Travel – Page 4 – Karnataka First

PM Modi to dedicate to nation Konkan Railway electrified network today

The 741-km KRCL network between Thokur (Mangaluru) and Roha was certified for operating trains on electric traction on March 28 this year

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation the 741-kilometre-long electrified route network of Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd. (KRCL) between Thokur (Mangaluru) and Roha (Maharashtra) in virtual mode from Bengaluru on Monday.

Mr. Modi will flag off trains running on electric traction from Udupi, Madgaon and Ratnagiri at a programme to be held at 3 p.m. in Bengaluru.

Inauguration of the complete electrification of the track, which was certified for operation of electric loco-hauled trains on March 28, facilitates seamless operation of trains on electric traction on the western coast of the country.

While Train Nos. 16515/16516 Yeshwantpur-Karwar-Yeshwantpur Tri-weekly Express was the first coaching train to run on electric traction between Mangaluru Junction and Karwar on January 20,

Mr. Nikam told The Hindu that as of now the Karwar Express was the lone coaching train running on electric traction in the State, while the corporation is operating almost all freight trains, except towards South Western Railway (SWR), on electric traction. South Western Railway is yet to complete electrification of the Madgaon-Londa and Mangaluru-Hassan sections.

He further said that all the seven, but one in Bali, Goa, electric substations in the Karwar region have been commissioned and are ready to feed electric locos. Post the inauguration on Monday, KRCL will commence handling coaching trains on electric traction from adjoining zones in a phased manner after notifying the zones concerned, he added.

A look at India’s first sand sculpture museum in Mysore

Synopsis

The museum was conceptualised by the famous sand artist, MN Gowri. She took around four months to create the whole look.

Mysore (or Mysuru) is a historic city of Karnataka brimming with incredible attractions including Mysore Palace, Vrindavan Gardens and Mysore Zoo, among others. But did you know that Karnataka’s cultural hub is also home to a unique sand sculpture museum which has taken the country by surprise. It is also India’s first sand sculpture museum.

The museum was conceptualised by the famous sand artist, MN Gowri. She took around four months to create the whole look.

So, first of all, let’s talk about the location of the museum which is awesome. The museum is built close to Chamundi Hill and displays the rich cultural heritage of the city. The incredible museum is home to around 150 monoliths made using 115 truckloads of sand, water and a little glue!

toi/timestravel

3rd edition – Indian Open of Surfing: Ramesh Budhial, Sugar Banarse, Kishore Kumar Crowned Champions, May 27-29, 2022 – Panambur Beach, Mangalore

The three-day premiere surfing competition under the aegis of the Surfing Federation of India was hosted by the Mantra Surf Club at the tranquil Panambur Beach in Mangalore, the organisers informed in a release on Sunday.

In a nail-biting finish, Karnataka’s Ramesh Budhial snatched victory from the grasp of Tamil Nadu’s Ajeesh Ali to be crowned as the new national champion in the Men’s Open Surf category on the final day of the 3rd Indian Open of Surfing on Sunday.

Sugar Banarse and Sofiya Sharma too were crowned the national champions in the Women’s Open and groms girls (16 & under) categories respectively, while Tamil Nadu’s Kishore Kumar became the national champion in the groms boys (16 & under) category.

Speaking after the tournament, Arun Vasu, President, Surfing Federation of India, said, “I am very impressed with the quality of surfers that whom we are watching compete here at Mangalore. With the LA Olympics insight, we are working hard to identify young and upcoming surfers and the quality and skill at display today only gives me the confidence to keep believing in our objectives. I would like to thank all the surfers who participated in this tournament and congratulate the winners for showcasing some great surfing.”

Ramesh finished with a total score of 16.33, while runner-up Ajeesh Ali finished with 15.67 points. Sathish Sarvanan was third with 13 points.

The women’s open surf competition saw Goa’s 16-year-old Sugar Banarse walk away with the national championship crown from Tamil Nadu surfer and defending champion Srishti Selvam. Sugar, who had initially registered for the groms girls 16 & under category, was brave enough to take the chance of competing in the women’s open category and impressed everyone with her skills and surfing from the start. Sugar scored a total of 14.50 points while runner-up Srishti Selvam earned 13.40 points. Karnataka’s Sinchana Gowda finished third with 10.20 points.

news18.com/29.05.22

Pant Maharaj’s portrait finds a place in airport gallery

A portrait of Pant Maharaj, a 19 ^th century saint from Balekundri village, now adorns the art gallery at the Sambra Airport in Belagavi.

This is a tribute to the proponent of Avadhut Navanath philosophy who spoke of the need for love for all humans, in his books Datta Prema Lahari and Prema Tarang.

Apart from a brief biographical detail about the seer, the 64 sq ft image contains a road map and directions to Balekundri, that is just four kilometres away from the airport.

A contemporary of Swami Vivekananda, Pant Maharaj was a proponent of spiritualism devoid of strict rituals. People from various castes visit his Samadhi and temple at Balekundri. Thousands from across Karnataka and Maharashtra gather at the annual festival in December.

Pant Maharaj was born in 1855 and passed away in 1905. He worked as a teacher in Belagavi for some years, before becoming a monk. He considered Sri Balmukund and Sri Kallappa Maharaj as his Gurus.

Pant Maharaj chronicled his experiences of meditation in his books and essays. He met Swami Vivekananda when the latter visited Belagavi in 1892.

th/Belagavi

Finally, ‘airport-like’ Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal opens to public

Inaugural train chugs off from the Baiyappanahalli terminal to Ernakulam

Commuters who boarded the first train from the Sir. M. Visvesvaraya Terminal, Baiyappanahalli (SMVB Terminal), on Monday evening were pleasantly surprised to finally use the swanky airport-like air-conditioned railway station.

“It looks like an airport and it was hard to believe. I reached here using Google Maps, but was taken aback after I reached here. I asked the auto driver twice whether this was indeed the railway station I was supposed to be dropped at,” said Amal, a commuter who travelled to Ernakulam on the first train from the terminal.

Most commuters were appreciative of the facilities and the state-of-the-art interiors of the railway station, one of its kind in the country. “The facilities at the station are very good — escalators, air-conditioning, food court, the lounges — definitely much better than any station. The terminal is definitely a great addition to a global city like Bengaluru,” said Sri Priya, another commuter.

‘080 Lounges’ to bring luxury back to flying at Bengaluru airport

Domestic and international flyers at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) can now relax at the luxurious ‘080 Lounges’, recently unveiled by Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL).

All the aspects in the domestic and the international lounges, including art, artisans, and heritage, revolve around Bengaluru and even the name, 080 is attributed to the city’s trunk dial code.

While the first phase of the project is now open, once the second phase is also inaugurated, each lounge will occupy a space of over 2,000 square feet.

Video | The new 080 Lounges at Bengaluru airport in June 2022

** ElectricPe aggregates 2,500 EV charging points in Bengaluru, partners with Electric One

ElectricPe, an EV charging aggregator platform, claims to have 2,500 public charging points in Bengaluru.

ElectricPe has a B2C EV charging and demand generation app that offers EV users a one-stop platform where users could identify, access, and pay for EV charging points to make e-mobility easier.

ElectricPe has a mandate to facilitate 1,00,000 public charging points across India on its platform by the end of 2022.

To expand its charging infrastructure in Bengaluru and in other parts of India, the company has entered into a partnership with Electric One that has 82 EV super stores across the country.

** BMRCL to run indigenously built trains soon

First indigenously built coaches of Namma Metro have been recently given the green signal to be inducted into operations by the Railway Board. The seven brand new trains with 42 coaches, readied by BEML, are stationed at Peenya.

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) now has a fleet of 57 trains with six cars each. They will be mainly used on the Baiyappanahalli-Whitefield line, which is set to be launched by year-end.

The Railway Board communicated to the BMRCL director on May 18 that the coaches have been cleared to run at a maximum speed of 80kmph. It has also given permission to use the rolling stock for the Purple and Green Line corridors.

BMRCL MD Anjum Parwez said, “We will utilise these trains for the Baiyappanahalli-Whitefield line and between Kengeri and Challaghatta”

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** Mangaluru: Three-day Indian Open of Surfing to begin on May 27

A three-day Indian Open of Surfing (national surfing championship 2022) will begin from May 27 to 29 at Panambur beach, informed deputy commissioner Dr K V Rajendra.

The event is organized by the state tourism department, Surfing Federation of India and Mantra surfing. The tourism department has funded Rs 15 lac for the event. More than 75 top surfers of India are expected to take part, while 70 surfers have confirmed their participation.

Surfing and stand up paddling across different categories which are male open, female open and male and female (U16). The preparation work has commenced to beautify the beach prior to the event.

** Inspired by Modi’s life, Hubballi firm comes up with tea dispenser

Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s life from a tea seller at Vadnagar railway station in Gujarat to become the Prime Minister who advocates for innovations and start-ups, Steira Technovations, a company from Hubballi, has come up with mobile tea dispensers to help poor tea vendors at railway stations and bus depots.

The tea vendors and sellers carry the hot tea or coffee in stainless steel containers. Holding the heavy container is tiring, and to reduce the burden, an insulated container with a capacity of 5 litres will be placed in a durable heat-resistant backpack attached to a cup dispenser.

Steira Technovations engineer Ganesh Balikai told TNIE that the company is not pursuing profits but it wants to solve the problems in the society. “We wanted to help the tea vendors who carry heavy containers to sell tea or coffee. The situation is the same in hotels and offices,” he said. Balikai said that the product can be carried easily on the back.

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