Monthly Archives: December 2014

He will grow with a remote-controlled leg

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Bengaluru  :

This 10-year-old cancer patient from Sri Lanka has his limb remote-controlled. To ensure that he doesn’t undergo surgical procedures often, doctors have increased the length of the magnetic metallic implant on his left leg through remote-control. The implant was placed after a cancerous tumour was removed from his knee.

Binura Lakvindu from Colombo, who was diagnosed with bone cancer, underwent surgery at BGS Global Hospital, Bengaluru, recently.

“For Binura, we have implanted the expandable prosthesis that has an in-built magnetic disc, gear box and a telescoping rod. The growth anticipated from that bone was calculated and the prosthesis was designed accordingly. He has to visit the hospital once in three months and place his leg in a magnetic coil, and the limb will be lengthened by 1 mm in 4 minutes. The required length will be achieved without additional surgeries. Binura will have limb growth up to 14 to 15 years,” said explains Dr Srinivas C H, consultant, orthopaedic onco-surgeon, who operated on Binura.

He developed pain in the knee in July, 2014. “We noticed him limping and avoiding cricket, his favourtite sport. We consulted a local physician who prescribed him medicines for pain. But the pain didn’t subside and a month later, we noticed swelling above his knee. An orthopaedic surgeon in Colombo suggested that this could be a tumour in his thigh bone and advised treatment in Bengaluru,” says Mallikarachchige L R, Binura’s father.

HOW DOES IT WORK

When the prosthesis is placed in the magnetic field, it leads to rotation of the magnetic disc at 16,000 rpm (revolutions per minute). The telescoping rod moves, resulting in expansion of the prosthesis. The tailor-made implant was imported from the UK to suit the unique specifications of Binura. This technique is tried only on paediatric cases with bone cancer.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bengaluru / by Sunitha Rao, TNN / December 19th, 2014

Bangladesh war : Victory Day Today

Amazing Feats, Leaders, Records, All, World Opinion

A War Record — All for a bottle of Scotch !

December 16 is celebrated as ‘Victory Day’ because on this day in 1971 a spectacular victory was achieved by India under the able political leadership of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with brilliant military leadership provided by the Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw. This victory not only liberated erstwhile East Pakistan (present Bangladesh) but handed over the most humiliating defeat to Pakistan. Pak Army in the East surrendered unconditionally and India took 93,000 Prisoners of War who were released only after Shimla Agreement.

Maj. Gen. C. K. Karumbaya, SM (Retd.), now a resident of Mysuru, had the honour of taking part in this war, as part of 2 Corps, 4 Mountain Division, in the Western segment of Bangladesh which was defended by 9 Pak Division. Here is an account of the pursuit operation of 5 Maratha L I (Royals), under Maj. Karumbaya’s command which is considered as a post-Independence war record as the longest and fastest. Now read on. —Ed

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by Maj. (later Maj. Gen.) C. K. Karumbaya, SM

It was a proud moment for our Bn, 5 Maratha L I (Fifth Royal) when our GOC Maj. Gen. M. S. Brar, PVSM, presented us a bottle of Scotch whisky, which he had promised during the height of the Bangladesh Liberation War. The occasion was the gala victory dinner for the officers of 4 Mtn. Div. (Red Eagle Division) at Jessore Cantonment. A proud moment indeed.

Mission with a Bait: I took over the command of Fifth Royal after our CO, Lt. Col. J. P. Torpy, VSM, was wounded in the battle of Elangi and evacuated on Dec. 6, 1971. On Dec. 8, we were ordered to move North to Jhenida and link up with 41 Mtn. Bde. I reached Jhenida at about 1100 hrs on Dec. 8 with B Coy commanded by Maj. P. K. Chatterjee, VrC, D Coy commanded by Maj. Shri Ram Singh and A Sqn 45 Cav (PT76) less two tps commanded by Maj. Batra. The rest of the Bn with a Coy of 7 Punjab (SCOTS APCs) who were placed under command were trailing behind as the APCs had problems traversing swampy areas.

Jhenida was still being mopped up by the troops of 41 Mtn Bde. On arrival, I was briefed by 41 Mtn. Bde. Commander, Brig. A. H. E. Michigan, MVC in the presence of GOC, Maj. Gen. M. S. Brar and my own 62 Mtn. Bde. Commander, Brig. Rajender Nath. I learnt that Pak 57 Bde. after its defeat at Jhenida was carrying out an orderly withdrawal towards Magura where HQ of Pak 9 Div. was located. Magura was a strategically located medium sized town. It was 30 km away from Jhenida and connected by a good concrete road. It was a communication centre with excellent roads connecting Khustia in the North, Kamarkhali-Faridpur in the East and Jessore and Khulna in the South.

My Bde. Commander then ordered me to lead the advance of the Bde. and instructed me to be cautious and take all precautions. Thereafter, the Div. Commander stressed the importance of the mission and said half in jest, “Karumbaya, 50 (I) Para Bde is also advancing towards Magura from Jessore and if your Bn succeeds in capturing it earlier than them, I shall present you with a bottle of Scotch!”

I was willing to take the above bait because the morale of Pak Army was in their boots due to a series of setbacks they had suffered earlier on. In contrast our own morale was sky high with our outstanding success, especially at Suadih. This psychological advantage had to be fully exploited.

Calculated Risk and Unorthodox Formation: I took a calculated risk. I used the tanks at my disposal aggressively and unconventionally. Instead of making the tanks move cross country on either side of the road axis (which could have slowed down our speed of advance and made the tanks vulnerable to any nuisance mines which enemy may have placed), I put them all in a road formation with about a 100 yd interval between each tank. I made my D Coy, R Gp and part of B Coy to ride piggy-back on the tanks and drive with full speed towards Magura. I ordered other coys to follow with whatever vehicles they could muster and the balance to march on foot to catch up.

The vanguard Coy Commander, Maj. Shri Ram Singh was in the second tank with Sqn 2IC, Capt. Metha. I followed in the fourth tank with the Sqn. Commander, Maj. Batra and FCO from the Medium Regt. I instructed Maj. Shri Ram Singh to keep watching the area in front and engage suspected delaying positions with prophylactic fire while on the move to scare the enemy. He was not to get bogged down dealing with small batches of enemy stragglers who would be taken care of by follow up troops. I kept a careful watch of the area in front with binoculars glued to my eyes so that we did not fall into a trap as cautioned by the Bde. Commander. As a commander, I realised that I should mix audacity with caution. The occasion certainly called for more audacity and willingness to take calculated risks.

Advance turns into pursuit: The advance (or pursuit) commenced at 1300 hrs and progress was very rapid as though we were in a road race! I was inspired by Field Marshal Rommel, who led his famous Afrika Korps in the deserts during the Second World War! Ironically, our Red Eagle Division had played a prominent part in his eventual defeat. On the way we saw some Pak stragglers running away from the main axis, but we pressed forward relentlessly and reached the outskirts of Magura at 1515 hrs. Infantry and tanks quickly got into assault formations for attack.

The enemy was taken completely by surprise. We were heavily shelled in which one of our artillery OP officer’s jeep was directly hit by a shell and all occupants were killed including the officer.

Capture of Magura: To our great relief, A and C Coys and SKOTS APCs (with their deadly machine guns) started trickling in. The enemy was in total disarray. They fled, leaving behind their 9 Pak Div. Operation Room complete with maps, Quarter Guard with their national and 29 Baluch Regimental flags, kotes full of weapons, ammunition dump (estimated to be about 300 truck loads) and ordnance stores, intact. They had started to make preparations to blow up their ammunition dump with a 6 hr delay fuse which would have been devastating had they had time to activate it.

Pursuit continues: We continued the pursuit beyond Magura towards Kamarkhali, leaving behind C Company and Pioneer Platoon to guard the captured stocks and the prisoners that we had taken in the process. At last light we observed enemy troops crossing a canal after demolishing a culvert on the road about 6 kms ahead of Magura. They were subjected to heavy machine gun fire from our newly arrived APCs and the enemy replied with 105 Howitzers. We firmed in there at night and waited for the tail to catch up.

Pursuit up to Kamarkhali next day: We the Fifth Royal continued to lead the Divisional advance next day, that is on Dec. 9, at first light. The PT 76 tanks and APCs had to be unfortunately left behind due to demolished culvert over sharp banks but the Bn in true Patton style continued the advance on foot at light infantry speed. We reached Kamarkhali Ferry area on the banks of Madhumati river which was about 24 km away by 1130 hrs and firmed in.

Pak defences at Madhumati and their concept of Operations: Pak troops had taken up hasty defences on the East bank of the Madhumati river. Their morale was naturally low due to pressures put on them by us. The Pak Army was mainly road bound whereas we were able to move cross country on man pack basis. Their strategy was to fall back from their forward defences by taking successive delaying positions to their strong points in the rear. The Pak plans that might have looked impressive on paper had gone awry on the first day itself. We had learnt with experience that the enemy was highly sensitive to any outflanking moves as they were afraid of their withdrawal routes being cut off by us.

The Madhumati river was about 300 ft wide and 30 ft deep; but we did not consider it as an insurmountable obstacle. The PT 76 tanks had the ability to swim, ferry troops and stores. In addition, my Bn. had gained expertise in crossing rivers with our own expedients. All ranks knew swimming. To top it, the locals were too willing to carry us across in their own country boats — after all, we were a liberating Army fighting for their freedom.

Disappointment: To our great disappointment, the tanks and APCs which we had left behind near the demolished culvert were withdrawn from us and allotted to 22 Rajput (7 Mtn. Bde.) who were operating in Khustia Sector and we were ordered to stop further advance and firm in at Majai near Kamarkhali. We were ordered not to attempt crossing the Madhumati river.

Thus, our long pursuit ended on the banks of Madhumati abruptly. I felt that instead of pulling out troops from us, if the higher ups had only reinforced us to exploit our success, the 2 Corps Operations would have been a lot speedier and even more spectacular.

Our achievements: I have turned the pages of post-Independence military history books in vain to find out if any other unit of the Indian Army had carried out as long and as rapid a pursuit operation during war as my Battalion. According to Col. Afridi, the Col. Staff of 9 Pak Div. who was taken as PW at Faridpur and remained in our custody, our lightning advance resulted in GOC 9 Pak Div. (Gen. Ansari), who had moved from Jessore to Magura on the first day of the war, losing all control over his brigades. His 107 Bde. (Brig Makhmad Hayat) was forced to withdraw southwards towards Khulna and his 57 Bde. (Brig Manzoor) was hemmed in at Khustia instead of falling back to Madhumati-Faridpur through Magura as visualised earlier.

Perhaps the circumstances were highly favourable to us or the offer of Scotch Bottle promised by the GOC was too tempting to resist; but the fact remains that we in the Fifth Royal are proud of the extremely fast pursuit operation we carried out not only to capture Magura, the HQ of 9 Pak Div; but after capturing it, pursue the enemy much beyond it up to the banks of Madhumati, till ordered to halt.

I am happy to note that the Scotch Bottle, its contents having been emptied on the day of the presentation itself, is now beautifully decorated, mounted and displayed in our Officers’ Mess along with the Pak flags which we captured at Magura.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles /  Tuesday , December 16th, 2014

Desi national handloom awards presented

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

To encourage and honour the contribution of individuals and organisations striving to promote the country’s handloom sector, ‘Desi’, a local brand in the sector presented the national handloom awards to five artists in the city on Sunday.

Noted film maker Shyam Benegal, who presented the awards, called upon people to promote traditional weaving as it has its own historical importance.

Stating that art and handicrafts are two sides of the same coin, Mr. Benegal said it is not proper to identify these as two different entities.

Retired Director General of Police Ajai Kumar Singh said the handloom sector had contributed a lot to women empowerment. This sector should further be promoted, he said.

The awards were given to Sangappa Basappa Mante from Yadgir district, Shivshankar Eshwarappa Mudalagi from Bagalkot district, Jagada Rajappa from Hyderabad, M V Chandrasekar and U Ravikiran from Bengaluru in recognition of their contribution to the development of handloom sector.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – December 21st, 2014

Beary Sahitya Academy honorary awards for three

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Awards to be presented at Chikkamagaluru on January 10

The Karnataka Beary Sahitya Academy will confer its annual honorary awards 2014 on B.M. Ichalangodu, B.A. Shamshuddin Madikeri and Y. Mohammed Beary Edapadavu.

While Prof. Ichlangodu is being honoured for his contributions in Beary language research, Mr. Shamshuddin is being honoured in the field of literature and Mr. Mohammed Beary in the field of education, said academy chairman B.A. Mohammed Haneef.

Mr. Haneef told presspersons here on Monday that the awards would be presented at the Beary Language Conference to be held at Chikkamagaluru on January 10. More than 5,000 Beary-speaking people were expected to attend the event, he said.

The Chikkamagaluru District Beary Federation would be co-hosting the event at the Vokkaligara Sabha Bhavana where the language conference would be held from 10 a.m. and the award presentation would be held from 3 p.m.

B.M. Ichlangod
B.M. Ichlangod

Prof. Ichlangod worked in various colleges in the undivided Dakshina Kannada and has written many works including translation of Koran, and Muslims of Tulunadu. He has also been active in the consumer rights movement.

B.A. Shamshuddin Madikeri.
B.A. Shamshuddin Madikeri.

Mr. Shamshuddin has worked as a journalist for many publications in Madikeri and has penned many works in Beary language.

Muhammad Byari Yedapadavu.
Muhammad Byari Yedapadavu.

Mr. Mohammed Beary, after serving the Syndicate Bank for 22 years, established Ideal English Medium School at Edapadavu and has been the president of the Federation of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi district English Medium Schools. He is also the president of the committee of families of victims of Mangaluru air crash.

The awards carry Rs. 10,000 in cash and citation. The Kannada and Culture Department has proposed to the government to increase the cash purse to Rs. 75,000 each, but the academy is not sure when that would come into effect, Mr. Haneef said.

The academy has also identified nine personalities to be felicitated during the language conference for their contributions to various fields.

They are: Mariam Ismail, Ismail Azad, A.M. Sridharan and Umar Farooq (for literature); K. Mohammed (for defence); Moidin Kunhi (for medicine); Azala Ayub and B.H. Noor Mohammed (for social service) and Mohammed Iqbal (for singing), he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangaluru / by Anil Kumar Sastry / Mangaluru – December 16th, 2014

Siddalingaiah to chair 81st Kannada lit fest

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All

Dalit poet Siddalingaiah (in pic) has been selected as the president of the 81st Akhila Bharatha Kannada Sahitya Sammelana scheduled to be held at Shravanabelagola in Hassan district in February, 2015.  

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President of Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP), Pundalika Halambi announced the name of the Siddalingaiah at a press conference held in the city on Friday. Siddalingaiah’s name was suggested by the KSP Executive members at the meeting held on Friday.

He is the first ever dalit writer to preside over the Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana. Senior Dalit writer Devanooru Mahadeva had turned the request to preside over the event.

Halambi told reporters that Siddalingaiah has been chosen not because of his Dalit background but due to his significant contribution to Kannada literary world and his immense talent.

Siddalingaiah is a prominent Kannada poet and one of the founders of the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti. A former chairman of the Department of Kannada Studies at Bangalore University, he was a nominated member of the Legislative Council for two terms. He is also a former chairman of the Kannada Development Authority and Karnataka Book Authority

Meanwhile, Halambi said the Parishat will not hold Sahitya Sammelana from now on in case the state government fails to impart primary education in Kannada medium mandatorily within the deadline of one year given by KSP.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State / Saturday – December 20th, 2014

All India Junior Girls Golf : Pranavi Urs finishes third

Sports

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Mysuru :

City’s talented golfer Pranavi S. Urs of JWGC, taking part in the All India Ladies and Junior Girls Faldo Series Golf tournament at BPGC, Mumbai, on Dec. 12, performed well and finished third in the junior girls category C-Section.

Pranavi, representing South Zone and a student of National Public School, Mysuru, returned with a three-day aggregate card of (82+75+80= 237) to finish third overall in junior girls section.

Anika Sharma of North Zone won the category C title with a three-day score of 221 (80+70+71) while Tanishka Kumar of North Zone finished runner-up with a card of 228 (75+78+75).

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News /  Sunday , December 14th, 2014

Grand start for Nrutya Vaibhava by Music Varsity

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education
Litterateur Dr. Dejagow and danseuse Usha Datar were felicitated during 'Bharatiya Nrutya Vaibhava’, a six-day dance fest organised by the KSGH Music University at Ganabharati in Kuvempunagar here yesterday as Music University VC Dr. Sarvamangala Shankar and University Registrar Prof. Y.S. Siddegowda look on. Picture right shows a scene from Yakshagana 'Babruvahana Kalaga (Badaguthittu)' by the women’s troupe of Gourishankara Samskrutika Pratishtana, Udupi.
Litterateur Dr. Dejagow and danseuse Usha Datar were felicitated during ‘Bharatiya Nrutya Vaibhava’, a six-day dance fest organised by the KSGH Music University at Ganabharati in Kuvempunagar here yesterday as Music University VC Dr. Sarvamangala Shankar and University Registrar Prof. Y.S. Siddegowda look on. Picture right shows a scene from Yakshagana ‘Babruvahana Kalaga (Badaguthittu)’ by the women’s troupe of Gourishankara Samskrutika Pratishtana, Udupi.

Mysuru :

“The KSGH Music and Performing Arts University which is engaged in teaching and research, should get all help from the government in order to become a model University of its kind to the entire country,’ observed senior litterateur Dr. Dejagow.

He was speaking after inaugurating the ‘Bharatiya Nrutya Vaibhava’, a six-day dance fest organised by the KSGH Music University at Ganabharati Veene Seshanna Bhavan, Kuvempunagar in the city yesterday.

Stating that he is a serious music and dance enthusiast, Dejagow said that the art of dance has attained new dimensions with the passage of time.

Noting that Bharatanatyam form of dance has gained much popularity in South India, he observed that music, arts and art appreciation play a vital role in maintaining the health of the society.

Renowned danseuse Usha Datar in her address, complimented the University for organising the programme featuring both music and dance, especially at a time when the general perception is that music and dance forms are always at the opposite ends.

Regretting the declining number of those learning music and dance, especially the classical form of music, she said that music exams being hitherto conducted by the Higher Secondary Board, will now be conducted by the Music Varsity and suggested the Music Varsity to hold the exams in May instead of October, in the larger interest of students.

The University Registrar Prof. Y.S. Siddegowda highlighted the role of Dr. Dejagow in the setting up of Music Varsity in Mysuru and said that the University will think of naming its proposed extension block at Varakudu in the taluk after Dejagow.

Litterateur Dr. Dejagow and danseuse Usha Datar were felicitated on the occasion.

Music University VC Dr. Sarvamangala Shankar presided. Music Varsity Registrars and others were present.

Mary John and team from Kerala will perform ‘Mohiniattam’ dance at 5.30pm today (Dec.14), followed by an Odissi dance presentation by Udaykumar Shetty and team from Bengaluru at 7 pm.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News /  Sunday , December 14th, 2014

Bamboo art workshop concludes with Expo at CAVA

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Senior sculptor Venkatachalapathi is seen lighting the lamp to inaugurate the two-day CAVA Mela in city yesterday as others (from left) Bamboo craftsman Siddappa, CAVA Dean V.A. Deshpande and Rangayana Director H. Janardhan look on. Picture right shows a boy looking at the bullock cart model made of bamboo at the expo.
Senior sculptor Venkatachalapathi is seen lighting the lamp to inaugurate the two-day CAVA Mela in city yesterday as others (from left) Bamboo craftsman Siddappa, CAVA Dean V.A. Deshpande and Rangayana Director H. Janardhan look on. Picture right shows a boy looking at the bullock cart model made of bamboo at the expo.

Mysuru :

The two-day CAVA Mela organised by Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts (CAVA) began at college premises in city yesterday.

The mela was inaugurated by senior sculptor Venkatachalapathi in the presence of Rangayana Director Janardhan, Bamboo craftsman from Yelandur Siddappa and CAVA Dean V.A. Deshpande.

Various art forms, made of bamboo during the seven-day workshop on bamboo art, held at the Academy was the centre of attraction during the inaugural function of a two-day CAVA Mela.

An exhibition-cum-sale of bamboo artefacts and other works of students of CAVA, marked the culmination of the workshop on bamboo art.

A team of bamboo craftsmen from Yelandur, led by Siddappa, were the resource persons at the workshop.

He spoke on the importance of bamboo and how bamboo craftsmanship had declined by the rampant use of plastic.

Speaking about bamboo art, he said, craftsmen from North Eastern part of the country and Kerala were experts in the form, mainly due to the easy availability of bamboo and added that the weather in these parts were conducive for the growth of bamboo, which has resulted in a large number of people being still active as bamboo artisans in these parts of the country.

CAVA Dean Deshpande said that the objective behind organising an exhibition-cum sale, was to ensure that the art of CAVA students reaches every home in the city and added that the artefacts are moderately priced to make it affordable.

Apart from various artefacts made of bamboo, the exhibition at CAVA Mela has paintings and photographs of students which are up for sale.

Attractive art installations and craft forms are also on display.

The two-day CAVA mela concludes today evening.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News /  Sunday , December 14th, 2014

Cage Culture

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature

For all thoe who wish to have delicacies prepared using fresh fish meat, the Karnataka State Fish Co-operative Federation (KSFCF) has introduced selling of live fish at kiosks in various parts of the city. These fish are cultured by the Department of Fisheries using latest technology in KRS backwaters at Meenakshipura near Mysuru.

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This weekend Star Supplement gives a glimpse about the Federation, the Cage Culture and the benefits of eating fish.

Eat Fish to Stay Fit Cage Culture

S.N. Venkatnag Sobers

The Karnataka State Fish Co-operative Federation (KSFCF) which was initially started as Inland Fisheries Development Corporation functioned for a few years before it was closed down and re-started as KSFCF on Oct. 2, 1989.

The Federation has 275 Primary Fisheries Co-operative Societies as its members and is the apex body of the Fisheries Co-operative Society (FCS) in Inland Fisheries of the State.

This organisation was established to provide technical and financial assistance for the development of inland water bodies through the FCS. The Federation is also involved in production of good quality fish seeds and it supplies them to fish farmers. It also helps in marketing of fish through its retail kiosks put up in rural and urban areas. The Federation also implements Integrated Reservoir Fisheries Development Scheme through Primary Co-operatives.

The Federation has been running a total of 93 kiosks throughout the State which sell various variety of fish and fish delicacies. Out of the 93 kiosks, 38 are in Mysuru city, 14 in Mysuru rural, three in Chamarajanagar, 13 in Kodagu, nine in Mandya and 16 in Bengaluru city.

Gangadhara V. Maddikery, Managing Director, KSFCF, speaking to Star of Mysore, said that the Federation procures fish from the Co-operative Societies and supplies them to the kiosks. “During the off-season when fish production is low, we call for a tender in order to supply fish to the kiosks run by the Federation,” he added.

Recently, KSFCF launched a new concept of selling live fish at the kiosks in an effort to attract customers and to meet the demand of public for live fish. These fish are sold at various kiosks located in the city.

“The new concept was launched last week to provide quality fish for the customers. We have been selling ‘Pangasius’ (a variety of fish) at our stall which has received good response from the public. At times, the demand is such that we fail to supply the required number of fish to the kiosks,” said Gangadhara.

There are around 2,376 varieties of marine fish available in India with 1,923 varieties being fresh water species. Major varieties of edible fish in India include Catla, Rohu, Mrigal (which are Indian Major Carps) and a few exotic varieties which are imported from foreign countries.

The seeds of Indian Major Carps were brought from seas of North India to be cultured in the Southern part. These fish are commonly found in Ganges, Yamuna and Brahmaputra rivers and are in cultured in Bhadra River Project, Tunga Bhadra Dam, Kabini Dam and Nugu Dam.

Benefits extended to farmers

Government of Karnataka has extended benefits to farmers involved in fish culture. The Department of Fisheries has been helping the farmers in construction of ponds to culture fish.

For farmers belonging to SC/ST community, the Department has been giving a subsidy of 50% per acre and 40% to farmers belonging to general category. For those involved in intensive aqua culture, Rs. 40,000 is given as input subsidy per hectare.

The Department has also been extending help by providing Fish Seed Subsidy. Farmers have been supplied with the fisheries kits and fibre coracles. This year, the Department has introduced a new scheme under which the farmers belonging to SC/ST communities are provided with fishery kits and coracles worth Rs. 25,000 free of cost.

Transportation facilities are also provided at the district level for members of SC/ST Fishermen Co-operative Society and also the department provides 80% subsidy on vehicles costing around Rs. 5.5 lakh/ per unit. Zilla Panchayats have also been providing subsidy for two-wheelers and three-wheelers for fishermen to sell their fish.

This apart, regular training programmes are also organised to update the fishermen with the latest developments in the business.

Ramakrishna, Deputy Director, Department of Fisheries, Mysuru Zone, speaking to Star of Mysore, said that Mysuru has the potential to become the top zone in fish culture and added, at present, Bellary tops the charts in private land fish culture with more number of farmers involved in fish culture in Bellary, Raichur and Koppal districts.

Ramakrishna added that around 20,000 fishermen in Mysuru Zone were involved in fish culture with at least 5,000 of them being active throughout the year.

In a bid to encourage fish culture in the State, the Department of Fisheries has introduced ‘Cage Culture,’ a scientific method for fish culturing at Meenakshipura located at KRS backwaters. The project has been financed under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). The project was introduced in the year 2012-13 with an aim to culture maximum number of fish in lesser space retaining the natural habitat.

The fish seeds are stocked in the cages measuring 6 mts in length, 4 mts in width and 4 mts height. Around 40 to 60 seeds are stocked per cubic meter and a total of 4,000 seeds in 96 cubic meters. Each unit has 24 compartments which are considered to be one battery measuring 750 sq mts that is little less than ¼ acre. The yield compared to inland fish culture is much higher in Cage Culture.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, P. Nagaraj, Senior Assistant Director, Department of Fisheries and Special Officer, Cage Culture Project, said that the yield was 100 tonnes per ¼ acre in Cage Culture while in Inland Fish Culture, it was around three tonnes per acre with 4,000 fish seeds.

Cages are anchored with ropes tied to six stones on all the four corners with each stone measuring 50 kg. There is also a floating hut in the middle of the two batteries which houses the stock of feeds and other essential materials in case of emergency. There are people who live in these huts to monitor the cage and act at times required. Currently, there are around one lakh fish in the first unit, the seeds of which were stocked in the month of March, 2014.

Nagaraj said that before implementing the project, they had visited Saroda and Chirpani dams in Rajasthan and Chattisgarh respectively on a study tour where the new method has been implemented successfully.

Currently, the Department has been culturing ‘Pangasius,’ the variety of fish that is being sold live at various kiosks across the city. The meat of the fish is smooth and hence care should be taken while cooking. There are no scales on the fish and the skin can be removed to reduce the fat content. This apart, there is fat deposition even near its gills which can also be removed to reduce the fat. While preparing kebabs and fry, the skin should be removed and it can be retained during curry preparation.

The project is being managed by a committee named ‘Cage Culture Project Implementation Committee’ headed by Joint Director Dr. N.R. Ramakrishna as its Chairman. The Committee also has five members with Principal Scientist of Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI), Bengaluru, as its Member Secretary. The total cost of the project is Rs. 2.34 crore which is completely funded by the Government of Karnataka.

The government is also contemplating about implementing the project in other reservoirs across the State to encourage fish culture.

Benefits of eating fish

Regular consumption of fish can reduce the risk of various diseases and disorders. Selected research findings indicate the following:

Asthma: Asthma cases are less among the children who eat fish.

Cancer: The Omega3 fatty acids in fish helps reduce the risk of many types of cancers by 30-50%.

Cardiovascular Disease: Eating fish every week reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke by reducing blood clots and inflammation, improving blood vessel elasticity, lowering blood pressure, lowering blood fats and boosting ‘good’ cholesterol.

Dementia: Elderly people who eat fish or seafood at least once a week may have a lower risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Depression: People who regularly eat fish have a lower incidence of depression (depression is linked to low levels of Omega3 fatty acids in the brain).

Diabetes: Fish helps people with diabetes manage their blood sugar levels.

Inflammatory conditions: Regular fish consumption may relieve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and autoimmune diseases.

Prematurity: Eating fish during pregnancy helps reduce the risk of delivering a premature baby.

Eyesight: Breast-fed babies of mothers who eat fish, have better eyesight as the Omega3 fatty acids are transmitted through breast milk.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles /  Saturday , December 13th, 2014

Release of audio album ‘Vandane Abhivandane’ tomorrow

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

VandaneBF19dec2014

Mysuru :

‘Vandane Abhivandane,’ the audio album of Vidushi Dr. Geetha Seetharam, a renowned musician and Vaggeyakarti of Mysuru, will be released at Rani Bahaddur Auditorium, as part of ‘Swarjhankar’ on Dec.14 at 5.30 pm.

The album is a musical salutation to the gems of Karnataka Sangeetha — Vaggeyakaras / Music Composers of South India, from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. These Vaggeyakaras have contributed musical compositions with meaningful lyrics, melodious ragas, structured notations set to different talas, appealing to the listener, which have been passed on to generations, still well kept through guru-shisya parampara.

The purpose of compiling this well-researched musical documentation on the lives and works of Vaggeyakaras is to ensure that students, performers and teachers gain a better understanding while rendering the compositions or performing dance-dramas and sangeetha roopakas.

The 16 composers on whom these compositions have been rendered in the audio album are: Mysore Sadashiva Rao, Shyama Shastry, Thyagaraja, Muttuswamy Dikshitar, Purandaradasa, Maharaja Swathi Thirunal, Mysore Vasudevacharya, Bidaram Krishnappa, Muttaiah Bhagavatar, Maharaja Sri Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, Veene Sheshanna, T. Chowdaiah, Papanasam Sivan, Dr. M. S. Subbalakshmi, Lalgudi Jayaraman and Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna.

The compositions are in Sanskrit, Kannada and Tamil with ‘Geetha’ as ankita.

Vidushi Dr. Geetha Seetharam being the lead vocalist is supported by her student Gayathri S. Lokesh. Vidwan Dr. R.S. Nandakumar of Mysuru has rendered many of these compositions with his bountiful voice. This CD is dedicated to all those performers who bring life to these compositions by breathing creativity into their presentations. The audio album is accompanied by notation book both in English and Kannada scripts.

For copies contact Mob: 99861-24902.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News /  Saturday , December 13th, 2014