Monthly Archives: April 2018

Basavashri award 2017 to be presented to Kamegouda

Records, All

Shri Shivamurty Muruga Sharana said the Basavashri award for 2017 will be presented to shepherd and nature lover Kamegouda of Dasandoddi village in Malavalli taluk of Mandya district.

The award honours people for services to society in their fields by following the principles of Lord Basaveshwar. It is presented by the Bruhanmutt Chitradurga. It includes a ₹5 lakh cash prize and a memento and is being presented from 1997.

So far the award has been presented to personalities like Siddarama Sharanaru Beldal (1997) of Bidar for being a Basava culture propagator, Hire Malluru Eshwarana (1998) for his contribution to Vachana revolution, Sudarshan (1999) of B.R. Hills for giving new dimension to Soligas, Anna Hazare (2000) for his fight against corruption, environmentalist Medha Patkar (2001), Peace Messenger from Buddha’s Land Dharma Guru Dalai Lama (2002), poet Gaddar (2003) of Andhra Pradesh, and Vandana Shiva (2004).

Agriculturist Subhas Palekar (2005), social worker Shabana Azmi (2006), Swami Agnivesh (2007) for his efforts to bring communal harmony, First Woman IPS officer Kiran Bedi (2008), athlete P.T. Usha (2009), A.T. Ariya Ratne (2010) were recipients. The award was posthumously presented to M.D. Nanjunda Swamy, founder, Karnataka State Farmers’ Association in 2011. Police officer Shankar Bidari (2012), Infosys founder Narayanmurthy and his wife Sudha Murthy (2013), Nobel prize winner and female education activist Malala Yousafzai (2014), litterateur M.M. Kalburgi (2016) and journalist P. Sainath (2016) have also got it.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / April 10th, 2018

Footballer killed in hit-and-run

Sports

Was part of the Bangalore United FC

A 22-year-old footballer from the city was killed in a hit-and-run road accident on Sunday. Tejaswini was riding pillion on a scooter when a car hit the two-wheeler on the Hosakerehalli flyover near PESIT College. “She fell to the right and was run over by the car,” said her coach Chitra Gangadharan.

The car driver did not stop. Police are analysing CCTV footage from the area to identify the vehicle involved in the accident.

An engineer, Tejaswini, was employed with an IT firm in Cessna Business Park. She had represented Karnataka in the Senior Nationals in Assam in 2015. She had turned out for the State U-19 side and was part of the Bangalore United FC (BUFC) women’s team.

She had begun training in high school with BUFC. “She was very disciplined in her training. She was a good midfielder,” recalled Chitra.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / April 09th, 2018

Udupi girl spins her way to Guinness fame

Education, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
Tanushree performing full-body revolutions maintaining a chest stand position in Udupi on Saturday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Tanushree performing full-body revolutions maintaining a chest stand position in Udupi on Saturday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Tanushree (9) performed 42 full-body revolutions in one minute on Saturday.

A nine-year-old girl from Udyavar near Udupi has set the Guinness record for most full-body revolutions maintaining a chest stand position. Tanushree performed 42 full-body revolutions in one minute on Saturday.

At the Ammanni Ramanna Shetty Hall, Swapnil Dangirkar, official adjudicator of the Guinness World Records, confirmed the feat. The performance was also recorded. The record used to be held by 13-year-old Mohammed Alsheikh of Palestine, who performed 38 revolutions in a minute on February 8, 2017.

Mr. Dangarikar said: “I am happy to announce that Tanushree has broken the record. She has done so by a huge margin of four revolutions… one has to put in a lot of effort and energy to complete the revolutions. I congratulate her. We at Guinness World Records like to say ‘she is officially amazing’.”

She is delighted

Tanushree, a class 4 student of St. Cecily’s Higher Primary School, Udupi, said she was delighted to create a Guinness record. She learned to perform body revolutions by watching videos on YouTube. “I used to practice the revolutions in the morning, evening and night. My father Uday Kumar and my mother Sandhya Kumar encouraged me,” she said.

She also learns Bharatnatyam and likes doing yoga. “I want to practise yoga and participate in competitions. I dedicate my Guinness record to my country,” she said.

Mr. Uday Kumar, an electrical contractor, said Tanushree practised body revolutions daily for the past four months. “I and my wife were very happy with our daughter’s achievement as it has brought fame to our place (Udyavar), our district and our country. In the future, we would like her to represent our country in yoga,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Udupi – April 07th, 2018

Tirupati-born ‘Miss Karnataka’ now eyes ‘Miss India’ crown

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All
Bhavana Durgam with her family members at their house in Tirupati. | Photo Credit: K_V_PoornachandraKumar
Bhavana Durgam with her family members at their house in Tirupati. | Photo Credit: K_V_PoornachandraKumar

Say her purpose is to help raise funds to improve schools

She was totally unprepared and was not expecting the crown, but the pleasant touch of serendipity propelled 21-year-old Bhavana Durgam to the summit of ‘Miss Karnataka 2018’ beauty pageant. Buoyed by the result, she has now set her eyes on bagging the ‘Miss India’ title.

Born in Tirupati, Bhavana had her nursery schooling here before moving to Bengaluru along with her parents Durgam Prabhakara Reddy and Krishnaveni. She finished her schooling in Baldwin Girls High School as is now studying Medical Electronics Engineering at BMS College of Engineering, Basavanagudi.

When the opportunity came calling early this year for the ‘Miss Karnataka’ pageant, Bhavana entered the arena untrained, but her typical composure, relaxation techniques practised at home, training in basics of Carnatic music and relaxed communication with peers helped her score brownie points. At 5’10”, Bhavana had never worn high-heeled shoes, but started using one for the first time since it is a primary accessory for ramp walkers. She has also started doing basic make-up and hair-do on her own, which is a prerequisite for the aspirants.

Actress Rakul Preet Singh is providing guidance and tips to the contestants from the five southern States.

Speaking to The Hindu, Bhavana recalled her interaction with children in her immediate neighbourhood. “My friends and I teach underprivileged students under the innovative ‘I teach’ concept,” she said. Her altruistic attitude paid dividends, as Bhavana was selected as the ‘Miss Goodness’ ambassador in a sub-contest held during the pageant. She has acted in a TV commercial with actress Sneha, besides in advertisements for Bengaluru Football Club and a drug company. Her younger brother Bhargava Durgam, an upcoming cricket player, is equally prominent through his leading TV commercials.

With keen focus now on ‘Miss India’ event scheduled during May 21 – June 23 at Mumbai, Bhavana spends half a day at her college and the other half for practice. She is confident that her purpose will ensure her win. “If I win, I will use my brand to help raise funds to improve State-funded schools, not only in Karnataka, but across India,” she signs off.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by A. D. Rangarajan / Tirupati – April 05th, 2018

A glimpse of the rich legacy of Central College

Education, Records, All
An exhibition in Sir M. Visvesvaraya metro station traces the 160-year-old history of Central College. | Photo Credit: K_MURALI_KUMAR
An exhibition in Sir M. Visvesvaraya metro station traces the 160-year-old history of Central College. | Photo Credit: K_MURALI_KUMAR

Students of Bengaluru Central University and Srishti School of Art Design & Technology organise exhibition

Sir M. Visvesvaraya metro station is hosting an exhibition that gives commuters a glimpse of the rich legacy of the Central College campus, located in the heart of the city.

Students of Bengaluru Central University, along with the Srishti School of Art Design and Technology, have organised the exhibition that traces the 160-year-old history of Central College till the birth of Bengaluru Central University last year.

Apart from documents and photographs, display panels also feature alumni who have made their mark in different fields as well as teachers who have taught at the university. There are profiles of physicist Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, writer Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, politician and stateman C. Rajagopalachari, journalist P. Lankesh and scientist C.N.R. Rao.

Documenting history

S. Japhet, Vice Chancellor, said that the aim of the exhibition is not only to document the history, but also reclaim and revive the rich intellectual legacy of Central College, which is the headquarters of the BCU. “The portraits remind us of how vibrant the college was. It’s not only about the past, but also about the future of BCU,” he said.

Students who saw the exhibition on their way to college said that they were pleasantly surprised to learn that several eminent personalities had studied in their college. “After I saw the exhibition, I went back to my lecturer and asked him more about them. I feel proud that I am studying in this college,” said Rahul S., a student.

The panels have captions in English and Kannada. The exhibition will be on for two weeks.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / April 07th, 2018

NCBS team wins award from American Society of Naturalists

Records, All, World Opinion

First Asians to win the Presidential Award of the society

A team of evolutionary biologists from city-based National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) have been awarded the 2018 Presidential Award from the American Society of Naturalists (ASN). This is the first time researchers in Asia have been presented with the award. The award is given to an outstanding research article published in the society’s journal, The American Naturalist. Jahnavi Joshi, Anupama Prakash and lead author Krushnamegh Kunte from NCBS had, in a research paper published in the journal in April 2017, probed how evolutionary processes shape the formation of ecological communities in diverse tropical ecosystems.

While the ASN was founded in 1883 to study evolution, ecology and animal behaviour, the presidential award was started in 1984. “It’s a terrific recognition for my research group, and a great personal honour,” said Prof. Kunte in a release.

Their research paper looked at evolutionary convergence (when different species evolve the same mechanisms to deal with evolutionary pressures) among the groups of ‘palatable’ — that is, non-toxic — butterflies who mimic the colours and patterns of toxic butterflies that are avoided by predators. The team focused on butterfly species in the Western Ghats, and on these ecological communities called ‘Mimicry rings’.

The research paper challenged some previously believed thoughts around evolution. For instance, contrary to the assumption that mimicry rings are formed from convergent evolution between highly dissimilar butterflies, the NCBS team discovered that toxic butterfly species in the mimicry rings are indeed closely-related, sharing their ancestral, warning-wing colour patterns even when new species are formed. The mimics join the mimicry rings after remarkable bouts of convergent evolution, sometimes separated by tens of millions of years.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / April 07th, 2018

Young gymnasts make Karnataka proud

Records, All, Sports
The State team that won two silver and one bronze medals at the 24th Rhythmic Gymnastics National Championship for Juniors and Seniors, which was held in Hyderabad recently.
The State team that won two silver and one bronze medals at the 24th Rhythmic Gymnastics National Championship for Juniors and Seniors, which was held in Hyderabad recently.

Team of five girls bags medals in rhythmic gymnastics at national event

When these girls bagged three medals in team events at the 24th Rhythmic Gymnastics National Championship for Juniors and Seniors, they knew that the years of effort they had devoted to training was beginning to yield results. The event was organised under the auspices of the Gymnastic Federation of India (GFI) in Hyderabad recently.

Bhavana Boypati, Keerthana G., Khushi G. Jain, Rhea Bhansali and Yashika Bhandari made up the team, which is the first ever to win a medal for the State in rhythmic gymnastics at the national level. They bagged two silvers and one bronze medal at the event.

It is to their credit that they won these medals despite the State lacking proper facilities for the indoor sports. Bengaluru has a dearth of practise facilities for gymnasts and this has been a long-standing grouse of athletes.

The five girls, who practise at the Sports Promotion Association (SPA) located in the Jayanagar Sports Complex, aspire to further their dreams and represent the country, and win medals in the Olympics.

Much-needed exposure

Bhavana said that the national event gave her the exposure she needs to improve her performance. Keerthana dreams of winning a gold medal for the country in the 2024 Olympics. Khushi credits her success to her coach G. Manohar Kamath and is hoping to participate in international events.

“I learnt a lot from gymnasts from other States and their approach to practise,” said Rhea, while Yashika concurred that the national exposure was good for the team.

The girls are hoping to get access to Federation of International Gymnastics (FIG) approved apparatus and quality sports gear.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Sudhindr A.B. / April 05th, 2018

Bengaluru-based writer chosen for Basavaraju award

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

Bengaluru-based writer Bilumane Ramadas has been selected for the L. Basavaraju Award for the year 2018.

Kolar’s Dr. L. Basavaraju Pratishthana, founded in memory of scholar L. Basavaraju, is presenting the award since 17 years.

The award will be presented at a function here on April 8, Pratishthana secretary H.A. Purushottam Rao told reporters on Wednesday.

Kannada Development Authority (KDA) chairperson S.G. Siddaramaiah will present the award, he said.

A native of Bilumane in Teerthahalli taluk of Shivamogga district, which is now submerged in the backwaters of Varahi project, Mr. Ramadas worked in the Commercial Taxes Department. He has many literary works to his credit, including several novels.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Kolar – April 04th, 2018

Gururaja claims silver, opens India’s CWG medal account

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
Gururaja shows his silver medal and mascot Borbi after winning the Men's 56kg Weightlifting final during Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast on Thursday. | Photo Credit: AP
Gururaja shows his silver medal and mascot Borbi after winning the Men’s 56kg Weightlifting final during Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast on Thursday. | Photo Credit: AP

Gururaja was third after snatch, pulling off a best of 111kg after two good lifts before surviving a few nervy moments in clean and jerk.

Weightlifter P Gururaja opened India’s medal account on the first competition day of the 21st Commonwealth Games, claiming a silver in the men’s 56kg category in Gold Coast on Thursday.

The 25-year-old Gururaja equalled his personal best of 249kg (111+138) to finish second in a field where Malaysia’s three-time Commonwealth Championships medallist Muhammad Izhar Ahmed (117+144) broke the Games record for snatch and overall lift.

Gururaja was third after snatch, pulling off a best of 111kg after two good lifts before surviving a few nervy moments in clean and jerk. The Indian failed in his first two attempts before managing a good lift off his last chance to zoom to the top half of the table.

Ahmed, meanwhile, bettered his compatriot Hamizan Amirul Ibrahim’s snatch record of 116kg, created in 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games. He then broke the overall Games record, which was also in the name of Ibrahim.

The third position was taken by Sri Lanka’s Lakmal Chaturanga (114+134).

Gururaja, a low-ranking Indian Air Force employee, is a quintessential Indian sports story of immense hardships and just a tiny bit of luck.

Son of a truck driver, Gururaja had aspired to be a wrestler for the longest time before being pushed into weightlifting , by a watchful coach who saw potential in him.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports / PTI / Gold Coast – April 05th, 2018

Behind the scenes of selecting the Karaga pujaris

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

The festivities have been marred by controversy for over five years now

Everyone was expecting N. Manu (centre) to carry the Karaga, a floral pyramid, this year. | Photo Credit: K_MURALI_KUMAR
Everyone was expecting N. Manu (centre) to carry the Karaga, a floral pyramid, this year. | Photo Credit: K_MURALI_KUMAR

It was announced that this year the Karaga will be carried by 24-year-old N. Manu, which was to be a first for him. But as a massive number of devotees waited patiently, the Karaga pujari (priest) emerged only in the wee hours of Sunday. And, to everyone’s surprise, it was not Manu. A. Jnanendra was carrying the Karaga even though Manu had led all the rituals for the previous nine days. It later emerged that Manu was unwell because of which Jnanendra had to take over.

“We are happy that the Karaga was not stopped. But we have instituted an inquiry into what actually happened that night,” said Rajgopal, chairman of the Karaga Committee.

Incidentally, Jnanendra had earlier challenged Manu’s appointment as the Karaga pujari and the case, which is before a Muzrai tribunal, is expected to come up for hearing on April 27.

Not new to controversies

The Karaga, the oldest festival of Bengaluru, is not new to controversies. It has been marred by controversy for over five years now over who should be the pujari and carry the Karaga.

In 2013, Jnanendra had taken over mid-procession from C.M. Lokesh, amidst allegations by Lokesh that the Karaga was forcefully taken away from him.

In 2016, Lakshmeesha got a High Court order to carry the Karaga, putting a brake to 15 years of Jnanendra and Lokesha being the pujaris. However, he was forced to resign after being allegedly caught practising carrying the Karaga in a private area before the actual festival.

The job is a coveted one owing to the prestige associated with it in the Vahnikula Kshatriya community. The Karaga pujari is also the head priest of the historical Dharmarayaswamy temple. He gets ‘dakshine’ during and immediately after the Karaga procession, which often runs into several lakhs.

Karaga Committee

The annual Karaga festival was being organised by a large ad-hoc committee of community members. “This year, the State government, for the first time, gave a grant of ₹1 crore for the festivities. Hence, the Muzarai Department has formed a Karaga Committee with seven members, who will have a tenure of three years. This committee will streamline the festivities and root out such confusion and chaos,” said Subbanna, a senior community member.

The Karaga Committee, led by Rajgopal, was formed 15 days before the festival this year. “In the short time we got, we tried our best to manage the festival properly. From next year, we will ensure that there is no confusion or controversy over the Karaga festival,” Rajgopal said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by K.V. Aditya Bharadwaj / April 02nd, 2018