A visually impaired candidate from Tumakuru, Kempahonnaiah secured a commendable 340th rank in the Civil Services Examination (CSE) conducted by the UPSC.
Kempahonnaiah is a Kannada lecturer at Vontikoppal Government PU College in Mysuru. He cracked the exam in his third attempt. With the current result, he feels one step closer to his dream of getting selected in the Indian Administrative Services.
Son of Honnaiah and Muniyamma from Chowdanakuppe village in Kunigal taluka of Tumakuru district, Kempahonnaiah lost his vision as a child. In class 3, retinal damage led him to discontinue his studies. He stayed in his village for a while after that. Tables turned when his determination earned him a seat at a government blind school in Mysuru. He completed his graduation from Maharaja College, did his masters from Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) and his MPhil from Kannada University, Hampi.
“I wrote the UPSC exam in Kannada. The interview was also held in Kannada. I am really happy with the rank,” Kempahonniah told Deccan Herald.
Kempahonnaiah did not take any special coaching to crack the UPSC. He attributes his success to his supportive wife. “All this happened due to the unflinching support by my friends. My wife, Anchita, has been a pillar of support all along. She helped me read, make notes and made me listen to recordings. She is the main force behind this achievement,” he said.
Achintha worked with the Sneha Kirana Spastic Society in Mysuru as a special educator for people with learning disabilities. “She is the real IAS officer here,” beamed Kempahonnaiah at the felicitation ceremony.
He is fondly referred to as ‘Kempa IAS’ by his doting sons, Prabodh and Nibodh. He says they picked their name from TV channels that praised his achievement.
Kempahonnaiah’s parents are farmers. “My father Honnaiah passed away. My mother Muniyamma is a farmer and could not be present here today,” he said at the ceremony.
His older brother C H Nanjappa, is differently-abled.
“I want to concentrate on creating more opportunities for the differently-abled after getting my posting. I will go wherever I am posted,” said Kempahonnaiah.
Delighted by her husband’s accomplishment, Anchita said, “I am happy for his success and that I could help him achieve what he wanted. I always knew he had it in him.”
Earlier this month, we woke up to the news of the desi favourite Amul and the global conglomerate Hindustan Unilever fighting in court over the definition of an ice cream and a frozen dessert. But the real question is, who cares? If you’re getting roasted under the summer sun, it doesn’t matter if it’s made of milk or vegetable oil – you just want your damn ice cream, right?
In one of their ads, Amul tried to draw attention by dissing Kwality Wall’s frozen desserts as not real ice cream, which led to the current lawsuit filed by the latter’s parent company, Hindustan Unilever.
And if reports are to be believed, it seems that this is a battle that is resumed every summer, because India has a huge ice-cream market that everyone wants to capture. No sooner, Nestle’s Movenpick announced its intention to set up shops in India, and the Arizona-based Cold Stone Creamery is all ready to penetrate the Indian market.
According to Mintel’s Icecream Global Annual Review 2017, the ice cream sales in India are growing at the fastest rate in the world.
It isn’t surprising then that everyone wants a share of this pie. The pushing of frozen desserts as ice creams is in accordance with this trend. If dairy fat costs around 300/kg, vegetable fat costs 50-60/kg, thereby reducing the production costs and giving them a competitive edge. As expected, frozen desserts have already captured 40% of the market, even though you might not be aware of that.
Yet, frozen dessert manufacturers still lack something that brands like Amul possess: brand loyalty. Though Indians do seem to have a palate for experimenting, at the end of the day, they come back to the brands they trust, love and have memories associated with.
This aspect of brand loyalty becomes extremely important as some reports indicate that the urban Indian market has almost reached the saturation point. Hence, the real market lies beyond the metros in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
Currently almost 35-40% of the Indian ice-cream market is captured by Amul of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation. Though Vadilal was the pioneer in Indian ice-cream history by importing ice-cream making machines to Gujarat in as early as 1926, the entry of Amul into ice-cream manufacturing in 1996 was a game-changer. The previous year itself the local Kwality had become Kwality Wall’s after an agreement with the Lever group.
Already the nation’s pride for heralding White Revolution and maybe because of it, Amul went on to capture the ice-cream market too. After all, the company is essentially a farmer’s co-operative that took India from being a milk-deficient nation to the largest supplier of milk in the world. No other brand can boast a story of bringing a nation out of poverty and making it self-sufficient. Even the iconic Amul Girl adds to the prestige of the brand. In fact, it is my personal belief that if there is a figure that can really bring together a divided nation, it is the ever-youthful Amul Girl. Her humour can save any tumour or abnormal growth experienced in India!
So, you need to have a lot of clout if you want a nation to abandon the brand that essentially saved them.
In Mangaluru, Ideal ice-cream has that clout. As mentioned earlier, Mangaluru is one of the Tier-2 cities, essential for a brand to make headway if they want to survive in the market. Even a brand like Amul is practically absent here, because more than 80% of the market share belongs to Ideal. It was established in 1975 by Prabhakar Kamath, who is also the inventor of Gadbad, the legendary ice-cream of Mangaluru, served in a tall glass with an incredible amount of different flavored ice-cream scoops, jellies and dry fruits. You can find Gadbad everywhere in Mangaluru, but you have to go to Ideal or Pabbas (owned by Prabhakar Kamath himself) to savour the dish in its birthplace.
Children have had their first ice creams here – from college results to securing job offers, the Ideal and Pabbas outlets have witnessed every joyous occasion. Hence, the nostalgia and emotional investment in the brand makes its customer to be loyal to the brand, much like Amul.
If Prabhakar Kamat made jaadoo to people’s palates through Gadbad, the other Kamat did it by offering Natural flavoured ice-creams to recreate his mother’s cooking. RS Kamat’s Natural’s ice-creams established in 1984 offers fruit-based ice creams with no additives. There goes the ‘frozen dessert is healthier than ice cream’ (or vice versa) argument. In 2015, its market share stood at 5-10%, offering flavours from coconut to jackfruit, constantly adding new flavours to its repository. Its USP of natural flavours is what makes people flock to Natural’s outlets, even if a Swensen’s is right next to it.
International brands, of course, want to capture the ice-cream market that is not slumping like in the US and UK, but growing with rapid speed. The number of Indians owning fridges is rising and, maybe because of it, so are the temperatures. Hence, the ice-cream boom is not going to slow down. But, if a brand really wants to capture the market, it will have to compete with the legendary indigenous brands and their origin stories, often entangled with the history of the India itself as a proud nation.
While most of us desperately wait for monsoon to get a respite from the gruelling summer heat, with the season comes along a variety of diseases thanks to stagnant rainwater puddles.
A Manipal-based product development company has been working on a project for the last six months that can help exterminate larvae laid by mosquitoes on the rainwater puddles.
For representational purpose only. Source: MaxPixel.
Blackfrog Technologies has come up with a unique concept of larvicide cakes, devised by PhD scholar Dr. Dhoolappa Melinamani from KVAFSU Institute, Shivamogga that can get rid of the larvae within a span of 12 days when thrown in water.
“We use the feathers of chicken, which is basically poultry waste. While most larvicides could harm other insects like grasshoppers, the cake only targets mosquitoes, black flies and fungus gnats. It’s so well-formulated that it’s okay for your pet to drink the water too”, Mayur Shetty, who is the CEO of Blackfrog, told Edex.
With the project in its field-evaluation phase, the 24-year-old also added that the 12-member team were discussing their innovation with the folks in Udupi Panchayat, where it can be extensively put to use.
A hatchling under the Manipal University Technology Business Incubator (MUTBI), a university initiative, Blackfrog Technologies was co-founded by Mayur and Donson D’Souza in 2015, with an aim to not just provide a platform for innovator and entrepreneurs, but also for the purpose of employment within the city.
You can get in touch with Blackfrog Technologies on Facebook or write to them at mayurshetty@blackfrog.in.
Karnataka’s forest department will soon issue a green passport for trekkers. Similar to how the entire concept of a passport works, each time you complete a trek, your green passport will get a stamp acknowledging the completion of that particular trail.
Each passport will have a unique number assigned to it. Adding more to the excitement, once you complete the entire trail, a certificate of activity will be awarded to you by the forest department.
Also, the department is all geared up to launch its guided tour programme, which will include some of the best eco-trails around Bengaluru.
With many youngsters having lost their lives while hiking on illegal routes, the initiative by the department opens up the scope of not just for promoting tourism but also an effort to end illegal trekking.
“The move is to encourage youngsters to come closer to nature and put an end to illegal treks in the woods,” Vinay Luthra, who is the chairman of Karnataka Eco-Tourism Development Board (KEDB), told TOI.
He also mentioned that within the Western Ghats region alone, 11 eco-trails have been identified and the concerned authorities have already been notified. Places like Chikkaballapura, Tumakuru and Ramanagara will soon follow suit.
Reportedly, only the date for the launch of the initiative remains to be finalised by the state’s Minister for Forest, Environment and Ecology, B Ramanath Rai.
According to TOI, an official in the department informed that close to 10-12 eco-trails would be part of the programme within Bengaluru. Few of these include Savandurga forests in Magadi, hillocks around Nandi Hills of Chikkaballapura and Timlapura forest stretch in Tumakuru. Each of these trails spanning from 7km to 14km can be trekked within a day itself.
All the eco-trails will have a fee charged by the forest department, ranging between ₹500 to ₹1,000. Recruiting around 30 guides, who are mostly youngsters from the local area, the initiative seeks to to provide them with a livelihood.
Putting an end to illegal trekking has indeed proved to be a drudging task for the department. “At present, most trekking that happens around these locations are illegal. Very few take permission from the department. Green passports will regularise trekking adventure. The department will also frame a set of guidelines for trekkers,” said another official.
You can reach out to KEDB at info@karnatakaecotourism.com or call on 080 2344 8822.
A mechanism that keeps stops your driver from dozing off while driving!
Four engineering students of PES University, Bengaluru, have come up with an innovative system that will make your long distance travel less worrisome.
The ‘driver drowsiness detection’ system alerts your driver through sound and vibration, prompting him to stay awake throughout the journey.Saahil Kamath, Aviral Joshi, Akshay Kumar C and Rahul B Prakash came up with this innovation.
The students, who also own a start-up called VISIO AI, designed the device within the span of a month.
The students behind the innovation. Source: Facebook.
The device works through a face-reading mechanism and has a camera attached to it, where a person’s eye movement and the number of yawns they take are monitored before sending alerts.
“The cut-off time for a person to blink his eye is 1.5 seconds. If a driver has his eyes shut for more than that, alerts would be sent. The same happens even if he yawns more than three times,” Saahil, who is in his final year of engineering, told The New Indian Express.
Depending on the camera reading of a person’s facial gestures, data is encrypted and sent to a server. If the driver is detected as being drowsy, vibrations to the steering wheel or sound alerts to keep him awake are sent by the device.
Comparing similar alert systems in the market that work on car drift mechanism, Saahil explains that the former doesn’t really provide accurate data and ends up costing a bomb. While such devices in high-end cars easily cost till ₹40,000, the innovation by the group is will cost around ₹10,000.
“We saw that a majority of accidents in India take place as drivers fall asleep. Our target was to use minimum resources and make the devices affordable for all,” added Aviral, a third-year student.
The group also plans on reaching out to cab-service providing websites, who could install these devices.
The drowsiness detection device also acts as an attendance tracker. With its ability of face-recognition, the mechanism could be installed in school buses for keeping a check on students’ attendance. Real-time data based on kids boarding and de-boarding the bus can be shared with users.
A prototype of the device is ready for operation and the group has already received the patent.
If you take a trip along the coastlines of Karnataka and Kerala, the number of languages and dialects to be heard will leave you spellbound. For instance, Karnataka’s official language Kannada takes many shapes and forms as you move away from the capital, Bangalore. Popular culture has familiarised people in the state with some of Kannada’s variants, as well as languages such as Tulu, Kodava and Konkani. But, have you heard of a language called Beary?
Spoken by more than 80% of the Muslim population along the Mangaluru-Udupi coast and Manjeshwara in Kasargod, Kerala, this language has a history that spans 1200 years. They also known to have fought against the Portugal and British Imperialism. For a language that has thrived for more than a millennium, you would imagine it has it’s own script, right? Not really. While it can be described as a mixture of Tulu, Kannada, Malayalam and even Arabic, its grammatical structure follows Kannada and Tulu. Since the 1950s, the Beary community has made its presence felt internationally, especially in the Gulf and has more than 15 lakh speakers around the world.
Earlier this week, copies of the first ever Beary-Kannada-English dictionary was sold in Mangaluru by the Karnataka Beary Sahitya Academy. With over 20,000 words, the 876-page dictionary is a huge win for the community, who up until now, worried about losing words due to lack of formal documentation. Although a Beary- Malayalam dictionary in Malayalam script, and an English-Beary Dictionary of 2000 words were previously produced, this is the first dictionary that in Kannada script and on such a scale, where the number of words have increased by more than tenfold since the last attempt. Unlike the Beary-Malayalam attempt, which includes words not only from the Manjeshwar region in Kerala, the new dictionary is more comprehensive as it captures words from Kasargod, as well as the coast. In fact, academy chairman B A Muhammed Haneef said social media helped them create a network of the community across the world, who in turn introduced more Beary words used in different regions.
The word ‘beary’ can be traced back to the Tulu word ‘byara’ which means trade and transactions. They are believed to be the descendents of ancient Arab traders and the indigenous Tuluvas, also involved in trade and commerce. This is evident as more than 50% of the language has Tulu words.
They are also mentioned in traditional folk songs of Tulunadu, indicating that this Muslim community has always had close ties with the Tuluvas.
Culturally, the Beary people have used both, this language and Kannada to produce works of literary merit. Periodical literary summits are also held to make sure this rich culture is preserved for posterity. In fact, they have their own traditional folk songs and ‘ghazals’ in the language, like Kolkkali Patt, (sung during the traditional folk dance of Kolaata played with two sticks), Unjal patt (sung when a child is put onto a cradle) and Moyilanji patt (sung during wedding ceremonies). Electronic documentation is helping in their preservation.
With spikes in communal tension across the country, it’s easy to forget how culturally connected we are. But languages by their very nature have always been considerate in remembering how much they borrow from each other, and the relationships they have forged. A dictionary, in this respect, legitimizes the existence of that language and provides tangible proof of such connections, which transcended religious and caste lines.
Subsidised canteens, or soup kitchens, exist across different states in India. They’re slammed as a ‘populist measure’ by critics, but it can’t be denied that they help do the job – feeding the poor.
Popularised by late Tamil Nadu CM, Jayalalithaa, other states that run similar programs are Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh.
Joining the troop is Karnataka with Indira Canteens – one of the state government’s most ambitious projects to serve affordable food, which will roll out today with 101 canteens.
Here is what you need to know about the Indira Canteens:
Breakfast is available for ₹5 and lunch and dinner for ₹10 each. The menu is based on Karnataka’s traditional cuisine, and apparently designed by leading chefs of five-star hotels, India Today reported.
A few select canteens will have a more extensive menu, with up to 25 items on offer daily.
There will be a kitchen in each of the 27 assembly constituencies, and one canteen in each of the 198 wards in Bengaluru. A single canteen can feed anywhere from 300 to 500 customers in a day.
Interestingly, the canteens are designed to be built quickly. A single canteen structure can be constructed in just eight days.
While idlis are the mainstay for breakfast, and rice-sambhar for lunch, the canteens also provide a variety of rotating options throughout the week.
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Five of the 27 kitchens have been reserved for women self-help groups.
On the off chance that you do not find a canteen within close quarters, you can download the Indira Canteen app on Google Play. It tells you where to find the closest option and what the day’s menu has to offer.
And wait, you can provide feedback too! Rate the canteen and file a complaint on the app, if need be.
Nestled in the heart of the Western Ghats, the rainforests of Agumbe are a mystical place. Also known as the Cherrapunji of the south, this tropical evergreen rainforest is home to one of the most diverse range of animal species in the country.
An ecological haven, it boasts of lion-tailed macaques, Bengal tigers , leopards, Sambar deer, the giant squirrel, Dhole (Indian wild dog), Gaur (Indian bison) and even barking deer.
The misty landscape of Agumbe. Courtesy: Gowri Shankar.
Although it’s tough to single out just one animal in this impressive assortment of species, these forests are home to an abundance of one of the world’s most majestic creatures – The King Cobra.
Agumbe is said to house the largest number of these snakes in the country, which aptly sums up why it is called King Cobra Capital.
Also called the hooded snake, the King Cobra has a reputation of being one of the most menacing of its kind. At around10 feet long, it can literally “stand up” and look a person in the eye, and this a frightful addition to being one of the most venomous snakes on earth.
But what is largely unknown is that they are incredibly shy, avoiding humans at all cost, and only turning fiercely aggressive when cornered.
While herpetologists and animal welfare organisations have worked hard to fight the myths that slither around this beautiful beast, their voices often fall on deaf ears. However, there are cases where good work gets the response it deserves, and its success is reassuring to witness.
One such organisation is the Kalinga Centre for Rainforest Ecology (KCRE), located in the tiny village of Guddukere in Agumbe, which actively advocates conservation and educates people about snake ecology.
KCRE was founded in 2012 by P. Gowri Shankar, a herpetologist, along with his wife Sharmila, who made Agumbe their home to document and better understand the the king of snakes.
The King Cobra. Courtesy: Gowri Shankar.
“Our workshops and camps are for people from all walks of life including children, not just to learn the scientific tools of conservation, but also to empower them with the right knowledge and attitude for effective conservation”, Gowri says.
Interestingly, Kalinga is Kannada colloquialism for King Cobra, which seemed a befitting term to name the organisation. It is staffed with a dedicated team, whose expertise complement Gowri’s.
One of the initial struggles was being accepted by the local population of Agumbe. “Interacting with people and explaining the necessity of conserving the species took time. But after watching the snakes being successfully rescued without the need to harm or kill them, people started understanding the nature of our cause and have been a great support”, he remembers.
Unlike snake demonstrations and wildlife sighting treks, KCRE’s programmes take participants on what is more of an educational experience.
Eye-to-eye with his favourite revered being. Courtesy: Gowri Shankar.
“While adventure groups that take you on a 10-12 km trails, our agenda is to educate them about the trail they’re taken on. The opportunity presents itself as our centre is located deep within the rainforest, where people get to experience and learn extensively about the biodiversity in the region. This includes being part of live rescue operations of the king and our conservation efforts ”, Gowri explains.
While the workshops comprise of activities that lead to further academic learning for prospective conservationists, the camps encourage all kinds of nature enthusiasts including weekend travellers and photographers.
One of the flagship programmes of KCRE is the ‘Scientific Training On Reptile Management’, or STORM as it’s called, which has attracted over 500 participants from across the globe.
Gowri with the hatchlings. Courtesy: Gowri Shankar.
While a large portion of the funds generated through workshops and camps goes in the general upkeep of the centre, a portion of the money finds its way to the coffers of the Kalinga Foundation, a parallel non-government organisation of KCRE.
“Many students, after finishing their BSc or MSc, head to our institute for field study. Often, they find themselves financially constrained for their projects. This is where our foundation walks in and offers assistance for them to continue their research”, Gowri says.
With almost 20 years of expertise in the field, which include his instrumental role in pioneering a radio telemetry study on King Cobras, Gowri presently divides his time between his PhD on ‘genetic variation of king cobras in south east Asia’, and the centre.
“Thankfully, I have a very efficient team that has been able to conduct workshops and camps without any lag. Some of our older interns still volunteer and conduct the programmes”, he proudly adds.
The organisation has rescued and relocated more than thousands of King Cobras over the years.
Courtesy: Gowri Shankar.
Through the awareness that KCRE has raised, it has been able to gain the trust of the local population, who now approach them for rescue operations, instead of killing the snakes.
The Kalinga Foundation offers internships to folks driven by an urgent need to partake in environmental conservation, and a willingness to commit long-term.
You can reach out to the folks of KCRE at kalinga@kalingacre.com or 09480877670.
A plate of warm breakfast for just ₹5 and a happy tummy!
That’s how my day began this morning, thanks to a newly-opened Indira canteen in my neighbourhood.
An initiative by Karnataka government to provide affordable food for the poor, the food at these subsidised canteens isn’t meant only for the underprivileged.
The Indira Canteen.
Inaugurated on Wednesday, the canteen premises had a long queue waiting patiently for their turn to have breakfast worth five bucks!
Joining the throngs of auto drivers, construction labourers, municipality workers and tiny tots with their parents, the anticipation in me went a notch higher with each step I took towards the serving counter.
Inside the canteen.
And I was not disappointed at all!
With piping hot rava khichidi and a dollop of pickle, breakfast couldn’t have been any simpler, and tasty too!
Not just for the poor!
Though many would consider the initiative a ploy to instil a pro-government feeling among people , the fact that many who couldn’t even afford to buy a meal would no longer have to go hungry is heartening enough.
While this trip to Indira canteen is definitely not going to be my last, you should also try the breakfast and meals in the canteen nearest to you and find out for yourself!
Karnataka’s forest department will soon issue a green passport for trekkers. Similar to how the entire concept of a passport works, each time you complete a trek, your green passport will get a stamp acknowledging the completion of that particular trail.
Each passport will have a unique number assigned to it. Adding more to the excitement, once you complete the entire trail, a certificate of activity will be awarded to you by the forest department.
Also, the department is all geared up to launch its guided tour programme, which will include some of the best eco-trails around Bengaluru.
With many youngsters having lost their lives while hiking on illegal routes, the initiative by the department opens up the scope of not just for promoting tourism but also an effort to end illegal trekking.
“The move is to encourage youngsters to come closer to nature and put an end to illegal treks in the woods,” Vinay Luthra, who is the chairman of Karnataka Eco-Tourism Development Board (KEDB), told TOI.
He also mentioned that within the Western Ghats region alone, 11 eco-trails have been identified and the concerned authorities have already been notified. Places like Chikkaballapura, Tumakuru and Ramanagara will soon follow suit.
Reportedly, only the date for the launch of the initiative remains to be finalised by the state’s Minister for Forest, Environment and Ecology, B Ramanath Rai.
According to TOI, an official in the department informed that close to 10-12 eco-trails would be part of the programme within Bengaluru. Few of these include Savandurga forests in Magadi, hillocks around Nandi Hills of Chikkaballapura and Timlapura forest stretch in Tumakuru. Each of these trails spanning from 7km to 14km can be trekked within a day itself.
All the eco-trails will have a fee charged by the forest department, ranging between ₹500 to ₹1,000. Recruiting around 30 guides, who are mostly youngsters from the local area, the initiative seeks to to provide them with a livelihood.
Putting an end to illegal trekking has indeed proved to be a drudging task for the department. “At present, most trekking that happens around these locations are illegal. Very few take permission from the department. Green passports will regularise trekking adventure. The department will also frame a set of guidelines for trekkers,” said another official.
You can reach out to KEDB at info@karnatakaecotourism.com or call on 080 2344 8822.
A mechanism that keeps stops your driver from dozing off while driving!
Four engineering students of PES University, Bengaluru, have come up with an innovative system that will make your long distance travel less worrisome.
The ‘driver drowsiness detection’ system alerts your driver through sound and vibration, prompting him to stay awake throughout the journey.Saahil Kamath, Aviral Joshi, Akshay Kumar C and Rahul B Prakash came up with this innovation.
The students, who also own a start-up called VISIO AI, designed the device within the span of a month.
The students behind the innovation. Source: Facebook.
The device works through a face-reading mechanism and has a camera attached to it, where a person’s eye movement and the number of yawns they take are monitored before sending alerts.
“The cut-off time for a person to blink his eye is 1.5 seconds. If a driver has his eyes shut for more than that, alerts would be sent. The same happens even if he yawns more than three times,” Saahil, who is in his final year of engineering, told The New Indian Express.
Depending on the camera reading of a person’s facial gestures, data is encrypted and sent to a server. If the driver is detected as being drowsy, vibrations to the steering wheel or sound alerts to keep him awake are sent by the device.
Comparing similar alert systems in the market that work on car drift mechanism, Saahil explains that the former doesn’t really provide accurate data and ends up costing a bomb. While such devices in high-end cars easily cost till ₹40,000, the innovation by the group is will cost around ₹10,000.
“We saw that a majority of accidents in India take place as drivers fall asleep. Our target was to use minimum resources and make the devices affordable for all,” added Aviral, a third-year student.
The group also plans on reaching out to cab-service providing websites, who could install these devices.
The drowsiness detection device also acts as an attendance tracker. With its ability of face-recognition, the mechanism could be installed in school buses for keeping a check on students’ attendance. Real-time data based on kids boarding and de-boarding the bus can be shared with users.
A prototype of the device is ready for operation and the group has already received the patent.
If you take a trip along the coastlines of Karnataka and Kerala, the number of languages and dialects to be heard will leave you spellbound. For instance, Karnataka’s official language Kannada takes many shapes and forms as you move away from the capital, Bangalore. Popular culture has familiarised people in the state with some of Kannada’s variants, as well as languages such as Tulu, Kodava and Konkani. But, have you heard of a language called Beary?
Spoken by more than 80% of the Muslim population along the Mangaluru-Udupi coast and Manjeshwara in Kasargod, Kerala, this language has a history that spans 1200 years. They also known to have fought against the Portugal and British Imperialism. For a language that has thrived for more than a millennium, you would imagine it has it’s own script, right? Not really. While it can be described as a mixture of Tulu, Kannada, Malayalam and even Arabic, its grammatical structure follows Kannada and Tulu. Since the 1950s, the Beary community has made its presence felt internationally, especially in the Gulf and has more than 15 lakh speakers around the world.
Earlier this week, copies of the first ever Beary-Kannada-English dictionary was sold in Mangaluru by the Karnataka Beary Sahitya Academy. With over 20,000 words, the 876-page dictionary is a huge win for the community, who up until now, worried about losing words due to lack of formal documentation. Although a Beary- Malayalam dictionary in Malayalam script, and an English-Beary Dictionary of 2000 words were previously produced, this is the first dictionary that in Kannada script and on such a scale, where the number of words have increased by more than tenfold since the last attempt. Unlike the Beary-Malayalam attempt, which includes words not only from the Manjeshwar region in Kerala, the new dictionary is more comprehensive as it captures words from Kasargod, as well as the coast. In fact, academy chairman B A Muhammed Haneef said social media helped them create a network of the community across the world, who in turn introduced more Beary words used in different regions.
The word ‘beary’ can be traced back to the Tulu word ‘byara’ which means trade and transactions. They are believed to be the descendents of ancient Arab traders and the indigenous Tuluvas, also involved in trade and commerce. This is evident as more than 50% of the language has Tulu words.
They are also mentioned in traditional folk songs of Tulunadu, indicating that this Muslim community has always had close ties with the Tuluvas.
Culturally, the Beary people have used both, this language and Kannada to produce works of literary merit. Periodical literary summits are also held to make sure this rich culture is preserved for posterity. In fact, they have their own traditional folk songs and ‘ghazals’ in the language, like Kolkkali Patt, (sung during the traditional folk dance of Kolaata played with two sticks), Unjal patt (sung when a child is put onto a cradle) and Moyilanji patt (sung during wedding ceremonies). Electronic documentation is helping in their preservation.
With spikes in communal tension across the country, it’s easy to forget how culturally connected we are. But languages by their very nature have always been considerate in remembering how much they borrow from each other, and the relationships they have forged. A dictionary, in this respect, legitimizes the existence of that language and provides tangible proof of such connections, which transcended religious and caste lines.
Subsidised canteens, or soup kitchens, exist across different states in India. They’re slammed as a ‘populist measure’ by critics, but it can’t be denied that they help do the job – feeding the poor.
Popularised by late Tamil Nadu CM, Jayalalithaa, other states that run similar programs are Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh.
Joining the troop is Karnataka with Indira Canteens – one of the state government’s most ambitious projects to serve affordable food, which will roll out today with 101 canteens.
Here is what you need to know about the Indira Canteens:
Breakfast is available for ₹5 and lunch and dinner for ₹10 each. The menu is based on Karnataka’s traditional cuisine, and apparently designed by leading chefs of five-star hotels, India Today reported.
A few select canteens will have a more extensive menu, with up to 25 items on offer daily.
There will be a kitchen in each of the 27 assembly constituencies, and one canteen in each of the 198 wards in Bengaluru. A single canteen can feed anywhere from 300 to 500 customers in a day.
Interestingly, the canteens are designed to be built quickly. A single canteen structure can be constructed in just eight days.
While idlis are the mainstay for breakfast, and rice-sambhar for lunch, the canteens also provide a variety of rotating options throughout the week.
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Five of the 27 kitchens have been reserved for women self-help groups.
On the off chance that you do not find a canteen within close quarters, you can download the Indira Canteen app on Google Play. It tells you where to find the closest option and what the day’s menu has to offer.
And wait, you can provide feedback too! Rate the canteen and file a complaint on the app, if need be.
Nestled in the heart of the Western Ghats, the rainforests of Agumbe are a mystical place. Also known as the Cherrapunji of the south, this tropical evergreen rainforest is home to one of the most diverse range of animal species in the country.
An ecological haven, it boasts of lion-tailed macaques, Bengal tigers , leopards, Sambar deer, the giant squirrel, Dhole (Indian wild dog), Gaur (Indian bison) and even barking deer.
The misty landscape of Agumbe. Courtesy: Gowri Shankar.
Although it’s tough to single out just one animal in this impressive assortment of species, these forests are home to an abundance of one of the world’s most majestic creatures – The King Cobra.
Agumbe is said to house the largest number of these snakes in the country, which aptly sums up why it is called King Cobra Capital.
Also called the hooded snake, the King Cobra has a reputation of being one of the most menacing of its kind. At around10 feet long, it can literally “stand up” and look a person in the eye, and this a frightful addition to being one of the most venomous snakes on earth.
But what is largely unknown is that they are incredibly shy, avoiding humans at all cost, and only turning fiercely aggressive when cornered.
While herpetologists and animal welfare organisations have worked hard to fight the myths that slither around this beautiful beast, their voices often fall on deaf ears. However, there are cases where good work gets the response it deserves, and its success is reassuring to witness.
One such organisation is the Kalinga Centre for Rainforest Ecology (KCRE), located in the tiny village of Guddukere in Agumbe, which actively advocates conservation and educates people about snake ecology.
KCRE was founded in 2012 by P. Gowri Shankar, a herpetologist, along with his wife Sharmila, who made Agumbe their home to document and better understand the the king of snakes.
The King Cobra. Courtesy: Gowri Shankar.
“Our workshops and camps are for people from all walks of life including children, not just to learn the scientific tools of conservation, but also to empower them with the right knowledge and attitude for effective conservation”, Gowri says.
Interestingly, Kalinga is Kannada colloquialism for King Cobra, which seemed a befitting term to name the organisation. It is staffed with a dedicated team, whose expertise complement Gowri’s.
One of the initial struggles was being accepted by the local population of Agumbe. “Interacting with people and explaining the necessity of conserving the species took time. But after watching the snakes being successfully rescued without the need to harm or kill them, people started understanding the nature of our cause and have been a great support”, he remembers.
Unlike snake demonstrations and wildlife sighting treks, KCRE’s programmes take participants on what is more of an educational experience.
Eye-to-eye with his favourite revered being. Courtesy: Gowri Shankar.
“While adventure groups that take you on a 10-12 km trails, our agenda is to educate them about the trail they’re taken on. The opportunity presents itself as our centre is located deep within the rainforest, where people get to experience and learn extensively about the biodiversity in the region. This includes being part of live rescue operations of the king and our conservation efforts ”, Gowri explains.
While the workshops comprise of activities that lead to further academic learning for prospective conservationists, the camps encourage all kinds of nature enthusiasts including weekend travellers and photographers.
One of the flagship programmes of KCRE is the ‘Scientific Training On Reptile Management’, or STORM as it’s called, which has attracted over 500 participants from across the globe.
Gowri with the hatchlings. Courtesy: Gowri Shankar.
While a large portion of the funds generated through workshops and camps goes in the general upkeep of the centre, a portion of the money finds its way to the coffers of the Kalinga Foundation, a parallel non-government organisation of KCRE.
“Many students, after finishing their BSc or MSc, head to our institute for field study. Often, they find themselves financially constrained for their projects. This is where our foundation walks in and offers assistance for them to continue their research”, Gowri says.
With almost 20 years of expertise in the field, which include his instrumental role in pioneering a radio telemetry study on King Cobras, Gowri presently divides his time between his PhD on ‘genetic variation of king cobras in south east Asia’, and the centre.
“Thankfully, I have a very efficient team that has been able to conduct workshops and camps without any lag. Some of our older interns still volunteer and conduct the programmes”, he proudly adds.
The organisation has rescued and relocated more than thousands of King Cobras over the years.
Courtesy: Gowri Shankar.
Through the awareness that KCRE has raised, it has been able to gain the trust of the local population, who now approach them for rescue operations, instead of killing the snakes.
The Kalinga Foundation offers internships to folks driven by an urgent need to partake in environmental conservation, and a willingness to commit long-term.
You can reach out to the folks of KCRE at kalinga@kalingacre.com or 09480877670.
A plate of warm breakfast for just ₹5 and a happy tummy!
That’s how my day began this morning, thanks to a newly-opened Indira canteen in my neighbourhood.
An initiative by Karnataka government to provide affordable food for the poor, the food at these subsidised canteens isn’t meant only for the underprivileged.
The Indira Canteen.
Inaugurated on Wednesday, the canteen premises had a long queue waiting patiently for their turn to have breakfast worth five bucks!
Joining the throngs of auto drivers, construction labourers, municipality workers and tiny tots with their parents, the anticipation in me went a notch higher with each step I took towards the serving counter.
Inside the canteen.
And I was not disappointed at all!
With piping hot rava khichidi and a dollop of pickle, breakfast couldn’t have been any simpler, and tasty too!
Not just for the poor!
Though many would consider the initiative a ploy to instil a pro-government feeling among people , the fact that many who couldn’t even afford to buy a meal would no longer have to go hungry is heartening enough.
While this trip to Indira canteen is definitely not going to be my last, you should also try the breakfast and meals in the canteen nearest to you and find out for yourself!
On a quiet Tuesday afternoon, I joined two women on a trip to Tharahunise, a village located about 30 km away from Bengaluru’s busy Majestic bus depot. The purpose? To see how efficiently this village treats its waste.
Myriam Shanker, 50, limps to her jeep with two red crutches by her side – the result of a small accident. Today, she will not be driving the vehicle that on most days deftly swerves around Bengaluru’s infamous traffic. Arushi Gupta, 25, sits beside me on this hour-long drive.
An ethnic German who identifies as Indian, most of Myriam’s work was in Hamburg’s port area, until the Duft der großen weiten welt, or the scent of the world got too tempting.
Myriam Shanker (left) and Arushi Gupta (Right)
When her travels brought her to India, she was bowled over by its cleanliness. The year was 1992 – India’s economy had just opened up and the country was devoid of any western consumerism and litter she was so fed up of seeing back home.
“India was pristine!” she says. But, when she returned in 2002, the India that greeted her was very different from the one she left. The omnipresence of garbage shocked her.
“I’ve seen parts of this world that are breathtaking. It physically hurts me to see how we are destroying mother nature. And waste is one of the things that is especially harmful. That’s why I do what I do here in Bengaluru,” she explains.
Arushi, on the other hand, is Indian. She is a graduate of political science and philosophy from St. Stephens, New Delhi, with a masters in social work from the TATA Institute of Social Sciences. So how did this unlikely duo cross waste-management paths? Arushi was teaching a gender studies class at Myriam daughter’s school, when, as she puts it, was “poached”.
“What can I say? I liked her and wanted her to work with me!” Myriam admits.
Myriam Shankar and Arushi Gupta are a two member team from an organisation called The Anonymous Indian Charitable Trust (TAICT), working to solve a waste crisis in villages around Bengaluru.
The duo came up with the Ecogram Project that has helped transform how waste is segregated, collected, and disposed in Tharahunise. Now, they are on a mission to implement this model in neighboring villages.
What is the Ecogram Project?
It started in June 2016, and tackles waste disposal, soil, and water depletion in rural Bengaluru. The two women got all the 450 houses in the village to separate their waste into three categories – dry, wet, and sanitary. The segregated waste is then collected everyday in the morning by a team of waste collectors.
The system is a decentralized waste system where the garbage is segregated at source, or each house – wet waste is composted, while dry waste is collected from households and later separated into ten categories, after which it is sent to recycling plants. Sanitary waste is transferred to a bio-medical incineration plant, and what is left is sent to a landfill.
Residents of Tharahunise segregating their waste. Source: Arushi Gupta
Because sanitary waste is especially difficult to treat, Myriam and Arushi are encouraging the use of menstrual cups, and the responses, they say, have been surprisingly encouraging!
Until recently, plastic was mixed with other wet waste in the village and eventually composted. The need to segregate and dispose waste correctly was urgent. Myriam and Arushi helped break that cycle.
When we reached the village, what I saw was rather idyllic. Black spots (garbage dumps in waste management speak) are few and far between, and what was most obvious were the stainless steel litter bins dotting the village. The cleanliness is a result of careful planning and impressive execution.
We go into the local anganwadi (day care center for kids) where the TAICT team was given a room to segregate dry waste. Here we found Manju, a waste segregator, sitting amid a mound of plastic bottles, cans, and sheets.
Manju segregating the last batch of waste for the day in the anganwadiHasirudala employs segregating waste in the anganwadi. Source – Arushi Gupta
Explaining his role amid the piles, Arushi says “Nobody understands the various grades of material quite like waste collectors because they have been doing this all their lives.”
Waste is generated at an alarming rate in India. Despite the amount of trash we produce, the welfare and dignity of the informal workers involved in waste management remains at the bottom of any government’s political agenda. It is for this reason that the team chose to work with Hasirudala.
Hasirudala is an NGO that works with waste collectors, a terribly marginalised segment of society. The NGO has hired waste collectors to pick up the garbage everyday from Tharahunise.
Hasirudala workers collecting waste in the morning. Source – Arushi Gupta
And where does all this waste go? Sadly, a lot of the dry waste Bengaluru and neighboring areas generate makes its way to illegal landmines. These illegal landmines are unscientific, emitting toxins and generating highly combustible methane gas.
“India is wasting it’s waste,” says Myriam. The team hopes that with the decentralized waste management system in place, less waste is sent to landfills.
The difference the team has made in the village is tangible. “Before the project, the entire village was a problem area,” says Myriam, but now that has been brought down to only four areas. When I say the village is quite spotless, the waste warriors disagree. I nod, but differ silently.
Arushi and Myriam in the anganwadi
When it started out, the project aimed to tackle waste management, soil and water pollution depletion in tandem, but over the past year, Myriam and Arushi realised it would work better if executed in steps.
They are currently working on a natural farming project that should encourage villagers to grow crops other than eucalyptus, notorious for depleting the nutrients in the soil. They want farmers to grow indigenous plants that do not require intensive labour, but grow on their own, a technique inspired by Japanese farming legend Masanobu Fukuoka. The patch of land they are experimenting on has no Malabar Neem trees.
The field with malabar neem
After the success of the Ecogram project in Tharahunise, their next step is to implement the same methods of waste segregation around the entire gram panchayat of Bettahalasoor, which has 10 villages, or 20,000 people in total.
Getting your hands dirty in a village must have come with some objection, right? Not from the local people, who were curious, interested, and very cooperative. What does not come as much of a surprise to me is the difficulty they face from elected authorities.
Myriam concludes, “We are just doing what is enshrined in the constitution. We want to implement a decentralized waste management system and empower waste pickers.”
On our way back, I hear Arushi remind herself about the recyclable toothbrush she needs to collect. “And what is a recyclable toothbrush made of?” I ask, flag-bearer of mindless plastic consumption. “From wood – the OG (original) building material – and natural fibers.” Arushi says, disapprovingly.
Ms Gupta, practicing what she preaches.
To know more about the organisation and the work they do, click here.
Waste bins in Tharahunise as a part of the Ecogram Project . Source – Arushi Gupta
From November 1 onwards, 1.4 crore households in Karnataka will get free medical assistance. The state government has approved the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme called Aarogya Bhagya on Monday.
Under this scheme, the beneficiaries have been categorised into A and B sections. All health facilities will be provided to them through an Aadhar-linked universal health card, Parliamentary Affairs Minister, TB Jayachandra, said in a cabinet meeting.
People falling under Category A or the ‘priority category’ will include farmers, poor households, unorganised sector labourers, pourakarmikas, members of the SC/ST, cooperative societies, government employees, media persons and elected representatives.
Everyone else will fall under Category B, and they will be enrolled online using their Aadhaar details.
Along with that, a contribution of ₹300 per person applies to people from rural areas, and ₹700 for those from urban areas reports Business World.
For both A and B categories, all primary, secondary and emergency care will be free.
Under Aarogya Bhagya, the seven different health care schemes of Karnataka will be merged into one. This amounts to a total of ₹869.4 crore as the cost to the state exchequer.
“In emergencies defined for both accidents and medical/surgical emergencies treatment can be provided in the nearest facility available irrespective of government or private to ensure ‘Treatment first and Payment Next’,” Jayachandra said in the meeting, reported Live Mint.
After stabilisation of 48 hours, the person can be transferred to a government or private hospital for further treatment.
He also said that the 108 and 104 helplines would support free diagnostics, free drugs and dialysis, free blood units, platelets and components, which will be provided in government hospitals, reports the publication.
The humble superfood Nariyal Paani is getting a facelift.
Ever thought of lime or honey infused coconut water? In an attempt to make people shift from consuming fizzy drinks towards a drink that is natural and wholesome, the Hassan district administration in Karnataka has come up with the idea of setting up ‘coconut huts’ in major tourism destinations to promote coconut water.
The Coir Board has been entrusted with the job of designing these huts in an aesthetically appealing way. The Board will be making it entirely from parts of a coconut tree such as its trunk and leaves, to make it look and feel different and natural.
The first hut will be established on the border of Hirisave village on the national highway connecting Bengaluru and Mangaluru via Hassan.
It is scheduled to open around in February 2018, close to the Mahamastakabhisheka of the Bahubali statue, the famous Jain pilgrim centre in Shravanabelagola, Hassan.
Nariyal pani – the superfood
Based on its success, more ‘huts’ could be opened in other parts of the district, reveals Deputy Commissioner, Rohini Sindhuri, reported Deccan Chronicle.
Known for its amazing health benefits, coconut water is the go-to-drink for many across the country. It’s packed with antioxidants, amino acids, enzymes, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C and minerals like iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese and zinc – a true superfood.
Unfortunately, due to rapid urbanisation, and falling harvests, the coconut output took a hit. Also, there was a lack of a clear marketing policy unlike milk or eggs, where we see some advertisements and campaigns that extol the virtues of the products. This move by the administration will infuse some much-needed life into the life-enhancing drink.
In a grand move ahead of the state elections next year, to promote education for the girl child, the Karnataka government has decided to make education free for all girls across the state.
From Class 1 up until graduation, girls studying in all public and aided private schools and colleges, excluding professional institutions, will be able to avail free education without paying a penny from the next academic year.
The scheme will help underprivileged and lower middle-class sections heave a sigh of relief as the government expects them to avail of the scheme. “We expect around 18 lakh students whose parents’ income would be less than Rs 10 lakh to opt for this scheme and are planning to earmark ₹110 crore,” higher education minister Basavaraj Rayareddi told the Times of India.
If 18 lakh students avail of the scheme, each of them would get ₹611 a year.
Karnataka is not the only state in India to start this grand scheme. Telangana and Punjab have also launched similar schemes. Telangana has announced free education for girls from kindergarten to post-graduation, and Punjab has extended the scheme until PhD.
Denying duplication of the above schemes from other states the higher education minister said, “We are not copying their schemes. It’s a model one and a major leap towards women’s empowerment. The scheme is for all girls, unlike their schemes which are restricted to certain classes and income groups.”
According to the scheme, the government would reimburse all fees, except examination fees of girl students of Class 1 to graduation level. The students will have to pay the fees first at the time of admission and get it reimbursed from the government later. An important highlight of the scheme is that the entire tuition fee will be waived even if students opt for esteemed women’s colleges.
For those unaware, education is already free for girls from poor families till Class VIII under the Right To Education (RTE) Act. The scheme extends to all girls across the state but stresses on imparting free education to underprivileged girls who generally drop out of school after Class 10.
“It is mainly in rural areas where girls come from families earning less than ₹10 lakh that the government needs to extend incentives. But the government will not discriminate between cities and rural areas and poor and rich. It is ready to reimburse fees to all girl students,” Basavaraj Rayareddi said.
In the last few years, Mandya has suffered from acute water shortage. The farmers of the region have been distressed with successive monsoon failures, and have been demanding the government to release water to sustain livestock. The groundwater level has plummeted, and there have been many failures of borewells.
At a time like this, a 78-year-old farmer from Mandya has been persistently working towards saving the region’s natural resources so that water bodies there don’t dry up.
A resident of Dasanadoddi, Kamegowda has dug canals, built bunds, roads and check dams on top of a hill, in order to save the water that flows down from there. He has done all of this on his own, putting in his efforts continuously for the last 40 years, reports Deccan Herald (DH).
Interestingly, Kamegowda never attended school but has a high level of expertise in water management systems in his village. He has created five bunds from the hill to the Dasanadoddi village, where all the check dams keep filling up one by one.
So, even when the area experiences drought, which it regularly does, there is enough water to sustain the livestock in the village.
The regions that have benefitted from Kamegowda’s hard work are Dasanadoddi, Pandithahalli, Hosadoddi, Thiruvalli and Panathahalli, among others.
At the moment, the 78-year-old is in the process of building two check dams – he has begun work on the first one and is identifying a place to build the second. In order to do this, he sold his sheep and goats and has spent ₹6 lakh so far in his efforts. Sometimes, he even takes money from his pension to pay for the expense.
His family isn’t very happy with this.
He told DH that he had saved ₹20,000 as expenses for his pregnant daughter-in-law’s delivery, but since the birth happened without incident, he built a check dam in the child’s name.
“As the delivery was normal at the government hospital, I named my grandchild Krishna and built a check dam in his name,” he told the publication.
Not only this, he also makes sure he plants new saplings on the hill. So far he’s planted medicinal plants like bilvapatre, along with flowering plants, tamarind, honge and several other plants.
He has also taken it upon himself to take care of those plants that were planted by the Forest department in the area.
