Monthly Archives: January 2015

City Cops get President’s Medal

Records, All
1. Ravindra. 2) Aiyanna
1. Ravindra. 2) Aiyanna

Mysuru :

Two Policemen from the city are among the 20 cops from the State, who have been conferred President’s Police Medal for meritorious service on the occasion of Republic Day yesterday.

Also, four other Police Officers from the State were conferred with the President’s medal for distinguished service.

B.M. Ravindra and N.U. Aiyanna, both Head Constables at 5th Battalion, KSRP Mysuru, are the city cops who have been conferred the Medal.

B.M. Ravindra, originally hailing from Napoklu in Madikeri Taluk, has been serving in the Department for over 30 years while Aiyanna, who hails from Kushalnagar in Kodagu district, is associated with the Department for over 34 years.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Tuesday – January 27th, 2015

Natl. Mountain biking championship : City boy wins Silver medal

Sports

HariVidyalayaBF27jan2015

Mysuru :

Tejaswi, a 10th std. student of Hari Vidyalaya in Bogadi, representing Karnataka for the first time has won a second place at the 11th National Mountain Biking Championship held from Jan. 18 to 22 in Pune.

The selection process was done in two stages. In the time trial stage, Tejaswi won the bronze medal and won the silver medal in the Mass Start stage. Tejaswi was trained by Nagaraj and Ekalavya awardee Lokesh. Tejaswi is the son of G. Shambulingegowda, Biology lecturer at Government Pre Univer- sity College in Akkihebbal and P.K. Nagaratna.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / Tuesday – January 27th, 2015

Malpe UHC switches to solar power in a first for India

Green Initiatives / Environment, Records, All, Science & Technology

Manipal :

Urban Health Centre in Malpe, about 10 kilometres from here, became a solar powered clinic on Wednesday. Srinivas Prasad, CEO Philips Innovation campus, Bengaluru inaugurated the solar facility provided by Philips at a simple function. It is a first of its kind in India. Started in 1967 by Dr T M A Pai, the Centre provides maternal and child health services and also takes care of general ailments of people in the region.

The centre under administrative care of department of community medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal recently started screening activities for oral, breast and cervix cancers with support from Kasturba Hospital, Manipal. With ever-increasing work at the clinic, need for uninterrupted power supply became imperative.

The solar energy which became operational on Wednesday will greatly help to improve patient care.

In view of urgency and importance of having uninterrupted power in the clinic, Manipal University and Philips signed a memorandum of understanding for the pilot project. The Centre will henceforth not depend on electricity to run appliances. This innovation by Philips is a centralized solar DC grid, which reduces dependency on grid power and contributes towards green energy. The solar solution provided in Malpe Clinic consists of 6 KWp solar panels.

It is expected to generate on an average nearly 12 units per day, and the consumption of the Malpe clinic is around 8 units per day presently. Srinivas Prasad, a former Karnataka Ranji Trophy player said, “We are associated with Manipal University for over a decade now. So we decided to do this project with the University first. This initiative can serve as a model solution which can be replicated in tier 2 and tier 3 cities and rural areas across the country.”

Pramod Madhwaraj, Udupi MLA said he was extremely happy that Philips has decided to have the pilot project in his constituency. He urged Prasad to provide solar facilities to entire state. Even Dr Vinod Bhat, Pro Vice-Chancellor urged Philips CEO to use Technology to improve villages across India, “Because we cannot depend electricity alone to fulfill the needs,” he said. Dr Veena Kamath, head of department of community medicine welcomed the gathering.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangaluru / by Jaideep Shenoy, TNN / January 22nd, 2015

Anatomy Prof Preserves Bodies of Mother, Sister in College Lab

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All, Science & Technology

Mysuru :

An anatomy professor has chosen a unique way of educating people about the need to donate bodies as well as ways to preserve them.

Dr N M Shama Sundar of JSS Medical College has preserved his mother’s body in the anatomy lab ever since she passed away five years ago. Now, he has preserved his sister’s body too. His sister, N M Nagamani (74), a

retired KSRTC employee, died some months ago, and her body now lies in an adjacent room. Sundar has used a method called plastination to preserve the bodies longer. Plastination is a technique of tissue preservation developed by Dr Gunther von Hagens in Heidelberg, Germany, in 1977.

Sundar, who is also secretary of the JSS Body Donation Association, said Nagamani and other members of his family had donated their bodies to research.

He said preserving the bodies also allowed his relatives settled abroad who could not come to India at the time of his mother’s death to later “see her”. One of Sundar’s brothers, who lives in Australia, flew down two months after the death and saw his mother’s body.

Murali Mohan, another of Sundar’s brothers and a retired deputy chief engineer at Kolar gold mines, said he visits the lab whenever he feels like seeing his mother and sister.

Six of Sundar’s nephews and nieces who live abroad could not make it when his mother died. They came after many months, he said.

The Brahmin family did not perform any death rites for the two bodies. “My mother was against religious rituals,” Sundar told Express.

He said the proximity of two bodies of close relatives does not affect his work in the lab. He said his gesture had inspired several others to pledge their bodies.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Vincent D’Souza / January 25th, 2015

Konkan Railways’ Ro-Ro turns 16

Business & Economy, Records, All

Mangaluru :

This Republic Day, the innovative Roll-on Roll-off (Ro-Ro) service of Konkan Railway will complete 16 years of successful operation.

The Ro-Ro service has earned Konkan Railway Rs 53.31 crore in 2014-15 up to December as compared to Rs 47.4 crore in corresponding period in the previous year. More than 40,000 trucks were carried through Ro-Ro service in 2014-15 up to December.

Konkan Railways came up with the innovative Ro-Ro service service in 1999 whereby loaded goods trucks are carried piggy back on railway flat wagons. This service is unique only to Konkan Railways.

The popularity of the service can be seen from the fact that about four lakh goods trucks have been carried by this service in the past 16 years. The service has helped the railways get back the piecemeal traffic which had got diverted to the road sector.

The service benefits truck owners as well as the railways, while saving precious diesel for the country. It saves wear and tear of tyres, reduces maintenance cost of trucks, enables faster delivery of goods and gives higher profits. The service has also helped decongest the national highway and gives a hassle-free ride to truck drivers.

There are two Ro-Ro services-one between Kolad (145 km from Mumbai) and Verna (a distance of 417 km), and the other between Kolad and Surathkal (a distance of 721 km). The delivery is within 12 hours for Kolad-Verna, and within 22 hours for Kolad-Surathkal, which, by road, will take at least 24 hours and 40 hours, respectively.

!RPF rescued 54 minors last year !The Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Konkan Railway rescued as many as 54 children who had run away from their ho mes from January to December 2014. All the rescued children were below 15 years and were either found loitering in the statio ns on the Konkan Railway route or found travelling unaccompanied by elders in trains. Most of the rescued children were reunited with their parents and others were handed over to the child helpline. The children and their parents were also counselled by the RPF officials. During the year, RPF also seized more than 35,000 liquor bottles, valued at more than Rs 30.6 lakh, carried illegally in trains and at premises of different stations and handed these over to the State Excise department. RPF also registered 593 cases under the Railways Act against anti-social elements in the railway premises in 2014. A total fine amount of Rs 3.41 lakh was collected from the offenders. As many as 183 cigarette smoking cases were also detected and the offenders were charged a fine of Rs 36,600.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangaluru / TNN / January 25th, 2015

12-year wait ends, all eyes on 42-ft-tall Karkala Bahubali

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Travel

Mangaluru :

The 10-day Mahamastakabhisheka ceremony for the 42-foot-tall monolithic stone image of Lord Bahubali atop a rocky hill will begin in Karkala on Wednesday.

Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts could be called the land of Bahubali as they host three towering monolithic statues at Karkala, Venur and Dharmasthala. Among them, the Karkala Gomateshwara is the tallest at 42 feet. Karkala — an evolved version of the original ‘Kari Kallu’ — derives its name from the black stones that cover the vast landscape.

Mahamastakabhisheka was performed at Karkala in 1951, 1957, 1962, 1990 and 2002. The gap of 12 years was not maintained for various reasons and the anointing in 1990 was held after a gap of 28 years due to problems caused by the implementation of the Land Reforms Act.

The imposing monument was installed by King Veera Pandya Bairarasa at the behest of guru Lalithakeerthi, a pontiff of Karkala Jain math, in 1432 AD.

The Karkala monolith of Bahubali is the third largest of the four Bahubali statues in Karnataka, the first one being the 57-foot-tall monolith at Shravanabelagola. Dharmasthala and Venur statues measure 39 feet and 35 feet, respectively.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangaluru / by Stanley Pinto, TNN /  January 21st, 2015

For the first time, a priest from coastal region is canonized

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Mangaluru :

Most Rev Bernard Moras, Archbishop of Bengaluru diocese, said let the shrine of Blessed Joseph Vaz satiate the spiritual hunger of those who approach in need of strength.

The Archbishop on Friday unveiled the statue of St Joseph Vaz to mark the end of the three-day celebration of the canonization of the saint at the Miracle Hill shrine. The Archbishop also launched a free meal programme for devotees by pouring rice into a pot. The shrine will provide free meals once a week to devotees on Friday.

The celebrations were a bit dampened after chief minister Siddaramaiah and his cabinet colleagues missed the event due to state mourning announced in the wake of the death of former governor Rameshwar Thakur on Thursday.

This is the first time a priest from the coastal region has been elevated to sainthood.

The statue of Blessed Joseph Vaz was brought to the shrine in a procession from Panir to Mudipu in a decorated vehicle on January 9, in the run-up to the event. Pope Francis on January 14 raised Blessed Joseph Vaz, who performed miracles on the hill of Mudipu, to the altar of sainthood in Sri Lanka.

Earlier during the mass, Mangaluru Bishop Aloysius Paul D’Souza, Msgr Denis Moras Prabhu, PRO Fr William Menezes, and others took part. In his homily, Moras said Blessed Vaz brought more people near God with his work and dedication. Bishop Aloysius Paul D’Souza said apart from his missionary work, his service to society in helping the needy was exemplary.

Who’s the saint:

Joseph Vaz was born on April 21, 1651, in Benaulim, Goa. He was the third son of Christopher Vaz and Miranda. He became a priest in 1676 and served in different parishes of Goa till 1681. Later, he was sent to Canara. Fr Joseph Vaz travelled from Goa barefoot. He served in Honnavar, Basrur, Kundapur, Gangolli, Mulki, Mangaluru and Panir. He was miraculously saved from an attempt on his life in 1684 while serving as the parish priest of Panir Church.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangaluru / TNN / January 17th, 2015

Moment of glory for Bengaluru woman

Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All
Komala J. and G. Sudhakar Babu, parents ofSub-Lieutenant Hema S. (inset), display a photograph of their daughter, in Bengaluruon Sunday.— Photo: Sudhakara Jain
Komala J. and G. Sudhakar Babu, parents ofSub-Lieutenant Hema S. (inset), display a photograph of their daughter, in Bengaluruon Sunday.— Photo: Sudhakara Jain

A woman from the city will be part of the Navy’s first-ever all-woman marching contingent at the Republic Day parade in New Delhi on Monday.

When Sub-Lieutenant Hema S. (23) marches up the Rajpath and salutes the most powerful leaders, her parents G. Sudhakar Babu, an autorickshaw driver, and Komala J., a typist with the Karnataka Milk Federation, will stay glued to the television and take part in their daughter’s moment of glory.

“This is such a rare distinction and we couldn’t be prouder. As both my wife and I are severely diabetic, we can’t make it to Delhi. But we won’t miss a moment of it,” says Mr. Babu, a resident of Marenahalli.

Sub-Lieutenant Hema has treated a rough terrain to achieve success. While her father ferried passengers to fund his daughter’s education and her mother toiled hard at work and at home, Hema also took up part-time jobs while pursuing her studies.

“Hema got a government quota seat to pursue electrical engineering course. But there wasn’t enough money to fund her education. Without complaining she took up odd jobs till the last semester to reduce burden on us,” says Mr. Babu.

In 2014, when her course was nearing completion, she had two paths to choose from: a cushy, high-paying job at a software company or short-service commission of the Navy. “She didn’t hesitate to join the Navy. She had always wanted to serve the country. In fact she worked as a volunteer for an NGO during her college days, and even aired her desire to become a politician,” says her proud father.

After training in Kerala, Ms. Hema was posted to Gujarat for a four-week training. However, within four days she was called to New Delhi for training for the Republic Day parade.

“They start training at dawn, and I’m sure it must be very cold there. But she hasn’t complained even once. The Navy must have toughened her,” adds Mr. Babu.

Hema S. to be part of the Navy’s first-ever all-woman marching contingent at the Republic Day parade

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Mohit. M. Rao / Bengaluru – January 26th, 2015

100 and still fresh

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All

MysooroMalligeBF27JAN2015

Today is the birth centenary of K.S. Narasimhaswamy, a poet known for a language and style that was simple and quintessentially Old Mysore

The notion of love and its expression may have changed over a generation, but K.S. Narasimhaswamy holds his place in the Kannada literary canon as the ultimate “poet of love”. His best known workMysooru Mallige, published in 1942, still is fresh and fragrant.

Monday marks the birth centenary of K.S.Na., born on January 26, 1915.

A poet known for a language and style that was simple and quintessentially Old Mysore, K.S.Na’s early poetry (including the iconic Mysooru Mallige) celebrated conjugal love and portrayed images of middle-class life.

It’s a world of ordinary men and women with their simple pleasure, but not devoid of tensions and strife. His early poetry won him a great fan following, but proponents of the ‘Navya’ (modern) tradition also mocked him as ‘pushpa kavi’, implying that he was too romantic and incapable of “more serious” preoccupations.

Though K.S.Na’s great popularity still rests on his image as a ‘love poet’, his later poetry proved his detractors wrong. Poems like ‘Tereda Baagilu’ and ‘Gadiyaradangadiya Munde’ are testimony to his poetic genius that far surpassed his image. This was acknowledged by firebrand journalist and critic late P. Lankesh, who was once scathing on K.S.Na’s ‘romanticism’.

Writer and critic Narahalli Balasubrahamanya argues that Mysooru Mallige’s popularity overshadowed the “real potential” of K.S.Na. He read moderns like Ezra Pound and T.S. Elliot and was influenced by Robert Burns. The native Kannada idiom and poetry of 16th Century poet Ratnakaravarni shaped his sensibility, Mr. Balasubrahmanya said.

Poet H.S. Venkateshamurthy says that though family remained the central metaphor of K.S.Na’s poetry, the definition of family itself grew and evolved to include the whole world, taking on a metaphysical dimension.

Describing his oeuvre in a nutshell, critic G.S. Amur describes K.S.Na as “a poet of the earth, its joys and sorrows, its beauty and ugliness”.

Poetic inspiration

K.S. Narasimhaswamy’s collection of poems Mysooru Mallige, published in 1942, has seen more than 32 reprints and was long regarded as an ideal gift for newly-married couples in Karnataka. National award-winning director T.S. Nagabharana made a film based on the poems, popularised by Sugama Sangeeta (light music) singers of the State. This was the first such film in Kannada where a story was written with the framework provided by poems. K.S.Na’s poems have been used by various film directors, including Chaduranga and N.C. Rajan, in their movies.

KSNa on Peotry

“What is a poem? I have no idea. Eyes are boats as tiny as shells, but the view is a beast as vast as the ocean. I grope for an answer as I write.”

“I have worked for long as a clerk in government offices. I have been through many hardships of life. All that pain has metamorphosed into the fragrance of poetry, giving me equanimity.”

January 26, 1915: Born in Kikkeri in Mandya district

1977: Conferred Sahitya Akademi Award for Tereda Bagilu

1995: Awarded Pampa Prashasti

1991: Presides over 60th Kannada Sahitya Sammelan, Mysuru

1996: Named Fellow of Sahitya Akademi

December 27, 2003: Passes away in Bengaluru

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Muralidhara Khajane and Bageshree S. / Bengaluru – January 26th, 2015

29 from State get police medals

Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All

Twenty-four police personnel and five Home Guards have been selected for the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service and the Police Medal for Meritorious Service on the occasion of Republic Day. The awards will be presented during the Republic Day parade held at the Manekshaw Parade ground here on Monday.

N. Shivakumar (Inspector-General of Police, Police Headquarters, Bengaluru); C.H. Pratap Reddy (Inspector-General of Police, Internal Security Division, Bengaluru); Babu Rajendra Prasad (Deputy Commissioner of Police – Bengaluru Traffic East) and D. Narayanaswamy (Superintendent of Police, Lokayukta, Ramanagaram) have been selected for the President’s Police Medal for distinguished service.

H.T. Duggappa (Superintendent of Police, State Intelligence, Bengaluru); R. Lakshman (Additional Superintendent of Police, Tumakuru); M.I. Jameel (Additional Superintendent of Police, Kolar); C.N. Janardhan (Deputy Superintendent of Police, CID, Bengaluru); M. Vijayakumar (Deputy Superintendent of Police, Central Zone, Bengaluru); H.N. Venkatesh Prasanna (Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mangaluru); D.D. Malagi (Deputy Superintendent of Police, Hospet Subdivision, Ballari); S. Babushankar (police inspector –Wireless Control Room, Bengaluru); Mohammed Mohsin (police inspector, Wireless Control Room, Kalaburagi); B. Bhojaraju (assistant sub-inspector, City Armed Reserve, Headquarters, Bengaluru); S.M. Raghavendra Rao (assistant sub-inspector, Wireless, DGP Control Room, Bengaluru); M. Narayanaswamy (assistant reserve sub-inspector, Munirabad); N. Ramanna (assistant sub-inspector, Special Branch, Mandya); V. Kariyanna (head constable, City Crime Records Bureau, Bengaluru); Ananda K. Deshpande (head constable, Hubballi-Dharwad); V. Narayanappa (head constable, State Intelligence, Bengaluru); D. Mahadevaiah (head constable, 3rd Bn., KSRP, Bengaluru); P.M. Ravindra (head constable, 5th Bn., KSRP, Mysuru); N.U. Aiyyanna (head constable, 5th Bn., KSRP, Mysuru), and Shivappa A. Nilankar (head constable, Kalaburagi) have been selected for Police Medal for meritorious service.

Home Guards and Civil Defence

While L. Lakshminara-simha (Second-in-command, Home Guards, Ballari district) has been selected for the Distinguished Medal, Shivakumar (instructor, Home Guards and Civil Defence Academy, Bengaluru), Chaluva Shetty (head constable, Home Guards and Civil Defence Academy, Bengaluru), Shivanna (driver, Home Guards, Hassan) and M.S. Sharieff, (Divisional Warden, Civil Defence, Bengaluru) have been selected for the Meritorious Medal.

The awards will be presented at Manekshaw Parade ground today

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – January 26th, 2015