Sandeep Boniface, a city-based musician, has been shortlisted for the coveted John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
His composition Moments of Bliss has been selected as one of the three entering the final round for the award. He is a music composer, singer, keyboardist and music teacher at Canadian International School, Bengaluru.
The contest, named after the former Beatles singer, was started by Lennon’s wife Yoko Ono in 1997. It is a platform for amateur and professional musicians across the globe.
Over the years, Sandeep got many offers to sing for Bollywood films, thanks to his association with musicians from around the country. However, he did not go down that road. “I did not want to cater to a particular market. I wanted freedom to make my own music,” he says.
Being nominated for an international prize has been a dream come true, says Sandeep.
“It is also a privilege to rub shoulders with fellow finalist and Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej,” he says.
Sandeep started learning piano at a very young age and performed for the first time at the local church when he was 10. “One of my earliest influences was the band Bee Gees. I was fascinated by their compositions and the harmony in their music,” he says.
Subsequently, works of French composer Eric Serra created an impact on him.
As a singer, Sandeep learnt a lot from Rab Halford, lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Judas Priest, and Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
He has sung and composed music for numerous radio jingles, TV commercials, documentaries, films and plays. He has also worked with organisations like Nimhans as a music consultant. A couple of months ago, he set up his own recording studio named DJ Nitro Production.
“Winning the award will help me reach out to a global audience,” he says.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / Express News Service/ April 07th, 2016
Mental health is a topic rarely spoken about in social circles, making it difficult for those who want to seek help to know where to turn to. To bridge this gap, students of Azim Premji University (APU), Bengaluru, have brought out a directory of mental healthcare professionals in the city.
“One of the reasons behind formulating a directory was the fact that there was no such database for Bengaluru. Friends and relatives often come to us seeking references,” said Benson Issac, faculty, APU, who mentored the students.
Professionals have welcomed the launch of this directory. “With more and more people coming to us seeking therapy, it would be useful to have a directory of mental healthcare professionals,” said P.T. Shivakumar, Additional Professor of Psychiatry, NIMHANS. “People need to have information. Some platforms are offering the information, but I don’t think it is complete.”
The directory was prepared by students of Masters in Development at APU as part of their coursework. “We have tried to provide a complete picture of mental health care. So the directory also lists recreational spaces and wellness centres,” said Saumil Sharma, an MA student.
The team plans to make the handbook easily available to make it accessible to event those who are hesitant to seeking this information.
“We think the directory should be available in cafes and bookshops, workplaces and healthcare institutions,” said Mr. Issac.
Hard copies of the directory were distributed to healthcare professionals recently and will be made available free of cost. A digital version will be uploaded on the university website by Monday.
Fewer options outside
A database of mental healthcare professionals in the State would reduce the burden on institutions in the city. While every medical college in the State has a department of psychiatry, NIMHANS sees several patients from across the State visit the institute before seeking help at the district hospital or the local medical college hospital.
“Sometimes, patients drop out of treatment because they cannot afford to visit a distant centre for the entire duration of the treatment, which can stretch to several months,” said Dr. Shivakumar.
Knowing the options available nearby could help them complete the treatment.
Hidden at workplace
Mental health issues are often hidden at the workplace. People think that the moment someone sees a psychiatrist, they could lose their jobs. “Even government employees fear disclosing this information. Government employees are protected under the Disabilities Act. Even if they have a mental illness, they cannot be easily removed from their jobs,” said Dr. Shivakumar.
To some extent, many companies are supportive, but employees hesitate to reveal their condition, he added.
The directory should be available in cafes and bookshops, workplaces and healthcare institutions.
Benson Issac faculty, Azim Premji University
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / Bengaluru – April 10th, 2016
India’s first adolescent psychiatry centre to open in Nimhans by month-end.
Bengaluru :
A quiet room where adolescents can meditate; an activity room for theatre, life skill activities, music and films; individual therapy rooms and high intensity wards. These are features of the 24-bed Adolescent Psychiatry Centre (APC) coming up at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Science (Nimhans). When the APC is ready by this month-end, it will be the first adolescent in-patient psychiatry facility in the country.
The APC will cater to the special needs of adolescents (16 to 18 years) with psychotic, substance-use and severe conduct disorders; those who have experienced physical, emotional and sexual abuse; youngsters prone to aggression and violence and those who come for care through the Juvenile Justice Act.
Dr Shekhar P Seshadri, head of the child and adolescent psychiatry department who will be in-charge of the new ward, said they decided to set up the special wing following an increase in number of adolescents coming to Nimhans for therapy. “Adolescents require a separate set-up – different from younger children at one end and adults on the other – as they undergo a transitional period of mental and health development. Their needs are different in terms of privacy, freedom, space for their indoor and outdoor activities, intervention and nature of problems encountered,” he said.
“They require specific interventions such as pharmacotherapy, intensive psychotherapy, group intervention, social skills training, and family-focused intervention and special educational inputs which call for a separate facility in order to make them feel at home within a special comfort zone,” he added.
Adolescents will be admitted for at least two weeks. The period may go beyond three months depending on the nature of their problems and the intervention required. They will be able to have one or two caregivers, usually parents.
“Evaluation and treatment will be provided by multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and psychiatric social workers. The APC can serve as a model for developing much needed facilities for adolescents in other parts of our country,” said Dr Seshadri.
Dr BN Gangadhar, director of Nimhans, said: “The three-storey building opposite to the children psychiatry department is almost ready to operate. We are waiting for a few pieces of furniture and equipment and by the end of April we will call for the inauguration.”
Key features:
· Quiet room where adolescents can have calm space and practice relaxation techniques
· Activity room-cum-library to encourage them to take part in theatre, music, life skill activities, watch films and read books.
· Indoor and outdoor play areas
· Individual therapy rooms for psychotherapeutic interventions
· Group therapy rooms for team activities and discussions
· High intensity wards for adolescents with suicidal risk and severe depression.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bangalore / by Sreemoyee Chatterjee / TNN / April 08th, 2016
Former Director General of Police Bipin Gopalakrishna, who was suffering from a prolonged illness, passed away here on Thursday.
Bipin Gopalakrishna was an IPS officer from the 1982 batch and served as the managing director of BMTC after which he was posted as the commissioner of police in Mysuru city.
He also served as the Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) in Bengaluru after which he was posted as the chief of Internal Security Division (ISD).
He went on to become the Additional Director General of Police Law and Order.
His last stint was as the Director General in the Criminal Investigation Department before he retired from the services.
The officer breathed his last around 4 am on Thursday, family sources said and added that the last rites will be conducted on Friday.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / April 08th, 2016
City’s Kalasuruchi has entered Limca Book of Records for its ‘Longest Weekly Story Sessions.’
Kalasuruchi, a cultural institution in Mysuru, has been conducting story sessions called ‘Kathe Kelona Banni (Come, Let us hear Stories)’ for children every Saturday since Feb. 3, 2007 at Suruchi Rangamane in Kuvempunagar.
The first story session was held by Bhargavi Narayan. People from various walks of life are invited to tell stories mainly in Kannada, even though they have had a few English sessions.
They have held 439 such sessions as of June 30, 2015. Targeted at children in the 6-13 age group, the programme is co-ordinated by Dr. H.K. Ramanath and K. Nagaraj, under the leadership of Vijaya Sindhuvalli.
Today’s session: Today (Apr. 9), in the 480th story-telling session, Dr. Nagaraja B.G. Kere, Curator, Folklore Museum, University of Mysore, will narrate the story at Suruchi Rangamane, Chitrabhanu Road, Kuvempunagar, from 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> General News / Saturday – April 09th, 2016
Opens Papad-making unit; Provides Papad-making and Dough-mixing machines, water filtration units
Mysuru :
CSIR-CFTRI, Mysuru, has selected Puttegowdanahalli, an agrarian village about 25 kms from Mysuru, for empowerment under the Rural Development programme.
Initially, doctoral students interacted with local people and devised a strategy for intervention with the participation of Self-Help Group (SHG), Farmers group and Teachers of Govt. Higher Primary School and Anganwadi of the village.
Awareness on new super-food crops such as Quinoa and Chia was held initially and useful agrarian practices were shared by students and scientists with farmers for growing these crops successfully.
Practically, there was no organised post-harvest processing in the village. A few housewives were making papads at their home and selling it locally. This gave CFTRI an opportunity and the institute established a papad manufacturing unit.
Training was arranged to two of the SHG members in the institute. A leg-operated papad- making machine (CFTRI design) and dough-mixing machine were bought from machinery suppliers.
The team conducted a survey of village and suitable place was identified for establishing the unit.
A brief function was arranged on Mar. 22, at Puttegowdanahundi, in which the machines were handed over to the SHGs by Prof. Ram Rajasekharan, Director of CSIR-CFTRI.
The entire village consisting of farmers, Members of SHG, Teachers, Caretaker of Anganwadi, students, and village representatives were present.
Also, water filtration units, developed by CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar, were handed over to representatives. The school was provided with laptops and an adulteration test kit to create awareness on food safety.
An Adulteration Test Kit was given to School for creating awareness in children on food safety. Later, CFTRI team gave a demonstration on how to use the kit to the students and teachers of the school.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / April 07th, 2016
Dilip Sivaraman, a Benglauru-based architect, believes everything has a soul and requires a human touch. For the same reason, he found love in watches that run mechanically.
“I have always loved the fact that a watch can be powered by you. Till today, I wear the HMT winding watch and it works beautifully,” he said. Little did he know that this passion for watches would make him the only Indian finalist on a global platform for watch-making apprentices.
For Dilip, 38, buying a 1980s clock over a year ago meant revisiting the heritage of clock-making. “I am a purist. So, whatever I buy or have currently in my house is a throwback in time,” said Sivaraman.
However, finding it tough to set the timepiece right, Dilip took to exploring the world of clocks himself. He searched the internet and scoured through online books on clock-making.
Recalling the experience of reading digitized versions of over 200-year-old books, Dilip said, “Most of these were written when technology didn’t exist. While questioning the need for complete traditional clock-making, I decided to integrate the use of technology into it as well.”
Although it took him 18 months, Dilip successfully designed and recreated from the scratch a mechanical regulator clock, which he named Gato.
Last September, while doing a regular follow up on the Academie Horlogere des Createurs Independants (AHCI) website, Dilip chanced upon the AHCI young talent competition for young clock/watch making apprentices. “I showed them the design of my clock while informing them that I’m not a formal student or apprentice. For something that I did out my love for it, they let me complete the project and send in my entry by January,” said Dilip.
Being the only Indian to enter the global competition and emerging among the top ten finalists, Dilip not only received huge support from the watch-making community at Switzerland but also got to meet his icon and renowned high-end watchmaker, FP Journe at the Baselworld watch exhibition in Switzerland this March.
A resident of Murugeshpalya, Dilip has plans to take his passion forward, “I wanted to make a clock that’d last for the next few hundred years and not just perish. At AHCI, I was encouraged to join their community of watchmakers. They have offered to review my work. But, for now, I’m hoping to wind up with Gato and, hopefully, start my next project soon,” he said.
Encouraging Experience
When I started the project I had no idea that it would enter the competition. The clock wasn’t complete and I had to seek an extension of deadline from the event organizers. But when I presented my work at the AHCI competition, watch-makers came up to me asking if I was willing to sell it. That was very encouraging. I hope to see my clock being sold someday and contribute to independent watch making.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bangalore / by Deepika Burli, TNN / April 06th, 2016
Former National U-7 girls champion, K.G. Anaga (in pic) from Kalale, Nangangud Taluk, is representing India in the Under-8 girls section in the Asian Youth Championships to be held at Mongolia from Apr. 5 to 15.
She is a student at Acharaya Vidyakula School, Kalale, Nangangud Taluk and is the daughter of Gopinath, who is a school teacher and her coach.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / April 04th, 2016
All of 13, the young philanthropist, Nikhiya Shamsher from Bengaluru has bagged a gold medal and awarded with the stature of ‘National Honoree’ at the Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards 2016, held at New Delhi. Nikhiya has now been invited to Washington D.C to represent India in the felicitation events to be held on April 30, May 1 and 2.
She will be honoured at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. and will visit U.S Senators on Capitol Hill, share her experiences and ideas with the Spirit Honourees from other countries.
Nikhiya had competed with 4,000 participants in India and would be honoured along with 25 winners from 10 countries and 100 winners from USA.
The Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards is the extension of the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, the largest youth recognition programme in the United States that identifies and recognizes school students who have made a positive difference in their communities through volunteer community service, across the world.
Nikhiya is a passionate blogger, a national level archer and has been the brain behind her initiative ‘Bags, Books and Blessings’ & ‘Yearn to Learn’. While Bags, Books and Blessings aims to collect re-usable bags, books and school supplies for less privileged school children, Yearn to Learn aims to set up Science and Math Labs in schools and primary colleges that do not have them.
Nikhiya Shamsher, Grade 8 student from Greenwood High International School, said: “I am greatly honoured and humbled to win the gold medal. The cash prize will be utilized towards launching laboratories in more schools. I did not make the journey alone. Many people have supported me on the way. I am grateful to my parents, school principal and teachers for encouraging and mentoring me to achieve my goals. I am also grateful to my donors and volunteers who have made my journey fruitful. Just knowing that we have helped so many students in their educational journey is a wonderful feeling”.
Nikhiya, who had participated in the individual category, has been awarded the Gold Medal, a Certificate of Excellence and a cash prize of Rs. 50,000.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bangalore / by Sreemoyee Chatterjee / TNN / April 06th, 2016
Clockwise from left: There are at least 3,000 objects on display at the Rani Abbakka Tuluva Baduku Adhyayana Kendra; a painting of a war scene made of ‘soote’ or coconut strands
Bantwal :
The coast is not just about beaches, fish curry and shrines. Thanks to historian Tukaram Poojary, this agrarian town houses a museum showcasing Tulu culture and attracting the attention of experts worldwide.
The Rani Abbakka Tuluva Baduku Adhyayana Kendra (Centre for Research on Tuluva Life and Culture) has on display more than 3,000 objects.
Tukaram Poojary, who teaches history at of SVS College here, is our own Indiana Jones. When he is not teaching, he travels to remote places, looking for objects relating to the history of Tulu life and culture.
“It is not just the objects that interest me but also the historical and social conditions that produce it,” he says.
A dowry box at the museum
Ward off Tigers
The museum exhibits a tiger-chasing instrument, perhaps the last in the world. It is meant to drive away tigers, and not to kill them. “It symbolises ahimsa. This region was ruled by Jain chieftains who believed in non-violence,” Poojary says.
The instrument vanished sometime in the 19th century when the British came hunting. They saw tigers as game, and had no qualms about shooting them down.
Another object from the 19th century is a cradle made of five types of wood. “The infant is flanked by two woods, and the head and foot get two other varieties. The bottom, holding the weight of the infant, is made from the wood of the jackfruit tree,” he says.
The wood, interestingly, is used in funeral pyres. Since it is freshly cut, it does not fully burn during the cremation. “Relatives save it to make a cradle,” he explains, hinting at a philosophical cycle of death followed by life.
a painting of a war scene made of ‘soote’ or coconut strands,a painting of Rani Abbakka
Daring Rani
The centre is named after the first Tuluva queen Abbakka. Building an army of fishermen, she destroyed the first Portuguese flotilla that arrived on Indian soil.
She is famous for using the flaming arrow for the first time in this part of the country. History talks about three Abbakkas between 1530 and 1599, but the one who defeated the Portuguese at Ullal lived around 1556.
“I have no doubt Rani Abbakka was the first woman general of the Indian struggle against imperialist forces,” says Poojary, comparing her in greatness to Chand Bibi of the Adil Shah lineage and Razia Sultana of Delhi’s lineage of slave rulers.
Some historians say Abbakka is like William Wallace, the Scottish freedom fighter who led an army against the tyranny of Edward Longshanks, a 13th century English king.
“Though they belonged to different hemispheres, they fought alienation and tyranny. Abbakka’s spirit makes her legacy worthy of a national museum in the land where she lived and fought,” says Poojary.
In 1555, the Portuguese sent Admiral Don Alvaro da Silvereira to fight Abbakka Devi Chowta, queen of Ullal, after she refused to pay them a tribute.
She defied the invaders’ first command. With her army, she set fire to the Portuguese flotilla of galleons with burning arrows.
Arab, Jewish Links
British linguist and historian Elizabeth Lambarn found three objects in the museum sharing their Tulu names with Arabic and Hebrew.
“Petari is a chest for valuables, pataya a place to store grains and spices, and tali a large platter which the Muslims use to eat food together,” historian Tukaram Poojary says.
This shows that the Tuluvas of the Karnataka coast had socio-cultural exchanges with Arabic and Hebrew-speaking countries, he explains.
Poojary’s field trips into the interior parts of the coastal districts are yielding more and more objects. A library of books on Tulu culture, with research papers and anthologies, is also getting bigger.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The News Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by M. Raghuram / April 03rd, 2016
