Leaders – Page 3 – Karnataka First

President presents award to Naadada Navaneeta director, producer

President Droupadi Murmu presented the Rajat Kamal Award for the documentary film ‘Naadada Navaneeta Pandit Dr. Venatesh Kumar’, produced by the Department of Information and Public Relations and directed by Girish Kasaravalli, at a function held at Vignan Bhavan, on Friday evening.

The Karnataka Department of Information and Public Relations Joint Director D.P. Muralidhar received the award on behalf of the department as producer, and Mr. Kasavalli as director, said a press release.

The film has been adjudged the best art and culture film in the non-feature film category at the 68th National Film Awards for 2020. The award consists of a cash component of ₹50,000 each for the producer and the director.

Two-day ‘Techceleration 2022’ to promote Hubballi-Dharwad-Belagavi cluster

Taking forward the ‘Beyond Bengaluru’ concept, a two-day event initiated and coordinated by Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM) will be held in Hubballi on Sunday and Monday to display the progress achieved so far and deliberate upon the way forward.

Addressing presspersons in Hubballi on Saturday, the CEO of Karnataka Digital Economy Mission Sanjeev Gupta said that the event named ‘Techceleration-2022’ would bring together the entire ecosystem of industry leaders, start-ups and businesses to showcase the growth so far, the opportunities available and the road map ahead. “What is even more important is that we will see venture capitalists investing in the start-up ideas from Hubballi-Dharwad-Belagavi belt,” he said.

History Created In Mysuru As Droupadi Murmu Becomes First President To Open Dasara

“Mysuru Dasara is a proud symbol of India’s cultural heritage”

Mysore/Mysuru: History was created in Mysuru atop Chamundi Hill this morning as President of India Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the Dasara-2022 by showering flower petals on the decked-up idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari placed on a silver chariot. She became the first President to declare open the grand 10-day festivities.

In the past, the Presidents and Vice-Presidents have inaugurated the Jumboo Savari. Today’s Mysuru visit created another history as it was Droupadi Murmu’s first State visit after assuming the Office of India’s First Citizen. Her flight directly landed at the Mysore Airport from New Delhi. Though the VVIP visit was for over two hours only, it became significant considering the firsts achieved by it.

Stringent protocol

The inauguration time was specified between 9.45 am and 10.05 am in the Vruschika Lagna. However, the inauguration took place three minutes later due to the stringent protocols to be followed and also the tight security accorded to the country’s First Citizen by the President’s Body Guards (PBG). Before the inauguration, the President visited the sanctum sanctorum of the Chamundeshwari Temple and offered her prayers.

As per the protocol, the President arrived on the stage last, after all the other dignitaries were seated. Before the President’s arrival, an officer-in-charge of security walked onto the stage and sought information from the event managers about the number of people on the dais. He examined the silver chariot where the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari was placed and even examined the lamp that will be lit by the President as part of the inauguration.

Ascending the stage, the President directly walked to her chair and greeted the audience with folded hands as a bodyguard stood behind her with full alertness.

The National Anthem (by the Police Band) and the Naadageethe were played. Later, the President walked toward the silver chariot and performed the inauguration rituals.

Mahishasuramardini Alankara

The Goddess was decorated in the form of Mahishasuramardini and a green saree was draped on her. A mangalasutra and gold jewellery were put on the Goddess.

Accompanying the President were Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and Shobha Karandlaje, Kannada and Culture Minister V. Sunil Kumar and District Minister S.T. Somashekar.

As the President lit the ceremonial lamp, the mantras were chanted by Chief Priest of the Temple Dr. Shashishekar Dixit. The Chief Priest later offered flower petals to the guests to shower on the Goddess. After the inauguration, the President obliged to a team of photographers and posed for a photograph with the guests.

Though Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Devegowda was to preside over the event, he had to be seated in the front row due to protocol restrictions. Even Mayor Shivakumar, Mysuru’s First Citizen, did not get a chance to be with the President on stage.

The President’s Office had fixed the number of people on the stage at 13 and the number was reduced to seven later. As such, many dignitaries had to be seated off the stage.

Red carpet was rolled from the President’s cavalcade parking venue to the Temple premises and the President walked in a brisk pace with her bodyguards running ahead of her. The Hill Temple was closed for public and it was opened only after the President and other guests left the Hill.

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You have honoured all daughters of India: President tells Hubballi Dharwad

President of India Droupadi Murmu was accorded civic honour by Hubballi Dharwad Municipal Corporation(HDMC) on September 26

President of India Droupadi Murmu, who was accorded civic honour by Hubballi Dharwad Municipal Corporation(HDMC) on September 26, termed the honour as ‘an honour to all the daughters of the nation’.

The President said, “By honouring a person like me, who comes from a humble background, you have honoured all the daughters of the nation.” The audience responded with a huge round of applause.

Earlier, the President was accorded ‘poura sanmana’ (civic honour) by Hubballi Dharwad Mayor Iresh Anchatageri, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi in the presence of Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot, former chief minister Jagadish Shettar and other MLAs.

The President began her speech by recollecting the contribution of the twin cities of Hubballi Dharwad to the field of education and music. She said that she was very happy to be in Hubballi Dharwad, which had great cultural significance and are known as ‘Vidya Kashi’ (the Kashi of education).

Referring to the history of the region and contribution of Hubballi Dharwad to the field of art, culture, education and also the freedom struggle, she recalled the names of Kittur queen Chennamma and Baba Sahib of Naragund. She also cited legendary vocalists Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Basavaraj Rajguru and Gangubai Hangal, and their contribution to the field of music.

The President said that she would like to congratulate the people of Hubballi Dharwad as they were living in twin cities, which contribute immensely to Karnataka and the nation. She said the people of the twin cities had not forgotten their roots and culture while embracing technology. “You have not forgotten history while embracing science for development,” she said.

‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’

Recalling the contribution of freedom fighters from north Karnataka, she said that the country is celebrating ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, and by the time it celebrates 100 years of independence, it would be ‘developed’ and ‘Atmanirbhar’.

Earlier, welcoming the dignitaries, Mayor Iresh Anchatageri briefed them about the region and twin cities. Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi referred to the contribution of the region to music, literature and education. Of the eight Jnanpeeth award winners from Karnataka, five are from Dharwad, known as the land of literature and music, he said.

The Union Minister also briefed the audience about the life of President Droupadi Murmu and elaborated on how, coming from a humble tribal family, she became an elected representative and rose to the position of President of India.

Karnataka Ministers Halappa Achar and Shankar Patil Munenakoppa, MLAs Prasad Abbayya, Arvind Bellad and Amrut Desai were among those who attended the event.

Dr Srinivas from Yadgir Appointed AIIMS director

Dr M Srinivas, appointed director to the prestigious All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Friday, is from under-developed Yadgir district. His elevation proves that those who have studied in government schools and that too in Kannada medium can also reach highest levels in academics and any other field they choose.

The Department of Personnel and Training of the Union government stated in the order that Dr Srinivas will serve as director for five years or till attaining the age of 65. He assumed charge on Saturday, his brother Dr Nagaraj told The New Sunday Express. Dr Srinivas is the first person from the Kalyana-Karnataka region to become the director of AIIMS.

Son of Ashappa, he was born on August 11, 1966. He studied at the Government Model Primary School at Station Bazar locality and later as a Kannada medium student at the Government New Kannada Proudha Shaale in Yadgir. He completed his PU from the Government PU College in Yadgir. A brilliant student all along, he got a seat at the Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences where he completed his MBBS. Later, he pursued his MS in Davanagere and then MCh at AIIMS.

Dr Nagaraj said his elder brother was a gold medallist in MBBS and MS courses. “Our father was a government servant and retired as a tahsildar. He was an admirer of government schools and especially of Kannada language. That is why he admitted Srinivas to a government school. Srinivas was hardworking and always dreamt of achieving something big,” he added.

Students and staff of New Kannada Proudha Shale congratulated Dr Srinivas by assembling on the school premises and holding up his posters. VIMS is planning a felicitation function soon, sources said.

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Restore Heritage Structures Says Royal Descendant Of Vijayanagar

Exclusive interview with Krishna Devaraya of Anegundi Samsthanam

Krishna Devaraya is the 19th descendant of Anegundi Samsthanam and Vijayanagar rulers from the Aravidu dynasty. He has done enormous conservation work to ensure that future generations are made aware of royal traditions, culture and legends. One of his exemplary works was to restore the 250-year-old dilapidated Heere Deewan Mansion at Anegundi in Hospet Taluk. This Mansion has now been restored to its original splendour, thanks to his passion and firm resolve to restore heritage. Krishna Devaraya was in Mysuru recently to inaugurate the dolls exhibition organised by Ramsons Kala Pratishtana as part of Dasara festivities. Star of Mysore spoke to him about the glory of Dasara and also the importance of heritage. Excerpts:

Star of Mysore (SOM): Can you tell us about Dasara celebrations in Vijayanagar Empire? We have heard a lot about the Mahanavami Dibba. How is Dasara celebrated there now and on what scale?

Krishna Devaraya: Dasara at the Mahanavami Dibba was perhaps the grandest celebration in mediaeval India in terms of pomp and splendour. Every traveller describes it in great detail — especially about it being a grand spectacle which was unparalleled. At present, there is no public festival of Dasara at the Mahanavami Dibba. Though it is wished that the Dibba be used for its main purpose in the future — the celebration of Dasara. In Anegundi, the celebration of Dasara still continues on a very small scale.

SOM: How do you see the Dasara celebrations of the Government when compared to the grandeur, pomp and glory of the Dasara of the Kings and Queens?

Krishna Devaraya: The primary difference is the nature of the festival. The royal Dasara used to be a religious affair whereas Dasara is mostly a secular affair now with the head of the State not performing any major ritual worship of Devi. Also, earlier Dasara used to involve various games related to physical prowess — wrestling, archery, etc., and was a place for the men to display their achievements.

It has lost the ‘vira’ component almost completely now. Garadi Manes used to train wrestlers, especially for wrestling competitions during Dasara. Today, the Garadi Manes themselves are going into oblivion due to a lack of patronage. Whereas the Royal Dasara was about worship of Devi and patronage for various traditional artists, sports, etc., the Government celebration is more about a spectacle for tourist consumption.

SOM: Is there any major difference between the Dasara celebrations of Vijayanagar rulers and Mysore Wadiyars?

Krishna Devaraya: On the ritual front, they are one and the same. Dasara celebration was earlier restricted to the independent emperor in Southern India. As per shastras, worshipping Devi in this fashion in Sharad Navaratri is akin to performing an Ashvamedha yajna. The emperor used to perform the Dasara festival and his vassals would visit him to pay homage.

Also, seemollaanghana (cros-sing one’s border) to attack the enemy used to be done after Dasara celebrations. When Mysore Samsthana started their own Dasara, it was done to show that they have become independent rulers on their own after the fall of the Vijayanagar Empire. The rituals were followed rigorously. Only the scale of the celebration would be smaller as Mysore was but a fraction of the size of the erstwhile Vijayanagar Empire.

SOM: Does the royal family of Vijayanagar have any connection with the royal family of Mysore Wadiyars? If so, can you elaborate?

Krishna Devaraya: There are no marital relations with the Mysore family as far as I know. It is stated that the ruler of Srirangapatna was the father-in-law of Sri Krishna Raya and was given a position of pride during Dasara festivities — said so by Domingo Paes, who was a traveller from Portuguese India. But no other such relationship is mentioned after that generation.

SOM: You are the 19th descendant of Anegundi Samsthanam and Vijayanagar rulers and you have restored the Heere Deewan Mansion to its original splendour. This is a much-appreciated step at a time when of late people are forgetting their heritage. What do you have to say when it comes to preserving our heritage?

Krishna Devaraya: Firstly, heritage should not be destroyed. We have seen how the 1,000-pillared mandapa in Tirumala was destroyed by the Government in the name of development. If you cannot maintain something, at the very least, do not destroy it. Secondly, the budget allocation for the preservation of heritage in India is very low compared to the number of heritage structures we have.

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Tales of war: Family members share stories of Mysore Lancers from Battle of Haifa

The Mysore Lancers, which were a personal force of the then Maharaja of Mysuru, Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, played a key role in the liberation of Haifa

Every year, on September 23, Haifa Day is commemorated by the Indian Army to remember the two Indian cavalry brigades who fought under British General Edmund Allenby to liberate the Israeli city Haifa from the Turkish–German forces in 1918, during World War I.

The Mysore Lancers, which were a personal force of the then Maharaja of Mysore, Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, and headed by his brother-in-law Colonel Desraj Urs, also played a key role in rescuing Abdul Baha, the spiritual leader of the Bahai community.

In this spirit, The Mysore Lancers’ Heritage Foundation has organised a two-day celebration of the 104th Haifa Day in the city on Friday.

Ahead of these celebrations, The Hindu spoke to the descendants of those who fought in the Haifa battle. From a newly married soldier’s wish to come back to his young wife, to the struggle for food and water in the desert, some interesting stories were uncovered in the conversations.

Parashuram Singh was a sepoy in the Mysore Lancers and was deployed to the Haifa War just three months after his wedding. When he was injured, he was mistaken to be dead and was pushed into a pile of dead bodies, said Anupama Singh, his brother’s daughter-in-law.

Continuing the story, she said: “He had a picture of goddess Chamundeshwari in his pocket. As he was scared, he took it in his hand and prayed to her to send him back home safely as his wife was waiting for him. Soon after, someone noticed that his hands were moving and pulled him aside and got him medical help. He safely came back home after that.”

Ms. Singh also said that the battalion had the ritual of visiting Gundu Muneshwara temple in R.T. Nagar before marching off to war.

In Pandu Ranga Rao’s family, four people were in the Mysore Lancers. His grandfather Chander Rao Sindhe (Jamedar), his two younger brothers Krishan Rao Sindhe and Govind Rao Sindhe and his son-in-law Mahadev Rao Bhonsle (Dafedar) left home in 1914 for World War I and came back only in 1919–20.

“In 1917, Govind Rao got injured and a few bullets went into his legs and chest. He had to come back from there. Apart from this, I have also heard a few other stories from my grandmother. While traveling during the war, their ships used to get attacked by whales. To divert these whales, they used to keep stock of fodder bags in the ships. I have also heard that it was very tough to fight in the desert. Sometimes, as there was no water available, the warriors urinated in bottles and drunk it,” Mr. Rao narrated.

Pampa Urs, a fourth-generation descendant, has also heard several stories about her maternal ancestors taking part in the war. “My mother’s grandfather Colonel Chame Urs was leading a group in the war. His son-in-law Captain Lingaraj Urs died in the same war. After receiving all this information from my mother, due to my personal interests, I am further exploring evidence from that age and getting confirmations of these tales”.

While a wreath-laying ceremony will take place on Friday morning at the Mysore Lancers’ Memorial in J.C. Nagar, in the evening, a memorial lecture, and an exhibition of rare paintings and exploits of the Lancers will be organised at BMSCE auditorium in Basavangudi.

“The Baha’i community salutes the Indian Cavalry, who had fought valiantly to save Abdul Baha and the city of Haifa from the Ottoman empire,” said Dinesh Rao, secretary, State Baha’i Council of Karnataka.

IIM Bangalore’s one-year EPGP in management ranks first in India, according to Bloomberg survey

In the APAC region, IIMB is preceded only by NUS Singapore

The one-year full-time Executive Post Graduate Programme (EPGP) at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), which is offered to experienced professionals, has bagged the top rank in India and fifth rank in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region in the Bloomberg Best Business Schools Survey 2022.

The programme scored well on all the parameters, including Learning (88.6), Networking (83.5) and Entrepreneurship (82). The overall score went up from 13.5 in 2021 to 66.4 this year. Compensation too saw a significant increase (34.2) this year over last year (10.1).

Professor Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Director, IIM Bangalore, said, “IIMB works hard at educating leaders who will think broadly of their role in society and foster inclusive innovation and growth. It is a good feeling when rankings, global and national, reflect our efforts.”

In the APAC region, IIMB is preceded only by NUS Singapore.

According to the IIMB, Bloomberg surveyed 117 MBA programmes around the world. The rankings were generated using data from 18,504 students, alumni, and recruiter surveys, as well as income and employment data from each school and its alumni. The best B-schools results for 2022 are divided into four regions: Europe, Asia-Pacific, Canada, and the United States.

Anathalaya To Present Thathaiah Award-2022 To ‘Software Ratnakara’ Dr. S. Murali Tomorrow

By C. V. Gopinath, President, Anathalaya and former Additional Secretary to Government of India

The Anathalaya on Narayana Shastri Road, Mysuru, founded in 1896 to serve the poor students, this year is celebrating Thathaiah’s Day at 4 pm on Saturday, 10th September 2022, at the Anathalaya premises.

The celebration coincides with the commemoration of the 178th birth anniversary of its Founder, the Grand Old Man of Mysore, Vrudhapitamaha, Daya Sagara, M. Venkatakrishnaiah.

Every year on the occasion of the Founder’s Day celebration, the institute confers Thathaiah Award after the name of Vrudhapitamaha, Daya Sagara, M. Venkatakrishnaiah and carries a purse of Rs. 25,000.

The award is conferred on persons of high achievements in the field of education, journalism, social reforms and service to society. This year’s award will be conferred on Dr. S. Murali, the renowned Educationist and Eminent Computer Engineer popularly known as “Software Ratnakara.”

About the Awardee

S. Murali holds a Ph.D in Computer Engineering from the University of Mysore (UoM) with a teaching experience in engineering subjects for more than 33 years. He has to his credit more than 250 research papers at National and International levels. Murali has conducted several workshops on Computer Vision and Image Processing technology. He has guided more than 16 Ph.D scholars.

At present he is serving as Chairman of two Technical Colleges, twenty Degree Colleges, two MBA Institutes, one each of Ayurvedic Degree College and Nursing College. Murali has received many national and international awards.

Thathaiah and Anathalaya

Hailing from Magge village in Anatharasanthe hobli of H.D. Kote taluk in Mysuru District, Magge Venkatakrishnaiah, popularly known as Thathaiah, and always referred as the Grand Old Man of Mysore established this institution in 1896. He came from a very poor family that migrated to Mysore and was joined by several like-minded people such as Ambale Annaiah Pandit, C. Narasimhaiah and others to serve the cause of poor students by providing free food and shelter.

Initially, Anathalaya was established by Swami Nanjunda Saraswati at Niranjana Mutt premises on Krishna Vilasa Road. Later some land was allotted near Subbarayanakere on Narayana Shastri Road. At this stage, Thathaiah took charge of this institution when over a period of time Advocate K. Chandrashekharaiah, Chartered Accountant P.R. Hariharan, landlord Mirle Najundaiah, Prof. S.V. Ranganna and Thathaiah’s grandson, M.S. Srinivasa Rao joined the humanitarian crusade by making major contributions to develop this institution for serving the cause of poor students coming from villages in and around Mysore district.

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Chairman of Canadian Canara Vision Inc Gilbert D’Souza passes away

Renowned personality Gilbert D’Souza, chairman of Canadian Canara Vision Inc (CCVI), one of Canada’s prestigious institutions, passed away on Sunday September 11 after suffering a massive heart attack.

Gilbert was known in Mangaluru, Bahrain, Oman, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Canada among the universal Konkani community. He was residing in Mississauga Canada, along with his family. Before migrating to Canada, he was the owner of Al Taqa Equipment LLC in Abu Dhabi.

After completing his graduation in Mangaluru, he worked for Reserve Bank of India, Bakelite Haylam and Hindustan Lever in Bombay, and subsequently joined Unilever in the Middle East, for 20 years and retired holding the post of sales manager.

Gilbert is survived by wife and three children.