Monthly Archives: October 2020

Well-known composer Rajan passes away

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Some of the best-remembered Kannada film songs of the 60s, 70s, and 80s were composed by Rajan (left) and his brother Nagendra.  

The score of Rajan-Nagendra in the film music world is noteworthy; the brothers gave hits after hits for close to three decades

Acclaimed music composer Rajan, of Rajan-Nagendra fame, passed away at his residence in Bengaluru on Sunday night. Some of the best-remembered Kannada film songs of the 60s, 70s, and 80s were composed by the brothers.

“My father was healthy and took music classes online even the day before his death,” said the 85-year-old composer’s son R. Ananth Kumar. Rajan’s brother Nagendra had passed away in 2000, ending possibly one of the longest music collaborations in the film industry.

How it began

Hailing from Mysuru, the brothers were surrounded by music, as their father Rajappa worked as a musician for silent era films. The duo went to Chennai (then Madras), to learn music. While Rajan trained as a violinist, Nagendra learnt the harmonium. They were barely out of their teens when they debuted as music directors for the film Soubhagya Lakshmi in 1952.

“The then reigning singer Ghantasala reportedly refused to sing as the music was composed by children. But he eventually sang the songs and was all praise for the brothers after he listened to the compositions,” recalled senior film journalist N.S. Sridhar Murthy. The duo never looked back and went on to score music for 380 films – 212 Kannada, 45 Telugu, and the rest in Tamil, Malayalam, Tulu, and one Sinhala film.

70s and 80s

Rajan-Nagendra peaked in their popularity during the 1970s and 1980s. They composed music for most of Dr. Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan, Anant Nag’s films and those of other stars of that era, including Eradu Kanasu, Bayalu Daari, Gandhada Gudi, Sri Srinivasa Kalyana, Avala Hejje, and Gaali Maatu. Endendu Ninnanu Maretu, Aakashave Beelali Mele, Hosa Baalige Nee Jotheyade, Mamaravello…Kogileyallo, Naliva Gulabi Hoove, are some of the superhits of Rajan-Nagendra. They are also credited with bringing Kishore Kumar to sing a Kannada song Adu adu aata Adu for Kulla Agent 000, produced by Dwarakish. They were particularly known for their duets, many rendered by S.P. Balasubrahmanyam and S. Janaki.

S.K. Bhagavan, veteran filmmaker, said that works of Rajan-Nagendra were marked by melody and elaborate string sections. He recalled how they divided tasks between each other and worked together excellently. “They quarrelled over tunes and background scores, but never allowed it to affect their relationship,” Mr. Bhagavan said.

“They used to ask for the film’s story, discuss song situations and compose music with the larger picture in mind. They used to give three tunes for every situation. Rarely did we have to ask for another,” he recalled.

‘Man of few words’

Mr. Bhagavan remembers Rajan as a man of few words with an almost inaudible voice. Rajan was very particular about the tune, and would not allow lyricists to write out of tune and he never changed his tune,” Mr. Bhagavan recalled. Known for their lilting duets, they were adamant that only S.P. Balasubrahmanyam and S. Janaki sing them, he said.

The brothers had slowly started retreating from the field as Hamsalekha and other new-age music composers entered the scene in the 90s. Nagendra’s death in 2000 ended their run decisively. In later years, Rajan composed music for devotional songs with his son R. Ananth Kumar, as Rajan-Ananth.

Music school

Rajan started a music school Sapta Swaranjali in the city and continued to teach till the last few days of his life.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Aditya Bharadwaj / Bengaluru – October 13th, 2020

Former India football captain Carton Chapman passes away

Leaders, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
Footballer Carlton Chapman   | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

A creative midfielder, Chapman played for India between 1995 and 2001 and the country won the 1997 SAFF Cup under his captaincy.

Former India football captain Carlton Chapman, who had formed a deadly trio in club football with Bhaichung Bhutia and IM Vijayan in the 1990s, died on Monday following a heart attack in Bengaluru. He was 49.

Chapman was hospitalised on Sunday night at a hospital in Bengaluru and passed away early this morning.

“I got a call from Bengaluru from one of his friends that Chapman is no more. He passed away early this morning. He was a happy-go-lucky man, always smiling and ready to help others,” Chapman’s one-time India team-mate Bruno Coutinho told PTI from Goa.

A creative midfielder, Chapman played for India between 1995 and 2001 and the country won the 1997 SAFF Cup under his captaincy. At the club level, he had two successful spells with East Bengal and one with now-defunct JCT Mills.

A product of the Tata Football Academy in early 1990s, Chapman joined East Bengal in 1993 and scored a hat-trick in his team’s 6-2 win against Iraq club Al Zawra in a first round match at the Asian Cup Winners Cup that year.

But his best came after moving to JCT in 1995. Chapman won 14 trophies with the Punjab-based club, including the inaugural National Football League in 1996-97, and formed a formidable combination with Vijayan and Bhutia.

Chapman later joined now-defunct FC Kochin. But after one season, he returned to East Bengal in 1998 and the club won the NFL under his captaincy in 2001. He announced his retirement from professional football in 2001.

As coach, Chapman had stints with I-League 2nd Division club Tata Football Academy, Royal Wahingdoh FC of Shillong and Sudeva Moonlight FC of Delhi before becoming the Technical Director of the Kozhikode-based Quartz International Football Academy in 2017.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport>Football / by PTI / New Delhi – October 12th, 2020

Chuku Buku dream on track

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology, Travel, World Opinion

Railway activists celebrate green-lighting of project after campaigning for five years

Bengaluru :

The excitement of the Chuku Buku brigade was palpable, as members tweeted their joy and shared their hopes on WhatsApp groups. Ever since news broke that the Suburban Rail project had been cleared, railway activists who played a crucial role in the campaign, have been celebrating.

Sanjeev Dyammanavar, urban transportation expert and founder of Praja.in, told TNIE, “It is a long-pending project. The dream of all Bengalureans has become a reality today. It was pursed by various departments and K-RIDE showed its keenness in executing it by beginning preliminary work in this connection.”

The ‘Chuku Buku Beku’ campaign, which began in Bengaluru in 2015, an initiative on social media and offline, fetched a great deal of publicity for the project nationwide. Srinivas Alavilli, who coordinated the campaign involving citizens and NGOs, said, “I am cautiously optimistic.

After it was announced in the Union Budget a year ago, it has taken so long for the cabinet nod. We are keen on seeing the actual running of trains and physical infrastructure like stations. Priority needs to be given to Whitefield and Outer Ring Road where traffic congestion is the maximum.”

Rajkumar Dugar, convener, Citizens for Citizens, said, “I am extremely delighted. But I wish an official announcement too had been made. On highest priority is the KSR-Devanahalli line as connectivity to the airport is very important.”  Zibi Jamal of Whitefield Rising said, “It has been a long, hard campaign with so many people contributing, including Praja and Citizens for Bengaluru. Politicians across parties supported us.” 

Proposed fare structure

Minimum: Rs 13 (for less than 3 km) to a maximum of Rs 100 at 2025  price levels.
Price level to be escalated by 10% every two years.

Airport connectivity

 Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna-Yesvantpur-Yelahanka-Devanahalli-Kempe Gowda International Airport: 41.4 km

 Land required 15.96 acres.

Cost Rs 251.9 cr

Length: 5.5 km

Train operation plan
 Six-car trains  
19 hours a day operation from 5 am till midnight with 30-second stop  at each station

Average speed 33 kmph with a maximum speed of 90 kmph

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / October 08th, 2020

Couple’s free online classes proves a huge hit, minister promises help

Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features
Indira and Badrinath Vitthal

An octogenarian couple’s efforts to conduct online classes for poor students has caught the government’s attention. The education minister has promised to help the couple by bringing volunteers and mobilising technical infrastructure for the poor students.

Retired civil servant Badrinath Vitthal, 83, his wife Indira Vitthal, 78, a voluntary teacher, started teaching the two children of their maid at the start of the lockdown. The number of students rose to eight, and the couple switched to online teaching.

“Teaching was a passion I picked up from my wife,” Badrinath, an MTech graduate from IIT Bombay, told DH. “As a hydraulic engineer, I worked for the construction of big dams and I realised that building the academic foundation of children during Covid-19 was very important,” he said.

The couple’s confidence grew after Yashaswini P N, the maid’s daughter, registered progress in her studies. “We saw her test results improving gradually and decided to bring other children on board,” Indira said. 

After Prajavani, the sister publication of DH, reported on their work on Wednesday, more than 400 students or their parents called from rural areas of the nearby Doddaballapur to Gangavathi in Koppal district, expressing interest in joining their online classes.

“We are worried about those who have neither the smartphones or laptops. Students should not be deprived of education because they can’t afford gadgets. We hope corporate companies and donors will come forward to help children in rural areas,” Badrinath said.

Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar, who spoke to the couple, told this newspaper that he had already initiated a discussion with the information technology department for providing internet connectivity in rural areas. “Many people buy gadgets every six months. Together with some friends, I am trying to start a movement to convince people to donate their old smartphones. We need reliable internet in rural areas and I have spoken to the IT department in this regard,” he said.

Kumar said he would visit the Vitthals within a week to understand their requirements, including volunteers, to expand the programme. 

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> City> Life in Bengaluru / by Chiranjeevi Kulkarni / DHNS, Bengaluru / October 02nd, 2020

Udupi artist’s KSTRC bus model rewarded with real bus for village school

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Education, Records, All, Travel
Prashanth Achar and his brother Prakash met KSRTC MD Shivyogi C. Kalsad on Monday to present the models.   | Photo Credit:  Sudhakara Jain

KSRTC places order for models, which will be displayed or gifted as mementos

Instead of sitting idle during the lockdown, artist Prashanth Achar, 30, from Kundapur taluk in Udupi district, started building models of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses. First, he built a model of an ‘Airavat’ bus.

Elated by the response from his friends and relatives, he built other models of buses, such as ‘Karnataka Sarige’. His effort has been recognised by the transport corporation.

After meeting him on Monday, KSRTC MD Shivyogi C. Kalsad has placed an order for 10 models of various brands of buses operated by the Corporation.

But that is not all. During his meeting with KSRTC officials, Mr. Achar sought help to improve the infrastructure of the government school in his village Bagwadi.

“There was one more reason for visiting Bengaluru, and that was to seek help to improve the infrastructure of the government school in my village where 85 students are enrolled. I am planning to meet the Transport Minister who is also the Deputy Chief Minister. Improving infrastructure at Bagwadi school will help children from rural areas.”

Mr. Kalsad decided to provide an old bus of the KSRTC that can be converted into a classroom for the benefit of school children.

“I am very happy with the MD’s offer of a bus. He has asked us to come up with innovative ideas to make use of the bus,” Mr. Achar said.

“During the lockdown, I had a lot of free time. I was always fascinated by KSRTC buses. I thought why I should not use the free time to build models of these buses. First, I made a model of an ‘Airavat’ bus and posted photos of the bus on social media. The work received very good response from the general public. Even higher ups in the KSRTC took note and contacted me,” he added.

He uses foam sheets to build the models and takes eight days to build a model.

An official of the KSRTC said, “The models of buses designed by Mr. Achar are really good. They are lightweight and easy to carry. We have placed orders for 10 models. We will display them. We are also planning to present them as gifts to dignitaries visiting our office.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – October 06th, 2020

Initiative to gift a meal to those in need

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Travel

The pandemic has not been easy for anyone, more so for the economically and socially disadvantaged. While there have been several instances of an outpouring of help, now, you can do your bit too. Soon, when you walk into a few restaurants in the city, after you order your meal, you can also buy a token which will be used to provide a meal for people who may not be able to afford it.

This is an initiative of Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association and will begin on a pilot basis in around 30 restaurants in the city from October 2. The initiative is called Sanchigondu — one for the bag. The tag line of the project is ‘gift a meal, bring a smile’.

P.C. Rao, president of the association, said each hotel would fix a price of the token. “The customer can pay either for a meal or a beverage. We have told hotel owners to cap the token to a maximum of ₹100,” he said. He said they would conduct a sensitisation workshop for all the restaurant owners. “We want these tokens to help daily wage labourers, poor students, differently abled persons, and those who are unemployed,” he said.

Veerendra Kamat, treasurer of the association, said they started this project as they wanted people who were unable to afford food to get access to quality food. “During the pandemic, many people do not have a steady source of income and our effort is to help such people,” he said. He said once they finish the pilot project and understand the challenges, they would think of scaling this to other hotels in the city.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / Bengaluru – September 27th, 2020

It’s official: Bengaluru will have 243 wards

Business & Economy, Records, All

He explained that the October 3 notification mentioned that the number of wards can be increased to anywhere between 225 and 250.

Bengaluru :

Three days after the government issued a gazette notification on the amendments to the Karnataka Municipalities Act, setting the stage for delimitation of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahangara Palike (BBMP) wards, it has been decided that the civic body will now have 243 wards based on the population, against the present 198.

The chairman of the joint legislature committee on restructuring of BBMP, MLA S Raghu, told The New Indian Express that the decision was taken at a meeting with the Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department Additional Chief Secretary and the BBMP Commissioner on Tuesday. 

He explained that the October 3 notification mentioned that the number of wards can be increased to anywhere between 225 and 250. “With the population size of each ward at 35,000, we arrived at the number 241. But, since the size of families can vary, it was decided that there will be 243 wards,” he said. 

Separate Act for Bengaluru in the works

The government will issue final orders soon and the first meeting on the delimitation exercise will be held immediately after, he said. “It will be held mostly by Friday, and after this, the delimitation will be done by the BBMP on the basis of the population. The older order of ward reservation will also cease to exist and a revised list will be announced,” Raghu added. 

Amendments to the KMC Act, to create a separate Bengaluru Municipal Act, is also under progress, he explained. The committee members are keen on completing the delimitation exercise and preparation of voters’ list by November 30, the time set by the High Court and the Election Commission, he pointed out. 

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Bosky Khanna / Express News Service / October 07th, 2020

Local stories, global connection

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion

Bengaluru :

There’s a lot Anita Mithra is excited about these days. The 56-year-old city-based theatre practitioner, along with eight other actors from Theatre for Change, will be representing the country in the Kenyan International Theatre Festival. Festival director Kevin Kimani Kahuro, who invited the citybased theatre group last year as well, says, “They have an amazing way of telling their stories. And even though they share the stories of individuals, they share their culture along with it as well. And that’s what this festival is about – besides being a platform for Kenyan theatre artistes to showcase their work, it’s also a place where international acts and cultures can come together.”

For the fifth edition, the virtual festival will be held over a period of five days, beginning on Nov. 10. It will see representation from five continents, with participation from countries like the USA, Colombia, India, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Ghana, Egypt and Uganda. Like last year, this year too, Theatre for Change will perform a play that has been inspired by the African American playwright Ntozake Shange’s choreopoems.

“But we have adapted it to an Indian context and the performance consists of a set of multilingual monologues narrated by women across age,” explains Sujatha Balakrishnan, founder, Theatre for Change. These monologues deal with various issues like body shaming, child sexual abuse and challenges faced in relationships. “We were inspired by Shange because these are shared experiences faced by women across the world,” adds Balakrishnan, who is also considering collaborating with some theatre students of Kenyatta University in Nairobi for the performance.

Mithra, whose monologue is on reinvention and the curveballs life throws at one, is hoping her piece will touch some minds and hearts. “My piece is a narration on a singular event in my life that was challenging and yet life affirming. I am hoping it provides resonance with women my age and food for thought for the younger ones,” she says.

Besides Mithra, other actors who are participating from the group include: Parvati Ramchandran, Mimansa Ojha, Vandana Dugar, Vasanti Sundaram, Pooja Pandey Tripathi, Urvashi Goverdhan and Shatarupa Bhattacharyya. Besides the pre-recorded performance, there will also be a live Q&A session. This, Balakrishnan hopes, will spark a conversation around women’s issues that are both culturally specific as well as shared by women in India, Kenya and other African countries.

Though performed primarily in English, they will have some segments in regional Indian languages, which will also be conveyed through subtitles to the international audience. Adds Balakrishnan, “These are compelling personal stories shared with conviction, pride and honesty. They reinforce the importance of every story having a soul that needs to be told, heard and counted. Stories told from a specific perspective are dangerous as they become the dominant narrative.” For details about the festival, visit kitfest.co.ke

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Simran Ahuja / Express News Service / October 06th, 2020

The Big Brother of Bangalore

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All

Janopakari Doddanna worked selflessly and tirelessly for Bengaluru

K. H. Ramaiah, a prominent personality of yesteryear Bangalore, often referred Gubbi Thotadappa as a fatherly figure (appa), Janopakari Doddanna as (Anna), elder brother. The services they rendered encompassed a very large strata of the city irrespective of class, cast and creed.

A vivid description of the life and contribution of Doddanna to Bengaluru is found Prof. V Krishna Setty’s book (1997), who had a long association with the institution founded by Doddanna.

Doddanna Shetty was born on February 3, 1840 to a pious couple Nanjundappa and Siddamma. They belonging to a vegetable oil extracting and trading community. They lived in Commercial Street in Cantonment area during 1830s. In addition to being god fearing and spiritual, the couple were also widely known for their charity and hospitality. Nanjundappa was the head of the community and was referred to as ‘Yajaman’.

Doddanna, got the education required for the family business, and after the death of his father assumed the post of Yajaman, and continued the family trade. He had also inherited the parents’ trait of charity and hospitality and without any bias, helped the downtrodden to live with dignity.

He used to go during night with a few of his associates to distribute good food and blankets to help the destitute and vagabonds on the streets and also the wandering monks who took shelter at Poornaiah Choultry which was located next to Tulasi Thota near Dharmambudi Tank, the present day Kempegowda Central Bus stand.

Paramount Theatre  

He renovated the Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple, his family deity, on Old Poor House Road in Cantonment and liberally donated for such work undertaken by other temples in Bengaluru. He had also given away a portion of his land near Bangalore East Railway station for the use of Buddha Centre. Because of these liberal contributions he used to be even referred to as ‘Daanashoora Karna’, a prominent character known for such charitable acts in the epic, Mahabharata. In spite of being benevolent to the society, as if to test his inner strength to face the adversities, he lost three wives, one after the other. Though two sons were born to the fourth wife she too died soon.

Yet, he recovered from these onslaughts of the fate and continued to serve his city. During 1898, there was severe plague attack in Bengaluru and the first son Lakshminarayana fell a victim for the pandemic. Realising that isolation is the sole solution to prevent the spread of the disease, Doddanna got about two hundred shelters built in a village Venkatapura for the benefit of the members of his community. The plague had also deprived the education to many downtrodden children. To groom the future generation on proper moral and ethical grounds, he took some space near the present day KR Market in 1900 and started a lower secondary school to impart free education especially for poor children. He treated these kids as his own and took personal care even in giving them oil bath, food and clothing.

Pouring a major chunk of his wealth he also started to construct a huge building to run the school. He wanted this structure to represent the culture and ethics of the land and should also be big enough to serve the purpose of a school, choultry, theatre and assembly hall. Later, his building became a landmark in the city as Doddanna hall and also as Paramount theatre.

Around the year 1900, the Mysore Government had started the construction of the building of Revenue Survey Office in Cubbon Park, near KR circle. The contractor, Tatayaa had given the responsibility of the construction to Rangappa. Everyday, while walking from Cantonment to his school in the City Market area, Doddanna used to pause a little and observe the construction and used to discussthe details with Rangappa. Finally, when the building was completed, he liked the elegant front elevation of the structure and the excellent quality of work. He wanted his building also to represent the native culture and tradition. He engage d Rangappa to give his dream a realistic shape.

Inspiration for Doddanna Hall  

The construction work under his personal supervision was going on. At this juncture, fate shot another major blow by taking away the life of his second and the only surviving son, Lakshminarasimha. Since the son died at the beginning of the construction, some elders advised him not to continue the work as his planetary positions were not in his favour. But, he accepted the adversities as challenges and proceeded with the work.

Doddanna’s philanthropic activities and his persisting efforts for the welfare of the downtrodden in spite of stumbling blocks, were known to the elite of the city.

Some other elders told him that his walking all the way from Cantonment to the City Market area was strenuous, Doddanna did not agree. “I can afford to have a personal coach for my movement. But, I feel, the money I spend for the same can be used to get few more cups of milk or oil to give bath to the poor little ones in my school…”

To continue…

sureshmoona@gmail.com

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Art / by Suresh Moona / October 01st, 2020

NSS officer helps aspirants make their way to Indian Army

Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

With the word spreading about his offer of free training, nearly 30-40 people enrol themselves every year and are trained by him.

Mysuru :

At  the age of 18, he cleared the interview at a recruitment rally held in Bengaluru to join the armed forces but was rejected for having a dental issue. He was dejected for not being able to get the opportunity to serve the nation. But this did not make him give up his dream, today he finds satisfaction in offering free training to hundreds of young army aspirants, mostly from the rural areas, and helping them join the armed forces.

Meet Dr R Raghavendra (39), a  native of Baburayanakoppalu village in Srirangapatna of Mandya district, who has trained hundreds of army aspirants in the last seven years. Raghavendra continued his studies, completed M.PEd, did his Ph.D. in sports, and served as physical education teacher and NSS officer in several colleges.

With the word spreading about his offer of free training, nearly 30-40 people enrol themselves every year and are trained by him. As the clock strikes 5 in the morning, at least 20 army aspirants throng the Srirangapatna taluk stadium where Raghavendra equips them to clear in the rigorous selection procedures at the army recruitment rally.

Raghavendra, who is currently serving as  NSS programme officer at Seshadripuram Degree College in Mysuru, not only helps the aspirants with the physical exercises and trains them to run long distances in a short time, but also helps them prepare for the written test and provides them the necessary study materials spending money from his pocket.

At least 10 of his students are recruited in different forces including a regiment of Artillery, MRC regiment, ASC regiment in various ranks.

Vitthal, who currently works at the Army Service Corps (ASC), Bengaluru, says that the training and guidance provided by Raghavendra helped him get recruited.


Perumal C, who has been appointed as a para commando at the Artillery centre in Maharashtra, attributes his success to Raghavendra.

“I underwent rigorous training under Raghavendra for four years. He motivated me to participate in the recruitment rally and prepared me well in advance. I received my appointment order sometime ago, but due to the Covid-19 situation, I have been asked to join duty this month,” he said. Besides Army training, Raghavendra also gives assistance to those preparing for police, forest and RPF recruitments. With new opportunities for women aspiring to join the Indian Army, several girls are also getting trained by him.


Most of them are motivated and strong, I am just giving them the right direction to reach their goal,” says Raghavendra.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Karthik K K / Express News Service / October 04th, 2020