Monthly Archives: February 2018

110 bird species recorded at Mangalagangothri

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All
The bird-counting exercise was undertaken between February 16 and 19. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The bird-counting exercise was undertaken between February 16 and 19. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Birders from Mangalore University were able to record 110 species of birds during the Campus Bird Counting (CBC), an initiative taken up under Great Backyard Bird Count of Bird Count India, during the three-day bird-counting exercise between February 16 and 19 at the university’s Mangalagangothri campus in Konaje near here.

While the initiative began in 2016, when 77 species of birds were recorded. The number rose to 95 last year. Though the number of species recorded this year is higher, several species recorded earlier were found to be missing, according to a release from the organisers. The increase in numbers indicates the possibility of the presence of more species on the campus — something that can be recorded with more continuous efforts.

CBC is a collaborative effort to document bird life on campuses across the country, to gather information about the diversity, distribution and frequency of bird species outside the protected areas. As many as 230 campuses across India registered for this year’s CBC, including 23 from Karnataka .

Mangalore University, spread over an area of 300 acres, is home to a variety of avian fauna. Birders from the university have been actively participating in the CBC for the past three years.

This year, the team was led by K. Vineeth Kumar, Jagdish Paithankar (both research scholars), and M.Sc students U. J. Bhagya and Donald Preetam Henry from the Department of Applied Zoology.

Students and research scholars from various postgraduate departments of the university, with a few staffers of the university as well as P.A. College of Engineering and Ambika Vidyalaya and Govinda Dasa College, along with a few independent birdwatchers from Mangaluru, participated in the initiative.

Some rare birds found during the survey include the Sri Lanka frogmouth, Savanna nightjar, common hoopoe, Black-headed ibis, Small minivet, Tickell’s blue flycatcher, Yellow-wattled lapwing, White-browed bulbul, Plum-headed parakeet, and Indian roller.

Migratory species recorded during the CBC include Indian Pitta, Brown shrike, Booted eagle, Ashy Drongo, Blyth’s reed Warbler, Green/Greenish Warbler, Brown-breasted Flycatcher, Eurasian Blackbird, Gray wagtail, and Blyth’s Pipit.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangaluru / by Special Correspondent / Mangaluru – February 28th, 2018

Kannada film industry mourns death of iconic actor Sridevi

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Sridevi | Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal
Sridevi | Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal

Biffes paid tributes to legendary actor

The Kannada film fraternity expressed shock and grief over the sudden demise of actor Sridevi, who died of a cardiac arrest in Dubai late on Saturday, as it cast a shadow of gloom over the ongoing 10th edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes).

Before the day’s schedule began on Sunday, BIFFes officials mourned the untimely death of the veteran actor, who had proven her acting prowess in films irrespective of language. Members, officials, patrons, actors and technicians offered their condolences.

Sridevi has acted in a few Kannada films in her five-decade career in celluloid. She had acted in Bhakta Kumbara (1974) directed by Hunsur Krishnamurthy along with Dr. Rajkumar, Leelavathi, Manjula and others as child artist. Her other films as a child artist include Bala Bharata, Sampoorna Ramayanam and Yashoda Krishna. Later, she essayed a role in Hennu Samsarada Kannu (1975) directed A.V. Sheshagiri Rao along with yesteryear Kannada stars Srinath, Manjula, K.S. Ashwath, Balakrishna, Shivaram, Ashok, Leelavathi. This was in fact actor Ashok’s first Kannada film opposite Sridevi.

Sridevi acted opposite Ambarish in Priya (1978), which was made in Tamil and Kannada by S.P. Muthurraman. Star-turned politician Rajinikanth also essayed a major character in this film. Priya was a blockbuster and ran for over 175 days in the theatres and still considered as huge box office hit.

Her co-star in Bhakta Kumbara and Hennu Samsarada Kannu, Leelavathi recalled the time when Sridevi sought her blessings. “She was glamorous actor who grew up in front of our eyes and is now no more,” said a teary-eyed Leelavathi.

Tributes

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah paid rich tributes to departed actor. In his condolence message, Mr, Siddaramaiah, who is also a film buff said he was deeply shocked by the sad demise of Sridevi, who was an epitome of beauty. Her death has created a vacuum in the Indian film industry, he said.

Union Minister Ananth Kumar, former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy also paid tributes to departed actor. Mr. Ananth Kumar, in his tweet, said: “Deeply saddened to hear the tragic news of sudden death of versatile actor, #Sridevi. She will be remembered for her brilliant portrayal in many unique roles. Condolences to her family & fans.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Movies> Sridevi – The Full Story / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – February 25th, 2018

INTACH takes up restoration of paintings at St. Aloysius Chapel

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion
Subhash Basu, convener of INTACH Mangaluru, with Major Gen. L.V. Gupta (retd), chairman, INTACH, in Mangaluru on Thursday. | Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH
Subhash Basu, convener of INTACH Mangaluru, with Major Gen. L.V. Gupta (retd), chairman, INTACH, in Mangaluru on Thursday. | Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH

Mangaluru chapter to document Guttu houses

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has taken up the restoration of old paintings at St. Aloysius Chapel in the city since a month, according to its chairman Major Gen. L.V. Gupta (retd).

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Mangaluru chapter of the INTACH here on Thursday, he said: “We are glad that the church has invested in this work. Please do visit the chapel and see the laboratory set up for restoration work.”

Stressing the need to protect and conserve heritage monuments and structures, he said that no country can be great without its heritage.

Mr. Gupta said that largely people are ignorant of India’s diverse history and heritage.

“Only 7,500 monuments have so far been declared as protected monuments. As per an estimate by INTACH, there are five million heritage sites in the country. Many of these monuments and structures are unprotected. They were being destroyed for lack of awareness of heritage value of these monuments,” he said.

He said the INTACH was working on listing and documentation of heritage structures and monuments and asking the government and people to protect them.

Subash Basu, convener of INTACH Mangaluru chapter, said that the chapter will document old Guttu houses and also visit houses of fishermen and artisans to document the way they build their houses.

They will work to revive some traditional methods of building houses that includes use of mud, timber and lime for construction.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangaluru / by Special Correspondent / Mangaluru – February 23rd, 2018

3D planetarium at Pilikula to open on March 1

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All, Science & Technology
High-tech: A view of the Swami Vivekananda Planetarium at Dr. Shivaram Karanth Pilikula Nisargadhama in Mangaluru.
High-tech: A view of the Swami Vivekananda Planetarium at Dr. Shivaram Karanth Pilikula Nisargadhama in Mangaluru.

The public can view shows from March 2

The Swami Vivekananda Planetarium at the Dr. Shivarama Karantha Pilikula Nisargadhama here will be inaugurated on March 1.

The planetarium, on the premises of Regional Science Centre, will be thrown open to public from March 2.

According to Sasikanth Senthil S., Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada and chairman of the governing council of the nisargadhama, it is the first planetarium in the country having active 3D, 8K digital and opto-mechanical (hybrid) projection system.

Addressing presspersons after a preview show at the planetarium on Saturday, he said there would be six shows daily. The entry fee would be ₹60 per adult per show and ₹25 for children. People can book online tickets through ‘BookMyShow’ from February 27.

For those who attend the inaugural ceremony on Thursday, free passes would be given for the next two day shows, he said.

Mr. Senthil said the nisargadhama would introduce a comprehensive fee package of ₹100 per head per person from March 1. With this, visitors can see all tourist attractions inside the nisargadhama. It applies to watching the science show at the planetarium. However, the single ticket facility for each tourist attraction like for the zoo, science centre, lake garden and boating, botanical garden and cultural village would continue.

The Deputy Commissioner said a digital gallery would be set up in the planetarium this year.

He said Antrix Corporation Ltd., the commercial arm of ISRO, would organise an exhibition at the venue on the inaugural day. There would be demonstration of water rocket by ISRO.

J.R. Lobo, MLA, Mangaluru City South, said the planetarium has cost ₹36 crore.

He said the Pilikula Development Authority would be constituted this year as both Houses of the State legislature have approved the Bill to this effect.

Uncomfortable seats

Swami Vivekananda Planetarium has a 170-seating capacity. But the seats in the first three rows are the most uncomfortable for viewers, who do not get a full view of the 18 diameter dome during the science show.

During the preview on Saturday, reporters in the first three rows were not able to push the seats back to a comfortable level to get a full view of the dome. One had to either turn their head either to the right or left of the seat by taking their head out of the headrest, which is not flexible.

Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil S. said it could be corrected as seats could be tilted back to the comfortable level. Terming it a minor issue, he said it would be done before the planetarium is opened to the public.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mangaluru – February 24th, 2018

Organic cultivation links Bayaluseeme with coastal belt

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment
Members of Savaya Krushika Grahaka Balaga re-packing organic rice purchased from farmers in north Karnataka. | Photo Credit: H_S_Manjunath
Members of Savaya Krushika Grahaka Balaga re-packing organic rice purchased from farmers in north Karnataka. | Photo Credit: H_S_Manjunath

A group of consumers in Mangaluru has been purchasing produce directly from farmers in north Karnataka

The organic cultivation of foodgrains has brought some farmers in north Karnataka closer to a consumer group in Mangaluru.

The Savaya Krushika Grahaka Balaga (SKGB), a group of 45 like-minded consumers of organic produce in Mangaluru, have been purchasing organic foodgrains from 10 farmers in Bayaluseeme since August 2017.

The SKGB has purchased about 2 tonnes (2,000 kg) of produce six times since then. Members of the consumer group include doctors, engineers, bank employees, home makers and advocates.

The SKGB has a WhatsApp group and collects indents on the quantity of produce required by each member every month. The produce is purchased directly from the farmers.

Once the produce arrives in Mangaluru, members of the group repack it as per the demand.

The cost of produce, transportation, repacking is calculated and the price per kilogram fixed. The produce is then taken home.

“We don’t stock any produce, as only the required quantity of produce is purchased,” Sameera Rao E. Kinya, secretary of SKGB, told The Hindu.

Explaining the benefits to both farmers and consumers, he said that the consumers got produce at a cheaper rate as compared to purchasing from organic outlets or shops. “We have found that organic produce need not be costly like in the open market,” he said.

As the farmers have been identified after thorough examination and field visits by some organic farmers from Dakshina Kannada, the members need not have any doubt about the quality of the produce.

On the other hand, the growers got a good price for their produce.

Mr. Rao said that the SKGB mainly purchases foodgrains because they are not grown in the coastal belt. The suppliers are marginal farmers with land holdings of up to 20 acres.

If more consumers form such mini groups and purchase produce directly, it would ensure a sustained market for organic farmers. It would also prompt more farmers to go the organic way, he said.

To create more avenues to their suppliers, the SKGB organised a two-day organic mela in Mangaluru from February 24 at Balam Bhat Hall.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangaluru / by Raviprasad Kamila / February 24th, 2018

Classical music festival in Hubballi

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

A two-day national Hindustani classical music festival, Hindustani Sangeet Sambhrama, is being organised in Hubballi on Sunday and Monday. Bharatiya Sangeet Vidyalay, Dharwad, Kshamata Seva Samsthe and Mangala Bharati, founded by MP Pralhad Joshi, are jointly organising the event where musical tributes will be paid to legendary musicians Sitar Ratna Rahimat Khan, Pt. Sawai Gandharva, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur and Gangubai Hangal.

Mr. Pralhad Joshi told presspersons here on Friday that the festival would begin at 9 a.m. on Sunday at Gokul Garden on Gokul Road in Hubballi.

Pt. Ganapati Bhat Hasanagi, Pt. Anand Bhate (Pune), Anuradha Kuber, Savni Shende, Vasanth Kambra (Sarod, Jodhpur), Pt. Kushal Das (Sitar, Kolkata), among others, would perform on the inaugural day, he said.

On Monday, the festival would begin at 5.30 p.m. and vocalist Pt. Venkateshkumar (Dharwad) and flautist Pt. Rajendra Prasanna (Delhi) would perform, he said.

Pt. Ravindra Yavagal, Udayaraj Karpur, Ravikiran Nakod, Sridhar Mandre, Raghavendra Nakod will accompany the artistes on the tabla and Sudhanshu Kulkarni, Sarang Kulkarni, Guruprasad Hegde will provide accompaniment on the harmonium.

Entry is free. Passes can be collected from Hotel Swati, Hotel Ganesh, Hotel Chalukya, Hotel Krishna Bhavan, Hotel Ananth Residency in Hubballi and from Hotel Brindavan, Hotel Hoysala, Bharatiya Sangeet Vidyalay, Hotel Maitri Palace in Dharwad.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Hubballi – February 24th, 2018

Honour for SOAHS faculty member

Education, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Abraham Samuel Babu, Associate Professor in the Department of Physiotherapy, School of Allied Health Sciences (SOAHS), has been made ‘Endeavour Ambassador’ by the Department of Education and Training, Australian High Commission, India.

The 2018 Ambassadors’ event was held in New Delhi on February 16.

As many as 20 ambassadors from India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh have been appointed.

Among them, 10 are from India: Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bhopal, Mizoram, and New Delhi.

They will also be recognized in the Australian government publications and events and will have the opportunity to meet and network with others from the region.

For MAHE, Dr. Abraham is the second ambassador. The first was Arun Chawla, Professor, Department of Urology, Kasturba Medical College (KMC) here.

Dr Abraham received the Endeavour Executive Fellowship in 2015 to train in heart rate variability measurements and scale development under the supervision of David Hare, Department of Cardiology, Austin Health, University of Melbourne, Australia. MAHE has also been home to 13 various Endeavour Fellow recipients.

Following his training, he was offered an Honorary Research Fellow position in the Department of Cardiology at Austin Health, Melbourne to continue research activities.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangaluru / by Special Correspondent / Manipal – February 24th, 2018

Writer Vijaya Dabbe dead

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education

Noted writer Vijaya Dabbe, 67, a native of Dabbe in Belur taluk, died in Mysuru on Friday evening. The writer had settled at Dabbe village with her siblings. According to her family members, she had developed breathing problems four days ago and her sister had taken her to Mysuru for treatment. But she developed complications on Friday evening again, and she breathed her last on the way to hospital.

Ms. Dabbe is a well-known name in the Kannada literary world. She has written poetry, travelogues, criticism, and brought out many research papers. Her collections of poetry include Iruttave, Neeru Lohada Chinte and Tirugininta Prashne. She has brought out readers on Tirumalamba, Shyamaladevi Belgaumkar and Saraswati Gowda – all writers. She had done extensive research on the first generation of women writers of modern Kannada.

She taught Kannada literature at Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe in Mysore University for many years.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Hassan – February 24th, 2018

App to link farmers with buyers and sellers launched

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology
A girl trying to climb a coconut tree with the support of climbing equipment during the Krishi Sangama programme at Oddur Farm at Ganjimutt near Mangaluru. | Photo Credit: H_S_Manjunath
A girl trying to climb a coconut tree with the support of climbing equipment during the Krishi Sangama programme at Oddur Farm at Ganjimutt near Mangaluru. | Photo Credit: H_S_Manjunath

IT and BT Dept. has sanctioned IRs. 8 lakh for mobile application

A mobile application, Farmsurge, to connect farmers, scientists, institutions, buyers and sellers, developed by Arunya Foundation, Mangaluru, was released during the inauguration of the two-day Krishi Sangama, a farm fair, which began at Ganjimath, near here, on Saturday.

Speaking after launching it, H. Kempe Gowda, Joint Director, Agriculture, Dakshina Kannada, said the app can provide information on government facilities and schemes available to farmers from time to time.

Mr. Gowda said that the app has options to create different groups, like farmers cultivating arecanut, coconut, paddy, jowar, ragi etc., and provides a platform for interaction. It has ‘buy request’ and ‘sell request’ categories for farmers and a category of notification.

He said the IT and BT Department of the government has sanctioned ₹8 lakh to the foundation for developing the app under the innovation promotion scheme of the government. In that, the government has released ₹4 lakh and the balance would be released later.

The team of youth, who developed the app, had to compete with others who have developed similar apps. The government selected this app after its own assessment. B.K. Deva Rao of Mittabagilu, near Ujire in Dakshina Kannada, who has preserved about 150 varieties of paddy, and who inaugurated the Krishi Sangama asked youth not to drift away from paddy cultivation.

He asked them to pursue education and other professions by reserving some time for paddy cultivation.

The youth can cultivate paddy in fields which have been left barren by its owners for various reasons. Mr. Rao said his efforts in conserving paddy variants has won him about 15 awards, including the SRISTI (Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions) Samman award. The 73-year-old Mr. Rao, explained how use of chemical fertilisers brought down 45 varieties of paddy being cultivated by him since 1960s to about eight varieties in the late 1980s. He quit application of chemical fertilisers in 1988 and went the organic way, thus saving up to 150 varieties. Since the shelf life of paddy seeds is only up to eight months, he has to grow them every year in small plots to preserve the seeds.

The foundation has organised the Krishi Sangama at Oddur farm.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangaluru / by Special Correspondent / Mangaluru – February 05th, 2018