Rishikesh

Why not minority varsity in a largely minority area? Sony BRAVIA 4K TV  -  Experience Perfection With 4k Picture, Sound & Monolithic Design. www.sony.co.in/Bravia_4k_TV Ads by Google RISHIKESH BAHADUR DESAI MOHAMMAD ALI SHARE   ·    PRINT    ·    T+    Union Ministry wants to set up the university in Srirangapatna Should the Union government set up the proposed university for minorities in Srirangapatna, in Mandya district, or in one of the northern Karnataka districts where the population of minorities is high? This question is being raised by academicians and leaders from minority-dominated areas in the State, even as Union Minority Affairs Minister K. Rahman Khan has urged the State government to find 200 acres of land in Srirangapatna to set up the university. Thorat report The debate gains significance as the Sukhdeo Thorat Committee — constituted by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs to go into vari...

We had a Rotary GSE team from Ohio , USA visiting Bidar on Sankranti this year. This is the welcome speech I made Dear Friends, Welcome to India Around 20 years ago, Michael Jackson performed in Mumbai in India . He left a message on his hotel room mirror. ``Love You, Idia’’. He had missed the N in India . That was a spelling mistake to remember. We return the love and forgive him unconditionally. After all, India is not a country. It is an idea. And an Idea whose time has come. Here is why. People Some years ago, senior Rotarians visited India and wanted to travel by train. They went to the railway station in Chennai, to board a train. Surprised at the huge crowds, they asked the host. Where are they all going? Is it an emergency or a festival. The host said. It is neither. We just happen to have so many people. Just get used to it. There are 1.2 billion people in India . USA has over 300 million people. By area, India is three time...

Date:20/07/2007 URL:  The prayer for all  RISHIKESH BAHADUR DESAI  None would imagine that the piety-filled prayer that emerges from the  tomb of the Prophet in Madina  has its roots in Bidar. It was written  by Hazrat Ishqui, a poet from Bidar  HOARY PAST A file photo of Rajya Sabha member, the late Maqsood Ali  Khan, felicitating Rashid Ahmed Rashid in Bidar. Rashid was called  Shayar-e-Hayat by fans  The air around the Masjid –E-Nabavi in Mecca in Saudi Arabia  reverberates with the sound of the prayer “Ya Shafi Ul Wara Salam Un  Alaik…”, five times a day, everyday. This mosque, also called the  Mosque of Prophet Mohammad, co ntains the tomb of Prophet Mohammad and  is considered holy by Muslims all over the world.  The prayer sung here is written in praise of the Prophet. This  beautiful piece of Arabic poetry is the creation of Hazrat Ishqui, who  lived in Bidar in Karnataka nearly 200 years ago. T...

The power of media in a globalised world - Three day international seminar organized by the institute of objective studies, New Delhi At Yavanika, Bangalore October 15- 2011 -The Business of media - Commercialisation of media As a film buff, I start my speech with some preconditions, clarifications and denials. All examples in my speech are true. All persons, contexts, quotes and situations are not imaginary. They relate to living persons and actual happenings. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is surely intended. Anyone who disagrees with me can meet me for a chat and coffee in the Gas college compound in front of Yavanika. There is a joke among TV channel reporters. A TV reporter died and went to hell for telling lies. He was tortured in various ways for a year. Then, Lord Yama, the CEO and managing director of hell, told him to go back to Earth to do some good deeds so that he can get a chance to go to heaven later. On his way back the reporter saw, from a distance, a...

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...