Category Archives: Inspiration / Positive News and Features

Subedar Guddemane Appaiah Gowda Memorial Day Observed In City

Mysore/Mysuru:

Nammuru Nammoru Samaja Seva Trust, Mysuru, observed Martyred Freedom Fighter Subedar Guddemane Appaiah Gowda Memorial Day at an event held at Jaladarshini Guest House recently.

Veteran writer Dr. C.P. Krishnakumar (CPK) inaugurated the programme by showering petals on the portrait of Appaiah Gowda.

Speaking on the occasion,  CPK said that the year 1857 is a very significant year in the history of freedom struggle. Pointing out that the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny was the first major battle in the fight for the country’s independence from the Britishers, he said that we have read about great freedom warriors such as Mangal Pandey and Tatya Tope who laid down their lives. 

Noting that the first independence revolution took place in 1837, 20 years before the sepoy mutiny of 1857, the veteran writer said that many great freedom fighters such as Tipu Sultan, Rani Chennamma, Sangolli Rayanna, Parampara of Kodagu, Kalyanaswamy, Guddemane Appaiah Gowda, Kedambadi Ramegowda and Kudiya brothers had laid down their lives much earlier fighting the Britishers.

Recalling that the people of Kodagu revolted when the Britishers divided the then Coorg State into Kasaragod, Puttur and Sullia and brought them under Madras Province, he said that warriors from Kodagu such as Nanjaiah, Kedambadi Ramegowda and Guddemane Appaiah Gowda are an inspiration for generations to come.

Noting that Appaiah Gowda led the ‘Katukai battle’ (Amara Sullia Dange) against the British in 1837, Dr. CPK said that he was one of the greatest heroes Kodagu has produced. Stating that Appaiah Gowda was a symbol of patriotism, self-respect and pride of Kodagu, he said that Appaiah Gowda, who was hanged by the British in front of Madikeri Fort in 1837 for leading protests against colonial power, did not want outsiders to have a say in the affairs of Kodagu. 

He urged the Government to set up an Authority for sensitising the public on the sacrifices made by Appaiah Gowda and all other great freedom fighters of the times and on the significance of Amara Sullia Dange (Sullia rebellion).

Trust President Satish Gowda, Vice-President Kumar Gowda, Gen. Secretary A. Ravi, Dist. Vokkaliga Assn. Vice-President Gururaj, Director Ravi, Dentist Lokesh and others were present.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / November 03rd, 2020

‘Swachh Bharat’ Lesson!

  • Alert ex-GP President in Kodagu makes Mysuru youths return to Madikeri to pick up their trash 
  • Thanks the tourists for responding positively

Madikeri:

A vigilant Kodava has made the entire Kodagu District proud by making a group of tourists from Mysuru, who had thrown garbage on roadside, to come back and pick it up. His appeal through social media not only got a tremendous response from people but also sent a message loud and clear that  ‘You cannot take everyone, everyplace and everything for granted.’

The ‘hero’ of this incident is Madetira Thimmaiah, a former President of Kadagadaalu Gram Panchayat in Madikeri taluk. On Friday, Thimmaiah while travelling in his four-wheeler saw the empty Pizza packets and the paper bag thrown on roadside near Kodagu Vidyalaya junction. He stopped his vehicle, checked the bag and found the bill which had the mobile number of the customer. 

Without wasting time, he video-recorded the strewn garbage on his mobile phone and put it on the social media platform. When he called the mobile number mentioned in the bill, he was told that it was Chirag of Mysuru who along with his friends came to Madikeri. 

Thimmaiah, ex-GP President

Chirag reportedly told Thimmaiah that he had bought the pizza from a Pizza Shop in Madikeri, and had disposed the trash on roadside. When Thimmaiah asked Chirag to come and pick up the garbage, the latter told him that he was almost near Mysuru and it would take another three hours for him to come back. 

However, the former GP President did not budge and said he would wait for three hours failing which a Police complaint will be lodged. 

Meanwhile, Thimmaiah appealed to the citizens of Kodagu to call up that mobile phone number to ask him to come back and collect the garbage, which received overwhelming response. 

After three hours, Chirag and his friends, not only came back but also tendered an apology for their ‘negligence.’ However, the embarrassed youths appealed Thimmaiah not to film their faces to which the former obliged. The youths collected the empty packets and promised to dispose the same at their house bins.

Later, Thimmaiah put another video on social media of Chirag holding the empty packets in the paper bag and carrying with him. Thanking the people of Kodagu for supporting his campaign to keep the hilly district green and clean, Thimmaiah also appealed one and all to join hands in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. 

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / October 31st, 2020

Appointed As DG Of Civil Aviation Security

New Delhi:

Kodagu-born Maneyapanda Appaiah Ganapathy, IPS, has been appointed as the Director General (DG) of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). 

The 1986 batch, Uttarakhand cadre IPS Officer, is currently CISF Special Director-General and Head of the Airport sector. 

PM Modi-headed Appointments Committee of Cabinet recently approved the Aviation Ministry’s proposal to appoint Ganapathy as DG BCAS till his superannuation on Feb. 29, 2024, or until further orders, whichever earlier.

Ganapathy has been awarded the President’s Medal for meritorious service and he was later decorated with the President’s Medal for distinguished service.

He completed his primary and secondary education at Ponnampet in Kodagu and graduated from the Madras Christian College, Tambaram. He studied his Post-Graduation at JNU New Delhi.

He is the son of Maneyapanda Appaiah (Vittala lawyer) and Premalatha, retired teacher, of Kunda in Virajpet taluk. Ganapathy is married to Sandhya and they have a son.

“Given his experience as heading Aviation security sector of CISF, Ganapathy is the right person for the position of DG BCAS,” said a senior official. 

The post of DG fell vacant after Rakesh Asthana, a Gujarat cadre 1984 batch IPS Officer, was appointed as the DG, Border Security Force (BSF) in August this year. Asthana is also holding additional charge of DG, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / October 15th, 2020

GTN, A Legend And A Luminary

Voice of the Reader:

Sir, 

KBG’s  ‘Nostalgically Speaking-8’ write-up on Prof. G.T. Narayana Rao in SOM dated Sept.6, 2020, has prompted me to write about my association with him since 1975. He joined our team of Ganabharathi as Committee Member in 1980 when I was the Vice-President. 

Guddehittalu Thimmappaiah Narayana Rao, GTN as he was popularly called, after his early education in Madikeri and Mangalore passed MA in Mathematics at Madras (1947). Lecturer in Madikeri College (1953-63) was his first appointment. After a three-year stint in Government College in Bangalore he came to Mysore in 1969 to settle down. He was absolutely simple in his dress, wearing white pant and bush shirt and chappals, going on a cycle or by walk wherever he had to go but equally forthright in speaking his mind out. He was a role model to some of us who were much younger to him.

GTN took the mantle of collecting funds for the construction of Veene Seshanna Bhavana on Adichunchanagiri road. His slogan was ‘Jagannatha’s Rath has to be drawn by all’ and  believed in ‘No great work has ever suffered for want of funds.’ He never hesitated to ask any stranger for funds and he even carried a receipt book in his bag to give it readily. His involvement was so much as he did not spare some of the shop owners on Sayyaji Rao and Dhanvanthri Roads. 

I fondly remember him barging into my clinic even during busy hours just to tell me a ‘vismaya’ (miracle in his words) that he collected a few hundred rupees. The major donation of Rs. 1 lakh he got was from Dr. Veerendra Heggade of Dharmasthala who was his student in a Bangalore College. 

As the estimated cost of construction was Rs.12 lakh he had to make a couple of trips to Bombay. Once he was invited by the  Bombay University to deliver a lecture on Science subjects offering him the flight and hotel charges. He politely refused to accept it and travelled in Gandhi class and stayed for a few days in his friend’s house asking the organisers to make that amount as a donation to Ganabharathi!

His love for Karnatak music started while he was in  Madras and it continued till his end in 2008. His reviews on music were unbiased and forthright, sometimes quite open and critical too. 

Ganabharathi on the occasion of Veene Seshanna Bhavan’s  Silver Jubilee in 2016 posthumously honoured GTN with a Silver Plaque which was received by his wife Lakshmi Devi Rao. It is also gratifying to note that a memorial music concert is instituted in his memory in Ganabharathi. His admirers have contributed handsomely to this fund.

Being an avid student of Science he always used to quote Einstein’s popular saying ‘Science without religion is lame and Religion without science is blind’. He has written several books on science including Nobel Laureates Einstein and Chandrashekar. One of his books in Kannada ‘Vijnanada Moolatatvagalu’ has won an award also.  After becoming the President of Ganabharathi in 2011, I am proud to say that I am following his footsteps in collecting funds for the development of the institution. 

I would like to conclude with GTN’s yet another selfless service for a cause. With his intense commitment to the improvement of art and culture in Mysuru he had provided free of cost a place in his house for the noted Dance Master late Muralidhara Rao to conduct his classes.

Dr. C.G. Narasimhan, Mysuru, 9.10.2020

source:http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Voice of the Reader / by Dr C G Narasimhan / October 22nd, 2020

Avid Birder’s Wildlife Message Cards 2020

Mysore/Mysuru:

 Dr. S.V. Narasimhan, a family physician based at Virajpet in Kodagu district, is an avid birder, nature lover, adept at computers, Karnatak music and astronomy.

Author of Feathered Jewels of Coorg, a field-guide to 310 species of birds found in Coorg, Dr. Narasimhan is the pioneer in spreading wildlife conservation messages through his unique hand-painted Wildlife Message Cards that are sent free to individuals throughout the world to mark the Wildlife Week.

Total number of hand-painted cards made by him this year is 1,930; in 36 years, 72,655 cards. Total recipients this year including Star of Mysore – 1,010; in 36 years – 13,004 persons.

The Special Wildlife Messenger of this year is Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) — This is the most common garden bird of India. It has a black chest that is turned forwards and has bright red patches on the cheeks and vent. Melodiously vocal, it feeds on fruits, nectar and small insects.

Bulbuls are mostly monogamous. They build an open cup-shaped nest made of rootlets and leaves lined with soft fibre. They live for about 10-11 years.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / October 20th, 2020

Karnataka: Items from bygone era enthrall people

Visitors look at the vast range of antique utensils and other items exhibited from the collection of Ponnacchana Madhu in Madikeri on Friday.

She was speaking after inaugurating the exhibition of antique items from the collection of Ponnacchana Madhu at Coffee Krupa building near Raja Seat in Madikeri on Friday. The exhibition a part of Janapada Dasara, was organised by Taluk Janapada Parishat.

“The items that were used by our ancestors had scientific applications. Some utensils in the older days were designed to improve the health of people. Unfortunately, the young generation is forgetting the significance of the livelihood of their ancestors,” she added.

Zilla Janapada Parishat president B G Anantashayana said that the folklore was close to nature. Folklore is a form of knowledge. But, the modernity has been taking us away from this knowledge, he added.

Taluk Janapada Parishat president Anil H T said that Ponnacchana Madhu, the exhibitor, had collected rare items in the last three years.

These items will be on display till October 26. The work by Madhu and Preethu couple is laudable, he added.

Collector and Exhibitor Ponnacchana Madhu said that he purchased old items in the households, after convincing the elders in the houses. Many tourists have been willing to purchase them from me. However, they are not for sale. The collection began with an old lamp contributed by an old lady called Arifa Munavar, a scrap dealer in Madikeri.

Taluk Janapada Parishat Treasurer Ambekal Navin Kushalappa, Parishat Directors Savita Rakesh and Veenakshi were present.

Exquisite collection

The collection showcases traditional weapons, a 120-year-old mud bowl, an ancient lamp from a temple in Tamilnadu with 84 diyas, puja items, African dolls, bronze items,  utensils, coffee grinding machines and so on.

The agricultural equipment are an added attraction.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State / by DHNS, Madikeri / October 17th, 2020

C.B. Muthamma’s Battle Against a Gendered Foreign Service

The doors of diplomacy were not welcoming of women for a good part of the 20th century.

Until 1946, the UK did not allow women into its foreign service. The foreign and commonwealth office was apprehensive about British prestige being endangered abroad as it felt that a foreign government would perceive it as an insult to conduct diplomacy with a woman diplomat.

Some believed :  “A clever woman would not be liked, an attractive woman would not be taken seriously.”

Both the UK and the US had rules which stipulated that a female diplomat should resign from service after her marriage.

The situation in India was not too different in the 20th century and this is the story of C.B. Muthamma, the first woman to join the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). She encountered sexism right from the initial interview conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and had to fight for her promotions and seniority even after putting in years of service.

Muthamma excelled in the UPSC examinations conducted in 1948. During her interview, she was in for a rude shock when the chairman of the UPSC tried to dissuade her from joining the IFS. Muthamma alleged that he later admitted that he had used his authority to ensure that she was awarded low marks in the viva voce. Soon after being inducted into the IFS, she was asked to sign an undertaking that she would resign when she gets married.

In 1979, she petitioned the Supreme Court after she was denied ambassadorship and promotion to grade I of the IFS despite an unblemished record. More importantly, the court’s attention was drawn to two misogynistic service rules of the IFS.

Rule 8(2) of the Indian Foreign Service (Conduct and Discipline) Rules, 1961 stipulated that a woman member of the service had to obtain permission from the government before marrying and the government could ask her to resign if it was satisfied that her “family and domestic commitments” would affect her performance. Rule 18(4) of the Indian Foreign Service (Recruitment, Cadre, Seniority and Promotion) Rules, 1961 stipulated that no married woman had a right to be a member of the IFS.

During the course of the hearing, the government informed the court that it had repealed Rule 18(4). However, the solicitor general defended Rule 8(2) by contending that the rule intended to prevent married women from leaking confidential information and thereby endanger security. This contention exposed how misogynistic the government was. The rule rested on an absurd premise that a married man was unlikely to leak confidential information while a married woman could not be trusted! Also, the rule presumed that it was only a woman who could have “family and domestic commitments” after marriage which could affect her performance.

As the case progressed, the government perhaps felt that the court was not inclined to accept its justification of the rule and hence assured the court that the rule was all set to be deleted and the same would be announced in the official gazette.

Interestingly, after Muthamma challenged the denial of promotion, the government suddenly retracted its assessment that she was not meritorious enough to be appointed as an ambassador. Before the court pronounced its verdict, she was appointed as the ambassador to The Hague and the government even assured the court that her seniority, which was affected by the late promotion, would be restored.

As the government addressed/promised to address, the issues raised in the petition while the case was pending, the court did not have to issue directions to the government. However, Justice Krishna Iyer, who authored the judgment, pointed out that Rule 8(2) and Rule 18(4) were unconstitutional as they violated the principles of equality and non discrimination enshrined in Articles 14, 15 and 16 of the Constitution. He began the judgement with the following line :

“This writ petition by Miss Muthamma, a senior member of the Indian Foreign Service, bespeaks a story which makes one wonder whether Articles 14 and 16 belong to myth or reality”.

He observed that “masculine hubris” haunted the Ministry of External Affairs and described the rules as misogynous and a hangover of a culture of masculinity which suppressed women. The judgment urged the government to remove “stains of gender discrimination” from all the service rules without waiting for “ad hoc inspirations” from petitions filed in the court.

Muthamma’s story suggests that calling out misogyny in the language of rights and constitutional values can act as a powerful nudge. By publicising the discrimination, she effectively abashed the foreign service and forced it to introspect. Also, her efforts enabled the Supreme Court to condemn misogyny in service rules and this judgement has served as a guiding precedent for courts while deciding cases of gender discrimination.

Rahul Machaiah  is a post graduate student of law at Azim Premji University, Bangalore.

Featured image credit: Wikipedia (Editing: LiveWire)

source: http://www.livewire.thewire.in / Live Wire / Home> Gender & Sexuality / by Rahul Machaiah / October 14th, 2020

Top cop visits Kodagu, holds review meet

HIGHLIGHTS

DGP Praveen Sood visited Kodagu on Sunday, as part of his tour to all the districts to boost the morale of police in Covid-19 pandemic situation, at a time when 150 police personnel in Kodagu alone are tested positive for coronavirus and 31 cases are active.

DGP Praveen Sood and IGP Southern Range Vipul Kumar during their visit to Kodagu on Sunday
DGP Praveen Sood and IGP Southern Range Vipul Kumar during their visit to Kodagu on Sunday

Kodagu:

DGP Praveen Sood visited Kodagu on Sunday, as part of his tour to all the districts to boost the morale of police in Covid-19 pandemic situation, at a time when 150 police personnel in Kodagu alone are tested positive for coronavirus and 31 cases are active.

According to Praveen Sood, as many as 8,000 police personnel in the State are tested positive for Covid-19 so far and, 1,500 cases are active, and 72 police personnel lost their lives.

According to IGP Southern Range Vipul Kumar who accompanied Praveen Sood, in southern range alone including Mysuru, Kodagu, Chamarajnagar, Mandya and Hassan, as many as 794 police personnel are tested positive for Covid-19 and 181 cases are active and seven police personnel lost their lives.

Praveen Sood also held a district level review meeting of Police Department on Sunday in Kodgu. He said the Covid-19 cases in Kodagu are comparatively less. (Kodagu has registered 3115 Covid-19 positive cases, 574 cases are active and there are 48 deaths so far). Damages are lesser during floods and landslides during heavy southwest monsoons this year (from 5 August to 10 August), compared to past two years. He lauded the efforts of police in handling Covid-19 pandemic situation and also on their role in handling natural disaster situation in Kodagu.

He also said they are taking all measures to root out drug menace completely in the State. When contacted, Kodagu SP Kshama Mishra said Kodagu police have registered 22 cases related to growing, selling and circulation of marijuana and other drugs in Kodagu district this year.

On allegations of parties involving drugs at homestays and resorts in Kodagu, she said that no such cases are found this year.

source: http://www.thehansindia.com / The Hans India / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Hans News Service / October 05th, 2020

MA Ganapathy Appointed Director General of Civil Aviation Security

pix: twitter.com/CISFHQrs

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Ganapathy, IPS, to the post of Director General, BCAS, for a tenure up to his superannuation on February 29, 2024, the order  said.

Senior IPS officer M A Ganapathy has been appointed as the Director General of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), according to a Personnel Ministry order issued on Tuesday. He is a 1986 batch IPS officer of Uttarakhand cadre.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Ganapathy, IPS, to the post of Director General, BCAS, for a tenure up to his superannuation on February 29, 2024, the order said. The post of BCAS chief fell vacant after Rakesh Asthana was appointed as the Director General of Border Security Force in August.

source: http://www.news18.com / News18 India / Home> India / by PTI / New Delhi, October 06th, 2020

Kodagu SP Launches Cauvery Pade To Safeguard Women, Children

The 18-member all-women team includes two ASIs

Madikeri:

‘Cauvery Pade’ (Cauvery Force), an all-women Police team to tackle crimes against women and children in Kodagu district, was launched by Kodagu SP Kshama Mishra here on Thursday last.

Speaking on the occasion, Kshama Mishra said that the team will have two Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs) and 16 other Police personnel. 

“The Force will act against atrocities and crimes against children, girls and women. The Force will make regular rounds around schools and colleges, accommodations where there are more number of women and other women-dominated places and will act against anyone found behaving in an obscene or indecent way and harassing or stalking women,” she said.

Continuing, the SP said that ‘Cauvery Pade’ has been formed on the lines of ‘Abbakka Pade’ in Udupi, ‘Obavva Pade’ in Chitradurga and ‘Chamundi Pade’ in Mysuru. The patrol team will make rounds from 8 am to 6 pm in the limits of all prominent Police Stations of the district, focussing on schools and colleges for ensuring the safety of girl students. 

The members of the public can call 100 in case of trouble or distress, she said and added that the mobile numbers of all the eighteen personnel attached to this women Police team, will be announced soon as the higher authorities issue them.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / October 06th, 2020