Daily 2012, Issue3

Dailies 2012, Issue 3

Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media, Bangalore

Corporator sentenced to 4 years imprisonment A corporator who demanded a bribe of Rs 8 lakhs has landed in jail after police laid a trap.

The Lokayukta court today convicted Ganesh Gudi corporator L. Govindaraju to four years in jail and slapped a fine of Rs 90,000 on charges of corruption.

He was immediately arrested by the Police after the verdict came out.

The trial followed a private complaint that was lodged by J.Uday Kumar to the Bangalore City Lokayukta Police on 16th July 2012, which stated that the corporator demanded a bribe of Rs 8lakhs from him to solve a problem pertaining to the construction of an apartment in Banashankari 3rd stage. The corporator had already received an advance of Rs 2 lakhs and was demanding the remaining bribe.

A successful trap was laid by Lokayukta Police and Govindaraju was caught red handed.

KPN

By Krishnaprasad S

L.Govind Raju, convicted on charges of corruption; imprisonment for 4 years

He was filmed accepting Rs 2 lakhs in his home at Banashankari 3rd stage. Dy.S.P H.S.Manjunatha of the Lokayukta Police filed a charge sheet against the accused before the Special Judge, under the

Prevention of Corruption Act. Lokayukta Special Court judge Sudheendra Rao gave the verdict as follows: “Govindaraju is a public servant. His only aim was to serve the public. He behaved like a goon in this

particular case. This clearly is a case of extortion. This verdict is a lesson to all other public servants in the government.”

The second accused in the same case Gopal Gowda was released after Timmegowda provided legal documents that were in favor of Gopal Gowda as a result of which charges on Gopal Gowda were cleared by the Special Court.

Govindaraju had stood for the election from the congress party and had won the BBMP elections. Govindaraju was actively involved in all the sessions of the BBMP. Govindaraju had recently identified himself with the BJP but was not able to join the party after the corruption were filed.

L. Govindaraju’s counsel however said that he would appeal in the Karnataka High Court against the conviction.

“The court pronounced justice to the people today. This is a warning to all the officials and they should learn a lesson”, said an official from the BBMP.

November 28,2012

News Brief

BBMP flout rules; Illegal landfills crashes people sentiment P4

KRPNSS stage protest; Pourokarmikas neglected of their demand, P2

Rowdy sheeter killed in revenge attack

By Sumit and Hansa

Venugopal(26) was found outside Venkateshwara Bakery in Agrahara Dasarahalli on Wednesday morning.

A FIR has been registered in the Kamakshipalya police station.

The body has been shifted to the Victoria Hospital for post mortem.

His friends said that the murderers called him downstairs, threw chili powder in his eyes and chased him before slitting his throat and attacking him with a knife on the forehead and stabbing him several times on both his knees. He was partially

scalped, stabbed in the back and his right ear was cut off.

His father, Govindaraj, said: “All this started when he got the opportunity to act in films.

“There have been a lot of petty quarrels between him and his friends ever since he started going to the gym.

“The first fight happened, apparently, four years ago. And we did not know about this.

“We came to know about this only after his death today, his friends told us.”

Venugopal was a student of Sheshadripuram College.He was doing his second year in

Hansa V

A rowdy sheeter on bail for attempted murder was stabbed to death by the man he tried to kill, according to police.

Police said the victim, Venugopal , 26, was a criminal.

He was arrested under Section 307 (a) for attempted murder. He was let out under anticipatory bail.

Mahesh,25, was Venugopal’s intended victim. Police are now hunting for him and two of his accomplices, Guru, 26, and Harish, 28. They absconded after the killing.

The dead body of

Venugopal, the unfortunate victim of murder.

“We never knew he was involved in all this until this morning, when we found the body” - Raghu, his cousin engineering, when he got an opportunity to act in films. The moment he started with his first film, he encountered a lot of problems, especially drinking and smoking, and chose to leave the profession.

He came back and started his own tiles business. He was quite successfull at it according to his friends.

“He was a good friend and we used to hang around in the evenings,” said Muniraju, a friend of the deceased.

The police,had a different opinion for Venugopal. “He was involved in petty fights with the absconding boys,” said a Police Constable present at the site.

He is survived by his mother, father and an elder sister.

Chinnaswamy stadium under tight security for the forthcoming IndiaPak match, P7

Weather Report Mostly Sunny26°C Wind: ENE 0 m/s Pressure: 1 mbar Visibility: 19 km Humidity: 36% Feels like Temp: 26°C Dawn: 06.24 AM Sunset: 5.49 PM Day's Length: 11.41 hours

Sensex Report

SENSEX 18842.08 305.07 (1.65%) NIFTY 5727.45 91.55 (1.62%)

02

The Daily Observer

November 28, 2012

By Krishna Prasad The Karnataka Medical Association has refused to release funds to the Ayush Federation amid allegations of fraud.

In 2009, Rs. 50 crore was allotted to the federation but officials are reluctant to disclose the annual balance sheet.

K.M Purushothama, Secretary of Karnataka State Government Employees Association, said: “There is a large fund allotted to the medical associations every year and we have given extra benefit to the Ayush Federation because they tend to practice in rural areas.

“We want Ayush Federation to be an autonomous medical body.

We don’t want these associations to be part of the Government as the amount which has been allocated for the betterment of villages is misused by the

officials. “ V B Patil, Commissioner of Health, said, “We gave Rs. 40 crore in mid 2010 to the Ayush federation for the purpose of training and education, but officials are not conducting any training courses for the doctors.

“We went to them to enquire about the record of Rs. 40 crore.

But they bluntly said that they have not received any amount for training purpose. That’s why I want these associations to be separated from the government.”

This year, all members of the Karnataka Medical Association were reluctant to release any funds.

Dr. Govind Raju, Chairman of the Indian Medical Association said: “Ayush doesn’t have proper records. Because of that, the government of Karnataka is ignoring medical officials and not giving them any awards.“ The Chief Information Officer of Ayush, G N

Krishna Prasad

Medical Association refuses funds to Ayush Federation

No proper records are maintained by Ayush Federation.

Sreekantaiah, said: “The amount was given to us but they didn’t mention any purpose like training. This is not a finance company. So we can’t keep a record of everything.”

Dr. Govind Raju said that he has raised this issue before the State Health Minister and he has promised to look into the matter.

The Ayush Federation is a collection of Ayurvedic doctors who obtain funding annually from the state.

They launched a protest at Freedom Park in July this year for permission to prescribe allopathic medicine in case of emergency which is allowed in about 14 other States across the country.

The Ayush Federation, Karnataka Chapter has over 40,000 Ayush practioners.

Dr. Govind Raju said that he has raised this issue before the State health minister and he has promised to look into the matter.

Aftershocks of the global financial meltdown to hit India soon

Sneha Banerjee

Companies that can weather the economic storm will be the winners in India’s troubled marketplace, a conference heard.

Supply chain management needs to be improved and improvised to strengthen

Annual Manufacturing Conference 2012.

Top of the agenda was how to maximise competitiveness in turbulent times.

India is starting to feel the aftershocks of the global financial meltdown and the collapsing Eurozone economies.

Investing in innovative ideas will prove beneficial in future

manufacturing industry across the country, according to speakers at the Karnataka

Manufacturing is on a downward spiral and there are fears it will only get worse.

Karnataka launches scheme to promote vocational education

By Nijhum Rudra The government of Karnataka has initiated a process of revamping the centrally sponsored scheme of vocationalising secondary education.

This is being done in order to develop the national vocational education qualification framework (NVEQF) in Karnataka.

NVEQF will help establish a clear educational pathway to the secondary school students in Karnataka.

“The scheme is very flexible and shall provide a greater option to the students for choosing modules, keeping in view their aptitude and economic requirements,” said Ashvini, a Media Consultant in Bangalore.

“The major aim of this scheme is to provide the students with vocational and technical training in order to expand their employment opportunities in the global market,” she added.

The scheme shall be implemented as per the norms and guidelines and the national

standards stipulated by the government of India under NVEQP. “The main aim of this programme is to decrease the pressure on students in academics and compulsory higher education as many of them cannot afford it. This will reduce gap between educated and employable. It will enhance employability of the youth through competency based modular vocational courses,“ said Hegde Kageri, the State Education Minister.

MR Amaranth, a sociotechnologist and one of the guests, said,” It is intended to impart skills to students for both organised and unorganised sectors. It will serve as an instrument for classifying qualifications according to a set of criteria for levels of learning outputs.”

Haryana and Karnataka are the first states to be selected for launching the pilot scheme by NVEQF in their 11th plan by the government of India.

Dr. B Mahadevan, a Professor at the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, felt that there was no difference between a competitive environment and a turbulent scenario.

He said that companies that manage to sail through turbulent times are the ones that will emerge to be winners. He also felt that turbulent times are cyclical in nature and they are prone to be a part of every economy.

He stressed the need to increase the value of services which would help us through every difficult future scenario.

Mr. Mahadevan felt that India was a developed country with overflowing manpower and knowledge but when it came to theoretical application it failed miserably.

Developed countries have diminishing markets whereas the markets in the east are more robust.

Mahadevan was adamant that there was no point in increasing profits if India cannot

increase the 'value' of its product.

Team work and leadership qualities are also key factors in efficient development. One should build a system that engages every member of the team and values every individual's contribution, he added.

On the contrary Mr. Vasan V S, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Management at Glenmark Pharmaceuticals strongly felt that India has a very efficient supply chain management system and with Korea and Japan being the pioneers in this field India was gradually getting there.

Mr. Vasan felt that supply chain management had improved over the last twenty years in our country and Indian companies such as Dabur, Marico, Britannia and others were front runners in this department.

Mr. Mahadevan also felt that it was due to the absence of certain important skills manufacturing industries such as the IT/ITES were moving away from India.

Book launch A book launch by Ramachandra Guha, an imminent Indian historian and author is scheduled today at 7pm. in Sapna Book House, Residency road.

“Patriots and Partisans” is a book about past and present of India. It talks about India in Gandhi and Nehru’s time.

“We are expecting more than 200 visitors at the book launch today,” said Mr. Jigar, Manager of the newly opened branch of Sapna Book House.

He added: “More than 500 books have been pre-ordered.”

Versatile painter Tapan Kar arrives in Bangalore

Tapan Kar, a versatile personality is more than just a painter. He is also an accomplished poet and a part-time author.

He is in Bangalore to exhibit his paintings from November 24th to November 30th.

This was Tapan’s first solo show in Bangalore. His themes are predominantly women and their daily lives. Mr. Kar added, “Women are a part of nature.

They build our family and social life with hard work and daily life from dawn to dusk.”

Tapan is from Kolkata and started work right after his graduation in 1971 in his hometown.

“I did my first solo exhibition in Bangalore and got a lot of appreciation for my paintings from the people of Bangalore, four years ago. This exhibition is also special to me and that is my first choice for this one was Bangalore.” said Tapan.

He already has a few orders and the price range of his paintings may vary from Rs. 5, 000 to Rs. 25, 000, depending on his fancy. It may as low as Rs. 2,500 for special cases.

Blood donation camp organized

By Hansa V Blood donation camp was inaugurated at the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) auditorium this morning.

Organized by the BWSSB Employees’ association, in association with the Indian Red Cross Society, the camp was inaugurated today.

The event was inaugurated by the Guest of Honor, Gaurav Gupta, Chairman, BWSSB. He said: “It gives me great pride to know that such an event is being conducted. It shows how socially responsible people are.”

Dr. Shankar, Senior Medical Officer, said: “This is the first time we are conducting a blood donation camp. This is a good way to start an event. It marks the thoughts and ideas of basic humanitarianism.

“The blood donation camp has already started and we have got loads of volunteers already donating blood.”

Mr. Sharath, a volunteer who

has come to donate blood at the camp, was all smiles. He said that he was a frequent donor of blood and feels immense pride in doing so.

He said:” I have been doing this for the past 16 years and I will continue to do so. I usually donate blood every four months or so. “ “It feels good. I do not find any harm in donating blood to the

needy. At least, I know that I am saving somebody’s life or rather I know I am being an integral part of someone’s life. They live, they are happy, their family is happy and that is what ultimately matters to me,” he added.

The blood donors will be given two certificates — one by the Red Cross Society and another by the BWSSB to show their gratitude.

Hansa V

By Sneha Banerjee

News in brief

Mr. Guarav Gupta Chairman of BWSSB iinaugurating the blood donation camp organised by BWSSB emplyees association

3

The Daily Observer

November 28, 2012

State focuses more on retired than on budding artists hobby.”

He added: “Here, everyone is just told to study and earn money.

Parents don’t encourage their children to follow their art but force them to become engineers and doctors.”

Mahesh Rawal, put up his five day long painting exhibition at Venkatappa Art Gallery in the city,

Display of Mahesh Rawal, an artist, painting; Insight: Artist Mahesh Rawal

after money like crazy.”

Rawal’s paintings are priced between Rs. 15,000 – Rs. 50,000. In the last three days, he has only sold one painting so far.

He said: “I am contributing to the art of my country but the country is not bothered. What will the future generation be left to see? Only bombs, terror and corruption!

They don’t understand if there are no artists, there’s nothing in the world.”

Artist, Mahesh Rawal, is angry with Indian and the Indian government for the lack of importance they give to art in this country.

He said: “In India, there is no knowledge of art and no guidance towards it. Art is not taken as a profession but as a

on November 25, 2012.

Rawal has painted “India’s culture and tradition” in a figurative form using oil paints, acrylic and water colours.

Karnataka arts and culture department has various programmes to encourage its artists.The Karnataka government established academy promotes “Karnataka art and Karnataka artists” through camps, exhibitions, awards and financial aid. Some artists are given the benefit of finicial aid but as these too much, they aren’t that helpful.

Mallika Arjun, Joint Director, Karnataka Sanskriti Sang, said: We support painters financially by giving them money to put up their exhibition.”

Satyajith G D

Rajarajeshwari medical college celebrates Karnataka Rajyotsava

Vaidya sahitya srishti book release by Visheswara Bhatt in Rajarajeshwari hospital

By Satyajith G D Rajayotsav Day was celebrated at Rajarajeshwari Hospital by releasing the medical book, “Vaidya Sahitya Srishti.”

Rajyotsava Day is celebrated across Karnataka on the 1st of November every year. To mark the occasion, Rajarajeshwari Medical College and Hospital launched a book in Kannda.

The book mainly focuses on the causes and remedies for various diseases to help educate and inform patients and families to get an insight into serious diseases.

A C Shanmugam, Chairman of Rajarajeshwari Medical College and Hospital said, “As a

Rawal said: “I have spent Rs. 7 lakh to put up this exhibition and I had requested for financial aid but was refused. If I had received any, it would not have been more than Rs. 50,000.”

The department gives Rs. 50,000 for an individual’s exhibition and Rs. 1,00,000 for group exhibitions.

responsible medical institution, it is our duty to spread awareness among the people to know about the causes of a disease and the nature of it. This will help them to understand the various diseases and spread awareness to the people,” he added.

The chief guest Visheshwara Bhatt, the Chief Editor of kanadda prabha began by promoting and creating awareness of medical health care system among common people.

He said that journalists are not well trained in writing articles and features on medical stories.

“The journalists are needed to give people a basic insight on the

health issues related to the common people,” he said.

“An editor should be occasionally seen, editors should be heard, and editors should be widely read,” he added.

Dr. Chandreshekaraiah C, Professor and HOD of the hospital’s forensic department urged the need for medical books in Kannada. “Mother tongue is the basic of everything. Some students found it very difficult to understand the English language. If more translated books are available, it will be helpful in imparting in-depth knowledge to students,” he said.

He also added that a doctor needs to communicate with his patients. “If he can communicate with him and win his cooperation, it would be helpful for the doctor and the patient. So language could help,” he said.

Dr. Chandreshekaraiah told students that a medical study is devotion and that you learn more and more at every stage.

Visheshwara Bhatt said that the launch of the book will enhance the importance of the language as well.”

“When I was in Russia, all the great scientists in Russia were talking in their mother tongue and almost all the books in English”

“Rs. 50,000 is supposed to be partial financial support only,” said Mallika Arjun.

Last year, the arts and culture department gave financial aid to about 30-50 individuals and groups.

Rawal said: “There is a lot of politics involved in who gets it and how much.”

Interestingly, Karnataka government is doing lot more for established senior artists than it is for the young and budding artists. The seniors artists are promoted much more through camps and exhibitions specially for them. There is a special annual award, Venkatappa State Award, which awards Rs. 3,00,000 to a senior artist every year. There is no such

award for the young artists. The senior citizen (artists) who have no government job are provided with a nominal pension of Rs.1,000 as well.

For the young talented folks, there is a fellowship and a few camps organized. An annual exhibition is held, where works of 100-150 artists are displayed. 10 best painters receive an award of Rs. 30,000 only.

Rawal feels that in India the talent of an artist is not recognized and there are very few who stick to their talent in the long run.

He said: “In a village with a population of 4 lakh, I am the onlyartist. So you can figure out how few artists there really are in India.”

Rawal has held 15-20 exhibitions previously in Bangalore and Mumbai and has planned his next one in Mumbai in July 2013. He exhibits his work not to publicise himself but to show his work to other.

The sad thing in this country is, even if an art exhibition is put up, people prefer to go to the malls and bars instead of visiting an exhibition.”

He added: “People are very bad in this country. They just run aftermoney like crazy.”

Rawal’s paintings are priced between Rs. 15,000 – Rs. 50,000. In the last three days, he has only sold one painting so far.

He said: “Indian don’t value art as much. Most of my paintings are bought by foreigners.”

He added: “I am contributing to the art of my country but the country is not bothered. What will the future generation be left to see? Only bombs, terror and corruption!They don’t understand if there are no artists, there’s nothing in the world.”

Mahesh Rawal teaches painting at the Aacharya Paathshala to support himself.

Support bill for Hyderabad Karnataka region: Claims KPCC

By Kakoli Mukherjee P.Sashidhar, the Deputy Convener of the schedule tribe cell demanded Jagadish Shettar to withdraw his letter opposing the bill proposed to assign special status to the HyderabadKarnataka region.

“The people of the KarnatakaHyderabad region are extremely backward; they do not even have even the basic amenities.

opposing the according of a special status to this region.

The special status to the region was given to this area as this area houses a lot of economically backward classes and this area has been a region of major underdevelopment. The provision ensures the setting up of a special development board for the region to enhance the Kakoli Mukherjee

Artist, Mahesh Rawal, is angry with Indians and the Indian government for the lack of importance they give to art in this country.

He said: “In India, there is no knowledge of art and no guidance towards it. Art is not taken as a profession but as a hobby.”

He added: “Here, everyone is just told to study and earn money.

Parents don’t encourage their children to follow their art but force them to become engineers and doctors.”

Mahesh Rawal, put up his five day long painting exhibition at Venkatappa Art Gallery in the city, on November 25, 2012.

Rawal has painted “India’s culture and tradition” in a figurative form using oil paints, acrylic and water colours.

Karnataka Sanskriti department has provisions for subsidies. Some artists are given the benefit of these subsidies but as these subsidies are not too high, they aren’t that helpful.

He said: “I have spent Rs. 7 lakh to put up this exhibition and I had requested for a subsidy but was refused. If I had received any, it would not have been more than Rs. 50,000.”

He added: “There is a lot of politics involved in who gets it and how much.”

Rawal feels that in India the talent of an artist is not recognized and there are very few who stick to their talent in the long run.

He said: “In a village with a population of 4 lakh, I am the only artist. So you can figure out how few artists there really are in India.”

Rawal has held 15-20 exhibitions previously in Bangalore and Mumbai and has planned his next one in Mumbai

in July 2013. He exhibits his work not to publicise himself but to show his work to other.

The sad thing in this country is, even if an art exhibition is put up, people prefer to go to the malls and bars instead of visiting an exhibition.”

He added: “People are very bad in this country. They just run

Udita Chaturvedi

By Udita Chaturvedi

Therefore it is very crucial for this bill to be passed so that the special status helps in empowering them,” he said.

The government of India had proposed a bill to assign a special status to the HyderabadKarnataka region KPCC member P Shashidharaddressing the media under article 371(J). chances of development of the The article was introduced in region economically and make the constitution of India after the life more feasible for its 118th amendment came into inhabitants. effect. This amendment ensures P. Sashidhar also demanded special status being granted to the immediate resignation of BJP states like Manipur, Nagaland, MP and Central Working Jammu and Kashmir and now the Committee member, Venkaya Karnataka-Hyderabad region.

Naidu, as he was opposing the Jagadish Shettar, the Chief amendment of the bill and was Minister of Karnataka had written elected to the parliament from a letter to the parliament Karnataka.

4

The Daily Observer

November 28, 2012

Nupur Gour

The forgotten hero of Bangalore

Who is Sandeep Unnikrishnan?

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan was born on 15th march, 1977.

He did most of his schooling in Frank Anthony Public School in Bangalore.

He graduated from the National Defence Academy in Pune.

After serving in the Bihar regiment for a short period of time, he was commissioned into one of the most elite groups of the Indian army, the National Security Guards (NSG).

On November 27, 2008, Major Unnikrishnan was deployed in the Taj Mahal Hotel for a counterterrorism operation — Operation Black Tornado.

During the operation, while trying to rescue one of his fellow commandos, he was shot in the back.

He succumbed to his injuries the next day.

By Pushkar and Nupur For the past two days the entire nation has mourned the death of the Bangalore based NSG commando who was killed in the Mumbai attacks.

As memorial services were held and statues were unveiled all across the country, the people in his own locality are still ignorant about his sacrifice.

Major Sandeep Unnikrishan hails from a Bangalore suburb, named after him.

The death date of this martyr is under doubts as the clock crossed the day while he died and the doctor announced his

death. But the National Security Guard (NSG),do not have objections if the memorials date either 27th or 28th November as the day of death.

Residents of the locality fail to recognize even the war hero's name.

Mahesh, a software engineer, who stays in the locality, when asked who Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan was, said, "Who is he? I don’t know who is he? Why should I know him?"

Unfortunately, around 18 to 20 neighbours I spoke to did not even have the slightest clue about whom I was asking.

The surprising part being that

the educated class could not connect to the Major’s name.

The first person who answered in the affirmative was a welder in a shop.

Ramesh, the welder, said, “Of course I know who Maj. Sandeep Unnikrishnan is. I am proud to live in the same locality he hails from.”

Ultimately, Ramesh was the person who successfully guided me to Maj. Unnikrishnan’s house.

Are four years too long to forget a hero who laid down his life for the country? On a general note, is India full of people who fail to acknowledge sacrifices made by their heroes?

The government has recognized his bravery by naming a street after him.

Nijhum Rudra

Photos and medals of the major being displayed in a showcase at his home

Major Unnikrishnan’s bust, which was unveiled at Ramamurthy Nagar.

Tumkur University

By Hansa V The Undergraduate semester exams at Tumkur University were postponed indefinitely after a question paper leak.

The exams were supposed to have been completely cancelled, according to N. Lakshminatha, the University’s Registrar of Evaluation.

"This is the first time that this is happening in our University.

We have currently started an enquiry regarding who is behind this," he said.

He said that the exams that have been postponed due to the leak will commence from the 6th of December, 2012. “All the papers that were initially cancelled will be held from the

second week of December starting with the soft skill and personality development papers.”

When asked about the Karnataka State Law University's new method of preventing such leaks, he said: "Cloud computing might be helpful. Since we are not that advanced, I am not sure if it will work out. But it's never wrong to give it a try."

The papers will be reset, and the cloud computing method will be tried and implemented this time, so that there is no risk of another leak.

R.C.Nagaraju, faculty, Department of Commerce, said that it is a hindrance to all the plans and academic schedules that have been planned.

He added that even though this is the first time this is happening at their University, he feels bad that this has happened to a department that concerns him.

He said: "B.Com, in itself is not an easy-to-learn subject. The more time that is wasted, the more difficult and tiresome it gets for the students to grab and understand what is being taught."

The students are frustrated with this as well. One of the students, Karthik, II B.Com, said: “The schedule was already very hectic for us. Now it is literally hell, not simply because our vacations weredisturbed, but the extra syllabi that we have to cover for the exams.

“None of the courses are easy, now it is like dual course syllabi at the same time. We are simply slogging and doing nothing else.”

Tumkur University had recently alleged with leaking of question papers for the undergraduate streams of B.Com and B.B.M. The allegations proved to be correct after investigations that the paper leaked was the same paper that was to be produced in the fourth semester examination.

The university suspects that the printers or the Xerox might be responsible for the leak, but are not ready to blame them without any solid proof from the investigating team that is conducting the investigation.

By Satyajith GD

Satyajith GD

Hansa V

Leaked question paper causes Landfills earmarked without residents’ approval exams to be postponed indefinitely Ignoring the sentiments of the people, local leaders and BBMP officials have chosen sites for dumping garbage without the consent of the locals.

BBMP had identified six sites Garbage still a major issue at Sundakatte to dump garbage on the outskirts of the city; the that area by any means, because proposal was given to the court the land belongs to the government,” he said. on Friday.

“We also need an area to They identified Yelaguppa (10 acres), Sunkadakatte (15 acres), dump our garbage,” he added.

The people in the area are not Kallabalu (63 acres), Challaghatta (10 acres), Bagalur aware that the waste garbage (13 acres) and Hindavadi (11 plant proposal is near their residences and are ignorant acres) as possible landfills.

They are seeking Karnataka about the consequences.

The Councilor, Govinda State Pollution Control Board’s permission over the identified Gowda, said the initiative for the waste fill land proposal was taken sites.

The Observer visited by them and they moved it to city Sunkadakatte and found out that Mayor Venketesh Murthy Mayor Venkesh Murthy said the proposed land was only on papers and there is not even 3 once they get permission from acres of land for waste disposal. Karnataka Pollution Control The area is thickly populated, Board, they will move forward surrounded with slums. When the with the project.

The terms and conditions are local councilor Govinda Gowda, was asked about the landfills, he very strict. 60 percent of said the space was adequate for segregation will happen at the collective level. the waste disposal plant.

When asked about the lack of Roopesh, an aide of Govinda Gowda from the constituency, space he said he did not know said that the proposed land is anything about it and moreover being illegally occupied by the Karnataka pollution control board was there to give the permission locals.

“We will remove people from for constructing waste plants.

5

The Daily Observer

28 November 2012

By Vintu Augustine Dr. George Panthanmackel, a doctor of philosophy is the principal of Suvidya College, an institute of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Electronic City, Bangalore. He shared a few perspectives on the Indian Educational System in an interview by the Daily Observer’s reporter Vintu Augustine. Here are the excerpts: What do you think of the Indian educational system today?

Positively speaking, Indian educational system is democratic and imparts secular values by and large.

However, fundamentalist elements too creep in at times. It provides equal opportunities to all to a great extent, depending on one’s performance irrespective of the economic or social background.

The most outstanding negative element in Indian educational system is rampant corruption. For example, one has to bribe the officers or professors to get a certificate from a university. Sometimes, for an appointment or promotion a professor or teacher has to bribe politicians and people in authority.

Money plays a very crucial role in

education-related matters also. Another serious problem with our educational system is that there is no emphasis given to philosophy and critical thinking. Introducing great thinkers already at school level will supply a source of inspiration to young minds. That will create a questioning mind and spirit among students.

Our universities do not promote serious and genuine research, which is a must for societies to grow. New ideas and findings emerge out of genuine researches. Another drawback of our educational system is improper utilization of funds meant for research.

How is the Indian educational system different from west? As a person who has studied and worked abroad can you think of any western elements of education that can improve our system?

Western educational system is more systematic, honest, transparent and display commitment and hard work. Westerners have a better appreciation for intellectual pursuit.

They value academic qualifications greatly. In India, politicians take an upper hold to academicians; a panchayat member is more important

Jaimon T.

Dr. Panthanmackel: “Indian educational system is democratic and imparts secular values by and large”

Dr. George Panthanmackel

than a professor.

73% of colleges and 68% of universities in India are found to be of low quality today. What do you think the reasons are and how can the situation be improved?

Critical thinking has to be promoted and a research methodology should be introduced already at the school level so as to improve our educational quality. A serious research mind and scholarly outlook has to be inculcated in young minds.

What could enhance quality employment as the economy is growing rpidly?

Animal deaths in Mysore Zoo: Lack of capital or foul play

More intense and serious commitment to work alone can enhance the quality of employment. Hard work and commitment to one’s own work has to be ensured. Sincerity and honesty is not appreciated much in Indian society, rather what is admired at is the ability to do any nuisance and not be caught. ‘Shame’ counts bigger to us than being transparent and open.

The question of quality comes in when people aim only at high marks in colleges and universities and never at hard work and commitment to acquire a practical and critical mind that performs at all levels.

Meritorious students should be given priority of admission to every stream of education; no mask play and nasty game should come in there.

In the context of educated unemployed increasing in the country year by year, what can be done to create adequate employment opportunities?

I have a very innovative idea here; combine office work with manual labour. The advantage is that it will not promote an idea of a class different from the rest of the society. It will also contribute to the

health of the person. There should not be a class of peons to be at the service of officers. It will uphold the dignity of manual labour, which is belittled by the caste hierarchy. Integration of manual labour with office work will create more of oppurtunities for employment as many personnel will be required at a single office.

What is your opinion about the traditional (Gurukula) tutorial system of education which was and even now followed by many a teacher today?

I will never idealize the traditional or Gurkula way of education.

It has several disadvantages; the student is completely controlled by the teacher, he has no freedom to differ from him. If the teacher takes unnecessarily control of the situation, the student has no environment to develop.

Modern university system grants immense freedom, which enhances and allows persons to grow.

But the system has to be well organized, which, off course, is a herculean task.

The question of serious commitment and sincere hard work needs to go before everything else.

High price of real estate shocks NRIs returning to India

Pyusha

By Kriti Khandelwal

Dr. Sheela Rao

By Pyusha Chatterjee One of the reasons behind the animal deaths in Mysore Zoo can be lack of capital, says a veterinarian.

Dr. Sheela Rao, a veterinarian, is the Honorary Secretary of CUPA (Compassion Unlimited Plus Action) and is one of the trustees of WRRC (Wildlife Research and Rehabilitation Centre) was also associated with Society for Prevention of Cruelty to animals.

According to Dr. Rao, one of the major reasons behind the recent an-

imal deaths in Mysore Zoo could be due to the lack of availability of a permanent veterinarian apart from lack of capital.

When asked about involvement of foul play, she said: “It may be one of the reasons as things like this have happened in past.”

According to previous reports, an elephant calf died in Mysore Zoon in 2004 due to poisoning. A lion tailed macaque also died in the same zoo in 2004. The reason could not be found but there were blood stains on its tail.

Dr. Rao further added that the most important thing which should be done is to reduce stress to the animals. This can be done by giving them space. A complete realignment of cages should be done and place should be given to the animals to hide sometimes and not be under the glare of humans always. Climatic conditions should also be controlled and should be made suitable for the animals as most of them are not native to India..

The president of WRRC, Dr. Brunda Nanda Kumar also agreed with the fact that animals need

space and hideouts, though she believes Mysore Zoo to be one of the best.

Dr. Rao further said: “As far as I know, the Mysore Zoo authorities take good care of animals and give proper treatment.” “ The problem may lie with the diagnosis. It may be incorrect because of which animals die. There are treatments for the diseases which I think are provided as the veterinary care is good,”she added.

The recent deaths were due to various health problems as explained.

“Heart Failure and Anorexia (extreme reduction in weight) these conditions are related to stress.

Stress leads to heart failure, anorexia, ulcers, muscular problems or even pancreatic cancer,” she said.

She also explained how tuberculosis, due to which many bears died in Bangalore, can be prevented.

She said: “The animals should not be allowed to have close contact with each other. They should not be allowed to come close to the humans as well. These can also prevent other communicable diseases.”

Non-Resident Indians who wish to move back to the country are finding it difficult due to soaring prices of real estate.

Avineesh Krishna, a real estate agent said: “Bangalore is not the same as the NRIs left it a decade or two ago.”

NRIs who move to India want to have the same luxuries like they have overseas.

However, the prices are so high in the city that they either have to compromise on their luxuries or change their plans of coming to Bangalore.

Krishna said: “There is about 15% hike in real estate property prices in Bangalore annually. This is higher than in other cities like Chennai, Pune and even Mumbai and Delhi.”

He added: “Quite a few NRIs who originally plan to move to Bangalore end up settling in another city in order to be able to afford their requirements.”

Krishna’s agency has had 63 NRI clients this year, seeking property to match their requirements. 29

of these ended up buying property in another city.

“Not all NRIs are looking for transfers; some just want to invest in the housing and real estate market. Even though investing in Bangalore promises good returns, at the current rate of inflation, it is still a major investment. Not everyone has planned to put in as much, before they consult the agency,” said Krishna.

He added: “The prices here are much higher than most of them expect.”

Luxuries in Bangalore seem to be much more expensive than what they cost abroad for the NRIs, says Krishna.

“The price of a convenient lifestyle has risen in India over the last 4 years,” said Rahul Sachdev, who moved back to India eight months back after living in Bangkok for more than 30 years.

“From the cost of toothpaste to a dinner or a restaurant, everything has become costly,” he said, when asked for examples about these luxuries and price differences.

By Amrita Ray Auritra Ghosh is a professional Jazz, contemporary and modern dancer and a faculty member of The Danceworx Performing Arts Academy in New Delhi. After dancing, teaching, choreographing and touring nationally as well as internationally for eight years, she moved to Mumbai in 2009 to pursue a career in acting. Worked first as a theatre artist with and did plays with actors like Shabana Azmi and Lillette Dubey. Then she got her first break in Bollywood in the movie Love

breakup Zindagi.

You started your career as a choreographer and then moved to theatre. Why the sudden shift?

Dancing has been my passion since I was a kid, but I never dreamt of becoming an actor. After becoming a choreographer I realized that dancing and acting run on a similar line. We portray different characters through different dance forms just like we do in films so I developed an interest in the field and started doing theatres and within a year I got my first break.

How did you get your first

movie Love Breakup Zindagi?

I had done lot of shows in India and abroad as a choreographer. Two years back I shifted from Delhi to Mumbai. During my stay in Mumbai I got introduced to the Bollywood industry while doing theatre.

One day I got a call from Sahil Sangha, the director of the movie saying that I got selected for a role in his movie and that was how I got my break.

How was your experience working with producer cum actors – Dia Mirza and Zayed Khan?

I got to learn a lot from both of them. They made me feel very comfortable on the sets although I was a newcomer. Dia was like a friend to me.

How was your experience working with actors like Imaad Shah and Ira Dubey who are known for their unconventional choice of films?

It is always fun to work with people with similar likes and ideologies. Being a theatre person, I have always liked unconventional and challenging roles. Therefore I thoroughly enjoyed working with them.

Minall Mehta

Auritra Ghosh: “I have always liked unconventional and challenging roles”

Auritra Ghosh

The Daily Observer

By Kriti Khandelwal

“But you’re are Indian,” he said. I don’t know if it was what he said or the tone he used that made me feel a strong urge to box his face in front of 32 members of our college’s debate club.

Fabian and I never got along well together, but after this incident, things changed between him and me—we became the worst enemies ever.

It can be a boon as well as a challenge to be brought up abroad and be surrounded by a transnational environment in university. It is like representing my motherland in front of other nationalities through the way I live, communicate and behave.

Sure, I had lived my life in Thailand but deep within I am still an Indian. A faint criticism against my country could easily exacerbate me.

I guess that’s why Fabian got into trouble that day.

It was a breezy Saturday afternoon. The debate club I was a member of had a new session with a brand-new issue to wrangle about.

The debwas on whether cultural background affects how a student performs academically. Everything was going well. Everyone had something to say about the correlation between their own culture and their academics.

Finally, as the only present Indian in the club, I raised my hand to have a say. I felt the onus was on me to place a positive image in everyone’s minds of my nation. Proudly, I reeled off by telling them something about my Indian background.

Everyone was obviously impressed with India while I described its beauty, traditions and the people.

Then I got down to talking about prominent personalities emerging from India and factually stating that the large number of globally well known engineers, writers, scientists and doctors are Indian.

I was almost getting on how our society places a lot of importance on education when the Zimbabweanborn Fabian shot his hand in the air, indicating that he had a point to rebut.

Knowing how irritating he could get, I tried to ignore him until he would stop waving his hand in order to grab my attention.

“What!” I said out loud, almost spitting on him from across the room. Everyone looked at him and uttered a sigh. I wasn’t the only one in the room who was annoyed, I sensed.

“But you’re an Indian,” he said.

I didn’t know what he was talking about. He was getting more and more irritating.

“So? What about me being an Indian?” I asked.

I clearly remember his smug smile and the ugly reply, “Doesn’t your culture supposedly give more importance to women being a homemaker than being educated?”

I stumbled. Where did that come from? I thought we Indians were past that orthodox period. It took me a couple of minutes to absorb what he said.

Then, rationally choosing my words, I mentioned that the number of families that still carry this belief has decreased almost to the point of extinction.

Though somehow I still managed to shut that guy up, deep within I knew that it was a lie I had to tell.

After that, I only had a vague idea of what happened during that day’s debating session.

My mind was preoccupied by what Fabian had said. I felt anger within me for his comment. I felt guilty for realizing what he said was true. For the first time, I didn’t feel proud to be an Indian.

Perhaps others haven’t updated their perception about India, but we all know that the perception is false.

The blame lies within us.

There are families that still don’t allow their girls to study and we, as a collective society, don’t do anything about it. Maybe it’s time Indians sat back and thought about what is happening in this “globalizing” country.

It’s time for some change. It’s time to make India a better nation where, without any guilt, we can proudly reply to people like Zimbabwean born Fabian, “Yes, I’m an Indian.”

The number of female dropouts in India is as high as 34,48,328- Census reports of 2011.

November 28, 2012

Business

Digital media; a threat to theatre

By Udia Chaturvedi Indian theatres need MBA graduates to plan strategies for them and increase profit margin.

In the last couple of weeks, various theatre groups have come to the city to perform both contemporary and classic plays.

“Theatre needs a new business model and a new perception. Theatre today needs a push or a boost up from the biz world,” says Abhishek Iyengar, play director with a national theatre group ‘We Move Theatre’.

Though these plays are gaining more popularity, funding is still an issue for most theatre groups in India.

“Theatre today has no funding, people think there are no returns in theatre which is actually not the fact,” said Iyengar.

He added: “It is just that because of few idiotic theatre performances the whole art form is stereotyped. You even have bad films, that don’t mean all films are flops.”

An average cost of production for a small theatre group comes to about Rs. 50,000 and a group like We Move puts up at least one show every month. Sponsors feel apprehensive about funding the show as not too many turn up for the performances.

Abhishek Iyengar, however, believes that the western countries do not face the same problems.

Iyengar says: “People do not want to sponsor or support a theatre play. With great money, great production can be done but that’s where the problem lies.”

He added: “In fact sponsors are always worried that we get only 300 people. What they really miss is that we get 300 genuine people who are wealthy enough to buy whatever the sponsor wants to sell.”

Iyengar feels that “digital media” is the biggest competition for the theatre world.

“People tend to watch more movies than plays. Theatre is not as popular as film media. Audience are slowly getting adjusted to this new trend so I can fairly say that it takes some time for theatre to grab the limelight,” said Iyengar.

He added: “People in theatre circuit recognize and acknowledge about ones theatre and his passion but it is the common man who still sits dumb when he hears theatre.”

A good business strategic plan is what theatre needs, says Iyengar.

“Theatre needs more MBA grads who can strategize market and plan a production and get good returns out of it, of course it takes more than one show to get a good return,” Iyengar says that the world’s “one of the most ancient profession has become a hobby” He said: “People who work in various MNC's today think about theatre as the ‘next hep thing to do’.

They find theatre as a good alternative to their boring weekends. There are very few people who do theatre for their living.”

He added: “Things needs to change and I am positive about the change.”

Theatre in India has already seen quite a few changes in the last decade itself.

“With more and more people

tending towards theatre, people today recognize and acknowledge the fact that there is something called theatre and it still exists.

There is lot of support from the print Udita Chaturvedi

When India lets you down

Kriti Khandelwal

Memoirs

6

Abhishek Iyengar, director of We Move theatre.

media for theatre and people today are open to spend their evening watching a play and enjoying at the same time,” said Iyengar.

He added: “Lot of technology is coming to theatre like sound and music recording, lighting and more.

Theatre today is collaborated with lot of art forms like dance, classical form of dance, music etc. Few years back doing theatre considered to be taboo which is not the case now.”

We Move is the only theatre group in Bangalore that performs plays in both Kannada and English.

Since its inception in 2006, it has been a synonym for promoting different kind arts and artists. WeMove gives chance to anyone with keen interest and passion in theatre without conducting any auditions. The group has already performed 25 shows in 2012 alone.

Politics

The Political Imbroglio

By Krishnaprasad S With a new party comes new politics, but what does India’s political map look like now? Will the arrival of India Against Corruption (IAC) into the political arena improve our politics or will it be business as usual for the dealmakers in Delhi? Krishnaprasad S takes a look: India Against Corruption (IAC) has entered politics and emerged as a party. Arvind Kejriwal, and his new party Aam Admi Party now seem to be struggling to fit in among the gang of thieves and players who occupy our seats of power.

The recent target of the IAC was Robert Vadra, the 43-year old sonin-law of the congress family.

Vadra’s interest in politics and his gloom in his business were clearly evident during the UP assembly elections where he had told the nation that he could win from any constituency in India.

He also said that Priyanka Gandhi, his wife, would lead the organization after Rahul Gandhi. This landed him in trouble and Priyanka blames the media for asking her husband the wrong questions.

The congress has also been under the scanner for P.Chidambaram and a party spokesman’s statement -“Attack on Vadra is like attack on the party.” But Vadra has denied the charges against him.

A part of the congress voices its concern over the debate that Vadra’s dealing with the realty major DLF involved transactions between two private firms and the AICC. But the media has taken no interest in airing the above situation.

The congress brilliantly tried to turn the lens of the camera towards Nitin Gadkari for his recent controversy of the “Purti” in an effort to deflect attention.

The recent reshuffle of the cabinet raised some doubts as the next Lok Sabha elections approached. It was during this time that Arvind Kejriwal felt that there were developments in the country exclusively

by Mukesh Ambani.

Shifting of Salman Khurshid from Law Minister to the Minister of External Affairs did not go down well with critics as he had allegations against him that there were irregularities in a trust run by him and his wife.

The railway ministry which had been with the one time ally Trinamool Congress was given to P.K. Bansal. The railway not only brings in a lot of investments but also plays a major role in the tourism sector.

Urgent expansion and upgrading of the rail network is going to boost the infrastructure and tourism sectors, or so the government believes.

AndraPradesh saw five additions to the cabinet making a total of

11 ministers from that state. The focus was the elevation of Pallam Raju to Cabinet Rank and giving him the HRD portfolio. Andra is the only major state where the Congress is in power on its own with the Y.S Jaganmohan Reddy government.

After Mamata Banerjee of the West Bengal walked out of the UPA, three new faces have been brought in to take on Banerjee when the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is slowly trying to marginalize the congress.

The major concern of the reshuffle was the ignorance of the Eastern part of India.

The DMK’s no interest in filling up the vacancies, the Telangana issue, the YSR congress, BJP’s mess in Karnataka and the performance of Congress in Kerala was one of the main reasons for the Congress MP’s from the south to get a Union Ministership in the re-shuffle.

Out of 16 Congress Lok Sabha MP’s from Maharashtra only one was considered in the reshuffle.

There were three vacancies following the death of Vilasrao Deshmukh and resignation of Mukul Wasnik besides Prithviraj Chavan being the Prime Minister.

While Goa and Manipur have been struggling for over six years for a place in the Lok Sabha and have failed to capture the attention of the UPA government.

7

The Daily Observer

November 28, 2012

Sports Security beefed up at Chinnaswamy Stadium Pushkar Banakar

Last match between India v/s Pakistan was played in 2007 at Chinnaswammy stadium .

dous amount of public interest as the two countries will play in a bilateral series after a long hiatus and chaos.”

Thrill seekers call for safety regulations

By Manjusha Gandham

By Durgesh M & Pushkar Banakar

even if it is new.”

“We comply with the safety measures as our credibility is at stake. Since its inception in 1989, GETHNAA has not recorded a single accident,” he added.

Many private players also feel the need for a regulatory body.

Partha, from Bangalore Mountaineering Club said: “We make sure that the dos and don’ts are explained to the participants. Our instructor-participant ratio is also less, and we make sure a doctor is around and all of our instructors are trained in first aid. The harness and all of the equipment is checked multiple times before we start. However, the government should also have a regulatory body to comply with the safety norms because of the growing demand.”

He said minor accidents like cuts, bruises and falls are usual in these kinds of sports.

“No major accidents have occurred in any of the trips we organized,” he said.

Lalit Kumar, from the Venture Adventure Club, said: “People’s spending power is decreasing, so the demand is decreasing. I keep updating my equipment whenever needed. In fact, all of the clubs have to do the same.”

“If they don’t maintain equipment and a mishap occurs, they will lose their reputation and business. Regulation or not, business is important. So they will be in line,” he added.

Varun, an IT professional and an adventure sport enthusiast said: “I love sky diving and bungee jumping.

Rock climbing at Ramanagara village near Bangalore.

The series is creating interest among the lower rungs of Indian cricket. Abhilash Rameshkumar, who plays Ranji trophy for AP.

pen.Although India and Pakistan faced off against each other in the 2011 world cup in India, the prospect of a bilateral series on

home soil is a different feeling altogether.”

Cricket fans have already begun gathering outside the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in the hope of getting tickets for the much awaited match.

One of the fans, Varun, said: “It’s always a big deal when India plays Pakistan and there is no chance that I am going to miss the match when it’s happening in Bangalore.”

Thousands of people like Varun are hoping for a good game.

The security arrangements are primarily being taken care of by the central government.

The officials at the M.Chinnaswamy stadium refused to comment on the issue stating security concerns.

The question still remains if the closely watched bilateral series would end with drama on the cricketing field or also in the political field.

KSFA provides free training to underprivilged

Bangalore Mountaineering Club

Adventure sport lovers in Bangalore are at risk as there is no government regulatory body to ensure the safety of these thrill seekers.

Adventure sports are becoming very popular in Bangalore, especially among the youth.

Kayaking, rafting, mountaineering, skydiving, paragliding and rock climbing are a few sports that are fast gaining popularity.

There are a number of clubs, both private and run by the government, that offer a range of packages in various parts of Karnataka. It is a lucrative business as a basic package costs Rs.450 per person.

But there is no regulatory body that can monitor these clubs for safety violations. After the death of Bhargav, a Chennai-based engineer, in a gruesome bungee-jumping accident in 2009, it is obvious that there is a need to look into the safety measures taken by these clubs.

The incident happened in the outskirts of Bangalore. The rope snapped when Bhargav was diving and he fell to his death. The safety net was ineffective and there was no prompt first-aid administered.

Mr. Umashankar, chief instructor and co-coordinator of General Thimayya National Academy of Adventures (GETHNAA), which is run by the state government, said that there was a proposal to make the academy a regulatory body, but the final decision has yet to be made.

He said: “Equipment has to be used properly. If a dynamic rope of 20 feet long is used for 20 falls, it has to be discarded,

said “I have been waiting for long for such a series to hap-

The Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) with the help of Ozone Group provides free training for aspiring underprivileged children.

KSFA with the help of Ozone Group is organizing camps for training for under privileged chil-

“

This stadium and facilities here have done a world of good to players who otherwise would have wasted their talent.

_ Alex , the head coach

of the Karnataka Sports FootballAssociation

dren.

Now the free camp includes refreshment after the practice and also their football kit.

Owing to the fee waiver, the number of students attending the camp has risen to 57 from 16 in three months.

Vijay, one of the finds of the camp said, “I am one of the lucky ones to be able to get trained by the coaches and I have improved immensely thanks to the coaching.”

Mrs. Rawat, a parent of one of the children, believes that her son has become a better player after joining the camp. She said, “I do not know much about the game but my son, Kaushal is very happy with his game and he claims that he is improving day

A taste from the past - ‘Military style’

By Kakoli Mukherjee

Bangalore is growing more cosmopolitan by the minute. New and exotic influences are changing the way Bangaloreans dress, travel or eat.

However, one forbearing symbol of Bangalore’s culinary heritage is braving the onslaught of the KFCs and McDonalds, and is holding its own by serving lip-smacking Kannadiga fare.

The Karnataka Hindu Military Hotels, though depleting fast in the main city, are in much demand in the outskirts of Bangalore.

They have their considerably large number of patrons who prefer to have traditional non-vegeterian delicacies like mutton liver, mutton head fry, and chicken curma.

When asked the reason behind the quirky moniker, Narayan Gowda AV, owner of Sri Kalpavruksha Hindu Miltary Hotel, said: “The term ‘military’ was adopted in olden times which indicated that the food available here is protein-rich, and is fit to be eaten by Kshatriyas or the warrior class. ” Throwing some more light on the rather communal name of the Hindu hotels, Smitha Raj, who runs a food blog called kannadacuisine.com, says: “Karnataka always had a strong vegetarian social bent.

Kakoli Mukherjee

M. Chinnaswamy stadium has tightened its security for the India-PakT20 match to be held in next month.

This is the first series between the two countries would be held on 25th Dec. since the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

The prime concern for the officials during the series is security. This is due to the omnipresent threat of terrorist attacks. The arrangements have begun in earnest even though the scheduled date of the match is still a month’s time away.

Bijeesh Babu, a cricket analyst based in Delhi, said: “There are a lot of political implications surrounding the series. The series is a major target for terrorist attacks.”

He said that the series is being touted as a measure to improve bilateral ties between the

He aded that sports should not be merged with politics .

“

By Anupika Khare

two countries. He also said: “The series will generate a tremen-

in day out.

She adds “The camp also gives him ample opportunity to play with local, talented players and helps him improve his game.”

Another player in the camp, Ravi, said “The association provides us with clothes, shoes, stockings and shin guards. We don’t have to spend anything.”

“This stadium and facilities here have done a world of good to the players who otherwise would have wasted their talent.

He recollects “I was once a player but I never managed to get such opportunities.” He added “Our chief coach is from the Netherlands and has trained few of the finest in the world.” said Alex, the head coach.

The Observer IIJNM PUBLICATIONS Printed by: Lotus Printers Email: editor@iijnm.org Website:http://www.iijnm.org/ media_uploads/observer/2012_13/ For private circulation only

The vegetarian Jains dominated the first millennium, then the Veer shaiva movement in the middle of the second millennium and various rulers all along the history of Karnataka have been vegetarians like the Gangas and Woodeyars.”

“The vegetarians were catered to by the large number of vegetarian restaurants. Nonvegetarain food was mostly catered to by the Muslim establishments in areas largely dominated by them.The name mostly connotes that the restaurant is safe enough for a meat-eating Hindu because they do not serve either beef or pork”.

V.Shivaramakrishnan, Asst.

Professor at Culinary Academy of India, says: “These restaurants are known for their homestyle cooking, generous portions and Ragi Mudde. Most of them serve the traditional non-vegetarian foods like chicken, mutton, and leg of a lamb curries.

Editor Urmi Sengupta Chief Sub-Editor Shreya Mukherjee Photo Editor Kriti Khandelwal Page Editors Priyanka Roy Nikita Malusare Deepu Aby Vintu Augustine Pyusha Chatterjee Proof Readers Rohan Prem Kumar Amrita Ray

November 28, 2012

The Daily Observer

8

Having a wholesome meal still remains a dream Priyanka

By Priyanka Roy

Malnutrition affects many children in the villages

burga, said: “Malnutrition is a common issue in this taluk. The problem is we have no pediatrician in the hospital and have to hire from outside when the situation aggravates. Food distribution is imbalanced and early marriage accelerates birth rate.”

According to an NGO in the taluk, Alpasankhyat Mahila Grameen Abhiruddhi Siksha Samsate, Mr. M Buldiyar, the president said: “We are dealing with this malnutrition problem for quite a long time. Social and economic conditions are responsible for this dire situation. We have been conducting various health programs to eradicate the problem but reluctance on the part of gram panchayat and peo-

Debanti

Common toilet within school compound causes problems for students

Poor codition of Government school toiletets

By Debanti Roy A function hall inside the school premises is causing problems to the 236 students of Rajajinagar Govermnment School.

The function hall inside the school premises is the cause of many troubles to the students of the school. The students need to use the toilet of the function hall as the school does not have its own toilets.

Chandana, a class 7 student said: “The school has very dirty toilets so we go to the toilet which is in the function hall.” She said that the people in the hall stare at them when they visit the

toilet.

Even the toilet at the function hall is very dirty. It does not have any separate toilet for male and female. Once in a week it is cleaned by the sweepers.

Gagana, a class 9 student, said: “The toilet in the function hall is common for boys and girls and it becomes very difficult for us to use the toilet.”

The function hall often conducts marriage parties and whole day the celebration is accompanied by loud music and noise.

Another student, Krithik, of class eighth grade said: “We have exams and the function hall plays loud music so we are not able to concentrate on writing our exams.”

A teacher in the school, Vijayshree also complains that the school authorities do not take notice of the problem. The students have been complaining for a long time but the authorities of the school do not take any action against the function hall authorities.

Mr. Srinivas K, the manager of the function hall said: “According to the land agreement the lease for the school was given after notifying them about the presence of the function hall. It is not illegal for us to be inside the school premises.”

Nalini, the headmistress of the school accepts that there is a dearth of funds, so the authorities of the school are not able to construct the toilet.

ple’s ignorance has aggravated the situation.”

Yelburga taluk is considered to be the most backward area according to a recent survey by state government planning commission for imbalance in resource distribution. Thus most families have the common problem of economical weakness.

Most of the girls in the taluk get married at 17, which leads to malnourishment both for the mother as well as the child.

Like Tulsi, Savita also depicts how her son survived a bout of malnutrition. Her son suffered for five long months and has started recovering after prolonged treatment and patience. Savita added: “I have two kids and my

son is the youngest one. He has been suffering for five long months with malnutrition. There is a lack of medical facilities. The pediatricians are available only when the panchayat takes the initiative to call them down. But that happens once in a while.

We have to depend on this government hospital.”

Savitha, works in a seed production factory and her husband works as a laborer on construction sites. She says: “I and my husband go out for our work. My elder daughter studies in class 5 and my son is three years old now. Thus we decided to send her to the anganwadi. We thought he would be taken care of under the observation of the teachers. But he suffered from malnutrition five months back.

That time I had to leave my job to take care of my son. Economic issue is a chief concern and it is tough for my family to survive as I don’t work anymore now.”

The T.H.O officer, Mr. Prashant Babu, said: “Malnutrition is one of the major issues of this taluk and regular awareness programs are conducted to prevent the miserable condition.”

But when asked if the anganwadis are providing proper food to the children, he said that only rice and lentils are provided to them.

With the survey conducted jointly by state and Vimochana, reported that few taluks under various districts falls in the most affected area by malnutrition. Ac-

cording to this list, Bhalki taluk of Bijapur district, Yelburga taluk of Koppal district, Periyaptana taluk of Mysore district and Devedurga taluk of Raichur district are the mainly targeted areas.

The alarming malnutrition scenario in Raipur district brought the state government to book and thus a rapid action took place, with the planning of enforcing a new pilot project in order to tackle the vulnerable situation in the affected areas.

According to the project, it has been recommended that the anganwadis in the area should have proper sanitation, should serve healthy and nutritious food and basic hygiene should be maintained. Apart from that, 60 beds hospital in district headquarters should be established exclusively for malnutrition patients and also the food should be provided free of cost along with a guardian who will stay with the malnutrition patient.

Tulsi comes out of the chamber room, clutching the prescription on her hand.

Her mother-in-law says the doctor said her grandson is recovering from malnutrition. “As he had normal malnutrition that’s why we didn’t have to admit to any hospital. He needs to take a few more medicines,” she said.

I looked at Tulsi, she smiled vaguely and stood in line to collect medicine prescribed by the doctor.

Her tired eyes, layered with darkness, show that she has anaemia.

BAIF helps locals battle fluoride poisoning by replenishing aquifers Deepu

Tulsi, tottering on her lanky limbs, entered the shabby chamber room of the government hospital, the only health care centre in Yelburga taluk. Her pregnant belly appeared almost too heavy for her lightweight frame.

Her third child is on the way.

Tulsi is about to be a happy mother yet again.

She is just 20-years-old and already has two kids, one of whom is one-and-a-half years and the other around three years. Tulsi came to the hospital with her mother-in-law and was rather shy to even tell her name.

Hiding half of her face under the veil of her saree, she spoke feebly: “I have come here to get medicine for my son and also for me. My son is suffering from malnutrition for one month now.”

Like Tulsi, several women mourn of the same affliction about their sons or daughters.

Yelburga taluk has many malnutrition cases. The suffering spikes high but solutions seem a long way off.

Rajamma says the situation is pathetic but at the same time claims it is common to them.

She says, “I am staying in this taluk for more than 30 years. I have seen many children and women dying from deprivation and lack of food. The situation is rather stable now. At least we have access to health care.”

Dr. Ashok Kumar, one of the two doctors in the government hospital, who vouches for the lives of these minors of Yel-

By Deepu Aby Varghese Thousands of lives have been improved after an NGO’s ingenious scheme to lower dangerously high fluoride levels in water.

Villagers in Mundargi of Gadak taluk were drinking water containing eight times the recognized safe level of fluoride content.

As a result illness and premature ageing were rife. The heavy fluoride content was also causing deformities in children.

Bharatiya Agro Industry Foundation (BAIF) successfully raised the water table in the drought ridden Karnataka taluk.

By raising the table they successfully diluted the fluoride content of the water.

Working under Millennium Development Goals (MDG) put forward by the United Nations, BAIF joined forces with and got financial assistance from the government.

It assisted certain villages in this taluk in ensuring environmental sustainability. BAIF started working in Mundaragi in 2001.

Basically BAIF had recognized the major environmental issue of this area and took steps to overcome the issues.

Kelkeri is a village in this taluk where fluoride content is excessively high. After research they identified that raising underwater level can dilute the fluoride content in the underground water.

Fluoride content in underground water should not be

A rain pit in Mundargi

more than 1.5 ppm (parts per million) and it was 8.5-9 when they started working in Mundaragi.

People in certain areas of Mundargi taluk still face health problems as the water table has not risen. Elder people of this village and few youngsters suffer ailments caused due to excessive fluoride content in water.

Deformities in body, tooth blackening, vomiting and diarrhea are the major health problems. Premature aging is another major problem faced by the people in the taluk.

Rain water harvesting was the solution put forward by BAIF. They constructed rain pits and ponds throughout the taluk taking assistance from gram panchayats under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment

Guarantee Act (MNREGA) scheme.

Seven models of water harvesting were introduced in Mundargi. BAIF dug 1400 rains pits in Mundaragi.

One rain pit can increase aquafir levels by 2.5 lakh liters of water.

Thanks to the pits the water level rose to 130 feet. Hence fluoride content in underground water was diluted and as a result health is improving for villagers.

Villages namely Kalkeri, Mushtigappa, Thiruppapura, Viruppapura,Viruppapurathanfda, Harugere, Vasappur, Budhial, Mathungapura, Bennihalli and Beanaal in Mundaragi benefited from the rain water harvesting projects.

Recently BAIF also began organic farming in a few villages.