The Daily
Observer Volume 14 | Issue 1
Monday, November 24, 2014
Dad still awaits state compensation almost four months after son’s tragic borewell death Shruti Suresh Elizabeth Mani
EXCLUSIVE
Thimanna fell into the borewell on August 3, 2014
A grieving Hanumath after his son’s death.
Sulikeri, Bagalkot dist. – Parents of the boy who died after falling down an open borewell are still awaiting compensation promised by the state. Six-year-old Thimanna Hatti, the only son of Hanumanth and Sangavva, died four months ago after he fell into an open borewell on his father’s farmland. His death made national news. The state had politicians promised action and compensation in the wake of the tragic accident. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Observer, his grieving parents said they were still waiting for the state to pay what was promised. Hanumanth and Sangavva have two daughters, Aishwarya, 10, and Lakshmi, 12, but Thimanna was their only son. “He was the youngest of our children.” Thimanna’s mother, Sangavva, 26, said. “I was not around him the day he died. He had gone to the field to show the borewell to his cousin Anand. While showing it to him, he slipped and fell into it.” She was too upset to comment further. It was the day of Rakshabandhan, August 3, when Thimanna fell into the well. Help was sought by the district administration from the special rescue team from Hatti Gold mines. Oxygen was being supplied into the bore well to keep the boy alive. The rescue operations followed for eight days until the dead body was finally discovered lying at 150 feet. Aishwarya, the boy’s sister said: “I miss my brother. He died
on Rakshabandhan. A day meant to celebrate the bond between a brother and sister.” Her father, Hanumanth added, “She cries in the night holding a picture of Thimanna.” Despite making eight visits to the District Collectorate, the father claims that he has not received the compensation of 5 lakhs that was promised to him by the State Government. They say “It would be credited in four days. Prior to that he was assured that the amount had been sanctioned by the government and only the Chief Minister’s approval was required.” He pointed out. However Mr. P.A Meghannavar, Deputy Commisioner said: “I have already sent a letter to the government. They haven’t approved to sanction the money. Once the sanction is approved, the family will receive the money.” Hanumanth, who depends on agriculture for a living, was traumatized after the death of his only son. The borewell had been dug in his sugarcane farm land and was not being used. He had not closed the unused open well. Hanumanth said: “Minister S.R. Patil gave us Rs. 2 lakhs, G.T. Patil and Hullappa Meti gave Rs. 50,000 each. I haven’t received the Rs. 5 lakhs which was promised by the government. I have been talking to the District Collectorate, who assured that the money would be paid in four days as it has been sanctioned by the government.” He also pointed out that there were other issues such as low produce due to shortage of water. The canal from which he used to get water for his crops, has dried out. Hanumanth said that he had not spoken to the minister about problems regarding his land and water as he has not come to terms with his son’s death, adding that he was trying to deal with one thing at a time. Thimanna’s grandmother had tears in her eyes as she spoke of her grandson. “He used to be always playing around. After his death I don’t feel alive anymore,” she said. “My son has not got the money from the government. He is still trying to. The government might give us the money but my grandson is not going to come back to us,” she added. The Kerur police station in Bagalkot has filed a case against
The site of the borewell after being dug up for rescue.
Picture Courtesy : Shrinivas Nargund Hanumanth on 5th August, two days after Thimanna fell into the borewell, for not closing the unused borewell in his field. However no legal proceedings have been carried out against him. “The other open borewells in the surrounding area have been closed after the incident,” said Basappa Thimmanna Hatti. According to Rural Ministry of Karnataka, 9476 open bore wells were discovered in Bagalkot district alone, a total of 147780 open bore wells found in the entire state. All these bore wells, according to the officials of the Ministry, were closed, within a month following the incident.
Aishwarya, Thimanna’s sister.
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Monday, November 24, 2014
The Daily Observer
No relief for RTE kids Nikunj Ohri Around 65 children who applied to join schools under the Right to Education Act are still not being educated as they await a Supreme Court judgment. According to the RTE Act, 25 per cent of seats in every private school should be reserved for children belonging to weaker sections of the society. The parents were told by the Block Education Officer to apply in schools like Vibgyor, St. Mira, St. Xaviers and Christ School. The schools refused to give admissions and the parents approached the High Court. The High Court’s decision came in favour of the parents and the schools were ordered to give admission to the RTE students. But, the schools approached the Supreme Court and the court has stayed the Karnataka High Court’s verdict. Asha, a parent, said: “I am waiting for the court’s hearing. My daughter asks me every day why she cannot go to school but I’m helpless. "I don’t want to send my daughter to a government school as the one near our residence is Kannada medium school. I studied in a Kan-
nada medium school and am struggling to find a job as the employers only want people who can fluently speak English. "I don’t want my daughter to struggle in future so I’m not sending her to a Kannada Medium Govern-
government to exempt them from providing admission to students under RTE act. The other case is against the Karnataka government for not taking any action against the schools as they themselves announced and guided
Children deprived education under RTE gathered at the Government School compound in Bommanahalli on Children's day. ment School.” The parents filed a case against four schools in Bangalore, namely, Vibgyor School, Christ School, St. Mira and St. Xaviers as they claim to be minority institution and want the
parents to apply to these schools. Soumik Ghoshal, Councilor for Vibgyor School, said, “We have filed a case against the government for announcing the school’s name under the RTE act though it’s a Parsi mi-
nority institution. Holding a minority certificate is not an essential prerequisite and the idea of giving minority certificates to schools is relatively new. A school is a minority institution if its founder belongs to a minority community or it is run for the purposes to uplift a minority community.” Afzal, a parent, said: “No school will give admission to my son and they have wasted one year. We won the case in the High Court but still they didn’t give admissions to our children and approached the Supreme Court." Pawan Kumar, another parent, said,” There is no government school near my place and I don’t have any enough money to send my daughter to a private school. “This stay order holds only for the schools that have approached the court and not all others. This is a civil appeal case and the hearing will depend on the pendency and backlog of cases. The judgment will be out once the case comes on board. Karnataka government has not appeared before the court and they will be given a chance to present their case and hear what their side of the argument is,” Soumik added.
Tweets of the day @tinucherian: N Srinivasan Slammed by Supreme Court, Asks 'How Can BCCI Chief own an IPL Team?' @kiranshaw: Twitter’s phenomenal growth in India can be attributed to the fact that Indians love to have a conversation/argument! @outlookindia: Women Harassed by Unidentified Men in Bangalore, Caught on Camera @News_Bangalore: Hyderabad lead Bangalore 1511 after three matches in CTL - IBNLive #Bangalore @citizenmatters: #Footpaths have been designed so that anyone walking will get a good workout... the state of affairs in #bengaluru?
Fire app makes a slow start Samreen Tungekar Fire Champ, an app that was launched a month ago on Android and Apple play stores to record any form of violation of fire safety rules, will take at least two to three months to actually start working. Guru, the office assistant at Office of Chief Fire Officer, Bangalore West Zone, said: "The software for this app is still being installed in our control room. Once that is done, complaints can be registered on the app. This process will take at least two to three months." According to statistics from the office, there have been 99 fire accident calls to the control room between October 1 and October 31, while 66 calls have been recorded so far in November. They have recorded 225 calls in
Fire Champ, the app on Android
The complaint made on ichangemycity.org two months ago Karnataka in October and 164 calls in November. Chief Fire Officer at the Bangalore West Zone, Mr. Markhandeya, said the independent servers have to be developed yet and they are working on it. There was a circular issued regarding Modernization of Control Room by increasing use of technology on June 17, but that does not mention the launch of Fire Champ anywhere. However, he said that they will include the app in the circular as soon as it is ready. Fire officials in the West Zone office were not aware of any such app being launched and declined to comment on the stalling of the use of it. One official attempted to download the app on his smart phone. While the app has been launched by ichangemycity.org, a fire safety complaint was registered two months ago on the site which is still 'On The Job'. The KSFES did respond to his query by directing the complaint to the concerned department, but the complaint still shows that it is under progress. Technologically backward, call complaints
pened so far. "I made a complaint to jurisdictional police station (Chennamankere Achukat Police Station) but they too have not taken any action so far. The Association has a surplus fund over Rs.34.00 lakhs in their bank account as fixed deposits, collected from 72 owners at Rs.2500.00 per month. This kind of negligence from the part of the Association and the authorities cannot be ignored." Chief Fire Officer Mr. Erappa said that they are working towards making the app available. "It will happen slowly," he said. Miss Pushpa, principal of Parikrama School in Jayanagar claimed to have a fire extinguisher in the school, but the receptionist begged to differ. She said, “We don’t have a fire extinguisher here.” The school did not know about the app either. The PTA school in Jayanagar had one fire extinguisher, which had not been checked since three years.
regarding violation of fire safety rules are also still suffering. Ramachandran Madhavan is a resident of Shivaranjani apartments, has been in a running battle over fire safety for some time. He said that there were seven violations in fire safety that Owners Welfare Association of the building has not done anything about. He said: "The balance sheet for 2012-2013 states that Rs.2, 60,465.00 was spend for Fire Fighting Equipment. 24 padlocks may not cost that much. I kept following up with the Regional Fire Officer, South Range onwards to the DGP through telephone calls, emails, registered a/c let- Fire extinguisher locked in Shivaranjini apartment ters but nothing has hap-
Monday, November 24, 2014
The Daily Observer
War of words over ‘Kiss of Love’ Pulaha Roy Raya Ghosh A letter from the Chairwoman of Karnataka State for Women demanding a stall on the ‘Kiss of Love’ protest was never received, according to Bangalore’s top cop. Mr. Reddi, Commissioner of Police, Bangalore categorically denied receiving any such letter. He further added, “We have not decided yet about the event. The decision is still pending for tomorrow.” The letter was sent by Manjula Manasa. An exclusive copy of the letter was provided to the ‘The Daily Observer’. He also added that he is not worried about
any pressure from the fundamental groups like Sri Ram Sena. “No individual or groups of individuals are allowed to take law in their hands. Everybody is entitled to their own rights.” In the letter, Manjula Manasa had stated, “If this event happens there would be no difference between human beings and animals.” The Commissioner further added, “Everybody is entitled to their own opinions. Conducting a protest is also a part of every citizen’s fundamental rights. But conducting such a protest which would lead to obscenity is not acceptable. So we will take a decision tomorrow considering several factors.”
News Digest The Louis Pasteur Prize 2014 was given to Dr. B S Angadi (India), Dr.Hiroaki Machi (Japan) and Dr.Suwanee Cunvong (Thailand) for their contribution in the field of Sericulture and the Silk Industry by the International Sericultural Commission
M.N. Reddi, Commissioner of Police,Bangalore
The copy of the letter that was sent to M.N. Reddi, Commissioner of Police,Bangalore
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Manjula Manasa, the chairwoman of the Karnataka State Women Commission
Fake cop caught after 8 years been on the run since. She was finally arrested on November 17. She was produced to court on November 18, after the arrest and is now in police custody for A woman who posed as a police officer and 14 days as per the court's verdict while the invesdemanded cash and gold from senior cititigation on her cheating cases is still going on. zens has finally been caught after eight years In 2005 she was arrested for a fraud case of on the run. portraying herself as a fake cop and extracting Asha Saundarya, 36, would approach her vicmoney and ornaments from the victims. The tims and tell them they were suspects in sexual case was registered in Shankarapuram Police Staharrassment cases. The elderly men would hand tion. After receiving bail she vacated her house over cash and jewels to avoid going to the police in Parappana Agrahara and never attended the station. trials in court. The beauty parlor assistant, from Indiranagar, These incidents took place between 2005 to 2006. Since 2006 till 2014, the police have been in search of her as she never appeared in the court for the trial. According to Police Sub Inspector, Manjunath, in charge of the case, “She has been on the run in different hideouts and we have been hunting for her since 2006. "She worked as an assistant in a local beauty parlor. She dreamed of owning a parlor one day. This made her desperate to earn more money and she opted for cheating people. "She operated single handedly and used a Vespa scooter. She scratched the number plate of the scooter Manjunath, the Police Sub-Inspector in-charge of the case in order to conceal her identity. She used to target the had been booked in 2006 for pretending to be a male senior citizens. She introduced herself as a cop but had failed to appear in court. She has
Elizabeth Mani Sreemoyee Chatterjee
AshaAlia, the fake cop police and threatened them with fake charge of eve teasing and molestation. "She would tell them that they are the suspects for some cases of eve teasing and would ask them to come to the police station. When the victims refused she would threaten them further and would collect cash as so called bribe in terms of releasing the victims from fake suspicion. "The victims would fall under her prey and would give all cash that they have. In case if the victims did not carry cash, she would take ornaments, gold buttons or watches that the victims wore. She would tell them to collect their belongings later from the police stations." The latest incident took place in 7th Phase, RBI Layout, JP Nagar on October 25. The victim was a 70-year-old man, Venkata Raman. This led the Subramaniapura Police Station to arrest her.
The World Peace Flame will be lit in Bangalore in January 2015, making it for the first time for The Flame in India. The World Peace Flame is a symbol of peace, unity, freedom and celebration. It was lit for the first time in 1999 across the world in five continents. They have already worked with 15 schools in Bangalore for the venture ‘The Bangalore Peace Project’. Mohan, 30, KSRTC driver attempted suicide by consuming poison. His brother said that he attempted suicide because he was transferred to Nelamangala. He was not happy with the route selection process and his pay. He was taken immediately to Victoria Hospital and is been admitted in the ICU. BMS College of Engineering is now the first private institute in Karnataka to get Washington Accord accreditation. Washington Accord is an international accreditation agreement for professional engineering academic degrees between bodies responsible for accreditation in its signatory countries. BMSCE will represent India, which has now joined the other Tier-1 Category in 20 countires like U.K., USA, Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. Silk Exhibition was organised by government of Karnataka in Safina Plaza where 2700 weavers and traders are registered to participate in the export fare and open their stalls. Each stall was rented for Rs. 52,000 earning the weavers a profit of Rs 3-4 lakhs. The main attraction of this year’s exhibitin was Tussar silk. The main agenda of this exhibition was the upliftment of the silk weavers.
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Monday, November 24, 2014
The Daily Observer
No 'Kiss of Love' pledge before Pride Parade was allowed - Punita Maheshwari --+Permission to host a Pride Parade in Bangalore was withheld at the eleventh hour by city cops who organisers claim were fearful that 'Kiss of Love' organisers would join the march. It was only after one organiser - the daughter of a state minister - held talks with senior officers that permission was re-instated - just hours ahead of the scheduled start time. It's the first time in the parade's eight year history that such an about-turn by police has taken place. The Pride Parade from Majestic City Station to Chandrashekhar Ground was denied permission from Malleshwaram Police Station just 24 hours before the parade was supposed to begin. It was the first time in eight years police had attempted to stop the parade, officially citing the risk of traffic congestion in near the Mantri Mall road. Organisers claim senior officers were concerned that 'Kiss of Love' organisers would try
to join the march. “We had to convince the authorities that the event will stick to LGBT issues as it has been for the last seven years. This was the first time we faced so much trouble to get the permission,” said Archana Shetty, organizer of The Pride Parade aims for recognition of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgend the event from the Campaign for Sexual Minorities and Sex Workers' Rights. thusiastic crowd assembled initially at City Railway Station. The number was huge w Finally, after Soumya Reddy, the daughter of transport minister, R. Ramalinga Reddy, who helped organise the voluntary intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or anim event. “Yes, there were problems with the permission but as you can see now the police are supportive,” she said at Slogans against discrimination echoed through Bangalore streets for four the end of the event. crowd with colorful outfits. The majority comprised youngsters mainly from The organizers were satisfied with the completion of the event. “We were denied permission at the last moment even institutes participated with zest. after the media was acknowledged about this. We protested strongly and got the permission renewed. Now it feels good,” The oldest person to attend the parade was Mr. Ashok Chowdhary, 6 said, Veena from Sangama. daughter of a gay couple. “I am on my way back to Chennai but to a Senior inspector, Nagaraj who was present at the event said, "We do not have any comment on the issue. We are here for parade with a suitcase in his hand.” protection, which is our job.” The core demands of this year's parade were a repeal of Sec However, the Traffic Management Centre was clueless about the event happening in the city with 1500 people on the streets. Act, the implementation of a Supreme Court judgment on tr “We were not given any intimation by the organizers for the event,” said ACP Jagdish. minorities. Commuters stopped to watch the parade mostly Families are finally accepting us for what we are was peaceful with volunteers maintaining discipline. The crowd had seemingly equal participation fr - Pulaha Roy rying the placard- "I am straight but not narro “My parents did not disown me; instead they love me for the way I am.” The parents of Mayukh Mukherjee, like many other people who bethe parade. long to the LGBT community, have started to accept their children the way they are. The parade concluded at Chandr “My father had a couple of ‘homosexual friends’ so when I opened up to him he was fine with it. My mother still avoids the topic but she has come to waram with police eager to terms with my sexuality. There is still a bit of reservation but that’s pm. all there is to it. “The fight was never with the IPC 377 section. For me the fight was with myself. Life has been the same even after the section 377 was criminalized,” he added. However Saptarshi Mitra who is in a relationship with Habib (name changed) still feels ostracized by the community. “My family has accepted me and my partner. We stay with our family. We got engaged this year. “But at times we feel the society still looks down upon us. I can’t get a medical insurance for him and neither can he get one for me. We are always conscious when we are about to kiss each other. “Rapists and murderers can walk out any time but for us it’s the other way round. So we have decided to move out of the country by next year,” he added. Parul (name changed) believes there is still a ray of hope for her and her community, “My parents were very supportive, including my grandmother. After the section was criminalized my sister even asked me to move to Boston if I wanted to start a family.” The next step according to her is if the society changes its stance. While for Nilima Aryan life has remained the same. “I was always vocal about my sexual identity. My family knows about it. Criminalizing it has hardly deterred me in anyway. Now more than ever I have a reason to walk in the Pride Parade.” But Manoj and Satish (names changed) feel threatened after the IPC 377 was criminalized. “We are now conscious of the consequences we might face because of the law. There is also the society which is yet to accept us. Chandan added,” I cannot open up to my family because they are educated. They know about my community and they might not accept me. So there is this lingering fear that my partner and I have to live with.”
Monday, November 24, 2014
The Daily Observer
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Saved: The story of my life Born a man, loved being feminine, abused and harassed, almost committed suicide twice; her journey from being an escort to helping others. Sreemoyee Chatterjee
“Being part of a sexual minority does not make us weak. What the hell is wrong with our society- the society that claims to be modern, just and equal? We are proud that we are transgender. It is not a crime.” Akkai Padmashali was evidently proud to take part in the ‘Pride Parade’ of transgender, lesbian and gay communities on Sunday in the heart of Bangalore. The Silicon Valley of India witnessed a soulful evening with around 1500 representatives of sexual minorities in their clarion call for justice and respect towards abused classes. “Our body, our right” claimed Akkai, the leader of the never-ending procession that chanted the slogan after her. Akkai, the sex worker turned transgender activist, never gave up in life, regaining her vitality after a long struggle, described as “rising out of the ashes” by Shubha Chako, the director of Anekha, an organization that works for sexual minorities. Akkai said, “My mother thought der community as a significant population received a huge response with an enthat I should be taken to Nimhans with 1500 supporters yelling out slogans against section 377 which criminalizes for mental treatment because I bemal. haved like a girl despite being a boy bir hours from 2pm to 6pm during the 4 km Pride Parade. It was a diverse ologically. I wanted to dress up like a girl, m the student community. Targeted groups like Queer Campus, fashion wear ornaments and look pretty. I could feel that although my body showed that I 7, from Chennai and the youngest was Siri, a nine-month-old adopted was a boy, I was a girl from within. My mind, attend the parade, I came early for my train,” said, the oldest in the my heart, my soul, all belonged to a female and not a male.” ction 377 of the IPC and Section 36A of the Karnataka Police Akkai, who was born to a middle class family, ansgender rights and an end to discrimination against sexual started behaving like a girl when she was six years old. y under compulsion due to traffic congestions. The parade “I loved to play with girls. I never liked playing football or cricket with my male friends. That was a grievous fault for my rom all the 'minority' communities. Supporters carfamily due to which my mother poured hot water on my legs. I ow" and " I support LGBT" were also a hit at was put under house arrest for three months. Yes, I was terribly hurt, more mentally than physically. Trust me, it was not at all easy for me. It rashekhar Azad Ground in Malleshwas too traumatic to bear the pain," she said. o disperse the crowd by 6 Akkai’s mother forced her to go to a witch-doctor as she felt that there was devil in her. “I wanted to be what I felt I was," she said. At the age of 15 she re-
LeftThe parade had divesity of supporters. Siri was the youngest member in the parade. RightVolunteers distributed roses as a gesture of goodwill.
vealed to her brother that she felt more like a girl than a boy. “My father, mother, brother, sister, all of them teased me. They knew I was odd and they made it so obvious that I felt like being isolated from all of them. So I decided not to attend any social functions. Even if I was forced to go, I would stay quiet.” In the tenth standard Akkai failed in Mathematics. She decided to give up studies and find a job. “I joined a technical course that would fetch me a diploma after three years. But I had to leave the course after six months as I was never accepted by my fellow classmates. I was dragged to the washroom by four of my classmates and sexually harassed," she said. When she complained to the principal, he condemned her for being odd and feminine. She decided to quit from all mainstream jobs and chose to be a sex worker. “I knew by then that being a transgender is a crime in our society for which you need to pay either by selling your dignity or by begging” , said Akkai. Akkai worked as a sex worker for four long years near Cubbon Park in Bangalore and had to endure extreme torture from the local thugs and even the police. “They would demand free sex from us. They would compel us to pay money to them for no reason. "How could I afford doing that? I had to send the income to my family at the end of the month as my father thought I was working for a company," she said. Akkai could not bear the torture for long and she desperately wanted to apply for other jobs. She was never accepted anywhere with an open heart. She knew that discrimination was all that was destined for her. She despaired and wanted to give up her life. She went to the extent of attempting suicide, twice. “Sangama gave me a new birth. This organization rescued me and brought me back to life. It taught me to speak, read and write English. I learned the ways to build up my identity and reveal that proudly to the society. I could make my family aware of the fact that being a transgender is never a fault. My family now supports me in all my endeavors. They encouraged me to go for castration and now I am a complete woman, the one I always dreamt of, the one I always wanted to be," she said. The ‘Pride Parade’ evening clearly revealed Akkai’s remarkable journey of life and her mission of making a number of Akkais out of the 1500 sexual minority representatives who assembled under her leadership and etched out an outstanding mark of earning self respect and their rights to live in Bangalore.
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Monday, November 24, 2014
The Daily Observer
Lack of safety measures make BU unsafe, say students for not solving the case in campus itself; I don’t understand why they directly went to the state govt. for help. This is our institute’s issue, they “This place is not safe, not even for boys,” should first consult the seniors of the institute,” said Shrinivas, a student of Biological Scisaid Dr. Siddharth. ence at Bangalore University. “They first went to the women cell of the “Hooligans from outside the campus used University but as it is not strong and quick to bully us and sometimes loot us at night. And enough to solve the matter, they came to us,” because of the lack of CCTV cameras it is resaid the Legal Advisor, Women and Child Welally difficult to identify them,” he added. fare Department. Bangalore University, hub of education in “We have also written a letter to the UniverBangalore is now becoming the most unsafe sity to answer us about this issue within ten days. place for people, especially for women. And we have asked them to strengthen their “Despite the continuous cases, the univerwomen cell,” she added. sity is unable to provide us a safe campus. According to the legal advisor of women and There is no patrolling at night, no CCTV camchild welfare department, ex- Principal Secreeras are there, and this is not enough, we don’t tary, Shri Ramesh Zallik went there for a talk have a strong women cell to listen our probafter the rape case in 2012 and asked them to lems,” said Varthika (name changed), student take safety measures like patrolling at night, of M.A. in BU. CCTV cameras installation, etc. But nothing has In 2005, BU first came to light when a staff There are no restrictions for entering the University campus which leads to lack of been done. They said that all these things are in was charged for molestation. Again in 2012, a safety process. law student was gang-raped in BU campus. “There is also no committee for sexual harassallegedly denied the charges. And said, “They have charged me However, the situation remained the same. ment at workplace in BU, we have also asked them to form that. This month four teachers of Kannada Department have because they were very irregular in their works and I used to We are waiting for their reply now,” she added. charged the Director and Professor of the department for sex- point them for this.” However officials of Bangalore University declined to com“Those four teachers were given notice by the University ually harassing them. However, Dr. C.B. Honnu Siddharth has ment.
Divya Kishore
‘Fast food kills you faster’, say top doctors Doctors blame fast food for the rise in diabetes among the younger generation Aadhira Anandh Unhealthy food habits are responsible for diseases like diabetes, obesity and malnutrition among youth and children. In India, presently there are 68 million people who are diabetic out of which 26.5% are from Bangalore. 55% of them who are diabetics are in their 20’s according to a survey statistic report published by the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “I was not able to accept the fact that I am a diabetic. The doctor told me the reason was my life style. I worked on night shifts and that changed my routine all together. I had irregular food and sleep cycles and ate mostly fast food. I never thought this would lead me to being a diabetic,” said Mr. Pradeesh, a 29 year old BPO employee of Cognizant. Dr. Prasanna Kumar, Director at centre for Diabetes & Endocrine Centre said, “The major reason for diabeties among young people is their lifestyle. They do not have time to take care of themselves and they depend on roadside fast food joints. “This generation prefers Junk food over regular meals because it is cheaper and quicker but they forget that fast food kills faster,”he added. Dr. Satish Babu K N, Head of Department of Endocrinology at BGS Global Hospital ,said., “The only way to bring diabeties under control is to have a good lifestyle.A balanced diet, good exercise and a proper medication is the only way of controlling diabetes.” Similarly there is an increase in such diseases in children because of unhealthy eating habits. Dr. Kiren Kinger, a pediatrician, said, “I have a 12 year old child in my clinic who weighs over a 100 kilos. His obesity has led to high blood sugar levels in his body which has left him diabetic.” “Children either have obesity that comes from the consumption of fast-food which is highly prevalent in upper class kids or there is an issue of malnutrition that is prevalent among middle class and the poor, who neglect proper eating habits,” he added.
In India, presently there are 68 million people who are diabetic out of which 26.5% are from Bangalore. Reshma Ranjan, an author and a teacher said, “The mall culture and the fast pace of life has changed the food habits of the people in today's world.There was once a time where the food we had was prepared by our mother. But now as both the parents are working, they do not have time to cook anything for their children.” “Their snacks every day is junk food and the food they have on the weekends are burgers and pizzas. This adds to the issue in health care,”she added. “Nowadays, children don’t eat properly. So when we know that they are happy with chips and mayonnaise, we give them that hoping that they eat something. We are left with no other option,” said Mrs. Mangala, a mother of two. “Parents should be more responsible and teach their kids to lead a healthy lifestyle. The immune system is affected by environmental factors. So if the child is given a balanced diet and good exercise, most problems can be resolved,” Dr. Kiren Kinger added. The doctors added, “The solution for improving the health conditions among youth and children are better lifestyle and awareness of exercise and good diet.”
Dr. Prasanna kumar(Left) and Dr. Satish Babu K.N at the press conference “Demystifying Insulin Myth” Picture Courtesy- Momita Mukherjee
Monday, November 24, 2014
The Daily Observer
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Ruling parties 'strangle' political cartoons but the web will ensure they survive
“Political parties have taken over the media houses (and) the freedom of expression has been narrowed.” - Cartoonist K.N. Balraj C.L. Ramakrishnan Mr. Narendara, a political cartoonist with 35 years of experience claims that they experience more pressure from political parties now than they did a few years ago. He stated, “In the 1970’s there were no restrictions but political cartoonists themselves drew a line of danger when it came to criticizing a ruling party. “With strong support from the editor we have successfully expressed our views through politi-
cal cartoons.” He assured that any political cartoonist who can read between the lines could express their views strongly without getting into trouble. There are times when he received threats from various political outfits but none of them dared to go beyond threats. Narendara stated that the future of political cartoonists in India is bright as each newspaper allots a particular column specifically for political cartoons. “Fifty years ago there were hardly any good cartoonists in India but it has seen a tremendous growth in the past decade and now it has sprouted to around 700 in number,” he said. There have been events in the past where political cartoonists were arrested and sent to jail. Narandera said, “The government is trying to strangle our freedom of expression as they are afraid of it.” Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was arrested on September 8, 2012 for his anti-corruption cartoons. The
Mumbai lawyer who prosecuted Aseem Trivedi said that the cartoons were offensive and disrespectful of the national emblems and the Indian constitution. However Aseem Trivedi’s followers alleged that arresting Aseem was politically motivated move and that Aseem was being cornered for backing the Anti-corruption campaign led by Anna Hazare. He was subsequently released on bail on September 12. “The timid people in the Government are trying to suppress the voice of the political cartoonists. But there are some politicians like the former Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde who also sent appreciation letters to cartoonists.” Added Narendara. On a lighter note, he mentioned that society could flourish with a humorous mind, which can be depicted through cartoons. He feels that the internet has restricted the art of cartooning. He strongly believes that cartoons should be hand drawn as it is much more effective rather than drawing
with the help of technology. Mr. Balraj, a political cartoonist, said that, “Since political parties have taken over the media houses the freedom of expression has been narrowed in the context of conveying one’s thoughts through cartoons. “These days, the media is not just about plain journalism and social empowerment. “It is mixed with business and political interest,” he added. Mr Balraj claimed that internet has enhanced the technique of the cartoon since it has no limits and has a wide reach compared to vernacular newspapers. He said he believes that both can co-exist. He accepted the fact that receiving threats and negative or offensive e-mails are a part of political cartooning. He also stated that he came to this profession knowing that he was going to face trouble. Techonology has created a huge impact on the world of cartoons. It has made the art simpler, and easy to implement, according to Balraj. He still feels that the political car-
“The timid people in the Government are trying to suppress the voice of the political cartoonists.” - Cartoonist V.G. Narendra toonists in the 1970’s were masters who relied only on skill and creativity unlike the cartoonists today, who rely on technology. Both Narendra and Balraj believe that section 124A in the Indian Penal Court have deceived the expression of cartoonists especially when it comes to political cartooning. They feel that section 124A should have restrictions and must allow the political cartoonists to do their job. That would then allow them to express their views on the political parties in India.
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Monday, November 24, 2014
The Daily Observer
Social media a portal to reach classical music lovers
Akkarai sisters (below) played a raga that was composed by their grandfather at the festival. Adamya (left), Vivek (middle) and Vittal are the young local artists at the opening performance at Bangalore Gayana Samaj Hall Aparna Singh and Kimaya Varude Bangalore Gayana Samaj Hall was mesmerised on November 23, the closing day of 13th Annual Music Festival conducted by the M. A. Narasimhachar Music Foundation (R). M.A. Narasimhachar was a Carnatic Music legend who was awarded with Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2004. His son, Shri Krishna organises and manages this annual festival and the artists performing in the festivals. The festival had many vocalists, violinist, Veena players in the three-day festival. At the closing ceremony of the festival, the highlight performance was of the Akkarai sisters preceded by three young local artist practicing Carnatic music for years. The first performance was by a young group of artists dressed in the traditional Kurta and Lungi. Vivek Sadasivam, vocalist, 24, said, “I got into Carnatic music at the age of five. More or less it’s a family thing and we have been doing it for three generations. We also have a school in Kolkata for 70 years now. It started with my grandparents teaching me the music and then my parents.” His grandparents and parents have been into Carnatic music for almost all their life. They have performed across India and around the world. “My parents have performed in USA and Singapore with other artists.” The passion for the music and the family influence has been the reason R. Adamaya, 30, who plays Mridanga, chooses to practice Carnatic music. “I started at the age of six and my parents were also into Carnatic music so that runs in the family,” the software engineer said. It was his mother’s musical background that drove Vittal Rangan, 20, into the music. “I started playing violin at the age of eight and my mother was the biggest influence for me to enter into music. She was a vocalist and she teaches aspiring artists in Bangalore.” The passion and dedication for the music was evident but when asked about their future in the musical arena, they shifted a little in their chairs. “Actually that is a very good question that you asked,” said Vivek. “It is a fine line actually and it is very tough to decide whether to take it as a fulltime profession or not and to make that move as of now.” He has been working as an engineer at Mann and Hummel for two and a half years now but is
Passion and hard work has brought us where we are today
Known worldwide for their violin and vocal duets, the Akkarai sisters engaged the audience with their highly refined music at Bengaluru Gayana Samaj. Subhalakshmi and Sornalatha Akkarai are one of the many young artistes in Carnatic music who are sought after for their wonderful violin compositions. “Carnatic music is so vast and vibrant. Every raga, every composition, gives us a deep insight into the world of music. There is so much to learn. Music inspires us. Learning for me began at the age of eight and my sister followed in at the age of 11. Since then we have been learning the art,” said Subhalakshmi Akkarai. Sornalatha Akkarai said that it was very natural for them to choose Carnatic music. “Since childhood we absorbed ourselves in the rich musical background around us. It was in our blood and we always wished to carry forward the tradition. Our dad trained us to be what we are today, he has been our guru." The sisters, along with their father Akkarai S Swamynathan, run a music school back home in Tamil Nadu and believe that students must not learn music for the sake of performance. “Music is very intricate and deep. Our main aim is to propagate good music. “Today the youth is exposed to many rare recordings and videos available free online. This is amongst the main reasons that interest a whole new wave of young students in Carnatic music,” said Sornalatha Akkarai. A field like music can be very subjective, they said. Today’s generation has a lot of deviation and competition is one factor that makes an artist unique in classical music. “In the end, it is our choice to take up music as profession or not,” said Subhalakshmi. She added: “Hard work and perseverance will take you along in the divine journey of music. Music is something so deep and heavenly, you cannot think of anything else.” The sisters believe that Carnatic music has the power to evolve in future. Social media has been a boon to the Indian classical music industry. “By god’s grace and our parents’ support we are at a stage in life where we only breathe music. We feel blessed to have opportunities to play with renowned artistes. It has been a great journey.” They shared the same advice as was given to them by their guru that if one wants to succeed then he should be hungry to learn things. “As the veterans also have been quoted that there is still so much to learn and so less time. That is the only key.”
planning to take up music full-time. "For that we need to see more economic stability in the market,” he added. Adamya, who is working in SAPLAPS as a software engineer, shares similar views on taking up music as a full-time profession. “I think it is all about that ticking point when you can be really sure that yes, now is the time to quit the job and concentrate on music and give it all your time,” he said. “Now I think I am pretty close to that point in my life.” Vittal has vague views about his future prospects as he is studying to be a Chartered Accountant and doing his internship as Article Assistant at Brahmayya & Company. “I have my final exams in May 2016 and till then I have my music so I have time to decide what I want to do and which way to go.” Carnatic music has its roots in South India and these artists take the tradition very seriously. It is all about perseverance and passion for the music that drives them, they said. Not many people know about Carnatic music because most of the population in Bangalore today is from other parts of the country that have little knowledge of the genre. “I think it all depends on how well established you are in the industry, how deep your roots go in music. This is what I think is the defining point when you take that step ahead about your music career. And also your confidence in yourself plays a major role." With western classical music entering the music industry today in India young people like Adamya see a lot of opportunity coming their way. “For me and from the way I think and see it, it is definitely a great opportunity to collaborate with the kind of music coming in from the west. I am into fusions and I think it is a great chance to explore different kinds of genres of music." Social media is one tool they are thankful for because with social media, the job of the public relations of such organisations to let people know that they exist and function. “Social media is one tool that has changed the way we reach out to people these days. It has become so easy to advertise the events we are going to and projects we take up. The jobs of PRs have become quite easy these days and that is a good thing,” said Adamya But they all agree that no matter how good the PRs do their jobs, at the end of the day it is the skill, dedication and years of perseverance that makes the show worth it. “The skills, talent and hard work combined make the artiste what he is.”
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