** Once he used to chop trees, now he paints wildlife

In his childhood, Nagaraj D. would often go into Jogimatti forest area in Chitradurga every day to collect firewood. A couple of times, forest officials caught him and punished him for trespass, locking him up in their guest house for an hour. Now, Nagaraj of Nagu Arts is invited by the Forest Department all over Karnataka to draw paintings depicting wildlife.

The 52-year-old artist has done at least 500 paintings on structures belonging to the Forest Department to spread awareness about wildlife.

** National Doctors’ Day: Miyar gram panchayat gets an ambulance

Miyar Gram Panchayat in Karkala taluk got a dedicated ambulance thanks to an initiative of the Cardiology At Doorsteps (CAD) Foundation to mark National Doctors’ Day on July 1.

Padmanabha Kamath, founder of CAD Foundation Trust, said Miyar GP becomes the first panchayat in India to have its own ECG machine, telemedicine unit and a dedicated ambulance. Each member of the panchayat contributed ₹1,000 from their salary for the initiative, he said.

** Rohan Bopanna-Sania Mirza pair wins historic all-Indian Wimbledon match

It was the first time in open era that two Indian teams competed against each other at a Grand Slam tournament.
The experienced pair of Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza defeated the brand new combination of Ramkaumar Ramanathan and Ankita Raina 6-2 7-6 (5) in the historic all-Indian mixed doubles first round match at the Wimbledon here on Friday.

It was the first time in open era that two Indian teams competed against each other at a Grand Slam tournament.

** Science writer Dr. Sudhindra Haldodderi passes away

Senior aeronautical scientist and science communicator in Kannada Dr. Sudhindra Haldodderi, 61, passed away in Bengaluru on July 2.