Karnataka First

The company is developing three model variants: Sarvam-Large for advanced reasoning and generation, Sarvam-Small for real-time interactive applications, and Sarvam-Edge for compact on-device tasks, said one of the the company’s two co-founders.

The government has selected Bengaluru-based start-up Sarvam to build the country’s first indigenous artificial intelligence (AI) large language model (LLM) amid waves made by China’s low cost model DeepSeek. The start-up, chosen from among 67 applicants, will receive support from the government in terms of compute resources to build the model from scratch.

Sarvam is the first start-up to get approved for sops under India’s ambitious Rs 10,370 crore IndiaAI Mission to build a model, with the government currently assessing hundreds of other proposals. Sarvam said its model will be capable of reasoning, designed for voice, and fluent in Indian languages, and it will be ready for population-scale deployment.

A senior official said in terms of government support, the company will receive access to 4,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) for six months for the company to build and train its model. The model is not expected to be open-sourced, but will be fine-tuned particularly for Indian languages. The GPUs will be provided to Sarvam by companies separately selected by the government to set up AI data centres in India.

“This (Sarvam’s) model will have 70 billion parameters and many innovations in programming as well as engineering. With these innovations, a 70 billion parameter (model) can compete with some of the best in the world,” said IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

As part of Sarvam’s LLM proposal, the company is developing three model variants: Sarvam-Large for advanced reasoning and generation, Sarvam-Small for real-time interactive applications, and Sarvam-Edge for compact on-device tasks, said Pratyush Kumar, one of the the company’s two co-founders.

The development comes amid the meteoric rise of DeepSeek, a low-cost foundational model from China, which shook up the AI industry. DeepSeek’s entry into the AI space – touted for being open source, its accuracy and claims that it has been built at a fraction of the cost as its US competitors – sent Nvidia’s stock on a downward spiral, since its R1 model was trained on inferior GPUs compared with the likes of OpenAI.

Sarvam’s model will be built, deployed, and optimised in India, using local infrastructure and developed by a new generation of Indian talent. This initiative aims to promote strategic autonomy, accelerate domestic innovation, and secure India’s leadership in AI for the long term, the company said in a press statement.

Vivek Raghavan, also a co-founder of Sarvam, said, “This is a crucial step toward building critical national AI infrastructure. Our goal is to build multi-modal, multi-scale foundation models from scratch. When we do, a universe of applications unfolds. For citizens, this means interacting with AI that feels familiar, not foreign. For enterprises, this means unlocking intelligence without sending their data beyond borders”.

Earlier this year, the government had also selected 10 companies to supply 18,693 GPUs — high-end chips needed to develop machine learning tools — that can go into developing a foundational model. This is more than the initial aim of the IndiaAI Mission, under which the government was looking to procure 10,000 GPUs.

The companies empaneled to provide the GPU services include Jio Platforms, the Hiranandani Group-backed Yotta, Tata Communications, E2E Networks, NxtGen Datacenter, CMS Computers, Ctrls Datacenters, Locuz Enterprise Solutions, Orient Technologies, and Vensysco Technologies.

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

The finale took place at Gurugram, Haryana on April 24. The final match was played between Karnataka and Punjab, in which Karnataka won by four runs.

The Karnataka Deaf Cricket team won the VIII National T20 Cricket Championship for the Deaf held at Kadarpur, Haryana. Held from April 19 to 25, the Karnataka team in the Group B category, played 5 matches, finally badging as the winner of the championship. The championship was organised by the All-India Sports Council of the Deaf, New Delhi, in collaboration with the Haryana Sports Council of the Deaf.

The finale took place at Gurugram, Haryana on April 24. The final match was played between Karnataka and Punjab, in which Karnataka won by four runs. Karnataka, which batted first, scored 177 for seven wickets and Punjab, chasing the target, came close to victory, but fell short by five runs (173), losing seven wickets. Karnataka’s skipper Subramani Singh scored the maximum runs (45), followed by vice-captain Souban Armar scoring 34 runs. In his four-over spell, Subramani Singh conceded 27 runs and claimed 2 wickets.

The members of the cricket team, who are from different parts of Karnataka, would practice by themselves in different private coaching centres and come together to practice once every week on the BLC ground. “The private coaching is very expensive, I had to pay Rs 1,000 per day for my son’s practice sessions,” shared Shiva Kumar, father of Kushal JS, one of the players.

We worked very hard to win this title and we are very happy that our hard work finally paid off, shared the team members. The winning came at an expenditure of Rs 10,000 per player. The match along with travel, food, practice and other expenses is a huge amount of money, which often creates a financial struggle for the player and their families. “Poor people like us struggle financially,” shares Shiva Kumar. But I ignore it to see the happiness on my son’s face,” he adds.

“We wish the government could fund us with sufficient money for the games, as they are just like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. They too play for their homeland, finally winning the championship,” Kumar concludes.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

The hospital focuses on providing treatment to children of any background.

 Humanitarian leader Madhusudan Sai was conferred Fiji’s highest honour, the ‘Companion of the Order of Fiji’, by the President of Fiji Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu at the State House of Fiji on Friday.

Madhusudan Sai’s influence in Fiji is reflected through the creation of the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Children’s Hospital, the first state-of-the-art, fully free children’s hospital in the South Pacific.

The hospital focuses on providing treatment to children of any background.

His other initiative, the Sai Prema Foundation in Fiji, works for social welfare and humanitarian service across the nation, addressing issues like healthcare, education, disaster relief, and food security.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

Udupi Cochin Shipyard Ltd. (USCL) on Wednesday delivered the first in a series of six 3,800 T dead-weight dry cargo vessels, Wilson Eco 1, to M/s. Wilson Ship Management AS, Norway, the largest short sea shipping company of Europe in Mangaluru.

The formal delivery programme was organised at New Mangalore Port here in the presence of New Mangalore Port Authority (NMPA) chairman A.V. Ramana and senior officers of NMPA. Senior officials of M/s Wilson Ship Management AS, Einar Torsnes, Chief Financial Officer, Sergey Bogdashov, New Build Superintendent and the Wilson site team were present. USCL CEO A Harikumar, General Manager CEO, UCSL and Sivaram N Swamy and others were present.

In the last three years, Udupi shipyard in a release here said it has constructed and delivered eight aluminium hulls for Cochin Shipyard Ltd. for the Kochi Water Metro Project; eight tuna long liner cum gillnetters under the Pradhan Mantri Mathsya Sampada Yojana; two 62 tonne bollard pull ASTDS tugs to M/S Ocean Sparkle Ltd., an Adani harbour services company, and two 70-tonne bollard pull ASTDS tugs to M/s Polestar Maritime Ltd., complying with the Atma Nirbhar Bharat initiative of the Union government.

The shipyard has also signed orders for construction of another 11 70-T bollard pull tugs with M/s Ocean Sparkle and one 70-T bollard pull tug with M/s Polestar Maritime. The contracts signed with Ocean Sparkle Limited for construction of eleven 70-T tugs is the largest series tug construction order ever signed by an Indian shipyard.

Wilson Eco 1 is designed as an all-weather ship for unrestricted operation with unmanned machinery space certification. It is also equipped with all navigation and communication equipment as per the latest class and flag requirements. Under “Make in India Make for the World” initiative of UCSL, the shipyard has used steel manufactured domestically for construction of the entire vessel, including the piping systems.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

City’s tennis prodigy Padmapriya Ramesh Kumar completed a double fete at the recently concluded Asian U-14 and Junior Ranking Tennis Tournament 2025 at Malancha Niwas, Agartala, by winning both Singles and Doubles tournament.

In the Singles finals, Padmapriya defeated Diya Ravikumar 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 and in the Doubles, she partnered with Diya Ravikumar and defeated Maria Patel and Dhitri Sandra in straight sets 6-2, 6-0. This talented tennis player is currently ranked 6 in U-14 category in the country.

It may be recalled that Padmapriya had also emerged victorious in U-14 National Series Singles Tournament and ended up winning the runner-up trophy in the Doubles tournament at Jassowal in Punjab recently.

She is being coached by Raghuveer Ponnuswamy in city. Padmapriya, an 8th std. student of Excel Public School, is the daughter of Dr. P. Ramesh Kumar, Conservator of Forests (Project Tiger), Mysuru and Dr. Malathi Priya, Conservator of Forests (Mysuru Circle).

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

Prof. Suresh Renukappa, Director of the Centre, stated that the centre would focus on climate resilience, healthcare, smart cities and villages, energy security, waste-to-wealth initiatives, pollution control, and the Brand Bengaluru initiative.

Dr. M.C. Sudhakar, Minister for Higher Education of Karnataka, inaugurated the Wolverhampton-Bangalore Research and Innovation Centre (WBRIC) at the newly-established academic wing of Bangalore City University (BCU) in Bengaluru on April 22. The centre is a collaborative initiative between BCU and the University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.

Dr. Sudhakar highlighted its potential to open new academic and research avenues for students across Karnataka, emphasising the government’s commitment to supporting higher education and research in public universities.

Prof. Suresh Renukappa, Director of the Centre, stated that the centre would focus on climate resilience, healthcare, smart cities and villages, energy security, waste-to-wealth initiatives, pollution control, and the Brand Bengaluru initiative.

In his keynote address, Prof. Prashant Pillai, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton, mentioned that the centre will facilitate scholar exchange programmes, joint PhD opportunities, seminars, and conferences to foster international academic collaboration.

Prof. Ebrahim Adia, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton, underscored the importance of the historic academic ties between India and the UK. He stressed the value of such international collaborations.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Noted independent publishers like Aharnishi, Pallava, Ruthumana, Akruthi, Jeerunde have already become members of the association.

Small indie publishers of Kannada books have joined hands with booksellers and writers to form a new association, ‘Karnataka Booksellers, Publishers and Writers Association,’ aiming to revive the Bengaluru Book Festival and organise similar book festivals in other districts regularly.

The new association will be inaugurated on Wednesday. Noted independent publishers like Aharnishi, Pallava, Ruthumana, Akruthi, Jeerunde have already become members of the Association.

“Now, there are two such associations already. But both associations are dominated by big publishers and small indie publishers like us, neither has a say nor any space in those associations. Our issues and requirements are different. New and small publishers like ours need professional workshops, access to distribution networks, among others. The existing associations do not focus on these issues,” said N. Dhananjaya of Jeerunde Prakashana and Beetle Book Shop, Secretary of the new association.

“The two existing associations only have publishers and don’t include booksellers and writers. We think we need to include the entire ecosystem to work effectively,” he said. 

“We intend to organise workshops for publishers on professional aspects of publishing like printing, online sales, selling translation and adaptation rights for the books we publish, among other issues. As an association, we want to see whether we can also create a distribution network and make it available to our members. For instance, presently, no Kannada publishers go to book fairs across the country or abroad. We want to represent all our publishers at such fairs. This may help our books get picked up for translation,” said Guruprasad D.N., of Akruthi Books and President of the new association. 

As part of their objective to provide a distribution network for publishers, the association wants to revive Bengaluru Book Festival, which was an annual feature earlier and has been not held since the pandemic.

“Book festivals are a very big source of revenue for book publishers and booksellers. Presently, the only such avenue is the Kannada Sahitya Sammelana. We want to hold talks with the government and revive the Bengaluru Book Festival this year, if possible. Many districts in the state do not have a single bookshop. Holding book exhibitions in districts will help us reach untapped readership,” Mr. Guruprasad said. 

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

The Konkani-speaking community of Australia, especially in and around Melbourne, has something to celebrate and be proud of. Mira D’Silva, an ardent supporter of the Karaval Konkans community, has been confirmed as the Liberal candidate for the Lalor seat in Victoria.

Mira’s journey has been nothing short of inspiring. Born and brought up in Bengaluru to Mangalurean (Kulshekar) origin parents, Mira migrated to Australia a little over two decades ago and has embraced this country as her home.

From doing odd jobs as a first-generation migrant to now being recognised as a force to reckon with across the Australian political landscape, Mira’s trajectory is truly remarkable.

The success, accolades, and recognition have not in any way distanced Mira from her roots, culture, or heritage. As someone who proudly professes her love for her mother tongue, Konkani, Mira remains equally grateful to her country of birth, India, whose multicultural demography helped shape her worldview and prepare her for the challenges ahead.

In a recent interview with the Karaval Konkans Australia team, Mira shared insightful anecdotes and life experiences that clearly demonstrate how her principles and values form a strong foundation for success.

A successful entrepreneur, Mira is also well known for her philanthropy, her support for Konkani culture and heritage, and her assistance to newcomers in Australia. A conversation with Mira leaves one inspired by her deep commitment to language, culture, community, and social causes—always expecting nothing in return.

As the first Mangalurean and Konkani-speaking community member to step into Australian politics, Mira now counts on the support of everyone around her in this challenging election campaign. A win for Mira will be a matter of pride and a sense of achievement for every migrant who came to Australia with hope—and can now dare to dream.

Karaval Konkans Australia Inc. extends its wholehearted best wishes to Mira for the upcoming Federal election.
Those wishing to volunteer and support her campaign can register at: https://www.miradsilva.com.au/volunteer

The Lalor seat spans 180 square kilometres on the south-western edge of Melbourne. It includes the satellite city of Werribee and the suburbs of Hoppers Crossing, Tarneit, Williams Landing, and parts of Truganina and Point Cook. The Federal elections have been scheduled for 3 May 2025.

The journey is by no means an easy one. Elections are only won when communities come together, rally behind their own, and support each other to the finish line. This election presents an opportunity for the community to unite and create history by supporting Mira D’Silva in becoming the first Mangalurean to enter the corridors of Canberra.

(From the Editorial Desk of Karaval Konkans Australia Inc)

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

Aadit Palicha, CEO of Zepto, praised the strong talent base in India, counting it as a major advantage in his entrepreneurial journey. 

Aadit Palicha has nothing but praise for Indian talent. The Mumbai-based CEO of Zepto recently sat down for a conversation with his counterpart at Y Combinator, where he delved into everything from his startup’s beginnings to the transforming quick commerce space in India. When Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan asked him about the unique advantages and challenges of building a startup in India, Palicha highlighted the country’s talent pool, counting it as a big advantage in his entrepreneurial journey.

Zepto was launched by Stanford computer science dropouts Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra in 2021. What began as an idea in a WhatsApp group is today one of India’s most popular grocery delivery apps that has over 3,000 corporate employees.

Benefits of building in India

Talking about the benefit of building a startup in India, Palicha said: “I think the advantage is that the talent is incredible. I initially didn’t realise this deeply, but you know we interviewed American engineers – and they’re exceptional – but we said hey, the guys that we have here are as good.”

“I think a lot of people underestimate that. That’s why you know a lot of great internet startups set up offices in Bangalore and hire people there,” the Zepto co-founder told Tan on YC’s How To Build The Future podcast.

He acknowledged that it would have been unlikely for him to recruit the same level of talent in San Francisco as he had been able to in India.

“So the big advantage is you just have such an incredible talent base. And although it’s very competitive, it’s still a lot less competitive to get such high quality talent than it would be sitting in San Francisco,” said Palicha.

As one of India’s fastest growing startups, can Zepto be called a success? Not according to its CEO.

“No, absolutely not. Not even close to it,” Palicha told Y Combinator’s Garry Tan when asked if Zepto is a success. “I think we’ve got couple of decades before we can realistically say that we’ve won.”

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)