Amazing Feats – Page 11 – Karnataka First

Anathalaya To Present Thathaiah Award-2022 To ‘Software Ratnakara’ Dr. S. Murali Tomorrow

By C. V. Gopinath, President, Anathalaya and former Additional Secretary to Government of India

The Anathalaya on Narayana Shastri Road, Mysuru, founded in 1896 to serve the poor students, this year is celebrating Thathaiah’s Day at 4 pm on Saturday, 10th September 2022, at the Anathalaya premises.

The celebration coincides with the commemoration of the 178th birth anniversary of its Founder, the Grand Old Man of Mysore, Vrudhapitamaha, Daya Sagara, M. Venkatakrishnaiah.

Every year on the occasion of the Founder’s Day celebration, the institute confers Thathaiah Award after the name of Vrudhapitamaha, Daya Sagara, M. Venkatakrishnaiah and carries a purse of Rs. 25,000.

The award is conferred on persons of high achievements in the field of education, journalism, social reforms and service to society. This year’s award will be conferred on Dr. S. Murali, the renowned Educationist and Eminent Computer Engineer popularly known as “Software Ratnakara.”

About the Awardee

S. Murali holds a Ph.D in Computer Engineering from the University of Mysore (UoM) with a teaching experience in engineering subjects for more than 33 years. He has to his credit more than 250 research papers at National and International levels. Murali has conducted several workshops on Computer Vision and Image Processing technology. He has guided more than 16 Ph.D scholars.

At present he is serving as Chairman of two Technical Colleges, twenty Degree Colleges, two MBA Institutes, one each of Ayurvedic Degree College and Nursing College. Murali has received many national and international awards.

Thathaiah and Anathalaya

Hailing from Magge village in Anatharasanthe hobli of H.D. Kote taluk in Mysuru District, Magge Venkatakrishnaiah, popularly known as Thathaiah, and always referred as the Grand Old Man of Mysore established this institution in 1896. He came from a very poor family that migrated to Mysore and was joined by several like-minded people such as Ambale Annaiah Pandit, C. Narasimhaiah and others to serve the cause of poor students by providing free food and shelter.

Initially, Anathalaya was established by Swami Nanjunda Saraswati at Niranjana Mutt premises on Krishna Vilasa Road. Later some land was allotted near Subbarayanakere on Narayana Shastri Road. At this stage, Thathaiah took charge of this institution when over a period of time Advocate K. Chandrashekharaiah, Chartered Accountant P.R. Hariharan, landlord Mirle Najundaiah, Prof. S.V. Ranganna and Thathaiah’s grandson, M.S. Srinivasa Rao joined the humanitarian crusade by making major contributions to develop this institution for serving the cause of poor students coming from villages in and around Mysore district.

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Shell enters EV charging business, starting with Bengaluru

The energy company has plans to install over 10,000 charging points across India by 2030

Shell, an integrated energy firm, has chosen Bengaluru to set up its first sets of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for four-wheeler and two-wheeler segments in India.

To start with, the company on Thursday opened five Shell recharge stations at Yeshwanthpur, Marathahalli, Old Madras Road, Brookefield, and on Kanakpura Road.

Shell will provide customised charging solutions at on-the-go locations such as Shell fuel stations, standalone EV hubs, home charging, and destination locations.

For on-the-go and standalone EV hubs, the company will deploy 100 kilowatts (KW) and above direct-current (DC) fast chargers to enable fast charging and the lowest possible dwell time, as per company officials.

The company has plans to expand its EV charging infrastructure beyond its existing retail markets of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Assam, and Andhra Pradesh.

Shell Energy said it has plans to set up over 10,000 such stations across the country by 2030. Shell recharge chargers would be 100% powered by green energy, it said.

Customers will be able to operate these chargers through the ‘Shell Recharge India app’, available on both Android and iOS operating systems.

Why home delivery partners prefer electric bikes

Mangaluru: 25th annual national homoeopathic conference ‘Impetus’ inaugurated at FMHMC

The inaugural programme of the 25th Annual national homoeopathic conference ‘IMPETUS 2022 – Kindle The Process To Success’ of Father Muller Homoeopathic Medical College (FMHMC) was held on September 16 at the Father Muller Auditorium, Deralakatte.

The chief guest of the programme was Prof Dr Satheesh Kumar Bhandary, MS (ENT), FRCS (England), vice chancellor NITTE (Deemed to be University) and the president of the function was Fr Richard Aloysius Coelho, the director of Father Muller Charitable Institutions.

The chief guest of the programme, Prof Dr Satheesh Kumar Bhandary gave his inaugural address in which he highlighted the immense contribution of Father Muller Institution to the field of health and Education. He expressed his wishes and hopes in forming collaborative joint ventures in the field of Scientific Research and Education in the form of Memorandum of Understanding. The chief guest, then proceeded with the release of the souvenir and was accompanied by the other dignitaries on the stage. Dr Raisa Cherian the Chairperson of the Souvenir Committee joined the release of the Souvenir Magazine.

Father Muller Homoeopathic Pharmaceutical division is famous all over the world for its quality products and medicines and is always in the process of modernizing, renovating and creating better products. Fr Roshan Crasta, administrator, FMHMC&H and FMHPD, launched a series of new products, along with the director Fr Richard A Coelho. In his message on the occasion, the administrator explained about the new products and also conveyed his wishes for the day.

Research and innovations are the life blood of any educational institution and the research unit of FMHMC have brought out a research bulletin, aggregating and spotlighting the achievements of the staff and students in this arena. The first introductory volume of the research bulletin was released by the director, Fr Richard A Coelho. The Research and Scientific Committee coordinator Dr Kurian P J also joined the dignitaries for the release.

IISc scientists develop gold-coated vesicles to fight tuberculosis

The spherical vesicles, which can be delivered to immune cells, are expected to potentially trigger an immune response

To combat tuberculosis, researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have designed a new method under which a vaccine candidate for the disease can be delivered by making use of Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs). These spherical vesicles, which can be delivered to immune cells, are secreted by bacteria coated on gold nanoparticles. The deliverance is expected to potentially trigger an immune response to offer protection against TB.

Across the world, TB, which is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, claims the lives of over a million people every year. Currently, BCG is the only effective vaccine against TB. It contains a weakened form of the disease-causing bacterium, which when injected into the bloodstream, produces antibodies which can help fight the disease.

However, the scientists have said that the BCG vaccine does not protect adolescents and adults as effectively as it does children. Prompted by this, Rachit Agarwal, Assistant Professor at the Centre for BioSystems Science and Engineering (BSSE), IISc, and his group worked on developing a potential subunit vaccine candidate that contains only parts of the infectious bacterium to stimulate an immune response.

Although other scientists had developed subunit vaccines based on a handful of proteins from the disease-causing bacteria earlier, they had not been effective in the treatment. Agarwal’s group decided to take a slightly varied approach and made use of OMVs — which are spherical membrane-bound particles released by some bacteria, and contain an assortment of proteins and lipids which could induce an immune response against the pathogen.

“They’re safer compared to a live bacterium, and since they are membrane-derived, they contain all kinds of antigens,” explained Agarwal, the senior author of the paper published in Biomaterials Advances. The researchers further explained that while subunit vaccines typically only contain a limited number of antigens — bacterial proteins that can elicit an immune response in the host, the OMVs contain a variety of antigens, which can induce a better immune response.

“Mycobacterium-derived OMVs are usually unstable and come in different sizes, making them unsuitable for vaccine applications. But the OMVs coated on gold nanoparticles (OMV-AuNPs) by the IISc team were found to be uniform in size and stable. The researchers also found that human immune cells showed a higher uptake of OMV-AuNPs (gold nanoparticles) than of OMVs or gold nanoparticles alone”, said an IISc press release.

According to Avijit Goswami, a former postdoctoral fellow at BSSE and one of the first authors of the study, the most challenging part was the production and scaling up of OMVs as it was a complex process. “To synthesise OMV-AuNPs, the OMVs and the gold nanoparticles are forced together through a 100 nm filter. The OMVs break up in the process and encapsulate the gold nanoparticles,” explained Edna George, a former postdoctoral fellow at BSSE, and co-first author of the study.

During this study, the immune cells, which were cultured in the lab, were treated with OMVs derived from a related bacterial species which does not cause disease in humans, called as Mycobacterium smegmatis. Furthering their research, the team plans to develop gold-coated OMVs derived directly from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. They will then test the same on animal models and carry the results forward for clinical applications.

“Such efforts could open up new avenues for the development of vaccines for other bacterial diseases as well”, the release said.

Woman entrepreneurs expo in Hubballi

The two-day exhibition, Koushalya 2k22, is being organised by WeTie

A two-day exhibition of products manufactured by woman entrepreneurs, Koushalya 2k22, is being organised by WeTie (Women’s wing of The Indus Entrepreneurs-TiE), Hubballi, from Friday.

Addressing presspersons in Hubballi on Tuesday, TiE Hubballi president Shravani Pawar, convenor of WeTie Shilpa Shetty and co-convenor Shruti Hebsur said that the event is aimed at promoting woman entrepreneurs of North Karnataka.

The exhibition will be held at Hebsur Bhavan on Gokul Road in Hubballi. The exhibition will showcase products and services by woman entrepreneurs from across the State and also from Maharashtra, Gujarat and other States.

Ms. Shravani said that apart from providing training in various business skills to facilitating upscaling of their business, WeTie wanted to provide them marketing space so that they can reach out to a larger number of customers. So, the exhibition is being organised, she said.

Ms. Shilpa Shetty said that there will be 50 stalls, in all, at the exhibition showcasing different products and services.

Ms. Shruti Hebsur said that the exhibition will be inaugurated by Joint Director of District Industries Centre T. Siddanna at 10.30 a.m. on Friday.

Managing Director of Swarnaa Group of Companies V.S.V. Prasad and entrepreneur Kalpana Nayak will be the guest of honours for the inaugural session.

CSIR-CFTRI reaches out to micro entrepreneurs, start-ups

Plans skill initiatives on spice processing and post-harvest technologies for horticultural crops this month under CSIR Integrated Skill program

CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) is organising two Skill Development initiatives in Spice Processing on September 20 and Post-Harvest Technologies for Horticultural Crops on September 30 under CSIR Integrated Skill Initiative for the benefit of the budding entrepreneurs, micro-entrepreneurs, startups, SHGs and entrepreneurial aspirants. The registration fee for the programs is nominal, it said.

Founded in 1950, CSIR-CFTRI, Mysuru, a constituent laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, is a well-regarded research and development institution in the field of food science and technology which is actively engaged in the creation of novel and sustainable solutions for national development. The institute has expert faculties who have considerable years of experience in the area of food science and technology, a release said.

India is the world’s largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices — the country produces about 75 of the 109 varieties listed by the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) and accounts for half of the global trading in spices. Indian spices are the most sought-after globally, given their exquisite aroma, texture, taste and medicinal value. India has the largest domestic market for spices in the world.

According to the CFTRI, the workshop on Spice Processing will be conducted in a hybrid mode — both offline and online mode. As many as 30 participants can visit the Institute for offline participation on a first-come-first-serve basis. The workshop will cover in detail about the current status and opportunities in spice processing, spice nutraceuticals and trends towards their value addition, analytical methods in spice processing, encapsulation of flavours and colorants, fumigation and infestation control for safe storage of spices, food safety standards and regulation in spice processing etc., the release said.

According to APEDA records, India is the world’s top producer of vegetables like ginger, okra and the leading producer of fruits including bananas, papayas, and mangoes. Utilising India’s capacity for processing fruits and vegetables into frozen (IQF), canned, pulp, puree, paste, sauces, dressings, flakes, dices, dehydration, pickles, juices, slices, chips, jams, and jellies etc. presents a significant opportunity.

The key topics in the one-day workshop on “Post-Harvest Technologies for Horticultural Crops” covers role of pack house in post-harvest handling of horticultural products, technologies for estimation of shelf life and pack house operations of fruits and vegetables, packaging requirements for fresh fruits and vegetables, equipment for fruits and vegetables processing, dehydration and canning of fruits and vegetables, fruit juices and beverage manufacture, cold storage for fruit and vegetable products.

The last date to apply for the workshops is September 18 (for spice processing) and September 26 (post-harvest technologies).

Those interested to attend these workshops may go through the details available online at https://www.cftri.res.in/sdp

In a first, BBMP to distribute ‘smart cane’ for visually challenged

Officials said that the smart cane is capable of conveying information about an obstacle with at least three different patterns of vibrations that vary with distance. The detection range of the sensor is up to 3 metres

Bengaluru

For the first time, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will distribute ‘Smart Cane’, a handle-like device that can be attached to the white cane normally used by the visually challenged under a welfare scheme.

The welfare department of the civic body will provide smart cane to 943 visually impaired beneficiaries in the city.

Speaking to The Hindu, a senior BBMP official said, “This is the first time such an initiative has been taken up by the welfare department to provide a smart cane to visually impaired persons in the city free of cost. This unique scheme will help blind people who are from poor backgrounds who cannot afford such smart canes.”

According to officials, the smart cane will be foldable and is capable of detecting obstacles in front. “The detection range of the sensor is up to 3 metres and users have the option to reduce the detection range with help of a switch. Users also can adjust the angle sensor according to the height of the user,” officials explained.

The smart canes will be provided to beneficiaries who have registered for this scheme at the welfare department. The officials said that the smart cane is capable of conveying information about the obstacle distance with at least three different patterns of vibrations that vary with distance. “The smart cane is built in a rechargeable battery with 8 hours of use on a single charge. The sensor is detachable and it can be removed from the cane. The manufacturer of the product will give a 36 months warranty,” the official added.

Schemes to restart

After the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, most welfare schemes were on hold and the funds were all diverted for COVID-19 management. Now, the BBMP is clearing such welfare schemes by approving files, officials informed. “No welfare scheme has been implemented since 2020. The schemes were all put on the backburner on account of the pandemic. Available funds were all diverted for COVID-19 management,” BBMP’s senior officials said.

Barring a few schemes, such as reimbursement of school fees of children of pourakarmikas and ‘Onti Maney’, others such as wheelchairs for the disabled, distribution of sewing machines, laptops and tabs, and self-help programmes for women and transgender persons have not been implemented. The officials added that such welfare schemes will be implemented soon.

Apart from the smart cane, the BBMP will also provide laptops to blind people under welfare schemes.

Golden Shikhara for Ayodhya Ram Temple from Karnataka

‘Golden Shikhara from the birthplace of Lord Hanuman will be an apt gesture’

Udupi Pejawar Mutt Seer Sri Vishwaprasanna Tirtha Swamiji on Sunday, September 11, informed the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra Trust that devotees of Lord Rama from Karnataka will present the Golden Shikhara for the upcoming Sri Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Sri Vishwaprasanna, one of the Trustees of the Trust, made this demand at its meeting in Ayodhya, said a communiqué from the Mutt office. Presenting the Golden Shikhara from Karnataka, the birthplace of Lord Hanuman, would be an apt gesture, the Swamiji informed other trustees.

He said the Shikhara would be so designed to match the architecture of the temple with the help of devotees from Karnataka and be taken in procession across the State under the banner of Vishwa Hindu Parishat before presenting it at the temple in Ayodhya.

The Seer also suggested that the trustees may undertake a National Yatra to invite people for the inauguration of the temple scheduled for next year-end.

Meanwhile, the Trust decided to get the idol of Lord Rama carved in white stone mixed with blue colour for consecration of the temple. The cost of construction, initially estimated at ₹400 crore, was revised to ₹1,300 crore even as donations from devotees from across the country were pouring in. Construction cost as on date amounting to around ₹300 crore was managed through donations alone, the meeting was informed. The meeting discussed apt management of the initial donations of ₹1,000 crore.

Trust President Mahanta Gopala Dasa chaired the meeting attended among others by Secretary Champath Ray, Treasurer Govinda Giri Maharaj and others.

Sri Vishwaprasanna, who was observing Chaturmasa vrata at Hyderabad, went directly to Ayodhya after completing the ritual.

Lalbagh’s Christmas tree planted by Elizabeth II in the spotlight

The tree has now grown beyond 70 feet and will soon carry her name

The Lalbagh Botanical Garden is home to thousands of trees and plants and many have, hidden in their foliage, nuggets of history. One such has suddenly found itself in the spotlight following the death of Elizabeth II, the United Kingdom’s longest-ruling monarch.

The Christmas tree planted by her during her visit to Bengaluru in February 1961 has now grown beyond 70 feet, according to Horticulture Department officials.

The tree is located behind the Bandstand, near the Glass House. “In Lalbagh, we have over 75 trees which were planted by VVIPs. One of them was by Elizabeth II. Just 20 feet away from the tree planted by her is another Christmas tree planted by Abdul Ghaffar Khan (well-known as Frontier Gandhi). Almost 50 feet away from those trees is an Ashoka (Saraca asoca) tree planted by the former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi,” explained M. Jagadeesh, Joint Director (Parks), Horticulture Department.

Video surfaces

A video dating back to the queen’s visit to the city in 1961 has surfaced on the internet after her demise. In the video, it can be seen that as soon as she landed in Bengaluru with her husband, Prince Philip, she was welcomed by the then Governor of the State and the erstwhile ruler of the Mysuru, Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar. It also shows huge crowds which had gathered on the streets to greet and catch a glimpse of the royal couple and the queen planting a sapling at Lalbagh.

Thanks to this video, for the last two days, department officials have received many enquiries regarding this hitherto little-known tree.

“There is a lot of curiosity among people about the tree. They are calling and asking us where the tree is located and its identification. So far, we have not put up any sign or information board, but in a few days, we will put up an information board and a picture of the queen near the tree,” Mr. Jagadeesh said

Bengaluru boy tops JEE(Advanced) exam

R.K. Shishir, a student of Narayana E-Techno School, Vidyaranyapura, obtained 314 marks out of 360

A Bengaluru student aced the JEE (Advanced) exam, the results of which were announced on Sunday.

R.K. Shishir, a student of Narayana E-Techno School, Vidyaranyapura, emerged as the top ranker in the Common Rank List (CRL) of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay zone. He obtained 314 marks out of 360.

Vishal Bysani, a student from Allen Carrier Institute, got a CRL 13 of IIT Bombay zone and is the second topper of the State.

Shishir got 109 marks in Chemistry, 96 in Physics, and 109 in Mathematics. He also got the first rank in CET-2022 pharmacy and fourth rank in the Engineering stream. He got second rank (AIR) in Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana, which was conducted by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.

Shishir wants to pursue Computer Science Engineering at IIT, Bombay. He shared his happiness with The Hindu: “It was really challenging, but I am very happy that I could make it. I would definitely thank the Narayana system, my parents, and my teaching faculty who were with me in and out during two years of my advanced preparation.”

“Narayana Micro Schedule, the weekly and cumulative exams, the rectification of errors list and national-wide analysis made me understand the pros and cons in every subject, which helped me understand my position and worked on it continuously. As my goal was to achieve a seat in top-notch IITs, COVID-19 didn’t affect me in any way. During the pandemic, I preferred self-study. In fact, it helped me to prepare well. IIT Bombay is the startup hub of India. I am interested to set up a startup and contribute to society,” he added.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai lauded Shishir’s achievement. In his tweet, he congratulated him, “Hearty congratulations to Shishir R.K, who got the first position in JEE (Advanced) examination and increased the fame of Karnataka. I wish you further success in the future.”

Vishal, who was also the fifth topper in CET 2022 and second topper in COMED-K in the Engineering stream, said, “The habit of performing consistently every year was due to my mentors. They had unquestionable faith in me, my preparation instincts and approach towards studies. During this entire period of preparation, my parents and my teachers’ unstinting support played a big role in my success.”