Monthly Archives: November 2015
Springs of life
Springheads, the point where springs emerge, are to be treated carefully so that people using the waters do not cause pollution or damage.
by S. Vishwanath
This part of the beautiful Sahyadri or the Western Ghats is lush green, thanks to a long spell of rain. Talacauvery is an hour’s drive from Madikeri in Kodagu district. Here the beautiful river Cauvery rises. On the day celebrated as Sankranti, the waters appear here in a small pool. It then disappears to reappear at Bhagamandala as a stream, meeting the Kannika and the unseen Sujyoti.
What appears in Talacauvery is a spring. On the upper reaches of the hills of the Brahmagiri, rainwater infiltrates and percolates into the ground. Filling up the aquifers, it forms the groundwater in the space.
Groundwater which emerges naturally onto the surface is called a spring. As Himanshu Kulkarni, a leading hydro-geologist, would say, springs are best treated and understood as groundwater.
In India springs have long suffered neglect in terms of research. Though they have been the lifeline for many communities, especially in the hilly regions of the Himalayas, the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, not much effort has been put in to understand and model them better. Dr. Kulkarni points out many typologies for springs. In one particular case he shows how the recharge zone, where the water enters the aquifer, is on the other side of the hill from where the spring emerges.
The traditional watershed approach would fail to recharge the aquifer of this typology of springs because it would be addressing water flows and recharge in the same side of the hill without understanding the nature of the geology at the place. Instead of a ridge to valley approach to manage water, a valley to valley approach would have to be envisaged for such spring management.’ In simple language there is a recharge zone for a spring and the spring itself is in the discharge zone. Understanding, mapping and managing recharge zones is crucial to the health of the springs. For long Indians have trekked to the source of rivers and paid homage to the life-giver. They have in actuality been worshipping springs. It is time that we understood this source of water better and managed them better. That would be water wisdom.
zenrainman@gmail.com
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Kerala / by S. Vishwanath / November 28th, 2015
4 City designers to present Khadi creations in Jaipur
Four designers from Bengaluru will present their Khadi creations in Jaipur at the first edition of the Rajasthan Heritage Week, which was launched in the City on Friday.
The event, intended to promote traditional textiles, is being organised by Bengaluru-based Prasad Bidappa Associates, the Government of Rajasthan and the Khadi Board. It will be held from December 3 to 5 in Jaipur.
Pavithra Muddaya, Tara Aslam, Manish Saksena, Jason and Anshu are the Bengaluru-based designers who took part in the ‘Handmade in Rajasthan’ project. Along with designers from other parts of the country and abroad, they worked closely with traditional handloom weavers in interior villages in Rajasthan.
What started as a pilot project with Bangladeshi designer Bibi Russell was taken forward on a larger scale after the Chief Minister of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje was impressed with the collection she created. At the event on Friday, models showcased Russell’s colourful and fresh creations.
“The intention of the project is to revive our country’s traditional fabric and make it more appealing to the younger generation and for a foreign audience,” Prasad Bidappa, the organiser and chief creative director of the project, said. “Through this initiative, eight national award-winning weavers have been elevated to the status of designers with their creations being exhibited at the Rajasthan Heritage Week. That, according to me, is our biggest achievement,” he added.
Pavitra Muddaya, who runs Vimor, along with her mother Chimi Nanjappa, talked about the challenges she faced in the project. “My Hindi is very poor so communicating with the weavers was a problem.”
Muddaya has been working as a textile revivalist, documenting techniques and providing training to traditional weavers. “The way they work there, the processes, the terminology is very different from how it is in South India. It was an eye-opener for me though I have been working in this field for 40 years,” she added.
“In the past I have worked with Pethanis and Maheshwaris but this was the first time that I worked with something from Rajasthan,” said Manish Saksena who worked with traditional weavers in Kaithoon village in Rajasthan’s Kota district to create 18 sarees.
Produced entirely by hand, it took him and the weavers two months to complete them.
“Two of the people I collaborated with were master craftsmen and it was very humbling to work with them.” he added. His sarees will be sold for Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 a piece.
Tara Aslam, who has a Khadi store in Bengaluru called Nature Alley, created designs for modern travellers inspired by the tribes of Rajasthan, and Jason & Anshu of the label ‘smallshop’ designed eclectic menswear and womenswear.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> City / DHNS – Bengaluru, November 28th, 2015
Mysuru Kodava Samaja and Kodagu Gowda Samaja Celebrate Huthari Festival
Institutions premises in Kuvempunagar last evening. Picture right shows a section of community members.
Mysuru :
Huthri, the harvest festival of Kodagu, was celebrated with traditional fervour and gaiety in city yesterday by Mysuru Kodava Samaja and Kodagu Gowda Samaja respectively.
The Kodavas, who had gathered in large numbers at Sree Cauvery Educational Institutions premises in Kuvempunagar here, worshipped Goddess Lakshmi and welcomed her in the form of grains by reaping the new paddy crop. They sang the harvest (putthari) song and danced merrily.
Dressed in traditional costumes, the Kodava men and women, young and old, performed their dances like Kolaat, Bolkaat, Kathiyaat, Kappeyaat, Pareyakali and Ummathaat.
They worshipped Lord Igguthappa and Goddess Cauvery before reaping the new paddy crop amidst chanting of ‘Poli Polio Deva,’ firing three times in the air and bursting of crackers to celebrate the occasion. The festival is observed either in the month of November or December on full moon day of Rohini Nakshatra.
The Samaja had made arrangements to distribute the new paddy and thambittu prasadam to all those present.
Kodava Samaja President Moovera K. Kuttappa welcomed and spoke about the significance of the festival. Ponjanda Lovely Appaiah compered. Samaja Vice-President Ballyamanda M. Nanaiah, Hon. Secretary Mandira P. Kalaiah, Joint Secretary Chottekalapanda Prema Uthaiah and other office-bearers of the Samaja were present. The office-bearers of various other Kodava Associations in city too took active part in making the celebrations a grand success.
Meanwhile, the members of Kodagu Gowda Samaja too celebrated Huthri in a similar manner at the Samaja premises in Vijayanagar here.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Friday – November 27th, 2015
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Guddemane Appayya Gowda remembered at martyr’s day
‘It is a tragedy that British termed freedom fighters insurgents’
It is a tragedy that British termed freedom fighters like Subedar Guddemane Appayya Gowda, Sangolli Rayanna, Bhagath Singh insurgents. The historians who failed to understand it, also termed them insurgents, said MLA K G Bopaiah.
Speaking after inaugurating Subedar Guddemane Appayya Gowda Martyrs Day organised by the district administration, Kannada and Culture Department and Karnataka Arebhashe Samskrithi mathu Sahitya Academy here on Saturday, he said there were several uprisings against the British rule prior to Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. Guddemane Appayya Gowda had led an insurgency against the British.
He said that there are miscreants who try to divide the society. “Let us pledge to work towards the integrated development of the district and spread the messages of Guddemane Appayya Gowda and Field Marshal K M Cariappa.”
Kodagu district Kannada Sahitya Parishat president T P Ramesh said that those who have no knowledge about history can not create it.”
He said Appayya Gowda should not be restricted to a community. Karnataka Arebhashe Sahitya mathu Samskrithi Academy and Karnataka Kodava Academy should document the history of the district. Karnataka State Handicrafts Development Corporation Chairperson Veena Achaiah, Kodava Academy president B S Thammaiah, Madikeri CMC president Shreemathi Bangera were present.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DHNS / Madikeri, November 01st, 2015
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Nandan Nilekani, Rohan Murty contribute Rs 1.5 crore for welfare of ex-staff at Bishop Cottons Boys School
Bengaluru :
Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani and Rohan Murty, have together contributed Rs 1.5 crore towards a corpus that former students of Bengaluru’s Bishop Cottons Boys School are building for retired staff members of their school.
Murty, son of the other Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy, and Nilekani are among the scores of illustrious citizens the school has produced in its 150-year history. The alumni are confident the corpus will grow in size.
An announcement about the fund, and Nilekani’s anchor donation of Rs 50 lakh, was made by Aditya Sondhi, another old Cottonian, and Managing Trustee of General K.S.Thimayya Memorial Trust at the school on Saturday on the occasion of 11th General KSThimayya memorial lecture. (The general was a Cottonian too, and this year’s lecture was delivered by Rahul Rao, lecturer in politics at the University of London, and Rohan Murty himself.)
Murty, who has announced a cheque of Rs 1 crore, said the teachers and other staff members have given 30-40 years of their life to the service of the school and its students. “I was very touched by the initiative. And, when i heard about Nandan’s contribution, i decided i should also emulate him. I hope more people will come forward, and contribute,” Murthy said, and added, “The fund is our way of expressing our gratitude to our teachers and other staff members.”
The fund is reflective of the strong bond that exists between the school’s former students and staff in all ranks including those worked as lab assistants, attendants etc. “We thought we should provide an opportunity for ex-students to express their gratitude and affection towards the teachers and others,” said CN Kumar, a Cottonian from the 1970 batch, Nilekani’s classmate.
Kumar runs a startup consultancy called Advantage Offshore Knowledge Services, and serves on the Thimayya Memorial Trust.
In addition to annual cash rewards to retired staffers, the fund —which Kumar hopes will grow to at least Rs 5 crore — will meet expenses arising out of medical emergencies of retired staffers and the education needs of their children. Contributions to the trust are eligible for income tax exemption.
The school, which is an old Bengaluru landmark, has produced many stalwarts including former chief of naval staff Admiral Vijay Singh Shekhawat, nuclear scientist Raja Ramanna and cricketer Brijesh Patel.
On Saturday, the Trust gave away Rs 1 lakh each to retired staffers Iqbal Ahmed (NCC commandant), Channappa Gowda (Kannad Novea teacher) Antony (pantry helper) and J Martin (lab assistant).
source: http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / ET Home> News> Company> Corporate Trends / by K R Balasubramanyam, ET Bureau / November 23rd, 2015
