Monthly Archives: August 2014

“Yakshagana is a rare art form, preserve and nourish it’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Veteran Yakshagana artiste Kumble Sridhar Rao being presented with late Siddakatte Chinnappa Shetty Memorial Award by cardiologist Dr. Bellippadi Shyam Prasad Shetty at a function held at Jaganmohan Palace last evening. Others seen are (from left) Dr. Bellippadi Satish Rai, Dr. Malali Vasanth Kumar, Sri Maheshatmanandaji, Yakshagana scholar G.S. Bhat, Star of Mysore Editor-in-Chief K.B. Ganapathy, Dr. Sudhir Shetty of Labland Biotech, Kannada Sahitya Parishat President Chandrashekar and SDM Women’s College Principal Prof. Damodar Gowda.
Veteran Yakshagana artiste Kumble Sridhar Rao being presented with late Siddakatte Chinnappa Shetty Memorial Award by cardiologist Dr. Bellippadi Shyam Prasad Shetty at a function held at Jaganmohan Palace last evening. Others seen are (from left) Dr. Bellippadi Satish Rai, Dr. Malali Vasanth Kumar, Sri Maheshatmanandaji, Yakshagana scholar G.S. Bhat, Star of Mysore Editor-in-Chief K.B. Ganapathy, Dr. Sudhir Shetty of Labland Biotech, Kannada Sahitya Parishat President Chandrashekar and SDM Women’s College Principal Prof. Damodar Gowda.

Mysore :

“According to our culture, drinking water is panneeru (rose water) and the food we eat is prasadam. If we imbibe our nation’s culture, every household will become a Nandagokula (the place where Lord Krishna spent his childhood),” said Swami Maheshatmanandaji of Ramakrishna Ashram, Mysore.

He was delivering the presidential address at the valedictory of the five-day ‘Yaksha Panchami’ programme held under the aegis of Bellippadi Yaksha Samskruthika Trust at Jaganmohan Palace in city last evening.

The Swamiji said that Yakshagana is a rare form of art through which the entire epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata can be presented in a night’s dance performance.

“Our culture and traditions must survive and flourish. A total of five crore Sanskrit books were sold at the World Sanskrit Mela which shows that the westerners are more interested in Indian culture and traditions,” he said.

Litterateur Dr. Malali Vasanth Kumar, who was the chief guest, said “Yakshagana is the only art form which depicts literature, art, music and dance simultaneously on the same forum” and added it is not easy to depict the intensity of emotions of a character only through facial expressions.

SOM Editor-in-Chief K.B. Ganapathy, speaking as the guest of honour, said, “I had nothing to do with Yakshagana. I was under the impression that Yakshagana meant lot of noise. But I was introduced to this art form through my friend Dr. B. Satish Rai.”

“Though the art originates from Dakshina Kannada district, the artistes portray a whole story from the Puranas in chaste Kannada, without uttering a single word of Tulu or English languages,” said Ganapathy and opined that the art form must be given more encouragement by the Kannada and Culture Department.

Veteran Yakshagana artiste Kumble Sridhar Rao was presented with the late Siddakatte Chinnappa Shetty Memorial Award by cardiologist Dr. Bellippadi Shyam Prasad Shetty.

Trustee Dr. Bellippadi Satish Rai, District Kannada Sahitya Parishat President Chandrashekhar, SDM Women’s College Principal Prof. Damodar Gowda, Yakshagana scholar G.S. Bhat, Dr. Sudhir Shetty of Labland and others were present.

The programme concluded with staging of Yakshagana Sahasra Kavacha Moksha.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News  / August 08th, 2014

In a first in country, Karnataka High Court will go Wi-Fi

Records, All, Science & Technology
Karnataka High Court
Karnataka High Court

Bengaluru: 

After introducing series of hi-tech facilities for lawyers and the litigants, the Karnataka High Court has added yet another first to its credit in the Indian judiciary. It is all set to introduce Wi-Fi, local area wireless technology on its premises. Recently it had introduced two mobile applications on trial basis for android phones, which can be downloaded through the official website of the high court, aimed at enabling users to get instant access to some links of the official website.

Following various such hi-tech facilities including computer touch screen kiosk systems installed on the high court premises, which allows to check the current status of various ongoing judicial proceedings, the state judiciary had also introduced online display board system for netizens to keep themselves updated over the cases status of all the court halls, both at Principal Bench in Bengaluru and also at the two circuit benches.

The advocates’ association had requested the Chief Justice for the Wi-Fi facilities on the high court premises, who after placing it before a committee headed by him had forwarded it to the Registrar General. The state government was later pressed for taking it forward. The e-department of the state government, which has already examined the case, initiated the process for e-tendering to install Wi-Fi system at the high court. According to the advocates’ association, the entire process is expected to be completed in not more than six to seven months.

Recently, all the court halls in the high court have been fully air-conditioned to beat the summer heat.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC Correspondent / August 09th, 2014

Mohare Hanumantharaya Award to KBG, Raghavendra Joshi

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

GanapathyBF13aug2014

TSR award to Arjun Deva, Eshwar Daithota

Bangalore :

The State Government on Wednesday announced Mohare Hanumantharaya and TSR awards (2012 and 2013) for senior Journalists.

Star of Mysore and Mysooru Mithra Editor-in-Chief K.B. Ganapathy (KBG) has been selected for the prestigious Mohare Hanumantharaya award for 2013 while Nirbheetha Editor Raghavendra Joshi of Belgaum bagged the award for 2012. Joshi was earlier serving as Editor of Nadoja Kannada newspaper published from Belgaum.

Senior Journalists N. Arjun Deva and Eshwar Daithota (P.S. Eshwar Bhat) have been selected for TSR award for 2012 and 2013 respectively.

The selection committee headed by retired High Court Judge Arali Nagaraj and comprising P. Ramaiah and Jayaram, both former Chiefs of Bureau of The Hindu and Dr. R. Poornima, former Editor of Udyavani as members, has chosen these senior journalists in recognition of their contribution to Journalism.

Both awards carry a purse of Rs. one lakh each and a citation.

CM Siddharamaiah will present the awards at a function to be held at Bangalore in October.

About the awards

While TSR Award recognises life-time achievement in the field of Journalism, Mohare Hanumantharaya Award is in recognition of setting up of a Kannada newspaper and dedication to its growth.

Both the above awards given every year by the Karnataka Information and Publicity Department carry Rs. one lakh cash reward.

Late T.S. Ramachandra Rao (TSR), as the Editor of Prajavani, was famous for his column Choobaana.

Late Mohare Hanumantharaya was a freedom fighter from Bijapur district. After working as the Sub-Editor and Editor of Karnataka Vaibhava weekly in Bijapur, he joined Samyukta Karnataka as Editor and later became its Managing Editor. He started Kannada’s first digest Kasturi in 1956.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News  / August 07th, 2014

Baby steps to success

Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology

With 25 years of experience, this doctor has established herself as one of the city’s foremost IVF experts. She recounts her early days

Dr Kamini Rao (60), Medical director of Milann- The Fertility Centre
Dr Kamini Rao (60), Medical director of Milann- The Fertility Centre

When Dr Kamini Rao headed to Bangalore after 10 years in the UK, armed with degrees in gynaecology, pediatrics and in vitro fertilisation (IVF), not everyone was as gung ho as her. It was 1990. Even as naysayers suggested that she settle down in Mumbai or Delhi, she insisted that she would not test the waters with just her feet. “I knew I wanted to take the plunge,” she says about her vision — to make in vitro fertilisation a reality in India.

In fact, even her father, Dr PR Desai, who was Bangalore’s first male gynecologist, expressed concern. “He told me I was going to be experimenting in an over-populated country,” she recalls. Nonetheless, he gave her a building on rent — within the now Dr P R Desai Hospital (previously known as Desai Nursing Home) at Kumara Krupa Road — to start her practice. Armed with a loan of Rs 35 lakh from Karnataka State Finance Corporation and a single incubator, she began operations.

It wasn’t easy. “When the incubator broke down, six weeks would go by without anything happening,” she says. She often slept in the room next to the incubator, and spent sleepless nights fretting over all that she had taken for granted in the UK. Adapting to the Indian environment after a break of 10 years, she found herself grappling with problems of pollution and electricity shortage. “I had to teach the staff how to scrub the floor. That’s because embryos are very sensitive to dust and will not fertilise,” she says. It was a nightmare for the doctor when the power went off and the incubator had to run on the generator. “I even used to import water from the United Kingdom,” she reveals. “I was trying to establish myself and deal with a medico-socio problem at that point in time, without making any money.”

Her first big break came at the end of 1990 when the first IVF pregnancy was successful. In February 1991, the number became six. In October the same year, she found herself beaming when three boys and three girls were born. Today, the staff of five has gone up to 215, and her success rate has gone up from 10 per cent to over 50 per cent. The biggest satisfaction is when people come up to her saying that they light a candle in their house and remember her. “Some of those I “saw” as an embryo are now in medical and engineering college. Often they come up and call me ‘Mamma’,” she says, gratified.

Today, she has four centres in the city — at Indiranagar, Koramanagala, Jayanagar and MS Ramaiah College. Last month, she opened a centre in Delhi while she is currently working on two others — one in Dubai and another in Ahmedabad. Besides, she also runs a two-year programme — Fellowship in Reproductive Medicine. “My students are all over the country,” she beams.

Even with several competitors, Rao only looks at bettering her own record.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Columns> Work / by Vidya Iyengar, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / Augutu 02nd, 2014

Restore the glory of Jaganmohan Palace

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence

JaganMohanPalaceBF11aug2014

by Vasanthkumar

Mysoremath

Recently, I attended a function at the auditorium of Jaganmohan Palace and was shocked to find that the famous heritage structure is almost crumbling into bits and pieces. Found even the famous art gallery that holds invaluable heritage artifacts, paintings, etc. badly maintained.

Jaganmohan Palace is one of the seven grand palaces of the former Maharajas of Mysore. It was completed in 1861 and was initially used by the Kings of Mysore as their home (when the present majestic Amba Vilas Palace was under construction after the old wooden palace turned into ashes owing to a fire accident). Jaganmohan Palace then became an alternate retreat for the royal family. It is now known as Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery with a function hall. Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the IV Scion, was installed to the Mysore throne, in a ceremony held inside the Jaganmohan Palace. The Palace was used for his daily Durbar by the king and also the special Dasara durbar. The first session of the Legislative Council was held in Jaganmohan Palace and was presided over by Dewan Poornaiah (the then Prime Minister of the State).

Later, Sri Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar converted the Palace into a trust and opened it for public viewing; in 1955, it was converted as an Art Gallery and was named as Sri Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery.

Incidentally, it is reported that the Bungalow at Yelandur in which Dewan Poornaiah and his family resided has been taken on lease for 33 years and is being developed as a memorial-cum-museum and a park is being developed around the house at a cost of more than Rs.178 lakh (SOM dated July 26).

While this is a welcome move by the State Government, the existing famous heritage Jaganmohan Palace that should have been a showpiece and tourist attraction is very badly maintained. The interiors of the Art Gallery are ill-maintained, invaluable artifacts are gathering dust, paintings are unprotected and are exposed to dust, heat and light; murals on the walls have been damaged due to water seepage, humid condition and poor lighting are robbing the originality and there is utter neglect in maintaining the very structure of the gallery.

The well designed and spacious auditorium is leaking, a lot of waste material is dumped in the first floor with full of dust and grime, window panes that once contained artistic glasses are broken, the roof of either sides of the central hall are full of holes and leaking, the stage is unkempt and there is an air of unhealthiness as one enters the hall.

Vacant premises in and around the Palace is badly maintained, being exploited as a commercial space for parking of visitors vehicles, uncontrolled littering and the entire area is an apology for a park; surrounding vacant space is being misused even as urinals for the thousands of visitors who visit the famous heritage structure.

There is an urgent need to restore the Jaganmohan Palace to its original glory by attending to maintenance aspects of Art Gallery, its priceless artifacts, restoration of paintings, murals etc., by competent team, and proper repairs and periodical maintenance of this beautiful auditorium structure and such other similar heritage structures in Mysore City, under proper supervision. This negligent attitude of all concerned in maintaining this priceless gallery and the Jaganmohan Palace may be brought to national attention so that it may be handed over to a more competent restoration team and management.

In addition, the presence of century old paintings in the art gallery must also be brought to the notice of UNESCO, if not already done, so that the issue can be taken up seriously for gaining international recognition and proper maintenance/upkeep under proper supervision.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles  / August 05th, 2014

Cirlcle in memory of Dr. H.C. Vishnumurthy

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders

The 8 ft. tall stone sculpture spreads message of oneness; Former CAVA student designs art work

(Top Left ) Stone brought from Sadarahalli being lowered at the circle in Nazarbad. (Top Right) The sketch drawn on the stone for carving the sculpture. (Bottom) The sculpture that symbolises 'Welcoming all' to spread the message of oneness.
(Top Left ) Stone brought from Sadarahalli being lowered at the circle in Nazarbad.
(Top Right)
The sketch drawn on the stone for carving the sculpture.
(Bottom)
The sculpture that symbolises ‘Welcoming all’ to spread the message of oneness.

Mysore :

A stone sculpture spreading the message “We are all one” has come up in Nazarbad making it as one of the attractive circles in city.

Mysore, known as the Cultural Capital and Heritage City, has added another artistic circle spreading the message of oneness.

The circle is named after late Dr. H.C. Vishnumurthy, Founder of Gopala Gowda Shanthaveri Memorial Hospital, who was also a writer, thinker and a social reformer.

Former MLC D. Madegowda had urged the MCC to name a circle or a road in the surroundings of the Hospital after Dr. Vishnumurthy and the MCC during a meeting decided to name the new circle opposite Ginger Hotel in Nazarbad after Dr. Vishnumurthy.

K. Lokesh, a BFA graduate in Graphic Designing from CAVA and a resident of Kuvempunagar in city, designed the art work. Speaking to SOM, he said that it was decided to install an unique stone sculpture at the circle as the family members of Dr. Vishnumurthy had told him that the sculpture should spread the message of oneness to the public.

According to their instructions, he created a design and showed it to them which they accepted. He further said that a 10 ft. height stone which was six feet wide and weighing nine tonnes was brought from Sadarahalli to the city and sculptor Roopesh with the help of two other artists created the sculpture in 25 days.

The sculpture is now 6 ft. tall, five feet wide in the bottom and three feet wide on the top with a carving of a human spreading the hands etched into the stone. “The open hands symbolises welcoming everyone and is a abstract work,” said Lokesh.

The MCC wanted a statue of Dr. Vishnumurthy to be installed but Dr. Rekha, wife of late Dr. Vishnumurthy and family members did not want that. Instead, they requested the MCC to install a artistic sculpture spreading the message of oneness in society. They also wanted an artistic sculpture as it went with the idea of Mysore being a cultural city.

Interestingly, the family also told the MCC that since there is water scarcity, the circle be developed as a dry one by using pebbles to decorate the circle instead of plants.

Dr. H.V. Santhrupth, son of late Dr. Vishnumurthy, speaking to SOM, said that he was grateful that the MCC and Mysoreans had acknowledged the contribution of his father to health care, education and literature. He said he was also thankful that the MCC agreed to his family’s request not to install a statue or bust of his father and instead have put a artistic sculpture.

Dr. Santhrupth also added that it was time the MCC created circles that were artistic and added ” It not only encourages artists, but also become a taking point among tourists and Mysoreans. It will also promotes Mysore’s image as an cultural and heritage city.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / August 05th, 2014

Groundwater sanctuary

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature
The picture at Lalbagh / The Hindu
The picture at Lalbagh / The Hindu

It looks like Basavanagudi is lucky to have a good water table with a lot of open wells capable of providing water to its residents right through the year.

The Indian Institute of World Culture is located in the locality of Basavanagudi, one of the oldest layouts formed in the city in the 1890s. The road on which the building is situated is called the B.P. Wadia Road and is named after the founder of the IIWC, which was established in 1945. There is an excellent library for adults and for children on the rather large campus with the typical old style Bangalore building. Many old timers come to listen to lectures organised in the evenings on various topics. I was there to speak on the culture and tradition of the open well in India.

Since I was early I wandered about the premises speaking to the person looking after the garden and the premises in general. Casually I asked him if there was a well in the area. To my surprise not only did he take me and show me a functioning well but also assured me that the water was crystal clear and sweet.

The well, safely enclosed in a pumping room, dates at least to the 1940s and has been supplying water unfailingly ever since. Devaiah also told me about a large stone lined and stepped open well next to the building which was also there for long. It has now been filled up and a multi-storeyed apartment has come in its place. The apartment has drilled a borewell to supplement its water needs.

Two recharge wells

The Institute has done a nice thing for the well. It has taken all the rooftop rainwater from the two large building blocks on its premises and put it into two recharge wells 10 ft. deep. This ensures that the entire rainwater goes into the aquifer, thus enhancing groundwater levels.

In front of the Institute is the famous M.N. Krishna Rao Park. Here also is a water reservoir of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). This reservoir is filled daily from waters of the Cauvery a 100 km. away and 300 metres below the city. Ironically it also probably sits on a shallow aquifer with a high groundwater table that it ignores.

The area now known as Gandhi Bazaar was built upon a tank called Karanji Tank. This is close to the Institute. On the other end, not far away, is the Lalbagh Lake. Hyder Ali began the famous Lalbagh gardens with three wells for irrigation, says the traveller and chronicler Buchanan. It looks like Basavanagudi is lucky to have a good water table with a lot of open wells capable of providing water to its residents right through the year.

It only remains that we remember the well as a source of good and cheap water, that we protect and preserve the catchment so as not to pollute the resource and that we enhance it through rainwater harvesting measures. Areas such as these should be designated as groundwater sanctuaries and the groundwater legislation used to sustainably maintain that most precious of all resources for this city — water.

As a famous writer once said, this is a fight between memory and forgetfulness. The memory of the well must be retained and must be integrated with modern water needs but in ecological fashion.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Habitat / by S. Vishwanath / August 08th, 2014

Karnataka State Women’s Chess

Sports

Shruthi triumphs

Mysore :

K. Shruthi of Shimoga with 5.5 points from six rounds won the title in the Karnataka State Women’s Chess Championships 2014, conducted by Mysore Chess Centre jointly with MDCA, SKR Foundation and Celestial Minds Chess Club, here on Saturday.

Isha Sharma of Dakshina Kannada finished second with 5 points while Shalone Joame Pais of Mangalore took the third place with 4.5 points. Mysore girl H. R. Manasa finished fourth with 4.5 points.

Final Placings: 1. K. Shruthi Shimoga-5.5 pts); 2. Isha Sharma (D.K-5 points); 3. Shalon Joame Pais (M’lore-4.5 pts); 4. H R Manasa (Mys-4.5 pts); 5. B N Gangamma (Mysore-4.5 pts); 6. I Sharanya (B’lore-4 pts); 7. R Neha Ananth (Mandya-4 pts); 8. Supraja M (Mys-4 pts);9. Hemadri S (3.5 pts); 10. S P Varshitha (Mys-3.5 pts).

U-15: 1. K. Pooja (3 pts); 2. Aneesha Satish (3 pts). U-13: 1. Akshatha Raju (3 pts); 2. K. N. Sanjana (3 pts); U-11: Chandana Prasad (3 pts); 2. Shriya M. Jaju (3 pts); U-9: 1. A.N. Shefali; 2. K.G.R. Anagha; U-7: 1.Dhatri Umesh; 2.Niharika Chandru. Best Veteran: K. R. Preemaleela (3.5 pts); Best Mysore Player- Vidya Nachappa (3 pts); Best Club-Mysore.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / August 04th, 2014

Innovative minds

Education, Science & Technology

Solar Power for Rail Coaches

InnovativeMindsBF10Jul2014

A work that originated in Mysore

by S. Kenneth Shishir

The students of The National Institute of Engineering (NIE) in city always come up with innovative ideas, keeping in mind their contribution to sustainable development. A young engineering graduate from NIE,M. Shravanth Vasisht, had designed Solar-Assisted Power Supply System for rail coaches as part of his academic project in the year 2010, which is now being implemented by the Indian Railways.

Young engineers from city M. Shravanth Vasisht, an Electrical and Electronics Engineering graduate from NIE, Mysore and Vishal Chandrashekar, a Mechanical Engineering graduate from PES College of Engineering, Mandya, have designed Solar-Assisted Power Supply System for Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) Rail Coaches such as Rajdhani, Shatabdi Express, etc.

Speaking to SOM, Shravanth said that in 2010, as an academic project during the course of engineering at NIE, he had designed this System under the guidance of Dr. B.S. Sridhar, Scientist, Food Engineering Department, CFTRI, Mysore and A. Dhanyavathi, Associate Professor at NIE.

He said that this project was now initiated by him at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), Bangalore, along with another Mysorean, Vishal Chandrashekar, under the guidance of Prof. J. Srinivasan and Dr. Sheela K. Ramasesha and added that this would give a boost for the improvement of Railways, about which he had been very keen since 2010.

He said that the idea of installing solar panels on a car was given by Dr. Sridhar and the same was then extended for the conventional rail coach manufactured by ICF, Perumbur in Chennai. He said that this was written as a thesis and submitted to CFTRI and NIE.

A technical paper on the same subject by three authors (Shravanth, Dr. Sridhar and Dhanyavathi) was published in Electrical India in 2011.

When asked, Shravanth said that they found the implementation of solar PV system for a LHB rail coach to be more beneficial as they use EOG (End on Generation) System and added that EOG Scheme of power supply for rail coaches use two diesel generator cars on either ends of the train and their diesel consumption raised their eyebrows.

Coincidentally, a train consisting of LHB hybrid coaches was flagged off between Indore and Yeswantpur which was the first of its kind for South India and second train in India, he said and added they found LHB coaches were of a superior technology and felt that all the conventional rail coaches in India could be replaced by LHB coaches.

Elaborating further, Shravanth said that they felt that these were going to be the next diesel sucking culprits for the country which made us re-initiate this project at our workplace in IISc., where they spoke to their guides Prof. J. Srinivasan, Chairman, Divecha Centre for Climate Change, IISc. and Dr. Sheela K. Ramasesha, Research Scientist, IISc., who then provided a lot of inputs.

He said that spending time on this involved a lot of risk as they were not sure that the Railways would support them, mainly because of lack of encouragement in research fields and pilot projects.

Coincidentally, Union Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda quoted on this idea and we were recognised by the Indian Railways and the work was examined by the Chief Administrator of Indian Railways Organisation for Alternate Fuels, Ministry of Indian Railways, he said and added that they are very much interested in involving us to implement the same.

He said implementation of this scheme may not be possible immediately, as it involves step by step analysis on various experiments like aero-dynamics, vibration analysis, performance of the system in various locations during the transit, reliable control system design, protection from the impact of stones thrown at trains, etc. and expressed confidence that it will be a success if there is cooperation from public.

When asked, he said implementation of this idea is not an impossible dream and neither a novelty and added that probably they would be provided with a coach to carry out experiments.

Speaking about the cost of installation, he said that once the project becomes a success through pilot projects, there would be too many players in the market who can provide better engineering solutions for the challenges that will be faced for implementation which would also reduce the cost of installation and operation costs. If this pilot project becomes a success, one will be able to see Solar Panels mounted on all trains, which will be saving around 90,000 litres of diesel per train per year.

Shravanth has been invited to give a presentation on the same at an International Conference at USA in September this year.

Shravanth is the son of V. Murali Madhav of CFTRI and M. Lakshmi while Vishal is the son of Arun Chandrashekar, a retired Scientist from CFTRI and Lalitha Rangarajan, Associate Professor at University of Mysore. Both Shravanth and Vishal, residents of CFTRI Layout in city, are working as research fellows on Solar energy at IISc.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / August 04th, 2014

Now, you can adopt plants at Mysore Varsity

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

While the animal adoption scheme of Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens has become a big hit among animal lovers, the University of Mysore is mulling over initiating ‘Plant Adoption’ programme in a bid towards nature conservation.

The green friendly plans in the making is part of the Green Campus programme undertaken by the university under the University for Potential Excellence. The previous UPA government had allocated Rs one crore for the plantation drive, and the varsity had received Rs 50 lakh, said, Prof V Ravishankar Rai, Coordinator of the programme.

Rai said that through the Plant Adoption programme, the varsity wanted to involve youngsters, especially students and general public to keep the green cover intact, and also enhance the same with exotic and ornamental plants.

The varsity will provide the sapling for free, and also the space at its 700 acre odd campus comprising Manasagangotri (PG campus), Maharaja’s College and Yuvaraja’s College, he added. He also said that people will be allowed to bring saplings of their own choice. “To develop a bonding towards the nature, they will have to nurture the plants on their own,” said Rai.

A similar endeavour has been taken up at Tumkur University as part of the curriculum. A student who successfully nurtures the plant will be given bonus marks. Similar activities have also been undertaken at a larger scale in several foreign universities, said Rai.

As part of the green drive, works were underway to develop gardens both with natural and mexican grass, besides planting flower bearing and fruit bearing saplings to develop the food chain for birds and flies.

In the last three years around 5,000 saplings have been planted  in the campus by the Horticulture department of the varsity. Under the recent programme, 1,500 of the total 2,000 saplings have already planted. On Friday, the planting exercise was completed in the area surrounding the main building of University College of Fine Arts.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / by Sreekantswamy B / Mysore – DHNS, August 08th, 2014