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Commonwealth Games: Gold smash

From bronze to silver and now gold, 21-year-old ace shuttler Lakshya Sen has etched his name in history at the Commonwealth Games 2022 with the crown of champion in the Men’s single category.

A gold at the Commonwealth Games debut and beating a world champion with a stunning comeback after losing the first game narrowly, and the exhaustion vanished giving way to exhilaration for Lakshya Sen who has travelled from Birmingham to Hyderabad and finally, Bengaluru. The golden boy of the Men’s single badminton, Sen was given a rousing reception with a live band playing the dhol.

Before heading home, Sen went to the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, where he was coached by the champion Prakash Padukone, who was the first to win a gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, and forme r national champion Vimal Kumar. For a champion, the place where he hones his skills is always sacred, and Sen was extremely grateful to his coaches for his victory by pummelling Malaysia’s Ng Tze Yong.

fter that, I will resume training for the world championship,” says the 21-year-old, who hates ice baths which help athletes recover. What does the champ do when he is not following a gruelling training regime or thrashing opponents? Like anyone his age, Sen hangs out with friends.

“Since I stay far away from the city, I have to plan out my day when I catch up with friends. I also love playing on my playstation and watching thrillers,” says Sen, who moved to Bengaluru from Uttarakhand, when he was about nine to fulfil his ‘lakshya’ of becoming a champion shuttler.

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Writing A New Story In Premium Pen Business

William Penn, India’s leading brand for premium writing instruments and lifestyle accessories recently acquired Sheaffer, the 110-year-old iconic American manufacturing company of writing instruments, mainly known for their luxury fountain pens.

In 1907, Walter A. Sheaffer invented an ink-loading system for fountain pens and W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company was incorporated in the US on May 16, 1913 and grew to spread its footprint in over 75 countries. With the Sheaffer ac quisition, William Penn has become a global brand.

Founder and Managing Director of William Penn Nikhil Ranjan, who is a Mysurean, always believed in the power of the written word. After getting a mechanical engineering degree in Mysuru, Nikhil thought out-of-the-box and founded William Penn in Bengaluru in 2002, to introduce the beauty of fine stationery. He launched a line of luxury stationery and soon, his business flourished. Today, William Penn is also credited with bringingthe fountain pen and ink back from the brink and reclaiming its rightful place in fine writing. B.C. Thimmaiah of Star of Mysore spoke to him about the acquisition and what it means to William Penn. —Excerpts:

Star of Mysore (SOM): What do you have to say about this acquisition?

Nikhil Ranjan: Well, we have been in the business for the last 20 years and until now, we have been the retailer and distributor of global brands. This is an opportunity for us to own a global brand and that’s a big step for us. This allows us to design and market products across the world because Sheaffer is an iconic brand, it is a 110-year-old brand present in 75 countries. We will have a footprint in those countries and it is a huge leap.

We also believe that as a company which is home-grown, out of India and being a global brand, having the opportunity to design and market products to have an impact around the world is what excites us.

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Bidar school launches online database of freedom fighters

Bidar-based Shaheen Group of Institutions has launched a multi media programme to spread awareness about freedom fighters and their contribution to India’s Independence movement. QR codes used to share text, audio and videos

Bidar-based Shaheen Group of Institutions has launched a multi media programme to spread awareness about freedom fighters and their contribution to India’s Independence movement.

The school and colleges in the group will share a database on the lives of 100 freedom fighters that includes photos, videos, audios and documents. The sharing will be done online using social media and websites, and offline by attaching Quick Response codes (QR codes) to the images of freedom fighters that are pasted in prominent places across Karnataka.

“We hope to reach at least one crore people with this programme,” Abdul Quadeer, school society chairman, told journalists on August 8 during an exhibition of photographs and images in the park adjoining Shaheen PUC College in Shahapur in Bidar.

Bidar Deputy Commissioner Govind Reddy and Superintendent of Police Dekka Kishor Babu inaugurated the exhibition.

The exhibition will be open till August 10. Each of the 100 photographs has a QR code at the bottom. Scanning the QR code will lead to the data base of text, audio and video clips related to the image in Kannada, English and Urdu languages.

The exhibition has images of Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Bhagat Singh, Sukh Dev, Chandrashekar Azad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Nana Saheb, Lala Lajpat Rai, Rani Lakshmibai, Tipu Sultan, Hyder Ali, Mirza Khasim Ali Khan, Siraj Ud Daula, Haji Shariatullah, Begum Hazrat Mahal and others.

After the exhibition, the images will be kept in public places around Karnataka.

“Our freedom fighters are already well known. We hope that the exhibition and the online data base will kindle the spirit of the independence movement among the youth and students,” said Dr. Quadeer said.

This exhibition is part of the Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav, which is a celebration 75 years of independence.

The group will promote hoisting of the national flag as part of the Har Ghar Tiranga programme. The group will motivate at least 1,000 students to fly the tricolour in their homes. It aims to distribute 50,000 pocket-size flags and 10,000 hand-held flags among the people.

The activities include essay writing and elocution competitions with a focus on the independence movement.

Governor, minister felicitate freedom fighter H V Nagabhushan Rao at home

As part of the commemoration of Quit India movement, State Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot and Higher Education Minister Dr C N Narayan visited the residence of freedom fighter H V Nagabhushan Rao at his residence in Malleswarm in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

A very happy, Nagabhushan Rao recalled the part played by him in the freedom struggle and undergoing jail term twice.

Speaking to media persons after felicitating the freedom fighter in his assembly constituency, Dr Narayan said patriotism and love for the country must be part of all Indians. The BJP governments at the Centre and in the State want to rekindle the spirit of nationalism in all citizens, he said pointing out that the Narendra Modi has relaxed most of the restrictions on hoisting national tricolour by the citizens.

Dr Narayan took the occasion to criticize Congress Opposition leader in the Assembly Siddaramaiah for finding fault with the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign and termed it as a political drama. “If one cannot perform good deeds, let them remain silent instead finding faults,’’ he said.

Konkani Natak Sabha’s 58th singing competition held in Mangaluru, Udupi

Konkani Natak Sabha (KNS) held its 58th singing competition as part of its annual competitions on Sunday August 7.

The audition round in Udupi was held at St Mary’s CBSE English School. Fr Rocky D’Cunha, president of KNS welcomed the gathering while Fr Charles Menezes, parish priest of Udupi church, inaugurated the competition.

Fr Joachim D’Souza, former president of KNS, Liston D’Souza, vice president of KNS, Floyd D’Mello, general secretary of KNS, Praveen Rodrigues, assistant secretary of KNS, and Fr Johnson Lawrence Sequeira, principal of St Mary’s CBSE School, were the dignitaries on the dais.

The total number of participants was 36. The judges were Jude Fernandes and Sylvia Burnis.

Cletus Lobo, Melwyn D Almeida, Diana D’Souza and Shanthi Dias assisted in the competition.

The vote of thanks was rendered by Floyd D’Mello.

The audition round in Mangaluru took place at Don Bosco Hall.

The following participants have been qualified for the second round which will be held on September 25 at Don Bosco Hall here:

Bengaluru International Short Film Festival: Short films, big impact

With 250 short films selected from over 90 countries, the ongoing Bengaluru International Short Film Festival 2022 offers two new categories on women-centric movies, and disabilities.

Brevity, experimentation and different varieties of storytelling in the visual medium often grips the audience quicker. Bengalureans are watching some of the best films in the 12th edition of the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival (BISFF) which will continue till August 14.

The festival is dedicated to master filmmaker Satyajit Ray to celebrate the Oscar-winning director’s birth centenary, as the poster of Pather Panchali pays homage to his legacy. More than 3,000 submissions poured in for the prestigious festival from across 90 countries, of which around 250 films have been shortlisted. Among the directors, 23 per cent are women.

The platform has been coveted by young and amateur filmmakers to make a mark in the hearts and minds of discerning audiences, and more importantly, mingle with the achievers of the field, to absorb constructive criticism and feedback. BISFF has come a long way in identifying and nurturing young and talented filmmakers. “It’s been a good reception.

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NGO to bring ‘Nammoora Kathe’ back for students

A non-government organisation (NGO) working on heritage conservation and awareness is set to revive its programme ‘Nammoora Kathe’, for students of city-based government schools and schools with low-fee structures, to provide up-close exposure to the history and heritage of Bengaluru.

With this programme, the NGO, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) plans to educate city kids on the history of Bengaluru, its origin, geographical influence and growth as a city.

It also plans to provide a comprehensive understanding of other dimensions of the city, including planning, natural and cultural heritage, and local traditions.

It is planned to introduce all these aspects which are not prescribed in textbooks, and with this, the NGO’s idea is to complement the social science syllabus in an enticing, fun, and engaging way for students, with field trips to heritage sites and through games, including jigsaw puzzles.

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Kittel’s kin invited for Haveri Sahitya Sammelana

Three-day sammelana starts on November 11

The 86th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana (All-India Kannada literary meet) is scheduled to be held at Haveri from November 11 to 13 and will be chaired by poet Doddarange Gowda.

A descendent of Ferdinand Kittel (1832-1903), the much-respected lexicographer of Kannada, who lives in Germany, and Chandra Arya, Canadian MP, from Karnataka, who spoke in Kannada in Parliament, have been invited to participate in the conference.

The organisers are trying to make this a “dust-free and plastic-free” event.

Two-year break

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the 86th sammelana was not held for the last two years, though the place and the person to chair it had been announced by the Kannada Sahitya Parishath (KSP).

KSP president Mahesh Joshi told The Hindu that the event will be inaugurated on November 11, which also happens to be Kanakadasa Jayanti. November 12 is second Saturday and November 13 is Sunday, which will make it convenient for people to participate, he said.

“Extensive discussions will be held in the conference on many issues, including the issue of closure of Kannada schools,’’ he explained. Speaking on the draft of the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Bill, 2022, he emphasised the need to speed up its implementation.

86 books

“We are publishing 86 Kannada books through KSP and 37 books are related to Haveri district’s art, literature, and culture. In addition of this, we will honour and felicitate 86 people who have worked for the development of Kannada and Karnataka,’’ he said.

“We have already formed overseas units and we will try to involve them in this conference,” Mr. Joshi revealed.

HAL developing AI-driven long-endurance drone for vigil over China border

State-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is working on an AI-driven multi-role, advanced and long-endurance drone for strategic missions in high-altitude areas including along the frontiers with China, people familiar with the development said on Sunday.

The rotary-wing drone will have the capability to carry a load of 40 kgs, including missiles and sensors, and it is being developed considering the requirement of the armed forces to keep a strong vigil over the mountainous areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), they said.

The HAL has set a target of conducting the maiden test-flying of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) by the middle of next year and plans to produce 60 such platforms in the first phase of the project, the people in the know told PTI.

They said the operating system of the long-endurance drone will feature applications of Artificial Intelligence and the armed forces will be able to use it for multiple purposes including transporting essential supplies.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

RT-PCR detection kit for human monkeypox virus released

Company obtained manufacturing licence from CDSCO and is awaiting clinical validation of kit, which uses gold-standard Taqman chemistry-based RT-PCR method.

A human monkeypox virus (MPXV) multiplex RT-PCR detection kit was released by Minister for IT and BT and Science and Technology C.N. Ashwath Narayan on Friday.

Developed by NeoDx Biotech Labs, the MPXV kit is designed for specific detection of the Central African (Congo Basin) and West African Monkeypox virus clades. The kit uses gold-standard Taqman chemistry-based RT-PCR method.

The company has obtained the manufacturing test licence from Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), under Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, and is waiting for clinical validation of the kit, according to a press release.

The kit was released on the occasion of the foundation-laying ceremony for the “Research and Training Unit for Rare Diseases” held at the Centre for Human Genetics (CHG) in Bengaluru.

The CHG, under the guidance of the founding Director, Professor H. Sharat Chandra, for the past 20 years, has been providing high quality genetic services to patients with rare diseases from all over Karnataka and other states, the release said.

Meenakshi Bhat, Associate Director at CHG said nearly 35,000 families with genetic disorders have been diagnosed and counselled in the past 15 years. “The genetic laboratories at CHG provide diagnostic testing in around 5,000 patients per year. The majority of these patients are from government hospitals in Karnataka and these services are provided free to BPL and other eligible patient families and at cost to others,” she said.

The Research and Training Unit for Rare Diseases is an extension of the present CHG building. This 40,000 sq. ft extension will have three floors in which comprehensive genetic counselling facilities for around 2,500 families with rare disorders will be evaluated annually, she said.