** Udupi: Venkataramana Bhat – Conjuring up magical forms out of coconut shells

The artist who has mastered this art is Venkataramana Bhat.

Bhat can transform a coconut shell into a mesmerizing piece of art within minutes. Bhat takes the credit for procuring places of pride for the coconut shells in showcases of houses instead of turning into ashes.

Because of his skill, Bhat is popularly known with the name,’Chippina Bhatru’.

** Tracing the footsteps of a hero

This dharwadbased photographer recreates the lives of freedom fighters.

A Dharwad-based photographer has been following the footsteps of some of the people who have inspired him, and re-creating their lives in his own personal way to remind others that there are battles worth fighting for.

Meet photographer Harshad Uday Kamath, who hails from Kumta in Uttara Kannada, and recently put together a series of photographs that re-create the life of Chandrashekar Azad, who fought for independence from the British.

** Covid care: Students step in, bridge gap between demand and supply

Students from Bengaluru have formed a team that is helping people find hospital beds, oxygen supply, plasma and ambulances over the past four days.

Dhruv Jatti, founder of Bangalore Student Community (BSC), told TNIE that they are receiving over 200 requests for beds on a daily basis. So far, they have been able to find 36 beds due to the shortage in the system.

** Nine panchayats in Karnataka win national awards

The six panchayats that have won the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Raj Sashaktikaran are: Hassan Zilla Panchayat, Pandavapura Taluk Panchayat, Bengaluru East Taluk Panchayat, Tumminakatte Gram Panchayat, Yadaganahalli Gram Panchayat, and Karna Kuppe Gram Panchayat. Bengaluru East Taluk Panchayat has bagged the award for providing land for all 11 GPs in Anekal for solid waste management, for encroachment clearance drive, and for digitisation of records, according to Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner J. Manjunath.

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** Bengaluru entrepreneur makes it to Forbes Asia’s 30 ‘Under-30’ list

But Vibha Harish, a 25-year old entrepreneur from Bengaluru, found abundant sun shining to make hay during 2020 — So much so that she made it to the Forbes Asia’s 30 Under- 30 in just one year of her venture.

Her firm Cosmix, a herbal nutrition and plant-based supplement brand offering, is now one of the fastest growing ventures.

** Bengaluru singer Saahas Patil’s single ‘California’ is about his life in Los Angeles

Saahas was previously the lead singer of the Bengaluru-based band Allegro Fudge

Five years ago, Saahas Patil was awaiting his turn at an open-mic night for singer-songwriters at State Social House, a chic gastropub on Sunset Boulevard, California; there were 10 others in the line-up.