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The museum includes virtual exhibits, artist lectures, virtual reality encounters and a number of keynote discussions that focus on the collections.

The Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), the first major private museum in Bengaluru, opened its doors at Kasturba Road with the inaugural series, ‘Art is Life: New Beginnings’. In view of the launch, the museum is holding week-long events from February 18-24.

Supported by cutting-edge technology, the museum has been constructed on the pillars of an innovative digital format that was introduced in 2020. This entails virtual exhibits, artist lectures, virtual reality encounters and a number of keynote discussions with leading museum directors from across the world that focus on the collections.

igital interventions, such as the Sasken Multimedia Gallery, enhance the museum experience for MAP’s visitors and make the whole collection accessible even when individual pieces aren’t on show.

Four exhibitions

The brand-new series feature four exhibitions and a series of new commissions. Curated by the director of MAP, Kamini Sawhney, ‘Visible/Invisible’ includes works by leading Indian artists such as Jamini Roy, Bhupen Khakhar, Mrinalini Mukherjee, Ravinder Reddy, Arpita Singh, M.F. Hussain and examines the role of women in art.

With more than 160 images, renowned Indian artist Jyoti Bhatt’s collection “Time and Time Again” traces his path as a photographer in the second half of the 20th century. The installation highlights his experimentation with multiple exposures and fragmented mirror imagery, as well as his depiction of rural villages, portraits of other artists, and self-portraits.

The MAP also feature LN Tallur’s series of sculptures and movies called “Chirag-e-Al,” which explore the link between artificial intelligence and ritualistic belief systems while forcing viewers to consider humanity’s increasing reliance on technology. The themes of darkness, conversations between celestial entities, and white spaces are established via the use of imagined chatbots, neural networks, composite figures, and white spaces.

Three years of research-backed work

Speaking about what makes MAP so distinct, Ms. Sawhney said, “MAPs collections are spread over six categories — premodern, modern and contemporary, textiles, photography, indigenous art, and popular culture such as Bollywood posters and film scripts. It tells the stories of all communities that make up India. We tell much wider stories as compared to other museums. Visible/Invisible showcases the permanent collection of MAP but we also commissioned various artists to create work which became part of the works. We worked for three years on this exhibition and it is accompanied by a catalogue.”

The MAP started first as a digital museum. “We developed the concept of MAP Labs which looks at the intersection of the science and the arts and how we can use technology to find art solutions. In our first collaboration with Accenture, we came up with the idea of creating a 3D persona or a hologram of M.F. Hussain, an iconic artist with whom a lot of young people have not interacted. It enabled them to have a chat with M.F. Hussain and understand his work,” Ms. Sawhney said.

thehindu.com

The start-up is developing specialised hydraulic robots for the petroleum industry.

City-based start-up Beta Tank Robotics Pvt. Ltd., which is developing specialised hydraulic robots for the petroleum industry, has won the best start-up award at the India Energy Week 2023, which was held in Bengaluru last week.

The robot can operate in oil tanks in petroleum refineries, and thereby eliminate risks to human beings. It was incubated at IIT Guwahati, and the project was funded by State-owned Oil India Ltd.

The specialised robot can go from one taker to another, and it does the job similar to a vacuum cleaner. The robot at present is undergoing safety assessment as there are very stringent standards set by the oil industry.

thehindu.com

Nine achievers, including an institution, were presented with the State-level ‘Sandesha Awards 2023’, in recognition of their achievements in different fields here on Tuesday.

The awards were presented in a programme attended by, among others, Sandesha Institute chairman and Ballari Bishop Henry D’Souza, Alva’s Education Foundation Chairman M. Mohan Alva, Bishops of Mangaluru and Udupi Diocese Peter Paul Saldanha and Gerald Isaac Lobo respectively, Sandesha Director Sudeep Paul, and others.

The literature awards, Kannada, Konkani and Tulu were presented to Raghavendra Patil, Andrew L. D’Cunha, and Chinnappa Gowda respectively; the media award to Shivaji Ganeshan, the Konkani music award to Joyce Ozario; the art award to M.S. Murthy; the education award to Kotiganahalli Ramaiah; the special award to Prerana Resource Centre, and the best teacher award was presented to Sabiha Bhoomigowda.

Mr. Alva in his address said: “Our cultural, religious and social life and values are compromised amid the growing worldly life and technological advancement. It is unfortunate that we miss many of those persons who nurture the socio-cultural values through their life. The real joy of living a virtuous life is when we work tirelessly and selflessly for society.”

“Human being is a spirit in the world who constantly strives to explore and grow the inner spiritual powers for the betterment of the society. Sandesha awards has displayed and honoured those who have selflessly contributed their resources and inner powers,” said Bishop Rev. Saldanha.

Bishop D’Souza said: “Today we are living in a world where environment, harmony, health, unity, sensitivity, relationship and cooperation are great matters of concern. Let us aspire to build a society without hatred, division and violence.”

thehindu.com

CM said his focus was on city’s infrastructure, health and education.

Ahead of elections, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who is also in charge of Bengaluru Urban Development, inaugurated a slew of projects in the city on Tuesday, including 108 Namma Clinics, one of the biggest promises made in the previous budget but had not taken off so far.

After inaugurating the building of Atal Bihari Vajpayee High School in Vrushabhavatinagara, the Chief Minister inaugurated buildings of BBMP referral hospital, a high school and college in Kamalanagar. In BHEL Layout, he inaugurated another school building in Marappanahalli in the constituency. Later, in the evening he inaugurated more projects in Padmanabhanagar constituency.

Focus on health

Speaking after inaugurating the 108 Namma Clinics, the CM said his government has given utmost preference to education, infrastructure development and health. “Along with the common ailments like cough and fever, the Namma Clinics will also have a diagnostic laboratory facility for diabetes and other ailments. Telemedicine system has been arranged through which necessary treatment will be given for patients with serious ailments through teleconsultation with experts. This has further strengthened the common people’s healthcare. The promise made in last year’s budget has been fulfilled now,” he said.

Stating that his government is “hyper-sensitive” and committed towards attending to people’s health needs, Mr. Bommai said apart from free dialysis and chemotherapy, free eye-testing is done for senior citizens and spectacles are being distributed free of cost. Besides, 100 Primary Health Centres  have been upgraded to Community Health Centres and organ transplantation has been given importance.

Master plan for UGD

Given that flooding in Bengaluru last year had acutely embarrassed the government, the Chief Minister said that a special master plan is being prepared for upgrading the city’s underground drainage system based on the reports of IISC and other agencies.

He said the adequate grants have been sanctioned for development of roads and primary, secondary and tertiary drains. “We are in the process of finding technically resolving the major problem of flooding in some areas. To ensure there are no rain damages this year, we have initiated measures to set up a new Rajakaluve at a cost of ₹2,000 crore,” he said.

thehindu.com

Dr Milind Watve, Deenanath Mangehskar Hospital and Research Centre Pune, who was an advisor to Dr Bayani said the book was important in promoting citizen science.

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) on Friday released a book which will make it easier to identify Indian spiders. Renowned scientist Prof Rohini Balakrishnan launched ‘On the Web with Spiders: A Handbook with Field Notes’, authored by IISc faculty Dr Abhijeet Bayani, a conservation biologist and science writer. The book details Dr Bayani’s work for the last 15 years, documenting various species of Indian spiders and how to identify them.

“There is no comprehensive guide to identify spiders that I could find, especially when I first become obsessed with them around 2003. This is only the third book on spiders in India. There are around 400 pages of illustrations, photographs and text, with pictures taken by me on the IISc campus,” he said.

Dr Milind Watve, Deenanath Mangehskar Hospital and Research Centre Pune, who was an advisor to Dr Bayani said the book was important in promoting citizen science. “Science needs to come out of the academia culture and embrace the mindset of citizen science, and for it to flourish, more books like these need to come out,” he said.

newindianexpress.com

The hero stone was erected to commemorate the sacrifice of both of them.

A first-of-Its kind unique unpublished hero stone inscription and sculpture of the Hoysala period was discovered by a team from the Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada (CESCK) of Central institute of Indian Languages in Mysuru. Following information given by Prof Rangaraju NS, archaeologist and heritage expert, Shashidara CA, a senior research fellow of CESCK, found this special hero stone at Chakashettyhalli village in Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district.

The hero stone, said to be of the time of Veeraballala II of the Hoysalas, has sculptural panels in three tiers and two panels in the middle containing inscriptional texts. The hero stone’s estampages were taken and after studying, it was found that Daasara Shettihalli (current day Chakashettyhalli) was an important administrative centre during the Hoysala period.

Masanayya was the Sthanika, an important position in Hoysala administration, who fought in the war and was gravely wounded. Out of love for her husband, Masanayya’s wife also wanted to die. Masanayya stabbed her and also ended his life.

The hero stone was erected to commemorate the sacrifice of both of them. Prof Rangaraju revealed that usually hero stones are erected to commemorate the heroes who fought and died.

“While Mahasati stones are erected to commemorate the deceased husband’s wife, this herostone is erected to commemorate the death of the husband who killed his wife (sacrificed as per the Sati system).

Monumental inscriptions of this type have not been found in the Hoysala period or any other dynasty. Hero and Mahasati stones are found in several villages.

But this is the first time that inscriptions and sculptures have been found where the husband died after being stabbed to death. So this hero stone inscription is very special in this aspect,” he said. The hero stone also reads: “Shalivahana Saka 1131 Vibhava Samvatsa on Thursday 11th”, which in the gregorian calendar is February 17, 1209 AD.

newindianexpress.com

On the occasion of Republic Day, 24 police officers from Karnataka was awarded the President’s Police Medal.

As many as 20 police officers and staff have been conferred the President’s Police Medal on the occasion of Republic Day.

Additional Director General of Police, CID, KV Sharath Chandra has been conferred with President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service. The other officers and staff who were conferred the President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service are Labhu Ram, Additional Director, State Intelligence; S Nagaraju, DySP, PRC Unit; P Veerendra Kumar, DySP, Lokayuka, Bengaluru; B Pramod Kumar, DySP, Lokayukta, Bengaluru; Siddalingappa Gouda R Patil, DySP, Lokayukta, Kalaburagi; CV Deepak, DySP, STF Encroachment, Bengaluru; Vijay H, DySP, City Special Branch, Bengaluru City; BS Manjunath, Police Inspector, Madanayakanahalli Police Stat ion, Beng aluru District; Rao Ganesh Janardhan, Police Inspector, Ashokanagara Traffic police station, Bengaluru City; RP Anil, Circle Police Inspector, Traffic Circle, Davanagere; Manoj N Hovale, Police Inspector, Traffic & Planning, Bengaluru City; BT Varadaraja, Special Reserve Police Inspector, 3rd Battalion KSRP, Bengaluru; TA Narayana Rao, Special Armed Reserve Sub- Inspector (Spl ARSI), 4th Battalion KSRP, Bengaluru; SS Venkataramana Gowda, Spl ARSI, 4th Battalion KSRP, Bengaluru; SM Patil, Spl ARSI, 9th Battalion KSRP, Bengaluru; K Prasannakumar, Head Constable (HC), CID, Bengaluru; Prabhakara H, HC, Tumakuru Trafffic West Station, Tumakuru District; D Sudha, Woman HC, State Crime Record Bureau, Bengaluru; and TR Ravikumar, HC, City Control Room, Bengaluru City.

newindianexpress.com

Answering this puzzle needs continuous observations of the Corona, right from its lowermost boundary upwards.

In a major boost to India’s first mission to the Sun, the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) on Thursday handed over the Visible Line Emission Coronagraph (VELC) payload to the Indian Space Research Organisation for India’s first space mission, Aditya L1, to observe the Sun and the solar corona to be launched in June-July 2023.

The VELC is the primary payload on board Aditya-L1, designed as an internally occulted reflective coronagraph and has been assembled, tested, and calibrated at the Centre for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST) Campus of the IIA. One of the main puzzles in solar astrophysics is that the atmosphere of the Sun (called the Corona) is at a temperature of about a million degrees Celsius, whereas the surface of the Sun is only a little below 6,000 degrees Celsius.

Answering this puzzle needs continuous observations of the Corona, right from its lowermost boundary upwards. However, it is very difficult to discard the extremely bright light from the surface of the Sun (the Sun’s disk) and observe the lower Corona. The VELC has an ‘internal occulter’ which separates out the light from the disk and discards it.

The remaining light which is from the Corona, from 1.05 Ro to 3 Ro (where Ro is the radius of the Sun) is sent for further processing. VELC weighs 90kg and is 0.7m X 1.1m X 700mm in dimension. VELC is the largest and one of the most technically challenging of the seven payloads/telescopes that will fly on Aditya-L1. ISRO will now conduct further testing of VELC and its eventual integration with the Aditya-L1 spacecraft.

The IIA successfully finished assembling, testing and calibrating the VELC at its CREST campus in Hoskote, Bengaluru. Accepting a 3D-printed model of the VELC payload from IIA, ISRO Chairman, S Somanath, said, “ISRO aims to pay an important role in future science experiments in space and an ecosystem needs to be created for this, including a roadmap for the next few decades.” M Sankaran, Director of UR Rao Space Centre, ISRO, said an Aditya-L1 helpdesk is being planned which will help scientists and students understand and use Aditya-L1 data.

newindianexpress.com

Quadri told TNIE that Bidar DC Govind Reddy’s call to inform him about the Union gover nment ’s award on Wednesday evening, came as a complete surprise.

“The Padma Shri has been given to me, but it is an honour for the art of Bidriware, the artists working on it and all of Bidar district,” said renowned Bidriware artist Rashid Ahmed Quadri, 67, who is among the eight personalities from Karnataka to receive the award this year.

Quadri told TNIE that Bidar DC Govind Reddy’s call to inform him about the Union gover nment ’s award on Wednesday evening, came as a complete surprise. “It is the first time that Bidriware and Bidar district are getting the Padma,” he said.

“In fact, I applied for the prestigious award a few times some 5-6 years ago, but when I didn’t get it I stopped applying. Now, the government has honoured the art by recognising my service in this field for over five decades.”

The Padma Shri is the most colourful feather in Quadri’s cap, which is already decorated with the State Award in 1984, National Award in 1988, District Karnataka Rajyotsava Award in 1996, and The Great Indian Achievers’ Award in 2004.

newindianexpress.com

Born in Haveri, Sudha Murty is well known as an educationist, philanthropist, founder and chairperson of Infosys Foundation.

Born in Haveri, Sudha Murty is well known as an educationist, philanthropist, founder and chairperson of Infosys Foundation.

Born in Haveri, Sudha Murty is well known as an educationist, philanthropist, founder and chairperson of Infosys Foundation. She is also a prolific author, having published several books in Kannada and English, which have been adapted for TV and cinema.

The Infosys Foundation has worked towards providing and improving several facilities in rural areas, including schools with libraries, and contributing significantly to healthcare facilities in the country. She said she will continue to work for the people at the same pace.

Murty has been honoured with several awards for her work in various fields, including science, healthcare and education. The Padma Shri was conferred on her in 2006, by then President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam.

newindianexpress.com