Rotary Mysore Midtown and Shrisainik Family had organised an event at Rotary Centre Hall on JLB Road last evening where the ‘Rotary Sainik Desh Rathna’ award was presented to Ballachanda Maj. Akshay Thimmaiah by Maj Gen. (Retd.) S.G. Vombatkere.
Akshay Thimmaiah is the son of Ballachanda Sudha Bopanna and Ballachanda Prakash Bopanna, residents of Kuvempunagar in city. He is married to Mundanda Nidhi Ponnamma.
Speaking on the occasion, Akshay Thimmaiah opined that the Indian Army always welcomed people with leadership qualities and communication skills. He added that serving in the military was a noble one. He contended that a soldier would always be an inspiration for the youth. Hence he asked the youth to join the military and serve the nation.
Continuing, Akshay observed that a soldier should have great patience and perseverance to reach a goal. However, he opined that the honour and respect given to soldiers should also be extended to their family members.
Rotary Mysore Midtown President Narendra Babu, Hon. Secretary Naveen Chandra, Shrisainik Family’s K.V. Bhaskar and G. Madhura, Akshay’s wife Nidhi and his family members were present.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / February 15th, 2018
Air Commodore Kalianda A. Muthana flies indigenous fighter plane for 40 minutes
Bengaluru:
The first Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejasin Final Operational Clearance (FOC)-Standard (SP-21) took to the skies for its maiden flight in Bengaluru on Tuesday last, the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) said.
Piloted by Air Commodore Kalianda Appaya Muthana (Retd.), Chief Test Flying (Fixed Wing), the aircraft took-off from HAL Airport at around 12.30 pm, the Bengaluru-headquartered defence Public Sector Unit said in a statement. It was air-borne for 40 minutes.
This flight signifies exemplary team work between various stakeholders of the LCA Tejas programme such as HAL, Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance, Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), Indian Air Force (IAF) and Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), HAL Chairman and Managing Director R. Madhavan said.
K.A.Muthana
15 fighters by April 2021
HAL is targeting 15 fighters by April 2021. The flight is the first step in a series of things lined up to enable the IAF raise a second squadron of Tejas in Sulur, Tamil Nadu. The first squadron of Tejas — Flying Daggers — is already operating from there.
“HAL achieved the momentous feat within a record time of 12 months after release of Drawing Applicability List (DAL) and SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) by CEMILAC”, the statement said. “This would pave the way for production of remaining 15 fighters from FOC (Final Operational Clearance) block, which are planned to be delivered during the next financial year,” it said.
Advanced features
The FOC aircraft are equipped with advanced features such as Air-to-Air refuelling and Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile system. “It imbibes a lot of manufacturing improvements which were based on the operational feedback of LCA-IOC (Initial Operational Clearance) fleet with IAF”, HAL said.
On February 20, 2019, the IAF had finally agreed that the indigenously developed and built Tejas was combat-ready and received the ‘release to service’ certificate — which means the fighter got the FOC — from DRDO, whose lab Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) designed the aircraft.
First conceived in 1983
The aircraft, which was first conceived in 1983, is being produced by HAL. Although it was conceived in 1983, the project was only sanctioned in 1993. The FOC and release to service happened close on the heels of the final DAL (Drawing Applicability Lists) of Tejas was released to HAL on Dec. 31.
The aircraft was named Tejas (meaning radiance in Sanskrit) by Atal Bihari Vajpayee when he was the Prime Minister.
The cost of the programme is estimated at Rs. 39,000 crore. Tejas will eventually replace the ageing fleet of MiG-21 planes. All squadrons of Tejas will be made up of 20 planes in total, including four in reserve.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / March 19th, 2020
Air Cmde Muthana got a ‘dousing’ reception as he got out of the TEJAS after the flight that landed it the Final Operational Clearance
As Muthu taxied back to the dispersal after the Final Operational Clearance (FOC) sortie of the TEJAS Mk1 SP-17, now with a tail number of LA-2017, on March 17, 2019, he was clearly surprised by the reception he got. The spontaneous celebration that involved some water-dousing and hoisting him on their shoulders by his Light Combat Aircraft team and the large group of HAL employees was heart-warming to say the least.
Air Commodore Kalianda Appaya Muthana has been probably among the few outstanding fighter pilots and professionals of my generation who did not rise to the very upper echelons of the IAF leadership. Reticent and soft-spoken, but with just a hint of swagger, he was a natural flier from the word go, and though I never served alongside him in any squadron, he was a highly rated fighter jock wherever he went.
No one knows this better than Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa (Retd) , the IAF’s previous chief and Muthana’s squadron-mate on MiG-21s in 29 Squadron (Scorpios). Dhanoa reminisces, “We were together for the first time in the early 1980s on the MiG-21 Type 96 in Sirsa, and then again as senior squadron leaders on the same type in Jamnagar, where I was the flight commander. The squadron was assessed very highly by the IAF’s inspection team and after I left, Muthu took over as flight commander – the good run continued, with the Scorpios winning the IAF’s marksmanship trophy called Ekalavya. He was free, frank, fair and fearless.”
After tick-marking all the boxes in his career, Muthu followed the traditional path of the creamy layer of fighter pilots as he transitioned from being a flying instructor to joining the elite band of test pilots, commanding a squadron and a fighter base. Chosen to lead the SU-30 upgrade project in Russia, he returned two years later to take charge as the Chief Operations Officer of Air Force Station Pune, home to the first SU-30 MKI squadron (20 Squadron).
After leading the National Flight Test Centre (NFTC), which was closely involved with HAL in pushing the TEJAS towards squadron induction, Muthu quit the IAF to join HAL. It was a time when the TEJAS project had taken off for sure but had not lit its afterburners yet! Though the first order for 40 aircraft had already been signed and production of the initial series had commenced, the project needed further credibility as it grappled with issues of maintainability and sortie generation rates in the first IAF squadron. It was an ideal transition and a win-win situation for both HAL and the IAF as there could not have been a better professional to steer the project from Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) to the recent FOC.
His fellow HAL test pilots on the programme, Harsh Vardhan Thakur, Subroto Chaki and Pratyush Awasthi highlighted two solid outcome-driven achievements during his stint as Chief Fixed Wing Test Pilot. He first managed to convince the MoD and the IAF top brass to back the ‘doable’ TEJAS MK-1A rather than the over-the-top TEJAS MK-II. It is now almost a done deal. The second was his initiative to create a formal practitioner and subject matter expert-driven strategic process within HAL that has resulted in the emergence of synergy between pilots, designers, engineers and management, and allowed HAL to communicate effectively with users and think big. The possibility of developing a twin-engine TEJAS, both for the Indian Navy and IAF, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft and a range of unmanned aerial vehicles are now all within the realm of possibility.
India’s TEJAS project has still some distance to go before it wins the complete trust of the IAF’s fighter pilots, with several of them arguing that even a futuristic twin-engine TEJAS MK-II will not match up to the Rafale in every domain. However, it now appears to be on a stable footing with complete government and corporate backing, and an excellent and committed team. A current TEJAS test pilot argues, “TEJAS now represents India in a big way – not just HAL anymore. TEJAS-bashing should get behind us, sooner than later.”
If HAL can ramp up its production rates, address reliability and maintainability in the field, the TEJAS MK-1A may well have triggered a renaissance in contemporary Indian fighter development, and Muthu, who retires from HAL today (March 31), can well be certain that he has been a major catalyst in this transformation.
source: http://www.indiandefensenews.in / Indian Defense News / Home / by Indian Defense News / March 31st, 2020
(further source: Deccan Herald / March 31st, 2020 / by Arjun Subramaniam, Retd Air Vice Marshal of the the IAF, a military historian and strategic commentator)
‘Enclave,’ the 18th College Day celebration of Coorg Institute of Technology (CIT), run by Kodava Education Society (KES), will be held at its campus in Halligattu, Ponnampet, South Kodagu, on May 13 at 10.30 am.
MP Pratap Simha and Maj. Gen. (retd.) K. Arjun Muthanna, SM, will be the chief guests. Dr. Deepak Poola Chandrashekar, Cloud Solution architect, IBM, Bengaluru and B. Akshaya Bojamma, Data Quality Analyst, Apple Care, Victoria, Melbourne, Australia, will be the guests of honour. The event will be presided over by C.P. Belliappa, Hon. President, KES.
International Conference
CIT has also organised an ‘International Conference on Emerging Trends in Science and Engineering (ICETSE-2017)’ on May 11 and 12 at its campus in Ponnampet. The Conference will be inaugurated on May 11 at 10 am. KES Co-opted Director Dr. J. Ponnamma Machaiah will be the guest of honour. KES President C.P. Belliappa will preside. Bhandari Srinivas Institute of Technology (Telangana) Principal Dr. V.S. Giridhar Akula will deliver the keynote address.
The valedictory will be held on May 12 at 2 pm. Dr. D.H. Manjaiah, Department of Computer Science, Mangalore University, Dr. C.P. Rakesh Poovaiah, Secretary, KES and C.M. Raja Nanjappa, Jt. Secretary, KES will be the special guests. Dr. M.C. Kariappa, Vice-President, KES, will preside. Dr. P. Mahabaleshwarappa, Principal, CIT, will be the Conference Convenor. C. Nanjan Biddappa, Asst. Professor, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, CIT, will be the Conference Co-ordinator.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / May 08th, 2017
The following students of Coorg Institute Pre-University College (CIPUC) in Halligattu, Ponnampet, have swooped 13 prizes and topped Kodagu in the District-level Cultural Meet organised by PU Board at Junior College in Madikeri recently.
II PUC: H.R. Minchu – 2nd prize in Monoacting; Shraddha Shastry – 2nd prize in Folk Song; N. Chetna Vivek – 3rd prize in Light Music; T.S. Aparna Bharadwaj – 2nd prize in Devotional Song; Chaincy Rai – 3rd prize in English Debate.
I PUC: M.B. Donvi Dechamma – 3rd prize in Monoacting; K.N. Pushya Poovamma – 3rd prize in Light Music; T.U. Mahitha – 1st prize in Folk Song; C.S. Devika – 2nd prize in Devotional Song; Aman Appachu – 1st prize in English Essay; A. Shivani Madappa – 3rd prize in Kannada Debate; N. Pranamya Kalappa – 1st prize in English Debate and P.P. Lipthi – 3rd in Pick and Speak.
A group photo of CIPUC students who excelled in sports and games.
Sports: CIPUC students have also excelled in Sports during the academic year 2019-20.
Kodava Education Society has released a souvenir titled ‘The Silver Lining (1999-2024)’ to commemorate the silver jubilee celebrations of the Coorg Institute of Technology in Ponnampet, Kodagu district.
The souvenir features messages from various VVIPs and dignitaries, including Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, who has extended his best wishes to the management, students and the souvenir team.
Other notable messages include those from the Minister for Higher Education Dr. M.C. Sudhakar, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Chairman Prof. T.G. Sitharam, Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) Vice Chancellor Dr. S. Vidyashankar, former Kodava Education Society President C.P. Belliappa (who served from 2007 to 2022), current Society President Dr. M.C. Kariappa, Hon. Secretary C.P. Rakesh Poovaiah, Founding Principal Prof. Chaluve Gowda, Principal Dr. M. Basavaraj and various alumni.
The Coorg Institute of Technology, established in 1999, has been a boon not only to the youths of Kodagu but also to engineering aspirants across the State. The souvenir acknowledges the contributions of Executive Committee members from 1997 to the present and philanthropists who aided establishment of engineering college over the past two-and-a-half decades. Additionally, the souvenir highlights academic and sports achievements of students and ialumni who have made a mark in various fields.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / July 09th, 2024
K.R. Vasudev, a Class VII student of Coorg Public School (COPS), Gonikoppal, bagged the first position in Kumite Under 14 Category (60+ kgs) at the CISCE (Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations) State-level Karate Championship held at the Christ School in Bengaluru recently.
The event saw an impressive turn out of Karate enthusiasts from around 140 ICSE schools in Karnataka showcasing their skills across various weight and age categories.
Vasudev will be representing Karnataka State in the CISCE National-level Karate Competition to be held in Uttar Pradesh in the month of September, 2024.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / July 25th, 2024
The U-17 hockey team of Coorg Public School & PU College (COPS), Gonikoppal, won the CISCE (Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations) Regional-level Hockey Tournament held at Bengaluru recently by 1-0 against St. Joseph’s European High School.
The lone goal for the winner was scored by M.S. Mayaan Muthanna. The team played against Clarance Public School in the qualifying match and won with an easy score of 6-0. Played semi-finals against Vidyashilp Academy and won by 2-0. The team continued its winning streak and won the finals against St. Joseph European School (1-0).
The stellar performance of the team was seen throughout the tournament and the team will now represent Karnataka in CISCE Nationals which will be held at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, Odisha in the coming days.
K. Dhanya Subbaiah, President of the School Trust, was also present in the Stadium to inspire the team.
Management, Principal, Staff and students have congratulated K.N. Milan, Physical Director & Coach and also K.C. Biddappa for their best efforts.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / July 25th, 2024
Speaking to the media regarding the NEET irregularities, the minister demanded stringent action against the culprits.
Sharanprakash Rudrappa Patil during the visit to District Hospital and KoIMS. (Photo |Express)
Madikeri :
Minister for Medical Education and Skill Development, Dr Sharan Prakash R. Patil, assured the establishment of a heart examination centre in Kodagu.
During his visit to the Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences (KoIMS) on Friday, he confirmed that the heart examination centre for the district would be announced during the next budget.
“A cardiac care centre under the Public-Private Partnership will be announced in the next budget for the district. Steps will be taken to complete the new hospital building at the District Hospital premises in Madikeri,” the minister confirmed.
He explained that following the efforts of Madikeri MLA Dr Mantar Gowda, an MRI machine has been installed at the District Hospital, and the same will be inaugurated shortly.
He confirmed that Rs 55 crore to Rs 60 crore in funds are required for the completion of the Women and Children Hospital in Madikeri and said, “Steps will be taken to sanction the funds through the finance department. There is a shortage of doctors, and the same will be addressed shortly. Young doctors are keen on working in small districts, and steps will be taken to introduce PG courses in medicine.”
The minister inspected the various ongoing works across the district hospital and observed the functioning of the various units at the centre.
Speaking to the media regarding the NEET irregularities, the minister demanded stringent action against the culprits.
“The government has jeopardized the future of 24 lakh students. The centre has failed to make the examinations transparent. There is absolute transparency when the state conducts the CET examination. The union system has been affected by NEET, and when questioned regarding the same, Rahul Gandhi was insulted by the central government. It is suspected that these irregularities were reported earlier too,” he opined.
He lashed out at the centre, alleging that NEET is the biggest scam of the Modi-led government.
MLA Dr Mantar Gowda, DC Venkat Raja, and others were present during the minister’s visit. The minister also interacted with the KoIMS students and addressed their various problems.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Karnataka / by Prajna G R / July 05th, 2024
Nellamakkada Sheela (Kullachanda), wife of N.B. Kaverappa of Bharani Art Gallery, Mysuru and a resident of Vivekananda Nagar here, passed away yesterday afternoon in city. She was 71.
A native of Kavadi village in Ammathi, she leaves behind her husband, one son, one daughter and a host of relatives and friends.
Last rites were held at the foot of Chamundi Hill this noon.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Obituary / July 01st, 2024
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