Monthly Archives: February 2019

City-based service bridges gap between paediatric oncologists and patients

Records, All, Science & Technology

The current situation in the field of paediatric cancer care looks quite grim.

Bengaluru  :

The current situation in the field of paediatric cancer care looks quite grim. The number of cancer experts who specialise in paediatric cancer is limited. Furthermore, paediatric cancer experts are located only in tertiary referral centres in metropolitan cities and thus, have limited time and availability to treat children with cancer. All hope, however, is not lost. Paediatric cancer specialists anywhere in the world can now share their experience in guiding the treatment plan of children with cancer through Navya Care, a Bengaluru-based clinical informatics system and online expert opinion service.

GitikaBF26feb2019

“Most childhood cancers are curable and enabling infrastructure to deliver care to the children of our country, is of prime importance. Therefore, parents and social support systems should expedite to receive expert treatment plans and evidence-based care at the earliest instead of introducing any procedural delays,” said Gitika Srivastava, founder, Navya. She added that since time is essential, the service enables online reviews by cancer experts in 24 hours.

There are three million cancer patients in India and only 1,500 oncologists, and the number of experts specialising in a specific type of cancer is likely few tens or hundreds, she said. Over 28,000 patients have reached out to Navya, and 75 per cent of these patients are from India.

“There are 300 oncologists on board. Faculty oncologists at Tata Memorial Centre routinely use the Navya system for patients worldwide. Additionally, they are one of the flagship programmes of the National Cancer Grid, which comprise all of the leading tertiary care cancer expert centers from AIIMS in North India to Adyar Cancer Institute in South India,” stated Srivastava.

At their recent presentation at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Conference, Srivastava spoke about how 97 per cent patients in an international sample confirmed that even a day’s delay in knowing the treatment plan mattered to them. “They experienced significant anxiety relief because of the 24-hour turnaround of Navya.”

Challenges in paediatric cancer
Access to care:
Out of 100 oncologists, probably less than 10 treat paediatric cancers
Access to informed evidence-based expertise:
Treating paediatric cancer patients based on published medical evidence that pertains specifically to pediatric patients, is complex
Access to centres that can provide such care:
There are only a few tertiary care centres with dedicated paediatric disease management groups
Resource constraints:
In India, lack of resources prevents exploration of treatments available to cure children.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Akhila Damodaran / Express News Service / February 21st, 2019

An UAV that not only flies, but also remains under water

Education, Records, All, Science & Technology

UAVbf26feb2019

It has been developed by students of Bengaluru’s Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology

Gannet, a sea bird, is known to pursue its prey under water and is capable of hunting fish by diving into the sea. This Gannet, however, is an unmanned aerial vehicle that is capable of remaining under water like a submarine.

Developed by students of Bengaluru’s Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology, the UAV called Gannet on Sunday won the best college project award at Aero India 2019 and students walked away with a cash prize of ₹2 lakh. The UAV can not just fly, but also remains under water and does not require much power.

“It has a separate propeller to move under water and also has navigational wings for the autonomous mode,” said Shiv Varun Singh Rajput, a third year mechanical engineering student of MVIT. He along with D. Revanth, an electronics and communication student, and Aman Singh, student of electrical and electronics, have jointly developed Gannet. The vehicle, which weighs 2.6 kg, can go to a depth of up to 20 metres and can remain under water for months. When required, it can be triggered to move. It can fly for 14 to 20 minutes while can be operated under water for four to five hours.

Currently, Gannet is being incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay to scale it up for commercialisation. “We are the first in the country to do an underwater vehicle. We do not want to keep this as a project but want to commercialise the product. It may take about four months to make it market ready,” he added.

Among others, the camera equipped Gannet has civilian application in fisheries industries and pollution monitoring of rivers. “You don’t require divers in many aspects. Instead, the UAV can be operated.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – February 24th, 2019

Bengaluru mixologist in high spirits after big win

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

A 25-year-old bartender from Bengaluru, Rohan Matmary won the Brown-Forman American Whiskey Legacy Cocktail Challenge 2019 held in New Delhi on February 6.

Rohan Matmary
Rohan Matmary

Bengaluru :

A 25-year-old bartender from Bengaluru, Rohan Matmary won the Brown-Forman American Whiskey Legacy Cocktail Challenge 2019 held in New Delhi on February 6. The third edition of the challenge saw participation of 300 mixologists from Delhi, Chandigarh, Gurgaon, Pune, Mumbai, Goa, Chennai and Bengaluru and 17 of them were shortlisted for the finale.

The competition was judged by industry experts, including Yangdup Lama, one of India’s finest and well-known mixologist; Vikram Achanta, CEO and co-founder of the popular portal Tulleeho and Vinay Joshi, Brand Manager, Jack Daniel’s for Indian subcontinent and Maldives, Brown-Forman Worldwide LLC. The annual championship expects mixologists to create some signature cocktail recipes with some of the most well-known American whiskies. Matmary, a mixologist at the Byg Brewsky, Sarjapur Road, prepared Lillianaire and Aztec Mule at the finale. Lillianaire is a combination of whiskey, hibiscus plant and egg white and Aztec Mule is a mix of whiskey, pineapple, jaggery and jalapeño.

He says, “I created these cocktails over three months with several trials and errors and received feedback from my customers. Some said it’s spicy and others found them too sweet. So I worked on creating a balance between sweet and sour so that it suits the Indian palate. Indians prefer their drinks slightly sweeter, while Americans prefer it sour.” He adds that as these combinations for cocktails are rare, people were initially hesitant to try. Coming up with these recipes weren’t easy for Matmary. “These ingredients are a rare combination. Some, for example, would associate hibiscus with whiskey. So, I did a lot of trials before making these creations,” he says, adding that these cocktails will be included in the menu and patrons can try them with some meat options. “Lillianaire is quite velvety while Aztec Mule is very tiki-like, fun-loving and a good drink during a brunch,” he says. But, his personal favourite is
Aztec Mule.

This was the second time Matmary participated in this challenge. Last time, he secured the second position. “This time, luckily, I came first,” says Matmary, who has always been interested in bartending and loves trying out different combinations with whiskey and gin.

Now, the 25-year-old bar chef will go on a guided tour to the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, and the Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, Kentucky, USA. Besides the distilleries, he will also attend the Bar Convent Brooklyn, a leading international bar and beverage trade show, as part of a global bartending contingent and rub shoulders with some of the best bartenders globally.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Akhila Damodaran / Express News Service / February 18th, 2019

New haven for art

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Art meets heritageAt Kadri Rocks / Special Arrangement
Art meets heritageAt Kadri Rocks / Special Arrangement

An old house is converted into an art gallery called Kadri Rocks

Whenever we think of an art gallery, our minds is flooded with the images of Venkatappa Art Gallery (Bengaluru) or Prince of Wales Art Gallery (Colaba, Mumbai). These galleries are housed in heritage buildings that have their own aura. Now even Mangaluru boasts of one such gallery, Kadri Rocks, which has an old world charm and also offers a glorious artistic space.

The D’Souza family has lived here for nearly a century. “The space has many memories associated with it, which is why I wanted to convert this house into something that everybody, art lover or otherwise, could enjoy, says Harsha D’Souza, proprietor of Kadri Rocks. “Hence, it was turned into an art gallery.”

At a time, when many have sold off their homes to make way for multi-storey buildings, Harsha wanted to use his home to promote art as he once dreamt of being an artist himself. “But life had different things in store for me.” Harsha chose to dedicate a large chunk of his land and the family home, in the uptown Mangaluru to art.

The brick red walls, red oxide floors, tiled roof, long corridors, spacious halls and verandas and wooden grilled windows give a perfect setting for an art gallery. But it is not the art on canvas alone that Kadri Rocks is looking at, Harsha is even open to letting out the space to basket weavers, potters, mural makers and so on.

“I learnt that basket weavers in coastal districts are a dying tribe. During a visit to Naravi, Hebri and Moodbidri, I discovered that basket weavers were disappearing by the day. Their children had gone to the city in search of jobs. We have a treasure trove of art, which is handed down for generations and it can be turned into an entrepreneurial venture.”

In another of his expeditions, Harsha came across a community of potters in Nilambur in Tamil Nadu who specialised in making clay murals. “Kadri Rocks will showcase their work,” Harsha says.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by M. Raghuram / February 25th, 2019

Lambani art soon in fashion spotlight

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

The distinctive fabrics created by members of the Lambani community may soon get a global push, with the state government providing them assistance to work with the latest trends.

LambaniBF25feb2019

Bengaluru :

The distinctive fabrics created by members of the Lambani community may soon get a global push, with the state government providing them assistance to work with the latest trends. The Lambani women make colourful pieces of cloth, embellished with mirrors and embroidery.

The Department of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Livelihood has identified several traditional art forms, including Lambani embroidery, Bidri arts from Bidar, and wooden toys of Channapattana, which would receive encouragement from the state government.

It has decided to open ‘Traditional Art Skill Schools’ to revive these arts forms and promote artisans at Gadag, Hoovinahadagali in Harapanahalli taluk, Suryagondanahalli in Nymathi taluk and Kanakapura taluk. A government order to set up these training schools was issued recently.

Skill Development Minister Parameshwar Naik said many traditional art forms, which are part of our rich heritage, are vanishing. Artisans with no market for their products are moving to cities for work. “In a bid to stop them from migrating to the city, and renew the age-old crafts, we have started the training school where the government will upgrade their skills to cater to the present market,” he said.

Karnataka has the second largest population of Lambanis in India. Naik said they possess skills that are passed through generations. “To give their creations a modern look, we will sign up fashion designers who will train the Lambani women, giving them ideas about the colours and designs that are in trend now. A three-month residential programme will be conducted at our skill training schools,’’ he said.

 
After their training, the women will head back to their villages armed with raw material and financial assistance in form of loans. “These women can then make the cloth, which we will buy. These products will also be sent outside Karnataka and even the country, giving them a brand identity,’’ Naik said. The government will also provide them space at various art exhibitions to give them a market platform.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Ashwini M Sripad / Express News Service / February 25th, 2019

Bengaluru firm develops fire-fighting drone

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology

Drones delivering goods ordered online and being used to photograph exotic locations which are inaccessible to humans are already well known.

A heavy-lift hybrid drone developed by Poeir Jets
A heavy-lift hybrid drone developed by Poeir Jets

Bengaluru :

Drones delivering goods ordered online and being used to photograph exotic locations which are inaccessible to humans are already well known. How about a drone-based fire extinguisher that can reach any spot without the hassles faced by fire tenders or firemen?A Bengaluru-based aerospace firm — Poeir Jets — is developing heavy-lift hybrid drones for the purpose, which has already attracted the attention of a Spanish firm, Drone Hopper, for mass production.

Speaking to TNIE, Devathathan Mookiaha, director of Poeir Jets, said that the ‘Urban Firefighting Hopper’ is designed to restrain fires, especially in high-rise buildings. “The drone uses six micro-jet engines — developed by Poeir — to carry either extinguishing foam or water to douse flames,” he said.
The hopper is among the four heavy-lift drones being developed by the firm. “For the ‘Firefighting Hopper’, one-third of the research grant is being provided by the Department of Science and Technology,” he said.

Mookiaha and the firm’s co-founder Sridhar Balaram have been developing heavy-lift drones for the past three years and were the first company in the country to develop micro-jets. These micro-jets are being used for drones developed by the company.

Poeir Jets has also launched three heavy-lift drones during the ongoing 12th Aero India. While its Turbo Shaft MTS 30 will be able to carry weights of up to 200 kg when fully developed, Hybrid Drone DJE 30 has a capacity to carry weights of up to 75 kg for more than two hours.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Akram Mohammed / Express News Service / February 23rd, 2019

Mysuru cocoon market opens

Agriculture, Business & Economy, Records, All
inister for Sericulture S.R. Mahesh, Minister for Higher Education G.T. Deve Gowda, and Mayor Pushpalatha Jagannath at the cocoon market in Mysuru on Sunday.
inister for Sericulture S.R. Mahesh, Minister for Higher Education G.T. Deve Gowda, and Mayor Pushpalatha Jagannath at the cocoon market in Mysuru on Sunday.

A publicity campaign was held in Manyda, Mysuru, and Chamarajanagar earlier

A cocoon market began functioning on the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Yard in Bandipalya on the outskirts of Mysuru on Sunday with more than 3,000 kg of cocoons auctioned on the first day.

The cocoon market in Mysuru will have to vie with established markets in Ramanagaram, Malavalli, T. Narsipura, Kollegal and Santhemarahalli, among other places in the region.

Nataraj, Joint Director of Sericulture, Mysuru, said the cocoon market received a good response. More than 3,000 kg of cocoon was sold. The maximum price was ₹413 per kg and the lowest was ₹280 per kg.

Officials of the Department of Sericulture had carried out a publicity campaign in sericulture-intensive areas of Manyda, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar ahead of the start of the cocoon market here.

A cocoon market in Mysuru will be of convenience to farmers in the region as they can avoid the expenditure otherwise incurred on transporting produce to other far away markets. “For farmers who grow other produce, a cocoon market in Mysuru will help them bring the cocoons to the APMC yard and sell other produce too,” Mr. Nataraj said.

Earlier, Minister for Sericulture S.R. Mahesh, who inaugurated the market, recalled Mysuru’s more than two centuries old agricultural tradition of sericulture introduced during rule of Tipu Sultan. Presently, more than 12 lakh families are dependent on sericulture in Karnataka with Mysuru earning a name for itself in the silk industry.

In the absence of a cocoon market in Mysuru, efforts were made to establish a market to cater to districts of Chamarajanagar and Mandya along with Mysuru, which together had a total of 36,000 growers and 735 reelers.

55 cocoon markets

Karnataka, which is the leading silk producer in the country, has a total of 55 cocoon markets including 20 seed cocoon markets and 35 commercial silk cocoon markets.

Mr. Nataraj said the cocoon market was presently functioning from a premises rented from the APMC yard. The buyers and sellers have to pay 1% of the transaction amount as market fees.

Though the department was facing a shortage of staff in Mysuru to handle the affairs of the market, about five persons including a demonstrator, a first division assistant, and an inspector have been drawn from different places to assist them in the functioning of the cocoon market.

5,000 acres of land

According to Javare Gowda, Deputy Director of Sericulture, Mysuru, Mysuru district alone has mulberry cultivation spread across more than 5,000 acres of land in 600 villages with more than 3,300 farmers and their families engaged in sericulture activities. “A total of 70,000 to 75,000 kg of cocoons are reared in Mysuru every month,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – February 24th, 2019

Inspiring village near Karwar shows the way forward

Agriculture, Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Records, All

If you want to know what a model Green Village looks like, then you have to visit Satageri near Karwar.

Solar light and battery at a house in Satageri
Solar light and battery at a house in Satageri

Karwar  :

If you want to know what a model Green Village looks like, then you have to visit Satageri near Karwar. Until three years ago, women had to blow and invariably inhale the smoke while cooking on firewood. Not any more. Now they boast of an LPG connection. This is not the only clean and green change in this village.

Satageri, located about 25 km from Karwar and surrounded by forests of the Western Ghats, proudly displays solar power, LPG connection and toilet in every house. Solar lamps light up the houses. People do not throw any waste on the streets, and even make vermicompost for use in their garden and fields. The village, with 70 houses and a population of about 270, sets an example of how people can live with forest and nature without harming it.

“We are happy to live here and nobody is interested in leaving the village any more,” says Gajer Vaikuntha Marathe, a farmer from Satageri.The villagers cannot thank the forest department enough for the change that it ushered into their hamlet over three years ago. The forest department took Satageri under its wing in 2016, as part of the Green Village and Smokeless Village schemes of the state government.

LPG cylinder and gas stove;
LPG cylinder and gas stove;

It distributed free LPG connections and two solar light systems to each house. A total of 12 solar street lights were also set up.According to a senior forest officer, since 34 houses already had LPG connections, they distributed free connections to the remaining 36 houses. All the people were also given fruit and flower saplings, and encouraged to grow trees near their houses. The place has now been converted into a Green Village.

The situation was far different here earlier. The village was like many others in the country. People collected firewood from the forest, electricity was a nightmare during the monsoon months and the surroundings, though enveloped by a verdant green cover, were not clean.Women had to go to the forest every day to collect firewood, otherwise they faced shortage to meet the daily household needs, says Malita Mohan Marathe, talking about how the practice has been stopped over the last three years since food in every house is now cooked using LPG.

Gajer Vaikuntha too points out that all the villagers have happily adopted the new way of life. Each house got a toilet constructed under the Gram Panchayat scheme.Vinod Marathe, who runs an autorickshaw, says he earlier used to pay `100 towards the electricity bill every month, but the charges have come down by half after solar light system was installed at his house. His family uses electricity only to watch TV, and to run the refrigerator and mixer-grinder while the house is lit using solar power.

Satageri has a primary school, and after completing Class 5, children travel 3 km to Ulga village for pursuing higher education, including graduation and some professional courses. People here are engaged in various occupations, including farming, daily wage labour, and small businesses. Some of them work in Karwar and other nearby towns while four persons hold government jobs. Women mostly look after the house and work in their fields.

They are also involved in making vermicompost, and are part of the Village Forest Committee (VFC), that strives to conserve the forest and wildlife, and protect it from poachers. They plant saplings and take up other work with the forest department, for which the latter shares its profit with the VFC.Satageri, which comes under Gopishitta range forest, was selected to be developed as a model village in 2015-16, says K Ganapathi, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Karwar Division. He lauds the women of the village for their commitment towards protecting the forest. “We wish such VFCs come up in other villages too,” Ganapathi says.

What is a Green Village?
State forest department’s Green Village scheme aims to make the whole village smokeless by making people stop using firewood and opting for LPG stoves. Satageri village of Karwar taluk was selected under the scheme on a pilot basis.

Tackling Poverty
More than 65 families of the village have Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards, and all of them have enrolled in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). They have been earning money by taking up activities such as developing  the school ground, desilting the pond, and other  works.

Natural Treasures
The village is surrounded by the thick and evergreen forest of Western Ghats. Along with precious wood, it is home to wildlife such as leopard and black panther. The Kali river flows just a few kilometres away from the village.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Arunkumar Huralimath / Express News Service / February 24th, 2019

Veteran Kannada writer Ko Channabasappa passes away

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Ko Channabasappa | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Ko Channabasappa | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

He died at a private hospital on Saturday morning.

Ko Channabasappa, former judge, writer and a well-known liberal voice in Karnataka , passed away on Saturday. He was 97.

He presided over the Kannada Sahitya Sammelana at Vijayapura in 2015. In his Sammelana address, he had defended an individual’s right to expression. He was the recipient of several awards including the Rajyotsava award.

Channabasappa died at a private hospital on Saturday morning. He is survived by two sons and two daughters.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – February 23rd, 2019

Seeing 70mm: Mysuru youth’s novel makes its way to the big screen

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

A Kannada film, Kalbettada Darodekoraru, based on a novel written by Mysuru youth Anush A Shetty is all set to hit theatres this Friday.

Anush Shetty
Anush Shetty

Bengaluru  :

A Kannada film, Kalbettada Darodekoraru, based on a novel written by Mysuru youth Anush A Shetty is all set to hit theatres this Friday. Shetty, a writer and a musician ventured into novel writing while pursuing his Masters. A multi-faceted personality, he not only writes books but is also an exponent in Tabala, Mridangam and other percussions. Kalbettada Darodekoraru isn’t Shetty’s first novel and he has penned four books in total. Ahuthi was his first work, then followed Kalbettada Darodekoraru, Jodpala was third and then Neenu Ninnolage Khaidi was his fourth.

His fiction novel Kalbettada Darodekoraru turned out to be a milestone in his career as a writer as the novel inspired filmmaker Deepak Madhuvanahalli to bring the story to the big screen. It all began when Madhuvanahalli read an article about Shetty and his book. Having liked the novel penned, the filmmaker decided to transform the story into visual art and contacted Shetty for the rights.

“In the past, many people got in touch with me to make a film or short film on the novel, but most of them did not turn up later. Similarly, when Deepak got in touch with me, I did not take it seriously but was surprised when he came with a producer and asked for the rights,” says Shetty.

He added that since he had watched Madhuvanahalli’s previous film Bhagyaraj, which he found “sensible”, he decided to give the rights to the filmmaker. Shetty played an active role in the scripting process and was in constant touch with the team. “They retained the structure of the novel and have made a few necessary changes to fit the story into the film’s format,” he said.

An ardent follower of columnist Abdul Rasheed, Shetty is planning to publish a book soon, on a collection of stories of Rasheed under Anugraha Prakashana. “I am also penning a few short stories that will be made into a book collection of short stories in the near future,” said Shetty, who has also been associated with two music bands ‘Naavu’ and ‘Rhythm Adda’ as well. Kalbettada Darodekoraru is made under the banner of Bridge Cinemas, starring Nataraj, Shwetha R Prasad and Hemanth Sushil in major roles and has music by composer and singer J Anoop Seelin.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Karthik K K / Express News Service / February 19th, 2019