Category: Leaders

** Five from diverse fields win Padma Shri from State

Siddalingaiah, H.R. Keshavamurthy, S. Ayyappan, Abdul Khader Nadakattin and Amai Mahalinga Naika are the recipients

Dalit poet Siddalingaiah, who passed away in June 2021, has been posthumously awarded the Padma Shri by the Union Government on Tuesday.

He is among the five from Karnataka to figure in the list of Padma awards announced on the eve of Republic Day.

The other awardees are Gamaka exponent H.R. Keshavamurthy, agricultural scientist S. Ayyappan, innovative farmer Abdul Khader Nadakattin and farmer Amai Mahalinga Naika.

Dalit voice

Siddalingaiah emerged as one of the prominent Dalit voices in the State and was one of the co-founders of Dalit Sangharsha Samiti. He was known for his fiery poetry, though the tone of his writing changed to wry humour in later years. He taught Kannada at Bangalore University and was a recipient of Pampa Award, the highest literary award of the state. He lost his battle to COVID-19 in 2021 at 67.

Gamaka exponent H.R. Keshavamurthy, 87, hailing from Hosahalli village, Shivamogga district, has been practising the unique art of rendering classical epics through music for over five decades. With the late Mattur Krishnamurthy, he had given several television programmes as well. Speaking to The Hindu, he said he was happy that the Gamaka art was recognised at the national level. “I have only tried to do what best I could and the rest is all God’s grace. I wish more youngsters learn Gamaka and keep this art alive,” he said.

Research honoured

Agricultural scientist S. Ayyappan, former Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research, told The Hindu that the award was a recognition of aquaculture and its contribution to the nation. Hailing from Chamarajnagar, Dr. Ayyappan is an alumnus of University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru. His areas of research have been fisheries, freshwater aquaculture and aquatic microbiology. Joining the Agriculture Research Service of ICAR in 1978, he served in various capacities including as its Director General.

Innovative farmer Abdul Khader Nadakattin from Annigeri in Dharwad district, who spent his entire life designing and producing farm equipment and tools that made farming easy is also among Padma Shri recipients from State. He spent close to five decades in designing farm tools and equipment fighting against odds, and now runs Vishwashanthi Agri Research Centre. Himself a farmer, Mr. Nadakattin says he designed tools based on the difficulties he experienced in various farm activities.

Low-profile farmer

Keeping with the trend of awarding low-profile achievers, the Union Government has recognised the sheer grit and determination of Amai Mahalinga Naika, 76, who single handedly drilled seven tunnels on a hill slope for years and successfully brought water to his field near Mangaluru. An expert in climbing areca and palm trees, he was given two acres of land by a farmer with whom he was working as a labourer. But given the land was a hill slope and had no access to water source, Mr. Naika began drilling tunnels. After decades of working single-handedly and drilling seven tunnels he finally got water to his two acre farm.

** Police officers conferred with Distinguished and Meritorious service medals

A total of 21 police personnel including three IPS officers from Karnataka have been awarded Police Medals by the Union Home Ministry. The Centre on Tuesday, the eve of Republic Day, announced 939 police medals for Gallantry, Distinguished Service and Meritorious Service.

B. Dayananda, Director, State Intelligence Bureau and R. Hitendra, Additional Director General of Police (Crime and Technical Services) have been selected for the Police Medal for Distinguished Service.

B.R. Ravikanthe Gowda, Joint Commissioner (Traffic, Bengaluru) is among the 19 officers selected for the Police Medal for Meritorious Service. Other medallists posted in the city include Kumara D., ACP, Halasuru sub-division, Shekhara B.K., Dy.SP, CID, Bengaluru; K.N. Yashawantha Kumar, Dy.SP, Cyber Crime, CID; Krishnamurthy S, Police Inspector, KLA, Bengaluru; C.S. Simpi, Special Assistant Reserve Sub Inspector, 1st Battalion, KSRP, Bengaluru; H.R. Munirajaiah, Assistant Sub Inspector, Crime Section, Joint Commissioner Office, G.V. Venkateshappa and Head Constable, State Intelligence, Bengaluru.

Across Karnataka, police officers selected for the prestigious medal include Janardhana R, Commandant, 5th battalion, KSRP, Mysuru; Ravi Prasad P, DySP, Hunsuru subdivision; Venkatappa Nayaka H. Olekar, DySP, Sindhanur sub-division, Raichur district; Malleshaiah M., DySP, Anekal sub-division; BM Gangadhar, ACP, CCRB, Kalaburagi city; Dastagir Mohammed Haneef Ghori, Assistant Reserve Sub Inspector, District Armed Reserve, Belagavi; Maruthi Shankar Jogadandakar, Assistant Sub Inspector, District Crime Record Bureau, Gadag; Vijaya Kanchan, Assistant Sub Inspector, Mangaluru east police station; Shankar Rao Maruthi Rao Shinde, Head Constable Khade Bazaar police station, Belagavi; Lingarajappa, Head Constable, N.R. Sub division, ACP office, Mysuru.

** B.S. Muddappa passes away

The founder-Managing Director of the erstwhile Karnataka State Dairy Development Corporation (now Karnataka Milk Federation) B.S. Muddappa, 98, passed away here on Tuesday.

Sources said that he passed away due to age related illness. Among important positions that he held were General Manager of MSRTC, Vice-Chairman KSRTC, Managing Director Consumer Cooperatives, Director Bangalore Dairy, and several posts in State and at the Centre.

** Kilingar Gopalakrishna Bhat, philanthropist, passes away

He is credited to have got over 260 houses to the shelter-less besides helping hundreds to lead own life

Philanthropist Kilingar Gopalakrishna Bhat, known as Sairam Bhat, a resident of Kilingar in Badiyadka gram panchayat in neighbouring Kasargod district passed away on Saturday. He was 85.

An agriculturist, Bhat was seen as a messiah of the poor having helped in the construction of over 265 houses for the downtrodden in the region without any government support. In his effort to make the youth self-reliant, he also provided hundreds of autorickshaws and sewing machines to young men and women to lead their own life.

** Former High Court judge K.L. Manjunath passes away

Chairman of the Karnataka River and Border Protection Authority and retired Karnataka High Court judge K.L. Manjunath, 68, passed away here late on Saturday.

During his long legal career, Mr. Manjunath served as an advocate and president of Advocates Association before being elevated to the Karnataka High Court. He also served as chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Backward Classes Commission. He was appointed chairman of the River and Border Protection Authority during the JD(S)-Congress coalition regime. With Karnataka being a party to Mahadayi, Krishna, and Cauvery inter-State river disputes and border issues with Maharashtra, Mr. Manjunath had given valuable legal suggestions.

** Karnataka’s Kodagu district becomes only place in India to have three Lieutenant Generals serving in Army

Kodagu is a small and beautiful mountain district of Karnataka and is well known in the world for coffee and its ‘brave warriors’, men and women, serving in all services.

It was a proud moment for the people of Kodagu district when Lt Gen CP Cariappa took command of India’s elite 1 Strike Corps at Mathura on Friday. Lt Gen Cariappa became the Corp Commander and the District boasts of rare distinction of three Lieutenant Generals serving the army simultaneously.

Lt Gen PC Thimmaya and Lt Gen CB Ponnappa are the other two generals. Lt Gen Thimmaya is the Army Commander at the Army Training Command and Lt Gen Ponnappa is the Chief of Staff at the Northern Army Command.  All three officers are a product of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and joined the army at different times. Lt Gen Ponappa is the junior-most who joined the Army in June 1985.

** Meet the 3 Shettys changing Kannada cinema

Rakshit, Raj and Rishab are championing the talent, culture and language of Dakshina Kannada, often sidelined as a film’s comic relief

In October, Kannada star Rakshit Shetty — known for backing and being a part of ‘thinking projects’ — tweeted about a film that had blown his mind and that his production house Paramvah would be collaborating with. On November 19, when Raj B Shetty’s Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana (GGVV) released, viewers could relate to that emotional announcement.

** Kannada writer-activist Champa passes away

A proponent of Kannada medium education, Prof. Chandrashekhar Patil, better known by his pen name Champa, was one of the rare writers who could say all his children and grandchildren studied in Kannada medium

Noted Kannada writer, activist and public intellectual Prof. Chandrashekhar Patil, 82, better known by his pen name Champa, passed away in Bengaluru on January 10. 

Known for his acerbic wit and employment of irony and his anti-establishment ‘bandaya’ stance throughout his life, Champa was an important voice in the public discourse of Karnataka for over half a century. He was the only Kannada writer to be arrested during the Emergency for his street play Jagadambeya Beedinataka, a satire on then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He was one of the founders of the Bandaya movement of Kannada literature, a strand that took a radical stance in both literary form and view of society.

Born in 1939, Champa taught English at the university, but was a passionate proponent of the Kannada cause. He was one of the key leaders of the Gokak Agitation in the early 1980s, arguing for making Kannada the mandatory first language in school education across Karnataka. He played a key role in convincing matinee idol Dr. Rajkumar to join the agitation, which gave a fillip to the movement. A proponent of Kannada medium education, he was one of the rare writers who could say all his children and grandchildren studied in Kannada medium.

** ‘This Is Us’ Honours Nasir Ahmed in Ep 8, Season 5 – Who is He?

Nasir is the man behind Discrete Cosine Transform – the technology which makes it possible to share photos & videos.

Nasir Ahmed hails from the southern city of Bengaluru, in India. He was born in 1940, and subsequently completed his schooling from Bishop Cotton Boys School. He earned his Bachelors in electrical engineering from the University College of Engineering in Bengaluru in 1961. Thereafter, he moved to the US for his higher studies and pursued both his MS and Ph.D at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

Inventor – DCT Technology

** Yaduveer Wadiyar launches Kalisu’s 50th library in Mysuru

Kalisu Foundation, an NGO working for improving reading habits among the children of government schools through building libraries, has built its 50th library at the government high school in Udbur village near Mysuru.

Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family, who is also the brand ambassador for Kalisu Foundation, inaugurated the library on Thursday.

Till date, Kalisu has touched the lives of more than 12,000 students studying in government schools in Mysuru, Bengaluru, Kushalnagar and Mandya. The 50th library has more than 3,000 books in different categories and has artwork of all the important places and culture of Karnataka.