Monthly Archives: August 2013

Rana, Joshua top time-charts in Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dzare rally

Records, All, Sports

RallyBF21aug2013

Mysore :

The country’s top long-distance rally driver Suresh Rana along with co-driver Parminder Thakur, driving a Grand Vitara, and Pramod Joshua on a TVS Apache, topped the provisional overall classifications among four and two-wheelers, respectively on conclusion of Leg 1 in the Extreme category of the 5th Maruti Suzuki Dakshin Dare Rally which commenced from Bangalore yesterday after Sunday’s ceremonial flag-off with some 96 vehicles participating in different categories.

The rally started from Bangalore amidst light showers in the early hours of the morning yesterday for six short super stages, traversing a total of 403 kms during the day to reach Mysore.

Rana displaying his mastery in no uncertain manner to top the overall time charts clocking one hour, four minutes and 12 seconds on a day, negotiated the two tricky Competitive Stages that were run thrice near Tiptur.

Amanpreet Ahluwalia and co-driver Venu Ramesh in a Gypsy with a time of (01:05:18) was behind the eight times Raid de Himalaya Champion Rana while Bangalorean Sanjay Agarwal (E Shivaprakash), also in a Gypsy was lying third with 01:07:51.

Joshua of TVS Racing, who crashed out last year, braving spells of rain, rode briliantly to clock 01:06:54, ahead of team-mate and 2012 champion Nataraj Rajanna (01:07:27) also on an Apache while Mohit Verma astride a KTM Duke was third in 01:07:56.

Of the 12 four-wheelers, nine managed to complete Leg 1 while 11 of the 15 bikes and three of the six scooters that were flagged off from Bangalore made it to the night halt in Mysore.

The competitors left for Ooty via Kodagu early this morning on the second Leg and will move about 80 kms towards Coffee and Pepper plantations of Coorg where three stages totaling 78 kms will take place. The rally will then traverse almost 230 kms through very wet Malnad region via Nagarhole National Park, through the southernmost tip of Deccan Plateau in Kearala at Wayanad and climb up tangled jungles and deep valleys towards Nilgiris and reach Ooty by end of the day.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / August 06th, 2013

25th Karnataka State Junior Athletic championships

Records, All, Sports
Reena George, Shraddha Rani Desai
Reena George, Shraddha Rani Desai

City’s Reena George bags ‘Best Athlete’ title

Mysore :

Reena George of DYSS, Mysore, bagged the top honours by clinching the ‘Best Athlete’ title in the girls Under-20 section on the concluding day of the 25th Karnataka State Junior Athletic Championships at Nehru Stadium in Shimoga yesterday.

Reena won the U-20 Girls 200m and 400m event with a timing of 24.9s and 56.5s respectively and hogged the limelight in the Girls U-20 section.

Mysore’s talented athlete Shraddha Rani Desai of DYSS, Mysore, won gold in the U-20 Girls 1,500m and 3,000m. Shraddha won the U-20 Girls 3,000m event with a timing of 11:21.3s.

DYSS Mysore’s Afsana Banu won 400m Hurdles gold in the Girls U-20 section.

Mysore District Athletic Association’s M. Veena won gold in the Girls U-14 600m event with a timing of 1:47.7s.

Alva’s dominated proceedings as expected, taking the team championship in five of eight categories, at the 25th State Junior Athletics Meet.

Only the Girls’ U-14 (IGSC) and 16 (DK) and the Boys’ U-14 (DK) titles eluded the athletics powerhouse from Moodabidri.

The only record of the final day was established by Prathiksha, in the Girls’ U-18 5,000m walk event. The SAI Bangalore athlete clocked 28:45.2s to erase her own mark of 30:05.5 from last year.

Ovin Loyston D’Souza (Boys’ U-14) of Dakshina Kannada and Reena George (Girls’ U-20) of DYSS Mysore also had success, grabbing two gold medals each.

S.G. Priyanka of DYSS Mysore won the 100m event in the U-18 Girls section with a timing of 14.6s. J.S. Manjunath of Mysore District Athletic Association won bronze in 5,000m walking event in the Boys U-16 year’s section.

Boys’ Results

U-20: 200m: N. Vaishak (Alva’s) 22.3s; 400m: Jagadish Chandra (Fusion) 50.6; 400m hurdles: Jagadish Chandra (Fusion) 55.3; 1,500m: N. Vinay (Yuva) 4:10.8; 3,000m steeplechase: Sikandar Pathan (Chalukya SC) 10:59.9; 10,000m: Parasappa Halijol (SAI Dharwad) 34:12.6; High jump: S. Harshith (BSC) 2.08m; Pole vault: Nagaraj Kamble (Alva’s) 2.80; Shot-put: Sairaj (Alva’s) 15.77m; Best Athlete: S. Harshith.

U-18: 200m: Saleem Sheikh (SAI Blr) 22.5s; 400m: Akshay Tarale (STS, Belgaum) 50.1; 400m hurdles: P.S. Shrishail (Kudige) 57.7; 2,000m steeplechase: Ashrith Nanjappa (Ashwin SRCW) 6:51.1; Javelin: Karthik (Alva’s) 49.22m; Pole vault: Sharath (Udupi) 3.10m; Octathlon: Krishna Chavan (Chalukya SC) 3955 points; Best Athlete: Santhosh (Alva’s).

U-16: 200m: Nishal Kunder (DK) 23.7s; 400m: D. Akshay (Gulbarga) 51.9; 3,000m: Ganesh Gowda (DYSS Vidyanagar) 9:48.6; 5,000m walk: Hemanth Ponnanna (Ashwini SF) 26:07.1; Long jump: S.S. Nishanth (DYSS Vidyanagar) 6.40m; Pentathlon: P. Marian (Shimoga) 2885 points; Best Athlete: S.S. Nishanth.

U-14: 100m: Ovin Loyston D’Souza (DK) 11.4s; 600m: Ovin Loyston D’Souza (DK) 1:29.6; Shot-put: Saqlain Ahmed (Mysore) 9.90m; Best Athlete: Ovin Loyston D’Souza.

Girls’ Results

U-20: 200m: Reena George (DYSS Mysore) 24.9s; 400m: Reena George (DYSS Mysore) 56.5; 400m hurdles: Afsana Banu (DYSS Mysore) 1:06.7; 3,000m: Shraddha Rani Desai (DYSS Mysore) 11:21.3; High jump: Deepali Gayakwad (DK) 1.34m; Triple jump: B.V. Chandini Alva’s) 11.53; Pole vault: Preethi (Alva’s) 2.70; Hammer throw: Pushpa Gadadi (DYSS Mysore) 40.14m; Heptathlon: H.C. Roja (SDM Ujire) 3227 points; Best Athlete: Reena George.

U-18: 200m: R. Varsha (DK) 26.7s; 400m: Megha (Alva’s) 1:00.3; 400m hurdles: Simona Mascarenhas (Alva’s) 1:05.3; 5,000m walk: Prathiksha (SAI Blr) 28:45.2; Long jump: P. Praneetha (IGSC) 5.76m; Triple jump: Anusha Poojary (Alva’s) 11.68; Pole vault: Pavithra (Alva’s) 2.55; Hammer throw: W.R. Hashitha (DYSS Mysore) 35.08m; Heptathlon: Abhimathi Nathan (IGSC) 3474 points; Best Athlete: S.G. Priyanka (DYSS Mysore).

U-16: 200m: N.S. Simi (Alva’s) 27.0s; 400m: Sarah Joseph D’Souza (DK) 1:01.2; 3,000m: K.S. Megha (Mysore) 11:01.5; 3,000m walk: K.M. Chandana (DYSS Kudige) 18:37.54; High jump: Deeksha (DK) 1.48m; Shot-put: Nivedita Sawanth (UK) 11.25m; Pentathlon: Viha Atri (IGSC) 2181 points; Best Athlete: A. Manisha (DK).

U-14: 100m: Kaveri Patil (SS Vidyanagar) 13.6s; 600m: M. Veena (Mysore) 1:45.7; Best Athlete: Tommy Vaishnavi (IGSC).

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / August 06th, 2013

City’s Megha, Saqlain Ahmed bag Gold

Records, All, Sports

State Junior Athletics Championships 2013

Mysore :

City’s upcoming athletes K.S. Megha and Saqlain Ahmed representing Mysore District Athletic Association (MDAA), taking part in the Karnataka State Junior Athletic Meet at Shimoga on Sunday, won gold in the girls 3,000m event (U-16) and boys shot-put (U-14 ) sections.

City’s Poornima of DYSS, Mysore, won gold in the girls (U-18), 3,000m event. The Mysore District captain K.R. Meghana won her second medal in the championships when she clinched the bronze medal in the girls U-20 400m event. Manjula of MDAA won silver in the girls U-16 3,000m event. S. Ambika won silver in the U-16 girls shot-put. Amruth Mari Gowda of MDAA won bronze in boys U-16 shot-put.

S. Lokesh of Indian Athletic Academy rewrote the boys’ U-14 long jump record on the second day of the 25th State Junior Athletics Championships in Shimoga. Lokesh leapt a distance of 5.90m, erasing Rodricks’ mark of 5.87 from 2011.

Two more records were established on Sunday — R. Keshavan (Alva’s) in the boys’ U-16 hammer throw and Rahat Sayed (UK) in the girls’ U-14 shot-put.

Boys’ Results

U-20: 5000m: Parasappa Holijol (SAI Dharwad) 15:55.36s; 10,000m walk: Akshay Talvar (SDM Ujire) 53:26.9; Long jump: S.E. Samsheer (Alva’s) 7.15m; Discus: Sairaj (Alva’s) 40.24m; Hammer: Mohd. Sufiyan (YS) 42.5.

U-18: 100m: Saleem Shan (SAI) 10.9s; 3000m: Trishal (Alva’s) 9:28.9; 10,000m walk: Rahul Asthagi (SAI Dharwad) 46:39.9; Long jump: Sandesh (Alva’s) 6.65m; Shot-put: G. Gowtham (Alva’s) 14.46m; Hammer: M. Gaviswami (Alva’s) 61.

U-16: 100m: Nishal Kudor (DK) 11.5s; Shot-put: Keshavan (Alva’s) 13.20m; Hammer: R. Keshavan (Alva’s) 51.28, NMR (Old: 48.70, M. Gaviswami, 2011).

U-14: Long jump: S. Lokesh (IAA) 5.90m, NMR (Old: 5.87, Rodricks, 2011); Triathlon: Sachin Nayak (Udupi) 1246 points.

Girls’ Results

U-20: 100m: Bhuvi Shankar (Alva’s) 12.5s; 5000m: K.M. Archana (Alva’s) 19:47.55; 10,000m walk: Rani (SDM Ujire) 1:03:24.0; Discus: M.S. Navya Shetty (DK) 32.95m.

U-18: 100m: Varsha (DK) 12.5s; 3000m: Poornima (DYSS Mysore) 11:26.3; U-16: 100m: A. Manisha (DK) 12.7s.

U-14: Shot-put: Rahat Sayed (UK) 9.69m, NMR (9.47, G.K. Namitha, 2010); Triathlon: V. Toommy (IGSC) 1503 points.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / August 05th, 2013

Indo-Russian chemists working to find cure for Cancer

Education, Science & Technology, World Opinion
Prof. K.S. Rangappa seen chatting with a group of researchers in Moscow.
Prof. K.S. Rangappa seen chatting with a group of researchers in Moscow.

by K.M. Chengappa

Cancer is no more considered a deadly disease. It is curable if traced in its early stages, says Prof. K.S. Rangappa, Vice-Chancellor, University of Mysore.

In a tete-a-tete with Star of Mysore, Prof. Rangappa, who had been to Russia as a visiting professor, said that he, along with Prof. Alexey of the N.D. Zelenski Institute of Organic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, are jointly conducting a research in cancer biology in which they have created new molecules that can fight the disease.

Prof. Rangappa, who had been in Moscow from July 7 to 15, said that the research is being conducted in joint collaboration of the Indian National Science Academy and Russian Academy of Sciences.

Discussions with experts in the field were held for three days following which lectures were held in which several research scholars participated, said Prof. Rangappa, adding that he had also given a lecture at the Moscow State University following an invitation.

Prof. Rangappa said that they have applied for funding for the research project from India and Russia governments collaterally.

Prof. Alexey will soon be visiting Mysore as part of the project, he said.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / August 05th, 2013

Hop off Metro, board your flight

Business & Economy, Travel

Bangalore :

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) might still be stuck with the pre-feasibility study on extending the Metro till Bengaluru International Airport (BIA). But the BIA has already chalked out an elaborate plan to welcome the Metro right at its front door.

The BIA will accommodate the upcoming ‘High Speed Metro Connectivity’ near the terminal, as part of its Phase II expansion plan. The BIA authority, in its Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) for Phase II submitted to the state government recently, said the Metro line would enter the airport from the west and run in the vicinity of the main access roadway.

The EIA will be followed with a public hearing, after which it will get final approval.

The current plan for the Metro station assumes that underground walkways will connect the station to Terminal 1, and one underground station will be located within the terminal area and serve both the existing and upcoming terminals, the report said.

A senior BIA official said Metro connectivity till the heart of the terminal means passengers from the city can just hop off the Metro and board their flight after going through the security checks. “A state-of-the-art baggage tunnel (from Metro station to terminal) will assist passengers in easy boarding,” he added.

Roads to the airport

A copy of the EIA report, available with TOI, says there are plans to improve road connectivity to BIA.

* Currently, NH-7 (Bellary Road) is the single major arterial road providing access to BIA-bound traffic

* Envisages two more access roads – a six-lane divided road from the Southwest and another from SH-104 on the East

* The new roads will cater to eastern section of BIA, comprising cargo, MRO and proposed commercial development

Not just an airport

Phase II expansion comes with a number of non-aeronautical development activities spread over 1,011 acres. It will include amenities like hospitality, entertainment, healthcare, business park, institutional, recreation and commercial facilities, convention centre etc. The proposed non-aeronautical development will support and complement aviation operations.

New-look terminal 1 by October

In 2010, BIAL started augmentation of the existing infrastructure to enhance passenger handling capacity from the existing 11.4 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) to 17.2 MPPA.

A BIAL spokesperson said Terminal 1 (T1) would be open to passengers in a phased manner from October. The highlight of the expansion would be Airport Operational Control Centre, which acts as a nerve centre in monitoring airport activities on a real-time wall monitor. T1 expansion comes with additional check-in counters for passengers, seating capacity and other amenities on a floor area almost double the existing one.

Bigger, better BIA

* After expansion, BIA will cater to 55 million passengers per annum and about 1 million tonne of cargo by 2029-2030

* A new south parallel runway — 4,000m long and 60m wide — will support Code F aircraft and be CAT IIIB compliant to operate in low-visibility conditions

* Terminal 2 to accommodate domestic and international network airlines with a space of 3,65,500 sqm dedicated to passenger facilities.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bangalore> Metro Station / by Rohith B R , TNN / July 31st, 2013

Wipro proposes setting up of telecom equipment centre

Business & Economy, Science & Technology

New Delhi :

IT major Wipro  has proposed to set up telecom equipment and product security test and certification centre, making it operational by October 1.

It has proposed to the Department of Telecom that it will set up the centre in phase manner, segregating the products to be tested in two clusters.

(IT major Wipro has proposed…)
(IT major Wipro has proposed…)

The IT company has classified telecom products in three categories — High, medium and low asset value, based on the security implication that they can have on network.

“Wipro has recommended phased approach for security testing and certification of Information and Communications Technology products. In phase 1, starting October 1, 2013, Wipro has recommended testing 12 of 25 asset classes that have critical value,” a DoT official said.

The company has identified mobile devices, sim cards, network management systems, back-end infrastructure like MPLS, Internet telephony system and billing system among those products that have high risk on the network.

“Wipro would like to be cluster leader for cluster 1, which includes testing and certification of product that can high security risk on network. Wipro is confident that we will be able to get the lab operational for phase 1 by October 1, 2013,” the official said.

Wipro did not make available any comments on the issue.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com /  The Times of India / Home> Tech> Enterprise IT / by PTI / July 31st, 2013

City girl with lilting voice wins Filmfare connoisseurs’ hearts

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All
Indu Nagaraj after receiving the Radio Mirchi Award.
Indu Nagaraj after receiving the Radio Mirchi Award.

by Shwetha Halambi

Music is in her veins. When she speaks, she speaks music…

Queen of a lilting voice which can sail smoothly over classical or fall-rise unexpectedly in western, young singer Indu Nagaraj has been adding colourful feathers to her vocal talent with many awards including the coveted Filmfare (Best Female Playback Singer-South) and more recently, the Radio Mirchi award (Best Upcoming Singer-South) for the path-breaking hit song ‘Pyaarge Aagbitthaite… from the film ‘Govindaya Namaha.’

Born in a musically-inclined family to Vidwan C.A. Nagaraj (English Lecturer, Maharani Govt. PU College, Mysore and renowned vocalist & flautist) and H.S. Radha, Indu began her musical journey at a tender age of two years. Her initial training began with her grandmother late Vidu. C.S. Satyalakshmi and later under her father. She gave her first performance at five and first recorded music programme in DD and AIR at the age of 7.

She has given hundreds of concerts with her sister and well-known singer Lakshmi Nataraj and bagged State Award as Chilkunda Sisters. The sisters came into limelight with the winning of popular TV shows like ETV’s ‘Ede Thumbi Haaduvenu,’ Zee TV’s ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ etc. Her talent has been suitable recognised with numerous awards including Aryabhata award, 92.7 Big FM Promising Singer State Award, Udaya Film Award (Best Female Playback Singer) etc.

Always busy hopping from recording studios to music concerts, Indu Nagaraj took out time to chat with ‘SOM’ on her tryst with microphone:

Star of Mysore: ‘Pyaarge Aagbitthaite…’ is a retro-rock and you come from a classical background.

Indu Nagaraj: All film songs have a classical base. Thus if you have a strong foundation in classical music, it will be easier to sing any type of song, whether it’s retro-rock or sugama sangeetha. Hence, I did not find it difficult to sing the song.

SOM: You recently received the prestigious Filmfare award and the Radio Mirchi award for the song. Did you expect the song to bring you so many laurels?

Indu: No. But I am very happy for receiving the awards and the recognition.

SOM: How did your journey in playback singing begin?

Indu: Since childhood, I have been singing classical and sugama sangeetha songs. I first got a chance to act in ‘Minchu’ serial of T.N. Seetharam. Music Director Hamsalekha gave me a chance to sing a song (Ninna nenape nanna haadu) for Seetharam’s film ‘Meera Madhava Raghava.’ From then on, I have sung for about 20 films in Kannada including ‘Olave Vismaya,’ ‘Paraari,’ ‘Yuva,’ ‘Nee Tata Naa Birla,’ ‘Bachchan’ etc., and the recent Telugu film ‘Potugadu.’

SOM: Your future plans?

Indu: There are lots of opportunities in the music field, especially in playback singing. Apart from that, I am also singing for albums, both folk and devotional songs.

SOM: What, according to you, is your voice best suited for?

Indu: I believe it’s classical. But I would love to sing in any style of music, be it retro, classical, rock or any other form.

SOM: What do you feel about borrowing playback singers from other languages to Kannada film industry?

Indu: I believe there are many local talents who, given the opportunity, have the ability to do justice to their singing. Kannada film industry should first give chance to the singers here; they too can sing well like those from other languages.

SOM: Finally, who is the music director in Kannada you can comfortably work with?

Indu: I have worked with almost all music directors in Kannada filmdom and I have enjoyed it. Each have their own styles.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / August 04th, 2013

Mohandas Pai backed Tandem Capital announces $100 Mn fund, includes three startup in its latest batch

Business & Economy, Leaders

Silicon Valley based mobile accelerator Tandem Capital has announced its latest fund named Tandem Habit fund III with its batch of startups including, AcceptPay, PacketZoom and Shoptimize. As per an SED filing  – it’s a $100 million fund and headed by Rohit Bhagat.

tv-mohandas-paiBF09aug2013

This is the third round of fund launched by the accelerator which invests $200,000 in each startup with 6 months on-site collaboration. Earlier it had raised two rounds of funds including $32 million in its previous round.

Most of Tandem Capital’s investments are usually in the form of convertible notes for 10% equity. The accelerator is led by Sunil Bhargava, Rohit Bhagat and John R Ellis.  Launched by Doug Renert and Sunil Bhargava in 2007, Tandem invests in six companies in one batch. Bhargava has over 20 years in technology and marketing in companies such as Xerox Parc, HP and Webvan. Doug Renert has worked with Oracle, DLA and Tello.

So far Tandem Capital has more than a dozen startups in its portfolio including Appthegame, Bash Gaming, SiftShopping and Pune based Shoptimize, a mobile commerce platform targeted for traditional merchants in US and emerging markets.

Former Infosys director T V Mohandas Pai and Ranjan Pai are investors in the fund through Aarin Capital, a PE fund set up by the duo. Earlier, the Pais invested $35mn in 4 startups from their $100 million fund launched in August 2011.

source: http://www.yourstory.in / Your Story / Home> Funding Launch News / Team YS / July 31st, 2013

Karnataka scores on rehabilitation of disabled

Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology

Karnataka has become the first state in the country to establish rehabilitation centres for the disabled in all districts, said State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, K V Rajanna, here on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters here, Rajanna said: “Just three years ago, there was only one centre for the rehabilitation of the disabled in the state and now there are 30. Fourteen technically qualified staffers are employed at these centres and seven specialists are engaged whenever necessary. Now there are sufficient human, technical and monetary resources to address the problems of the differently-abled.”

Rajanna said 3 per cent of jobs for people with disabilities are being reserved in different government departments, gram panchayats, taluk panchayats and zilla panchayats after persistent efforts. However, timely follow-up is required to ensure that it is implemented, he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service – Bangalore / August 02nd, 2013

Mangalore: Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy seeks to purchase books, CDs

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Education

Mangalore :

In order to support writers, authors, musicians, and CD composers, the Karnataka Konkani Sahithya Academy has organized bulk purchasing of CDs and books. Books and CDs worth Rs 2,000 will be purchased from Konkani writers, authors, musicians, and CD composers.

Book should have been published between January 1 2013 to December 31 2013. The published books can be on poetry, short story, fiction, or research. The CDs and books will be sold at 20 percent discount; bill will be given for Rs 2,000, hence, books and CDs of Rs 2,000 should be given to the Academy. Only the books and CDs of 2013 will be purchased. Year of CD and date of release should be particularly mentioned, especially for CDs.  Reprinted CDs and books are not eligible.

Those who wish to send their CDs and books can address it to:

Registrar, Karnataka Konkani Sahithya Academy, Mangalore City Corporation building, Lalbagh, Mangalore 575003. For more information: 0824-2453167

source: http://www.daijiworld.com / Daijiworld.com / Home> Karnataka / by Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (DV) / Saturday, August 03rd, 2013