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Friday, March 21, 2014
VOL. 13 ISSUE 10
Where has the Old Monk gone?
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Daily Observer special: Survey reveals 40% in favour of BJP PAGES 4 & 5
Hi-tech help for politicians to reach voters
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Forgery racket smashed by cops
(L) Surendra Singh and Bhagavad Singh, who were caught by the Upparpet Police with counterfeit notes and (R) the bar where they were caught Apurva Venkat, Nikita Narvekar & Soumya Basu A forger who took out a roll of Rs1000 bills to pay a Rs180 bar bill unwittingly smashed his own counterfeit currency racket. A barman at the Majestic Bar in the city became suspicious and called police, who eventually uncovered a huge scam and arrested four men, including the dumb forger. Their investigations are on-going and police believe at least a lakh worth of the notes are circulating in the city. Upparapet Police, called to the bar on March 12, inspected the man’s notes and found they contained the same serial number. They arrested two men for possession of the fake notes. The man who had flashed the cash was found to be carrying Rs35,000. Sub-Inspector P.B. Kiran said, “We arrested Mahendra Singh and Gajendra Singh from the bar. The two were drinking at the bar and their bill amount was Rs180. While paying, one of them took out an entire bunch of notes and pulled
a single Rs1000 note. This got the bar owner suspicious and he informed us.” He added: “It was very difficult to judge the notes as they were very similar to the original
Kiran said: “The accused told us that Gajendra had acquired the notes from his cousin Surendra Singh who lived in Shimoga. We caught Surendra from Shimoga and questioned him fur-
ones. We caught them on the basis of the difference in size and the silver mark on the note. Also, all the notes had the same serial number. This cleared our doubt and we had the notes officially tested at a nearby bank.” The notes seized by the police were in denomination of Rs1000 and Rs500. On further investigation, the police found more links behind the notes.
ther. He revealed that he had given a mobile store owner from Bangalore counterfeit notes worth Rs 1 lakh.” The police arrested Bhagavad Singh but could only seize one Rs1000 note. The remaining notes, worth Rs 99,000, had already been circulated in the city. Kiran said, “A lakh is a big amount and the
notes were being circulated without anyone noticing it.” Surendra Singh told the police that he bought the notes from a person outside Karnataka at a ratio of 1:3, for Rs100 he bought fake notes worth Rs 300 and sold them on at a ratio of 1:2. The police are now investigating where the currency came from and how it entered Karnataka and if there is a nationwide network. One officer said they believed the notes had been made in Pakistan. The accused have been booked under the section 489 (a,b,c ) of the Indian Penal Code and are presently in judicial custody. Kiran said, “The notes are very similar to the CBI description of fake currency from Pakistan. We suspect that the circulation of these notes has originated from Pakistan in an attempt to destroy the Indian economy.” The police are not sure how much fake currency is being circulated in Bangalore currently but suspect the amount to be much more than Rs 99,000.
Sanders thieves arrested Shweta Nair Three men have been arrested by the Cottonpet Police for stealing Red Sanders trees worth Rs 17 lakhs. Jameer Pasha, Javeedh Khan and Ameer Khan were taken under police custody on Thursday night for stealing Red Sanders weighing 685 kgs from the Hulikere forest of Mandya district. The accused have been booked under section 71(A) and 62 of Karnataka Forest Act, 144 of Karnataka Forest Rule and 379 of Indian Penal Code. The Red Sanders trees that were felled were hidden near the forest by the accused. According to the
police officials, they were not working for the forest department and the forest officials were unaware of this activity. A source in the police station said: “The accused are residents of the area and knew the forest well. They illegally cut down the sandalwood trees and were looking for buyers. With the help of our informers we could catch them before they could sell off the load.” The accused were presented before the court and are in judicial custody, ironically on the International Day of Forestry. The forest officials in Mandya refused to comment even after repeated attempts to contact them.
Red Sanders worth 17 lakh seized by Bangalore City Police
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Friday, March 21, 2014
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Fire at condom factory, more than 4 crore property loss Fake electric wires sale Mayuri j. ravi A condom factory in Jigani Industrial area of Anekal taluk caught fire on Wednesday night. The cause of the fire is suspected to be a short circuit. Chikkalingayya, Head Constable, Fire Department said: “I got a call from the security guard of the company at 8:48 pm. We sent 16 fire vehicles to the location to douse the fire. Two vehicles are still there at the spot. The workers of the factory are not injured but there is huge loss to property.” Putta Subappa, District Fire Officer said: “We have got the fire under control now. But there is smoke coming out from the factory due to heat. The smoke extended to the warehouse and the oil and raw material that were stored also caught fire. We have removed the raw materials
shewta nair
Factory at Jigani industrial area caught fire due to short circuit photo credit: Mohan Kumar - Fire service and goods from the warehouse.” Krishna Singh, Director of the company said, “We closed
the factory at 6 pm and the security guard saw smoke coming out from the factory around 8 : 1 5 p m .”
Fire service men trying to douse the fire photo credit: Mohan
Singh added: “ T h e fire was brought u n d e r control yesterday evening. It took 20 hours to bring everything u n d e r control. Future General Insurance Company is inspecting the site and other
government agencies are looking into it. Only after the inspection we will know the amount of property loss. Since we had a lot of export oriented items, the loss should be more than four crores.” After the inspection, the workers of the factory will be put to work to remove mountains of ash from the factory. Speaking to the Daily Observer, Ullash Kumar, a senior environmentalist based in Bangalore, said that burning plastics emit lot of dioxides which choke lungs. “When plastics burn, they also emit Sulphur Dioxide and Nitrogen Dioxide and as the temperature in Bangalore keeps rising, these two elements split and form something called ground ozone. Ground ozone is extremely harmful for kids and people who even have slightest breathing problems,” he said.
Forest department understaffed Raju Peethala
To mark ‘International Day of Forests’, a senior official of the state forest department, i n an exclusive interview with The Daily Observer, spoke about the challenges they face in preserving and conserving forests and also admitted to being significantly understaffed.
Speaking about how development and forests can be balanced, Singh said there wasn’t a conflict between development and forests in the first place. He blamed lack of understanding of development
cated, productivity of forest is to be increased by using modern technology and new varieties and more substitutes for forestry products are to be found out. In fact, all developments will be meaning less at
Singh also talked about the different steps taken by the government to tackle deforestation. According to a Supreme Court order, he said, private forests have now been brought under the ambit of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.
Ashok Kumar Singh, the Asst. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests at the Karnataka State Forest Department, said: “Increase in human population and the higher expectations surrounding standard of living are the reasons behind forests being subjected to illicit fellings and encroachment.
The order also stated that mining was now completely banned in the Western Ghats. Singh added that Karnataka is now the only Indian state to have imposed a Forest Development Tax on the sale of all forest produce.
“Due to forest area shrinking and human inhabitation expanding, man-animal conflicts have increased manyfold.” Karnataka’s forest area constitutes 5.2% of the entire country’s forests. However, Singh added that during the last 30 years, there has been a significant decrease of pressure on forests and that this is a result of successful social forestry projects. In fact, Singh said, there has been no reduction in the state’s forest area in the last 30 years. Social forestry is a concept in which barren land is used for afforestation in an effort to improve environmental, rural and social development.
Singh confirmed that the state forest department is also facing the same problem. However, Singh added that the department has, after obtaining permission from the government, hired close to 3400 new employees over the last ten years.
and a few greedy humans for the destruction of forest land.
the cost of survival of human beings on the globe,” he said.
“In fact, forestry is the foster mother of agriculture. Hence, people are to be edu-
Understaffing has recently been a major problem for a lot of state government departments.
Concluding with a message to the public on the occasion of ‘World Forest Day’, Singh said: “Man, being superior species among all life forms, God has given his burden and responsibility to you to protect all life forms on mother earth. Live in peaceful co-existence with all life forms. Save forests for your own survival and your future generations. Be a part of the pious work of saving the earth from disaster. Protect forests from fire and smuggling. Either respond to the silent cry of all life forms in forests and live happily, or suffer and perish in natural calamity.”
Five men were arrested for duping people by selling them fake Finolex electric wires in Cottonpet. The police raided the godown in Jolly Mohalla and seized the duplicate wires. 269 bundles of electric wires worth Rs. 4,50,000 were seized from the godown. The accused were identified as Suresh Kumar, Raju Ram, Sharavana Singh, Veeram
Devasi and Umedh Singh. They were booked under section 51(a)(b), 63(a) Copyright Act. They duplicated Finolex company wires and sold them to people at cheap rates. On receiving the information of fake wires being sold Cottonpet police officers arrested them on March 14 2014. A source in Cottonpet police station said: “The accused were produced in the court. Now they are out on bail”
Death by fire A 22-year-old woman died after she accidentally caught fire at RT Nagar. Shazia Sultana, resident of RT Nagar suffered 90% burns and died at 6.30 on Thursday morning at Victoria Hospital. On Wednesday night at around 9pm, there was a power cut at Sultana’s house. She went to the kitchen with a burning candle, looking for something. She accidentally knocked over the kerosene bottle and it fell on her. She immediately caught fire.
RT Nagar police station said: “Her husband initially tried to douse the fire using a blanket but that caught fire too. He then poured water on her.” Her husband and mother took her to a nearby hospital but they refused to admit her, since it was a burn case. She was then taken to Victoria Hospital, where she passed away the next day. Police said: “we had spoken to the girl before she died. She said it was an accident and did not blame anyone.”
Four arrested for theft shweta nair Four men carrying chilli powder, sticks and knives were caught red-handed by police on Thursday morning. The men were arrested by police in the early hours of March 20 near a veterinary hospital on Mysore Road. Suresh Kumar, inspector at Cottonpet police station said: “We got information about a gang roaming near the veterinary hospital trying to rob people who were walking in that area. We rushed to the spot and raided them.” A case has been registered against Jagdesh alias Jagan Selva,19, Prabhu,25, Shivakumar,22, and Vijay,19,
Prabhu, 25, one of the four accused under sections 399 and 402 of the Indian Penal Code in Cottonpet police station, which pertains to assembly with the motive of dacoity and attempt to dacoity respectively. One of the members of the gang, Dileepa, escaped from the scene during the raid. Suresh Kumar said, “We’ve have been looking for Dileepa and we hope to catch him soon.” According to the police official, the gang threatened pedestrians and tried to rob jewellery and money. Their main aim is to earn money illegally said a source in the police station.
Jagdesh alias Jagan Selva, 19, accused
The police seized knives, sticks and chilli powder from the gang , three of whom are now in police custody.
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Friday, March 21 , 2014
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A rum do: In search of the monk
Ishan Bhattacharya and Chitharth Mathivanan An Indian rum which enjoys global success has not been available in the market for the past six weeks amid fears that it may never return. Old Monk, which is produced by Mohan Meakin, has been missing since February. Social media sites are awash with speculation over the fate
itself has never advertised, has no marketing budget and does not answer calls. The state distribution board has also declined to comment, prompting fears politicians may be hoarding the spirit to hand out to voters at the upcoming national elections.
Santosh, who works at the production and distillation of whiskey and rum plant, M/s Sashai Distilleries Ltd, said: “There has been no supply of Old Monk for the past one and a half month. We have stock but due to some issues we are not able to supply it. We cannot reveal the problem, only after the elections we can tell media what was going wrong. The management has taken
A wine shop in Banashankari which has all brands except Old Monk of one of India’s favourite tipples – and nobody has yet provided an answer. The company
McDowell’s has now overtaken Old Monk as the number one rum in india.
a decision to start supply of Old Monk only after the elec-
tions.” He added: “It is only in Karnataka that there is a dearth of supply of Old Monk. It is available in other cities. In order to resume supply we need to get permission from our superintendent. I think it will be available in the market soon.” Reddy, Manager at Madhuloka, a liquor store situated opposite Royal Meenakshi Mall on Bannerghatta Road, said: “I don’t know what the reason behind Old Monk not being supplied, is. What I have come to know is that there are some issues with the manufacturing of the product. There is some problem between the company and the people who manufacture the bottle. I have also heard that there is some problem with distillation of the rum.” He added: “We buy alcohol directly from the government, the Karnataka State Beverages Corporation Limited (KSBCL). We do not buy Old Monk from any middleman. The KSBCL is also not supplying Old Monk.” The bar tender of Vijayashtree Hotel and bar, located at a distance of one kilometer from Sashai Distilleries, said: “I am not getting any supply of Old Monk since the past two months. It will not be available in the market for the coming four months if not forever. It was the most popular rum I think, it used to sell like anything.” Ravi, Manager of Guru Garden Hotel and Bar, said: “It is sad that the people’s favorite rum is not available in the market. Minimum of 20 people comes to my shop every day asking for a full bottle of Old Monk, but sadly they have to switch to other brands of rum because Old Monk is nowhere to be found in the market.” He added: “There are rea-
sons why Old Monk is not available in the market. Firstly, I came to know that the owners of Old Monk have problems with the government. Secondly, I came to know that the workers at the factory producing Old Monk are on strike and most importantly, what could be the most important reason is that there might be a transfer of ownership. I am not sure but chances are these might the reasons.” Old monk is a brand of Indian dark rum and was first tasted in the year 1854. More interestingly, it is aged for a minimum of seven years. Old Monk’s main manufacturing plant is located in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. A few years ago, Old Monk used to be the world’s largest selling dark rum. But now it has lost its position as the top to No.1 Celebration Rum. Rathin, an employee of Infosys Chennai, said: “Old Monk is available in Chennai, but it does not taste like the original Old Monk. Only in some shops we get the original one. We miss that taste.” A regular customer of Madhuloka, who does not want to be named, said: “I feel that there was speculation in one quarter that because Old Monk is cheaper than any other rum, political parties are buying and hoarding for election purpose. But I cannot say it surely as it is very difficult to prove the same.” Sources of The Weekly Observer also said that Old Monk is available in all major cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Gurgaon. Abinash Barooh, 29, a resident of Bangalore, said: “Old Monk is my favorite brand and the best in its price range. It is really sad that it is no more available in the market. I would love to have the brand back as soon as possible.”
Rohan Deb, 28 Rohan Deb, 28, another resident of Bangalore, said: “Old Monk! Before getting banned in the market, it was the only brand of alcohol I used to have. It is not fair in the part of Karnataka Government to ban such popular brand.” Karnataka State Beverages Corporation Limited, despite repeated attempts, was not available for comment.
The lesser spotted Old Monk, missing in city
‘I have never seen a bus as safe as Volvo’ Shweta nair A Bangalore based auto company has agreed on a joint venture with Volvo to launch buses targeting the emerging markets in India. S.M Kannappa Automobiles has signed the deal with the Swedish automaker for launching of (ultimate dependability) UD buses which is the first of its kind in India. Akash Passey, senior vice president, Volvo Group bus operations said: “In India we foresee that UD Buses will take the lead in developing the value segment. There is a large potential middle segment in India, of which, the value segment targeted has a high growth potential. The Volvo Group will play a significant role in enhancing quality of transportation for an increased number of citizens.” The UD bus brand will expand Volvo Group’s customer
Agnevall, President of Volvo Group’s bus operation, with the company’s Senior Vice President Akshay Passey, at the UD Bus launch base, improve competitiveness will include both city buses leveraging the Volvo Group’s and capture growth opportu- and coaches. The new UD bus global engineering network in nities in India. The bus range range will be developed by combination with its heritage
of Japanese craftsmanship and reliability. Subhash Kaul, a spokesperson at S M Kannappa Automobiles said: “We are planning to start with 500 – 2500 buses per year and this will be a continual project. The production of the buses depends on the demand and so we are not really sure.” Volvo buses were in the news for the accidents that took place recently, one in Hyderabad where 45 passengers in a Volvo bus were charred to death after the bus caught fire. Crime Investigation Department (CID) officials reportedly said at that time Swedish auto major’s Volvo buses were not suitable for Indian conditions. Karnataka State Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said: “Buses will be fine and well. But we cannot deny that there are some very small
technical problems in some of the buses, but there is nothing to worry, it will be rectified. We are ensuring that all buses have double doors. Tank capacity of the new buses has been increased from 300 liters to 600 liters.” Subhash Kaul said: “In my 30 years of experience I have never seen a bus as safe as Volvo. One or two incidents of accidents and mishaps spoil the name of a popular brand even though it was proved that the driver was over-worked in the Hyderabad Volvo bus accident. If the CID is an expert in transportation then I am an expert in investigation.” He added, “I didn’t have to think about the safety of Volvo buses before sealing the deal with the company.” Today approximately 5,000 Volvo coaches and city buses are used in India. The production of UD buses will start in Bangalore in 2014.
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Friday, March 21, 2014
Bangalore South “Since I am a businessman, I believe that Narendra Modi will help us make changes, hence my vote goes for BJP. According to me there were no changes made by the Congress government.”
-Kishore Porwa, 42, Businessman
“My vote goes for BJP. I am from Kacch town in Gujarat where there is 24 hours electricity and roads are well maintained. Also there is no shortage of water in the area. It’s because of Narendra Modi that Gujarat stands as a developed place. Hence I would vote for BJP and not congress because they are corrupt.” -Sundarji S. Mota, 68, Shopkeeper
“It’s always been Congress in power. But this time there are high chances of voting AAP candidate.” - Prema, 60, housewife”
In the run-up to the general elections, statistics show that the five segments of the Bangalore South constituency is increasin Live reports collected by the ‘Observer’ team from 82 residen that 40 per cent of voters are in favor of the Bharatiya Janata P while the debutante Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has managed to The estimated vote share of the once ruling Janata Dal (Secul per cent. Out of the 82 people who were interviewed, 33 confirmed tha the Congress and seven voters were in favor of the AAP. 3 people said they would opt for the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD Sixteen people said that they would exercise the ‘None of the the first time in India’s political history. The survey was conducted in the five Assembly Constituencie Chickpet. The Bangalore South constituency has attracted much popula including Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, veteran BJP le ing fielded from there. Nilekani, the Chief Executive Officer of the Unique Identifica dian citizens with a unique social security number or the ‘Aad Ananth Kumar has traditionally dominated the constituency there for five consecutive terms. In the last Lok Sabha elections, held in 2009, Ananth Kumar 612 votes or four per cent of the electorate. The people who have been interviewed come from diverse soc Out of the 82 people who were interviewed, 33 confirmed tha the Congress and seven voters were in favor of the AAP. Speaking about this, Professor Babu Mathew, the AAP candid fed up with both the Congress and the BJP. The only alternativ Commenting on the ‘Modi wave’ that is appearing to sweep th from BTM Layout, said, “I think the BJP will perform well und to starve.” Speaking about the short-lived reign of the AAP in Delhi, Ramesh Th ridiculed themselves with their sudden departure; I have no faith in t Kishore Jain, 49, a businessman, said: “I do not look at the candidat According to reports an estimated twelve crore youths are expected are to be conducted in April. Reema Dutta, 22, a college student, said: “It’s the first time I am goin candidates and then decide. But I mostly support the Congress.” Commenting on the possibility of Modi becoming the Prime Minist social picture in mind. The BJP does not like Muslims. We fear Naren The Lok Sabha elections are slated to begin on April 7 and end on M
y Observer
Friday, March 21, 2014
- bagged by BJP?
e gap between the vote share of the Congress and the BJP in ng in favor of the latter. nts of five assembly constituencies in Bangalore South show Party (BJP), 28 per cent of voters are in favor of the Congress o gain an estimated vote share of 8.5 per cent. lar) (JDS) in these five assembly constituencies has fallen to 3.6
at they would vote for the BJP, 23 expressed their support for
DS) Party. above’ option, which is being featured on voting machines for
es of Basavanagudi, Jayanagar, BTM Layout, Vijayanagar and
“I’ll vote for BJP because I have hopes on Modi. He has done very good work in Gujarat. I think he will be good option for India and his party would do good work in Bangalore too. Not Congress, because for so many years it did no good work, corruption on rise under their rule. I don’t see anything better happening in future.” - Ankur, 23, Hindu Brahmin, Student
ar interest and expectation as several heavyweight candidates, eader Ananth Kumar, and AAP candidate Nina Nayak are be-
ation Authority of India (UIDAI) which aims to provide Indhar Card’, is representing the Congress. y, having been elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) from defeated the Congress candidate Krishna Byre Gowda by 37,
cial, religious and economic backgrounds. at they would vote for the BJP, 23 expressed their support for
“I am Modi supporter, so will vote for BJP. There is no other alternative for Congress.” - M.G. Rangaswamaiah, astrological con-
sultant
date from the Bangalore North constituency, said, “ People are ve is the AAP. This is a natural change.” he country according to reports, Narasimharaju, a shopkeeper der Modi’s rule. The Congress only steals money and leaves us
Thimmaiya, a businessman from BTM layout, said: “The AAP has the Party. I am not going to vote for anyone.” tes. I am a BJP supporter and have always voted for it.” to join India’s electorate for the first time during the elections which
ng to vote. I have no idea whom to choose right now. I will see the
ter, Usman, said, “I will vote for the AAP. They are keeping the larger ndra Modi.” May 12. Bangalore will vote on April 17.
“I always vote for Congress, but will see the candidates of other parties this time. Right now I am not aware of any.” - Babu, 40, dress seller
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Friday, March 21, 2014
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One third of ‘cement city’ canopy destroyed in just two years, says ecologist pRUTHA bHOSLE The severe drop in bird migration to Bangalore is because developers have turned it into a “cement pool”, according to ecologists. Over the last two decades the city has been a winter home to fewer and fewer migrant birds due to habitat loss and habitat degradation, says Dr. M.B. Krishna, an ornithologist. Dr. Krishna said, “The decline of migrant birds in the city is both gradual and continuous. It is not a spectacular sight.” Ornithologists around the city list the use of pesticide and pollutants as responsible for destroying the food chain. Dr. Krishna added, “We have lost one third of the green cover between the years 2007 and 2009. Many species show decline compared to, say, thirty years ago. We see only concrete match boxes everywhere now. Even compounds do not have trees planted in them.” He added, “Bangalore has seen maximum development growth. The IT city is also growing at a faster rate. Development is responsible in destroying the habitat of the birds. In the 1980’s, Dr. S.G. Neginhal, a pioneer in urban forestry, adopted enormous plantation programs. He planted more than a million saplings along with his team. The success rate of the program was as good as 90%. His work is present even today. Due to his efforts, the state received an award for a spectacular urban forestry initiative. If people like him come forward in conserving trees and water bodies, we might expect these birds to migrate back into the city.” All shore birds like the various sandpipers for example, the Green Sandpiper, the Wood Sandpiper, the Green Shanks, etc are declining at a fast rate. Among land birds, the migratory warblers like Greenish and Leaf warbler and Blyth’s Reed Warbler are seen less in number in the city. Brown Shrike and Northern Shovelers are also seen less in number. These birds migrate in winter and fly back north post-March. The birds travel from northern and central Asia in bulk in search of food and also for breeding. Some travel to the South, due to extreme cold conditions in the North. Sudhir Shivaram, an award-winning wildlife photographer, said: “I have been doing bird photography for quite some time now and I have observed a sharp decline in migratory birds in the city. In Hebbal Lake, there was a time when I clicked some amazing pictures of such birds but due to encroachments, these birds do not travel here anymore.” He added, “Our city has become a huge cement pool. All the lakes are being developed. These birds fly down to the south to breed on the banks. But, as private owners cement the banks in order to beautify
them, these birds shift their course and migrate to the outskirts of the city near water bodies. Moreover, due to sewage disposal in these lakes, fish are on the verge of extinction. This could be another reason why these birds change their course in bulk. Better town planning is the only solution to this problem.” Sudhir stressed that authorities need to create awareness among people in urban areas to conserve nature. He said, “There are limited organizations that maintain data on this subject and conduct bird counts. NGO’s are taking an initiative
Meet the man who spends his days with leopards in the wild pRUTHA bHOSLE
An award-winning wildlife photographer speaks to The Observer exclusively on his achievements, challenges he faced in this genre of photography and more. Sudhir was presented the 2012 Sanctuary Asia Wildlife Photographer of the Year award for a shot of a leopard. When asked how he got the image, Sudhir said: “The picture was taken at Kabini backwaters in the Rajiv Gandhi National Park. I came across a leopard, during an evening safari, which was on a tree with a spotted deer kill. I spent hours photographing it and finally had to leave in the evening. Since it would have consumed the kill overBangalore has night, I knew that the leopard seen maximum would be around the same development place the next morning.” growth. The IT He added, “The next morncity is also growing I found it resting on a difing at a faster rate. ferent tree. Its belly looked Development is filled. This leopard was on responsible in de- the same tree for a whole 12 stroying the habi- hours from morning to evetat of the birds. ning.” Sudhir Shivaram first be-Dr. M.B. Krishna, ornithologist gan photography professionally when he was a part of
‘
in creating awareness but it is not enough. More should be done, as it is a very serious issue.” He added, “Don’t create artificial beauty and ruin the natural. Leave them alone and don’t interfere in their life cycle.” M.B. Krishna says places like Hebbal and Madivala lakes were once the best places for bird watching but not anymore. He said, “The largest land owner is the government and most of the responsibility should be borne by them. Since they have huge manpower, there is no need to have any professional group.”
Malnad Amateur Photographers Club at Malnad College of Engineering. He said, “What started out as an exploration of the enchanting world of the camera gradually gained focus upon wildlife photography when I moved to Bangalore.” He added, “During the initial period in 1996, I along with my friends used to be out in the jungles in the city almost every weekend. Thanks to my twin sister Sunitha who presented me the Canon EOS Elan IIE and the Canon 75300 IS Lens. That set me up for Wildlife Photography.” Sudhir later joined IndiaNature-Pixs, a Yahoo group and started IndiaNatureWatch.net due to which the network of nature photographers grew. Sudhir soon became an official Canon Brand Ambassador after promoting Canon products. He said, “During this journey I started my own photography venture called Elephas Creations in 2009 and later co-founded Toehold Travel & Photography in 2010. In 2013 I collaborated with Saevus
Magazine to conduct various Wildlife Related Photo Tours and Workshops.” When asked if Sudhir prefers any other genre of photography over wildlife, he said, “Nature itself is so amazing that I can spend the entire day in the forest without making a single image. The kind of surprises you get in nature and the number of things it teaches you is fascinating.” He added, “I do not go into the jungles to look for tigers or leopards only. Of course, the forests have the other favourite subject of mine – birds. Many of the forest birds are so colourful that you forget about the worries or your concrete jungle and enjoy the beauty of nature.” Sudhir’s source of inspiration includes Vijay Cavale, John Shaw and Arthur Morris. For aspiring wildlife photographers, Sudhir suggests students should complete their education, support themselves with a decent job and then side-by-side work on their hobby and passion in life.
Photo Credits: Sushir Shivaram (Images from Hebbal Lake and T G Halli Backwaters) L-R: Northern Shoveler, Small Pratincole, Spot-billed Pelican
The Daily
Observer
Friday, March 21 , 2014
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Hi-tech solution for politicians
He added that this service is available all over the country to anyone, from anywhere.
Saikat Ghosh Campaigning city politicians will get some hi-tech help from a Bangalore-based IT company this election season.
Politicians from Karnataka have also given the service a thumbs-up. “If they charge 50 paise per call then I am willing to use it,” said B.R. Chaubey, a BSR Congress leader.
Core factors INC, a city based IT solutions provider, has come up with a cloud based service that will allow politicians to directly interact with the residents of their respective constituencies.
Chaubey added that by using this he will save money as well as time. “The more I talk to people or stay in touch with them the more will be the bonding among us,” he said.
This will help the political leaders obtain valuable feedback regarding their campaigns, manifestos and development plans.
Mr. Raju, who is a Campaign Advisor to some of the Tamil Nadu Politicians, said: “Yes we are using this technology, especially for the leaders from South Tamil Nadu. Many of the candidates are happy to use this application.”
The citizens can approve or disapprove and provide feedback through the system, which can give a whole new dimension to the citizen-politician relationship.
He added that it helps them in planning their strategies for the polls. “When people give their feedback about you, you get an opinion poll-like situation and therefore you know that this area is not your stronghold and hence the party workers work more in that area.”
“Basically it will trigger a campaign in public,” said Senthil Basuva Raj, Product Manager at Core Factors. “If a candidate is looking for a campaign in this particular constituency, then by this service he can send his manifesto to the public. The public can then decide whether they like it or not and then can provide the feedback,” he added. However, the service is not an app on Android but a cloud-based service. “It is basically a telephone solution. We have uploaded the telephone numbers of the citizens residing across the city on to the database,” said Senthil, speaking about the technicalities of this service. He added: “Once a person picks up the call, the IVRS system will get activated and then it will ask that person for his preferences such as it will ask him to press one to listen to manifesto or two to listen it back and so on.”
However, he refused to reveal the names of political leaders who are currently using this system.
The cloud-based service will allow politicians to interact with voters. The organization has been approached by several leaders, specifically from Tamil Nadu, which also includes a candidate from Chennai Central. Elaborating on the sales price, Senthil said:
“We usually charge 50 Paise per call, but when it comes to Bangalore the rate is 60 Paise. It is even more for Tamil Nadu users where the charge may range up to 80 paise. The duration of the call is 1 Minute.”
Raju said that the educated candidates are making the most of this technological asset. “Bangalore is an IT city and that is why you will find a local leader having a Facebook page but in Tamil Nadu it’s very rare, no surprise it is a boon for the local leaders here,” he said. An officer with the state Election Commission, on the condition of anonymity, said: “These service provider s are making the most of the elections, they are advertising themselves through this. You have so many ways to earn money nowadays.”
Lakes shrink as city expands Sreelakshmy Sivaram Urban development has caused 16 of Bangalore’s 51 lakes to slowly shrink in size, according to a report. Major lakes like Kadugondanahalli, Jakkarayanakere Lake, Ulsoor Lake, Madiwala Lake, Kowdenahalli Lake, Arakere Lake and Silver Lake are being eroded by educational institutions and private, unlicensed buildings. Bangalore once had 280 to 285 lakes. Of these, 14 are now so small they cannot be traced. 18 of them are being encroached by public and private sector enterprises, without any authorization. 14 of them have dried up and have been leased out by the government. 28 of them have been encroached for distribution of sites for buildings to be constructed by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the rest of them are in a state of deterioration. A report published by the Lake Development Authority last year reveals that 42 of the lakes were encroached for urban development work. These lakes were taken over to build grounds for sport, medical and engineering colleges, children’s play areas, fountains, immersion places, temples, schools, parks, bus stations, stadiums, apartments, malls, commercial complexes and slums. “We have taken many steps to rejuvenate the lake bodies in Bangalore. We are fencing the lakes in order to prevent encroachment. We are also trying to identify water and rejuvenate them. We also found that many of the lakes are illegally encroached to make slum houses and other private enterprises,” said Gangadhar Murthy, Assistant executive engineer of BWSSB, Domlur. “We are also taking measures to prevent the release of sewage
waste into the water bodies” he added. Among the total encroached lakes, six of them are occupied by slum dwellers. The Cauvery water supply scheme resulted in lakes being neglected because water supply became more accessible. Kowdenahalli lake of K.R Puram was encroached to build 1000 slum houses, a government school and college, a church and a temple; all in 32 acres of land. The lake occupies 66 acres of Bangalore east. 50 acres of Silver Lake area was encroached to build two temples and a BBMP school. Madiwala Lake was turned into a children’s area and park, Ulsoor Lake was converted to a children’s play area, and Dharmambudhi Lake was converted to become Majestic bus station. A study presented by Karnataka Upa Lokayukta in November 2013 reveals that sewage lines are directly connected into the lake bodies. “Many companies that are located near lake bodies dispose the waste in the lake. No measures had been taken even though many petitions were filed by people in the vicinity” said Ashok Kumar, Police Inspector of Madiwala. Many of the major lake bodies in Bangalore are now facing threat of extinction. Lakes play a key role in climatic change and ensuring ecological balance. “Contamination of lakes affects the aquatic and also the ecosystem. It also affects the people who are using the lakes,” said Roy Jacob, resident of Bannerghatta, where the residents joined together to save Arakere lake which is facing the threat of extinction. The Bangalore Development Authority has undertaken a project for beautification of the lakes which are in a bad condition. The initiative includes measures like enhancing green cover, lake restoration projects and beautification of water bodies to restore the lake to its original glory, but all in vain.
An infograf showing the deterioration of lakes in Bangalore due to rapid urban development and encroachment
The Daily
Observer
Friday, March 21, 2014
Railways halted as Karnataka make the historic treble
8
EVENTS Theatre
Rahul SADHU
Karnataka’s four-wicket win last Sunday over the Railways team saw them crowned the Champions of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. In the process they also managed to complete an historic treble, winning the Ranji Trophy, Irani Tophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Chasing 158 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Karnataka were reduced to 47 for the loss of five wickets. Just when things seemed to go out of hand, Karun Nair and K.L. Rahul managed to pull together a 66-run partnership to take the team to a winning position and eventually win the coveted trophy. “The success of this rare feat goes to the entire team including captain Vinay Kumar and the youngsters who showed a lot of maturity,” said J. Arunkumar, the batting coach of the Karnataka state cricket team. He added: “It is not as if we had to promote youngsters, simply they were the best available options we had. Earlier they were called fringe players but all they needed were a few good performances. “Shreyas Gopal’s performance against Mumbai propelled him to become one of the main bowling options for the team. He was a great surprise package for everybody including the opponent s. “Even Karan Nair who should have made his debut last year, but could not due to an injury, was picked to provide stability in the middle order. That is exactly what he did,” said Arunkumar, elaborating on the role of some of the youngsters in this historic performance. On the issues of man-management and equipping the players mentally and physically the coach said: “There are a lot of little things put together. The work for this success began last year and it has been an evolutionary process. Cutting out the dead wood in the team and putting in more confidence so that they can go all the way have been a few things.”
Guilty As (Not) Charged Mad Hats Theater presents a play that explores the urban middle class and the daily dilemmas they face in life. Venue: Alliance Francaise de Bangalore Date: April 05-April 06, 2014 Contact: 080 41231340
ART
Uthappa heaves one on the leg-side during Karnataka’s victorious run chase Photo Credit: Savedelete.com
He added that living and playing in Ireland also helped him develop personally and taught him how to become responsible, professional and mentally tougher. “That is something that I could pass on to my p l a y e r s ,” he said. T h e c o a c h also spoke about the d i f f e r e nt techniques he used in coaching. He said that the ‘s l u g g e r ’ was used to improve catching in the slip cordon. Similarly, broomsticks were used to improve the reflexes and catching of wicket ke ep er, C . M . Gautam. He also acknowledged that video analysis was helpful in sorting out a lot of opponents. “We could plan and execute dismissals; especially against M u m bai we Vinay Kumar with the trophy presented by CAB President, J. Dalmiya
did is
it successfully,” Arunkumar, who popularly known as Jack, said. On the chances of players from Karnataka making the cut for the national team, Jack said: “Players like Karun Nair and K.L. Rahul have very good chance of making it into the national team considering the selectors are impressed with their performances. Robin Uthappa and Abhimanyu Mithun also have chances of making a comeback into the Indian team.” Santosh Menon, Managing Committee member of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, said, “I am very impressed with the performances of the team. Credit goes to the coach and the players. We have always given a free hand to the coach and his methods and finally it has yielded the desired results.” He added: “The average age of the Karnataka state team is 25 so we expect this team to dominate domestic cricket in the upcoming years. “ Speaking about his performance Shreyas Gopal, a 20-year-old fast-rising leg spinner for the team, said: “My coach had a lot of faith in me, which really gave me a lot of confidence and therefore, I could repay his faith. I had come into the side with some decent performances in the u-20 side. The seniors backed us pretty well which helped us to deliver the goods. ‘I was picked as an all rounder. Unfortunately my batting did not click this time. The coaches personally helped me with a number of drills. I did a lot of spot bowling. He also told me a few things on my batting. ‘I am very excited and looking forward to the IPL. Mumbai Indians is a wonderful team with so many greats. I am really looking forward to learning a lot from them.” Speaking about the tournaments lined up for the near future, Menon said: “Next in line is the upcoming T20 championship but 11 players from the current lineup from this team will be out of action because of the IPL.
But we are optimistic as we have good bench strength.”
‘
The success of this rare feat goes to the entire team including captain Vinay Kumar and the youngsters who showed a lot of maturity.
-J. Arunkumar, the batting coach of the Karnataka state cricket team.
The Persistence of Form
Artists Vijay Nagvekar and Runa Biswas highlight through their paintings the richness of Indian art. Venue: Third Eye-Indian Art Gallery Date: Upto March 31st Contact: 9845585235
FOOD
Ugadi Festive Lunch
This New Year celebrate with authentic Kannada dishes presented on a plantain leaf and created by Chef Naren Thimmaiah Venue: Karavalli, Residency Road Date: March 31st Contact: 08066604519
Music/Dance Girish And The Chronicles Live
Girish and The Chronicles is a rock band from Gangtok known renowned as one of the best glam rock voices in India. Venue: Phoenix Market City Date: March 22
Observer Team: Editor–Gaurav Kumar Chief Sub Editor-Sureshkumar Sub Editors– Sreelaxmy Sivaram, Sushmita Sen, Soumya Basu News Editors -Pranay Lakshminarasimhan, Sneha Mejari, Rahul Sadhu Design Desk- Tanisha Das, Center Spread- Prutha Bhosle, Saikat Ghosh Emergency calls tracker – Shwetha Nair, Raju Peethala Reporters– Batch A Email- editor@iijnm.org An IIJNM Publication (For Private Circulation)