There is something fascinating about train journeys. Trains are much more than just a mode of transport. As the train moves forward smoothly passing through beautiful locations and landscapes, we all fall in love with it. The journey becomes all the more amazing during the monsoon when the fresh rain cleans the surrounding and makes it a journey to remember. Have a glimpse of the lush monsoons in the Western Ghats.

Murmagao to Hubli – A railway line is born
In 1888 a meter gauge railway track was inaugurated joining the port town of Murmagao in Portuguese Goa to New Hubli in Dharwar district of British India. Privately owned by the London based Portuguese West of India Guaranteed Railway Company, its purpose was to stimulate the ailing economy of Goa that had suffered a steady decline due to the rise of the port city of Bombay. The railway track ran from the sea-shore, threaded the Western Ghats and met the westwards running connecting line of Southern Mahratta Company.

The challenge of the daunting Ghats
One of the major obstacles to the Murmagao track was the possibility of building a line to the port town of Karwar (in present day Karnataka) instead, a few miles to the south of Goa. The other was the inhospitable terrain of the Ghats – the steep slopes, very few gentle passes, dense jungles, heat, incessant rain during the monsoons, diseases, landslides and the presence of tigers posed considerable difficulties to the builders. The project witnessed the best of engineering expertise, skilled labour, suitable machinery and thousands of labourers – mostly South Asians – toiling in dangerous conditions and moving large chunks of earth manually.

Human resolve matches nature’s might
Making use of intense manual labour, explosives and drills fourteen tunnels were dug (twelve in Portuguese territory) through the hard granite and schist. The rotten and hot air in the tunnels added to the woes of the workers and the progress was severely hampered by the unforgiving rain which caused the unstable tunnels to collapse. In addition to the tunnels seven bridges and five viaducts (including the ones over the Paroda and Sanguem rivers and the Dudhsagar Waterfalls) were other notable features along the track. The longest tunnel, today, is the Tunnel No 2 (traveling from Castle Rock in Karnataka to Kulem in Goa) measuring 409.95m.

Trekking the rail track from Castle Rock to Kulem
The Murmagao railway line is still functional today though it has been converted to broad gauge. The section of the track from Castle Rock to Kulem is a popular trekking route particularly during the monsoon season. The trek entails walking along the railway track, diving into tunnels, shuffling over high bridges connecting the rugged mountains, swift streams and waterfalls, the fickle fog, darkness of the tunnels, the wail of train sirens, pouring rain, occasional leeches and unbridled greenery. The icing on this delicious cake is the Dudhsagar Waterfalls, around 14kms from Castle Rock and if attempted from the Goa side, 11kms from Kulem.

The Dudhsagar Falls
Witnessing the DudhSagar Waterfalls cascading down the mountain, shrouded in a veil of fog with a train thundering below on the viaduct is a sobering experience. Located high up on the Mandovi River’s watershed the falls are quiet during the dry season and roar during the monsoons -the volume of water in the falls during the rainy season is intimidating. A camping ground beside the railway track is a stone’s throw away from the base of the falls and spending a night here is eventful with the trains chugging all night long, the pitter-patter of rain and the crashing of water on the worn out rocks.

Monsoon magic along the track
The railway track between Castle Rock and Kulem has three small stations – Caranzol, Dudhsagar and Sonalium – where the otherwise single line is doubled. From Sonalium a mud track diverges into the jungle running parallel to the track for quite a distance. This path is motor able and during the non-rainy season vehicles ply from Kulem ferrying tourists to Dudhsagar. However during the monsoons all the streams and rivulets across the path are overflowing though a few motorcycles do undertake this treacherous route. There are small waterfalls tucked away into the forests that are perfect for a therapeutic soak.

The ruins of a bygone era
The ruins of railway stations and offices can be seen in Castle Rock and Dudh Sagar. Castle Rock, in the past, served as the frontier between British India and Portuguese Goa where all immigration checks were done for people traveling across borders. Moss and lichen carpet the walls of these relics, an evidence of the insane amount of rainfall received here. A distinct sense of nostalgia infects these abandoned buildings whose prominence has been forgotten with the passing of time.

The wail of a train engine
The silence of these wooded hills is constantly broken by the rushing streams, the tall waterfalls and the wails of a train engine. Trekkers scurry off the railway track and hastily cross the dark tunnels in anticipation of the appearance of a great mass of metal rattling the rails and breathing smoke and heat. Trains, passenger and goods, play hide and seek with the mountain curves, appearing and disappearing behind the bends. Due to the incline of the track from Kulem to Castle Rock two engines lead the train up the slope complimented by two other engines pushing it forward from the rear.

Keeping the trains chugging
The maintenance of these tracks is a major challenge even today especially during the rains. Groups of workers, in colourful raincoats and gum boots, can be seen along the tracks and in the tunnels ensuring that the conditions are ideal for the trains to pass. The role of technology is not substantial and manual labour is still involved in facilitating the smooth running of the railways.

While in many cities we are seeing a heavy decrease in the number of birds, this village sets an example of how birds and humans can co-exist in complete harmony. Chirping birds of rare species in your backyard, several nests on each tree – Kokrebellur is a delightful sight. Know more about the amazing village and its conservation efforts.

When was the last time you saw birds chirping on your window sills? How often do you see a sparrow sipping water from your garden tap? If you have to stop to think, then you have your answer.

Declining numbers of house sparrows and other native species have been a concern for every nature lover in recent times. According to the BirdLife International, the IUCN Red List states that currently 82 bird species in India fall into the globally threatened category.

A delight to watch, these birds are adorable, but sadly we don’t get to witness the happy sight these days. Wouldn’t it be amazing if you and these lovely tweeting birds could co-exist?

The village is named after a bird species “Painted Storks” which is called “Kokkare” in Kannada

Picture Source

Kokrebellur, a small village in Maddur taluk of Karnataka, offers you an unusual and mesmerizing sight as you’ll find some of India’s rarest species of birds chirping in the backyards of these village homes.

The village is named after the “Painted Storks” which are called “Kokkare” in Kannada. Apart from Painted Storks, spot-billed Pelicans are also found here. Both of them are included in “near threatened category” in the IUCN Red List of 2009. In addition to these, breeds like Little Cormorant, Black Ibis, Grey Heron, Black-Crowned Night Heron and the Indian Pond Heron are also also spotted.

It is fascinating to see that these birds have nested in the village in very close proximity to the villagers. Every tree holds many nests, and if you go in May, the sight is amazing as many newborn birds are learning to fly during this period, and the shrill voices of these young ones fill the environment with unusual energy.

The villagers treat these birds as a part of their family and have also created a small area for wounded birds to rest. Birds are so friendly here that they even allow you to go very close to them.

Picture Source

The trust and bonding that these birds and villagers have developed is worth admiring. Kokrebellur is one of 21 breeding sites existing in India. The villagers have adopted these birds as a part of their heritage and consider them as signs of prosperity and good luck.

The birds help the villagers get phosphorus and potassium-rich manure obtained from the bird droppings. S G Neginhal, a senior forest official, had pioneered the efforts to proliferate the breed of Pelicans. In 1976, Neginhal explored possible solutions to expand the cause by launching a compensatory scheme to benefit the villagers. The birds and the villagers have bonded well since decades now.

As these birds nest in the village regularly, and sometimes this can be a disadvantage for the crops, the Karnataka government compensates the villagers with a certain sum of money for every tree that is hosting a nest for these birds, as the land below the tree cannot be used for plantation of any other crop. Additional income is also provided by the influx of tourists, who are encouraged to visit this “man-made bird sanctuary”.

Birds here usually nest in groups of 15-20 pairs per tree, and they continue to use these nests throughout the year. They arrive after the monsoon ends in September, hatch their eggs and re-migrate in May.

The uniqueness of this place is that in spite of some loss of crops that these villagers face due to the birds, they have happily adopted the birds and do everything possible to make them feel at home. That is why, gradually, this place has become a hub of rare migratory birds.

Women of the village say, “For us, these birds are like daughters coming home for delivery.”

Picture Source

The spot-billed pelicans are protected by law in India and also in several other countries. The unique thing about Kokrebellur is that it is not a reserved bird sanctuary but a village where these birds freely live and co-exist with the villagers in harmony.

The efforts to conserve these birds have been fruitful and considered as “a role model” to replicate in other areas. Due to a wide variety of rare birds, this place attracts a lot of tourists and bird watchers every year. The government has also established and provided grants to the Village Forest Committee (VFC) to protect the birds by nurturing and enhancing the trees on which they nest.

The village does not just offer you a good bird watching experience but also gives you a completely new take on human-birds relationship. While most of us are busy saving our lush gardens and building exteriors from these birds, these villagers set an exceptional example of how the two life forms can happily co-exist in a beautiful way.

How to reach there?

The best season to visit Kokrebellur is January to May. It is well connected by both road and railway. It is around 80 kms from Bangalore on the Bangalore-Mysore highway.

Maddur is the nearest railway station. Nearest airport is the Bangalore Airport. You can also take your own transport from there.

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Concerned about the human-wildlife conflicts and the poor awareness on how to deal with it, Suresh Kumar and Jaishankar started Vanamitra to teach people to co-exist with the wild. They have reunited 12 leopard cubs with their mothers, rescued several specieis of wildlife and sensitized over 20,000 people about wildlife conservation. Read more about their amazing and daring initiatives and how they do it.

“I was passing through the railway gate and saw lot of people gathered near the transformer. Few were having long sticks and iron rods in their hands…one guy hit the iron rod inside the box and said ‘just missed’. I immediately rushed there and held the iron rod in my hand and asked everyone to move away. Then with the help of a snake hook, I brought the snake out. It was very well built, 6.5 feet in length and very heavy to handle with a snake hook. It opened its hood which was very beautiful. I thanked God for showing me this majestic creature. Checked for the wounds and there was a very small cut near the neck which will heal by itself. The crowd became silent on seeing this beauty and some of them said, ‘We would have done a big mistake if we had killed this beautiful creature’. Then I said ‘Killing and Rescuing takes the same time; and the choice is yours,” shares a member from the Vanamitra team.

A regular sight for them, this was one of many cases of human-wildlife conflict that the team solves every day. As we talk about wildlife and its conservation, have you given a thought as to why we need it so badly? Yes, we do need to save our wildlife because there will be nothing left for our future generations to see and experience. But, it goes way beyond that.

Suresh Kumar started Vanamitra along with his friend Jaishankar.

Come to think of it, our entire life is dependent on wildlife. The various animal species maintain the ecological balance, which keeps the food chain going. They are also in charge of the climate. Also, wildlife helps nature to sustain itself in many ways and reduces manual efforts of growing trees and taking care of them.

Enough reasons to conserve wildlife and nature? With rapid industrialization and development we have seen a huge decline in wildlife count. In the last five years itself, we have seen extinction of the tiger from four national parks – Sariska, Panna, Pench and Buxa, and almost lost all birds in our most famous bird sanctuary – Bharatpur. (Source) India’s wildlife is in the worst situation it has been in the last 34 years.

The constant encroachment of humans into wildlife territories has resulted in decimation of wildlife populations and large number of human-animal conflicts.

Amongst all those who talk and spread awareness about this situation, Vanamitra is one such organization which is quietly doing their bit to conserve the environment. It is a wildlife conservation trust which engages common people in Conservation, with a special focus on the conservation of leopards.

Vanamitra, with a small team, has managed to reunite 12 leopard cubs with their mothers. They have hand-raised 5 orphaned leopard cubs, saved thousands of wild animals and educated more than 20,000 people about wildlife conservation. They have also stopped considerable Wildlife Trading and Poaching Rackets along with Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Forest Department, CID Forest Cell as well as Police Departments.

“Our mission is to setup a Conservation Model involving local people, so that it can be replicated across India,” Suresh says.

Vanamitra along with Forest Department has reunited this little cub which was separated from its mother.

How do they do it?

Vanamitra believes in creating an ecosystem where humans and wildlife co-exist in harmony. “In ancient times in India, both humans and animals would co exist peacefully. But slowly, we have lost our touch with our cultural foundation and we need to bring it back to recreate a nature friendly lifestyle as our ancestors had,” Suresh believes.

They educate people to deal with human-wildlife conflict in a healthy way. One of the initiatives they successfully implemented was to solve the snake-human conflict in urban houses.

Whenever there is an incident of a snake entering a house, the team rescues the snake from inside the house and leaves it just outside the house. Sounds shocking? Well, we thought so too, but when Suresh explains it we are convinced that it is indeed the right thing to do.

If you capture a snake and leave it in a far and different location, the reptile will have to find a new source of food, a place to hide and it will also have to deal with other territorial snakes. On failing to do so, the snake eventually dies.

“We have to understand that even snakes do not want to enter the urban accommodation. They must have entered by mistake. And hardly one or two such incidents happen in a year. So, if we leave them just outside, they will return to their regular habitat away from the human settlement,” he says.

As the team be everywhere, they train people to deal with any wildlife emergency situations safely. This helps to build a strong and reliable emergency rescue network so that any wildlife emergency is attended to as soon as possible.

Grey Heron was rescued by Jaishankar from Bangalore after a localite threw a coconut shell at him.

Vanamitra has trained the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Forest department staff on Leopard Cubs Reunion Procedures and Caring for Leopard Cubs such as Feeding etc.. Vanamitra has also educated and sensitized thousands of people in national groups including Civil Defence, Home Guards, Police, Fire Services, Indo-Tibetan Border Protection Force personnel(ITBPF) etc. on critical topics such as the nature of disasters, disaster prevention and also animal management during disaster situations, etc. The team sensitizes villagers, farmers, students and local community to deal with human-animal conflict situations.

How you can contribute to conserve wildlife?

With regular jobs and lack of time, we understand that not everyone can contribute full time to wildlife conservation. But, there are many simple ways in which you can do your bit and help in conserving nature and the wildlife.

“One thing you can do is to not kill them. Even if you see such a conflict, try to get away from the animal so that you don’t get hurt and let them be. They will eventually go back. Call the responsible person or group to take care of the situation rather than killing the species under panic,” Suresh says.

Vanamitra gives training to forest department officials on snake management.

Apart from that ,you can keep water outside your house for birds and squirrels. You can also grow fruit bearing trees and shrubs in your garden to take care of their needs.

“Most of the kids are animal lovers, it comes to them naturally. Elders should learn from them and understand importance of wildlife,” Suresh says.

How you can help Vanamitra?

You can volunteer with Vanamitra as they regularly host various projects and are in a constant look out for like-minded people.

“As a volunteer of Vanamitra, you don’t necessarily have to rescue snakes or jump on crocodiles. You can utilize your unique skills and talents to promote the larger cause of wildlife conservation through Vanamitra. Or if you have any specific project or an idea in mind that you would like to carry out, we could also provide an excellent platform for you to implement that,” Suresh says.

Or, you can just be a member of Vanamitra to get updates about various programmes the organization takes care of. And, you can also be a part of their workshops and various events. You can organize various sensitization sessions and campaigns in your own locality.

The team also organizes various workshops and training camps for students.

“We need a positive take on wildlife. Today’s media always puts wildlife into a negative shade whenever there is a human-wildlife conflict. There should be positivity when it comes to spreading awareness about wildlife,” he says.

Want to know more about Vanamitra and how you can bring a change? Contact Suresh Kumar at-  contact@vanamitra.org

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These three women are changing the way women in villages see their health. From spreading awareness to guiding them in crucial times, from earning some extra income for the family to knowing all the government rules and laws, these women are guiding others to a better future. 

Women can become the ideal agents of social and political change for other women. Suzanna, Ashalatha and Yogita, who hail from Wodegaon village in Aurad taluk of Bidar, Karnataka’s northernmost district, are the perfect examples of this transformation.

The trio has emerged as the guardian angels of expectant and lactating mothers as well as children between 0-5 years in the area. Even as each one undertakes home visits across 10 villages, encouraging women to go to the local anganwadi centre for their quota of supplements and ration dispensed free under the Integrated Child Development Services, they also conduct activities that promote healthy eating and hygienic personal habits among students in the government schools nearby.

Suzanna, 31, diligently tracks the health of pregnant women
and neo-natal children in the villages she visits in Aurad taluk of
Bidar, Karnataka’s northernmost district. (Credit: Pushpa Achanta\WFS)

These women are community resource persons (CRPs), specially trained under the Fight Hunger First Initiative (FHFI) of Deutsche Welthungerhilfe being implemented in the district by Myrada, a Bengaluru-based non-profit organisation that works towards the socio-economic advancement of marginalised communities across India. Through personal interface they disseminate information among the locals on the different welfare schemes of the government in order to improve their access and thereby enable them to fight hunger and poverty.

“From October 2011, as part of this initiative, we decided to address child malnutrition along with reproductive and maternal health in Bidar district. This region is arid and extremely backward with high instances of malnutrition in comparison to other parts of northern Karnataka. The interventions are primarily concentrated in Aurad taluk that has a large population of marginalised groups like the Dalits, Lambanis and migrants. In fact, Aurad was identified as one of the 39 most backward taluks in Karnataka according to indicators given in the Report of the High Power Committee for Redressal of Regional Imbalances in Karnataka (HPCRRI) published by the state government in 2001-02,” states Mohammed Siraj, Programme Officer, Myrada in Bidar.

Myrada has put together an all-women team of CRPs to provide health and nutrition counselling to villagers. The 10 handpicked CRPs, who reach out to 10 villages each, are local women, who are committed, willing to be in regular touch with women, men and children, game to travel daily within or outside their villages despite poor transport, can read and write Kannada and have basic arithmetic knowledge.

“A couple of years ago, during a health survey of women and children in our village, I was identified as one of the women suffering from severe anaemia. I was advised on ways to deal with my condition by eating foods rich in iron and taking mineral supplements. In addition, l learnt ways to take better care of myself and my three children. It took me a few months to get well. But once I recovered, I decided to take up a job as a health counselor with Myrada. I wanted to share my knowledge with others and be a part of this endeavour to create healthy families,” shares Suzanna, 31, who diligently tracks the health of pregnant women and neo-natal children in the villages she visits. Articulate and hardworking, she has completed her Pre-University (PU is equivalent to Class Twelve) course.

Suzanna’s colleague Ashalatha, 32, has also passed her PU levels. Apart from empowering other women, her work as a CRP has made it possible for her to improve the financial condition of her own family. She elaborates,

“Prior to this, I was not employed anywhere although I was a member of a self-help group (SHG) in the village. Through the SHG, around 30 women used to meet regularly and save money together. My husband was an agricultural labourer then. But with the help of a loan that I had taken through the SHG, he was able to set up a small grocery store. Of course, the income he makes is barely enough for us to run the household and educate our two children, a daughter aged 12 and a 10-year-old son, in the Kannada medium school nearby. With my small income at least I am able to cover the extra expenses.”

Yogita, 28, who is the most educated of the three, has experienced similar emancipation. This graduate joined Myrada around three years back and the job has helped her to supplement the paltry earnings of her husband, a self-employed cobbler. She has been part of a local SHG since the last seven years where a member suggested she join hands with Myrada to not only change her fate but that of other women like her as well. Yogita’s husband earns around Rs 200 a day while she gets a salary plus conveyance allowance.

Yogita, 28, and Ashalatha, 32, are aware of their basic
rights and social entitlements and talk about the various welfare
policies of the government with other community members. (Credit:
Pushpa Achanta\WFS)

All three women are aware of their basic rights and social entitlements and pass on their knowledge of the various policies of the government to other community members. They motivate women and children to create their own kitchen gardens at home and in school to ensure there is better quality food for their consumption. Checking on the satisfactory functioning of the government primary health centres (PHCs) and anganwadis in the villages is among the additional tasks these devoted CRPs undertake.

Iramma, 35, a daily wage agricultural labourer from Wodegaon, successfully gave birth to a daughter in May this year, all thanks to Ashalatha, who ably guided her through the duration of pregnancy.

“I have three children, two of whom were born with a gap of seven years between them. Now that my third child has come I will most probably undergo a surgery for birth control (sterilization). I might not have had a healthy pregnancy had it not been for the timely intervention of Ashalatha. When I had met her some months back she had told me that I was anaemic and instructed me to follow a strict diet. I am so happy that I met her,” she elaborates.

Iramma’s mother, Kalavathi, 50, a daily wager like her daughter, took on the responsibility of caring for her. Iramma’s husband Sivaraj, 37, farms on three acres of land he has taken on lease, cultivating groundnut, soyabean, jowar and pulses, crops that are typical of semi-arid regions. Iramma has been working as a labourer on the fields owned by another for which she is paid an average of Rs 50-60 per day. By contrast, men who work as agricultural labourers earn up to Rs 200 daily. These wages are not enough to support a family of three or four and, therefore, women are compelled to take on double duty and step out of their homes to augment the family income.

Iramma, 35, an agricultural labourer from Wodegaon in Bidar
successfully gave birth to a daughter this year, all thanks to
Ashalatha, who ably guided her throughout her pregnancy. (Credit:
Pushpa Achanta\WFS)

In such difficult circumstances, the support of women like Suzanna, Ashalatha and Yogita is godsent. The three, however, state that it’s not all that simple to walk into someone’s home and convince them to change their way of life and attitudes.

Women, in particular, always put the needs of their family before their own. The trio reveals that their main challenge is to get through to householders who are ignorant of issues related to health, nutrition and hygiene. However, through concerted efforts they are able to overcome this limitation over time. This approach has proved to be a success, as the number of anaemic women and malnourished children in the 68 villages of Aurad taluk has reduced considerably over the last few years.

Truly, Suzanna, Ashalatha and Yogita have proven themselves to be the ideal role models to guide women to better health.

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We all have our role models but some people adore their leaders so much that they transform their own identity. Basavaraju is one such person who has taken his love for Gandhi to a whole new level – he not only follows his lifestyle but also impersonates Gandhi for a few hours or even days to spread his teachings! Read the interesting story of this modern-day Gandhi.

A primary school physical education teacher evokes Gandhi amongst his school students and the common humans on the streets. Meet Bagadehalli Basavaraju, a teacher whose passion is Gandhi – whom he not only emulates but also impersonates for others in a small town Kadur in Chikkamaglur District, Karnataka.

Bagadehalli Basavaraju, a teacher by profession and a staunch believer in the ideals of Gandhi, has been performing as a living statue of Gandhi for the past 14 years. What is interesting is that he characterises himself not just as Gandhi but imitates the “statue”of Gandhi by painting himself silver and adorning himself with accessories. Initially,  Basavaraju used silver oil paint, but was provided access to a less harmful paint used by actors. He began this performance as a mode to “replace” words and spread the Gandhian ideology not through any speech but by using the power of the visual imagery to make an impact. His image is the message of Gandhi for the people to see and internalise.

Born in a poor family, Basavaraju studied hard and made his way into the education system by landing the job of a physical education teacher in a small private school in Kadur. Gandhi is his passion, his ideology of life and things around him.

During festivals, big cultural events or October 2, Basavaraju dons the Gandhi avatar. He poses for hours either standing or sitting like a Gandhi statue, evoking the “Gandhi” amongst the onlookers. Some label him mad, others think he has an innovative style to beg and do throw a few coins, while many come and question him on this impersonation. This helps him to open a tiny window in the minds of those who question, and to talk about the relevance and the need to practice the Gandhian ideals.

Self-sponsored and ardently supported by his family, Basavaraju meta-morphs into a Gandhian image for a few hours or days for everyone, but a life for himself and his family. He leads a simple and satisfied life, while pursuing his passion.

Children are important thought builders and he spends time with them sharing the Gandhian ideology, because peace is what he yearns for everyone and himself. As he puts it, war is all around – be it amongst nations, religious communities, groups or even different castes. Basavaraju wants peace and this tiny act of impersonation of Gandhi helps him focus people’s attention towards peace and its importance in today’s strife-torn world.

Basavaraju also spends time teaching yoga to school children. Nowadays, there is a tremendous demand on his time as other schools call him to come and teach their children about Gandhi and, of course, yoga. His other pet projects are waste management because cleanliness is something he does not compromise on.

Recognition has followed Basavaraju. In his normal attire, Basavaraju today is a respected man in Kadur. Vegetable vendors, auto fellows, everyone calls out to him as Gandhi. No medals, no certificates, no awards or rewards, no pomp – but all show of what, who and how of Gandhi. Today, photographic exhibitions are being held all across the country that are a tribute to the passion, dedication and perseverance that form the basis of Gandhi’s life and his ideals. Basavaraju is an incognito hero who is living by those ideals everyday.

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Born in a poor family, Chikkarangappa joined a golf resort as a worker to earn a paltry wage of Rs.50 per day. Today, he is a winner in this sport of the rich. Having started by using a tree branch to practice golf swings, his passion made him win his first trophy at the tender age of 11. Read more to know how this farmer’s boy became a golfing sensation.

Golf is considered as a game for the rich. So when this young man born to farm labourers excelled in this sport, the news had to make headlines!

Chikkarangappa S bagged yet another trophy as he won TAKE Solutions India Masters on November 1 scoring a total of 18-under 270 after marking an amazing two stroke victory. Chikka’s victory over Abhishek  Jha was his fourth professional victory, making him earn $12,250 and a two-year exemption on the ADT.

Jha was in six-shot lead over Chikka in the game but the latter made a dramatic comeback and remarkably snatched the victory from Jha’s hands.

“This was my first win as a pro on my home course. I always felt something was missing. For the last two weeks, after my grandfather passed away, golf wasn’t even on my mind. I dedicate this win to him,” said the 21 year old golfer to The Hindu.

Chikkarangappa won TAKE Solutions India Masters on November 1

This young golfer from Eagleton Golf Resort became the second Indian after Sujjan Singh to win on the Asian Development Tour. The journey till this stage has not been easy for Chikka. Born to a farmer father and a daily wage labourer mother in a small village Bidadi, near Bangalore, Chikka always faced various financial restrictions.

At a tender age of 10, he joined Eagleton Golf Resort to earn some money and make ends meet.  But gradually, he got fascinated by the sport. He would watch the players for hours and finally, he couldn’t help but develop an interest in the game. He made a golf stick out of a branch of a tree and practiced golf swings in his spare time.

Some time later, he managed to get a real golf stick and started practicing. One fine day, a coach Vijay Dhivecha, noticed him swinging his golf stick and asked him if he would like to play the sport professionally. It came as a great surprise to Chikka, and initially he was reluctant to take up the offer due to his family’s poor background, but he eventually agreed and convinced his family too. Since then there has been no turning back.

He gave everything he had to the sport and even quit his schooling to take up golf full time. He played his first professional tournament in Ooty and bagged the second position. Later that year, he participated in another championship at Eagleton at the age of 11 and won his first trophy.

He developed interest in the sport at a very young age and has been following his passion since then.

As he continued his journey in golf, language came across as a huge barrier. “I was really scared about my not knowing English. Things were quite difficult those days. ‘Your shoulders are shut,’ Mr. Divecha would say, or ‘open your stance’. What could I understand? For a while, we only communicated through sign language,” Chikka revealed to Sports Star.

Chikka’s achievements have made him the talk of the town. He has won the India Juniors three times and the All India Amateur Golf Championships two times. Chikka is the youngest golfer so far to win the ‘India Amateurs’ championship ,which he won at the age of 16.

With regular practice, Chikka has overcome his weakness in English and now speaks fluently and with confidence. Chikka’s latest victory proves that passion does not need a strong financial or family background, it just needs a strong will power and dedication. Chikka found his way to victory against all odds. We congratulate him for his recent success and hope to see many more such young and passionate players making headlines.

Pics Courtesy: Facebook

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The satisfaction you get by spreading little joys among the less privileged cannot be expressed. From healthcare to elderly care, this team of young enthusiasts is all about spreading joy in the lives of those who need it the most. Their aim is to make social work a little more fun. Hope Springs believes in using their passion and talent to change lives. What’s more – its so easy that you can do it too!

Narayanappa broke his wrist three months back in a minor accident at work. Instead of consulting a doctor, he continued to work with the broken wrist and did not pay much attention to the seriousness of the issue. As a result, the condition worsened and so did the pain.

That is when Hope Springs intervened. They looked for doctors and surgeons who could help Narayanappa with the ailment. They used social media platforms to find a medical expert who could offer him treatment for free. Finally, after a couple of week’s efforts and search, Narayanappa was referred to a specialist who treated him with the right medication and freed him from his pain.

“The biggest problem is ignorance. People from economically disadvantaged background do not pay much attention to their health. Eventually, the situation becomes worse and it causes them even more trouble. The idea is to make people more aware and informed,” says Kevin Vineeth Kumar, founder of Hope Springs.

Sometimes a small act of kindness can change someone’s life. A smile is enough to make someone’s day. A surprise visit to someone lonely can be the best gift ever. A helping hand could lead to someone’s brighter future.

Hope Springs works in four major sectors – Water, Information, Sanitation and Healthcare.

And, Hope Springs is doing exactly that – trying to spread a little hope, happiness and love in the lives of those who need it the most. Founded in 2013, Hope Springs aims to promote the development of the underprivileged in the country.

Working in four important sectors – Water, Information, Sanitation and Healthcare (WISH), this young organization focuses on engaging everyone in the social sector in a fun way, without being preachy.

“Charity should not always be serious or monetary. Use the talent that you have or just spend some time with those who need it and that itself can do wonders,” says Kumar.

The start

After completing his MBA, Kumar wanted to start something of his own. A high paying job was not something that he fancied. He knew he wanted to work in the social sector, and his family’s background and experience of running an NGO came in handy and gave Kumar the courage to take the plunge.

“I wanted to help people get access to basic facilities and change their lives in simple ways. The satisfaction and joy that you get when you see a smile on someone’s face and you know that you are the reason behind it cannot be expressed,” Kumar says.

Having started as a one-man show, Hope Springs began operations with providing healthcare facilities through medical camps to rural areas and later on expanded to other issues.

Kevin Vineeth Kumar, founder, Hope Springs.

Today, they are connecting various dots to make life a little better for the less privileged. From spreading awareness about clean drinking water and sanitation to reaching out to orphanages and old age homes, Hope Springs is covering many grounds.

What do they do?

One of their primary initiatives is organizing regular medical camps in rural areas near Bangalore. Currently, they host two medical camps on every first and third Saturday of the month. They have partnered with various doctors and community specialists who are aware of the mindset of the people in the villages.

The Hope Springs team first visits the villages and checks on how much intervention is required and what kind of help is needed. “We see what a particular village is lacking. Based on our research we intervene and start our basic campaigns and camps,” Kumar says.

The Hope Spring team also closely works with old age homes by visiting the elderly on every second Saturday of the month. “We do take care of the basic things which they might need but the main idea is just to spend some time with them in their twilight years. Sometimes deeds as small as playing the guitar, singing and dancing cheers them up.” Kumar says.

Regular visits to old age homes brightens up the day of the elderly in their twilight years.

Hope Springs is all about engaging the community and enabling them to help the needy in whatever way they can. On similar grounds, to take Hope Springs’ initiative to another level, two brothers decided to do something special to support their healthcare project.

They started a more than 6,000 kms long motorbike journey from Bangalore to the Himalayas to raise funds for various initiatives of Hope Springs. During this trip, they communicated and engaged with 700 plus families in the valley, and managed to raise funds of Rs.30,000.

“This initiative clearly explains our idea. You need not be part of a charitable organization or a bigger company. You can help people within your own limitations. You can use your talent and passion to raise funds and spread awareness. Like these guys. They were going on the bike ride to the Himalayas for an unforgettable experience. But, rather than just making it an idle journey for pleasure, they decided to convert this adventure trip into something more meaningful,” Kumar says.

An awareness bike ride was started on August 24 to support Hope Springs and raise funds for various initiatives.

The impact

Hope Springs is entirely managed by Kumar with support from around 10 volunteers. They have touched over 600 lives through their medical camps in two villages that they regularly visit.

“The biggest impact we have seen is the amount of happiness and hope that we bring on people’s face when we visit them. The elderly in old age homes eagerly wait for our visit and even the villagers give an overwhelming response to our medical camps,” he says.

Frequent medical camps are organized to provide basic healthcare facilities to the less privileged

Scaling up

Just a year old, this NGO has many plans to scale up. At the top of their priorities is to expand their area of work and approach various companies and investors to support their cause.

“Money is important in case you want to bring a change. We are looking for people who could support us with various initiatives,” Kumar says.

Hope Spring is also looking to expand the team which could take care of various campaigns and could help Kumar to come up with interesting ideas to spread awareness and execute the ideas. Watch this video to know more about their work –

How can you help?

“Use the talent that you have to change someone’s life. Spread the word and just be involved to know more about how small acts of kindness can help someone to a great extent,” Kumar says.

To know more about their work contact Kevin Vineeth Kumar at- kevin@hopesprings.in

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The amazing and unusual rock formations of Yana not only make the place beautiful and unique but also have some interesting stories to share from Hindu Mythology.

Some legends are so interesting, they set a place apart from other tourist locations. Yana, a village nestling amidst the forests of the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka is one of those places with a story to tell.

Photo Courtesy: Sreyas Thottarath

The story goes back to the demon king, Bhasmasura. He received a boon from lord Shiva which allowed him to burn the person by placing his hand over their head. Wanting to check the strength of his powers, Bhasmasur wanted to place his hand on lord Shiva’s head. Agitated by Bhasmasur’s act, lord Shiva left his abode and came to Earth to seek lord Vishnu’s help.

Vishnu transformed himself into a beautiful lady, Mohini, who tempted Bhasmasur with her beauty. Completely mesmerized by Mohini, Bhasmasur agreed to a dance challenge initiated by her. During the competition, Mohini cleverly placed her hand over the head and Bhasmasur, without realizing it, placed his hand over his head too. The fire from his own hands destroyed Bhasmasur and converted him into ashes.

It is believed that the fire and heat was so intense that it changed the limestones’ colour to black and devotees believe that the loose black soil and ashes around the rock formations act as a proof of the legend.

It is not just the amazing back story that makes this place unique, but also the scenic beauty and thick forest which sets Yana apart. If you love adventure, nature and trekking, Yana is the place for you.

The huge, unusual rock formations which hide many stories from the past and the amazing scenic views welcome you at Yana.

Two prominent rock outcrops known as the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara (120 meters high) and the Mohini Shikhara (90 meters high) composed of solid black, crystalline Karst limestone attract the most attention. The beautiful location also hosts many devotees because of the cave temple below the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara where a self manifested linga has been formed.

During Maha Shivaratri, the temple hosts annual festivities for 10 days. It attracts around 10,000 devotees on pilgrimage. They carry holy water to the cave from a nearby town known as Gokarna for performing the Maha Mastaka Abhisheka.

The people have requested to declared Yana as a National Natural Heritage Site due to its historical significance. It has also been suggested that the area should be protected under the Biodiversity Preservation Act 2002 as it a biodiversity hotspot of the Sahyadri hill range.

Watch this video to get a virtual tour of the amazing Yana -

Thank you: Sreyas Thottarath for sharing information and photographs about Yana. Rest of the photographs have been taken from the Youtube video.

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This team of Mysuru lovers can show you the beautiful city in a never-seen-before way. Its history, traditions and people – the Royal Mysore Walks knows the essence of the city. Take this heritage walk to ‘live’ the city and not just ‘visit’ it!

“I joined work as an engineer. After a while, I got bored. To quote the cliché, “I felt like a cog in the wheel.” The monotony of the job was unbearable. My energy was sapped and spirit scuttled. The inability to make sense of my work in the larger context was growing intense in me. Coupled with this was the inarticulate desire to create something of value.”

“It was then that I heard of Vinay Parameshwarapp’s The Royal Mysore Walks (RMW) through a common friend who had taken part in one of his tours. I liked the concept of heritage walks and there began my journey with it. My love for Mysuru, the city I grew up in, fondness for interaction and desire to experience the richness of life made me be a part of the RMW.”

I am Vinay Nagaraju, a partner at the Royal Mysore Walks.

The founder of the Royal Mysore Walks, Vinay Parameshwarappa, partner Vinay Nagaraju and team call themselves a bunch of folks passionate about the city. They love showing people around while realizing how hard it is not to fall in love with Mysuru.

Vinay at Srirangapatna with a group.

“At the Royal Mysore Walks, we conduct heritage walks across the city. We take travellers who want to experience and cherish a memory on tours to explore the city through its stories. In India, though the concept of heritage walks is nascent, it is becoming popular now,” he said.

“I am a typical Mysurean,” quipped Vinay Nagaraju.

It is, however, hard to define who a typical Mysurean is, he said.

“Largely, if I may say so, Mysureans are not rushed for life. Mysuru is alive. There is music, dance and other art forms. Life happens and marches to its own beat here. I am a laid back person and not ashamed of it. I feel it is okay not to be hurried. I respect life and hence I feel connected to the city,” he added.

In Mysuru, one greets the other with a smile and asks coffee aitha? (Did you have your coffee?) A zone of comfort is established, conversation flows and connections are forged. For me this is being a typical Mysurean, said Vinay Nagaraju.

“It is this respect for life which I call a luxury that sets Mysuru apart,” he added.

“To this day there are several pockets in the city where women draw threshold designs (Rangoli) in the morning, men read the day’s newspaper and the Suprabhata is played in the background while the others in the family wait for the milk man to milch the cow in front of their homes. It is a slice of life of an age that no longer exists which is preserved here,” he noted.

“We let participants experience this during our walks,” he said.

“Also, we try to go beyond the obvious. We conduct theme tours, cycle tours, customised and walking tours. A city has a lot more to it than is portrayed. It has several layers that need to be peeled before we get its spirit,” he said.

Vinay Nagaraju with a group of travel enthusiasts in front of the Amba Vilas Palace in the city.

Vinay noted: “A few historical monuments do not embody a country’s heritage and culture. Similarly, Mysuru is more than a few prominent buildings of historical value. The city is not all about Amba Vilas Palace and Jaganmohan Palace, though they form an indispensable part of the cityscape.”

“Mysuru is a city inhabited by people and has a life of its own. And it is this city that needs to be sensed. We help people make that journey at our walks,” said Vinay.

Unlike before, people do not want to travel to document places. People’s notion of travelling has been tweaked, he added.

“They want to experience the place, its people and the life it signifies as a whole. During the walks we help people open up and be alive to the workings of the city and its nuances,” he said.

“The smile on the face of participants when they connect to the city keeps us going. That is what enlivens us. Interaction with a variety of people during walks – the way they perceive the city and interpret it – is a learning for us and them alike,” noted Vinay.

To the question, why have the Royal Mysore Walks? Vinay explained:

“Let us say a person visits Mysuru on some work. And she/he doesn’t know what to do in the city. Also, they may never visit the city again. It is then the Royal Mysore Walks fills in the space.”

Vinay at Srirangapatna with a group.

“For people who have never been to Mysuru and know not what to see or expect of the city, we have general tours. And for those who want to know a specific aspect of the city, we have special tours (on requests) such as the silk tour, food tour,” he added.

“Having grown up in the city, we view and know the city at several levels. And this serves as a strong base to us. As we have a common background, a wide and well-connected network, it is easier for us to plan our tours,” he said.

“In our tours we let people/participants encounter narrow communities in the city – the sights, smell and sound of it,” added Vinay. If someone wants to know about artists and their lives, for example: the inlay artists, we design our tours around it, he said.

On preparing for the tours, he said: “Once we know our audience and their expectations, it is easier for us. We research, prepare and, as we have a wide network, we walk our participants through the tours and unravel the city’s many layers.”

To how conducting heritage walks help in the conservation of historical monuments, Vinay Nagaraju said: “By holding heritage walks, history and its numerous vignettes are brought alive to the audience in a narrative form. Participants are sensitised towards the value, beauty and importance of historical monuments and places during the walks. The moment people are made to appreciate its beauty, a sense of association develops. And once the connection is established, people recognise its value and protect it.”

So, Vinay Nagaraju said that by conducting heritage walks, they were not only bringing the heritage city i.e. Mysuru alive to its participants, but also helping them recognise the value of what has been created. This recognition will go a long way in protecting the monuments, places of heritage value, culture and life in general as we know.

“But still there is a need to create greater awareness among the people about valuing historical monuments,” said Vinay.

To why heritage walks are important, Vinay Nagaraju said that there has been a drastic change in the way people travel.

“People want to make sense of the place they visit. They want to experience the city at a deeper level. They want to know the place and its people – the city in its elements. People want to feel. They no longer aspire for a picture postcard kind of travel. People are tired of superficial encounters with the city. They want to know the ‘why’ of many things, events and processes.”

Vinay with tourists at Amba Vilas Palace.

“They want to experience the life in the place as it unfolds, in its natural and unhindered pace,” he said. Agreeing that the way history was taught in schools impacted the way children looked at the past, culture, cities, heritage and historical monuments, Vinay Nagaraju said teaching of history in schools had to be revamped.

“Stories have power. So, history can be brought alive, in the four walls of a classroom, by recounting it in the form of stories,” he said.

Once the students are hooked to the narrative they enjoy history. And once they appreciate the subject they not only recognise the beauty of the past but also its relevance to the present. When that happens they do not disfigure or damage, be it an idol, a place of worship or a monument. And this goes in the protection and conservation not only of places but a way of life, he added.

Quoting the example of the cafe where we were having the interview, Vinay Nagaraju pointed out how the old villa had been renovated and turned into a boutique.

“This is one small step towards the conservation of an old structure. The income thus generated from the boutique and cafe in turn would be ploughed into the maintenance of the villa,” he said.

May be it is not possible for all who own villas to turn it into a cafe or a boutique. But that is beside the point, he added.

“One can always think and create opportunities for income generation and make conservation sustainable. Similarly, the state government too can hold silk tours, for example, take participants on a guided tour of how silk is produced and woven into sarees. And in the process, turn a silk saree manufacturing unit into a site of interest. Weaving traditional Mysore silk sarees too is heritage, isn’t it?” he said.

“All that is needed is imagination, the desire to do something and the urge to take that one step towards the realisation of one’s idea,” said Vinay Nagaraju.

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From creating a road all by himself to developing a one-of-its-kind cashew nut grading machine, Anup Vijapur has been working on amazing innovations. Know more about how this boy-next-door became a rural innovator.

“People think I am still a student, but I guess it is the impact that matters,” says Anup Vijapur. He looks like a regular college going kid with ambitions which every student of his age would have; a secured job. But what makes him different than the rest of the lot is his passion towards social good. He hides immense creativity under his smiling face and has a purpose for every step he takes.

Empathy towards the marginalized was something Vijapur always felt and today he is an innovator who is working on some amazing projects that can simplify the lives of many farmers.

In a few months, he will have four patented technologies under his name.

A mechanical engineer by profession, Vijapur found his passion in computer and technology. “Though it was difficult to understand it as I am from a mechanical engineering background, but my curiosity kept me going,” he says.

Anup Vijapur

The beginning of a positive path

It was during his engineering course that Vijapur’s efforts came into limelight when he constructed a road in a nearby village. In 2009, while returning from Hospet to Hubli, he noticed a stretch of road in a very bad condition. “It was totally smudged, covered with mud and in such bad condition that there were a lot of mosquitoes due to the stagnant dirty water,” Vijapur says.

When he asked the locals about it, he got a single reply: “Municipality isn’t doing anything. We have filed a complaint so many times.” He thought to take the issue to the government’s notice. Failing to receive any positive response from the municipality he finally resorted to taking matters into his own hands.

He went back to his college, gathered a few friends, raised Rs.1,000 grant from Deshpande Foundation where he was part of their LEAD programme, and took another Rs.1,000 funds from another funder, to repair the road.

In two days time, he managed to clear the blocked road and covered it with red soil to make it walk-able.

“But this wasn’t it. I clicked the ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos of the road and showed them to the municipality officer. I don’t know what affected them, but the next week when I was crossing that area, I saw them constructing a new tar road there. It was a great feeling,” he says.

Always a curious kid, Vijapur would spend his spare time in experimenting and innovating. His college was about to get over and he had received a lot of job offers already. But just before his final exams, he got affected by Hepatitis A and was bed ridden for days.

“I gave my exams with a glucose bottle in one hand,” Vijapur remembers. Though he worked hard, he could not clear one subject and had to give away all the job offers that he had received. That is when he applied for Nanopix, a Hubli-based startup, and cleared the interview. “Luckily I filed revaluation papers and cleared the exam,” he says.

His college project, which was focused on generating power from wind in a moving train, won him many awards. The idea stuck his mind during a train journey.

“I thought that if all the wind energy which is generated by moving trains can be put to use to create power, it would be great. I created one meter wide and two feet long wind turbines and even made the working prototype which functioned perfectly. I just could not get the permission to actually put it to use on trains due to a lot of legal formalities,” he says.

Vijapur has a mechanical engineering background but his love for technology and innovation brought him to Nanopix.

Cashew Nut grading machine

While working with nanopix, he got an opportunity to work on a cashew nut grading machine. “It was a very basic model and was not even properly functional at the time. I got a chance to take a look at it and do further developments in the technology,” he says.

After some months of research, he came up with a first-of-its kind technology that grades cashew nuts in seven different categories. “Other existing machines in the market can just grade in two or three categories. This is probably the first of its kind in the world,” he says.

He has also created a pick and place mechanism where a machine can pick and place irregular objects from the lot. “Again, there are technologies to pick the regular objects, but there hasn’t been any invention that can identify irregular objects in particular,” he says. The cashew nut grading machine can grade 50 cashew nuts per second.

His innovation has simplified the cashew nut sorting system. Earlier 30-35 kgs nuts per hour could be sorted manually, but with the use of this technology, around 70-75 kgs nuts can be graded per hour according to their size, colour, defects, etc.

The cashew nut grading machine that can sort the nuts into 7 categories

He, along with Nanopix, have sold over 60 machines so far. Each machine costs around Rs. 13.5 lakhs. “The costing might be high for individual buyers, but it would be affordable for industrial buyers keeping in mind the large cashew nut market,” he says.

A device that checks the drowsiness level of a public vehicle driver

“India hosts a large number of road accidents, and many of them are caused due to the drowsiness of the driver,” says Vijapur.

To address this issue, Vijapur, along with Sasishekhar, founder of Nanopix, started working on a technology that can check the drowsiness level of the driver by tracking his or her facial expressions. Once the expressions indicate that the driver is sleepy, the system will inform the back end and an immediate intervention can be done before it is too late.

“We are also working on a device that can track the viewers of any particular advertisement billboards. Both the technologies will probably be operational by next year,” he says.

From a regular college going kid to a social entrepreneur in the making and an innovator, Vijapur has come a long way. We wish him all the best for all his future projects.

To know more about Anup Vijapur, contact him at – anup@nanopix-iss.com

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Bengaluru Police has come up with an interesting application that helps to track crimes in real time and even access information on crime patterns. 

There is a general perception that the Indian police always arrives late at the crime scene. How wonderful it’ll be if the men in uniform can track crimes in real time and take appropriate action?

Well, the Bengaluru city police has come up with an amazing solution for this.

They have developed a Google Maps based technology that collects crime data in real time. The app has been deployed across 13 police stations in the South-East areas of the city.

Photo: YouTube/Deccan Herald

The app helps the police to map station boundaries, bar and wine store locations and other details including the various types of crimes.

“We can directly open it, feed the information and update it. So at any point of time, I am able to access what is happening and exactly where,” told Rohini Katoch Sepat, DCP South East Division, Bengaluru to Deccan Herald.

One of the interesting features of the app is that once the crime is reported, a policeman, using a unique id and password, feeds all the data related to the crime like location, type of the crime, suspect, etc.

This feature will help to identify the pattern of crimes in certain cases, locations and even help to take relevant actions.

The app is operational in 13 police stations of the city.

Photo: YouTube/Deccan Herald

The app which became operational 15 days ago has been developed with the help of Techpod Technologies, a startup technology company.

Watch the video to know more about the initiative -

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With the passing away of DK Ravi, India has lost one of its most honest and active bureaucrats. Here are five reasons that made Ravi an immensely loved and respected officer, and why the entire country mourns his death.

There are a few people who stay committed to their duty and then there are those rare ones who take it to the next level, dedicating their entire life to serving the society. Doddakoppalu Kariyappa Ravi fell in the latter category.

The 2009 batch IAS officer, Ravi, was deputed as the Joint Commissioner, State Commercial Taxes Department and was undoubtedly loved by many for his honest work record. He was found dead under mysterious circumstances at his Bengaluru residence on Monday evening.

The lively man, who had played a crucial role in exposing several builders for tax frauds and was known for taking on the sand mafia, has left the entire country shocked by his alleged suicide. Ravi allegedly hung himself to the ceiling at around 11 am and was found deceased in the evening by his wife who got suspicious when he did not respond to phone calls.

As the entire country mourns his death and still fails to believe that the man of such calibre and courage could ever commit suicide, we pay a tribute to him for doing exceptional work. Here are five reasons that Ravi was much more than just a bureaucrat.

Anyone who knew Ravi knew of his commendable actions against the strong land and sand mafia in Kolar

Despite several threats, he continued his work in Kolar until he was transferred to Bengaluru. When the local police failed to co-operate, he himself took the initiative to stop the sand mafia and did not care about his own personal safety. He had said that he could even go to jail to save the public land.

The humble beginnings that led to a larger change

Born in 1979 into an agricultural family in Tumkur district of Karnataka, Ravi had an undergraduate degree in Agriculture. After his post graduation in Zoology, he applied for UPSC exams and secured 34th rank in the country. His career in civil services started as Assistant Commissioner in Gulbarga, and in his first posting itself he made clear that he was different and was there to bring a change.

He enjoyed immense popularity among the masses which is not very common for a bureaucrat

His popularity can be seen on his Facebook page where people have sent their condolences and expressed their grief in large numbers. He lived a simple life and gained people’s trust. He would go meet them at their homes, sit with them and have food with them irrespective of their status or caste. He worked extensively for marginalized communities and was accessible 24×7, no matter what the circumstances were.

In just a short time period, his popularity was much more than that of any local politician or leader. When he was transferred from Kolar, people got so agitated that they declared a “bandh” to show their disapproval and made several protests. It was the impact of his honesty and integrity that made him a “people’s man”. He was also planning to built an international cricket stadium in Kolar and put Kolar on the global map.

He was transferred 5 times in his career span and collected 138 crore tax dues in just two weeks.

Even after getting several death threats, Ravi did not give up. He kept fighting for what he believed in. As his sudden death comes a shock to all of us, many are calling it as the “death of honesty”. During his short career, he had confiscated encroachment on several government lands and also raided some of the biggest industrial names in Karnataka including Embassy, Rajesh Exports, Shubh Jewellers, RMZ Institution, Prestige Group, Raheja Group and Mantri Developers.

He was much more than just an IAS officer

Though he flawlessly performed his duties as an IAS officer, he was a much bigger a person who was doing everything possible to help the poor. He was running free coaching classes on Sundays for poor UPSC aspirants and had resolved to eat at one Dalit family’s home every week.

It is said that he was under pressure from his department to slow down on investigations as a lot of big names were involved. It is also claimed that he had received many threat calls from the underworld.

Ravi’s death has raised several questions with many claiming it to be a cold blooded murder. As the entire country is saddened with his sudden demise, we salute this brave officer who did extra ordinary work in his short tenure.

The state and the country will surely miss such an outstanding officer but we hope to see man more Ravis coming up and taking on all the corruption is this country like he did.

All photos: DK Ravi’s Facebook Page

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Santhosh’s love for machines was evident from childhood. Financial restrictions and responsibilities did not allow him to pursue a full-fledged career in the engineering field, but he did not give up and created India’s first electric concept bike all on his own. Not only this, he has several mentions in the Limca Book of records for his various inventions. Meet the man who has the guts to follow his dreams.

“Machines are the love of my life. Ever since I was a kid, I would find myself changing various parts of motorcycles. I guess I got this enthusiasm and passion from my father. He also loved bikes and inventions. Sadly, he is no more with me today but his inspiration keeps me going,” says Santhosh.

He does a regular job in a pharmaceutical company, supports his family and still finds time to create world records. He does not hold an engineering degree but has his name registered in three world records for his amazing bike designs. He recently designed an unusual bike that has caught the world’s attention.

He invented India’s first electric concept bike “Nisttarkya”, that features a unique riding position. “The bike’s unusual position is something which catches everyone’s attention. This is how concept bikes work, to demonstrate the creativity and imagination of the engineer,” says Santhosh.

The early spark

Santhosh, who has three entries in the Limca Book of records for designing various innovative bikes, does not even have a professional degree. He completed 10th grade and did an ITI course after that.

Born in Moddigiri in Dakshin Kannada, he moved to Mysore when he was a kid. “It was my dad who inspired me to work in this field. He filled his enthusiasm and love for bikes in me,” Santhosh recalls.

“I was always interested in engines and automobiles. That’s why I used to keep experimenting with bikes,” he says.

Though financial restrictions posed an obstacle for him to follow his dream, Santhosh did not give up. He continued his studies and pursued his passion simultaneously by participating in different rallies, repairing old bikes and learning & researching about them. His love for bikes even took him to the Himalayas, where he participated in two bike rallies.

While he waited for the right opportunity, he kept his passion alive, and finally he managed to design his first bike called “Moosshiqk”, which made Santhosh win a position in the Limca Book of records. The bike is just 12 inches high, 18 inches long and weighs 8.8 lbs. The small size of the bike makes it stand out and maybe that’s why he named it “Moosshiqk”, which means a mouse.

The bike can ride at a speed of 15 km per hour. Moosshiqk is powered by electricity and can carry a man of 62 kgs for 15 minutes. Moosshiqk was also featured on “Ripley’s Believe it or not”.

Moosshiqk is the world’s smallest E-bike.

Overcoming the challenges

Though fuelled with passion, it was difficult for Santhosh to continue experimenting due to financial constraints. Working full time in a pharmaceutical company and with family responsibilities, it was hard for him to sustain his “hobby”. But he was not one to give up easily. He continued experimenting in his spare time and used old materials to design the models with the help of some friends who were kind enough to support him.

He faced another big setback two years ago when his biggest inspiration – his father – passed away. Gradually Santhosh is regaining his passion and creativity and is all set to make new records with his latest “unimaginable” bike.

How the “unimaginable” works

Nisttarkya, which means unimaginable, weighs 40 kgs and runs on 36 V, 350 W hub motor and is powered by three 36 V rechargeable batteries.

The model was designed in Mysore by using parts from different motor- and e-bikes, and cost Santhosh Rs.60,000. “I used second-hand parts and motors from old bikes and experimented with the design to prepare the first prototype. Thanks to my friends and family for their support and for providing me the financial help to give shape to my idea,” he says.

Santhosh has his name in the Limca Book of Records for his small e-bike Moosshiqk.

The bike’s unusual riding position, which is almost parallel to the ground, has attracted a lot of curiosity. The small seat without any cushioning and a metal road for the body support seems like an uncomfortable position to ride in.

“Well, this is just a concept bike model right now which I designed to showcase a unique model of a bike. The model will be further modified in the future as per the need to make it more comfortable and user-friendly,” says Santhosh.

The idea behind the bike is to make the automobile industry experiment with unique designs. “Manufactures can take ideas from this design and create a model that could be used on roads and in practical life. This is just a concept right now,” he says.

The greatest innovations come from the most passionate people, and Santhosh has proved that if you are really determined and dedicated, there is nothing that can come in your way. While we wait on Santhosh’s concept bikes to develop further into working prototypes, we cheer the amazing creativity of this “non-engineer” who is making headlines across the globe.

For more information contact Santhosh at – santhosh.bikes@gmail.com or check out his blog.

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These mobile tablets make learning fun by using different tools and activities that enable kids in rural India to have an extraordinary experience. Know more about the amazing initiative of edZilla and how it works.

If you happen to visit the government school in Rampura, a sleepy village in Kanakpura at the outskirts of Bangalore, you will see kids peering over tablets and using them with an easy flair. They will be eager to show you how to use it if you are seen fumbling. They will show you how to navigate and open chapters and take quizzes in Math, English and Science – all from their curriculum.

Their teacher is quick to add that the content on the tablets includes not just everything from the textbooks but also additional information that increases the ‘general knowledge’ of the kids. She admits that it has helped her teach better and is glad to have this resource available to her.

On the teacher’s cue, the kids in unison, break into a poem recitation in English with wide smiles and proper pronunciations. Even this they have learnt from their tablets which has a feature to teach them proper pronunciation and poem recitals.

They also know how solar energy can be used to power their tablets and give you a demo of the same.

The tablet is low-cost and user-friendly.

edZilla – educating rural India, village by village

The tablets being referred to here are a result of the efforts of Dr. Rajugopal Gubbi and Mrs. Prabha Mysore, the founders of edZilla. After more than two decades of successful careers, they founded edZilla to develop technology-based solutions that would improve the quality of education in rural India.

Textbook on tablet is one such software solution which brings the vernacular school syllabus content onto the low-cost tablets. These tablets are then provided free of cost to rural schools that have a severe shortage of teachers. The introduction of tablets has given a glimpse into the latest technology and motivated both the teachers and students of these rural schools. The government school in Rampura is one of the many rural schools around Kanakpura area in Karnataka that have benefited through edzilla.

edZilla partners with existing NGOs to reach out to schools.

How do they operate

edZilla engages NGOs that are already operating in the area of rural education and enables them with this technology. It helps NGOs raise funds and in turn these NGOs purchase the tablets and provide them to rural schools in their respective focus areas.

Under the EducateZilla program, edZilla provides the software, content and support free-of-cost to these schools. The content in the tablets is pre-loaded and updated periodically by the edZilla team, thereby eliminating the need for additional infrastructure to connect to any mobile or wireless network. The NGOs are also responsible for running this program on a day-to-day basis while edZilla provides close monitoring, progress tracking and program management to ensure maximum benefit to the children in those rural schools.

Kids have quickly learnt English poetry and correct pronunciation of words.

Deployment and Partnerships

The ‘Textbook on Tablet’ program was first piloted with the help of their NGO partner, Sikshana in 2013 in three rural schools in Kanakapura taluk. CSR India and another charitable group EqualSky were the initial sponsors. The Mindtree Foundation also joined hands in 2014 and sponsored five more schools in Kanakpura. Consequently, in this academic year, nine schools around Kanakpura have been reached out to which are run with the help of Sikshana.

Another NGO partner, Vyshnavi Foundation, has sponsored three schools in the Tumkur region and is overseeing the program on a day-to-day basis.

edZilla has also collaborated with Blueray solar, another social entrepreneurship, to deploy solar chargers at schools where the power supply is not reliable. This makes the school self-reliant and enables them to charge the tablets and use them as much as they want during the school hours.

The tablets are distributed free of cost.

Content creation

Content being the backbone of their solution, eDzilla has an impressive online content creation / verification tool. Using this tool, anyone can login from the comfort of their homes and unleash their creativity to teach children through the content that they put together.

Quite understandably, they need volunteers who are creative and who can understand the content creation tool. In this regard, Youth For Seva has helped them get many qualified volunteers for this cause. EqualSky also introduced to them many well-qualified volunteers, especially for English. It has still been an uphill task to get the right volunteers, especially for Kannada medium curriculum, who have an aptitude for Mathematics, Science or social sciences, and are also comfortable and patient enough to use an online tool. Mindtree has helped in sponsoring a couple of employees at edZilla who help with some of this work load.

Tablets can be recharged through solar power.

Marching towards quality education at every zilla…

In less than a year, edZilla has seen the rural school children getting more confident in Mathematics and English, the focus subjects initially. Thanks to the application’s intuitive interface, it has been very easy for the school children to use it and has made learning fun.

Usage of tablets added more than 250 tab-hours of quality learning in about 3 months from Mid-Nov 2013 to Mid-Feb 2014 when this program was first deployed. In their second year, this program has grown from 50+ children in three schools to 500+ children in 12 schools.

In the next few years, besides improving their content further by way of virtual lab experiments and visual representations, Dr. Gubbi and Mrs. Prabha are hoping to add at least one NGO per year in other rural regions in Karnataka where their current partner-NGOs are not operating. Eventually, depending upon the volunteers (for creating vernacular content), they hope to reach out to other states in India.

With constant support from the sponsors and volunteers and the consistent efforts of the founders, edZilla has significant potential to improve the quality of rural education in India and looks set to achieve their mission of “Quality education in every Zilla”.

If you wish to volunteer or sponsor their cause, you can read more about it here and here. For more details email: contact@educatezilla.com or call Dr. Gubbi at: +91 9880802385.

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This man turned down a lucrative bank job to dedicate his life to preserving the ancient folk art form of Yakshagana string puppetry. TBI reader Sharath Ahuja meets Bhaskar Kamath and tells us how he is taking this art to global platforms.

Welcome to Gombe Mane or puppet House in the tiny coastal hamlet of Uppinakudru in Kundapura District of Karnataka, where a shy bespectacled legend master puppeteer, Bhaskar Kogga Kamath, resides.

I visited Puppet House and met Kamath. His house is a veritable treasure trove of Yakshagana puppets, masks, puppets-in-the-making and a trunk-full of odds and ends required for a stage show. His eyes light up when he picks up a puppet and gives me an impromptu demonstration. Dexterously manipulating the strings, he makes the puppet come alive.

Bhaskar Kamath is the sixth in the generation of master puppeteers and a young flag bearer of the traditional puppetry form of coastal Karnataka – the Uppinakudru Yakshagana Gombeyaata Folk Art form.

Bhaskar Kamath with a string puppet.

This ancient folk art form was popularized by three brothers: Laxman, Narasimha and Manjappa Kamath, three centuries ago at Uppinkakudru. This traditional form of folk art has been handed down from generation to generation in the Gurukula tradition. Bhaskar is the great grandson of Laxman Kamath.

‘Yakshagana’ is a popular folk theatre form of Karnataka with a long history of nearly four hundred years. It is a unique harmony of musical tradition, eye-catching costumes, and authentic styles of dance, improvised gestures and acting, with its extemporaneous dialogue holding a wide appeal.

In truth, it is a vibrant and vigorous living form of theatre art.

The colourful puppet mask.

Puppets are one of the oldest forms of entertainment, with most of the themes based on legends and epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata. In the early days, puppets acted as instruments of social awareness, tackling problems such as dowry system, illiteracy and poverty.

Kamath is like a magician. Weaving his fingers skillfully, he brings his puppets to life, keeping his audiences spell bound – both the young and the old. He intersperses his narration with wit and humour, keeping his audiences enthralled. His sonorous voice, accompanied by folksy music, enlivens the performance.

Kamath does not restrict his narration to stories from the epics alone. Blending with the changing times, he uses his puppets to drive home the pressing issues of deforestation, climate change, preserving our dwindling natural resources and water conservation.

Yakshagana Puppet Masks.

Kamath explains: “The wooden puppets we use are about 18 inches tall. Their costumes are exactly like those worn by the characters from Yakshagana Bayalata, with the same elaborate make-up, high and colourful head gear and heavy jewellery.”

The masks, puppets and the stage are designed by Kamath with the help of about a dozen assistants who are part of his troupe. He adds, “The person who infuses life into the puppet and makes it come alive, by dexterous manipulation, is the Puppet Master, known as the ‘Sutradhara’.“

Puppet House is a veritable treasure trove with over 1,000 puppets and masks. Kamath has a tiny mechanical workshop where he works to painstakingly design and meticulously craft the various masks and puppets. He has also innovated techniques of movement and manipulation of puppets by using rods and strings.

He has introduced puppet animals and birds, new techniques in the stage-craft, new light and shade techniques, songs and narrations (interpretations) in Konkani and Hindi for the benefit of different audiences.

POSTER announcing a performace in Franace.

Kamath notices that the younger generation has utter disregard for the ancient folk art forms. He is more than willing to train youngsters and encourage them to keep this dying folk art alive.

Kamath and his troupe have traveled the world giving performances. His house in Uppinakudru is overflowing with certificates and awards he has received from around the world. For one so popular, he is extremely modest; he would rather allow his puppets do the talking.

The Master Puppeteer turned down a lucrative bank job and decided to dedicate himself to preserving this ancient folk art form of his forefathers. He is currently in the process of establishing a permanent Yakshagana Puppet Academy and Memorial Hall in Uppinakudru.

Uppinakudru Yakshagana String Puppets.

If you are paying a visit to the coastal region of Karnataka, especially to Kundapura, do make it a point to visit Gombe Mane (Puppet House) at Uppinakudru. For more details contact:

Mr. Bhaskar Kogga Kamath

Shri. Ganesha Yakshagana Gomeyata Mandali
PUPPET HOUSE
Post: Uppinakudru 576 230
Kundapura (Udipi District)
Tel: 08524 – 238402
Mobile: +91-9448437848.
Email: puppeteerkamathbk@yahoo.com

- Sharath Ahuja

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Karnataka has just launched bike ambulances which will provide crucial medical support to the patient in need till the four wheeler ambulance arrives. The service will be very useful in congested areas with heavy traffic, where a four-wheeler is unable to reach on time.

We often see an ambulance stuck in traffic, trying to move past the huge trail of vehicles in front of it and reach the hospital on time. During that golden hour, when every single second counts, traffic wastes a lot of time, sometimes even leading to loss of life.

Now, if you happen to be in Bengaluru, you  might witness two-wheelers zipping through the traffic carrying medical supplies to reach the needy patients and administer crucial emergency care until the four wheeler ambulance arrives.

Karnataka launched the much-awaited two-wheeler ambulance service on Wednesday, 15th April 2015, and became the first state to do so.

30 bike ambulances were flagged off on Wednesday.

Photo: www.prokerala.com

The service was launched to reach patients and victims stuck in congested areas of the city, where a four-wheeler finds it difficult to navigate, especially during road accidents.

The State Health Minister U.T. Khader launched 30 Avenger 220CC bike ambulances in the city and termed this as the “platinum 10 minutes” trauma care initiative. The bikes were flagged off on Wednesday by CM Siddaramaiah.

Each bike ambulance costs Rs. 2 lakhs and is equipped with 40 emergency care medical items such as stethoscope, pulse oxymeter, bandages and IV normal saline apart from 53 basic drugs.

CM Siddaramaiah at the launch of the bike.

Photo: www.prokerala.com

The project will be managed by GVK-EMRI, the organisation that is running the 108 ‘Arogya Kavacha’ ambulance service. Currently there are 711 ‘Arogya Kavacha’ 108 Ambulances running in the city.

“In metropolitan cities, it is not a viable option to have a separate path designed for ambulances. Thus, we decided to have bike ambulances to attend to emergency cases. Nearly 50-per cent of the accident cases ought to be treated on the spot. About 10-15 per cent need early intervention and those will be attended on priority basis,” Khader told The Mangalorean.

The bike ambulance’s driver will be a trained paramedic with a driving license. Each paramedic will reach the site within 10 minutes and provide basic first aid to the victim till the four-wheeler ambulance arrives. Over 40 paramedics have been trained in driving these ambulances.

The bike ambulance will be of great help in emergency road accident cases.

Photo: www.mangalorean.com

“As soon as the control room gets information about any accident, information about the traffic situation on that route will be analyzed through GPS. If the traffic is heavy or if it is found that it is out of reach for 108 vehicles, bike ambulances will be dispatched. Once first aid is provided, if the injured person is in a condition that he can undertake motor bike travel, he would be taken to the nearest hospital. Otherwise, he would be shifted to the hospital through either a 108 ambulance or another vehicle,” Khader added.

While 21 of these ambulances will be strategically placed at various locations of Bengaluru, the rest nine will be distributed to serve the districts of Mysore, Mangaluru, Kalaburgi, Belagavi, Hubballi-Dharwad, Davangere, Tumkuru, Vijayapura and Shivamogga.

After the successful launch of the bike ambulances, the state is planning to introduce air ambulances by the end of this year. Khader also mentioned that two companies have showed interest in the project of air ambulances, so we do hope this will be a reality, and an affordable one at that, soon.

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The newly installed 400kW capacity solar panels will not only bring the down the stadium’s power bills but will also generate revenue for KSCA. Know more about the interesting project that makes Chinnaswamy stadium the world’s first cricket ground to be solar powered.

IPL is not the only thing that Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru is making news for. Now, the next time you are stepping into the stadium, be proud as you will be watching the game in what the state cricket association claims to be the world’s only solar-powered cricket ground.

A 400kW Grid Interactive Solar Power Plant has been installed on the roof of the stadium. As per the design, this grid can easily power the entire stadium lighting except the huge high-intensity floodlights.

The solar panels will help KSCA generate revenues after 4-5 years.

Photo: Linkedin

Planned by RenXSol Ecotech Pvt. Ltd., a Bengaluru-based solar solutions enterprise, and executed by MRO-TEK, this project will make sure that you are reducing your carbon footprint while enjoying the thrilling matches at the stadium.

“Installing solar panels for power generation is not difficult. Panels are available and can be easily installed. The main part is the design of the building and identifying the right placement of the panels. Once this is sorted, any building can easily be solar powered,” said Srinivas Kumar from RenxSol. He added that the life span of these panels is 25 years and not much maintenance is required.

Inaugurated by Energy Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday, the panels are installed on the eastern stands and are estimated to generate 1,700 units of power every day.

As per KSCA Secretary Brijesh Patel, the stadium spends around Rs 1 to Rs. 1.2 crores on electricity bills for using about 18 lakh units of power annually. The new initiative will bring down this cost significantly and is expected to generate 6 lakh units of solar power annually, utilizing a portion of it and selling the surplus to BESCOM.

Chinnaswamy stadium is the first sports complex in the country to get solar power on such a large scale.

Photo: www.thisweekbangalore.com

The project was completed in just 50 days. In the second phase, another 850 kV solar photo-voltaic panels will be installed on the western stands. Once finished, the entire project is expected to reduce 600 tonnes of carbon emission annually.

The solar project has 300Wp, 72 cells, multi-crystalline solar panels, with 20 kW Grid Tie type String Inverters, evacuated with bi-directional metering to BESCOM at HT level of 11 KV substation, under the new BESCOM Net Metering Solar Policy. The excess power will be sent to the BESCOM and Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) will be paid Rs. 9.56 per unit, thus generating additional income for the cricket body.

The project, costing Rs. 4.5 crore, was commissioned in February this year and KSCA is expected to break even in just four years. Not only this, it will also be able to generate revenues of Rs. 70-80 lakhs every year with the power it generates.

The whole project was completed in just 50 days.

Photo: Twitter

The solar power project, which is expected to reduce KSCA’s power consumption by a great extent, is inspired by Germany’s fully solar-powered Freiburg football stadium.

Patel has also requested BWSSB to supply sewage water from the neighbouring areas to the stadium, which can then be treated and used for watering its lawns.

As Chinnaswamy stadium becomes the country’s first sports complex to take this sunny step, we hope to see many more sporting facilities taking up similar initiatives to reduce their carbon footprint.

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Basuki Nandan forgot to collect change of Rs. 420 from a bus conductor in Bengaluru. Given the reputation of bus conductors in general and the advise of everyone around him, he did not have much hope of ever getting it back. Here’s what followed.

While commuting to office yesterday, I happened to forget collecting Rs. 420 change back from the conductor of a BMTC Volvo bus. And when it stuck me two hours after I got down from the bus, I had no option but to regret. Though, thinking of trying my luck with the unique number on the ticket that I had, I visited the nearest bus depot to enquire if I could get details of the bus from the ticket.

“It’s impossible to get the change back as its totally dependent on the conductor’s morality, and you know how they are in Bangalore,” everyone told me when I shared the incident.

Conductor Tandchan

Meanwhile when I reached the bus depot, officials told me that the ticket doesn’t belong to the bus depot and that I should call the general enquiry number to know the bus details. I realised that it was a government holiday when nobody picked up my call at the enquiry number.

“Even if I get the bus, the conductor would say I don’t know you,” is what was going on in the back of my mind.

Still trying my luck, I called at the enquiry office this morning. The receptionist took my ticket id and gave me the conductor’s number. The conductor picked my second call. “Sir, yesterday I didn’t collect change from you on route to ITPL,” I said.

“Sir, I don’t know good English like you – but I am coming to silk board around 2:30 pm. Can we meet?,” he replied. It was 11:30 am then. He again gave me a call at 1:00 pm to tell me his bus number.

Photo for representation purpose. Source: fottam.com

2:30 pm at silk board, I saw the bus with the same number coming – with the same conductor standing beside the driver. I boarded and took a seat while he was still looking for someone outside. “What will he do next…,” I thought to myself, looking at him.

He, then, took out his phone and called me – “I am here.” I said to him, waving my hand. He checked my ticket and confirmed that it was from the same bus and returned Rs. 420.

I am writing this for many others like me in Bangalore who have a similar assessment on the BMTC bus conductors. We need to appreciate people like Mr. Tandchan, the bus conductor – would have been very easy for him to wipe the incident off his plate.

There exist good people, everywhere!

-Basuki Nandan

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Meet a young rural innovator who is solving some of Indian farmers’ biggest agriculture woes with his low cost and effective innovations. High Clearance Solar sprayer, Solar Operated Flour Mill cum Mixer and more amazing products have come from this grassroot innovator. 

Being on earth, he has carried his dreams to where ‘sky is the limit’. At the age of 8, when other kids used to play, Sangappa was helping his farmer father on the field to feed his family.

No matter what problems came his way, the young boy sacrificed sleep on hundreds of nights and challenged all the troubles. With 3,600 farmers showing an interest in buying his solar sprayer, today he has become one of the best young agricultural scientists and innovatora in India.

Excerpts from an interview with Sangappa Sankanagouda:

What is the use of this machine and how is it different from other similar machines which are being used by farmers?

High clearance solar sprayer machine is used to spread the pesticide on crops. Other sprayers are present in the market but their efficiency is very low. Usually, machines available in the market are short in height, harming the crop, but my machine can be adjusted up to two feet which will not damage the crop.

How did you manage to develop the solar sprayer? What are its components and how can it be operated?

I like making agricultural machines that aid in the cultivation of crops, so I am interested in innovation as well as in cultivation.

From childhood, I have been an innovator and have a deep interest in science. I have also worked in various science projects during my school days. When I used other sprayers in the field, I felt the machines were very difficult to use and took a lot of time to operate; so the idea struck me to make a cheaper and better alternative which can help Indian farmers.

I then joined the Agriculture college at Raichur, where I managed to purchase some tools and successfully made this machine during the second year of my engineering degree.

The sprayer is easy to use and light weight; all its parts can be dismantled and easily transported. The wheels have long life tubeless tyres which protect them from puncture. A solar panel, DC battery, DC motor and frames are some of its other features. One person can easily operate the machine and also dismantle it.

The solar sprayer can be continuously used for seven hours if fully charged. It can be used during the day even if the solar panel is not charged. As an extra feature, a mobile phone charging point has been provided to keep a cell phone.

The total height of the machine is 10 feet, which can be adjusted by up to 5 feet. The weight of the machine is 30 kgs, it increases to 55 kgs when loaded with water. In the coming future, I am also planning to reduce the weight by 10 kgs.

Who all have appreciated your work and what is the demand and value of your machine among the farmers?

When I went to Krishi mela in Raichur, all the farmers showed an interest in buying my machine. The media on the spot took my interview and the next day it was out in one of the newspapers.

When farmers got to know about the news, I got more orders from other farmers as well. Till now, I have received orders for 3,600 machines. My family, teacher, brother, all supported me a lot.

In around one year’s time, solar sprayer machine can be provided to all the 3,600 farmers who have already ordered for the machine. After three months, the manufacturing will start. Rs 12,000 is the actual price of solar sprayer. If the government provides subsidy, the cost of the same machines will become Rs. 7,000 so that poor farmers can also afford it.

What is your aim and what are your future plans?

My ambition is to start an industry so that I can make different types of machines and provide them to the farmers as soon as possible. Initially, my plan is to invest Rs. 10 lakhs to Rs. 15 lakhs for a small industry where other types of useful machines will be manufactured.

I have also invented another machine, which can directly convert the dry agricultural products to powdered form. Red chilies can be converted to chili powder. The cost of this machine is Rs. 15,000; it can give 16 kg of flour per day (2kg per hour).

I am also planning to take a loan as the government is supporting me to manufacture more machines.

Awards won by Sangappa in 2014

The young innovator has been facilitated by the Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) in the event Manthan at Bangalore. Sangappa won thebfirst prize of Rs 1.5 Lakh.

In Green summit 2014, an awards function was organised to recognize the Indian leaders in Renewable Energy sector and acknowledge their contributions that take the industry towards a new and innovative path. Here, Sangappa won the first prize for his High Clearance Solar Sprayer.

What are the challenges you faced for this achievement?

At the time of inventing the machine, many people uttered that this will not work. Many of them did not support me but I believe creativity and innovative ideas is God’s gift and it comes by birth.

When I was eight years old, I started working in the field. After completing field work, I used to go to school. My father used to tell me that we are poor people so first you go to field and then you go to school. Due to family pressure and a bad financial condition, we had to do this.

Many people have money problems in this world, but that should not stop them from becoming successful. Even I faced a lot of financial problems and was not able to give my college fee, but I managed to take money from some people and returned it to them too.

When I was in my second year of engineering, my father died. It was another u-turn in my life. After his death, I started working in a hospital at night and, during the day time, attended school.

What message do you have for youngsters and people of India?What is the secret of your success?

I want to say to all the students of my country that they should only concentrate on their interests and start working on their goal, but not the forced goal of their relatives and the people who de-motivate them. They can do best where they have an intense interest. The secret of my success lies in the continuous working towards the goal, and I have never given up.

What, according to you, is the biggest achievement of your life, apart from your innovation?

My English was not good from childhood days and it was very challenging for me to get good marks in the English subject during school days, but now my English has started improving after joining Agriculture College. A boy who struggled to speak English got admission in Science College just because of his interest, which I think was one of my biggest achievements.

Some of my relatives suggested that my percentage was very low and I should not consider the science discipline, but I did not listen to them and concentrated on my goal.

Indian farmers are poor so I want to invent light and inexpensive machines so that it will be effective and easy to use.

The young innovator happily says that, “Winning first prize at the FKCCI event was one of the most precious moments and the happiest days of my life.”

Sangappa Sankanagouda belongs to Chikumbi village in Bhagalkot district of Karnataka.

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Life for the homeless is no less than a challenge every day. Especially for women. Here is how government schemes can help them live a better life.

On the heels of the conviction of Hindi film actor Salman Khan in the 2002 hit-and-run case, one of the most unsavoury reactions to hit the media was something to this effect – ‘roads are meant for cars and dogs, not for people sleeping on them…’ Although insensitive, this comment at once highlights the lives and struggles of the millions who live on the streets across urban India.

Irrespective of why and how they start living in the open, for women particularly each day on the streets is a challenge – whether it is in cooking a meal by the roadside, finding a place to bathe or fending off sexual predators.

For women, living on the streets is a challenge each day – whether it is cooking a meal by the roadside, finding a place to bathe or fending off sexual predators. (Credit: Anuradha Dutt\WFS)

Survival in the absence of any tangible assets like a home, land or cattle is a huge challenge, but the ordeal can get really unbearable for single women who are either unmarried, abandoned or widowed.

Maria, a street dweller in Bengaluru, Karnataka’s cosmopolitan capital, has been shifting from one footpath to another for the last decade and she is glad that she is not on her own. In her twenties, Maria came here from Tamil Nadu with her husband and child looking for a better source of livelihood because the family had no land back home. But being homeless has proved far more of a nightmare than she had ever imagined.

“Since we can’t afford rented housing, the men take turns keeping a vigil since women face the constant risk of physical and sexual abuse. My children study in a school run by the state government and we cook on the footpath. Taking a bath every day is not possible as we have to pay to use public toilets and bathrooms. There are some shelters run by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP, or the Bengaluru Municipality) but we cannot live there as a family. Also, these facilities are far away from our workplace, making commuting difficult and expensive,” she elaborates.

If landlessness has forced Maria and her family into a permanent life on the city’s pavements, then the same reason compels Hasnath, a native of Raichur, an arid and economically backward district in northern Karnataka, to leave the relative comfort of the countryside for the crowded city for a few months every year.

She comes to work on construction sites getting weekly earnings of Rs. 900 after toiling eight hours daily, six days a week. She lives amidst the dust and rubble, sharing a small living space with her husband, a teenage daughter and other male and female workers.

Like scores of women, both Maria and Hasnath have hardly any idea of government schemes like the Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), the Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) or the Bhoo Odethana Yojane, among others, that could help them gain a small foothold in the city or ensure modest homesteads back home.

Having land of one’s own in the village means a better life not just for the women but everyone in the family, as they are not compelled to migrate to cities in search of employment opportunities.

While the Indira Awas Yojana and Rajiv Awas Yojana are pan-Indian central government schemes initiated in 1985 and 2011, respectively, to ensure housing for the homeless rural and urban poor, the Bhoo Odethana Yojane is a Karnataka state scheme introduced in 1992.

Incidentally, both the central schemes leave out women from their purview by not explicitly granting property ownership rights to them.

What does such systemic omission mean for them? Today, with only 12 per cent of rural Indian women owning land – and their numbers are even smaller in urban areas – the fear of being rendered homeless is an all-pervading one. Women even put up with sustained violence in order to give their children a ‘peaceful’ existence.

Saroja’s experience typifies that of innumerable women living on the streets. A 44-year-old domestic worker, she stays in a small rented accommodation in a low-income Bengaluru neighbourhood with her alcoholic husband and three children.

“My husband used to work as a mason but now he refuses to do anything claiming that he is too old to work. Sometimes I get so fed up, I threaten to leave him, but then he turns on me and says that I would have to pay him for the Rs 30,000 he gave as advance for the 10-month rental lease on our home. How can I even afford to part ways with him? Also, when the landlord threatens to raise the rent or evict us, which is quite often, at least he can tackle him, what can a lone woman like me do in such circumstances?” she asks.

While the odds are heavily against women owning land, a campaign launched by Landesa, a non-profit organisation that advocates for the land rights for women across different states in India, has helped to raise awareness on the issue.

Ningamma from Tottavaadi village in Mysore is a proud land owner. She managed to get allotment under the Bhoo Odethana Yojane.

Since 2013, it has been studying women gaining their entitlements under the Bhoo Odethana Yojane (BOY), a land purchase and allocation scheme that is implemented by the Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribes (ST) Development Corporation of Karnataka for the benefit of women agricultural labourers, chiefly Dalits or Adivasis.

According to the rules, the SC/ST Corporation provides 50 per cent subsidy and 50 per cent loan for the purchase of two acres of dry land or one acre of wet land for each beneficiary at a unit cost of Rs 5 lakh. The period of repayment of the loan amount is 10 years at an interest rate of six per cent. The scheme stipulates that the seller of the land must not be a Dalit or Adivasi.

Explains Lokesh S. of Landesa, “When we went to Nagathi Belagal village in Bhadravati taluk of Shimoga district in 2013, we discovered that none of the women had rights to any kind of land originally. Further, they had been unaware of schemes such as BOY or IAY. Therefore, we decided to understand how women and men get the requisite information about what their rights and entitlements are. For this we met with the officers at various levels of government and the Gram Panchayat and learnt that the local government officers/representatives assist the women in availing the relevant benefits by helping them complete the necessary procedures like the submission of caste certificates and the obtaining of land titles.”

Among the beneficiaries of this process in Shimoga district is Lakshmi, 38. A Dalit landless labourer, she came to know about the BOY scheme from a local leader. After she got her name on the list she managed to purchase an acre of land, with the government putting in 50 per cent of the total cost of Rs 2,40,000. Lakshmi has already paid up Rs 60,000 of this in easy instalments. That was the amount she had saved from the time she got married to Harlappa. Today, she is paying out the remainder of the amount from the money she earns by selling the agricultural produce cultivated on the land.

The ownership of the land has brought a new sense of confidence to Lakshmi and others but it obviously took sustained effort by the government and Panchayat members over many years to overcome the initial skepticism of the villagers and ensure this positive outcome.

Land ownership is key to social transformation in rural India, and a roof over one’s head essential in urban settings. But to ensure that women too can work towards achieving this is an extremely difficult process. Despite this, as the Shimoga experience has shown, small steps taken in the right direction can lead to new pathways of life.

(The names of some of the women quoted have been changed to protect their identity.)

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