The authorities in Kodagu have declared a holiday for schools, anganwadis, and PU colleges in the district for two days – on May 29 and 30 – due to incessant rains.
Though schools were scheduled to reopen after summer vacations on May 29 and 30, it has been decided to declare a holiday due to heavy rains. The school authorities have to compensate for the closure by working on other holidays.
However, SSLC examination 2 will be held as scheduled, and there is no change in the timetable, the authorities added.
Meanwhile, the forest department has announced that the Dubare Elephant camp is closed for tourists due to incessant rains, till further orders.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India> Karnataka / by The Hindu Bureau / May 28th, 2025
The Karnataka government organised a special event, ‘Jai Hind Sabha’, in honour of the Indian armed forces and facilitated retired military personnel in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
The programme was held at the Town Hall in Bengaluru, and it was given the tagline, ‘Jai Hind Jai Sena’.
During the event, senior officers who served in the Indian Army and ex-servicemen were felicitated. The families of brave soldiers who laid down their lives in service to the nation were also honoured.
Among those felicitated were the family members of late Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan (Ashoka Chakra awardee), Colonel Jojan Thomas (Ashoka Chakra awardee), Major M.C. Muthanna(Shaurya Chakra awardee), Major Ganesh Maddappa (Shaurya Chakra awardee), Captain M.V. Panjal (Shaurya Chakra awardee), Major Mohan Gangadharan (Shaurya Chakra awardee), Major Shafiq Mohammad Khan, and Colonel Ramamurthy (Sena Medal awardee).
More than a thousand senior army officers and ex-servicemen participated in the event. The Karnataka government had issued directions to organise such events across the country to salute the selfless service of Indian soldiers and stand in solidarity with them.
Addressing the “Jai Hind Sabha” programme, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that soldiers, farmers, doctors, and teachers are as revered and memorable as one’s own parents.
He praised the legacy of Indian soldiers. “Soldiers dedicate themselves to national defence with a spirit of sacrifice. The responsibility of protecting the country does not lie with the army alone, but with all 1.4 billion Indians,” he said.
He emphasised that India has never compromised on the principle of protecting the righteous and eliminating evil, and it never will.
“This is the commitment of every Indian,” Siddaramaiah underlined.
The Chief Minister made a significant declaration that no excise duty will be levied on army canteens by the state. He also assured that all necessary steps would be taken for the welfare of retired soldiers.
Speaking after felicitating senior army officers, ex-servicemen, and the families of martyred soldiers, Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar said, “To support all ex-servicemen in the state, the government is considering the establishment of a separate corporation. This proposal will be discussed in the state cabinet meeting before a decision is made.”
“We are thinking of forming this corporation based on the suggestion of Mallikarjun, President of the Congress Party’s Sainik Cell. We are committed to the welfare of soldiers who have served our nation,” Shivakumar stated.
“It is a matter of pride to be part of such a significant event. On behalf of the Congress party and the nation, I extend my gratitude to all of you who have served our country with strength and dedication. The Congress party has always stood by the nation and our armed forces. This programme is a testimony to the fact that your sacrifices will always be remembered,” he added.
–IANS
source: http://www.thehawk.in / The Hawk / Home> India / May 28th, 2025
Thirty-eight-year-old squash champion Joshna Chinappa’s win at the National Doubles Championships shows she’s still in fine form.
Q. You recently won the women’s final at the National Doubles Championships alongside Anahat Singh. Do you have a long-term plan with this pairing?
Anahat and I were casually discussing the doubles and decided to play together. We will be playing the Asian Doubles Championships in Malaysia in June. She is a solid player, so it makes it easier and more fun.
Q. How have you modified your game with age?
I have a deep appreciation and respect for my body and what it has done over the past three decades for me to be able to play squash professionally. I definitely have to put in more work in terms of how I prepare for a game with my strength training, fitness, diet, etc.
Q. You’ve been playing squash for three decades now. How has the game evolved over the years?
The game has definitely gotten a lot more intense physically and you have so many different players with amazing skill to add to that physicality. There are so many tournaments happening all around the world and in India.
Q. What do you make of the next generation of Indian players?
There are a good crop of young players doing well at the junior and professional level. It’s so good to see about 6-7 of them playing the big PSA events consistently. I hope more juniors make the switch to go pro because that’s where the real test is.
source: http://www.indiatoday.in / India Today / Home> News> Leisure / by Pratibha Joy / June 10th, 2025
Using this app, people can update the last location where they spotted a wild elephant, and through an AI-based system, the movement of the elephant will be traced.
The siren system is being installed across 12 conflict zones in Virajpet limits. (Photo | Express)
Madikeri :
A new initiative to prevent untoward incidents related to wildlife movement is being undertaken on a trial basis in Kodagu. Funded by a private company, the early warning system has been installed by Support for Network and Extension Help Agency (SNEHA), an NGO.
An early warning system in the form of a siren to alert residents about wildlife movement within a one-kilometre radius has been installed by SNEHA on a trial basis in wildlife conflict regions across Virajpet in Kodagu.
The NGO is currently in the process of installing 12 such sirens across the conflict zones of Badaga Banangala and surrounding areas. While the initiative is currently at a trial stage, SNEHA plans to expand it further by introducing automated alert systems.
“This initiative is being carried out by SNEHA in Odisha and Kodagu regions. We are looking at developing the system further to ensure an automated alert system,” explained Ramaswamy Krishnan, the Executive Director of SNEHA.
He said the NGO has developed a mobile application called SNEHA Kalpvaig Elephant Tracker, which is being uploaded online to become accessible to all.
Using this app, people can update the last location where they spotted a wild elephant, and through an AI-based system, the movement of the elephant will be traced.
Further, based on the location of the elephant, a siren will be triggered to alert residents within a one-kilometre radius.
“The users who have this application can learn about the movement of the elephant, and this application is linked with the siren system. We have also placed about four camera traps in conflict zones, and these cameras are being monitored by the staff at the office to activate the siren manually,” he explained.
The cameras click pictures every minute, and these photographs are reviewed by the appointed staff, who can activate the siren if an elephant is detected within the designated area.
“We want to make this an automated system, and we are devising plans where the cameras can automatically detect wildlife movement,” he confirmed. When the sirens are activated, a voice alert message is also sent through the mobile application simultaneously.
The alert system is currently being implemented in Kodagu on a trial basis, with the NGO having formed a tracking team to monitor wildlife movements.
A total of 12 sirens have been installed across conflict zones in the Virajpet limits. The initiative is being funded by Sucden Coffee Pvt Ltd and is being implemented in collaboration with the Forest Department.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Karnataka / by Prajna GR / May 30th, 2025
A total of 25 students from the district have passed following a revaluation. Let’s find out more…
Kodagu district, which had grabbed fifth place in the state in Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) results, has now occupied fourth place after a revaluation process.
A total of 25 students who applied for revaluation have passed and the district has attained 82.40%, according to the report by The New Indian Express.
As per the results on May 2, Kodagu was in fifth position in the state with a percentage of 82.21. However, after the revaluation process, the district’s percentage has increased by 0.19, and the district has overtaken Shivamogga in the SSLC results.
A total of 25 students from the district have passed following a revaluation. Among those who applied for revaluation, 11 in Virajpet taluk, 13 in Somwarpet taluk and one student in Madikeri taluk have passed.
Earlier these students were in the failed list. With these 25 students joining the pass list, the district is moving up to the top position with a 0.19 percent increase in the pass percentage.
Meanwhile, supplementary examination is being held in two centers each in three taluks of the district. A total of 68 students have passed but are retaking the examination to improve their performance, as per the report by The New Indian Express.
Apart from these, students who have failed in various subjects are also writing the second examination as repeaters.
source: http://www.edexlive.com / EdEx Live / Home> News / May 29th, 2025
This 2025 year of our Lord, a Kannadiga writer Banu Mushtaq of Hassan, Karnataka, has won the coveted International Booker Prize for her book ‘Heart Lamp.’ The whole world loves the winner. Congratulating her many times over. She has become the literary celebrity of the English-speaking world. And the pride of Karnataka.
‘Heart Lamp’ is a Kannada book of 12 short stories. It is translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi, a daughter of Kodagu, Karnataka. She too has become a celebrity and is much acclaimed as a translator.
This Prize is awarded by the Booker Prize Foundation, UK, annually to honour the best translated work of fiction into English language from any language. For this reason, the award amount (50,000 British Pounds) is shared equally between the author and the translator. So here is my congratulations to Deepa Bhasthi too.
Banu Mushtaq, 77, (born 3rd April 1948) is a prolific writer, social activist, a lawyer and perceived to be a person who is ideologically left of centre. She herself is an acknowledged translator, her major translated work, along with B. Jayacharya, from Persian to Kannada, is a 18-Volume book, ‘Tarikh-e-Farishta,’ about the Adil Shahi Sultanate of Bijapur (now Vijayapura district).
When I first heard of the news about this translated work winning the award, I thought of James Boswell, famous for his biography of Samuel Johnson — ‘Life of Samuel Johnson.’
Samuel Johnson was the author of Johnson’s English Dictionary, the first one of its kind — “A Dictionary for the English Language.” However, he became known all over the English-speaking world only after James Boswell wrote his biography, considered a literary classic. It is said, but for James Boswell writing the biography with great literary flourish and scholarship, Samuel Johnson would not have become famous at all.
Reading the news of Booker Prize I said to myself: Ah! Here in Deepa Bhasthi, Banu Mushtaq has found her Boswell. Such serendipitous events happen in people’s life that make them unexpectedly, suddenly famous and known to the world. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa came to be known world over only after the famous French author Romain Rolland wrote his biography. Let it be.
Comparing the biography by James Boswell to this translated book might be odious here as it is not compatible. However, the reality here is the fact that but for Deepa Bhasthi translating Banu Mushtaq’s stories into English in a competent manner, to the level of winning a prize, this book would not have won the award at all.
Remember, Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa, a towering name in Kannada literature, one of the most productive writers in Kannada, whose books are translated into many Indian languages, also got translated into English. So also Dr. U.R. Ananthamurthy’s. They could not get the award — either this or any other. Therefore, one extra hurrah to Deepa Bhasthi who made possible what seemed impossible for Kannada.
e-mail: voice@starofmysore.com
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home > Abracadabra by K B Ganapathy> Columns / May 25th, 2025
With the early onset of monsoon, a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) landed in Kodagu district on Sunday night to take precautionary and relief measures during the monsoon.
Since its arrival from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, the team, comprising the 10th Battalion of NDRF, has been camping at ‘Maitri’ Police Samudaya Bhavan at the district headquarters in Madikeri. The team members will work with co-ordination in rescue and relief operations when natural disasters like mud slips, landslides, flooding, house collapse, caving of roads etc., are expected to happen due to heavy rainfall during the season.
The Police, Fire and Emergency Services, Home Guards, Revenue, Gram Panchayats and other concerned State Government bodies will join hands with the NDRF team for quick response during natural disasters and in rescue and relief operations.
No entry to water bodies
Meanwhile, in view of heavy rains, Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Venkat Raja has issued orders banning public from entering water bodies. The order comes into immediate effect and will remain in force until further notice.
The Deputy Commissioner, in the order issued on Monday, has prohibited public and tourist entry to all water falls, rivers, streams, rivulets, public ponds, dams and reservoir areas across Kodagu district. Also, swimming, diving or undertaking any adventure activities in these water bodies is strictly forbidden. Any violations will attract penal action under Section 51(B) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, along with other relevant provisions of the Law, the order said.
Movement of heavy vehicles restricted
Additionally, the DC, who also heads the Regional Transport Authority, has restricted movement of certain categories of heavy vehicles in the district from June 6 to July 5. The restriction applies to timber and sand lorries, goods carriers with a registered weight exceeding 18,500 kgs, bullet tankers, ship cargo containers and long chassis (multi-axle) vehicles.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / May 27th, 2025
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