Karnataka First

HAL expects its Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) to be the main attraction at its pavilion.

For the first time, a full scale model of India’s fifth-generation fighter jet Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) will be on display at the upcoming Aero India.

The 1:1 model of AMCA will be placed at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) India pavilion.

AMCA was designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency while HAL will be the production agency. The Cabinet Committee on Security has approved the project for the design and development. The first prototype of the aircraft is expected to roll out in the coming years.

HAL expects its Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) to be the main attraction at its pavilion along with a functional full-scale engineering demonstrator of Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) Warrior at the upcoming Aero India 2025.

The Bengaluru-headquartered PSU’s would showcase its indigenous products and technologies centred on the theme ‘Innovate. Collaborate. Lead’ at the air show beginning on February 10 at the Air Force Station at Yelahanka.

“HAL’s indigenously designed and developed Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) will be at the centre stage. Various innovative products conceived and developed by HAL R&D divisions in the area of avionics, mechanical systems, engines and aerospace for manned and unmanned aircraft will also be the highlight at the HAL stall,” said Dr. D. K. Sunil, Chairman and Managing Director, HAL.

The major attractions at its indoor pavilion (HALL-E) will be the LUH, Hindustan Turbo Trainer (HTT)-40 Simulator, scaled models of LCA Mk1A fighter, LCA Mk1 Trainer, Hindustan Jet Trainer (HJT)-36, HTT-40, LCH and ALH Mk IV. The scaled models of Hindustan 228 and its amphibian variant will also be displayed.

The outdoor display adjacent to HAL stall will feature the LCA Mk 1A and HJT 36. HTT-40, LCA Mk 1 Trainer, Hindustan 228, Do-228 and LUH will be on static display.

The flying display will witness a unique LCA Mk 1A formation, HJT 36, HTT-40 and LUH.

According to HAL, the central theme of the India pavilion is ‘Flight of Self Reliance’. A functional full-scale engineering demonstrator of Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) Warrior will be the highlight of the India pavilion along with Advanced Light Helicopter Next Generation (ALH NG) and RUAV. ALH NG will be placed in front of the India Pavilion to signify HAL’s entry into civil aviation.

There will also be sections for new technologies and future marquee products.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

The festival, which will conclude on February 8, has performers from across India, besides Sri Lanka and Russia.

“I had no idea Bengaluru and Karnataka had so many theatre troupes. I got to meet people from close to 30 different theatre troupes due to the exhibition put up here. My classmates and I were surprised to see that there are so many teams that have been around for more than 50 years. It was a treat to watch folk artistes perform Krishna Parijatha,” said 20-year-old Ananya K., a theatre student from a popular college in the city at theatre festival Bhrangam, 2025.

Bharangam or BRM — short for Bharat Rang Mahotsav – International Theatre Festival of India, is one among the most anticipated events for theatre communities across the country. Organised by the National School of Drama (NSD), this year marks NSD’s 25th year hosting Bharangam, which is happening across several cities in India and abroad. Kicked off on January 28, the festival is on till February 16, across 13 cities in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka featuring 123 productions by 110 Indian groups, and 10 foreign groups, in 13 different languages.

In Bengaluru, the event started on February 1 in collaboration with Karnataka Nataka Academy and the Kannada and Culture Department, Government of Karnataka. It will go on till February 8 at Kalagrama, at Mallatahalli. The Bengaluru version of the festival is hosting about 1,500 artistes and has seen a footfall of close to 5,000 people on most of the days of the festival.

The festival venue in Bengaluru is marked by an infectious enthusiasm. Likith Sharma, a visitor at the festival, said, “I never realised Bengaluru and Karnataka had such a vast theatre community… Also I had never watched a play in a different language or by a foreign group. Through this festival I got to watch The Marriage of Balzaimnov, a Russian play, and I can not wait to watch the play from Sri Lanka.“ 

BRM 2025 features international theatre groups participating hailing from Russia, Italy, Germany, Norway, Czech Republic, Nepal, Taiwan, Spain, and Sri Lanka. In the Bengaluru edition, the festival is featuring eight plays from across the country, besides Sri Lanka and Russia.

In a release, Chittaranjan Tripathy, Director, National School of Drama said, “Bharat Rang Mahotsav has become a quintessential theatre festival on the global stage with its expansive approach. It has not only served as a platform for theatre performances from around the world but has also offered opportunities for the amalgamation of various traditional performing art forms. Additionally, it has facilitated knowledge-sharing and idea-exchange among individuals from the dramatic arts and other creative fields.” He said they aim to broaden the scope of this festival further, and extend it to other continents.

A full circle

Speaking to The Hindu, Meeta Mishra, senior theatre person and coordinator, NSD, said that 25 years of Bharangam feels like a full circle. “The festival has happened every year since its inception, except for one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many years ago, NSD’s current director Chittaranjan Tripathy had directed a play called Taj Mahal Ka Tender, which became quite popular, and is still running. This year the same play with a new set of actors is being presented at the festival, after 25 years. This feels complete now.” What stands out in this year’s festival is that there are plays by close to 23 women directors, she added.

“After almost two decades the festival is being hosted at Bengaluru. Shashidar Adapa who is a well know production designer from Bengaluru, has transformed the whole look of Kalagrama with the decor, set and exhibitions which should not be missed,” Mishra added.  

Cultural heritage

Nagaraj Murthy, Chairman, Karnataka Nataka Academy, said that hosting the festival has been an honour for the Academy, and an opportunity to showcase the rich cultural heritage of Bengaluru and Karnataka. “Every day we have managed to showcase the folk forms of Karnataka. Radha Nata, a form under Doddata, was showcased recently. We also had Yakshagana and Krishna Parijata, another form of folk theatre. We had artistes who presented the company style theatre form,” he said.  

Murthy added that the festival is not just focusing on presenting productions but also making it more educative for young theatre practitioners, “Every day we are hosting poets from across the state who come and present their work and have a discussion with the audience through Kavi Goshti. We also have Janapada artistes conducting workshops for children and seminars by theatre scholars for theatre artistes. Book stalls by well-known publishers, and exhibitions by 45 theatre troupes from across Karnataka and majorly from Bengaluru who are showcasing their work through these exhibitions. Every evening, we have theatre troupes volunteering to present Ranagageete (theatre songs), which is a new experience for theatre makers coming from other states. We are also honouring teams that have been in the community for more than 50 years like Samudaya, Spandana, Benaka, Kalagangotri and more, which many young artistes need to know about. These teams have contributed a lot to Kannada theatre over the years.”

Murthy said that what stands out in this festival is that thousands of artists are participating, and many are working through day and night without seeking payments. “When we went to the Chief Minister with the idea of a Ranga Parishe or an exhibition, he was thrilled with the idea and immediately gave us a nod to go ahead. While NSD is taking care of logistics and accommodation, the Kannada and Culture Department has willingly offered to incur majority of the expenses, which is close to a crore. From equipment to print material everything has been provided by the department. However, it is the ethics and commitment to theatre that troupes from across the state have. Many artistes are volunteering and contributing to the festival without a fee. Even the 45 exhibitions put up by the troupes has been at their own expense,” he explained.   

For theatre students 

Veena Sharma, Centre Director, NSD, Bengaluru, said that his has been a great exchange programme for the students. “The NSD Bengaluru students got to interact with the students from a drama school from Russia. Both the students presented their work to each other, and the Russian students were thrilled to know that Indian theatre is beyond just the Natya Shastra. Our students got an opportunity to discuss the Russian’s style of theatre and how they work majorly on body movements,” she said.

Sharma added that apart from the exchanges, all the students from NSD Bengaluru are actively participating in the festival. “The students are performing Jasma Odan, a play directed by B. Jayashree on February 8, they rehease through the first half of the day, and during the second half they are actively participating in the events and also helping with management of the festival,” she added.

The schedule for the Bengaluru edition of the festival going on at the Mallatahalli campus of NSD is available at https://brm.nsd.gov.in/bengaluru-schedule/

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

While Subramaniam was conferred the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award, Nag received the Padma Bhushan.

Violin maestro L Subramaniam (77), veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag (76), and music composer Ricky Kej (43) are among the nine Padma award winners from Karnataka announced by the Union Government on the eve of Republic Day on Saturday.

While Subramaniam was conferred the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award, Nag received the Padma Bhushan. Their awards are for their contributions in the field of art. Author and journalist A Surya Prakash was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contributions in the field of literature, education and journalism.

Martial arts coach Hassan Raghu (Art), business icon Prashanth Prakash (Trade and Industry), music composer Ricky Kej (Art), Oncologist Dr Vijayalakshmi Deshamane (Medicine), master puppeteer of Togalu Gombeyaata (leather puppetry) Bhimavva Shillekyatar (Art) and Gondhali folk maestro Venkappa Ambaji Sugatekar (Art) are the six Padma Shri award winners from Karnataka.

Indumati Deshmani, sister of Dr Vijayalakshmi, told The New Sunday Express, “Our mother used to sell vegetables by visiting houses while our father was a freedom fighter and labourer in MSK Mills.

Dr Vijayalakshmi used to assist my mother in selling vegetables.” Indumati is a lecturer at PDA College of Engineering in Kalaburagi.

Recalling their childhood days, Indumati said, “Though our parents were not educated and were poor, they took all efforts to give us a good education. Dr Vijayalakshmi is an oncologist and was the former director of Kidwai Cancer Hospital. Now she runs an orphanage in Bengaluru. She did not marry to serve the people more. We five sisters are PhD holders, and our brother is an advocate in Kalaburagi.”

Bhimavva Shillekyatar (96) has been conferred the Padma Shri for preserving and nurturing the rural art form of Togalu Gombeyaata. Bhimavva, though not educated, has preserved the art form that has been passed down through generations. This is the only family in the entire Koppal district that has been performing leather puppetry for hundreds of years.

Bhimavva, who mastered puppetry at the age of 14, primarily performs shows based on mythological stories of the Ramayana and Mahabharata and has been active for the last 70 years. Apart from performing across the country, she has taken the art to 12 other countries, including Japan, Germany, USA, France and Saudi Arabia.

To keep the art alive, Bhimavva continues to train the youth in this art form through workshops. A proud Bhimavva said that the award was due to blessings of the God and that the honour is not for any one individual but to puppetry and to all the artistes involved in keeping it alive.

Venkappa Ambaji Sugatekar (84), a folk artiste of Bagalkot district, has received the Padma Shri. He is one of the few artistes who is still preserving the folk art of ‘Gondhali’. Sugatekar has been involved in this folk art since his childhood.

“He was only 17 when he started learning Gondhali. He became so fascinated by it that he turned it into a passion and profession. It has continued till date with the same intensity,” said Sachin Sugatekar, the veteran artiste’s grandson.

Known as the ‘Bhishma’ of Gondhali music and storytelling, the artiste has reportedly sung more than 1,000 Gondhali songs and narrated over 150 stories. He has also trained more than 1,000 students.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat has been adjudged as the best district in the State for implementing Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) for the year 2023-24

Similarly Kadaba Taluk Panchayat and Alankar Gram Panchayat have been adjudged as best taluk and gram panchayat respectively for implementation of MGNREGA during the same period.

The awards will be presented during the MGNREGA Habba event of Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj to be held at Ambekar Bhavan in Bengaluru on February 5.

Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer K. Anandh said the panchayats in the district stand out as they have good women participation in MGNREGA works. “The panchayats have good work completion rate and a better file management system. All the works are geo-tagged. Social audit of all works are done and most suggestions made in the audit are implemented,” Dr. Anandh told The Hindu.

As per the data available on the MGNREGA website of Union Ministry for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, the district provided 13.9 lakh man days and and 7.55 lakh women person days of work in 2023-24. The average days of employment given per household in the district in the period was 47.67.

A total of 1.67 lakh job cards have been issued and it covers a total of 3.51 lakh workers. There are as many as 1.23 active workers and 67,000 active job cards.

As many as 312 households have completed 100 days of employment and average wage per day per person stood at ₹315.65 in 2023-24. A total of 12,794 works were taken up and 10,414 works were completed in the period. The total expenditure for 2023-24 was at- ₹5,8.96 crore.

In Kadaba Taluk there were a total of 15,925 job cards of which 9,212 were active. It covered a total of 33,300 workers of which 18,200 were active. A total of 2.24 lakh man days and 1.25 lakh women person days of work was generated in 2023-24. The average days of employment provided per household in the period stood at 47.94, a total of 22 households completed 100 days of work. The average wage rate per person per day in 2023-24 was ₹315.58. As many as 1,813 works were taken up and 1,609 works were completed in the period in Kadaba taluk. A total of ₹9.32 crore was spent in 2023-24.

The Alankar Panchayat recorded 15,389 man days and 9,802 women person days of work in 2023-24. In the period total of 268 households and 480 individuals worked of which six households completed 100 days of work. The average days of employment per household was 57.42 and average wage per day per person stood at ₹315.77.

The gram panchayat took up a total of 136 works in 2023-24 of which 135 were completed. The total expenditure was at ₹61.6 lakh, the MGNREGA website mentioned.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Mala Kumar’s Travelling Treasures: 100 Incredible Tales of How Things Came to India is crammed with charming facts like these, tracing the origins of a hundred everyday objects and how they finally reached this country.

Did you know that JRD Tata piloted India’s very first commercial mail flight from Karachi to Mumbai in 1932? Or that hing (asafoetida), that ubiquitous spice added to so many Indian dishes, wasn’t actually grown in India until the 21st century? And that the twice-baked rusks we love dipping into the afternoon tea go all the way back to the Roman era, at least?

Mala Kumar’s Travelling Treasures: 100 Incredible Tales of How Things Came to India is crammed with charming facts like these, tracing the origins of a hundred everyday objects and how they finally reached this country, reminding us about how global the world has always been. “What I hope comes through in this book is that we’re all so interconnected. We owe it to our children to strive for a harmonious world,” says the Bengaluru-based Mala, a freelance writer and editor who has authored over 40 books for children.

The book also helps remind us that we owe a lot to the people behind many things that are today such a vital part of our lives. “Imagine if we didn’t have paper or pencil….and without my glasses, I am blind,” she says, pointing to the spectacles perched on her nose. “I feel grateful that somebody had the brains, will and grit to invent these things or keep improving upon them.”

Beginnings

Over a casual chat with her editor at Hachette India, who had published Mala’s earlier book, Up the Mountains of India, the editor mentioned that they had an idea that Mala would probably like. “Those are dreamy words, so I immediately said yes,” she recalls with a smile.

Mala, whose editor for this particular book is Sanya Verma of Hachette, says it started with the idea of doing an A to Z of things that had come to India from outside. “Essentially, around 26 things or a bit more is what I registered it as, so it didn’t seem so daunting at that moment,” she says. “As a journalist who likes digging into a lot of things and then writing a short piece, I thought it was an excellent idea.”

But then, Sanya suggested that they make it a hundred. “It started getting a little difficult then,” confesses Mala. She began making a list of things that could go into the book, choosing to look only at things that came to India before 1947. Since it was primarily a book for young readers, it had to be objects children saw around their homes or were familiar with, says Mala, who took nearly nine months to write this book.

She also ensured that there was enough verifiable history about each object and tried to avoid being too repetitive. “I wanted to make sure that there were things covering different groups like fauna, flora, sports, arts, utility, wearables and so on,” says Mala. “I kept thinking about what would interest children and what I would find boring if I were that kid reading that book. “

Research and more

Mala believes that her training as a journalist was enormously helpful in researching and writing this book. The research process involved reading a lot, turning to books, the internet and archives to cull out interesting information about these objects. She also made cold calls and reached out to random people using social media and every other means available to her to garner a better understanding of the object.

“I ended up speaking to many 90-year-olds,” she says, pointing out that there was sometimes a strong connection between many of these objects and the Swadeshi movement. “So many things had a lot to do with the people fighting for freedom,” says Mala, who found herself getting excited whenever she discovered something quirky, really human about the object in question. “It was a series of Eureka moments for me.”

“One of her favourite stories, for instance, is the story of the English inventor George Cayley, who tried unsuccessfully to make a heavier-than-air-vehicle, getting his coachman to get on a flying machine he had designed in 1853. According to her, this vehicle, “a boat-like carriage fitted with wings,” flew for about 275 metres before crashing. While the coachman was not hurt during the crash, he said that he was resigning because “he was hired to drive, not fly,” says Mala. “Usually, in most books about inventions, you find facts. But this human nature of how things came to be fascinated me,” she says.

Writing for children

Mala, who insists that she hasn’t grown up yet, loves reading children’s books and writing for children. “I like to connect with children and am happiest in their company,” she says, listing out some reasons why writing for children is so gratifying: their unpredictably, brutal honesty and the creativity triggered when she is around them. “I just have to get in front of a child, and somehow the stories come out,” says Mala, whose first audience for many of the stories that went into this book was her own granddaughter. “She would ask me how the tomato or chilli came to India. So there was one story or the other like that, every day,” she laughs.

She is now looking forward to releasing her next book, one focused on water management. “It is fiction, but the journalist in me can’t help bringing facts in,” says Mala, who is also very invested in environment and resource management, especially considering Bengaluru’s water crisis. This book, which was commissioned by YUVA, an initiative of the Foundation for Indian Historical and Cultural Research (FIHCR), tells the story of water resources in present times. But there are flashbacks to Hampi and the Vijayanagara Empire, elaborates Mala. “I’ve submitted the manuscript, and it’s in the making,” she says. “It should be out in March or April this year.”

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Karnataka Bank has created history by winning awards in six categories at the ‘20th Annual Banking Technology Conference, Expo & Citations, 2024’ instituted by Indian Banks’ Association, the premier organisation of the banking industry in India.

The awards were ‘Best Tech Talent & Organisation’, ‘Best IT Risk Management’, ‘Best Technology Bank’, ‘Best Fintech & DPI Adoption’ – all Runner Ups, ‘Best Digital Sales, Payments & Engagement’ – Special Mention and ‘Best AI & ML Adoption’ – Special Mention.

The brief of awards won and highlights are as follows :

1) Best Tech Talent and organisation – Runner Up

KBL fosters a digital-first culture by driving innovation, while providing ongoing training, partnering with industry experts to address skill gaps, and introducing new tools to improve team collaboration and accelerate development
Highlight: Tech leadership programmes.

2) Best IT Risk Management – Runner Up

KBL implemented robust security frameworks, proactive risk monitoring and cutting-edge technologies like performing regular VA and PT, BCP plans in place and leveraging AI & ML for predictive risk analytics
Highlight: GSLB for active DC-DR, SAM & HAM from ServiceNow

3) Best Technology Bank – Runner Up

KBL Bank has built a robust enterprise architecture team, leveraging cutting-edge technologies like cloud computing and AI/ML models to deliver seamless digital solutions. This positions the Bank as a tech-driven leader, driving innovation, efficiency, and superior customer experiences.

Key highlights include the Exacc-Customer initiative, Change Data Capture using Kafka, and the Data Lake project for personalized banking.

4) Best Fintech and DPI Adoption – Runner Up

KBL leads FinTech innovation with advanced DPI adoption and seamless payments, highlighted by CBDC and UPI/IMPS with minimal failure rates.

5) Best Digital Sales, Payments and Engagement – Special Mention

KBL drives digital sales, payments, and engagement using AI/ML, ensuring seamless transactions and personalized customer experiences.

Highlight: AI-powered personalized banking and lead sourcing for targeted customer engagement.

6) Best AI and ML adoption – Special Mention

KBL excels in AI/ML adoption with phone banking, chatbots, and personalized banking for enhanced customer engagement.

Details of the Winners/Runner-ups/Special Mentions of the 20th Annual Banking Technology Citations Ceremony are available at the following weblink https://www.iba.org.in/reports/20th-annual-banking-technology-citations-ceremony-winners-runner-ups-special-mentions_1673.html 

Sharing his happiness on the achievement, Srikrishnan H, MD & CEO of the Bank said “It is yet another moment of pride for the Bank as we consistently find ourselves in the league of leading financial institutions pioneering New-age Banking technology. This recognition is a testimony to the combined in-house capabilities of the Bank’s Technology Centre, Digital Centre of Excellence (DCoE) and Analytical Centre of Excellence (ACoE) in Bengaluru. We remain committed to providing superior customer experience by continuously innovating, building best-in-class products and processes using agile methodologies, partnering with FinTechs, focusing on UI/UX & CX and increasing usage of AI/ML by complying to regulatory guidelines.”

Commenting on the achievement, Sekhar Rao, executive director, said “With focus on technology and digital transformation, Karnataka Bank is poised to create many more milestones in the growth journey of its second century of its purposeful existence. Credit goes to the dedicated team driving the IT, Digital and Analytics initiatives and staff members across the Bank for their zeal and enthusiasm in full adoption of IT across branches and different verticals of the Bank.”

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

Hubert Wee of Singapore, the top seed at the tournament, secured the first prize of Rs 1.35 lakh in Division A.

Bengaluru hosted the Karnataka State Scrabble Association Indian Open, one of the biggest events of its kind in the country, from January 23 to 26. The competition was held at the offices of Mu Sigma, the event sponsor, in Whitefield.

While the previous edition of the tournament saw the participation of world champion Nigel Richards, many high-ranked international players also participated in the competition this year. These included Hubert Wee of Singapore, ranked third in the world, and the World Youth Scrabble Championship 2024 silver medallist, Bengaluru’s Suyash Manchali, aged 14. Over 140 participants from 12 nations participated in this year’s edition.

The tournament was divided into Divisions A, B, C, and D to account for differing skill levels. While Division A accommodated the highest grade of participant skill, the separate competition for the D Division on the last day of the tournament was intended to give exposure to new entrants to the competitive rules of Scrabble, which operates under a strict time limit.

Competitive scrabble is starting to prove a hit with Indian youngsters too. According to Ganesh Ramakrishnan of the Karnataka State Scrabble Association, “At the World Youth Scrabble Championship, two Indians came in the top five. Suyash won the silver medal, and 13-year-old Madhav Kamath, who came fourth, also came to the event (Karnataka State Scrabble Association Indian Open).”

Hubert Wee, the top seed at the tournament, secured the top prize of Rs 1.35 lakh in Division A. The Division B prize was taken by Delhi resident Sudhir Kamath, while the Intermediate C Division was won by Bengalurean Nirupama Sivaraman. Among the newcomers, Abel George Mathew came out on top in the D Division.

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)