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With the formal announcement of general elections to the Karnataka state Assembly by the Election Commission of India on Wednesday last, the tables have been cleared for a free for all among all the three major political contenders in the state. These parties include the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), main opposition Indian National Congress (INC) and the fence sitter, power hungry, king maker turned king regional party Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S). The state will go to polls on a single day on 10th May while the results are slated to be known on 13th May. Preparations from past one year: Maybe, the Election Commission declared the electoral calendar of events on Wednesday, 29th March, but all the formidable rivals have been on a campaigning and preparatory spree since more than a year. The statement holds good to all the major players like the BJP, INC, JD-S. And not to be left behind, the New Delhi based and centered Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), is also in the fray making noise every n

Bengaluru: The recent pronouncement of the Basavaraj Bommai-led Bharatiya Janata Party government shifting the four per cent reservation status of Muslims to the Veerashiva-Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities in 2B category and transferring the Muslims to the 10 per cent Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), has triggered a major controversy in the state. An announcement of Assembly polls is expected any time now and the crucial decision has paved for law and order problems as well. New issue for political tussle: Muslims being stripped from the facility they had been enjoying ever since 2004 under the Other Backward Classes (OBCs’) bracket and placing them on par with forward communities like Brahmins under EWS has added fuel to the ongoing political tussle between the ruling and opposition parties, while the latter is already on a combat mode against the ruling dispensation. CM defends shift in stance: Basavaraj Bommai, Chief Minister has been vociferously defending the change of sta

Come February, many classmates of the BMHS 1976 batch keep waiting eagerly for the annual reunion get-together. Even this year, it was no different and just like every year, in spite of the date being announced well in advance only 14 could make it. But, that was no excuse for all those who assembled to rejoice to the fullest extent possible. The farm becomes party venue: This year around Edwin D’Souza’s sprawling farm on Goa road was the venue to avoid repeated pressure on Sanjeev’s Tech Farm and to heed to a voluntary offer of Edwin in organizing the same. Thanks to the team of Edwin, Jagadish, Gajanan, Ravi and Narayan interacting from Bengaluru, the event was memorable in multiple ways. The organizing team ensured that there was no shortage of anything, in whatever way you looked at it. Road closed for Railway track repair: We were told by Gajanan to come up to Kelageri and proceed on the same road and take a left before a private resort. Nagesh picked me up on his scooter and by

Hijab continues to make headlines in Karnataka for all the wrong and unfounded reasons and this time around a few Muslim food catering companies have been accused of forcing Hindu lady employees to wear hijabs and remove Kumkum. Perhaps the development would have gone unnoticed had the organizers not indulged in spoilsport by posting a video in this regard. MLA unaware of the incident: Although, the news of the unsavoury and mischievous incident spread like wildfire following widespread protests by rightwing protagonists including the Bajarang Dal, the local legislator admitted to being unaware of any such development. Following repeated and intermittent calls, G.B Jyothi Ganesh, Tumakuru Bharatiya Janata Party MLA at last picked up the call only to disclose that he was not aware of any such happening in his own constituency! Bajarang Dal protests: However, Manju Bhargav, Tumakuru district Convenor of Bajarang Dal raised a voice of protest on online platforms against the event manage

Navikram LC originally belongs to Lakshmidevipura village of Doddaballapur Taluk in Bengaluru Rural district and is a very happy peasant today, thanks to expert and scientific advice. In fact, this is a complete turnaround of his situation personally and physically in comparison to that around ten years back.   Father’s property in dispute: Navikram LC is a Commerce graduate and took up farming soon after his graduation. However, the path was not of any red roses but full of thorns all along. His father had inherited seven acres of the ancestral property apart from acquiring six more acres on his own. But he was facing an uphill task when it came to availing loans from the banks as his brothers had filed cases. Property divided, but cases continue: Although Navikram’s father divided the ancestral property equally among his brothers it was no solace as the envious brothers still continued with their cases. It was a tough time to get out of the legal battle once and for all. Grapes cro

Location-Government Primary School of Sindgi town in the then Vijapur/Bijapur and present-day Vijayapura district in the early Seventies of the previous century. The school neither had windows nor doors and it was a rainy season. The shepherd felt the venue to be a boon to his herd of sheep and made them enter the school building while the school-going children were amused to find the next day morning the new gatecrashers. But such a plight was nothing new to the schoolboys who also included the internationally acclaimed artist GR Iranna, now settled in New Delhi. A passion since childhood days: Recalling his hilarious upbringing culminating in an amazing career in the field of fine arts, Iranna Rukumpur reminisces-“My father wasn’t educated in materialistic terms but was very intelligent and pragmatic when it came to farming. He was very keen that I should become educated and did what all possible within his reach to accomplish his dreams”. Beginning with leftover chalk pieces: GR Ir

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Shivamogga airport named as Kuvempu Airport at Sogane village, about 8.8 kilometres from Shivamogga district headquarters on Monday 27 February. The event marked an end to the prolonged, derailed and much-awaited ambitious dream come true. In a way, the commissioning of Kuvempu airport has paved way for a mega aerial entrance to the Malnad region comprising the picturesque Shivamogga, Chikkamagalur, and parts of Hassan and Davanagere districts. BSY’s political will enables the dream to come true: BS Yediyurappa, former chief minister for four different tenures can be attributed as the sole solid factor for enabling the decades-old dream come project to come true. In fact, preparations for the airport began way behind in 2006 leading to a PPP agreement, cancellation of the same, fresh retender, and formation of a new state company and ultimately completion of the project. At last, the Rs 450 crores project spread into an area of 662.38 acres

Chennu Mathad, retired Joint Director-Ministry of Agriculture Department, Government of India is a well-known personality among the Kannada cultural circles of the country’s capital New Delhi. He was recently felicitated for his contributions and accomplishments in enriching the social and cultural life of Delhi by the Dehali Kannada Sangha on the eve of the 75th-anniversary celebrations held at Talkatora stadium, New Delhi. Since 1979 in New Delhi: Chennu Mathad hails from Dharwad, the socio-cultural capital city in Karnataka and has been a resident of Delhi since 1979. He served in the Union Agriculture Ministry for a prolonged period of 33 years before retiring as a Joint Director. If you only mention his joining, serving and retiring then it would be doing grave injustice to his unique personality as he is a multifaceted one apart from being a friendly, always helpful, kind soul. An anthropologist by qualification: Chennu Mathad is an anthropologist by qualification. He holds a po