On Sunday, after watching Kannada TV channels showing the burial of Kannada film world’s iconic matinee idol Puneeth Rajkumar, who had died of heart attack on Friday (Oct. 29), I came to office to get rid of that melancholic feeling. Very sad indeed. He bloomed as an actor rather early in life as a child artiste and withered too early at age 46.
In the office, I finished reading the book “Excellence Has No Borders” by Dr. B.S. Ajaikumar with Hemanth Gorur. Which means the actual writing was done by the latter. Star of Mysore had already published a review of this book by Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy of Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) that appeared on Oct. 26, 2021.
Dr. Shenoy wanted to know why the book was titled “Excellence Has No Borders.” After reading the book, I too thought likewise. Dr. Ajaikumar was looking beyond the Indian horizon and venturing to establish a brand of hospitals for cancer patients worldwide and call it as Health Care Global, acronym HCG. After reading the book, I thought it was a misnomer to call his venture HCG for it would be perceived as a hospital of general healthcare and not exclusively dedicated to cancer. Which was why some of his venture capitalist financiers, as detailed in the book, had difficulty in getting to know one real character of the venture they were contemplating to finance. I felt he should have christened his healthcare brand (Hospitals) as Cancer Health Care Global (CHCG) or simply Cancer Care Global (CCG).
Since Dr. Bhamy Shenoy has reviewed the book comprehensively touching on important human and business aspects, including sibling suspicions, I will not inflict on my readers a second dose of comments on the same episode.
However, there are many lessons for the professionals like doctors who aspire to become entrepreneurs in their given area of specialisation — like Dr. Ajaikumar, who is a qualified Oncologist.
No doubt higher the risk in any business, higher the profit. So also the loss. When one bites more than one can chew and swallow, he is bound to choke and die. We have many cases of people, nay adventurers, venturing to achieve success that is beyond their reach and committing suicide. With humility and modesty, I say, health and wealth are the personal responsibility of each individual. Probably, it is because of this axiom there is a wise saying ‘Each for himself and God for all.’ Reading this book, I realised the truism of this human experience.
All along his ambitious journey, it is Dr. Ajaikumar who was taking responsibility for planning, finance, negotiating to find the venture capitalists and more. Naturally, much travelling he had to do. It seemed, most of the time he was in the airports flying to America and India any number of times.
I salute him for his high ambition, high-octane energy and above all courage to take a chance and risk. Of course, the whole world loves the winner, failure is an orphan. Dr. Ajaikumar, for now, is a winner and being a Mysurean, we must feel proud of him. I should vouch for his humane healthcare service to Mysureans and to the cancer patients from around Mysuru by establishing his first designated cancer hospital, known as ‘Bharath Cancer Hospital’ in Hebbal. It was a Godsend those days. Even now it is the hospital of the first call for poor cancer patients.
The book reveals how difficult it was for Dr. Ajaikumar to get a piece of land to set up this hospital.
In 1987, he thought of starting a cancer hospital in India. He decided to have it either in Bengaluru or Mysuru being a Mysurean. He knew the well-known Prof. A.K. Ramanujam of the University of Chicago and on his suggestion went with him to meet the Karnataka Chief Minister, who was in Chicago, on some Government work. Sadly his suggestion was “laughed off.” Dr. Ajaikumar writes, “I was told they already had Kidwai for that and that there was no need for anything else.”
These are our rulers! Dr. Ajaikumar did not give up, did not accept defeat. He identified a 15-acre land on Nanjangud Road and Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) allotted it in 1988. However, Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) took objection and media too suspected his intention. He writes, “As the saying goes, ‘No good deed goes unpunished.’ So a good deed is punished heavily by the city of Mysuru.” Reading this, I thought of proposed ‘Viveka Smaraka’ by Sri Ramakrishna Ashram which is mired in controversy. As Dr. Ajaikumar said in his book, once again a good deed is punished heavily by the city of Mysuru.
Reading Dr. Ajaikumar’s account of his trekking expedition to Kangchenjunga and his experience with his Sherpa-helper Aan Pasang who dies “suddenly” and the opinion about our life and death, I could not but remember our Kannada film actor Puneeth Rajkumar who passed away “suddenly” last Friday and how we felt devastated.
Dr. Ajaikumar and his wife Bhagya also go on a trip to rural and semi-rural areas across India. And from what he writes, it seems he got ‘enlightened’ like Buddha or Yudhisthira (Dharmaraya) in Mahabharata. He remembers the incident with Aan Pasang that had taught him the life lesson about how suddenly things could change and how one needed to be prepared. ‘One day you were here and the next day you were gone.’ He then recalls one of the many questions the Yaksha asks Yudhisthira in Mahabharata known as ‘Yaksha Prashne’.
Question: What is most amazing in the world?
Answer: Every day people die, yet everyone thinks he will live for ever. What is more amazing than this?
Dr. Ajaikumar continues:
“Human life has a self-life. It derives meaning from accomplishments achieved during one’s lifetime. For this good health is crucial. For, anything can be bought or repaired with money, but there is only so much money can do when it comes to health.” What a profound observation!
Like a sting in the tail, the last paragraph of the last chapter of the book says, “There should be no difference in TREATMENT for the rich and the poor” and advises the (deaf, dumb and blind) government what it should do to reach this goal. It should not be like in our country ‘Bail for the rich and jail for the poor.’ Did you get me Steve?
May the tribe of service-minded professional entrepreneurs like Dr. Ajaikumar increase. After all, good of mankind is important and we need people like Dr. Ajaikumar to achieve this noble goal.
e-mail: voice@starofmysore.com
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Columns> abracadabra by K B Ganapathy / November 02nd, 2021
Meet the Mysurean behind conservation of priceless Murals & heritage monuments
Painting has been one of the means of expression from time immemorial. India, with a history of over 5,000 years, has been known for having murals of hundreds of years old. Restoring them is a biggest challenge. S. Subbaraman, retired Superintending Archaeological Chemist, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), has the credit of restoring murals from Ajanta Caves to Halebid temple and Bamiyan Buddha Statues in Afghanistan. A resident of Mysuru, the nonagenarian shared his experiences with ‘Star of Mysore’ in a freewheeling chat. —Ed
Star of Mysore (SOM): From Food and Drugs Analyst, how did your mind attract towards Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as Chemical Assistant. Is it out of passion or compulsion?
Subbaraman: I did not join ASI out of any passion for Archaeology. To be frank, I did not even know much about Archaeology at that point of time. It was the perceived higher importance attached to serving in the Central Government (rather than in a State Government), besides the lure of a higher pay. In the King Institute, Madras, I was getting a salary of Rs. 145. In my new job in ASI, it was the ‘princely‘ sum of Rs. 220 (160 Basic + 60 D.A.). For lower middle class people like us, the luxury of choosing our careers was not there. We just needed a job to make a living and we went wherever chance led us.
However, after joining ASI and working in such great monuments like Ajanta, I started developing an admiration and love for these monuments and started relishing my work more and more, besides realising my good fortune in being in the important field of preserving our priceless heritage.
After working in ASI for a few years, I came to understand one thing. Working on such objects of immeasurable value, such as the Ajanta paintings for instance, requires not only technical knowledge of the chemicals, materials, procedures and manual skill but a certain amount of artistic sensibility and a feel for these great works of art. Then only a conservator can be really successful. Perhaps, I had these qualities to some extent, without my being aware that I had them !
External Affairs Minister A.B. Vajpayee at Bamiyan.Team leader Subbaraman being introduced to Vajpayee.
SOM: Which was your first assignment after joining as Chemical Assistant in ASI ?
Subbaraman: My first assignment was to work on 13th century mural paintings in the Jain cave in a hamlet called Thirumalai, 2-km distance from Vadamadi-mangalam, in the North Arcot district of Tamil Nadu. Vadamadimangalam is a Railway Station on the Katpadi – Thiruvannamalai route.
My senior, K.T.M. Hegde, who was already there when I arrived on May 1, 1954, trained me in the work, which consisted of cleaning the paint surface with suitable organic solvents in order to remove dust, dirt etc., and bring back the colours to their original brightness, as much as possible and finally to apply a coat of preservative (1% solution of Polyvinyl Acetate in Toluene).
The paintings in this cave consisted only of designs and did not have any figures, which would have been there if any particular theme was depicted. So it provided just training ground but did not prove very exciting. For that, I had to wait for my next posting, namely Ajanta.
Ajanta Padmapani (Pic: Dr. My. Na. Sharma)
SOM: You mentioned about following a new technology for restoration of mural, what is that technology?
Subbaraman: When there are perennial problems like constant moisture in the wall, it becomes impossible to preserve mural paintings in situ. It then becomes necessary to transfer them from the wall and remount them on a different support. This work of transfer has been in practice in Italy for a long time and they have both experience and expertise in the work.
They have two techniques for this: 1. Strappo and 2. Stacco.
In all methods of transfer, the first step is to apply a facing of cloth on the paint surface in order to ensure its safety during the transfer. In the Strappo technique, the cloth facing is applied with the help of glue as adhesive. While drying, the glue undergoes shrinkage and this has the effect of pulling the paint surface away from the wall, which facilitates the later separation. After the facing has completely dried, the separation of the paint layer from the wall is effected by simply pulling away the faced paint layer. After the separated painting is remounted on a fresh support (such as fibre class), the last step is to remove the facing with the help of hot water. This is possible in Italy because the paintings there are all in true Fresco technique, where the paint layer is insoluble in water.
In the Stacco technique, a portion of the ground (namely, lime plaster) is also removed from the wall, along with the paint layer. For adhesive for applying the cloth facing, molasses is added to the glue to reduce the shrinkage, so as to keep the paint layer and plaster bound together during transfer. Other procedures are the same as in Strappo technique.
In all the transfer techniques described above, the transfer of the painting is from the wall and, therefore, there is no need to worry about the safety of the support from which the painting is being transferred. The use of chisel and hammer, when necessary, is therefore quite safe. In our work in Brihadeeshwara temple in Thanjavur, however, one layer of old mural painting was to be separated from another layer. As can be imagined, this is much more difficult and much greater skill and caution was required for the work.
Since the superimposed Nayaka layer was rather fragile, I ruled out the Strappo technique and decided to adopt the Stracco technique (in which a part of the lime plaster is also removed). Secondly, the use of glue as adhesive for facing cloth had also to be ruled out because you cannot use hot water for removing the facing at the end, the Nayaka paintings being in water-soluble Tempera. I decided to use a 20% solution of Polyvinyl Acetate as adhesive for facing cloth. This is a strong adhesive that can be easily removed with the help of an organic solvent like Toluene.
I also used rubber-tipped chisels and a wooden mallet (instead of hammer to minimise pressure) so as to avoid causing the slightest damage to the Chola layer during the separation. I thus used already known techniques, suitably modified to fit our conditions and did not invent any new technique. It was the skill in execution and abundant caution exercised that were more important.
Ajanta painting
SOM: Explain how the restoration work begins?
Subbaraman: A mural painting is basically a layered structure, consisting of: 1) Support (which is stone or brick wall); 2) Ground (mud plaster in early examples like in Ajanta but lime plaster in murals from 7th century onwards); 3) Paint layer.
Old mural paintings in our country are mostly in the Tempera technique, in which the pigments are ground in an organic binding medium such as gum or glue and the painting is done on a dry ground.
In the West, what is called the True Fresco technique has been practiced from very early times. In this, the pigments are ground only in water and the painting is done on the lime plaster when it is still wet. During the drying of the painted plaster, the lime reacts with atmospheric carbon dioxide and is gradually turned to lime stone, integrating the paint layer firmly with the plaster and also rendering the paint layer to be insoluble in water.
In the conservation of mural paintings, the aim is to ensure the sound condition of all the three layers and their mutual adhesion. The first step is to fix back all loose, hanging or bulging portions back to the wall with help of lime-casein adhesive. Loose edges are all filleted, using lime plaster, suitably tinted so as to merge with the surroundings.
The next step is cleaning, in order to remove all accretions on the paint layer such as dust, ingrained dirt, oily or sooty deposits, bird or bat droppings etc., that we find in old monuments, in an attempt to bring back the colours to their original brightness as much as possible. We cannot use aqueous solutions for the cleaning because the medium (gum or glue) in our Indian paintings is water-soluble. We have to use organic solvents after first experimenting in a small corner to find an effective as well as safe solvent. In practice, mixtures of two or more solvents are sometimes found to be more effective than a single solvent. Cotton swabs dipped in the solvent are gently rolled over the paint surface to remove the accretions.
The last step is the application of a preservative coat for protecting the paint surface from the atmosphere. We normally use a 1% solution of Polyvinyl acetate (PVA ) in Toluene. It leaves a colourless, perfectly transparent coating on the paint surface and remains stable for at least 20 years. After that, the coating can be easily removed with the help of Toluene and a fresh coating applied.
Subbaraman separating Nayaka layer at Thanjavur temple.
SOM: How did you restore Ajanta Cave paintings and other paintings in Lepakshi Temple?
Subbaraman: The first mural painting conservation project in India was undertaken by the Nizam of Hyderabad for conserving and restoring Ajanta paintings (Ajanta and Ellora lay in his dominions then) by inviting two Italian restorers, Cecconi and Orsini, who worked for two seasons of 4 months each in 1920 and 21. They did a very good job of consolidating the fragile paintings, strengthening them and cleaning them to the maximum extent possible. But one thing they did towards the end of their work happened to cause problems for future conservators like us. They applied a 5% solution of Shellac as a preservative coat on the paint surface. While the coating immediately brightened the paint surface, the Shellac gradually underwent oxidation due to reaction with the atmosphere and turned yellow and even brownish, distorting the appearance of the original colours.
The task before us of the ASI, when we started our work in the fifties, was to remove this Shellac coating without harming the paint surface in the least. This was delicate work requiring much skill and patience, especially in view of the tremendous value of these paintings. A number of organic solvents were experimented with before arriving at an optimum solvent/ solvent mixture.
Major portions of the paintings have survived in Caves 1, 2, 6, 9, 10, 16 and 17. In 1955, we started work in Caves 16 and 17 and successfully removed the Shellac coating and brought back the paint surface to its original brightness to the maximum extent possible.
Lepakshi: The Veerabhadraswamy temple here, built in late Vijayanagar period (around 1520 ), is noted both for its beautiful sculptures and paintings. When I came here in June 1958, the paintings on the ceiling of the outer Mantapa had already been conserved by my predecessors. I had to take up work in the interior. Here, the problem was of soot emanating from oil lamps and camphor arathis etc. The ceiling, about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide, had been covered with thick deposits of soot, completely hiding the paintings underneath. Only from faint outlines visible could we make out that there were paintings below the soot deposit. My task was to remove the soot and restore the paintings to their original appearance. This again was a challenging task, because the paint surface might have interacted with the oily and sooty deposits and become fragile. The soot had to be removed without harming the paint surface in the least.
The ceiling was about 15 feet high and bamboo scaffolding of suitable height was constructed to work on. A mildly alkaline organic solvent, Triethanolamine, was selected for the cleaning. The solvent (which has a high boiling point) was applied on the paint surface with a soft brush and allowed to react for about an hour. After that, the partly dissolved soot was removed by gently rolling over the surface cotton swabs dipped in petroleum spirit. After the area had dried, if some soot still remained, the process was repeated. A maximum of three such cleanings was required to remove the soot completely. The result was spectacular. A 16 feet long Veerabhadra figure, with crown and other ornamentation and five hands on each side, each hand holding a different weapon, emerged! It was as if Veerabhadra had hidden behind a dark curtain and he now came out by lifting the curtain!
The work was all the more difficult because it had to be done on the ceiling, the conservator having to keep looking upwards all the time, subjecting the neck muscles to great strain. (There were instances of workers doing similar work developing Cervical Spondilitis but I escaped unscathed!)
The work attracted lot of public attention. Kallur Subba Rao, a former Deputy Speaker of the Andhra Assembly, who belonged to that district, specially came over to Lepakshi and was extremely pleased to see the newly exposed, huge and magnificent Veerabhadra figure!
It may be mentioned in passing that Lepakshi also has the largest stone Nandi (28 feet long and 14 feet high) in the country (bigger than the one on Chamundi Hill and the one in Brihadeeshwara temple, Thanjavur).
Remounted Nayaka painting after separation at Thanjavur.
SOM: Explain about higher training in art restoration in Rome. Did you see the difference in restoration process between India and abroad?
Subbaraman: The Italians have a long experience of conserving and restoring mural paintings since they have a profusion of mural painting heritage, spread all over Italy. Therefore, they have lot of expertise too. Besides, I had a lot of fascination for Roman History from my school days, after reading about Julius Caesar and other heroes and Rome, being the epicenter of the Roman empire and having wonderful monuments of various epochs with sculptures and paintings galore, the chance to stay in Rome for 10 months (December 1960 to October 1961) and study their techniques was a unique opportunity for me to learn and add to my own knowledge and expertise in the field in which I was working.
I studied in the Central Institute of Art Restoration in Rome. There were classes as well as field work. But the one essential difference is that their paintings are all True Frescos and ours are Temperas. I have explained the difference between the two above. Naturally, therefore, the methods of treating them also should differ. The latest techniques that I learnt in Rome had to be suitably modified if they had to be used in our conditions.
But the exposure to the wider world of art restoration in a country like Italy was a valuable experience that stood me in good stead throughout my career.
I also utilized this opportunity of being in Europe to visit Museum Conservation Laboratories in other countries like Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, France and England (during my Institute’s summer break) to study latest conservation techniques.
Chola painting at Brihadeeshwara temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu.
SOM: What restoration works did you take up in Belur and Halebid temples?
Subbaraman: Even stone, one of the most durable of building materials, is not immune to factors causing deterioration. Stone monuments therefore are affected by various factors which may be classified broadly as physical, chemical and biological.
The growth of micro-organisms like mosses, lichens and algae etc., is one of the main biological factors. Their growth occurs when moisture is present or even when the atmospheric Relative Humidity is about 75% or more.
The work in the Hoysala monuments of Belur and Halebid (which I did in 1964-65) consisted in cleaning for the removal of darkish growth of moss all over, which was disfiguring the intricately carved sculptures in the exterior. Since the stone here is quite soft (steatite or soap stone), extra care had to be taken in the cleaning so as not to damage the stone surface. Soft brushes had to be used to avoid abrasion. At the end of the cleaning, the stone surface was protected with a coating of 2% solution of Polymethylmethacrilate.
SOM: After restoration, for how many years the murals survive?
Subbaraman: After the conservation/ restoration process is over, the survival of the murals in a good condition depends on maintenance. Moisture is the single biggest factor for their deterioration. Therefore, care should be taken to completely stop the ingress of rain water through repairs to the building and constant maintenance. If they are in a tourist centre like Ajanta, the number of visitors at any one time has to be restricted, so as to avoid too much of carbon dioxide breathed out by the people that will affect the paintings.
In our experience in monuments, we have found that after treatment, the paintings are in good condition over an indefinite period, the only attention required being the removal of the old preservative coat and applying a fresh coat, after about 20 years.
Lepakshi mural
SOM: How those paintings of 500 to 600 years old survived despite vagaries of nature. What kind of colours were they using?
Subbaraman: One of the main reasons why these mural paintings have survived for hundreds of years is that the pigments used are all of mineral origin and more resistant to chemical change. If pigments of organic origin, say from vegetables or flowers, had been used, they would have faded long since. Stability of temperature and relative humidity inside the buildings is another factor that helps.
SOM: We are eager to know about your experience as a team leader to Bamiyan, Afghanistan, for the conservation and restoration of the two gigantic Buddha Statues. How did you do it?
Subbaraman: It fell to my lot to lead the team to Bamiyan, Afghanistan in June 1977 when we completed the 9-year project of conserving and restoring the two gigantic Buddha Statues. The work on the small Buddha had been completed earlier and work on the 183-feet-tall big Buddha was in progress, which we completed in all respects, working from June to October 1977.
We had erected 200 feet high steel scaffolding, going up to the roof of the niche containing the Statue, for our work. You could also reach the head of the Buddha Statue by climbing a hillock from behind. If you stood on the head of the Statue, it looked like you were standing in a large room. You can also imagine the size of the Statue when I say that, when I climbed down the scaffolding 30 feet from the head, I would have reached just the shoulder!
The work consisted in consolidating the stone surface of the Statue and also conserving the mural paintings, depicting various Buddhist themes, on the walls and ceiling of the niche. The paintings belonged to the 3rd/4th centuries C.E., contemporaneous with Ajanta paintings. It was a most exciting and challenging job. I had an enthusiastic team with me who took up the challenge with zest and completed the work in expected time. We would start at 8.30 in the morning and finish by 4.30 pm, with a brief lunch break. The team members hurried to the camp at 4.30 for their tea and a game of volley ball. (I was 47 years old at that time but being an experienced player, I was the star spiker in the team. Once we playfully had a match between the over 40 and below 40 players. We, the over 40, won!)
I was told that when the project began in 1969, the local people were hostile to it, their religion being opposed to idol worship. But as the work progressed and more and more tourists began coming in with more hotels being opened and the economy of the village improving considerably, people became friendly. We found the local officials most cooperative. (Afghanistan has always been friendly to India. Even then, India had many development projects going in that country.)
Our Ambassador at that time S.K. Singh (who later became India’s Foreign Secretary) was very helpful to us. Whenever the team members visited Kabul, Embassy staff members used to invite us for dinner. It was all a very pleasant experience for us.
The visit of our then External Affairs Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, for formally handing over the monuments to the Afghan Government after the completion of our work, is memorable. The opening words of his speech are still ringing in my ears. He said: “Bamiyanaakar, Hamaara Afghanistan Yaatra Theerthyathra Bangaya.“
Bamiyan Buddha … and after destruction by Taliban
SOM: What was your initial response when you heard that the Bamiyan Buddha Statues were destroyed by Talibans?
Subbaraman: I was in the USA in 2001, visiting my son and daughter in California, when I heard the news of the destruction of the Statues by the Taliban. Such acts of barbarous vandalism would be saddening to any sensitive person but imagine the feelings of one like me, personally involved in their conservation! I was heart-broken.
SOM: How did you conserve Angkor Wat in Cambodia?
Subbaraman: I was only involved in the preparation of the project report for the conservation of Angkor Wat in 1982. The opportunity for studying this amazing monument over a period of four months and becoming acquainted with almost every inch of it was a God-sent opportunity. But I could not take part in the actual conservation work. The work was started by ASI only in 1986 and went on for 8 seasons. In 1986, I was nearing retirement and could not take part in it. However, earlier in 1986, I accompanied the Director General of ASI to Angkor Wat, for planning the first year’s work of the conservation project.
SOM: In India, how many murals have been destroyed for non-maintenance?
Subbaraman: More than 5,000 monuments have been declared as of national importance and protected by ASI. Many other monuments have been protected by the various State Departments of Archaeology. Those in Governmental control are being looked after well by the different Departments.
But there are still a very large number of heritage structures outside Government control. Voluntary organisations like the Indian National Trust for Cultural Heritage (INTACH) are trying their best to look after them by undertaking conservation projects with the help of donations or grants.
Sadly there was a case of some valuable mural paintings being lost due to a wrong procedure by ASI itself. The Bagh Caves in Madhya Pradesh had beautiful murals of the 4th /5th century C.E. The caves showed signs of sinking due to pressure from the rocks above and to prevent this, ASI decided to blast off part of the overlying rocks to reduce the weight and pressure from above. This was a good move by itself. But what they should have done immediately thereafter but failed to do was to seal off all fissures and cracks in the remaining rock surface. Rain water started seeping in freely from these cracks, spoiling the paintings (on mud plaster) on the walls of the caves. We salvaged a large part of them from transferring them from the walls.
There are mural paintings of the Nayaka period (16th-17th centuries) in a large number of temples in Tamil Nadu as well as in Kerala temples of about the same period. Most of them in Tamil Nadu are in the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (H.R. & C.E.) Department, who are not aware of the importance of preserving these properly. In some temples, they have simply white-washed in the name of temple renovation. This lack of awareness and negligence has resulted in the loss of many paintings.
In Karnataka, there are fewer mural paintings. One of them is in the Virupaksha temple at Hampi which is under the State Department of Archaeology and has been preserved. On the paintings at Sibi in Tumakuru district, the State Department is reported to have entrusted the conservation work to some wrong people and so some damage has been done. The Nippani Palace of Belagavi district has a large area of murals. Work is yet to be done there. There are paintings in the temples inside the Mysore Palace too. INTACH people have been contacted about their preservation.
SOM: Do you think mural restoration is getting adequate recognition?Subbaraman: My work has received sufficient attention among my peers if not among the general public. That is only understandable because not every one among the public is interested in monuments or mural paintings. One encouraging thing is that there seems to be greater awareness now among the authorities concerned to take proper care of these paintings, such an important part of our heritage and they are contacting agencies who can do the conservation work. However, in view of the huge amount of work still to be done and the slenderness of the available manpower, there is need to train more and more people in the work.
Angkor Wat
SOM: Can mural restoration attract youths?
Subbaraman: Some young people with an art background are taking up the work of art conservation. There should be enough encouragement and financial rewards for attracting more and more young people to this field.
SOM: Are you ready to help in case the State Government requests your services for the restoration of murals in Karnataka?
Subbaraman: In view of my age, I shall not be able to take active part in any future conservation project but my suggestions and advice will always be available.
SOM: In your service spanning over three decades, which was your joyous moment and the saddest?
Subbaraman: My most joyous moment during my 33 years of service in ASI was the successful execution of my work in the Brihadeeshwara temple, Thanjavur. (A close second was the treatment of the Panduranga Vithala idol at Phandarpur in 1988, which also won wide acclaim). The saddest moment, of course, was when I heard the news of the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas by the Taliban in 2001.
Messiah of Murals
Born on December 21, 1929, S. Subbaraman completed M.A. Degree (first class) from Loyola College, Madras (now Chennai) in 1951. [The post-graduate degree awarded by the Madras University even in Science subjects those days was M.A. The M.Sc. degree could be obtained only by doing research].
From 1951 to 1954, he worked as Junior Analyst in the Food and Drugs Analysis section of King Institute, Madras.
On May 1, 1954, he joined the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as Chemical Assistant and his first posting was at Thirumalai in the North Arcot District of Tamil Nadu to work on the preservation of 13th century mural paintings in the Jain cave there.
From February 1955 to June 1958, he worked at Ajanta, engaged in the conservation of the world-famous paintings there.
June 1958 to December 1960, he worked in the Veerabhadraswamy temple, Lepakshi; conserved the Vijayanagar period mural paintings in the temple.
December 1960 to November 1961, Subbaraman received higher training in Art Restoration in the Central Institute of Art Restoration, Rome, under an Italian Government Scholarship.
May 1966 to May 1975, he was on deputation to the Indian Museum, Calcutta (now Kolkata); Set up the Conservation Laboratory of the Museum and was responsible for the conservation of a large number of music objects of different kinds.
May 1975 to December 1987, he returned to his parent department, ASI and took charge at Hyderabad as the Head of the Southern Region of the Chemistry Branch of ASI — first with the designation of Deputy Superintending Archaeological Chemist (class I) and later promoted as Superintending Archaeological Chemist (senior class I).
As Head of the Southern Region, he held responsibility for the conservation of monuments in all the four Southern States, besides Maharashtra and Gujarat.
In 1976, he started work on the mural paintings of Brihadeeshwara temple, Thanjavur and it continued up to the 80s. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, on seeing the news about this work in The Hindu, sent a 4-member team to Thanjavur to film the entire operation, in 1986. It was later aired on TV as part of their programme ‘Beyond 2000’ highlighting the latest achievements in various fields.
During 1977 (June to October), he headed a 15-member team to Bamiyan, Afghanistan, for the conservation and restoration of the two gigantic Buddha Statues.
In 1982, he was among the 9-member ASI team to Cambodia to study Angkor Wat in detail and prepare a project report for its conservation.
He retired from ASI on December 31, 1987.
Post-retirement work
In 1988, he treated the idol of Sri Panduranga Vithala at Phandarpur, Maharashtra, since the stone surface of the image was being eroded due to constant abhishekas with milk, curd etc., every day.
1989 to 1991: Consultation work at the invitation of temples and other institutions.
1992: Project Officer in the Vrindaban Research Institute, Vrindaban, Mathura (UP) for developing the laboratory for the conservation of palm leaf and paper manuscripts.
1993 to 2006: Director of INTACH Chitrakala Parishath Art Conservation Centre (ICKPAC), Bangalore. A large number of art objects of different kinds like traditional paintings of the Mysore and Thanjavur Schools, Oil paintings, Water colours, Drawings, Manuscripts, Old bronzes, painted wooden objects, ivories etc., were conserved and restored by the Centre for Government as well as private institutions, besides individual owners.
Carried out mural painting conservation projects in Tamil Nadu: i) Srirangam temple (where the paintings were completely covered with soot due to a fire breakout that had taken place earlier); ii) Thanjavur Palace on the occasion of the World Tamil Conference in 1994; iii) Ramalinga Vilasam Palace, Ramanathapuram.
He also worked for the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM), Government of India, in visiting old manuscript collections in temples, mutts etc. and training the staff in preventive conservation of the palm leaf and paper manuscripts.
He was Karnataka State Coordinator for the National Survey of Manuscripts, conducted by NMM in 2005. They could identify and record about 2 lakh old manuscripts in the State.
In 2006, he took voluntary retirement from ICKPAC and shifted to Mysore (Mysuru) where he currently resides with his family on Sahukar Channaiah Road, Gangothri II Stage.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by ShyamSundar Vattam / June 15th, 2021
Bengaluru teacher Shyamala Ganesh, the former director of the Japanese Language School, will be conferred the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays.
In a press release, Consulate-General of Japan, Bengaluru highlighted Ms. Ganesh’s contribution to the spread of the Japanese language and culture in Karnataka.
The decision to confer the decoration is the first of its kind since the establishment of the Consulate-General of Japan in Bengaluru, the release stated.
Ms. Ganesh is also former President of the Bengaluru Chapter of Ohara-ryu Ikebana, and helped popularise not just the language but also other cultural traditions such as Ikebana, Japanese flower arrangements, and hosting exchange events.
As the Director of the Japanese Language School, Ms. Ganesh contributed to the spread of the language and trained candidates for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test course.
As an administrative executive of the “Lotus and Chrysanthemum Trust” whose establishment she has contributed to, Ms. Ganesh contributed enormously to the promotion of understanding and mutual understanding of both Japanese and Indian cultures, stated the release.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – April 30th, 2021
Karnataka on Monday announced free vaccination for COVID-19 for all those aged between 18 and 44 in government hospitals and centres from May 1.
Health Minister K. Sudhakar said ₹400 crore had so far been allocated for the purpose.
The government has been providing free vaccination to all those aged above 45 in government facilities, though there have been multiple complaints of vaccine shortage. Asked about vaccine availability, he said stocks based on orders were yet to come and more details would be released soon.
At a press conference on Monday, after the Chief Minister announced the decision, Dr. Sudhakar said with third and fourth waves being seen in other countries, the need was to vaccinate as many people as possible as soon as possible. “A sum of ₹81.32 crore has been allocated for COVID-19-related medicines, and ₹28 crore for Remdesivir,” he added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Bengaluru – April 27th, 2021
Sixty-four-year-old Jogati Manjamma, the first transwoman who was appointed as chairperson of Karnataka Janapada Academy has been awarded the Padmashri.
Poet Chandrashekar Kambara (File Photo)
Bengaluru :
Well known cardiologist and motivational speaker Belle Monappa Hegde, popularly known as BM Hegde, has been awarded the Padma Vibushan, India’s second-highest civilian award. Dr Hedge was conferred with Padma Bhushan in 2010.
Jnanapeeta awardee Chandrashekhara Kambara and folk artist Manjamamma Jogati were also among the five from Karnataka to receive the Padma awards this year.
Speaking to TNIE, Chandrasekhar Kambar said this award is for Kannada Saraswathi. “It is Kannada which got me till here. It gave me Jnanapeeta award and now Padmabhushana. I might have not got this if I had done my literary works in English.”
Sixty-four-year-old Jogati Manjamma, the first transwoman who was appointed as chairperson of Karnataka Janapada Academy has been awarded the Padmashri.
Eighty-two-year Prof Rangasami L Kashyap is an Indian applied Mathematician and a professor of Electrical Engineering. Along with his colleague, Prof Kashyap developed an important algorithm in pattern recognition. Prof Rangasami has translated four Vedas and wrote numerous books exploring the hidden meanings behind the Vedic mantras.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / January 25th, 2021
From being an Army man to an entrepreneur, Captain Gopinath speaks about his life and the events that inspired the latest Suriya-starrer ‘Soorarai Pottru’.
Air Deccan founder Captain GR Gopinath (L) and Kollywood actor Suriya (Photo | PTI and YouTube Screengrab)
Bengaluru :
Captain Gopinath’s phone has not stopped buzzing with congratulatory messages ever since the release of Tamil movie Soorarai Pottru, which is based on his life and stars actor Suriya in the lead role. However, he still finds fame awkward.
While Gopinath is quite happy with the way the movie has turned out, he tells CE that Girish Karnad was the first person to convince him that his journey should be made into a movie.
“After reading my book Simply Fly: A Deccan Odyssey, he told me, ‘Captain, you have village, army, politics, helicopter, airplane… your story is so visually fascinating. It should be made into a movie’, but I was shy. He later told my wife Bharghavi too that if I am ready to give the rights, he is ready to wear the greasepaint,” laughs Gopinath, as he recalls the conversation that took place in 2017, two years before Karnad passed away.
Even when the film’s director Sudha Kongara approached him to get the rights of his book for a movie, Gopinath was still not sure.
It was when Guneet Monga, the co-producer of the movie, who has critically acclaimed movies like Gangs of Wasseypur, The Lunchbox, Masaan, Period. End of Sentence to his credit, reached out that something changed in Gopinath.
“Guneet Monga said the story held a special place for her because the first flight she ever took was Air Deccan. Then I researched her work and felt it would be good to give the rights of the movie,” says Gopinath, who was well aware that the makers would take creative liberty.
“My concern was that the message should not be lost. While there is masala, there is also meat beneath it. I am happy the message is loud and clear in the film,” emphases the 68-year-old, who shuttles between Bengaluru and his village Gorur in Hassan district, and remains busy with “writing, and mentoring inspiring entrepreneurs”.
Gopinath was also all praises for the makers for portraying the female lead as a “strong support than a subordinate”.
He says it was important to show the female lead playing his wife’s character as someone who had her own dream. “When there is a success story, there is usually a team behind it. My wife is that support for me,” adds Gopinath, whose wife still runs her bakery, Bun World Iyenger Bakery, which currently has four branches in Bengaluru, the oldest being the one in Malleswaram that was opened 25 years ago.
Talking about the scene in which Nedumaaran Rajangam (played by Suriya) asks Bommi (the wife, played by Aparna Balamurali) for financial help, Gopinath says no such thing happened in real life. “It was like a metaphor. Though I never asked for any financial help, she was my strongest support,” says Gopinath.
Thinking of a low-cost airline at a time when flying was still a luxury, he admits, was an audacious step. “One day, I was driving to my village and I came across a computer training centre, which was a new thing. It seemed like a new country, one with hungry consumers, where people had refrigerators and other electronic items displayed in their living rooms,” he says.
“It’s not always hard work and perseverance that brings success, it’s also optimism. It is important that you wake up and believe that things will work out.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> Tamil / by Monika Monalisa / Express News Service / November 23rd, 2020
Elephant expert Ajay Desai (right) with a forest guard.
He was a pioneer in the study of elephant movements using radio collar and a consultant to some State governments
Field biologist and wildlife conservation expert Ajay Adrushyappa Desai passed away in Belagavi on Thursday night. He was 62.
Family sources said he suffered a heart attack in his sleep. Mr. Desai is survived by wife and two children.
Fondly known as “Elephant Man”, he spent decades in the research of species specific behaviour of Asiatic elephants. He was a consultant to World Wildlife Fund and some State governments in resolving man-animal conflicts.
Mr. Desai’s family hailed from Konnur in Bagalkot district but had settled in Belagavi decades ago. After schooling in Belagavi, he joined the Bombay Natural History as a researcher. Mr. Desai spent years studying elephant track formation and herd leadership in Mudumalai and in Sri Lanka.
Mr. Desai was a pioneer in the study of elephant movements using radio collar. His studies included problems such as elephants entering agricultural fields and pastures. Based on scientific research, he argued that deforestation and destruction of wildlife habitations were forcing elephants to come to villages and towns seeking food and water. He advocated a holistic approach towards conserving nature and wildlife, along with forest areas. He also served as chairman of the elephant expert committee of the International Union of Conservation of Nature. “He was a wildlife photographer, scholar, and a conservation activist. But more than that, he was a great human being. His passing is a great loss to the cause of wildlife conservation,” said Jaideep Siddannanavar, wildlife photographer and a long-time friend.
‘A great loss’
Mysuru Special Correspondent reports:
Conservationists and wildlife activists described Mr. Desai’s understanding of elephant behaviour and ecology as monumental.
Sanjay Gubbi, a wildlife biologist and who along with Mr. Desai, was the member of the State Board for Wildlife said he was a true conservationist by heart and stood firm for wildlife issues.
His knowledge of elephants was unfathomable and Mr. Desai’s death was a great loss to conservation, Mr. Gubbi said.
Praveen Bhargav of Wildlife First recalled working with Mr. Desai on many committees of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and how his explanation and analysis of animal behaviour in general and elephants in particular provided insight to other members of the committee to formulate policy measures.
He also gave a report to NTCA on the imperatives of further investment to reclaim the Srisailam Tiger Reserve which was recovering from naxalism.
Human-elephant conflict
He was also working on policy guidelines to mitigate human-elephant conflict under the National Elephant Action Plan (NEAP) which was to be submitted in due course and the conservation community had lost a great friend in his demise, said Mr. Bhargav.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Belagavi – November 21st, 2020
Former Planetarium director studies stone inscriptions to understand past celestial events
Bengaluru :
Looking at the stone and understanding the sky is what she does. And she is leaving no stone unturned to understand the celestial events of the past. The celestial world has always fascinated B S Shylaja. And therefore, opting for astrophysics to understand the astronomical occurrences and phenomena was not at all surprising. In 1994, she joined as an educator in Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, Bengaluru. Till her retirement in 2017 as the Director of Planetarium, she taught basics of astronomy and astrophysics to graduate students.
But now she is busy studying inscription stones to know how much ancient people knew about celestial occurrences and how they followed and recorded some rare and common events. Usually Indian stone inscriptions are edicts for grants and donations of land and kind to individuals or temples. The tradition of getting edicts recorded on stone can be traced back to 3rd century BCE. Stone inscriptions have been studied, translated and published right from 19th century by Indian epigraphists, British scholars and is now continued by the Archaeological Survey of India.
However, these inscriptions also provide records of eclipses, solstices and planetary conjunctions, Shylaja informs. She has studied not only Indian inscriptions but extended her studies to South and South East Asia – Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand. This has thrown light on many new aspects such as the evolution of calendars independently from the influence of Indian system of time measurement as early as the 3rd century BCE.
Shylaja says, “We find a wealth of information on planetary positions in a limited geographical region. The words that are used to describe vary from place to place and from time to time. It must be possible to find many more records in India and nearby countries by a detailed scrutiny. Many interesting records of planetary conjunctions are also available.” This voluminous exercise has involved scrutiny of 38,000 inscriptions from 6th to 17th century and gathering of 1,100 useful information about celestial events.
The result of her effort has led to deciphering records of solar and lunar eclipses, solstices, equinoxes and planetary conjunctions. In all these cases, the dates and timings are meticulously written down while the details on the positions of planets are also available. She has also traced Kannada inscriptions to far off regions like Myanmar. She was assisted by Geetha K G (project assistant/co-researcher) for some discoveries in 2016.
Data was sorted out using software but was not an easy task. Astro-information was hidden as an adjective or as a simile in the long texts on praise of a donor/awardee. Shylaja explains, “The event descriptions are very long, phrases are hidden, language tough with many technical terms. Simple phrases were hidden, difficult to scoop out. We undertook to scrutinize all inscriptions which require knowledge of astronomy and language command.
Our minute study has been useful in understanding observational tools and methods for eclipse predictions.” In the 2016 studies, Shylaja and Geetha mainly dealt with inscriptions found in and around Karnataka. Shylaja says, “A good number of Kannada inscriptions are found in AP, TN, Maharashtra and Goa. Many are bi-lingual. All inscriptions in Tirupati are in Kannada, Sanskrit and Telugu and at times, Tamil.
Three volumes from Tirupati cover 15-17th century — the peak period of Vijayanagar empire. During Krishnadevaraya reign, every auspicious event was used as an opportunity to offer gifts and donations.”
Most inscriptions begin with information about dates. In some, an eclipse is mentioned in the beginning of the text or at the end. The earliest stone inscription of total eclipse in 754 CE has been found in Pattadakal. In fact, European visitors learned the procedures of calculations from Indians. Records of total eclipses have made for an exciting study for Shylaja.
The mentions of totality in eclipse records have provided data for understanding the variation of the speed of rotation of earth over centuries. Now how has ‘time’ been marked on inscriptions? They are recorded as Saka Year, Samvatsara (a cycle of 60 years), lunar month, tithi (the phase of the moon) and Vara (the week day). “We see examples of the naksatra citation (each day is associated with a star, naksatra, the one closest to the moon among the 27), while in some examples, lagna, the ascendant zodiacal sign is cited, giving the time of the day,” Shylaja says.
GROUPING OF 6 PLANETS There is one prominent mention of planetary grouping in 1665 when there was a solar eclipse. This is recorded as śadgraha yóga – grouping of six planets. They are sun, moon, descending node (Kétu) considered as planet and the other three planets. This occasion was used to donate special grants called “tulāpurushadāna”, which means gold of weight equivalent to the weight of the king was disbursed. This particular record pertains to the then Mysore Maharaja.
LANGUAGES USED Languages used in earliest inscriptions are Pali, Prakrit, Nagari and Sanskrit. Subsequent ones are in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Persian. Earliest Kannada inscription dated back to 450 CE.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Meera Bharadwaj / Express News Service / November 22nd, 2020
How a hole in a boat led to the emergence of Bridge Man of India.
Gudaari in Odisha
Mangaluru :
For him, it was not a bridge too far. Though a mechanical engineer, he learnt — that too by chance — that one can transform lives by building bridges. In the last three decades, he has built over 130 such structures, the latest one being built in Telangana.
Girish Bharadwaj (70), fondly called the Bridge Man, is seen as a messiah by many villages. His journey started with a hole in the bottom of a boat. For decades, the poor people of Aramburu, a remote village in Sullia taluk of Dakshina Kannada, were dependent on a country boat to cross the Payaswini river to reach the mainland for all their work.
Kanive in Kodagu, Karnataka
But whenever the only boat developed a hole in the bottom, the village used to come to a standstill until it was fixed or a new boat was built. Fed up, in 1989, the villagers decided to find a permanent solution to their perennial problem and approached Girish Bharadwaj, a young graduate in mechanical engineering who was running a fabrication unit, with a request to construct a footbridge to tide over the crisis.
Initially, Bharadwaj laughed at the villagers’ innocent belief that all engineers can build bridges. But he finally decided to give it a shot after the villagers refused to believe that a mechanical engineer can’t build bridges and also seeing their pathetic situation. With the help of engineering friends from other streams and referring to books on bridges, he designed a plan for a low-cost hanging bridge. It was a crowd-pooling project with some villagers even offering ‘shramdaan’.
Apart from other labour costs and sponsored construction materials, the project cost less than Rs 2 lakh. The villagers were immensely happy as the bridge ushered in a new life. Months later, the economical bridge caught the attention of a senior government official who had flown to Mangaluru from Bengaluru on some work and he called him.
After going through the bridge design, the official requested Bharadwaj to join hands with the government in providing connectivity to several isolated villages in Malnad and the coastal region. The journey thus started took him to various parts of Karnataka and even Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha where he built more than 130 bridges in over 30 years and became popular as the Bridge Man of India. His contribution to the rural empowerment was recognised by the government and he was bestowed with the Padma Shri in 2017.
Fern Hill in Ooty, Tamil Nadu
Bharadwaj said he adopted the technology of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and Japan’s Akashi Kaikyo, both suspension bridges and considered marvels of modern engineering, and simplified it to suit the local needs. His suspension bridges are cost-effective compared to conventional ones. Though they are built as a matter of temporary solution to last for 10-20 years, many of them have stood in good condition even after the estimated life. Also, the bridges saw advancements in designs over the years.
With his work, Bharadwaj has also built bridges in the hearts of several villagers as they consider him as a messiah who lifted them from their miseries. In most of the work sites, he and his team of 30-40 workers pitch camp till the work that takes 3-6 months, is completed. While a majority of bridges are government-sponsored, there are a few, constructed with funds pooled by the villagers. For such projects, he offers his services for free. In some cases, when the project could not be completed due to lack of funds, Bharadwaj has spent from his pocket to complete it.
Bharadwaj was delighted when he received an individual letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his support for Swachch Bharat in which he recognised his ‘Sethu Bandhu’ work to have empowered poor villagers and has connected them to the world of opportunities. Bharadwaj says the demand for footbridges is almost nil now as people with four-wheelers prefer big RCC structures. Now, Bharadwaj’s son Pathanjali Bharadwaj, who is an M.Tech graduate, is continuing the work.
FABRICATION WORKS After completing his engineering from PES College, Mandya in mid 1970s, Bharadwaj had dreamt of becoming an MD of some factory. But his father who was an agriculturist, encouraged him to aspire to become an employer and provide jobs to others rather than being just an employee under someone. Thus, he set up Rational Engineering Works in Sullia which carried out general fabrication works and manufactured farm machinery
IN NUMBERS
Bharadwaj has built
95 bridges in seven districts of Karnataka
32 in Kerala
05 in Telangana
03 in Odisha
One more in Telangana is under progress now
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Vincent D’Souza / Express News Service / November 15th, 2020
Premji pipped HCL Technologies’ Shiv Nadar, who had earlier topped the list collated by Hurun Report India and Edelgive Foundation, by a wide margin.
Wipro Chairman Azim Premji (File Photo | PTI)
Mumbai :
IT major Wipro’s Azim Premji donated Rs 22 crore a day or Rs 7,904 crore in a year to emerge as the most generous Indian in FY20 and top a list of philanthropy.
Premji pipped HCL Technologies’ Shiv Nadar, who had earlier topped the list collated by Hurun Report India and Edelgive Foundation, by a wide margin.
Nadar’s donations stood at Rs 795 crore for FY20 as against Rs 826 crore in the year-ago period.
Premji had donated Rs 426 crore in the previous fiscal.
Richest Indian Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries retained the third spot among the list of givers by donating Rs 458 crore as against Rs 402 crore a year ago, it said.
The raging pandemic had the corporate honchos repurposing their donations to fight the COVID infections, and the top giver on this turned out to be Tata Sons with a Rs 1,500- crore commitment, followed by Premji at Rs 1,125 crore and Ambani’s Rs 510 crore.
A bulk of the corporate commitments seemed to be given to the PM-CARES Fund, with Reliance Industries committing Rs 500 crore, and Aditya Birla Group donating Rs 400 crore, the report said.
It can be noted that Tatas’ commitment also includes a Rs 500 crore donation to the newly created fund.
Premji’s generosity pulled the total donations up by 175 per cent to Rs 12,050 crore in FY20, the list said.
Azim Premji Endowment Fund owns 13.6 per cent of the promoter’s shareholding in Wipro and has the right to receive all money earned from promoter shares, the report said.
The number of individuals who have donated more than Rs 10 crore increased marginally to 78 from the year-ago period’s 72, the report said.
With a donation of Rs 27 crore, Amit Chandra and Archana Chandra of ATE Chandra foundation are the first and only professional managers to ever enter the list.
The list has three of Infosys’ co-founders with Nandan Nilekani (Rs 159 crore), S Gopalkrishnan (Rs 50 crore) and S D Shibulal (Rs 32 crore).
The list of 109 individuals who have donated over Rs 5 crore has seven women, led by Rohini Nilekani’s Rs 47 crore.
Education is the highest beneficiary sector with 90 philanthropists, led by Premji and Nadar, donating Rs 9,324 crore, the report said, adding healthcare came second with 84 donors and was followed by disaster relief and rehabilitation with 41 donors.
The financial capital led by donor count at 36, followed by New Delhi at 20 and Bengaluru at 10.
E-commerce firm Flipkart’s co-founder Binny Bansal was the youngest donor at 37 with a commitment of Rs 5.3 crore and the average age of the donors on the list was 66 years, it said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Business / by PTI / November 10th, 2020
