Bengaluru First – Page 2 – Karnataka First

KARNATAKA: SPACE INNOVATION: Bengaluru Start-up Bellatrix Aerospace Unveils Groundbreaking Low Earth Orbit Satellite

Bellatrix Aerospace, a Bengaluru-based start-up, has unveiled an ultra low earth orbit satellite capable of operating at 200 km altitude, thanks to its in-house developed propulsion systems.

This breakthrough aims to significantly enhance satellite performance and could revolutionize satellite applications.

A Bengaluru-based space-sector start-up has set a new milestone by unveiling an ultra low earth orbit satellite capable of operating at an altitude of 200 km. This remarkable feat was achieved through advanced propulsion systems developed in-house.

The satellite, known as Project 200, was showcased by Bellatrix Aerospace. It was officially unveiled by Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) Chairman Pawan Kumar Goenka.

Traditionally, Low Earth Orbit satellites are deployed at altitudes around 450 km to avoid atmospheric drag. Placing satellites in lower orbits typically results in them falling back to Earth more quickly. However, Bellatrix Aerospace’s co-founder and CEO, Rohan Ganapathy, stated that their cutting-edge propulsion technology enables satellites to maintain 200 km orbits for years, rather than deorbiting in a few days.

Ganapathy highlighted that operating at 200 km significantly boosts satellite performance, improving communication latency and image resolution while reducing costs compared to 450 km altitude satellites. This innovation promises to be a game changer, delivering new capabilities previously unachievable by satellites, according to Bellatrix’s co-founder and COO, Yashas Karanam.

Bellatrix Aerospace has also pioneered the use of water-fueled plasma thrusters and high-performing green propulsion alternatives, marking a pivotal step towards reimagining future space operations.

(With inputs from agencies.)

source/content: devidiscourse.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: AVIATION/ DEFENCE : Bengaluru company Flying Wedge unveils indigenous bomber UAV

The Bengaluru-based company said the UAV would address India’s need for an advanced unmanned combat aircraft and boost efforts toward self-reliance in a segment critical to modern warfare.

Defence and aerospace company Flying Wedge on Friday unveiled its bomber UAV – FWD-200B – which it said would advance India’s unmanned air combat prowess with cost-efficiency and indigenous capabilities.

The Bengaluru-based company said the UAV would address India’s need for an advanced unmanned combat aircraft and boost efforts toward self-reliance in a segment critical to modern warfare. Flying Wedge had, in 2023, secured a DGCA type certification for its indigenous UAV technology.

FWD-200B is a MALE (medium altitude, long endurance) UAV with a fuel capacity of 100 kg. It comes with optical surveillance payloads and is integrated with missile-like weapons for precision air strikes. The UAV has a maximum speed of 370 kmph (200 knots), an endurance capacity of 12 to 20 hours, and a ground control station range of 200 km. At six metres long, with an eight-metre wingspan, the aircraft can carry a maximum take-off weight of 498 kg and has an operational altitude of 9,000 ft above mean sea level.

After unveiling a full-scale model of the UAV, Suhas Tejaskanda, founder of Flying Wedge, said plans were on to fly the aircraft during May. The company is engaging with the Army Design Bureau (ADB) – which leads the Indian Army’s Make in India initiative – to pursue possibilities of induction into the Armed Forces.

Flying Wedge, through the ADB, is taking the certification process forward with the Indian Army. The ADB’s Regional Technology Node is set to coordinate these efforts based on an evaluation of the aircraft across parameters.

“By June, we’ll be observing the flight dynamics and the behaviour of the aircraft and probably, over the next three months, we should be able to get the aircraft to CEMILAC (Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification),” Tejaskanda told reporters.

Tejaskanda said the company was also aiming to sell the aircraft to countries in Africa and South-East Asia that are, at present, buying highly-priced UAVs like the Predators from the US. He said the cost involved in the production of an FWD-200B was about Rs 25 crore.

source/content: deccanherald.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: SWIMMING RECORDS: Bengaluru’s Siddhartha Agarwal becomes oldest Indian to swim solo across English Channel

Siddhartha Agarwal, a 49-year-old swimmer from Bengaluru, has made history by becoming the oldest Indian to swim across the English Channel. Agarwal successfully navigated the 42-km stretch between England and France on August 29, completing the grueling swim in an impressive 15 hours and six minutes.

Reflecting on his achievement, Agarwal said he wasn’t sure about achieving this feat.

Agarwal’s quest in the freezing waters of the English Channel first began in 2018 when he crossed the Channel as part of an eight-member relay team. Incidentally, this was the same year when Srikaanth Viswanathan, also from Bengaluru, entered the Limca Book of Records for becoming the oldest to swim the English Channel solo at the age of 46.

Six years later, Agarwal, affectionately known as “Sid” in the swimming community, surpassed his compatriot’s record. The final 10 km of his swim presented the greatest challenge, as he battled rigid conditions and high tides, exacerbated by winds reaching approximately 25 miles per hour. Despite these obstacles, Agarwal successfully completed the swim, solidifying his place in the record books.

“Until I actually completed the swim, I never believed that I could actually do this. It took me a while for it to sink in. What worked for me was that I trusted my coach, I believed in the process and just focused on what I needed to do that week and that month,” Siddhartha was quoted as saying in a release from Swim Life.

It was the mammoth preparations for the solo swim under a taskmaster of a coach Satish Kumar, a former international swimmer himself, that was the most challenging.

“I was never a swimmer; at best I would splash around in the pool at my school as a kid. To inculcate the discipline and clock those regular hours in the pool despite my role as an entrepreneur in real estate and family commitments was the real challenge that excited me,” Agarwal said.

“The preparations would start with 3km swims, at a pace of 2min 15secs per 100m. The distance would increase and the pace would reduce as we got closer to the date of the solo swim. Satish was a real taskmaster, his rules were simple: If you can’t achieve that day’s target of distance and pace, he would cancel out the enter session as invalid and start afresh the following day,” he added.

With the growing popularity of endurance sports among Indians across age groups, open water swimming is truly catching on with professional set-ups like Swim Life opening doors for amateur swimmers to take up a new challenge and pursue a fitness regime that promises a lifestyle change.

Satish, who trained Siddhartha, believes this feat will inspire several others to take up open water swimming.

“Sid is really a man on a mission when he sets his sight on a goal. It wasn’t easy swimming the channel. Though the swim was for 15 hours, the training was for 15 months. We had trained and mastered every aspect of the channel before the swim,” Satish said.

“With his incredible discipline and dedication, Sid could fight the most challenging situations in the sea on that day. This success comes as a huge inspiration for amateur swimmers, regardless of their age, who are dreaming of achieving similar feat in their lifetime.”

source/content: ddnews.gov.in (headline edited)

NATIONAL: SPORTS-SWIMING: S Sharanya Wins 04 gold medals at National Aquatic Championship 2024, Bhubaneswar-Odisha

S. Sharanya, a native of Uginahalli in K.R. Nagar taluk of Mandya district, has secured gold medals in four categories of the 40th Sub-Junior and 50th Junior National Aquatic Championship-2024 (Swimming) held at Bhubaneswar in Odisha recently.

He won the first place in 1,500 mts Freestyle (16.45.40 minutes), 800 mts Freestyle (8.53.89 minutes), 400 mts Freestyle (4.14.63 minutes) and 4×100 mts Freestyle (3.45.86 minutes).

A 9th standard student of Jain Heritage School at Kampapura in Bengaluru, Sharanya had previously won gold medals in Khelo India Swimming Championship and Swimming Contest held at Rajkot in Gujarat.

Sharanya is the son of Sridhar, a Computer Engineer and Dr. H.K. Lakshmi, a Gynaecologist at Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru.

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: SPORTS-ATHLETE: A silver lining. Para-athlete Nishad Kumar clinches ‘Silver in Men’s High Jump T47 , Paris Paralympics 2024

Para-athlete Nishad Kumar, who lost his right hand in an accident at a very young age, talks about clinching the silver medal in the men’s high jump T47 event at the Paris Paralympics 2024.

Reflecting on his silver medal in the men’s high jump T47 at the Paris Paralympics, Nishad Kumar recalls focusing on staying calm and composed just before the competition.

Although aware of the expectations, he tried to ‘shut all the noise in his head to focus on himself.’ “I was not trying to overthink and was keeping myself calm. I was going through all that we had planned and where to take the jump. I had prepped well; at that point, I was just focusing on implementing all that I had learned from training,” says Kumar, speaking to us from Paris.

The 24-year-old, who trains in Bengaluru, achieved a season-best jump of 2.04 metres, finishing behind the USA’s Roderick Townsend. “I was never intimidated by anyone. I knew where I stood and was hoping for a silver. Anything more than that would have been a pleasant surprise, but I am quite happy,” says Kumar, who trained in the USA under coach Jeremy Fischer, coach of Olympic medallist Will Claye, before the Paris Paralympics.

Among the long list of congratulatory messages that followed his podium finish was one from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took to X to hail Kumar’s achievement, calling it a ‘remarkable’ at the ongoing Paralympics.

Kumar, originally from Badaun village near Amb in Himachal Pradesh, called his mother after clinching the medal. “They were happy and quite proud. My mother promised to make kheer when I returned home; that’s my favourite dessert. Now I am looking forward to reaching home,” says Kumar.

The 6-foot-4-inch para-athlete credits his success not only to his coaches but also to his mother, who never gave up on him after he lost his right hand to a freak accident in 2007 involving a fodder-cutting machine. As a young child, Kumar had always wanted to serve his country and aspired to join the Indian Army.

Although that dream was cut short by the accident, it did not stop him from achieving his goal of representing the country. “It is always an honour to represent India. You become the face of the nation at that point, and that is not something small. I cherish it,” says Kumar, who also won silver at the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago.

Kumar plans to stay in Paris until September 9 before returning to India for a grand welcome. “I am planning to first go to my village to meet my mother. But before that, I am looking forward to climbing the Eiffel Tower,” says Kumar.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: NATIONAL: KARNATAKA / ROAD TRANSPORT: Germany’s FlixBus expands to South India, offers Rs 99 fares from Bengaluru for intercity routes

FlixBus to commence operations in South India on September 10.

FlixBus India will connect a total of 101 cities and 215 stops nationwide.

Germany-based travel-tech firm FlixBus India announced its expansion into South India on September 3. The company will begin operations on September 10, offering services from Bengaluru to Chennai and Hyderabad.

Subsequently, services will be extended to Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirupati, Vijayawada, and Belagavi.

FlixBus has partnered with six bus operators so far, and plans to expand further by adding 33 cities across Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala and more than 200 connections throughout South India. FlixBus India will connect a total of 101 cities and 215 stops nationwide.

As part of its Bengaluru launch, FlixBus also announced a special promotional fare of Rs 99. “This offer is exclusively available for the new routes launched around Bengaluru, with the booking period running from September 3 to September 15 and the departure period spanning from September 10 to October 6,” said a statement from FlixBus.

Karnataka Minister for Commerce & Industries, Infrastructure MB Patil, global FlixBus leaders Max Zeumer, COO, and Daniel Krauss, Co-founder, were present at the launch.

Patil said, “We welcome FlixBus not only as a foreign investor in Karnataka but also as a partner in our journey toward sustainability.”

Surya Khurana, Managing Director of FlixBus India, said, “After the success of our operations in North India, expanding to South India is the next step in our journey to revolutionise intercity travel”,

“In South India, FlixBus will continue its strategic collaboration with local bus operators, employing its proprietary technology platform to enhance business operations. Through network planning, revenue management, and yield optimization, FlixBus ensures an efficient and seamless travel experience for both passengers and operators, committing to quality, safety, and exceptional customer service,” the company stated.

“These standardized buses, equipped with BS6 engines, adhere to stringent emission norms, significantly reducing pollutants and reinforcing FlixBus’s dedication to environmental sustainability. Each bus is outfitted with state-of-the-art facilities, including ABS (anti-lock braking system), ESC (electronic stability control), and 2-point seat belts for all seats, ensuring the highest level of passenger safety and comfort”, it adds.

source/content: moneycontrol.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: KARNATAKA : 9 Karnataka students to compete in the 47th World Skills Competition 2024 in France

Karnataka Skill Development Corporation (KSDC) has selected nine students to represent India at the 47th World Skills Competition in Lyon, France.

These talented individuals met with Sharan Prakash Patil, Minister for Medical Education and Skill Development, before embarking on their journey to France on Wednesday in Bengaluru.

Minister Sharan Prakash Patil extended his best wishes to the students, encouraging them to seize this opportunity and bring glory to both the state and the nation by demonstrating their skills and winning medals.

The selected students are currently pursuing ITI, Diploma, and Engineering courses in various regions across Karnataka.

“Nine students have been selected as part of the Indian team. These students will compete in World Skills Lyon 2024 from September 10-15. KSDC supports students in participating in this prestigious global skills competition,” Minister Patil.

The World Skills Competition, often referred to as the Olympics of vocational skills, is the world’s largest event dedicated to vocational education and skill excellence.

Held from September 10 to 15, 2024, in Lyon, France, the competition will see more than 1,000 young participants under the age of 22 compete in over 61 skill categories.

The KSDC, under the guidance of the Skill Development, Entrepreneurship, and Livelihood (SDEL) Department, has been instrumental in providing opportunities for Karnataka’s skilled youth to showcase their abilities on national and international platforms.

The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) organises the India Skills Competition to identify and train candidates who will represent India at the World Skills Competition.

Karnataka secured the second position at the national level during the India Skills competition held in New Delhi from May 15 to 19, 2024.

KSDC Chairperson Kantha Naik, Karnataka Skill Development Authority chairperson V Ramana Reddy, KSDC managing director M Kanagavalli, GTTC managing director YK Dinesh Kumar, NSDC advisor Venugopal were present during the occasion.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: PROJECT DIGITISATION: Close to 12,000 books digitised in Bengaluru for All India Gandhi Library project

The collection, assembled over three months and spanning 12 languages, includes Mahatma Gandhi’s collected works, publications such as Harijan and Young India and audio recordings.

The Servants of Knowledge, a non-profit group, has announced that 11,720 books from the library of Bengaluru’s Gandhi Bhavan have been digitised as part of the All India Gandhi Library project.

The group announced this at the valedictory session of a seminar held on Sunday to mark the 75th year of the Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi Organisation.

According to a statement by the non-profit group, Gandhi Bhavan had already made 1,272 books publicly available online. The freshly digitised collection, assembled over three months and spanning 12 languages, includes the collected works of Mahatma Gandhi, his publications such as Harijan and Young India and audio recordings of him speaking on All India Radio.

The digitised libraries have been presented to 12 Gandhian organisations.

Among the speakers at the seminar was American public domain information advocate Carl Malamud, who is also part of Servants of Knowledge and the founder of the US-based Public.Resource.Org.

“For the last several months, we have been digitising every book here at the Karnataka Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi libraries. Today we are presenting all of those books in digital format to the organisations here, making them the trustees of this knowledge….this is the first release of the All India Gandhi Library. We have offered to digitise at no cost additional Gandhi materials these organisations may possess to add to the collection. We have already assisted the Gandhi Smaraka Nidhis of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and we welcome additional materials…..as we say ‘scanning is the new spinning’,” he said at the seminar.

Explaining the digitisation process, Malamud told indianexpress.com later, “We make the scanners and frames here in India and have 17 scanners here at Gandhi Bhavan and can scan 15 lakh pages every month… Once you get good at it, you can do 500 pages in an hour. After the scan, a post-process happens where you crop the pages, de-skew it, run optical character recognition and create a PDF file—a whole chain of processes.”

Explaining the challenges of working with old books in general, Malamud added, “If the material is truly fragile, we work with INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) and they help us conserve the books. The same goes with fragile palm leaves. We’re careful while turning the pages with older books, but if the book is going to disintegrate we have it go through the conservation process.”

About some other work done by the Servants of Knowledge, Malamud said, “Om Shivaprakash (another archivist with the Servants of Knowledge) has been instrumental in finding old Kannada books and gotten permission to digitise old Kannada magazines from publishers…. We’re also working on Lalbagh right now and digitising their library of 6,000 books and digitising old and rare prints. There are all sorts of materials that are on the internet for the first time and that is something we’re particularly proud of.”

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

KARNATKA: BUSINESS & FINANCE: INDIA’S FIRST: IIM Bangalore announces India’s first ‘Global Centre of Excellence on Private Equity (PE) and Venture Capital (VC)

As the private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) landscape in India continues to grow, IIM Bangalore on Saturday announced to set up country’s first global centre on PE-VC.

Professor U Dinesh Kumar, Dean, Faculty at IIM Bangalore signed an MoU with Mathew Cyriac, Executive Chairman, Florintree Advisors Pvt Ltd, to set up the Tony James Centre for Private Equity and Venture Capital.

Named after the legendary investment banker Tony James, the Centre aims to be a global thought leader for research in matters relating to the PE and VC landscape.

Cyriac is contributing Rs 17.5 crore towards the centre. “This is the single largest-ever contribution from an alumnus and we are grateful to Mathew not just for his generous support but for his extreme thoughtfulness in contributing to the naming of four classrooms on campus after faculty who taught his batch,” said Professor Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIM Bangalore.

Cyriac said he expects the Centre “to emerge as a globally reputed ‘go-to’ place for all players interested in private equity as well as venture capital.”

The Centre will serve as a hub for cutting-edge research, education and industry collaboration in the field of PE-VC, where students will connect with industry leaders, gain hands-on insights, and explore the latest trends in the sector.

James has watched the Indian PE landscape flourish. He said that private equity is a strong contributor to the vibrant Indian economy.

The opening of the Centre comes at a time when foreign investment in the country is booming across sectors, riding on the country’s robust domestic macros.

VC investment in the country surged to $4 billion in the April-June period (Q2 2024), from $2.9 billion in the previous quarter. VC investment is expected to continue to pick up in India, driven in part by the country’s stable government and positive economic environment, according to a latest KPMG report.

India Inc saw impressive 195 deals worth $8.4 billion in July, a 16 per cent jump in volumes. PE deal activity continued to lead the volumes for the month, contributing to 57 per cent of the overall volumes, according to ‘Grant Thornton Bharat Dealtracker’.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: ENGINEERING INNOVATION: Bengaluru’s Sci560 exhibition reveals city’s scientific evolution

The Sci560 exhibition at Science Gallery Bengaluru highlights the HAL HT-2 aircraft, a key symbol of the city’s military-industrial-academic synergy.

Bengaluru is much more than just a hub for IT giants and startups; it’s a city with a rich scientific heritage spanning over a century, shaping its identity as India’s premier science and technology city. Starting Saturday, Science Gallery Bengaluru is inviting the public to explore this legacy through its latest flagship exhibition, Sci560. Running until the end of the year, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the city’s transformation from a serene garden city to a bustling industrial, military, and IT powerhouse.

Jahnavi Phalkey, director of Science Gallery Bengaluru, explains that Sci560 explores the ‘long 20th century,’ beginning in the late 19th century and extending into the present. “We aim to unravel the various layers of Bengaluru’s evolution into the city it is today,” she says. This transformation is illustrated through a series of thoughtfully-curated exhibits, borrowed from the city’s premier scientific institutions.

A central theme of the exhibition is Bengaluru’s identity as a ‘military-industrial-academic complex,’ a concept that Phalkey finds particularly fitting. Drawing a parallel with Silicon Valley, she notes, “The history of Silicon Valley is often described as a ‘blue sky metropolis,’ reflecting both visionary thinking and the aerospace industry.

Many of these elements also apply to Bengaluru in its own unique way. The exhibition’s primary focus is to explore what makes Bengaluru a military-industrial-academic complex. Over the years, these elements have become deeply embedded in the city’s fabric.”

Bangalore Torpedo

Gayatri Manu, senior programme associate at Science Gallery Bengaluru, highlights how the exhibits showcase the city’s diverse scientific contributions. “One of the key exhibits is the HAL HT-2, the Hindustan Trainer 2 aircraft, which was India’s first domestically-designed and developed aircraft – a significant milestone achieved in 1951,” she says.

“The idea originated from a professor at IISc, the manufacturing was carried out in Bengaluru at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), one of the first major public sector undertakings post-Independence, and the aircraft served the Indian Air Force for nearly three decades. This story exemplifies how industry, military, and academia collaborated to advance scientific research in India, a crucial narrative we wanted to highlight.”

Another fascinating exhibit is the Bangalore Torpedo, developed in the early 20th century with origins in the weaponry devised during Tipu Sultan’s reign.

Throughout its duration, Sci560 will be accompanied by a variety of workshops, lectures, and live experiments, offering visitors opportunities to engage directly with the scientific concepts on display. These programmes are designed to be highly interactive, encouraging visitors not just to observe but also to participate in the scientific process.

(Sci560 opens on Aug 24 at Science Gallery Bengaluru, Bellary Rd and runs through Dec 31. For more info, visit bengaluru.sciencegallery.com)

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)