Rishikesh

Search for Google ends in Karnataka Rishikesh Bahadur Desai, TNN Nov 27, 2009, 03.49am IST RAICHUR: You can't google in Google. For, Google, a tiny village about 510km north-east of Bangalore, doesn't have internet connectivity. This village on the banks of the Krishna river in Raichur district, with just about 1,000 residents, is far removed from the search engine company based in Mountain View, California. And how you spell the name in English is left to you as all signboards here, including those of government offices, are in Kannada. When the government tried to put up English boards, activists stopped them. ''We asked officials if anyone from Cambridge University would come here to read these boards,'' laughs Kannada activist K P Yallayyanayaka. No wonder then that only a few villagers have heard of their famous namesake in cyberspace. ''My grand-daughter told me that two boys have named a website after our village. I feel happy and proud,''

We live in Bidar. Proudly. Fortunate to breathe the air that kept great souls like Saint- poet Basaveshwara, Bahmani King Ahmed Shah Al Wali and Mahmud Gawan alive. Thomping the ground that Afnasi Nikitin, Jean Thevknot, Colonel Mackenzie, and other travelers trode. Waiting to tell Jimmy Wales that Someshwara the Third, Chalukyan King of Basava Kalyan wrote Manasa Ullasa, a Sanskrit encyclopaedia a thousand years before he compiled Wikipedia. We are obsessed with the stories that Bhaskara Acharya, the man invented and developed Algebra, was born here. We beat our chests to say that the devotional Naats are sung in Madina were written by Hazrath Ishqui who grew up playing in the streets of Siddique Taleem in Mohammadabad Bidar. We shamelessly proclaim that King Vikramaditya the Sixth, who ruled southern and middle India for half a century, was throned in Kalyana. He expanded his territory from the Narmada river to the Cauvery and from Orissa all the way to Kutch. We know this as his was

Agro-based industries sought in Bidar By Our Staff Correspondent BIDAR NOV. 2. The Bidar Chamber of Commerce and Industry has urged the Government to take steps to set up agro-based industries to expedite the economic development of the district. In a proposal submitted to the Principal Secretary of Industries and Commerce at a meeting held in Bangalore recently to discuss the setting up of two special economic zones in Bidar and Raichur, the president of the chamber, B.G. Shetkar, said the district, which accounted for over 65 per cent of the State's output of pulses such as Bengal gram, green gram, black gram, and toor dal, would benefit from agro-based industries. Mr. Shetkar said milk processing units and dairy-based industries should be set up in the district. He said the production of milk was slated to go up as most of the members of self-help groups in the district were taking to dairy farming. He also noted that the export of fruits and vegetables could be taken up on a la

Development plan for Bidar ready Monday, Sep 05, 2005 Staff Correspondent Computerisation of land records to be completed soon Land recovered to be used in a constructive manner Touch-screen kiosk for details on land records set up at tahsildar's office 20 special executive magistrates appointed to monitor law and order situation during Ganesha festival Special sound and light show to be organised at Bidar fort BIDAR: "A Comprehensive Development Plan, which will include the removal of encroachments and the beautification of Bidar, will be implemented in the district," Deputy Commissioner Munish Moudgil told presspersons on Saturday. Land records will be computerised and this data will be used to determine the extent of encroachments, he said. Land that is recovered will be used in a constructive manner, he added. The computerisation of land records has started and will take a few months, said Mr. Moudgil. Encroachments on roads that are directly under the control of the

Dignitaries will carry home a piece of Bidar Saturday, Sep 25, 2010 Rishikesh Bahadur Desai A Bidri artisan makes 850 mementos for Commonwealth Games EXQUISITE:Artisans prepare moulds of zinc and copper and etch designs on the surface in Bidriware Bidar: The XIX Commonwealth Games being held in Delhi next month have a Bidar connection. The VIPs and dignitaries visiting the games will carry home mementos hand crafted in Bidri art. National award-winning Bidri artisan Mohammad Abdul Rauf and his son Mohammad Abdul Bari have crafted 850 mementos of two distinct designs for the games. “Every guest at the Delhi games will carry a piece of Bidar back with him,” Mr. Rauf says proudly. The designs chosen by the Common Wealth Games Committee were that of an inflorescence and a pattern of lines emanating from the rising sun. They were emailed to Mr. Rauf who prepared a master mould and sent it for approval. Once approved, nearly 20 artisans worked on the project for a month. The mementos have j

Government urged to declare Bidar drought-hit Staff Correspondent BIDAR: Bidar district seems to be on the verge of a drought after untimely rains have left 69 per cent of the lands unsown. Even the seedlings on the remaining 31 per cent of lands are drying up due to lack of rains. Officials say that though 78 per cent of the average rainfall has been recorded this year, erratic rains have disrupted sowing. Rainfall from January to June has been 283 mm, as against the average of 350 mm in the same period. Rainfall in June, the most important month for cultivation, was only 52.3 mm against the average of 143 mm. Returning monsoon brings around 400 mm of rain to the district from July to December. Sowing has been completed only in 88,186 hectares, as against the targeted 2,79,500 hectares in the district. The following is total area sown (in hectares) with targeted area given in brackets: rice 1,261 (6,000); hybrid jowar 27,282 (75,000); minor grains 32,197 (94,000); red gram 19,841 (55,

Bidar: inquiry reveals Rs. 2-cr. irregularities Rishikesh Bahadur Desai Schools procured materials without inviting tenders: report Rs 1.96 crore released for purchasing desks, library and laboratory materials in April 2007 Action recommended against headmasters of 130 government schools Bidar: An inquiry into the alleged violations of rules in the procurement of furniture and equipment for government schools in Bidar district has revealed irregularities to the tune of nearly Rs. 2 crore. Education Department officials who conducted the inquiry have recommended the Bidar Zilla Panchayat to take action against headmasters of 130 government schools, official sources said. Funds The State Government released Rs 1.96 crore for purchasing desks, and library and laboratory materials for high schools in April 2007. However, school development and management committees (SDMCs) failed to utilise the amount till their term ended in January 2008. The SDMCs were dissolved when the term of gram pan

`Hawks' to land in Bidar Air Force Station soon Rishikesh Bahadur Desai BIDAR: Preparations for receiving the `Hawk' Advanced Jet Trainer are almost complete at the Bidar Air Force Station. The first Hawk is expected to arrive from the British Aerospace Systems in 18 months. Air Force sources told The Hindu that 80 per cent of the Rs. 150-crore civil works at the Bidar base had been completed. They include upgrading the runway to international standards. There will also be a landing Instrument Landing System facility to enable planes land and take off in bad weather. Other works such as construction of three new hangars for parking planes is also nearly complete. Computer systems The computer systems are being overhauled and this includes upgrading the electronic and computer systems at the air base. Improved versions of Geographical Information System and Global Positioning System will be installed at the Air Traffic Control towers and at the base command and control offices.

University left out in Bidar package By Rishikesh Bahadur Desai BIDAR, DEC. 2. The Karnataka Veterinary, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries University, established here recently, has not been given financial support in the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh's special package to assist the development of the backward district of Bidar. The university is situated on the campus of the Veterinary College on the outskirts of Bidar. The administrative headquarters are yet to be constructed, and the Vice-Chancellor has to work from a chamber set up in one portion of a laboratory. Nearly 50 per cent of the teaching posts and 40 percent of the non-teaching posts are vacant in the college. The formation of the university is expected to increase the number of posts by at least 30 per cent. However, funds are needed. The salary bill of the university is estimated at Rs. 1 crore a year. Any government grant for development has to be in addition to this sum. Constitution of a board of regents and other

Bidar to be developed as centre for spiritual tourism, says Kashempur Friday, Dec 29, 2006 Staff Correspondent Adventure sports to be developed in certain areas Boating facilities to be started in Bommagondeshwar Lake Bidar: The State Government will release funds in a special package to develop Bidar into a centre of spiritual tourism. Bidar has at least ten places considered holy by various religious groups, and devotees from across the country flock to these places regularly. If the civic facilities in these places are improved, the number of people visiting them will go up. "We want to capitalise on this advantage and ensure development of the district," Agriculture Minister and district in-charge Bandeppa Kashempur said here on Thursday. He was speaking to presspersons during a visit of tourist places around the city organised by the North East Karnataka Transport Corporation. A proposal would soon be submitted to the Government to take up the comprehensive development o

Fish farmers get a bountiful harvest in Bidar Staff Correspondent Friday, Jul 14, 2006 IN DEMAND: Popular varieties of fish (from top) Katla, Rohu and Mrugal Bidar: Fish farmers in Bidar district have made steady progress in inland fisheries in recent years. The revenue of the Department of Fisheries has doubled every year in the past two years. Officials expect a similar growth this year too. "Bidar has a climate that is suitable for fish farming," says zilla panchayat chief executive officer Munish Moudgil. "It is one of the districts that receive heavy rainfall. At 850 mm a year, rainfall in Bidar is higher than that in Mysore, Mandya, Bangalore Rural and Belgaum districts. Proximity to Hyderabad, which is a huge market for fish, is another advantage. The department's extension efforts have made farmers aware of the benefits of fish farming. Many people who are not from traditional fish farming families have taken it up," Mr. Moudgil says. There are over 250

Why is Bidar at the bottom? Rishikesh Bahadur Desai The district ranked last the previous year too There are hundreds of single-teacher schools Bidar: Bidar has been placed 34th on the list of 34 educational districts ranked according to the SSLC results declared on Thursday. It was the last district last year too. Why does Bidar always end up being last? This is the question in the minds of the concerned citizens here. “The problem lies with lack of resources — physical and human,'' says teacher Vithaldas Pyage. “Bidar has less of everything — school buildings, equipment, libraries and teachers — compared with other districts. We suffer from long pending vacancies of teachers and education department officials.” High levels of poverty and child labour are the reasons for low educational achievement of the district, says Students Federation of India leader Vijay Kumar Sonare. “Many children from poor families skip school to work in the fields. So the performance is poor,” he sa

US researches to study Hubli-based NGO's work Rishikesh Bahadur Desai, TNN Jan 30, 2010, 09.45pm IST HUBLI: A team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will descend on Hubli with a special mission in a few months. The researchers will have a focused agenda __ to study the activities of Deshpande Foundation (DF) here. The researchers will not only study the impact made by the NGO that promotes social business, but also highlight the creations of Indian inventors on the world stage. "This will, in turn, help us design the way ahead," foundation founder-trustee Gururaj Deshpande told the 'Sunday Times of India'. "Several top officials, including a former director of MIT, visited India last week. Apart from areas of our operation, I took them around IISc and IITs. They came to Hubli also," Deshpande said. "There is a lot of invention going on in India. But it is not being recognized by the right people. The MIT study will

Koppal revellers play milk Holi Rishikesh Bahadur Desai, TNN Feb 7, 2010, 03.51am IST HUBLI: If the rest of the country will go berserk with coloured water later this month during Holi, the residents of Chikka Vankala Kunta in Koppal district, about 400 km from Bangalore, celebrated their own version on Friday — with milk and curds. Every year, during the car fair of the Hanuman temple, thousands of cattle rearers throw milk at each other. The Haalu Okuli ( milk Holi) is organized on the seventh day after Bharat Poornima. This year, the fair was held with traditional fanfare on Friday. People wore old clothes and threw them away after the milk fest. While most men wore only shorts or lungis, women preferred new sarees. Early in the morning, they carried milk and curd from home and converged in front of the temple. They applied bhasma (sacred ash) by mixing it with milk and performed a small puja. Then, they threw milk at each other and praised Lord Hanuman with lusty slogans. This went

Kumara Vyasa's birthplace lies neglected Rishikesh Bahadur Desai, TNN Feb 9, 2010, 10.27pm IST HUBLI: Gadag has been chosen as the venue of Kannada Sahitya Sammelana, as it was where Kumara Vyasa wrote `Karnata Bharat Katha Manjari', the pioneering `Mahabharata' in Kannada, in the 14th century. However, his birthplace of Koliwad, 30 km away from Gadag, has no signs of development. Worse still, there is nothing in the village to tell a tourist that this was where Kumara Vyasa was born __ no statue, no memorial, no hall and not even a cultural group or youth association named after him. An arch on the Hubli-Gadag Road is the only sign that speaks about Koliwad's association with Kumara Vyasa. ORAL TRADITION The magnum opus `Kumara Vyasa Bharata' owes its popularity to the oral tradition. Poets, saints and Gamaka singers across the state render chapters from the epic by heart. However, there is no one in the village who has studied or memorized the narrative or who can

Too much of literature? Try out these tours Rishikesh Bahadur Desai, TNN Feb 11, 2010, 10.48pm IST HUBLI: A visit to the Kannada Sahitya Sammelana will have an added attraction this time. Those visiting Gadag would be offered package tours to the world heritage sites of Hampi, Badami, Aihole and Pattadkal. "This will help the delegates from Bangalore and other places visit places of tourist importance in north Karnataka," Sammelana reception committee secretary A B Hiremath told The Times of India. The Sammmelan is being held from February 19-21. Organizers of the Sammelana have planned package tours to places of cultural or religious interest within a radius of 100 km from Gadag. The department of tourism and NWKRTC will conduct these tours. Delegates will be picked up from a bus stop near the venue, taken to various places and dropped back in Gadag after the tour. The buses will leave Gadag by 7 am and will come back by 8 pm. The number of buses in operation in each circuit

Bookworms make the most of stalls at Sammelana Rishikesh Bahadur Desai, TNN Feb 21, 2010, 09.16pm IST GADAG: The 76th all-India Kannada Sahitya Sammelana has brought smiles on the faces of book publishers and sellers. According to the organizers, the book sales in the three days could touch Rs 4 crore. Neither the hot Sun nor dust has stopped bookworms from flocking to book stalls. Some stalls have had to devise new ways to reduce the rush by putting boards that they are open even in late-evening hours. "Book sales in two days crossed Rs 2.5 crore. They could reach Rs 4 crore," S G Hiremath, reception committee co-ordinator, said. Stall owners attribute this to proximity of the stalls to the main venue, facilities provided to them and the brand name of Gadag in the publishing industry. "At the Chitradurga Sammelana, book stalls were atop a hill, away from the main venue. But still, book sales touched Rs 3 crore. Now, the stalls are around the main stage and are neatly ma

Real treat to cultural buffs Rishikesh Bahadur Desai, TNN Feb 22, 2010, 09.32pm IST GADAG: If visitors to the Sammelana got a feeling that people of north Karnataka had moved on from the pains inflicted by the floods, it was by witnessing the people's reaction to the cultural programmes. Huge crowds watched cultural programmes that went beyond midnight all through the Sammelana. People came in bullock carts from nearby villages. Women and children from Gadag went home walking at four in the morning on Saturday and Sunday. The organizers had picked the best teams to perform songs, dance and drama. Teams from across the state and beyond exhibited their skills in folk, classic and modern art forms. However, it was obvious that folk arts were the clear winners. The event that won the loudest applause on the first day was the all-woman Shivappa Nayaka Dollu Kunita team from Shimoga district. The team performed a rigorous dance for over an hour, while playing on the drums all the time. T

Party loyalties eroding in Bidar Sunday, Mar 14, 2004 By Rishikesh Bahadur Desai BIDAR, MARCH 13. Opportunistic defections are increasing and becoming unpredictable in Bidar. They come with a glorified name of "political polarisation.'' But this may have a flip side to it, as every party has to face rebels in elections. Defections started even before the dissolution of the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assembly. The first defection this season was of the veteran Congressman, M.G. Mule, who joined the Janata Dal (Secular) to contest the 1999 elections. Within six months of his victory, however, he returned to the Congress. If he succeeds in getting the party ticket this time, he may be upsetting the plans of Jahangir Ali, the Congress's choice last time. The Aurad MLA, Gundappa Vakil, was expelled from the BJP on charges of cross voting for Vijay Mallya, Working President of the Janata Party, in his election to the Rajya Sabha. He along with eight other MLAs joined the

Check the status of your property using Pancha Tantra Rishikesh Bahadur Desai, TNN Apr 11, 2010, 09.37pm IST HUBLI: Young engineers need not spend sleepless nights in the US worrying if their ancestral property in their native village has been encroached. They can check the status of their property and its ownership online, by a software tool developed by the government. The tool called Pancha Tantra (from the words `Panchayat and `Tantramsha, Kannada for software) has been developed by the department of panchayat raj and the National Informatics Centre. Using this, people can make online tax payments, give applications for licenses or file complaints. Acknowledgements can be collected for all these. The user-friendly tool is available to the public at http://stg1.kar.nic.in/panchatantra. It is in Kannada and English. Importantly, Pancha Tantra promises to plug leaks in gram panchayat administration, ensure proper use of funds and ensure accountability. Ministers or senior officials in

Software tool to monitor quality of education Rishikesh Bahadur Desai, TNN Apr 2, 2010, 09.53pm IST HUBLI: Even while the Union government is contemplating a monitoring mechanism for schoolteachers and students, the Bagalkot ZP has developed a software tool that enables online monitoring of quality of education. The application is available on the site http://stg2.kar.nic.in/bgksslc/. It was designed by National Informatics Centre. The project was conceived and funded by the ZP. The interactive site contains scores of each of the 24,000 SSLC students in the district. It has their final exam scores in IX Std and the scores of two of their terminal and three of their preparatory exams of SSLC. Students are categorized according to the percentage of marks they obtained in these exams. The school-wise, taluk-wise, and subject-wise information is expected to come handy while assessing the trend. The system works like this - all information about performance of students in schools, governmen

His biz makes a pretty picture Rishikesh Bahadur Desai, TNN Apr 18, 2010, 09.18pm IST HUBLI: Here is further proof of the world being a small, flat place. Memories of marriages held in Sri Lanka are now being framed in albums made in Hubli, thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of a young man. Raju Ghanshamsa Malji, a college drop-out, dreamt big and went on to build one of the biggest photo studio chains in the state. He has also set up an album-making unit that has grown 20% annually for five years now. Raju's Rich View company has exported over 4,000 designer album covers and other materials to Sri Lanka in the last one year. And the exports cover only around 10% of the total sales. Raju's early life was hard __ his father migrated from Gadag to find work in a textile dying factory. Raju discontinued studies after SSLC and took up a job as an assistant in a photo studio in Dharwad. After five years, he bought a black-and-white roll camera and started Raju Studio in a rented r

`Doing away with GP polls is undemocratic' Rishikesh Bahadur Desai, TNN Apr 28, 2010, 10.24pm IST HUBLI: People of Nayi Tegur have not voted in a Gram Panchayat Election for 23 years now. Residents of a Mandya village elected a gram panchayat member who vowed to donate money to the temple of the village deity. Villagers of Gumageri, Bhagya Nagar and Huchaganur in Koppal have awarded GP seats to the highest bidders. Such incidents raise an important, yet uncomfortable question: Are elections evil? Worse still, is that the government seems to be supporting such ideas. In an interview with the `Times of India' some time ago, RDPR minister Jagadish Shettar said the government was considering rewarding villages where people chose their representatives unanimously and avoided elections. Elections, he believes, cause a lot of discord in the villages and avoiding them is the way to harmony. Ads by Google Free Government Tenders 10 Lac state Government tenders Free alerts, No subscripti

Lake rejuvenation helps fish farming in Bidar Staff Correspondent Bidar: The rejuvenation of lakes by the Jala Samvardhana Yojana Sangha (JSYS) is leading to a revolution in fisheries development in Bidar district. Lakes that were unable to sustain any marine life due to silt, or shallow water levels were developed to support large scale fish farming. Inland fisheries has a huge potential in the district as the temperature inside the tanks is between 32-38 degree Celsius. The abundant growth of plankton and other plants also supports forming of fish in these tanks, says Anil Kumar, a fish expert at JSYS. Thirty-six tanks in three taluks have been developed this way. Heavy monsoon rains last year ensured that all these tanks were overflowing. Mr. Anil Kumar led the fish farming experiment in 12 tanks in the first phase as a livelihood option. A total of 84 youth, eight from each tank development society, were trained in inland fish farming. They were given some seed money and materials

Bidar Suvarna Bhoomi beneficiaries picked Wednesday, Jun 08, 2011 Staff Correspondent 15 per cent of the 1.21 lakh applicants from the district were selected Bidar: Agriculture Department officials have selected 15 per cent of the 1.21 lakh farmers who had applied for the cash incentive of Rs. 10,000 under the Suvarna Bhoomi scheme. Lots were drawn in various taluks by officials in the presence of MLAs to select 18,357 small and marginal farmers. This, officials say, is similar to the number of beneficiaries selected in other districts. “There are around 2.4 lakh agricultural families in Bidar district. Of them, around 1.8 lakh are small and marginal farmers. Of the 1.21 lakh who had applied for the incentive, we have drawn lots to select 18,357. It is true that 85 per cent of the farmers are being left out, but that is the scope of the scheme,” a senior officer in the Agriculture Department said. Joint Director of Agriculture S. Lakshmikanth said the State Government had released Rs.

Road connecting Chondi Mukhed and Bidar built Staff Correspondent Bidar: The Bidar Zilla Panchayat has built a road to reach Chondi Mukhed, a village that belongs to Bidar but lies in Maharashtra. Officials of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana bought land from farmers in Maharashtra for the project as the road passes through the neighbouring State for nearly a km. With this, the dreams of the Chondi Mukhed village residents to have easy access to Bidar have been realised. Chikli (U) gram panchayat president Gangadhar Nitture said this would help farmers take their produce to the market. Moreover, now villagers can send their children to schools in Bidar. Karnataka Rural Roads Development Organisation Chief Engineer H.S. Prakash Kumar hopes the road would bring prosperity to the backward village. He congratulated the officials and engineers who had put in additional effort to complete the project. PMGSY project director Nagshetty Annarao Patil thanked the Union Government, the State

A different `gang war' in Bidar Tuesday, May 22, 2007 Rishikesh Bahadur Desai Labourers hold sugarcane farmers to ransom in harvesting their crop Farmers say labourers refuse to harvest their crop unless bribed Officials say they are losing control over the `gangs' LEFT IN THE LURCH: Lakshman, a farmer in Talmadgi village, showing the sugarcane crop that the factory did not transport. Bidar: The word Gang War has a different connotation in Bidar district. Here they do not relate to the clashes between mafia groups. They refer to the losing battle the farmers are fighting with labourers of the three sugar factories in the district. The groups of labourers referred to as gangs, are usually from border villages in Maharashtra. Farmers have got a bumper yield this year — nearly twice the quantity needed by the factories. Farmers allege that the labourers are harassing them by refusing to harvest their crop unless bribed. The system of cutting and transport of sugarcane in Bidar is

Farmers in Bidar, Gulbarga elated at news of water release Sunday, Dec 18, 2005 Staff Correspondent Rabi crops in thousands of acres to benefit Water to be released from Karanja, Chulki Nala and Mullamari reservoirs Farmers advised to grow jowar, wheat, Bengal gram, sunflower, safflower and tur Bidar: Farmers of villages in Bidar and Gulbarga are happy at the Government's announcement of water release from Karanja, Chulki Nala and Mullamari reservoirs to irrigate their Rabi (hingari) crops. Farmers' organisations say this is the first release from the Karanja dam since its construction. Farmers cultivating 20,509.3 acres in Bhalki, Bidar and Humnabad taluks will benefit from Karanja waters. Cultivators of 6061.36 acres in Humnabad, Basava Kalyan taluk and Gulbarga taluk in Gulbarga district will benefit from Mullamari waters. Owners of 951.33 acres in Muchlamba, Gorta and Togalu villages in Basava Kalyan taluk will get Chulki Nala waters. There is nearly five tmcft of water in

A boon to Bidar farmers Rishikesh Bahadur Desai Check-dams offer irrigation facilities, revive groundwater Over 200 check-dams have been built across streams in watershed areas Farmers have started growing crops that need a lot of water Plentiful:The check-dam at Sundal village has become a mini-irrigation project for farmers. Bidar: New generation check-dams built to increase groundwater levels across Bidar district have changed the lives of farmers in the hot and dry taluk of Aurad. The taluk receives less than 700 mm of rain, the lowest in the district. There are over 200 check-dams built across streams and watershed areas in the region, which have helped recharge groundwater and ensure that open wells and bore wells do not dry up. Besides, some have even been turned into ponds that provide irrigation facilities for farmers. Vithal Rao Shetkar of Sundal is one of those who have benefited from the check-dams. Years ago, his family grew only those crops that did not need much water,