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ATREE celebrates its silver jubilee this year

The two-day event is open to the public that will include discussion on state of conservation science, sustainable development debates and other activities

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) is celebrating its silver jubilee on August 18 and 19 at the JN Tata Auditorium in IISc campus with several panel discussions, guest talks, film screenings and other events taking place.

Started in January 1996 as a research organisation to address environmental challenges of biodiversity loss and conservation for sustainable livelihoods, ATREE has worked in the areas of conservation of biological diversity and sustainable development, improvisation of institutional and policy framework for conservation of biodiversity and has helped several government and Non Government Organisations to make best use of the scientific knowledge to solve the problems of conservation.

After its initial days, a PhD in Conservation Science and Sustainability Studies programme was started in 2008 and in 2009, another interdisciplinary research institution, CISED was also established by ATREE with donor support. Further, the Centre for Environment and Development, the Centre for Biodiversity Conservation and 20 research faculty members including environmentalists, geographers, sociologists and hydrologists also emerged. In 2019, ATREE launched two new centres, the Centre for Social and Environmental Innovation (CSEI) and the Centre for Policy design (CPD) for scaling up its environmental knowledge to the society and for engaging more with the government towards effective policy design and implementation.

Speaking to The Hindu on the occassion, Kamal Bawa — Founder, President & Chair, ATREE, said, “Our country has rich biodiversity and when we established ATREE, there was no institute that was looking at biodiversity in a holistic manner, that is all life in our forests, wetlands, rivers, oceans. Furthermore, we all know that biodiversity is declining all over the world and India was no exception, but this decline had ecological, social, political and economic dimensions. Thus, an institution was needed that had an interdisciplinary approach to conserving biodiversity and thus ATREE was born. ATREE is one of the few institutions that deals with the three major environmental challenges of declining biodiversity, water, and mitigation of climate change.”

The two-day event which is open to the public, will have discussion on state of conservation science and sustainable development, debates, book launches, film screenings and traditional performances.

Karnataka student’s Braille printer wins best social impact idea at startup fest

A portable and inexpensive Braille printer, an invention by a Karnataka student, won the Best Social Impact Business Idea at the SmartIDEAthon 2022, a nationwide pitch fest organised by Startup India in collaboration with several universities.

Prithvi Systems and Innovations founder and chief invertor Kaviraj Prithvi’s team was one of the 1,200 shortlisted for the fest and has been working towards inventing assistive technolog

The Tactall, a mouse-sized portable printer, allows for easy printing in Braille and is relatively inexpensive, according to Kaviraj.

“Braille printers print in standard dimensions and they are often very large, expensive and standalone, averaging to about $2000 to $3000. We wanted to make it more accessible for people to print in Braille, especially as this was a common problem which I found out when I had visited a school for the blind,” Kaviraj told TNIE. While the printer is in its prototype stage, Kaviraj, who is also pursuing engineering physics at II T Guwahati, and his team of 15 members, are also working towards inventing other types of assistive tech.

“All of our inventions have assistive angle to them. When I was younger, I wanted to start a startup and I felt that everything that I invented should have a social angle and must help people,” he said.

Apart from the printer, Kaviraj is also working towards building a non-invasive way to monitor blood pressure, as well as a patented rotor control system and a suspension system for bumps. “The suspension system is being designed specifically for wheelchairs and other support vehicles, but it can also be used generally. The rotor system is specifically for helicopters, to allow for easier rescue operations and to lessen turbulence while transporting patients,” he said.

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Mysuru man imparts theatre skills to tribal kids, pushes them to join mainstream

Theatre has evolved over time, perfecting the way it reflects the stories of society. It is a foremost artistic indulgence known to humankind since civilisation. In India, theatre is as vibrant as the country itself, and acts as a window to the ethos and culture of the land.

Taking a step further and bringing a synthesis between people, a 30-year-old man from Mysuru is introducing urban theatre to tribal haadis or hamlets, and inculcating the art form among the children there.

Vikas Chandra founded the theatre group, ‘Rangayaana’, in 2014 with the sole aim of imparting acting and theatre skills among tribal and rural folk. It was a chance awakening in Chandra, who as a highschooler, watched the shooting of a sequence of a Kannada film legend Vishnuvardhan-starrer, Vishnu Sene, near his house.

Fascinated, Chandra inquired with one of the junior artistes about getting a break in cinema. He was advised that by joining theatre training school ‘Kalamandira’, he stood a chance at the movies.

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HAL opens office in Kuala Lumpur to explore business operations in Southeast Asia

HAL’s new office in Kuala Lumpur would take up the market promotion of the company’s range of products and services not only in Malaysia but also all of Southeast Asia

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will set up an office in Kuala Lumpur to tap business opportunities in Malaysia and the entire Southeast Asian region, the PSU said in a statement on Thursday.

The new office is expected to help the public sector firm to explore business around Fighter Lead-in Trainer (FLIT) LCA and other requirements of Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) like Su-30 MKM and Hawk upgrades, as per HAL.

“It will reinforce the commitment of India in supporting the Malaysian Defence Forces and industry for sustainable aerospace and defence landscape in Malaysia,’‘ said a company communique.

According to HAL, the company had submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), Malaysia in October 2021 for the supply of 18 FLIT LCAs against a global tender issued by RMAF.

The final winner of the tender is expected to be declared soon by Malaysian authorities and LCA Tejas stands a fair chance of selection in the bid as it meets all the parameters sought by RMAF, as per the release.

Udupi: MAHE to launch online course ‘Discerning India- Living Cultures of Tulunadu’ on Aug 18

The official launch of the course ‘Discerning India: Living Cultures of Tulunadu will take place on Thursday, August 18 in front of EDU building Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal at 4.30 pm. This will be flagged off by Dr Ranjan Pai, chairman of Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG), pro chancellor of Manipal Academy of Higher Educaiton (MAHE), Dr H S Ballal, vice chancellor, Lt Gen Dr M D Venkatesh and the registrar Dr Narayana Sabhahit.

The course is an extension of efforts made by MAHE to highlight the knowledge systems of local community to the larger world. It is designed and offered by the Centre for Intercultural Studies and Dialogue (CISD), MAHE. The event will be marked by a special performance of ‘Tiger Dance (Pili Vesha) by Ashok Kadubettu and Team, a well-known Tiger Dance Performers of Udupi.

Details about the course

Discerning India: Living Cultures of Tulunadu is a self-paced online course that introduces the participants to the essence of the region. The course comprises the following units: Theatre and Performance: Yakshagana; Community and Sports: Kambala; Worship Traditions: Bhutaradhane; Nagaradhane.

The broader idea of this course is to nurture critical thinking and facilitate dialogue on different aspects of cultures. There are culture specific reasons and meanings for practices and activities that are an integral part of people’s lives. The course opens a space for analysis and reflections on these values. This course is designed for all those who are interested in exploring new cultures and understanding diversity of living. This is a two- credit online certificate course delivered in English and powered by the Directorate of Online Education, MAHE. It includes video documentaries, series of video lectures, readings and quizzes.

Mangaluru: Education minister congratulates international Taekwondo student achiever

State minister of education B C Nagesh has congratulated over the phone Samhita Alevooraya, first PUC student of Sharada College here who won silver medal in the world Taekwondo championships.

The education minister who telephoned Vasudev Bhat Kunjathodi, the parent of Samhita residing at Kadri here, congratulated the student. He appreciated the encouragement provided to the student in the sport and said that he will inform the chief minister about her.

Bantwal MLA Rajesh Naik also telephoned and congratulated the student for her achievement and said that it is an inspiration to other students.

SBI opens first branch for startups in Bengaluru

State Bank of India, while inaugurating the ‘SBI Start-Up Branch’ at Koramangala, said the facility comes under a pact between the Karnataka government and SBI to further boost the state’s startup ecosystem

India’s largest lender SBI on Tuesday opened its first-ever startup branch in Bengaluru, which will be dedicated to fund and support early-stage entrepreneurs in setting up new companies till their listing on stock exchanges.

Karnataka has been ranked the best state in the country in terms of startup ecosystem and creating new avenues for them to access credit and funding, SBI said in a release.

“It is the first in the country to provide financing to support startup growth, facilitating entrepreneurs all the way to realise their dreams,” Ashwath Narayan C. N., Minister for Higher Education; IT & BT, Science & Technology; Skill Development, Entrepreneurship & Livelihood, government of Karnataka, said on Twitter, the release said.

Exclusively for startups

The exclusive branch for startups will provide services such as loans, deposits, transaction banking, outward and inward remittances, payments, cash management, forex, insurance, custodial services, capital market and legal advisory, structuring, demat and trading.

Mangaluru: Fashionavya, exclusive collection by country’s best designers inaugurated

A much-awaited event for all fashion enthusiasts, a two- day ‘Fashionavya’, was inaugurated at Hotel Moti Mahal on Tuesday, August 16.

President of Ladies Circle 82 Monisha D Souza, president of Ladies Club Shirley Coelho, secretary Nayana Fernandes, JCI member and social worker Sumayya S K, psychologist Dr Ruksana Hasan, public relations officer Akshatha Lathish, president of Inner Wheel Club of Mangaluru North Vasanthi Kamath, immediate past president of Inner Wheel Mangaluru North Bharathi Prakash, member Sudha Jairam, counsellor, astrologer Kavitha and others were the guests for Fashionavya inaugural ceremony.

Fashionavya curates the exclusive collection of some of the latest and sought-after enthusiastic designers, who are mindfully handpicked from all over India. These designers bring in the best of the in-season assortments at the cost-effective latest designs on August 16 and 17, 11 am to 9 PM at Hotel Moti Mahal. Entry is free for visitors with all Covid safety protocols.

Fashionista, serving fashion lovers since 2008 with 350+ exhibitions in 40 Indian cities, is set to fascinate Mangaluru this time, with its 3rd Edition of Fashionavya.

Fashionista has recently won ‘The Gold Award 2022 in the Regional Star Category’ in the ‘Exhibitions Excellence Awards 2022,’ Delhi for conducting the greatest number of exhibitions in B-Cities of India. The award is one of the highest accolades an exhibition company can receive.

Fashionavya will offer apparel, jewellery, accessories, beauty products, cosmetics, fragrances, home decor, gifts, consumer durables, etc. If one is looking for some exclusive additions to their wardrobe for the upcoming season, then one must check in with the Fashionavya exhibition.

Fashion and lifestyle brands will be participating in this exclusive event from 20 diverse cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur, Pune, Jalna, Raipur, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Surat, Dharwad, Kolhapur, Belgavi, Coimbatore, Mangaluru and many more.

Managing director of Fashionista Pawan Shankar, propreitor Yukthi Shankar and floor manager Vinod were present.

Contact:

+91 9930734181

+91 9820175842

+91 9619780555

+91 9619780581

Website: www.fashionistaindia.com

Puttur: Historical well with Gandhiji connection exists here

Even as the country celebrates ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ this year it is time to remember, recall and respect all the political sufferers and freedom fighters who have fought for India’s independence.

Mahatma Gandhi who played a key role in India’s freedom struggle is remembered for his visit to Dakshina Kannada district. He was on a visit to Puttur as part of the campaign to eradicate untouchability against the dalits.

He was instrumental in galvanising the freedom struggle and in ensuring equality in society especially with regard to the dalits.

In 1934, Mahatma Gandhi had paid a visit to Puttur on his way from Sullia by foot. He was received then by M S Kille, Mallya, Molahalli Shivarayaru and Shivarama Karanth among other luminaries. Gandhi had participated in a small meeting below a large peepal tree at the present Puttur government bus station.

Gandhi had given a call to eradicate untouchability. He paid a visit to two dalit colonies in Puttur and in particular his visit to Ragikumeru colony is still remembered. There was no supply of drinking water to the families of Ragikumeru. It is said that people of the colony were consuming drainage water that was flowing adjacent to their colony. Noticing this, Gandhi directed his confidants to immediately construct a well which exists even to this day next to the Ragikumeru road.

The youths have come to know of Gandhi’s visit to the colony today. Gandhi’s visit was and has been fondly remembered by the people of the colony as he had directed his confidants to construct a well at a time when the region was facing a shortage of food.

This well falls under the ambit of the city municipal council. However, the water in the well is not being widely used these days as adequate drinking water is being supplied through pipelines to the inhabitants of Puttur. But, the existence of this well brings back memories of Gandhi among the people of Puttur and Gandhi’s largesse in getting a well constructed.

The lives of the residents of Ragikumeru have considerably improved but residents feel a lot more needs to be done.

Six police officers from State selected for Union Home Minister’s award

Superintendent of Police (Lokayukta) Lakshmi Ganesh K. is among six officials from the State selected for the prestigious Union Home Minister’s medal for excellence in investigation for the current year.

The other officers include Shankar K Marihal , SP, HESCOM, Hubballi Division, Venkatappa Nayaka, Dy.SP, Sindhanoor sub division, Raichur district, M.R. Gowtham, Dy.SP, Karnataka Lokayukta, Ramanagaram district, Shankaragouda Patil, Dy.SP, CID, Kalaburagi, and H. Gurubasavaraj, Inspector, Basavanagar station, Davanagere .

These officials are among the 151 officers selected for the award across the country.