Dr Sampat Shivangi, a 1962 batch alumnus of Kasturba Medical College (KMC), Manipal is in the news once again as a street in the US state of Mississippi has been named after him for the services rendered to local community there. The Dr Sampat Shivangi Lane was formally named on Saturday in recognition of Shivangi, eminent Republican from the state. Dr Shivangi conveyed news of street being named after him Dr M Ramdas Pai, Chancellor, Manipal University.
Dr Ramdas Pai as per a communique shared by Manipal University on Monday, in reply wrote: “I am glad to have your e-mail of 24th instant and to know that a street in Mississippi has been named after you. It is indeed a great recognition of your services to the community. My congratulations to you.” Dr Pai said, “It is indeed a joyous moment for Manipal University. All of Manipal (University) is proud of the great work Dr Shivangi is doing in the US”
Phil Bryant, state governor reappointed him for second sever-year term to board of Mississippi’s department of Mental Health. In June 2014, he became first Asian-American to become chairman of the Board which has close to a billion dollar budget with staff strength of over 8500. From 2005-2008, Dr Shivangi served as adviser to US secretary of health and human services. He is the founding president of American Association of Physicians of Indian origin in Mississippi.
He is also the past president and chair of the India Association of Mississippi.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Mangalore / by Jaideep Shenoy / TNN / April 25th, 2016
Sita Bhateja may be one of a kind in the obstetrics-gynecology world. She has been an active practitioner for the last 67 years, and at the age of 88, she shows no signs of slowing down. “I love my job… I wouldn’t have survived 67 years if I didn’t enjoy it,” Bhateja says laughing.
Her passion for her job is exhibited by the fact that she has worked free of cost at the CSI hospital for eight years, and has even funded the setting up of the maternity ward at St Martha’s Hospital.
She goes to the gym thrice a week, is very strict about her diet and is a voracious stamp collector. In fact, she is world famous for her philatelic activities. In her younger days, she was a horse-rider. However, none of these hobbies came in the way of her one passion — gynaecology. In fact, she quips that she used to go on horseback to attend to expectant mothers if the need arose! She also had to witnessed the horrors of the partition, but went on to Bombay to pursue her higher studies.
She has engaged in several philanthropic activities-some of them including establishing an orphanage called the ‘Child Foundation Karnataka’, and engaging in polio eradication activities.
She set up the Sita Bhateja Hospital in 1965. It originally started out as an obstetric hospital, but became a multi-speciality hospital in 1969. Owing to her long years of practice, it should come as no surprise when she reveals that she has helped deliver three generations of the same family.
Her delivery count exceeds an astounding one lakh babies. On being asked whether mothers opt for normal or C-section delivery these days, she says, “Most prefer C-section, as this prevents further complications like prolapse and urinary infections. They see no reason to persist with difficult vaginal deliveries. Further, women these days are not engaged in physical activity, so the body is not cut out for normal delivery.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Namrata Menon / April 28th, 2016
He grows from one book to the other …. And even the best book has more to say
Muralidhara Khajane scans the innumerable books written on the iconic actor Rajkumar, and finds that every book remains incomplete, simply because the man was multi-dimensional
Even after ten years of his ‘physical departure’ from this mortal world, there’s no remote possibility of anyone filling the vacuum created by Dr. Rajkumar, the cultural icon of Kannada land, language and culture. To this day, he occupies a position most unique in the culture-scape of the land. Rajkumar is an institution, a status that few film stars boast of in India. He is still “Annavru” for the true-blue Kannadiga. Rajkumar’s stardom doesn’t merely come from the fact that he was an actor exemplar, but because he was an ideal, a role model for the Kannadiga. In the absence of a dedicated political movement for the cause of Kannada and local culture, he came to symbolise the hope and angst of a large section of Kannada-speaking people. He was a singer par-excellence. There was no character which he had not portrayed with distinction. It is hard to find an actor in Kannada, who has not acknowledged him as his idol.
It is not possible to capture the persona of this legendary actor in one visual or literary piece. Those writers, who have tried their hand at capturing the ‘spirit’ of Dr. Rajkumar in the last five decades still feel that they have touched only the peripheral aspects of his personality.
According to film historians, as many as 71 books have been published on Rajkumar so far, besides nine souvenirs. Rajakumara – a small book written by Kannada activist Kodihosalli Ramanna in 1964 is said to be the first work on the actor. Bhagyada Bagilu — a work by V. Nagaraju was published when the film with the same title (Rajukmar’s 100th film) was released; it is an important work. Padmabhushana brought out by Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, which has complete details of all the 170 films of Rajkumar is another such work. Kathanayakana Kathe by filmmaker Dattu serialised in a Kannada film magazine, enjoys the credit of chronicling the life of Rajkumar for the first time. Besides, Jananayaka by Baraguru Ramachandrappa and Rajamuttu by journalist and script writer Satyamurthy Ananduru are other important works on the actor.
Dr. Rajkumar Samagra Charitre by film writer Doddahulluru Rukkoji, a 2148 page, two volume work with 8,700 exclusive photographs, published recently is being considered as the latest and complete work on the iconic actor. Works on the actor, published till date, pales before this work, be it in size, content, quality of publishing or in terms of the depth of the author’s analysis. The weight of these two volumes is a humungous 10 kilos and they were ferried to Bengaluru all the way from the press in Sivakasi for the launch!
This voluminous work won the Swarna Kamal at the 63rd National Awards recently and the citation described the work as an “encyclopaedic study into the life and career of one of India’s greatest screen legends, Dr. Rajkumar. The 15-year research behind the writing of this twin volume makes it a valuable resource for scholars, students and cinephiles of the present and future. ”
Rukkoji described the award as: “another award for Dada Saheb Phalke recipient actor Rajkumar at the national level. It is posthumous award to the great art soul.”
While the first volume chronicles early life, times and family details of Rajkumar, the second volume delves in to 206 films in which the actor acted. Rukkoji started writing about Rajkumar when he was working for Kajaana a film weekly. The writer travelled to various places to source material and pictures. Over 140 persons including directors, producers, artistes, technicians and family members of the thespian were interviewed and over 20,000 exclusive pictures were collected. It cost Mr. Rukkoji nearly a crore for printing and publishing the book.
Dr. Rajkumar: The Person Behind the Personality by thespian’s son and popular actor Puneeth Rajkumar is another picturesque volume on the actor. This coffee table book is a record of the legendary actor’s life and career, packed with no less than 1,750 photographs, many of them never published before. According to Puneet, who teamed up with Prakruthi N. Banavasi to bring out this bilingual volume, it is an attempt to preserve the soul of the legendary actor for posterity. This work is replete with anecdotes and incidents that shaped Rajkumar’s persona and tracks his early life, childhood, adolescence, early career in company drama, cinema, his stint as a singer as well as defining moments in his personal life and the Kannada film industry itself. Puneet tried to understand his iconic father through the eyes of his mother, brothers, family and friends. According to him, it is not a documentation of Dr. Rajkumar’s life, but simply unveils the persona of the great artiste through the words of those who knew him from close quarters.
Rajkumar Ondu Belaku and Rajkumar: A journey with the Legend – another bilingual work on the thespian by filmmaker and writer Praveen Nayak. This work with 47 small chapters delineates every aspect of Rajkumar’s life with a personal touch. This film maker, who was associated with the actor for more than 30 years, etched a picture of the actor with vivid details. Praveen Nayak says that his interaction with Rajkumar over a period of time had made him realise that at his core, he always remained Mutturaj — a name and personality he was born with. “He never lost his Mutturaj-ness,” he says.
Praveen Nayak, a still photographer, has a huge collection of Rajkumar’s photographs; he followed the actor like Nemai Ghosh followed Satyajit Ray. He selected best of his works and sourced rare pictures from others to make the volume picturesque besides being poetic.
Kannadada Muttina Kathe: Rajkumar by cine-writer and journalist B. Ganapathi is another important work on the actor. The author put together all his articles and interviews with Rajkumar for over two decades. There is a long chapter on the days the actor spent in forest, when the brigand Veerappan abducted him. A chapter on fifty years of his professional life is an important chapter. Here, which is a powerful instance of his humility, the actor says that the film industry gave him all the necessities of a good life, and what he gave in return was meagre. The most interesting chapter in the book is of his childhood years.
Bangarada Manushya by writer and a bureaucrat Aa. Na. Prahlada Rao is another important work on Rajkumar. It closely examines the achievements of the actor both on and off the screen. The writer delves into genres of films Rajkumar acted — mythology, social dramas, etc. besides exploring his role of a singing star. This too has rare photographs of his films and other achievements. Bangarada Manushya can also be considered as a referral volume, because of its rich details on the growth and evolution of Kannada film industry. This was published first in 2005, when Rajkumar was alive and has run into four editions so far.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Friday Review / by Muralidhara Khajane / Bengaluru – April 21st, 2016
While a trip to the United States may not be unusual for Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy , the one starting this week promises to be different.
Kick-starting one of the biggest alumni hunts, Narayana Murthy and his team will be travelling coast to coast in the US to find and reconnect with the ‘missing’ alumni of the Mysuru-based National Institute of Engineering (NIE).
It is estimated that around 8,000 graduates from the institute who moved to the US – especially in the 1960s and 1970s – had lost touch with their alma mater and their colleagues over the years.
Given the prevalence of social media and various other channels of communication, it is now time to reconnect.
According to NIE principal Gowri L Shekar, NIE had been planning an expansion and had recently inducted Narayana Murthy as a board member. “It was Murthy’s idea to reach out and reconnect with the institute’s global alumni.
It is a fact that thriving institutes across the globe maintain a good relationship and are in contact with their alumni. So, we too are attempting to do this. Murthy, who is on the board of some top institutes in the world, including Princeton, suggested that we take a global tour to connect.
So, as per the plan, our team along with Narayana Murthy will begin our alumni connect in Austin on April 30 and conclude their trip in New York on May 7.
In a span of eight days, they will organize events in six US cities and meet with our alumni,” added Shekar.
Shekar said that Narayana Murthy is deeply involved in their efforts to reconnect with the institute’s alumni. “Narayana Murthy has asked us to concentrate on the San Francisco Bay Area and talk to the alumni there and build a connection. He said doing so will make us a healthier institution and will add immense value to the university.
“His knowledge of higher education is very significant as he is well aware of the industry. His mantra was that well-known universities in the West focus on their alumni and Indian colleges should follow suit. He spoke of adapting good practices of universities and the US alumni connect tour is part of it,” said Shekar.
Narayana Murthy passed out of NIE in 1967 with a degree in electrical engineering and was the highest ranking student from his branch. “One thing I remember was his punctuality, he would not miss a single class even on days when there was a strike or a bandh in Mysuru.
Narayana Murthy would often recall his mother’s words that he was studying in an aided college which was funded by the state government and hence bunking a single day would amount to doing injustice to tax payer’s money. So, Murthy religiously followed his mother’s words and never missed a class,” added Shekar.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> Tech> Tech News / Sridhar Vivan, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / April 26th, 2016
This article refers to the ‘Health Capsule’ published in Star of Mysore dated April 14, 2016 under the caption: ‘Who is the oldest person who ever lived?’ The name of the oldest verified person was stated to be a French woman Jeanne Calment, who lived to be 122 years and 164 days old and died on Aug. 4, 1997.
In this connection, I would like to mention about Pandit Sudhakar Chaturvedi, who is presently staying in Jayanagar 5th Block, Bengaluru, and celebrated his 124th birthday on Ramanavami Day (April 15, 2016). This reminded me of Babasaheb Ambedkar whose 125th birth anniversary was celebrated on Apr.14, 2016. Charlie Chaplin was also his contemporary for he would have been 127 years old on Apr. 16, 2016.
I personally spoke to the Pandit and wished him on his birthday. An article has appeared in the Kannada Magazine ‘Taranga’ (dated Apr. 21, 2016) giving a brief account of his life. My wife and I met him about two years ago when he was invited to a function and stayed at the Mysore University Guest House and presented a book on my father. A bachelor, the Pandit has witnessed three centuries during his lifetime and yet his vigour never runs short. Even now, on every Saturday between 5.30 and 6.30 in the evening, he meets people in his house for Satsang to disseminate Vedic knowledge.
His ancestors hailed from Moghul Sarai near Kashi and settled down in Kyathasandra in Tumakuru district. Here are some excerpts from the aforementioned article:
Pandit Sudhakar Chaturvedi is a master of the four Vedas and has published the same in 20 volumes. He was drawn by Mahatma Gandhi’s credo and had a very intimate association with him. Gandhiji, recognising his keen intellect, invited Pandit to work with him and that is how he stayed in Gandhiji’s Sabarmathi Ashram.
He was a person of independent mind and would quote the authority of Veda for everything. In fact, he made it clear to Gandhiji that his first calling was spreading Vedic knowledge and that he would work without compromising his focus on it.
Pandit has participated in the freedom struggle, served the cause of Dalits, helped remove caste discrimination, overseen thousands of inter-caste marriages (under the aegis of Arya Samaj) and has spread Vedic knowledge in Kannada, Sanskrit, Hindi and English. In short, he is a multi-dimensional personality with knowledge of Veda, Upanishad, grammar, ganitha, astrology, yoga etc. Though he has slowed down due to advanced age but while reciting Veda he will not stumble. He can recall facts with encyclopedic memory. The Pandit, who has spent 13 years in jail, is a very simple person and follows a simple life-style. Whoever comes to meet him he talks to them with a smiling face and will not fail to impress them with his humorous quotes.
It is hard to tell that this man, convivial in every sense of the word, has suffered from a heart problem twice and has only one working kidney. During the freedom struggle he also had to suffer Police brutalities which only compounded over his jail term.
During his association with Gandhiji he met many eminent personalities. There are many interesting incidents connected with his life and the following few facts would serve to highlight a measure of his personality.
1. He was the sole person who performed the last rites of all those who were massacred during Jallianwala Bagh firing in 1919. At that time, he was just 24-years-old.
2. In Sabarmathi Ashram, Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan and his son Wali Khan were staying for a week as his guests. On the fourth day of their stay, Gandhiji was in a dilemma and called Pandit Chaturvedi and said, ‘Poor chaps without non-vegetarian food their meals might not be satisfying, shall I call a butcher and arrange for non-vegetarian food?’ In reply, Chaturvedi said, ‘I will bring them what they want, just ask them.’ The guests, however, said that they would abide by the rules of the Ashram.
3. What Chaturvedi says on dharma is noteworthy: It is believed that in Krutha Yuga there was respect for dharma and it is getting reduced gradually in other Yugas and in Kali Yuga there is no dharma. Chaturvedi says this is sheer bunkum. Adharma existed in all Yugas.
4. Pointing out certain contradictions, he says that Bhagavad Gita has changed to suit the times but the original version was not like this. How it has changed only the scientists can unravel.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Artices / April 22nd, 2016
Seeking the truth: The objective of science and philosophy is the same, says Basrur Subba Rao Photo : Bhagya Prakash K
Basrur Subba Rao, a former IAS officer, began to study the philosophers of Karnataka after his retirement. His fascinating book, Lingayat Philosophy, will be released on Saturday
Ask Basrur Subba Rao about his career before he began the study of the mystics post-retirement, he dismisses it in one stroke as “hale kathe” (old story)! An IAS officer formally, Subba Rao worked as Deputy Secretary to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources. He began to study and translate the philosophers of Karnataka, and published his books ‘Kanaka Dasa’ in 2001, and ‘Allama Prabhu’ in 2007. His research paper titled ‘Role of Buddhism and Kashmira Shaivism in Lingayata Philosophy of Karnataka’ was accepted for presentation at the Indian Philosophical Congress, 90th Session, held in Bodh-Gaya in February 2016.
He is all set to release his third book, ‘Lingayata Philosophy’, an outcome of six years of research. The book, as he himself explains, elucidates the philosophy of 12th century Lingayatism embodied in 15,000 Kannada spiritual poems or vachanas. It presents translations and analyses of over 520 vachana extracts taken from the works of 60 Lingayata sharanas and sharanes. It includes historical reviews, photographs and a comparison of Lingayata and Virashaiva philosophies.
Excerpts from an interview with the author:
The title of your book in Kannada is ‘Lingayata Darshana’ while in English it is ‘Lingayata Philosophy’ which is not exactly the same. Isn’t darshana a more loaded word vis-à-vis philosophy?
You have made a sharp comment. ‘Philosophy’ refers to a body of knowledge; ‘darshana’ implies effort to acquire that knowledge. The first word is ‘passive’ the second is ‘active’, it connotes seeing, looking, observing, perceiving (see Monier Williams Dictionary, p 470). A book title permits space only for a word or two, not a sentence. So I chose ‘philosophy’. It is not wholly correct, but will do.
What led you to the study of Lingayata dharma? The profession that you pursued earlier on in your life was on a totally different trajectory.
I took up the study of Kannada mystics after retirement. The methodologies of science and philosophy do not conflict. The objective is the same: seeking the truth, but the means are different; in science, it is research and experimentation, in philosophy it is thinking and introspection. The Lingayata sharanas combined both. They were medieval scientists. For example: they knew about how the moon affects tides, and how gravity ‘pulls down the winds to earth’ (many years before Newton ‘discovered’ gravity). I have devoted a whole chapter to the ‘scientific spirit’ of the sharanas. They were fascinated as to why flood water destroys land but not itself, why a flint sparks a fire but does not catch fire, why water ‘swallows’ fire but does not get burned? What is the explanation for this ‘selectivity’ in nature? Today’s scientist knows the answers, but these questions were asked by sharanas almost a 1000 years ago. That is where the credit must go.
Your earlier book was on Allama Prabhu. He is truly one of the greatest vachanakaras and also the most abstract of them all. Can you speak about your journey with him.
Allama Prabhu opened my eyes to 12th century vachanas. But there were many sharanas who were as great as Allama but remain unknown. Molige Marayya, Arivina Maritande, Chennabasavanna, Ghattivalayya, Madara Dhulayya, Chandimarasa were philosophers of equal rank. Further, Lingamma, Mahadevi, Muktaykka, Akkamahadevi and Nilamma were sharanes who were as profound as Allama but remain unrecognised. The sky of 12th century Karnataka literature is aglow with a hundred brilliant stars.
The fact that Allama is difficult also makes him inaccessible to the Veerashaivas who would have institutionalised him as they have done to Basavanna. What do you think?
You are right. But this sort of selectivity happens. Over a hundred sharanas and sharanes of the 12th century have composed nearly 15,000 vachanas. In a basket full of diamonds which do you pick? In my book I have included extracts of some 520 vachanas in order to increase their number and show that vachana literature is not just poems of a few but a mammoth literature arguably unmatched in Indian literature.
Lingayatism is heterodox and therefore moderate. In comparison, Veerashaivism is more militant. Is this the right way to look at this?
The structure of the two Shaiva faiths is different because the sources of the philosophies are different in time. It is not fair to look at this as some sort of war between the two sects and compare the warriors! They are like brothers in the same family. Sure, there are major differences, but both were born to the same father. The Krishna Yajurveda is the common source of Sadyojata (Lingayatas), Shiva and Rudra (Virashaivas). Hopefully, a time will come when Lingyatas and Virashaivas will consider themselves as brothers, as two limbs of one great Karnataka faith.
You have dedicated an entire chapter to Memory and Computer. It is fascinating reading. This connection of science and vachanakaras seems unprecedented.
You have touched on a key point. I was astonished when I first read the vachanas and saw that they had discovered the mechanism by which the brain receives, stores and retrieves thoughts the way our computers do. I hope present-day scientists realise that 12th century Kannadigas had already thought of what they think is their stunning discovery! In fact, as I have described in my book, the role of memory was first described in the Chandogya Upanishad, thousands of years ago.
Lingayata Philosophy will be launched on April 23 at 10.30 a.m. at the Alliance Franciase de Bangalore. The book launch will be followed by a performance based on the book, ‘Like camphor on Fire’ choreographed by Kathak-dancer Madhu Nataraj.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Friday Review / by Deepa Ganesh / Bengaluru – April 21st, 2016
Mandd Sobhann, promoters of Konkani Museum, dubbed Konkani’s most ambitious project, have set themselves 3-year time frame to complete the project. CM Siddaramaiah laying the foundation stone for museum at Kalaangann, Shaktinagar on April 21 will mark another step towards realizing the project, cost of which is estimated at Rs 30 crore. The first step incidentally was laid on June 15, 2013 with a unique move of asking donors to donate a cent of land.
With the museum coming up on one-acre land abutting Kalaangann, the task before the cultural organization is now to raise required funds. Giving this dream project a small fillip is a budgetary grant of Rs 2.5 crore that Siddaramaiah announced in the budget this year. With a similar amount assured in next year’s budget, the organization is left with the task of raising a further Rs 25 crore and try and tap newer sources of funding rather than go to their usual donors.
Eric Ozario, gurkar of Mandd Sobhann told reporters that the Central government, governments of Goa and Kerala, and even UNESCO is on his organisations radar for funds. “We have spread our tentacles far and wide in our effort to raise funds for this project and even deputed people to liaison with authorities concerned to meet our objective,” he said, adding the plans for the museum are big and will require concerted efforts to realize the same with equal determination.
Describing the project as world-class anthropological museum in the making, Eric said it is largely inspired by the Don Bosco Centre for Indigenous Cultures, Mawlai in Shillong. “It is our endeavor to document, promote and preserve Konkani cultures of Konkani speaking communities wherever they exist for the future,” and not limit it to a mere collection of artefacts. “There will be digital documentation of all facets of Konkani cultures, traditions across communities,” he said.
The museum also has the potential to become a place of tourist importance in the future and even this will be kept in mind as the project takes shape and is completed, he said. “It will showcase the unique and rare, rich and diverse Konkani culture of Konkani’s belonging to all religions, regions, communities and dialects,” he said adding research will drive the museum’s endeavours.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Mangalore / by Jaideep Shenoy / TNN / April 18th, 2016
1) Y. G. Krishnamurti [17.2.1916 – 19.1.1977] 2) From left : Nehru’s sister Krishna Hutheesing, S. Radhakrishnan, First CJI – Pathanjali Sastry & YGK.by Dr. S. N. Bhagirath and N. Balasubramanya
Another illustrious and unheralded hero of Mysuru city, who deserves to be remembered during the Centenary Year of Mysore University, is Y. G. Krishnamurti (YGK). He was born on 17th February, 1916 at Yelandur to parents Gopala Sastry and Lakshmi Narasamma. After his initial education at Yelandur, the family moved to Mysuru for the higher education of their children. Y. G. Krishnamurti studied B. A. and M. A. (English Literature) at Maharaja’s College from 1934 – 1938. He was a great college debater and a favourite student of Principal J. C. Rollo, S. Srikanta Sastri, B. M. Srikantaiah and A. R. Krishnasastry.
YGK was attracted by Gandhian philosophy. The call for freedom made him come out of the class room and involve himself deeply in the agitation for Independence. He became a student leader, who often led processions, conducted hartals and delivered fiery and revolutionary speeches in Subbarayana Kere along with K. C. Reddy and others. He often got arrested by the Police and got locked up in Mysuru Jail. Once during the exams, when Principal J. C. Rollo noticed that YGK was absent, he went to Mysuru Jail and got him released temporarily, so that he could write his exams. He took YGK in his car straight from the jail to the examination hall.
One evening Prof. B. M. Srikantaiah came to the house of YGK (No. 310, D. Subbaiah Road, Mysurue) to show his Kannada translation of English romantic poems titled “Honganasugalu.” YGK was not at home. Prof. B. M. Srikantaiah sat in front of the house on a bench and waited for his pet student. The family members of YGK invited B. M. Sri inside, but he preferred to wait out. YGK came home at 10 pm and was shocked to find his professor waiting outside. Before sending to the press the manuscripts, B. M. Sri wanted the critical approval of YGK for his translated poems! After graduating from Maharaja’s College, Y. G. Krishnamurti wrote a biography of Mysuru’s Grand-Old-Man Tathaiah — M. Venkatakrishnayya in 1933.
Soon after leaving the University, YGK went to Bengaluru and worked as a Private Secretary of Sir M. Visveswaraiah (MV) for two years on a salary of rupees seventy-five. This invaluable apprenticeship under Sir MV led to his work “Sir M. Visveswaraiah – A Study” (1941) with a foreword by Sir Purushottamdas Thakurdas. During the freedom struggle, YGK (without exaggeration) was very close to Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, S. Radhakrishnan, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and K. M. Munshi. In 1938, the historic Haripur Congress convention took place. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose won the election against Mahatma Gandhi’s conscience candidate Pattabhi Seetaramaiah. YGK edited “Haripur Congress souvenir” with a special message from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. YGK was a prolific writer with more than fifty books to his credit. His book “Independent India and a New World Order” (1943) which was earlier mentioned in Star of Mysore on 3.4.2016 had a foreword from S. Srikanta Sastri, which attracted the attention of Joseph Goebbels during Second World War. YGK wrote such works as “Constituent Assembly & Indian Federation” (1940) with a foreword by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru and introduction by S. Srikanta Sastri and “Indian States and the Federal Plan” (1939) with a foreword by Bulabhai J. Desai. His works on Federalism and separation of powers laid the foundation for Indian Constitution. He also wrote political biographies like “Gandhi Era in World Politics” (1943) with a foreword by Sir S. Radhakrishnan, “Rajendra Prasad – His Personality and Philosophy” (1952) with a foreword by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, “Jawaharlal Nehru – The Man and his Ideas” (1942) with prefaces by Bulabhai J. Desai and Mrs. Rameshuri Nehru, “Gandhism will survive” (1949) with a foreword by Rameshuri Nehru and “Back to Sanity” (1945) on Gandhism with a preface by Babu Rajendra Prasad.
YGK, after India gained independence, did not seek either political power or any munificence from the Government of India. As a close associate of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and others, he could have easily become either a Cabinet Minister or an Ambassador. Somehow, YGK, around 1952-53 got disillusioned with the Indian political scenario. He left India and went to Nepal on an invitation from His Highness King Mahendra. He spent rest of his life writing books on Nepal such as, “His Majesty King Mahendra”, “King Mahendra: Poetic Values and Technique”, “The Mahendra Era: Radio Nepal”, “Rani Aishwarya”, “Topography of Nepal”, “Political Ideology of King Mahendra”, “His Majesty King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Deva (An Analytical Biography)” and “King Mahendra – The Poet” (1969). For his services to the country of Nepal, he was awarded the highest title accorded to a foreigner – “Gorkha Dakshin Bahu -II” by King Mahendra in 1969.
Y.G. Krishnamurti pursued “Hata Yoga” in Nepal and he had remained a bachelor. On October 23, 1974 in Cochin, Kerala, a total solar eclipse took place. YGK performed a great Hata Yoga feat by sitting in an open ground and gazing at the Sun from the beginning to the end of Solar Eclipse (for a total duration of ninety minutes) and his eyes were apparently not damaged. This yogic feat was certified by Dr. Mathew, an ophthalmologist of Cochin, who examined YGK’s eyes before and after the event. YGK also repeated this feat later at Ankola. In 1969, he wrote a book on Yoga titled “The Great Yogic Sermon.” YGK has donated his library, art collection and manuscripts to a Charitable Trust in Kathmandu. He suffered a massive heart attack at the age of sixty-one on 19th January, 1977 in Kathmandu. His death was reported extensively by Indian newspapers like The Hindu, The Indian Express, Prajavani, Deccan Herald and Sadhvi on 20th January, 1977. A great patriotic son of India died in a foreign land bereft of any homage from friends and relatives. Mysuru city and Yelandur village ought to immortalise this great Kannadiga either by erecting a statue or naming a Circle or Street after YGK. The birth Centenary Year of YGK (2016) coincides with the Centenary Year of University of Mysore.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / April 16th, 2016
CDN Memorial Award presented to two distinguished scholar-teachers
Prof C.N. Srinath (extreme left), Director, Dhvanyaloka, is seen with guest speaker A. Madhavan, former Indian Ambassador and CDN awardees Dr. S. Ramaswamy & Dr. G.S. Balarama Gupta.
Mysuru :
The Prof. CDN Memorial Lecture for 2016 was delivered by A. Madhavan, former Indian Ambassador, at Dhvanyaloka here on April 12.
Recalling his long and intimate association with Prof. C.D. Narasimhaiah (CDN), Madhavan described him as not merely an extraordinary teacher but also an extraordinary human being who strongly believed in time-honoured values eloquently testified by his Autobiography N for Nobody.
What made the occasion more significant this year was the giving away of Prof. CDN Memorial Award (consisting of a citation and cash award of Rs.10,000) instituted by Dhvanyaloka to two distinguished scholar-teachers and also former disciples of Prof. CDN — Dr. S. Ramaswamy, formerly of Bangalore University and Dr. G.S. Balarama Gupta, formerly of Gulbarga University — in recognition of their contributions to Literature. The Awards were presented by Madhavan. The award money for the current year was donated by Krishnamurthy, formerly of Vyshya Bank, Mysuru.
In his Acceptance Speech, Dr. Ramaswamy recounted Prof. CDN’s legacy with particular reference to his journal The Literary Criterion. If that was a moving tribute to his teacher, Dr.Balarama Gupta also remarked how he was inspired to start his own journal JIWE, thanks to Prof. CDN.
Prof C.N. Srinath, Director, Dhvanyaloka, who earlier welcomed the gathering, introduced the guests and also observed that Prof. CDN had demonstrated convincingly how a single teacher could have all that immense potential to achieve so much in his life.
Since the occasion also marked the release of the Special Number of The Literary Criterion on F.R. Leavis, reputed critic and mentor for Prof. CDN at Cambridge, Prof. Srinath remarked that this “confluence” of events made the programme unique. The evening wound up with the screening of a documentary on Prof. CDN’s life and achievements, produced by June Gaur and Dr. H.S. Shivanna.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / April 16th, 2016
Dr. M.P. Manjappa Shetty Masagali, former Associate Director of Kuvempu Institute of Kannada Studies, Manasagangotri and a resident of T.K. Layout in city will be conferred Karnataka Samskrutika Parishat’s ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award at the State-level Karnataka Vaibhava programme to take place at Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Pampa Mahakavi Road, Chamarajpet, Bengaluru at 11 am on Apr. 17.
For details contact Mob.: 98805-40451.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> In Brief / Friday – April 15th, 2016
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