Canada: Radio Mango to host first-ever ‘Goblal Konkani Idol’ contest

As part of the decennial celebration Radio Mango, the first ever Konkani channel that created history in the North American hemisphere by broadcasting the Konkani programme on September 29, 2012, is all set to host the first-ever ‘Global Konkani Idol’ contest with a clarion call ‘Be the First Global Konkani Singing Star’.

About the President, Producer, and Host of Radio Mango

Milena Marques-Zachariah is an accomplished writer, columnist, and blogger. With over 25 years of experience in multi-national advertising in India, Dubai, and Canada, she has gained critical international experience in creating and building brands. Her creative shop, OUT OF MY MIND, is focused on the South Asian and ethnic markets in Canada. She has worked as creative director and multicultural communications specialist with leading agencies, helping major national and international brands relate to their consumers by aligning their messages to ethnic markets. This valuable exposure came in handy when she conceived and launched Radio Mango – the first and only Konkani language broadcast in North America. She has interviewed mayors and ministers, and eminent authors like Pico Iyer and Anosh Irani. Her journalistic contributions include a column ‘Confessions of an Immigrant Housewife’ in a leading South Asian newspaper and essays and poetry in various anthologies. Canadian Chronicles is yet another creative pursuit, where she blogs the extraordinary journeys of new immigrants to Canada – waiting to be published as a book. Her current blog: ‘Chasing the perfect Curry’ has gained international popularity among foodies and those seeking unchartered adventures.

Milena is a global citizen born in India, with work experience in the UAE for 12 years, and is now a Canadian citizen for 2 decades. She has widely traveled.

Konkani music lovers worldwide can tune into nostalgia on the easily available podcast, every Saturday – featuring the best of Goan and Mangalurean music and culture. Further details are also available on their website www.radiomango.ca and the Facebook page: Radio Mango Toronto.

Bengaluru-based firm develops nanoemulsion intra-nasal platform and gets international patent

Bengaluru-based Synergia Biosciences unveiled a nanotechnology-based intra-nasal platform of medicine for brain-related disorders on Thursday

City-based Synergia Biosciences unveiled a nanotechnology-based intra-nasal platform of medicine for brain-related disorders on Thursday.

It has acquired patents for the same in the United States of America, the European Union, India, and Japan. 

Synergia Biosciences said they have developed the platform in which lipophilic drugs can be dissolved for the intra-nasal spray mode of administering to patient.

“We have patented the composition of the platform and the process to arrive at that,” Sambratha Shetty, Chief Operating Officer, Synergia Biosciences said. 

The nanoemulsion platform presently is best suited to treat various brain-related disorders from cluster headaches, migraine, schizophrenia, dementia, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s and vertigo, binge drinking, depression, among others.

“One of the biggest challenges in drugs treating brain-related disorders is that it is very difficult to make the drug reach the target area. But with the intra-nasal route, it bypasses the first pass metabolism, increases bioavailability of the drug, and causes rapid absorption (less than 5 minutes),” Ms. Shetty explained.

Synergia has stabilised the nanoemulsion for four drugs: two antipsychotic ones, an analgesic, and an antiemetic. The same platform can be tweaked to carry vaccines and insulin, Synergia claimed. 

“The technology is non-invasive and mainly cost-effective. It is an affordable way to treat multiple diseases. This is a strategic technology which will help India treat multiple diseases at an affordable cost,” said Tobby Simon of Synergia Foundation.

th

Coastalwood unreleased movie ‘Jeetige’ wins national award for best Tulu film

 Coastalwood movie ‘Jeetige’, directed by Santhosh Mada has won the national award under the category best Tulu film among the 68th national award winners announced on Friday, July 22.

The movie ‘Jeetige’ is produced by Arun Rai Thodar under the AR production banner with Naveen D Padil, Roopa Varkady playing important characters in the movie, along with Chethan Rai Mani, J P Tuminadu, Arun Rai, Shashiraj Kavoor, Sathya Jeevan Someshwara and Chaithali Shetty among others playing prominent roles.

The film is based on the story, screenplay and dialogues written by Shashiraj Kavoor while Unni Madavood has captured the movie as the cinematographer and Amrutha Someshwara has penned the lyrics.

dw

Karnataka tops NITI Aayog innovation list

Report suggests steps to secure a place in Global Innovation Index’s top 25 nations

Karnataka has bagged the top rank in NITI Aayog’s India Innovation Index, 2022, which determines innovation capacities and ecosystems at the sub-national level. The State has held this position, under the Major States category, in all three editions of the Index so far.

In the Index released on Thursday, Manipur secured the lead in the Northeast and Hill States category, while Chandigarh was the top performer in the Union Territories and City States category.

Karnataka was followed by Telangana, Haryana, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar and Gujarat were at the bottom of the index.

Pointing out that India’s average innovation score is arguably insufficient, given the country’s ambitious targets to be named among the top 25 nations in the Global Innovation Index, the report by the government think tank has recommended measures, such as increasing Gross Domestic Expenditure on R&D (GDERD), promoting private sector participation in R&D and closing the gap between industry demand and what the country produces through its education systems.

The report went on to state that countries that spend less on GDERD fail to retain their human capital in the long run and the ability to innovate is dependent on the quality of human capital; India’s GDERD as a percentage of GDP stood at about 0.7%.

th

Bengaluru through the nose

City-based artist and author Indu Antony’s book Vasané, takes readers on an olfactory journey of Bengaluru.

You  must have heard that scents are more closely linked to our memories than pictures or sounds. The smell of the filter coffee you shared with your friends after an exhausting lecture, remembering the perfume your first love interest wore, or remembering home every time you smell your mother’s signature dish being cooked, all trigger memories. It’s not only our fondest memories that are drenched by smells, but so is our city.

In her book Vasané (smell in Kannada), artist and author Indu Antony captures the many smells that make up the city of Bengaluru.

“Every city has its distinct smell. Mumbai, Goa, all these cities have smells that characterise them, but with Bengaluru, there are so many smells that make up this city,” says Antony about her 70-page book. “Because of Covid, our sense of smell was lost. Not just by those who had it, but wearing masks also restricted our ability to smell things around us,” says the author.

According to Antony, this project published by Mazhi Books, connects with the city beyond the visual, about associating smells with the city. She collaborated with Avinandan, a perfumer whose family business, Sathyanarayana Traders, is a wholesale retailer of sandal, oud, and musk perfumes. Together, the duo created 12 unique smells in 1 ml bottles each, which readers get with the book, so that they can apply them to the pages and experience the city through the olfactory sense.

nie

Udupi: MUP releases new book ‘Madhavi Kathana Kavya’

The latest publication of Manipal Universal Press, Madhavi Kathana Kavya, a combination of Kannada prose and verse, was released on July 14 at Sirigannada Pustaka Malige, MAHE, Manipal.

Speaking on the occasion, she said that even though the character Madhavi is not very prominent in Mahabharatha, her story has been often re-told in the Indian story-telling traditions. Madhavi Kathana Kavya is unique in that sense.

Chief guest, senior music scholar V Arvind Hebbar shared some insights on the book, saying that the author had followed the style of Maha Chandassu that Kuvempu followed in Ramayana epic. One of Hebbar’s students, Archan Upadhaya, recited some verses from the book.

Narrating the inspiration behind translating the book, Parvathi G Aithal said ONV Kurups and Swayamvaram is an important book in Indian contemporary literature that should be translated into Kannada. “I did not make the translation, the book made me do it,” she added. 

Neeta Inamdar, the chief editor of MUP, in her presidential address spoke on the Thingala Belaku event series of MUP. She said it is supposed to showcase the local talents and develop cultural connectivity around.”;We are honored to host an event on Madhavi Kathana Kavya,” she added.

MUPs marketing manager Revati Nadgir coordinated the program which started with a light music performance by Chinmayi Madlapur and her team.

dw

Mangaluru: MRPL wins PRCI Zonal Award for Best PSU implementing CSR for Social Cause

The Public Relations Council of India (PRCI), South Zone conferred the award for ‘Best PSU implementing CSR for Social Cause’ on MRPL on World PR Day organised by PRCI, South Zone at Hotel Ocean Pearl here on July 16.

Rudolph Noronha, GM-CC received the award on behalf of team MRPL from Dr M Vijaya Kumar, vice chancellor, Yenepoya University and M B Jayaram, chief mentor and chairman, Emeritus – PRCI in the presence of other dignitaries and eminent personalities in different fields. Jagadish Holla and Canute Pinto, office bearers of PRCI – Mangalore Chapter were present and coordinated the entire event.

Delegates from different parts of South India including corporates, PR heads, HR heads, journalists and students of reputed institutes were part of this enthralling programme.

dw

Mangalurean musician Vanil Veigas receives prestigious Grammy award

Vanil Veigas, a musician from Mangaluru, received the prestigious Grammy Award.

Vanil is a resident of Permannur. The award was announced in April earlier this year.

He had won the Grammy for the album song ‘Divine Tides’ by Ricky Kej. The song was produced during the pandemic. Along with Vanil Veigas, PA Deepa also won the award.

Vanil was the musician for the ‘Divine Tides’. Since 15 years, Vanil has been working with Ricky Kej on movie soundtracks, over 3,000 commercials, and 16 studio albums which include 3 Grammy-winning albums.

Vanil was born in Permannur to Isaac Veigas and Daisy Pereira. He is the brother of well-known Konkani actor-director Nellu Permannur. He is married to Diana D’Silva and they have a daughter, Alline Veigas, who is also learning music at a young age.

dw

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar conferred Suriname’s highest civilian award

Spiritual leader and Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has been honoured with South American nation Suriname’s highest civilian honour for his humanitarian work.

The spiritual leader was decorated with the Grand Cordon – honorary order of the yellow star (Ere-Orde van de Gele Ster) by President Chandrikapersad Santokhi at a ceremony at the Presidential Palace, a statement issued by Art of Living said.

In his address, President Santokhi said: “We are honoured that you’re shining a light worth seeing and feeling, now and also for the future generation. With this declaration, may you lead us all to peace and harmony…The people of Suriname welcome you with a warm heart.”

dw

Karnataka cricket association launches new T20 tournament named ‘Maharaja Trophy T20’

Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) on Saturday announced the launch of Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20, its new T20 tournament named in the memory of the HRH late Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, the former President of KSCA and Maharaja of Mysore. The tournament will be held between August 7 to 26 in Mysore.

The coveted trophy and logo of the tournament was unveiled in a star-studded ceremony attended by Roger Binny, President KSCA, Santosh Menon, Secretary KSCA and Vinay Mruthyunjaya, Treasurer of KSCA at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The tournament is widely seen as a replacement of the now-defunct Karnataka Premier League T20 tournament.

“KSCA had set the ball rolling for an all-new format of the game, way back in 2005, giving India its first taste of a T20 game through the Bradman Cup. Subsequently, the Karnataka Premier League was launched in 2009 and we saw eight successful editions of this entertaining league which saw many young stars emerge.”

“With an aim to continue to provide our cricketers with the right platform to perform and be ready for the next big leap in their cricketing career, we have decided to roll out the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20,” said Binny, the former India all-rounder and a member of the 1983 Men’s Cricket World Cup winning team.

The tournament will see six teams representing cities like Bengaluru, Mysore, Hubli, Shivamogga, Raichur and Mangalore vie for top honours. Karnataka’s top cricketers like Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, Shreyas Gopal, Krishnappa Gowtham, Manish Pandey, Jagadeesha Suchith, Karun Nair, Abhinav Manohar, KC Cariappa, Pravin Dubey and Abhimanyu Mithun are expected to feature in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20.

“The Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 will commence on August 7 in Mysore with the first leg of matches being held at the Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar Ground in Mysore. A total of 18 matches will be held in Mysore followed by a total of 16 matches including the final being held in Bengaluru at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.”

dw