Well-known agriculturist and technologist Dr. Devangi Prafulla Chandra passed away at a private hospital here yesterday following heart attack. He was 80.
He leaves behind his wife Sathyavathi Prafulla Chandra and two sons, Savyasachee and Ikshu, who are doing well in the field of agriculture.
Former Forest Secretary A.C. Lakshman, who has condoled the death of Dr. Devangi Prafulla Chandra, has said that Prafulla Chandra had become a legend during his life time for his perseverance, innovative successful experiments and a great missionary in different fields of agriculture.
He went on breaking records after records for production of paddy, and sugarcane. He broke the State record, improved them continuously, set National record and ultimately reached a world record. Prafulla Chandra was honoured by the food and agriculture organisation in 1988, an honour first of its kind to an Asian. He was given a State award by the Govt. of Karnataka for his life time contribution to the field of agriculture.
He was also a walking encyclopedia on agriculture. His farm was an open agriculture university whose doors were open to farmers 24×7. His innovative experiments lead to the development of new ovens where firewood consumption was considerably reduced. He had proved that the Areca leaves are sufficient for curing Areca nuts. This was a great contribution from the point of forest conservation. He was able to save thousands of acres of forest fire wood trees from felling.
His services were used by the Govt. of Karnataka in many forms. He was a member of Senate Agricultural University Bangalore and served in different Boards at the State and also at National level.
He was the recipient of honorary doctorates from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwar and Kuvempu University, Shimoga for his work towards technology transfer to rural development.
He is the brother-in-law of renowned Kannada poet and literary personality, the late Kuvempu.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / December 12th, 2013
For the first time since the official announcement of air cargo facility at Mangalore International Airport, 0.600 ton of pomfret fish (maanji in Tulu) was exported to Kuwait recently.
According to J T Radhakrishnan, Mangalore Airport Director, 12 packets of approximately weighing 45 kg each were shipped through Air India Express flight.
This could be encouraging news for fishermen in the coastal district, and also to farmers who grow various fruits and vegetables.
The quantity and frequency is expected to increase in the coming days, especially in fish export.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Top Stories / DaijiWorld Media Network / Thursday – September 05th, 2013
Imran Khan, a resident of Tumkur, had been bedridden for the best part of 12 years after nearly 200 kg of steel fell on his back when he was visiting a construction site.
The 28-year-old lost all hope of walking again till he found out about Ilaj bit Tadbeer (regimental therapy), a little-known system of unani medicine involving massage, cupping and leeching using herbs. Imran underwent 14 months of continuous treatment at the National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM), which falls under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Now, he has started walking with support.
The story of Tousif Ahmed from BTM Layout is similar to Imran’s. Tousif injured his spine in an accident in Andhra Pradesh in January 2012 in which his uncle died.
“I was told by a private hospital that I would not walk again and would be bedridden for the rest of my life. But with intervention from NIUM, I am moving in a wheelchair and also walking with crutches,” he said.
Tousif has been receiving treatment at the Institute for the past four months. He is currently shooting videos of recovering patients at NIUM in order to make a short film.
“I had wanted to set up a call-centre after getting my BCA, but the accident crippled my dream. But as I can move again, I have set a target of five months to walk out of this hospital,” he said.
Dr D A Muzzaffar Bhat, resident medical officer of NIUM, said the centre was focusing on neuro-rehabilitation. This included attending to patients who suffered from stroke, myopathy, epilepsy, motor-neuron disease, Parkinson’s disease, hemiplegia and paraplegia. He said NIUM takes up cases referred from other hospitals like NIMHANS.
He referred to the successful treatment of Mohammed Farooq, who was admitted to Victoria Hospital after meeting with an accident. He was bedridden for eight months with no sensation in his lower-back. Farooq started treatment at NIUM in January and is now walking with the help of crutches.
“No surgeries are done here and our approach is to develop cells and strengthen nerves and muscles,” Dr Bhat said .
Options for Cerebral Palsy Aditya Kholi greets you with a smile and offers a chair to those who approach him and only when he tries to walk, do people notice a problem.
Aditya is a child who was born with cerebral palsy and could hardly move his legs. His father Mahesh Kohli, an IT professional, had quit his job in Dubai to research treatment options for Aditya, when a friend told him about Ilaj bit Tadbeer.
After five months of treatment, Aditya can now sit comfortably and also fold his legs and walk.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by Mohammed Yacoob – Bangalore / November 18th, 2013
(Left) Oxybar at Mall of Mysore. ( Right) Dr. Srikanth seen with a Oxygen dispensing machine.
by S.N. Venkatnag Sobers
People often say they are stressed out or suffering from migraine or a hangover after a party. Such persons would be in need of fresh air to rejuvenate themselves and de-stress. There are many medicines available in the market which act as relieving agents. While some have positive results, there are a few that have side effects too.
For those who have such hangovers or stress, a Mysore based doctor has all the solutions sans medicines. The Oxybar…now, don’t think that it is something related to alcohol, in fact, it is something which solves the issues related to alcohol.
Everyone knows that oxygen is a lifesaving agent ever since man came into being. But, do you know that the oxygen we breathe has 21 percent concentration and the one given in hospital is 99 percent pure??? The Oxybar provides oxygen at 80 percent to 90 percent concentration using a portable Oxygen Concentrator. No cylinder or any hazards is involved in the process. The oxygen present in the atmosphere is sucked and concentrated by the machine.
The Oxybar is the brain child of Dr. Srikanth, who is an Orthopaedic Surgeon at Nanjangud. He started the Oxybars about three years ago. He has also been manufacturing portable Oxygen cans and machines through his company G.S. Enterprises.
Speaking to Star of Mysore, Dr. Srikanth said that the concept of Oxygen bar was not new as it was started by Japanese in 1996 after a research which found that oxygen given at a lesser concentration than that required for the patient, helps detoxify the body and boost stamina.
According to Dr. Srikanth, oxygen at this concentration helps boost stamina and increase strength in athletes, improves memory and concentration for children during exams, relieves stress and fatigue among professionals, provide a sound sleep & prevent snoring, improves and productivity of the labourers, relieves migraine and cleanses the body through detoxification and rejuvenation.
The Process
It takes just a few minutes to get relieved from all pollution, stress and fatigue through oxygen which is delivered with a nasal cannula in a flavour of your choice. The aroma therapy is given different flavours. The aroma is mixed with oxygen as the effect is more before it is given to the customer. Each flavour has its own relevance.
Flavours: Vanilla flavour for slimming, Lemon for mood swings, Orange for body ache, Peppermint for hangover, Lavender for rejuvenation, Basil for migraine , Eucalyptus for sinusitis, Block Nose and Arthritis, Ylang Ylang for sexual libido. Aroma therapy is also available in cocktail of flavours. Currently, the company is charging Rs. 50 for a five-minutes session.
The Oxybar machines are installed in various clubs, pubs, spas, resorts, clinics, hospitals, gyms and even at homes for personal use. The machines are available in variety of designs and are also customised as per the requirement of each customer.
Dr. Srikanth has also come out with portable Oxygen cans which can be used during hiking, mountaineering and long distance travelling.
“Oxygen Cans given best results when used with aroma-chew, aromatic powder which are available in sachets in different flavours. By using it, one can feel immediate boost of energy and alertness, which is beneficial during long drives in the night,” said Dr. Srikanth.
Oxybars outlets are available on Kalidasa Road and Mall of Mysore in Mysore, Bangalore, Mumbai, Philippines, Singapore and UAE with franchises at Hyderabad, Nasik, New Delhi and other cities in the country.
Dr. Srikanth has also invented a Naval Brush. The brush is used to clean the naval to avoid infections. “The naval, commonly known as Belly Button, is one of the sensitive parts of the body which has high risk of infection. Umbilical region needs to be kept clean for the various reasons mentioned above, and using proper instruments. The necessity is for a properly designed, adequately aligned and flexible brush with a globular head and nylon bristled tip to cater to the needs of the masses, giving rise to cleaner and healthier people,” he added.
Ozone Therapy
Dr. Srikanth is also an expert in the Ozone therapy. Ozone is provided as a gas, which reacts with water and dehydrates the area it is pointed at. Ozone injections given to the fat layer, shrinks the fat cell making it easy to come out of the body through sweat. It helps clear a non healing diabetic or neuropathic foot ulcer by a superficial method called bagging. Also helps in anti-aging, rejuvenation and detoxification purposes due to its scavenger free radical methodology.
Dr. Srikanth also conducts training workshops for doctors in various parts of India in association with Ozone Forum of India. Dr. Srikanth can be contacted at his hospital in Nanjangud with consultations at Adithya Clinic, Kalidasa Road in Mysore and CRMC at Infantry Road in Bangalore.
For appointments and details, contact Mob: 98865- 33345.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by S. N. Venkatnag Sobers / November 22nd, 2013
The recently concluded Krishi Mela in Bangalore had a head-turner. Displaying bouquets of multihued flowers, garlands and greeting cards, all created out of used and damaged cocoons, the Cocoon Craft stall was stunningly attractive. Holding bunches of artificial flowers modelling tulips, dahlia and rhododendron, the stalls were swarmed by many a well-heeled women who were attracted to the novelty of the art.
Cocoon shells, either damaged or discarded from silk reeling units, have traditionally been considered a waste product which are dumped in compost pits for their protein content. But no longer so. They are being turned into art by a growing breed of students pursuing sericulture.
The project to make art out of cocoon shells is the brainchild of Dr Fatima Sadatulla, a teacher in the Department of Sericulture at the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) in Bangalore. Fatima says the idea of using such an unusual material for craftwork came to her by chance. During her days as an undergraduate student at the UAS in the late 1980s, sitting amid cocoons scattered all around her, she would cut a few shells into various shapes, paint them and create artistic motifs for greeting cards. The pastime grew into a hobby, and, still later, began to take shape as an artistic skill.
Having joined the department as a teacher a few years later, she began to train her students into collecting damaged or waste cocoons from granages and cut them into various patterns, chiefly flowers. She began training students of sericulture four years ago under an entrepreneurship scheme. She would collect damaged cocoons from the Central Silk Board office in Madiwala to teach students. She would even train women farmers during her project work in sericulture farms.
The production of this craft has also been undertaken on a larger scale at the College of Sericulture in Chintamani by Vijeyendra who teaches there and was among the early trainees at the UAS. The college has even organised training camps in several villages around Chintamani. He says two NGOs, Aadhar and Swabhimana Sangha in Chintamani and Kolar taluk respectively, have begun producing bouquets and garlands in large quantities and are selling them in shandies in the nearby towns of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Several physically disabled persons too have been trained in the art. The college which received finance from the UAS towards a revolving fund, is now able to generate enough revenue to sustain its activities. Vijeyendra says the bouquets and garlands could have a shelf life of two years. But careful preservation under glass cases can ensure a life span of ten years.
The transformation of cocoon shells into such arts and crafts certainly signals the emergence of a new art form. With districts of Old Mysore being the bastion of silk farming, the new art form has unlimited prospects for expansion.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Spectrum / by M A Siraj / DHNS – November 26th, 2013
Plants at home can add an unique touch to the decor, and miniature horticultural masterpieces like Bonsai plants, beyond doubt give a diverse look. Enhancing these further by growing them within a frame with a scenic backdrop is something all the more vivacious. Creating such beautiful ‘live sceneries’ in different sizes within varied beautiful decorative frames is this dexterous lady’s favourite hobby.
Sharada Gupta, a Bonsai expert from city is also a connoisseur in making these beautiful mural bonsais. She has created several such murals at home, each of which is a masterpiece in its own way. While watching these mini wonders with a bunch of little healthy trees marvellously growing within a set frontier is awe-inspiring. Growing them not just requires proficiency but also a lot of patience, the lady says.
“I have about five of them and I have remade one of the oldest among them recently. It is about 18 years old with almost 50 trees within,” Sharada explains.
“Making these murals requires a lot of patience and personal attention. You cannot simply bring them from the nursery and plant them within a frame. They need to be first grown in a separate space the right way, cut and pruned to rightly grow within the frame size we prefer and then transfer into the mural frame. Further, they need to be taken care of like children if not for which they fail to survive. All this is a lengthy process. Thus, growing these bonsais and turning them into live murals takes about two years time.”
While a bonsai plant is not much suitable for indoors and cannot be kept inside for more than 3-4 days, as it requires a lot of sunlight and fresh air. The advantage of these murals is that they can be hung indoors as well. “As these live murals are created within a frame, they can be hung anywhere including indoors, which beautifully add to the look of home interiors,” suggests Sharada, “however, they too need to be frequently placed outdoors, so that the plants are showered with sunlight and fresh air often.” The artist is currently making a fixed mural in her garden with several bonsais which will also be decked up with a water fall within. “I am waiting to complete it for I know it will look wonderful and lively,” she says, who makes all the bonsais on her own, while the frames and sceneries of her murals are created by professional artists.
“Decorating your home with bonsai plants adds a soothing touch to the space. If placed attractively at the right places, it greatly enhances the beauty of our nest and lures many visitors. I have been doing it for almost 40 years now and I must say it’s a great feeling,” gushes Sharada, who has created hundreds of bonsais in several different varieties, has conducted demonstration classes on Bonsai making both in India and abroad and has even written books on the subject years ago.
Sharada Gupta is a resident of Yadavagiri In city.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by AN / November 05th, 2013
Add a splash of colour to your garden with these brightly-hues beauties. These dramatic tropical beauties can be grown in large containers or in the ground, and they thrive in Bangalore’s climate.
In the ’80’s we could only view the exotic and brilliantly-coloured hybrid hibiscus, in the hot house in Lalbagh. On certain days, the research section was opened to the public and we oohed and aahed over the beautiful, large blooms enviously. Today the plants are sold for a reasonable price in nurseries across the city.
Two varieties are available — the garden variety and the hybrid one. The garden variety hibiscus is the one we are all familiar with from our childhood – the simple hibiscus flowers on large bushes that grew as high as our houses. They usually come in only a single solid color, or possibly a mix of two colours. The flowers are small and not very dramatic to look at. In contrast, hybrid hibiscus bushes usually don’t grow as big or as vigorously as the garden variety, but the flowers are much more spectacular. The tropical hybrids produce large multi-coloured flowers. There is nothing more rewarding than the beautiful blooms these exotic plants produce.
A personal favourite is the blue, lavender, pink and red hibiscus called Hollywood Starlet. It blooms with large, multicolored 7-9″ ruffly flowers in tangerine, lavender, and pink with a dark red eye. The bush is full, lush, and medium sized. Another beauty is soft, pretty and ruffled one called Dreamy Morning. Its large 7-9″ single flower glows in pastel yellow, orange and pink, and a two-toned red eye. Hot Babe has large, ruffled 7-9″ flowers in shades of orange with a bold fuchsia pink eye. These dramatic tropical beauties can be grown in large containers or in the ground, and they thrive in Bangalore’s climate.
“It is one of my favourite flowers and they come in such pretty colours,” shares Snehalatha Naidu who has them growing on her rooftop garden in Fraser Town, in pots. “I could never anything shoe-like about them and wondered why they were called shoe flowers. Then I found out that they were used to shine shoes in certain parts of India. The white ones are medicinal and used a lot in hair oil. These flowers are also edible and used in salads.”
They’re easy to grow. All they need is sun, soil fed with mulch, and pruning once in a while.
Hetero colored Hibiscus flower on a same plant. / Photo: G.N.Rao. / The Hindu
Fausto Cardozo who lives in Koramangala says, “In Egypt (and perhaps elsewhere) they make tea out of dried hibiscus flowers, we bought a packet when we went there.”
“In my house in HSR Layout, I have around ten varieties and each flower is huge and colourful. They are simple to cross breed and bring about an amazing range of colours and flowers. Relatively disease free, the plant is easy to grow in our Bangalore gardens with our climatic conditions,” remarks Dr AN Yellappa Reddy the former secretary, department of environment and ecology.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Habitat> Gardens / by Marianne de Nazareth / October 21st, 2013
Expanding its arecanut marketing, the city-based Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Ltd. (Campco) has opened its an arecanut sales depot at Porbandar, Gujarat. Konkodi Padmanabha, President of the cooperative, inaugurated it on Sunday.
M. Suresh Bhandary, Managing Director of the cooperative, said it was the 10th arecanut sales depot of Campco in North India and first in Saurashtra region.
He said in the first year, the cooperative was expecting to sell about 5,000 quintals of arecanut in the depot. It was selling retail packets of 1 kg and large bags of 65 kg at wholesale price.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangalore / by Special Correspondent / Mangalore – October 01st, 2013
The city is arguably the best city to live in India. The first thing that comes to the mind when any Bangalorean thinks about the city is its conducive climate. The moderate temperature and the luscious and vast greenery make anyone to love this place. The fastest growing metropolitan city has always attracted tourists and immense talent from all over the country as well as across the globe.
A diverse city founded by Kempegowda it is the software hub of India due to the presence of large number of software companies and industries. Along with these highlights Bangalore has many tourist attractions. Starting from the Kengal Hanumanthiah built Vidhana Soudha to the Tippu palace, Lal Bagh, Cubbon Park, etc.
Another thing that makes Bangalore likeable is its variety of food. Irrespective of where you are from, you get all kinds of food here, be it Chinese, Rajasthani, Punjab etc.
The quality of education here is excellent with more than 25 engineering colleges which is very high. Bangalore is a vibrant and colourful city with fashion weeks, musicians, comedians and artists performing everyday. Bangalore also has a high number of public sectors and government organisations. These are only few of the reasons for anyone who is staying or has stayed in this beautiful city to fall in love with it.
Now coming to what I dislike or things I would want to see changed in Bangalore. First thing anybody would agree is the Bangalore traffic. The heavy traffic, the traffic jams and the accidents are a major drawback. Also, the nightlife here dies after 10. Bangalore being a metropolis should have a better deadline. There is also the garbage disposal problem. We see garbage thrown everywhere on the road. Another issue people face is the poor roads. While some roads like Nice road or the Malleswaram flyover are good, there are many roads which are filled with potholes; roads which are dug up and left unattended and constructions going on from eons causing inconvenience to the citizens. Bangalore also has a very high water scarcity problem which is hampering our daily lives.
Irrespective of these problems, being a Bangalorean since my birth, I love this place and for me without doubt it is the greatest city in the world and I believe that the present, past and future residents and tourists of Bangalore will agree with me.
(The writer is a resident of Yelahanka)
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by Sagar Kashyap – Bangalore / September 25th, 2013
Early on Sunday evening, the sky was clear and a soft wind blew across Ulsoor, lined by the lake on one side and expensive real estate on the other. There was an edge to the traffic racing towards the city’s downtown area, dodging pedestrians and potholes.
A young girl of perhaps 18 was at the front of the traffic on Gangadhar Chetty Road, close to the Thiruvalluvar statue. A pothole that had matured into a crater with water from early morning showers flooding the area, lay ominously across the road.
The girl and her two-wheeler, followed closely by an autorickshaw, were stalled by the condition of the surface. The slightly-built teenager, who was trying to manoeuvre her bike through the slush, lost her balance and tumbled into the muck.
The auto driver and the passengers in his vehicle sat unmoving. Behind them, traffic started piling up. A young man on a bike suddenly raced through the crowd and tossed his vehicle to the side. He didn’t even pause to take off his helmet before pulling the girl out of the slush and depositing her on the footpath. He then returned to move her vehicle.
For a while, people just watched, stunned by the little drama playing out before them. I realized the girl might need medical attention and got out of my car, leaving it in the middle of the road. By then, a biggish crowd had gathered around.
It took me a couple of minutes to get back to my vehicle which was clearly blocking the traffic. But no one objected. No one honked. There was a considerable pile-up and people in the vehicles in the rear probably didn’t even know what was happening up in front, but nobody made a sound. Everyone waited patiently. At a time when rapes and crimes against women headline newspapers every day, it was an especially sweet moment. The rider who cared, the crowd that paused.
As Metallica’s James Hetfield’s told the city’s rapt audience not so long ago, “Bangalore, you’re beautiful.”
It might have been the time of day, that day of the week, when the mood relaxed. It might have been the most patient were in the pile-up. Or maybe, just maybe, the city is regaining some of its lost temperament. Fair-weathered, pot-holed Bangalore.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bangalore> Auto Driver / by Prajwal Hegde, TNN / September 04th, 2013
