Education – Page 5 – Karnataka First

Pictorial remembrance of partition horrors at Sharnbasva University

SBU students explained about the horrors through pictures in the newspapers

The horrors of the partition of India and Pakistan were presented in a pictorial format at the Sharnbasva University. Godutai Women’s Engineering College students explained about the horrors through pictures in the newspapers.

Presidential Sena Medal awardee Subedar Shantayya Swamy went around the exhibition with Subedar Major Phool Chand Sharma of the 32 Karnataka Batallian, NCC, Kalaburagi.

Later, addressing the students, Mr. Swamy recalled his exploits as the leader of the commando group which ambushed a team of Pakistan soldiers during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war and asked the students to come forward to join the Armed Forces for a bright future and also get a chance to serve the nation.

He said even during his school days, he was enamoured by the exploits of the Armed Forces and had joined the NCC when he was in school and with those NCC certificates he joined the Madras Regiment in 1961.

“With just 50 paise in my pocket, I travelled to Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh to join the Armed Forces. After his six months training at Madras Regiment in Wellington at Ootacamund (Udhagamandalam), I was posted at the Indo-China Border. After my participation in the Indo-China War in 1961, I was transferred to several other forward areas and participated in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Pakistan 1971 war in which Bangladesh was created,” Mr. Swamy said.

Mangaluru: Srinivas Institute of Technology students receive ‘Best project of the year award’

The 45th series of state-level ‘Student Project Program’ was conducted by KSCST, Bengaluru, in association with VTU, Belagavi on August 12 and 13 at VTU.

In this project exhibition, project titled ‘Energy generation using fly-wheel and magnet; was awarded the ‘Best Project Of The Year’ under the project exhibition category.

This project was carried out by the students- Chirag G Poojary, Karthik C, Sajith and Vijetha K Naik of department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, under the guidance of professor Lokesha B.

Also, the project titled ‘Robotic Arm Installed Fruit Plucking UAV based on AI’ was awarded the ‘Best Project Of The Year’ under seminar category. This project was carried out by the students- Navaneeth Soni, Naveen Kumar, Nithin Kumar and Vardhaman Ravindra Vasavade of department of Aeronautical Engineering, under the guidance of professor Srinidhi Kukkila.

Dr Karisiddappa, vice-chancellor of VTU presented the awards. There were 332 projects for the exhibition. Dr CA A Raghavendra Rao, president and Dr A Srinivas Rao, vice-president of Srinivas group of institutions have appreciated the efforts by the students and also congratulated them for winning the awards. Dr Shrinivasa Mayya D, principal and the heads of the departments have also complemented the students for their outstanding performance in the programme and receiving the awards.

CPSI launched to boost mental healthcare

More investment should come into the crucial clinical psychology segment, said Capt. P Manivannan, secretary to the government, Social Welfare Department.

At the launch of the Clinical Psychology Society of India (CPSI), he said 75 per cent of employees face mental health issues because of an unstable work environment and initiatives like CPSI will help in educating professionals to provide the right care.

NIMHANS Director Dr Pratima Murty said the number of clinical psychologists at 2,900 is meagre in the country. Efforts are required to bring a drastic change in resolving mental health issues. CSPI will help in providing quality healthcare to people and training and education to medical graduates, she said.

CPSI president Dr Jamuna Rajeshwaran said the organisation will establish evidence-based care for psychological disorders. CPSI was formed as a regulating and monitoring body was lacking, she added.

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Freedom fighters gallery launched in Bidar

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

A school and colleges run by the group have shared database of the lives of 100 freedom fighters that includes photos, videos, audios and documents. The sharing has been done online using social media and websites and offline by attaching Quick Response codes (QR codes) to images of freedom fighters that are pasted in prominent places across the State.

They were showcased in an offline exhibition on the college campus in Bidar between August 8 and August 10. It is on continuous online display on the Shaheen College website, https://shaheengroup.org/.

“We hope to reach at least one crore people with this project,’’ Abdul Quadeer, school society chairman, said at the inauguration. “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,’’ Dr. Quadeer said. This programme is part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav event.

Each one of the 100 photographs has a QR code at the bottom. Scanning it will lead to the database of text, audio and video clips in Kannada, English and Urdu.

The exhibition has images of Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdeo, Chandrashekar Azad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Nana Saheb, Lala Lajpatrai, 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 the State.

Shaheen Group is also promoting flag hoisting as part of the Har Ghar Tiranga programme. At least 1,000 students have hoisted the tricolour in their homes. “We have distributed to the public, 50,000 pocket sized flags and 10,000 hand-held flags,” he said.

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

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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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.

8-yr-old Mangalurean boy becomes youngest in GCC to climb Mt Kilimanjaro peak

Eight-year-old Ayaan Mendon from Mangaluru became the youngest person in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa on August 4.

On the morning of the August 4, Ayaan stood against the sign reading ‘Uhuru Peak’ in bold, holding the Indian flag after finishing a eight-day hike to Kilimanjaro.

Ayaan Mendon is from Mangaluru who resides in Dubai. He is currently studying at the North London Collegiate School Dubai. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro has been on his bucket list since he was six. Wanting to be part of a former hike with his parents to Mount Elbrus and being young, he was promised to be taken on for the next hike.

On a practice hike in Nepal, he did very well, which gave his parents the confidence to take him to Kilimanjaro. There starts the planning and preparation for Kilimanjaro.

The training was not easy. Ayaan loves to train with his swimming squad (Proactive Academy) and his trainer (Coach Tariq) for boxing and other workouts. Ayaan is very energetic and is always ready for adventures. Ayaan had trained himself for two years unknowingly that it was to achieve this feat.

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.