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Bengaluru: The services and contributions of Mrs Shakuntala Kurtkoti, a veteran freedom fighter, Life Worker, and Secretary of the Gandhi Peace Foundation Centre, Dharwad, were remembered on the eve of her centenary-year celebrations at the Karnataka Vidyawardhaka Sangha in Dharwad recently. Glowing tributes were paid to Mrs Shakuntala Kurtkoti by the guests and speakers in the day-long deliberations at the Dr Patil Puttappa auditorium. Meanwhile, all those who were associated with the Gandhi Peace Foundation Centre more than three decades ago rejoiced, recalling the good old days. Fundamental privilege of freedom at crossroads: Octogenarian S R Hiremath, founder president of the Samaja Parivarthana Samudaya NGO, a renowned environmentalist and anti-corruption activist, responsible for packing mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy to the gallows, delivered the keynote address. However, sadly, he dwelt upon a major portion of his speech on the current deliberations in the apex court over ...

Bengaluru: It was a small gathering of close relatives and family friends who had assembled from nearby and far-off locations within the city and outstation places. The joyous occasion was the observance of the Mehendi rituals for Ms Neha, daughter of Mrs Indira Priyadarshini and Suresh Hadagali, on the eve of her marriage to Kiran.    A family of singers: The colourful evening was enriched with the singing of Hindi and Kannada film songs by most of the Hadagali family members! To begin with, Sadananda Hiremath from Bagalkot started the singing show and was later joined by Mrs Sharada, also from Bagalkot and now settled in Bengaluru.  A musical extravaganza:  Both sang many solo and duet songs, followed by the family members of the Suresh Hadagali family. As the evening began to unfold into a musical extravaganza, the situation paved the way for showcasing the musical talents of the Hadagalis. Slowly, one by one, they began to move towards the make-shift stage and e...

Bengaluru :  Buddha Purnima was celebrated at a house here in an unassuming, austere manner, unlike the usual pomp, religious reformers' memorable days are observed elsewhere in public function halls and on  sprawling grounds. The venue happened to be S Rudramuni's residence in Venkategowda Layout, Hebbal Kempapura. Rudramuni is a former officer of the State Bank of India (SBI) and is active in social circles, organising free health check-up camps in Hebbal Coffee Board Layout and the adjoining Amruthahalli area. Grandchildren steal the show:   On the face of it, the event looked like an event showcasing the hidden talents of the grandchildren of S Rudramuni, apart from their courteous, gentle and pleasing manners extended towards the visiting elderly guests. They welcomed all the guests with folded hands in a typical traditional way, offering water to drink. They also shared the responsibilities of conducting the proceedings in a shared manner, ensuring a smooth flo...

Bengaluru: Nagananda Virupakshappa Pattar, hailing from Hutti Gold Mines in Raichuru district, aspired to become a photographer and developed a fondness for woodcraft, in addition to practising painting. However, he had to limit those passions, as he joined the Hutti Gold Mines as a Draughtsman on his father's advice. Joined in 1982 and retired in 2020: Nagananda Pattar joined the duties at the Hutti Gold Mines in 1982 and retired on 01 November 2020. He started his career in the prestigious state-owned public sector as a Draughtsman in the Survey Department and was heading his Department at the time of his retirement. 10 staff members were assisting him at the fag end of his tenure, and he asserts, "With everyone's good cooperation, I could complete my service successfully". Hutti Gold Mines has a hundred-year future!  Nagananda Pattar, as mentioned earlier, worked in the underground survey department, starting around the 1980s and continuing until his superannuati...

Bengaluru: It was a Ganesh Chaturthi festival day in 1994, but not for Maruthi Bheemrao More, a native of Katral village in Vijayapura district, who had just completed the ITI course in Automobile Engineering. He was sent to Bengaluru to look for a job, packing a couple of meals and given Rs 300/- for bus fare. After coming to Bengaluru, he stayed with his maternal uncle and known people from his native village and began the job hunting for about 15 days. One-year training opportunity at Kirloskar Electrical: Luckily, he got a one-year training opportunity at Kirloskar Electrical. It was more like studying there for already having some knowledge of electronics and automobiles. Initially, for about 2–3 months, they gave him basic work like washing bearings, cleaning electrical motors, and other small tasks. He had a stint there for about 3 years and 5 months. Task done in 10 minutes: Thanks to his acumen of diligently accomplishing the assigned tasks, Maruthi More was well ahead not o...