** 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.

** Editor of Sanskrit newspaper passes away

K.V. Sampath Kumar, 64, editor of Sudharma, reckoned to be the country’s and the world’s only Sanskrit daily, passed away in Mysuru on Wednesday afternoon following cardiac arrest.

He, along with his wife Vidushi K.S. Jayalakshmi, were awarded the Padma Shri in 2020 by the government in recognition of their untiring efforts to keep the publication alive against all odds

Sampath Kumar had taken over the mantle from his father Pandit K.N. Varadaraja Iyengar who had launched Sudharma in 1970, and ensured that the publication reached its readers. He worked as a reporter, proof-reader, editor and publisher.

** Kannada cinema making waves in international film festivals

In what can be termed rare, five Kannada indie films — Prithvi Konanur’s Pinki Elli?, Abhilash Shetty’s Koli Taal, Ganesh Hegde’s Neeli Hakki, Baraguru Ramachandrappa’s Amrutamati and Siddu Poornachandra’s Daari yavudayya Vaikunthake? — are being screened and winning accolades this season.

** Bengaluru: CM releases Kempegowda philatelic cover: 3-day Jayanti from next year

A series of programmes to mark the 512th birth anniversary of the founder of Bengaluru Kempegowda including the release of a philatelic cover and commencement of works on construction of the Kempegowda Study Centre in the Jnanabharati campus by chief minister B S Yediyurappa through the virtual mode from the banquet hall of Vidhana Soudha and offering puja at the Samadhi of the Bengaluru founder at Kempapura in Magadi by deputy chief minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, who also garlanded statue at Mekhri Circle on Sunday.

** Decoding history cast in stone

To D Ismail, the mastigallu (masti stone) is a fascinating storyteller. It talks about the history and the people as he peers into the inscrutable inscriptions whether it is in Modi lipi or Halegannada (ancient Kannada).

The epigraphist from Birur town in Chikkamagaluru district took a fancy to the knowledge hidden in stones, and is one among a small number of people who can understand ‘Modi lipi’, a cursive script used to write several languages, including Kannada.