Category: Amazing Feats

KARNATAKA: BUSINESS & ECONOMY: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY / EXCELLENCE: Infosys, Intel Win ‘Karnataka IT Rathna Awards’ & Host of others Won the ‘IT Pride of Karnataka Awards’ at Bengaluru Tech Summit-2022

Infosys and Intel bagged the Karnataka IT Rathna awards at the 25th edition of the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS) 2022 held in Bengaluru, informed a press release.

The awards which were given away at the meet have been instituted by the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) and are given to companies that have clocked more than ₹10,000 crore in exports.

Minister for IT-BT, Science & Technology Dr C N Aswath Narayan also honoured companies such as TCS, Bosch, Mindtree, and 21 others with the award ‘IT Pride of Karnataka’ for clocking ₹2,000 crore to ₹10,000 crore in exports.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said “Karnataka is clocking exports worth ₹1 lakh crore annually and expressed hope that it would rise to ₹1.5 lakh crore in the next three years and also achieve $1 trillion in the digital economy space.”

However, the Minister expressed anxiousness over the 40% shortage of finances in the current account despite a high turnover in exports from the state. He urged the IT captains to raise exports and reduce imports to maintain a good balance of trade. He also assured the industry that the government will continue to extend its support.

Aravind Kumar and Shailendra Tyagi of STPI, IT Vision group chairman Kris Gopalakrishnan, Additional chief secretary of IT-BT department E V Ramana Reddy, and director Meena Nagaraj were also present at the vent.

– Winners of the ‘IT Pride of Karnataka Awards’:

– Accenture, Amazon Development Centre, Dell, EIT Services, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, IBM, JP Morgan, Juniper Networks, Mercedes Benz, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Samsung, SAP Labs, Standard Chartered, VMware and Wipro won the IT Pride of Karnataka awards.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline and sub-head edited)

INTERNATIONAL: MEDICAL TEAM AT QATAR: Pratibha N Darkasu selected as a Member of the Medical Team for the ‘FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022’

A woman, native of the taluk is selected to serve in the medical team of FIFA World Cup that is going on at Qatar.

Pratibha N Darkasu, wife of Naveen Poojary, a resident of Darkasu in Kudambettu village is the woman who is selected for this coveted job. She has become the only woman from Karnataka to serve in the medical team of World Cup.

Pratibha is the daughter of Narayana Poojary and Srimathi couple, residents of Siddakatte Soorande in Bantwal. She lives with her husband Naveen in Doha Qatar since many years.

Pratibha works in Hamad Medical Corporation government hospital.

Her special service was recognized during coronavirus pandemic also for which she was honoured.

Now she is selected as the nursing in-charge for the World Cup considering her outstanding service in the health sector of Qatar.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: ARTS & CRAFTS / FILM PRODUCTION: Karthik Vijayan Awarded ‘Gulf Achievers Award 2022’ for his Short Films

City’s Karthik Vijayamani speaks about his victory at the Gulf Achievers Award 2022 for his short films, making songs for the IPL and the nature of Dubai’s content creation industry.

When Bengaluru’s Karthik Vijayamani went to Dubai in 2014 for a job in the science and technology industry, little did he know that films were his calling. But after producing multiple short film projects in the past eight years, Vijayamani has recently been recognised for his contribution after he won the Gulf Achievers Award 2022 as the best short film content creator in Dubai. He was recognised for his projects Dad Says, Dance Battle 2022 and Chords of Love.

Now, after amassing recognition in the UAE, Vijayamani feels things worked out for him after his company, Avighna Productions, redefined the concept of an advertisement. “Our production house has  made multiple ads. While working on those projects, we thought of taking a different approach. We took more of a narrative route in a short-film format. We felt it would help us relay a message to the audience better,” says Vijayamani about their work that also incorporated a few Bollywood celebrities to help the project reach a wider audience. These short-films were released in Dubai and Sharjah.

Outside of making short films, Vijayamani’s production house has also created fan anthems for the Indian Premiere League (IPL) teams Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore & Mumbai Indians. Of these three, the CSK one titled ‘#CSKReturns Anthem’ especially made the rounds during IPL 2019 and has over 3.6 million views on YouTube.

“Making music for the IPL is challenging because of the intense competition. There are thousands of people who make IPL songs. The game is not just about making the song but how we choose to market. A bad marketing strategy can ruin a good song’s success. In our case, we created a film that said that whoever in the audience will dance to the first few beats of the song and put it up on social media, we will give them a gold coin if they gain a huge number of views. That strategy worked out for us,” he shares.

Vijayamani feels the content creation industry in the UAE is different compared to India. “The biggest challenge is that the people of Dubai are not easily approachable. I first had to familiarise myself with all the top Sheikhs in Dubai and maintain a healthy relationship with them.

Once I started to gain their confidence, things started to get easier. In 2018, they gave me one opportunity to make a song about people of determination, which is the official term for specially-abled citizens in Dubai. We made an album with people of determination that year. The success of that project opened many doors for me,” he concludes.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL: FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022 / ARTS & CULTURE: Rochelle D’Sa’s ‘Hey Yo’ Video Song for FIFA World Cup Released on November 11th

The FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar has begun from November 20.

A team from Mangaluru has composed ‘Hey Yo’ video song for FIFA World Cup 2022 which was released on November 11.

The song ‘Hey Yo’ is composed, written and sung by Rochelle D’Sa, music programmed by Dolwin Kolalagiri, and backing vocals by Joel Rebello, Dolwin Kolalagiri and Rochelle D’Sa.

The mixing and mastered by Srinivas at Daijiworld Audio Visual Studio. The camera, editing and DI by Relwin Melrin (horizon studio).

The song is dedicated to all the football fans around the world.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: AVIATION & AIRCRAFT / MANUFACTURING: ‘Saras Mk 2’, India’s very Own 10-seater Civilian Aircraft Indigenously Developed by National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) in collaboration with CSIR may soon Dot Skies over tier 2, 3 cities by 2025

The 19-seater civilian aircraft is being developed by National Aerospace Laboratories in Bengaluru, in collaboration with CSIR.

One of the major attractions at this year’s Bengaluru Tech Summit is a model of the Saras Mark 2, the upgraded version of the first ever indigenously built civilian aeroplane, the Saras Mark 1.

Almost 20 years after its predecessor’s historic maiden flight, the Saras Mk 2 may soon become a common sight in the skies across the state.

The Saras Mk 2, a 19-seater multi-purpose civilian aircraft, is being developed by National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bengaluru, in collaboration with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

“The aircraft is an upgraded version of the Saras Mk 1. It can be used for multiple purposes, including for medical emergencies or in the event of natural disasters. However, it can also help in transporting passengers from Tier-1 cities to Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities,” said Naman Dugar, a senior scientist at NAL, who has been involved with the development of the aircraft. He also said that the aircraft will be used for defence purposes as well.

The aircraft has an additional five seats when compared to Saras Mk-1, which had only 14 seats. Dugar says the plane is ideal for carrying passengers to shorter distances, like to nearby cities. With Karnataka’s push towards developing Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities in the coming years, the aircraft may become an ideal option for the state’s transport needs in this direction.

“There are many larger planes. However, they are developed for long-distance travel and are generally more expensive. In terms of travelling to closer cities by air, for example, Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, the Saras Mark 2 will become a sought-after plane. The aircraft does not need much space for take-off and landing,” said Dugar. The development of Saras Mk 2 is expected to be completed by 2024 and make its maiden flight by 2025.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: HEALTH & MEDICAL SCIENCES: Bengaluru’s Fortis Hospital Performs 72 Robotic Surgeries in three months

Fortis Hospital has successfully performed 72 robotic surgeries (knee and hip replacement) since September 2022. To create awareness about the efficiency of robotic surgeries, the hospital launched an initiative to perform 100 robotic surgeries without adding any additional costs.

Akshay Oleti, business head of the hospital, said the the hospital currently provides robotic surgeries at the same cost as conventional surgeries to ensure the advanced procedures are more accessible. 

In October, Ndeshiwangisa Senyaeli, a 66-year-old Tanzanian woman, was treated at the hospital. She was even unable to perform basic chores for 15 years and had co-morbidities like hypertension, asthma, heart defects among others earlier. The doctors explained that both her knees were damaged due to osteoarthritis. She could barely take a step when she arrived at the hospital.

Dr Narayan Hulse, Director – Department of Orthopaedics, Bone & Joint Surgery, Fortis Hospital, explained that they performed a surgery using the Mako Robotic Technology within a gap of three days. The robot helped create a 3D virtual model of the damaged knee and plan the corrective surgery accordingly.

Dr Hulse explained that often, patients would be unhappy with the knee surgeries as the metal plates would often end up being inaccurately placed. With the MAKO robot, the technology has evolved as the robot calculates everything, all the angles and cutting of the bones as well, reducing inaccuracy to almost nil.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL / NATIONAL: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / INNOVATION / LEADERS: 14th Infosys Prize Award’ . 6 Awarded for the understanding of Galaxy, Statute, Engineering, Social Sciences

14th edition of Infosys Prize awarded to six persons who each will get a gold medal, a citation, and a cash award of $100,000 or its rupee equivalent.

The Infosys Science Foundation on Tuesday announced the winners who include a mathematician tackling challenges in a field sometimes called “the queen of mathematics”, an economist working on governance and accountability, and a law school professor and expert on the Indian Constitution.

The winners are Suman Chakraborty at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, for engineering and computer science; Sudhir Krishnaswamy the vice-chancellor at the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, for humanities; Vidita Vaidya at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, for life sciences; Mahesh Kakade at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, for mathematical sciences; Nissim Kanekar at the National Centre for Radio Astronomy, Pune, for physical sciences; and Rohini Pande at Yale University in the US for social sciences, the foundation said.

This is the 14th edition of Infosys Prize. The prize for each category includes a gold medal, a citation, and a cash award of $100,000 or its rupee equivalent.

Chakraborty has studied how fluids behave in tiny channels to design novel medical devices, including low-cost tools, to detect infectious diseases and a hand-held torchlike device for early diagnosis of oral cancer.

The technology has drawn commercial interest within and outside India. Krishnaswamy was awarded the prize for “his insightful understanding of the Indian Constitution, especially his carefully argued account of the importance of the landmark ‘basic structure doctrine’ adopted by the Supreme Court in 1973 that guides and constrains efforts to amend it, while also ensuring its stability in the face of executive and legislative outcomes,” the foundation said.

Vaidya has contributed to understanding the brain mechanisms that underlie mood disorders such as anxiety and depression, including the role of a neurotransmitter called serotonin in causing persistent changes in behaviour induced by early life stress.

The foundation said Kakde has made “outstanding contributions” to algebraic number theory, often called the queen of mathematics that has practical applications in areas such as cryptography or secret communications.

“But I don’t do things with any applications in mind,” Kakde said on Tuesday. His work has yielded proofs for several key conjectures at the heart of modern numbertheory. The conjectures serve as tools to address hard math problems involving so-called polynomial equations.

Kanekar has received the award for his study of star formation in galaxies eight billion years ago and especially for his work on elusive signatures of atomic hydrogen in distant galaxies that has resolved along-standing astronomical puzzle — why have star births in galaxies declined over time?

Pande’s research on governance, accountability, women’s empowerment, the environment, and the role of credit in the lives of the poor “offer major promise and potential for policy design in emerging economies”, the foundation said.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: SOCIAL/ CHILDRENs BRAVERY: Five Children Awarded the ‘Hoysala and Keladi Chennamma Bravery Awards’ on Children’s Day by the Department of Women and Child Development

Five children were awarded for their bravery by the Department of Women and Child Development, on the occasion of Children’s Day, at Bal Bhavan.

All the five hail from rural backgrounds, and were conferred the Hoysala and Keladi Chennamma Bravery Awards for displaying various acts of bravery over the last year.

The awards are bestowed by the department on children who have shown commitment towards the rescue of others in dangerous circumstances. The four girls and one boy were honoured at the Children’s Day State Awards Ceremony on Monday.

On November 6, 2021, Namrata, from Madikeri, had saved a senior citizen from drowning in a lake on her way home from school.

Prarthana, from Shivamogga, had saved her brother’s life after he was electrocuted by a TV switch board at their home on November 7, 2021.

Koushalya Hegade, from Siddapura, saved her father following an accident. After their car overturned, she made her way to a nearby village to call for help, as her father had suffered severe injury.

Keerthi Vivek, from Davanagere, also endured a similar ordeal, when his family car fell into a trench, jamming all its doors.

He used a metal water bottle to smash a car window, and was able to pull his sister and parents to safety, following which he called for help.

Kavya Bhaskar Hegde, from Chikkamagaluru, was on her way home when she found an elderly woman lying on a railway track, and rushed in to save her after she saw a train approaching.

The five children were also presented a cash prize of Rs 10,000.

The ceremony included awards distributed to four organisations and four individuals for their services rendered in the field of children’s welfare.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: SPORTS/ CRICKET: History Created. 16-yr-old Tanmay Manjunath Creates History, Scores Record 407 in a one-day match Breaking Indian Skipper Rohit Sharma’s Record in a Club Cricket encounter.

Tanmay Manjunath, 16, has scored 407 runs of 165 balls in a 50-over limited overs match held here at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Grounds of PES Institute of Technology.

Tanmay Manjunath who played for Sagar Cricket Club hit 48 boundaries and 24 sixes in his knock of 407.

Tanmay, who is coached by Nagendra Pandit, helped Sagar Cricket Club reach a total of 583 runs in the stipulated 50 overs. The opponents Bhadravathi team could manage to score only 73 runs as the team lost all its wickets.

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma holds the record for maximum runs of 264 in a one-day international against Sri Lanka.The Indian skipper had slammed 33 boundaries and 9 sixes in his knock.

Rohit is also the only batsman to score three double centuries in ODIs.

Sachin Tendulkar was the first batsman to score a double century when he hit 200 against South Africa in Gwalior.

Although the Shivamogga boy Tanmay has not scored in an international match, he has broken Rohit Sharma’s record in a club cricket encounter.

Last year, Tanmay Manjunath had got selected into the Karnataka state team. But, Covid-19 put paid to his dreams as the KSCA cancelled the under-16 tournament.

Tanmay’s knock has raised eyebrows of cricket selectors and the spectators who watched him play were awestruck. 

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: HEALTH & MEDICAL SERVICES: Karnataka comes 2nd in the ‘Bharatiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana’ Scheme by the Dept of Pharmaceuticals. A Scheme to make Generic Medicines at Affordable Prices. About 1,052 Shops Opened, 540 More Stores on Anvil

Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said that Karnataka has ranked second in the Prime Minister’s Bharatiya Jan Aushadhi scheme, and the government plans to set up 540 new stores across the state. 

The scheme has been working well, and 1,052 shops have been opened so far.

A proposal has been sent by the health department to the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India for opening 500 new stores in the state, and around 40 new stores in government hospitals.

Since February 2022, 300 new stores have been opened in Karnataka.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)