corporation and Arghyam, Bengaluru, as Project Officer.
On getting motivation to join Civil Services, Kulkarni said that during his field visits to slums and homeless, he understood the ground realities related to water issues, sanitation and poverty that shook his conscience. The sufferings of the poor people who came from other geographical area to city in search of income and harassment of women and children living on pavements motivated him to become a civil servant.
Currently an independent Research Consultant, he is also involved in making handmade paper, paper products and eco-products at ‘Divya Sparsha,’ a social enterprise based in Bengaluru.
He represented India in the first South Asia Youth Conference held in IIM, Bengaluru, in 2011. He was the finalist in International Business Summit, IIM Calcutta, Antyodaya for a concept of “Environment Museum” on sustainable development; was selected for Tata Jagriti Yatra in 2010; was national winner of Mahindra’s “Spark The Rise” competition for project titled “Smart Sanitation and Solid Waste Management: A Holistic Approach”, “Water Ambassador” by World Bank in Water Hackaton event; winner in Vodafone Mobiles for Good programme in 2012 for his project titled “Locating and Rating of Public Restrooms in Indian Cities” and many more. He did his thesis on the lakes in Bengaluru “Land, Water and Local People: A Case Study of Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor.”
NIE has, in a press release, congratulated Atul Kulkarni for his achievement.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Sunday – August 09th, 2015
The Golden Jubilee celebrations of All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH), Mysuru, will be held at AIISH Gymkhana auditorium in Manasagangotri on Aug.9 at 10.30 am. Dr. P.Satishchandra, Senior Professor of Neurology and former Vice-Chancellor, National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Dr. H.A. Ranganath, former Director-NAAC and Dr. Ramachandra Bhat, Vice-Chancellor, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, Bengaluru, will be the guests at the inaugural function.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan Batra, Director, Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), Mysuru and Dr. V. Sivaprasad, Director, Central Sericultural Research & Training Institute (CSRTI), Mysuru, will be the guests for the cultural programme at 6.30 pm on the same day. Prof. S.R. Savithri, Director, AIISH, will preside. On the occasion, a Golden Jubilee video, online system for hearing screening, new-born hearing screening centres, research publications, clinical tests and tools will be released. The event also includes felicitation to Ph.D awardees, meritorious students, retired employees and AIISHian of the year award.
The All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH), Mysuru, established in 1965, for human resource development, research, clinical services, and public education in the field of communication disorders, will complete 50th year of its journey on 9th August, 2015.
On the invitation of Government of India, Dr. Martin F. Palmer, Director, Institute of Logopedics, Wichita, Kansas, USA, visited India in 1963 and recommended for setting up an institute of Logopedics in India at Mysuru.
On 9th August 1965, All India Institute of Logopedics started functioning in Rama Mandira (a rented building) with Dr. N. Rathna as the first employee. Dr. B.M. Rao was appointed as the first Director later.
On 25th July 1966, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, the then President of India, laid the foundation stone for the institute building in the 22-acre campus presented by the Maharaja of Mysore. On 2nd October 1966, M.Sc. programme in Speech and Hearing, the first-of-its kind in the country, was initiated by the institute with affiliation to University of Mysore. On 10th October 1966, the institute got registered with the name “All India Institute of Speech and Hearing.” What started as a small institution in 1965 has today blossomed into one of the premier establishments across South Asia in the field of communication disorders.
Over the last 50 years, growth of the institute has been phenomenal on all four fronts: Academic, research, clinical services and advocacy. The institute, which started with one PG programme, now offers 16 academic programmes. In addition, it offers two Ph.D. programmes and Post doctoral fellowship. The institute has been recognised as a Centre of Excellence in the area of Deafness by WHO, as a Centre for advanced Research by UGC, as a Science and Technology Institute by DST, as a Centre of Excellence by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and is accredited by NAAC with highest A grade.
Nodal Centre
The institute has been also recognised as a Nodal Centre for the implementation of National Programme for Prevention and Control of Deafness and Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
The institute, which started with one Department of Logopedics, now has 11 Departments with state-of-the-art facilities to provide best available clinical services in the entire Asia. The complete diagnostic and therapeutic services focussed on holistic rehabilitation of persons with communication disorders are provided under one roof at a nominal cost by the most experienced professionals in the field.
AIISH also runs 8 centres at RML Hospital, New Delhi; AIIPMR, Mumbai; JLMNC, Ajmer; SCBMC, Cuttack; CSMMU, Lucknow; IGMC, Shimla; RIMS, Ranchi and JNMC, Bhagalpur for Diploma in Hearing, Language and Speech programme. The institute conducts this diploma in virtual mode through video conferencing in these centres and also provide clinical services.
Further, the institute provides mentoring to RIMS, Imphal; JIPMER, Puducherry and NSBMC Jabalpur for BASLP programme. It also provides tele-rehabilitation and tele-diagnosis services at these centres. The institute has 4 outreach centres to extend its services to the masses at Akkihebbalu, Hullahalli, Gumballi and Sagar Taluk in Karnataka.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / Saturday – August 08th, 2015
It’s a portable washing machine, or rather, a washing drum. It needs no electricity, running on power generated by operating a pedal. It uses just 50 litres of water and detergent to wash 5kg of dry clothes, and best of all, can be ridden to the water source.
This invention by a team of three scientists -Amaresh Chakrabarti, Manish Kumar and Pulin M Raje -from the Centre for Product Design and Manufacturing (CPDM) of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) – prom ises to be a boon to rural areas, where electricity is scarce and piped water is still a pipe dream. The CPMD is largely perceived to lack such innovations or inventions for the common man.
Conceived in 2008, the washing drum has gone through many processes and is patented. The Society for Innovation and Development (SID), within the IISc campus, is now liaisoning with industry to take it to the market.
A senior SID official told TOI: “The primary objective of IISc is research. We also have such products and technologies and the SID and incubation centre try to push them.”
He, however, conceded there is no aggressive marketing. “There are many companies that come scout ing for talent and ideas, we showcase these things to them. Otherwise, there is no advertising or media publicity for these inventions,” he said.
Amaresh Chakrabarti said: “I ideally wanted to find a startup partner, with students involved in the project. A patent has been granted, but the students left for other jobs. I’m seeking an appropriate person to in cubate the startup, as part of the MHRD-funded programme called Design Innovation Centre (or DIC) that was approved by the Sam Pitroda committee of the National Innovation Council. We hope to start incubation in the coming year.”
“Our invention is a substantial improvement over hand washing, which requires about 200 litres of water and takes two hours, while conventional machines also need 200 litres of water and take 65 minutes,” say the scientists, and claim that hand washing using similar brushes leads to greater damage to clothes.
11 inventions wait for funds
Eleven other inventions from IISc are ready and waiting for incubation. It’s a pointer to the fact that the institute is working to get its collective intellectual property to benefit the common man. Among the inventions is a mechanized harvest device specially suited for tea and herbs, which require meticulous selection of the shoot. Scientists claim this enhances productivity three-fold.
The list also has a device that enables visually challenged individuals to accurately construct geometric figures, like circular arcs and straight line segments, in a manner that can be equally understood by able individuals.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City> Bengaluru / by Chethan Kumar, TNN / July 31st, 2015
Twenty-one-year-old Vasudhesh H. Bhat of city has bagged 17th rank in the final examination of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India held in May 2015.
He has secured 29th rank in the All India CA IPCC (Integrated Proficiency Competence Course) held in May 2012, completed all the examinations of Company Secretary (CS) Course in December 2014 and also served as Secretary to the Southern Indian Chartered Accountants’ Students Association (SICASA), Mysuru.
Apart from academics, he has cleared the senior examination in Classical Flute under the guidance of Vidwan A.V. Prakash and has participated in various Kavi Goshti (Poets’ Meet), including Dasara Chiguru Kavigoshti.
Vasudhesh Bhat is the son of K. Haridas Bhat (Automotive Axles Limited) and Vasanthi Haridas, natives of Kadandale village in Mangaluru, presently residents of Vijayanagar 2nd Stage in city
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Monday – July 20th, 2015
City girl Rini James, studying in Weinhenstephan – Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences, Germany, was awarded “Outstanding Achievement of a Foreign Student Award” in Germany on July 10.
Rini James, who completed her Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Mysore, is also a Deutscher Akademischer Austanschdienst (German Academic Exchange Service), DAAD Scholar having received a scholarship for a student exchange at the Technical University, Berlin, Germany in 2011-12.
During her Master’s Programme in Germany, she has won many awards and prizes for her excellence in Studies.
Rini James is the daughter of James Balu and Alice J. Balu of Mysuru.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Saturday – July 18th, 2015
Mysurean Vasudesh H. Bhat has bagged 17th rank at the all-India level in the final examination of Chartered Accountants course.
He had entered the CA through the CPT route in June 2011 after completing Class 12 in the Demonstration School here.
He had also secured All India 29th rank in CA Intergrated Proficiency Competence Course in May 2012. Vasudesh also served as the Secretary of the Southern Indian Chartered Accountants’ Students’ Association, a press release said here.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – July 22nd, 2015
A baby boy was born to Devegowda and Channamma couple at a small village Mudigere, about a hundred years ago, in a poor family. Naturally, the father asked him to a look after the sheep he had. But the boy had other plans; he wanted to study and get educated and come to the mainstream of the society. Hence, against his father’s wishes, he joined the local school and passed the Lower Secondary examination.
This made great news in the family circles as also in the village. The boy entered into High School and passed SSLC. At that time, Mahatma Gandhi came to Channapatna and the young boy Javaregowda made it a point to see him even from a distance. He was greatly influenced by Gandhiji and decided to work for the cause of the country in his own way.
Then he went to Bangalore to study Intermediate (present PUC). He had an opportunity of going to Ramakrishna Hostel where a new vista of the literature of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Vivekananda and Gandhiji beckoned him. He wanted to go to Kolhapur but could not. Then he joined as a clerk in the Education Department. The corruption that was rampant made him leave this job.
In the meantime, he completed MA degree and rejoined as a clerk in the Secretariat and worked there for three years. At this time, he got two openings: the first one was the job of a Sub-Registrar (a lucrative job not by salary but by extra income) and the other was the job of a lecturer in University of Mysore. Friends and relatives advised him to join the Sub-Registrar’s post and earn a fortune in a short time. But his inner conscience told him that Sub-Registrar’s post was not his cup of tea and the service as a lecturer in Kannada will give him job satisfaction and allow him to write in his mother-tongue.
Fortunately for Kannada, he joined as lecturer and was posted to Central College, Bangalore. After two years, he was transferred to Mysore University and he never looked back. He began contributing articles in Kannada on Kannada literature and culture. He was invited to be one of the editors of the prestigious journal Prabuddha Karnataka. It came to be published as a good journal and its circulation was increased. Scholars thought that it was a prestige to get their research articles published in Prabuddha Karnataka.
Subsequently another Kannada journal called Manavika Karnataka, meant for articles on Social Sciences, was added with the vision of Dejagow. Thus the three journals Prabuddha Karnataka (literature), Vijana Karnataka (Science) and Manavika Karnataka (Social Science) became the most prestigious research journals in Karnataka.
With his scholarly contribution, he was elevated to the position of Assistant Professor in 1955. Dejagow, following the footsteps of his Guru Kuvempu, emphasised that a University should give equal importance to Bodhane (teaching) Samshodhane (research) and Prasara (publication). The first two were already there and he strengthened the publication unit called Prasaranga. During the period of Dejagow at the helm, one book a day used to see the light of the day. Thus Mysore University became famous for its publication not only in Kannada but also in English.
The University depended upon the local printing presses for printing the books which caused inordinate delay as well as lack of quality. To overcome this, Dejagow started a University printing press which was well-equipped with latest machinery. University text book and research publications began to see the light of the day in a methodical way. Seeing his dynamism, the authorities appointed him as the Principal of the prestigious Sahyadri College at Shimoga and during his tenure, the college developed by leaps and bounds and became an ideal college. The authorities felt that he should be transferred to Mysore to develop the University in all its facets and he became a Professor and Head in 1964. Next year, he was chosen as the Dean of Arts faculty. In the meantime, he was also the Controller of Examinations.
To centralise all Kannada academic activities, the Institute of Kannada Studies was started at Manasagangotri and he became its first Director. The Institute became the hub of all Kannada activities. Dejagow felt that scholars depend on encyclopaedia for information in English. This knowledge should be available to Kannadigas in Kannada itself. He organised a branch of the Kannada Encyclopaedia and got articles written by specialists which has not been surpassed in other languages. The fourteen volume Kannada Viswakosha series is a boon to the Kannadigas and you mention any important topic in the world, you will find its entry with details, in this work. Practically, I use this encyclopaedia for all my writings in ‘Pages from History.’
Folklore was an important subject of study in foreign countries but we had neglected it. Dejagow recognised the importance of folklore in understanding the culture of Karnataka. He started a Folklore Museum in Manasagangotri and collected unique items. Soon it became famous internationally with foreign scholars thronging its portals and it became a great attraction in Mysore University. It got appreciation from Ford Foundation also. It was considered a must for any distinguished visitor to Mysuru. Folklore also became a subject for Master’s and Diploma level.
Dejagow became the Vice-Chancellor of University of Mysore on Kannada Rajyotsava Day, November 1, 1969. A felicitation function was arranged in his honour. Prof. S.V. Ranganna, who spoke on the occasion, said Kannada has attained a horn (Kannadake indu kodu bandide). That Kodu has developed as a sharp instrument for those who oppose Kannada. That is the most powerful weapon of Dejagow.
I faintly remember a meeting in which the then Chief Minister D. Devaraja Urs spoke. He used strong words and said that he is prepared to resign for political reasons. In his speech, Dejagow said he is prepared to resign any moment if Kannada is shown disrespect by people however high they may be. The entire audience was stunned at the guts of Dejagow before a Chief Minister.
Dejagow considered Kuvempu as a divine human being. If anybody wants to know how a Guru has to be respected, they must read the utterances of Dejagow in this regard. If my memory is correct, Dejagow once told me that he worships the photograph of Kuvempu. Dejagow followed the footsteps of Kuvempu in all ethical principles. Kuvempu’s respect and regard for his Guru T.S. Venkannaiah is well-known and if you want to know it, please read the dedication page of Kuvempu’s Ramayana Darshanam. The same type of respect Dejagow developed towards his Guru Kuvempu. Kuvempu was pleased at the attitude of Dejagow. ‘I do not know by which words I can convey my relationship with Dejagow. Love? Sincerity? Faithfulness? Friendship? Devotion? Respect? Each of these words is not adequate. I have no words to express my relationship with Dejagow; words fail. Hence I keep silent.’ Swami Siddhesvaranandaji is my spiritual guru while Dejagow is my guide in secular matters. Getting a certificate to this effect from Kuvempu is not an ordinary feat.
Dejagow has distinguished himself as a prose writer (gadyabrahma, gadyashilpi). When everybody was running after poetry, he realised it was not his cup of tea and hence chose prose to express himself. Thus he is considered as Banabhatta in modern Kannada literature.
In a short article of this type, all his works and translations cannot be mentioned. Those who are interested may refer to a Kannada book ‘Dejagow Vanmayasuchi’ edited by Dr. T. K. Kempegowda. He has more than hundred works to his credit and thus he has hit two centuries, one by his age and the other by the number of his works. I do not think any Kannada author has this distinction. Thus he holds a unique academic record. The literary output of Dejagow is vast and varied that many research scholars have been doing research on his works.
In spite of his busy academic schedule, Dejagow has found time to visit many foreign countries including Russia, Britain, Africa and Europe. He has written on these foreign visits which are educative in nature.
My acquaintances with Dejagow are also interesting. I wrote my Ph.D thesis on the topic ‘The Yadavas-Sevunas of Devagiri.’ The uniqueness of this thesis is that I propounded the theory that the Yadavas were Kannada people and not Marathis as believed by great historians like Bhandarkar, Altekar, Yazdani, etc. I wrote an article in Kannada on this and it was published in Prabuddha Karnataka. It drew the attention of Dejagow; he was curious to know as to who was the youngster who has added one more dynasty to Karnataka. He complimented me and published my book from the University.
Another work of mine which attracted Dejagow was a Kannada book on the origin and evolution of Kannada script. This was published as the first book from Institute of Kannada Studies. It has brought name and fame and seen seven editions. I am grateful to Dejagow for this encouragement, which made me a writer in Kannada.
From his encouragement I have published about 20 books in Kannada on history and culture of Karnataka, including Karnataka Coinage. At his instance, I took up the publication of Kannada translation of all the English works of Kulapati K. M. Munshi, the Founder of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. As the Chairman of BVB Mysuru Kendra, I have published 26 books of Munshiji in Kannada. At his instance, I have also edited 25 parts of the series called ‘History and Culture of the Indian People,’ running to about 20,000 pages in Kannada.
I live in Jayalakshmipuram, very close to Prof. Dejagow. In fact, he has a role in my getting this plot of land. Till recently, I used to meet him almost daily and pay my regards and if he was free, talk to him on academic matters. But nowadays, he goes by car and I am deprived of the privilege. Hence, I go to Kuteera to talk to him and pay my regards.
When our MLA Vasu asked me to be the Chairman of the Centenary Committee to honour Dejagow, I accepted it in all humility because it gave me one more opportunity to pay our respects. But Dejagow did not agree to this celebration saying, ‘I have done my duty to Kannada; what is great about it.’ We had to persuade him to accept our love, affection and regards through a public function. Thus, he has become a Sthithapragnya.
Finally, I pray to God to give Dejagow health, peace and more laurels in the days to come. I hope every Kannadiga will say ‘Amen.’
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / Sunday – July 12th, 2015
