Category Archives: Leaders

National Bird Watching Day attracts large crowds in Ramnagar

November 11, 2014Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, Leaders, Travel & Tourismmpositiveone@gmail.com

Ramnagar (Uttrakhand) :

Nature enthusiasts and students gathered at a barrage on the river Kosi in north India, observing migratory birds on the occasion of National Bird Watching Day, celebrated to mark the 116th birth anniversary of renowned biologist Salim Ali.

Armed with binoculars, notebooks, field guides and cameras, they stood at the edge of the reservoir, making a note of the resident and migratory species present at the site.

The bird watchers said that it was important to educate people about the importance of conserving the country’s diverse fauna.

“We brought a few children who study in a local school, so that they can make themselves aware of bird life. The message for the people of the country and people in the world is that we must keep (these birds) alive, so that we learn about them and protect them,” said a birder, Rohit Sati.

The waters of the reservoir had large numbers of Ruddy Shelducks and cormorants swimming, feeding and sunning themselves.

The reservoir at Ramnagar is close to India’s iconic Jim Corbett National Park, which is home to over 500 species of birds, a sizeable chunk of more than 1200 species found all over the country.

Winter sees many species of birds migrate from north and central Asia and other, colder parts of the world, as the birds breed and live in the more temperate climate of the Indian subcontinent.

The Director of the Rainbow Wildlife Awareness organisation, Rajesh Bhatt said that the reservoir itself played host to over 200 species of resident and migratory birds.

“The important birds here are the Ruddy Shelduck, the Ibisbill, wallcreeper, cormorant, garganey, pintail, Bar-headed Goose, which can be seen easily,” Bhatt said.

Born in 1896, Salim Ali, known as ‘the Bird Man of India’, made his name as one of the first Indian naturalists to conduct systematic surveys on birds. His field guides are used by many birdwatchers when they set out in pursuit of the hobby.

Ali, who died in 1987, is also credited with the creation and recognition of such biodiversity hubs as the Keoladeo National park in Rajasthan and the Silent Valley National park in Kerala. (ANI)

source: http://www.aninews.in / ANI News / Home> National / November 12th, 2014

‘Vocational Training has a bright Future’

November 9, 2014Education, Leaders, Science & Technologympositiveone@gmail.com

Says Syed Amanulla, ‘National Brand Ambassador’ from Mysuru

Amanulla is seen receiving the award from Alok Kumar, Director General of Employment and Training, Ministry of Labour & Employment, GOI.

As a general trend, pass-outs from education system do not take admission in ITIs as their first choice. They mostly end up in ITI after exhausting all other options for higher education. This is because the blue collar work is not respected and regarded in society. But there are many who have excelled professionally after passing ITI.

Meet A. Syed Amanulla, who passed ITI course in ‘Fitter’ trade in the year 1975 at his native, Kolar Gold Fields. He is presently serving as Principal-cum-Deputy Director of Government ITI, Srirangapatna. He was awarded ‘National Brand Ambassador of Vocational Training-2014’ in the Service Sector (Salaried Employee) by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, at a National-level Programme held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Oct.16, 2014 for his exceptional achievements and excellence in Vocational Training. He received the award from Alok Kumar, Director-General, Department of Employment and Training, New Delhi and was honoured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

After passing ITI and getting a job, Amanulla did not stop his education. Along with his job, he completed Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and B.E, both with a first class by attending evening college. He is an example for the saying “Education has nothing to do with age” because at the age of 50, he did his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA). Throughout his education, he has been a topper and received many merit scholarships.

Amanulla is married to Shaheen. He has two children, who are married and well settled in Bangalore. Amanulla resides in Rajivnagar, Mysuru, with his mother and wife.

Star of Mysore caught up with this ‘Brand Ambassador’ and spoke to him regarding vocational training sector and his professional achievements. Excerpts…

by Arafat Ahmed Aizaz

SOM: What got you the ‘National Brand Ambassador of Vocational Training-2014’ award?

Amanulla: I have provided 100% placement to all my students who have passed ITI course. They are working in reputed firms and drawing high salaries. I am in good terms with companies and factories in India as well as abroad because of which they contact me to get ITI pass-outs for their firms. My students are highly skilled and sought after by the companies. I have consistently maintained pass percentage of 95% at Government ITI, Srirangapatna. I have personally met wealthy people and NGOs and made them to donate for poor meritorious students of Government ITI, Srirangapatna. Regarding my career success, academically I have grown from ITI-level to Master degree and professionally from Instructor to Deputy Director. Considering all these achievements, the Government has honoured me with the ‘National Brand Ambassador of Vocational Training-2014.’

SOM: Recently you were featured in Doordarshan Channel. Tell us about it.

Amanulla: Doordarshan TV channel crew had come all the way from Delhi to Mysuru to interview me on my achievements. The interview was telecast in DD’s ‘Hunarbaaz’ programme on Aug. 31, 2014.

SOM: What are your other achievements?

Amanulla: I was selected as Hajj Officer by Ministry of External Affairs during 2001-02 and 2005-06; I was appointed as Wakf Board Administrator in Hassan district. I was also honoured with “Eminent Engineer Award” by the Institution of Engineers (India) on Sept.15, 2013 during 46th Engineer’s Day. I have met Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam at his office in the year 2006, when he was the President of India and apprised him about improving Vocational Training in India.

SOM: Do Vocational Training (ITI) pass-outs have better career opportunities?

Amanulla: Yes. Just by studying for two years after 10th, ITI pass-outs can get jobs in both Government and Private sectors. They can even establish their own Industries. ITI pass-outs get jobs quickly because of shortage of skilled labour in India. After ITI, along with earning through a full-time job during day, one can upgrade his qualification by pursuing courses such as diploma in Engineering and Bachelor of Engineering in evening colleges.

SOM: Even PU course pass-outs can get jobs. What advantage does ITI have over PUC (12th)?

Amanulla: Blue-collar job requirement for any industry is more compared to white-collar jobs. For example in a factory, there will be hundreds of workers who indulge in production but there will be few Administrative staff. Blue-collars’ salaries are high these days because there is shortage of workers of this class. So, ITI pass-outs have an edge over Pre-University Course (12th standard) pass-outs. And even promotion chances are more for blue-collar jobs.

SOM: Usually in Government ITIs, faculties are not punctual. You being the Principal-cum-Deputy Director of Government ITI, how do you check on their attendance and discipline?

Amanulla: They are Government employees and they can take their leave for which they are entitled. But I don’t spare the teachers who are lazy and those who are not punctual. I visit all the classes daily and take the feedback from students regarding classes and teachers. When a staff goes on leave, I engage the classes myself.

SOM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi honoured you recently when you were awarded ‘National Brand Ambassador of Vocational Training-2014.’ What is Modi doing to improve Vocational training?

Amanulla: Narendra Modi has a good view for Vocational training. He is giving priority for the improvement of Vocational Training in India. Modi has said “ITIs are shishu mandir of technical education. Those who may have knowledge other than that of books, that of skills, must be respected. The talented among the ITI graduates must get new opportunities.” To fulfill ‘Make in India’ vision Modi believes in skill development among the youths in India.

SOM: Why are they calling ITI pass-outs as ITI graduates these days?

Amanulla: Western countries consider ITI pass-outs as ITI graduates. According to me, not only persons who have passed 10+2+3 is a graduate, but also those who pass ITI after 10th should be called ITI graduates in India hereafter because graduate means “a person who has successfully completed a course of study or training and acquired some skill.” Even Narendra Modi has called them as ‘ITI graduates’ in his speech at New Delhi recently.

SOM: Your message to students and parents?

Amanulla: China has improved because of skilled labour. India has shortage of skilled labour. I request the parents to admit their wards into ITI courses so that India can get more skilled labours and become a developed country soon. Vocational Training too has a bright future and more youth should opt for this stream.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / Tuesday, November 04th, 2014

‘Explore BioTechnology to Enhance Quality Silk Production’

November 9, 2014Business & Economy, Leaders, Science & Technologympositiveone@gmail.com

Says Dr. Mohammad Aslam, Advisor, Dept. of Bio-technology

A section of delegates at the Brain-storming Session on Mulberry and Silkworm at CSR&TI.

Mysuru :

“Explore networking technology to enhance quality silk production,” said Dr. Mohammad Aslam, Advisor, Department of Bio-technology (DBT), New Delhi.

He was speaking during the one-day Brain-storming Session on Mulberry and Silkworm sponsored by DBT and organised at the Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute, (CSR&TI), Mysuru, on Oct. 31.

He recalled the 20-year association of DBT with CSB in this area. He informed that during this period, DBT has organised a series of brainstorming sessions at different places across the country including North – Eastern States.

Speaking about the major objectives, he said application of biotechnology for increasing the productivity, improving the host plants, enhancing the silk quality, productivity utilisation and developing areas like silkworm seeds should be focused.

“The expert group had decided to have a separate session on silkworm and mulberry to develop the road map for the next 3-5 years and review the research outcome generated so far,” he informed and hoped to develop some transgenic network programmes in both on silkworm and mulberry.

He further added that DBT has taken up collaborative work with CSR&TI in this area. He appreciated Dr. Sivaprasad, Director, CSR&TI, Mysuru, for his initiative to organise this session.

Dr. L. Shashidhara of IISER, Pune, in his address, felt that research goals have already taken an in road in agriculture and now, it is the turn of sericulture to join and explore the possibilities of utilising it by working together with other institutes for the betterment of the industry.

Mentioning about the brisk technology activities of the world, he evinced keen interest in the collaborative studies in the field of sericulture.

Appreciating the phenomenal growth of silk industry, Dr. M. Uday Kumar, UAS, Bengaluru, spoke about few major constraints like irrigation and yield gap. He said that there is a need for genetic enhancement to improve the quality and the productivity. “The transgenic technology could be of immense use in this area,” he felt.

Dr. Sivaprasad, Dr. Mohd.Aslam, Prof. L. Shashidhara, Prof. Paramjit Khurana, UDSC, New Delhi, Prof. M. Udaya Kumar, UAS, Dr. S.K. Ashwath, CSR&TI, Mysuru, Dr. K.P. Arun Kumar, CDFD, Hyderabad, Dr. A.K. Awasthi, SBRL, Bengaluru, Dr. V. Satyavathi, CDFD, Hyderabad, Dr. P.J. Raju, APSSRDI, Hindupur, Dr. Nataraja Karaba, UAS, Bengaluru, Dr. Girishi Naik, CSR&TI, Mysuru, Dr. Jhansi Lakshmi, CSB, Dr. M.S. Sheshashayee, UAS, Bengaluru, Dr. B. Rita, CSB, Dr. T. Mogili, V.Kota, Dr. Rajashekar, CSR&TI, Mysuru were the invited speakers on the subject.

Various areas of networking and its applications in sericulture were discussed and the vital areas to be focused for the improvement of silk industry were earmarked in the session.

Eminent scientists from DBT, New Delhi, IISER Pune, CCMB, Hyderabad, CDFD, Hyderabad, UAS, Bengaluru and several Universities, R&D Institutes of Central Silk Board and State Governments participated.

Dr. Thippeswamy, Dr. Girish Naik and Dr. Ashwath co-coordinated the programme.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Tuesday, November 04th, 2014

Life time Achievement award for Mammootty

November 6, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leadersmpositiveone@gmail.com

Megastar of M’Town, Mammootty has won the Lifetime Achievement Award in Kashmir Film Festival, 2014 for his contribution to Indian Cinema. Also his movie Balyakalasakhi, won its director Pramod Payyannur the award for the best director and script.

Meanwhile, Jordan movie ‘When Monalisa Smiled’ has been adjudged the best film and the Turkish movie Spring is Rebellious, won the award for the second best film in the feature.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Malayalam> Movies / by Radhika C. Pillai, TNN / August 26th, 2014

‘Vande Gandhiyam’ peace rally evokes good response

November 4, 2014Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leadersmpositiveone@gmail.com

The Vande Ganhiyam peace march held from Gandhibomma Centre in Nellore to Pallepadu Ashram. Photo: K. Ravikumar / The Hindu

Speakers appeal to the youth to follow in the footsteps of the great leaders

Civil society activists, people’s representatives and district officials took part enthusiastically in the ‘Vande Gandhiyam’ peace rally which was organised from Gandhi statue in Nellore city to Pallepadu Ashram near here on Sunday.

Singer Ghazal Srinivas, MP Mekapati Rajamohan Reddy, Mayor Sk. Abdul Aziz, Nellore Town MLA P. Anilkumar Yadav and several other leaders and youth were present on the occasion. The event was organised to pay tributes to the values and ideals cherished by Mahatma Gandhi who stood out as a unique world leader by winning freedom through peace and non-violence.

District Collector N. Srikanth, who flagged off the rally in the city, said that the peace march would go a long way in drawing wide attention to the Gandhian principles that brought special recognition to the country. He said that the Pallepadu Gandhi Ashram was among the few important ashrams which were being preserved as a tribute to Gandhi.

Ghazal Srinivas led the march and underlined the significance of peace in bringing about harmony and unity among the countries of the world. He said that he had toured many parts of the world in the propagation of world peace. Calling upon the active participation of all sections of society, the speakers appealed to the youth to follow in the footsteps of the great leaders who fought for the independence of the country in those days. They said that it was everybody’s responsibility to protect and preserve the unity and integrity of the country.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by G. Ravikiran / Nellore – November 02nd, 2014

Nawabs and their love to see self on canvas

November 2, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Lucknow :

Narcissism omnipresent now in the form of ‘selfies’—pictures people click of themselves—was manifest in the form of portraits the high and mighty got painted of themselves for posterity. Nawabs of Avadh contributed immensely to the Company School of Painting, a genre of portraits during the British Raj, providing opportunity for many artists. They created vivid testimonies of the socio-cultural practices of the period.

The nawabs’ patronage to painters became a tradition. At a workshop in the city, Indian and Bangladeshi painters drew inspiration from ‘How nawabs patronised the palette’.

* Tilly Kettle’s Father and Son

Tilly Kettle (1735-86) was a portrait maker from London who traveled to India with the East India Company. He met Shuja ud Daulah in Calcutta where he painted his portrait and later accompanied him to Faizabad. He captured many facets of the aristocratic life but his most famous work was portrait of Shuja-ud-Daulah with his heir apparent Asaf ud Daulah. “The nuances of their work are remarkable. The intricacies as in the bejeweled ‘bajuband’ (armlet), and poise on the face of the two kings is an inspiration,” says Vipul Varshney, a city architect. Painters from Delhi such as Mir Kalan Khan also found refuge in Avadh with Mughal aristocracy declining.

* John Zoffany’s Cock-fight

The tradition of patronising painters was inherited by Asaf ud Daulah. This benevolent nawab is given credit for making Lucknow a subject for painters. The grandeur of his personality was captured on paper by Johann Zoffany (1733 – 1810), a painter of German origin and the work became a stencil for many local artists. Myraid representation of cock-fight match in the court of Avadh speaks volumes of the times. Claude Martin and another painter Ozais Humphery (of the Jane Austen portrait fame) are also in the picture. Later, Martin became a route for entry to the nawab’s court. Ozais made the painting of Haider Beg Khan (1786), a royal in nawabi court. The work, now in Victoria and Albert museums of London, showed that painters found clientele in people other than nawabs too.

* William Hodges, the first professional

Better known for a voyage to the Pacific Ocean, Hodges came to Avadh in 1778, under the patronage of Warren Hastings. He was one of the first British professional landscape painters to visit the country. He remained here for six years, staying in Lucknow with Claude Martin in 1783. His painting of (Fatehpur Sikri) is in Sir John Soane’s Museum. His depiction of the nawabi palace in Faizabad is noteworthy.

King Nasir-ud-Din Haider’s role

This nawab would be remembered more for promoting local artists. One of the paintings of the King with an English lady, probably the wife of Lord Bentinck, is quite striking. It shows the influence of British lifestyle on Avadh. A research work by Neeru Mishra has studied over 300 paintings on Krishna done by artist Ram Prasad who was known to be patronised by Nasir-ud-Din Haider, bringing to fore the nawab’s faith in the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb.

Fusion of genres

Researcher Pran Neville has noted that Indian artists took the opportunity to work for their new British patrons, especially because the traditional patronage of Indian rulers and their courts was rapidly declining. “While adopting some features of Western art they took care to preserve traditional elements. Since their own skills were more than adequate, they did not need formal training from the British,” he writes. Scholars at Colombia University also noted that Zoffany was being imitated by local artists. One of his famous works, portrait of Nawab Asaf-ud-daulah, has seven versions besides the original.

Price of vanity

Getting a portrait made was a costly affair. Artists even advertised in newspapers to reach out to clients. One such advertisement that appeared in April 1798 was given by one lesser known artist named Morris. He charged 15-80 gold mohurs for different sizes such as bead size, three quarters, kit cat, half length and whole length. Zoffany charged Rs 2,500 from the wife of a British officer. “The well-to-do, in fact, were ready to spend any amount to get their portraits made for it was a fashion statement,” suggests Neville.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Shailvee Sharda, TNN / November 02nd, 2014

Medical tourism explored in first forum

October 31, 2014Business & Economy, Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, Science & Technology, Travel & Tourismmpositiveone@gmail.com

Quality care stepping stone for medical tourism

Dubai:

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has rolled out the first phase of the medical tourism pacakges which caters to the domestic market.

UAE residents and those already in the country such as delegates to the conference can avail of discounts of up to 70 per cent in areas such as wellness, weight loss, dentistry, orthopaedics, breast cancer screening and fertility treatments. The domestic packages do not offer visa and hotel stay.

Delegates from around the globe attended the first day of a two-day inaugural health regulation conference in Dubai which looked at major efforts by Dubai to become a medical tourism hub.

Medical tourism packages aimed at tourists will be rolled out soon, marking the second phase. A host of partners such as DHA, Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), and members of the private health-care and hospitality sector, among others, are working in tandem to make this possible shortly. These packages will be made available to DTCM-approved tour operators who will be allowed to market these.

According to Dr Layla Marzouqi, acting head of DHA’s health regulation committee, everything has been worked out and the second phase of the medical tourism packages will become a reality in the coming months.

One of the ideas explored was plans by Dubai health authorities to rate hospitals similar to the hotel industry which bases gradings on customer service and satisfaction.

Public-private partnerships are also seen as key to unifying efforts to draw investment to new projects that will attract those interested in medical travel, said experts examining the issues in panels and workshops.

Eisa Al Maidour, DHA Director-General, inaugurated the conference which has drawn more than 1,000 professionals from the field of health regulation and medical tourism and key stakeholders in the public and private health care sector.

Other stakeholders such as pharmaceutical companies and health care providers are also attending.

Enhancing the quality of health care to augment medical tourism was discussed, said the director-general in his inaugural speech.

“Health regulation is fundamental to achieve quality health services and protect patient safety; a strong health regulatory system leads to sustained growth of the health sector which in itself is a catalyst for medical tourism. This conference provides an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss the latest advances as well as share their experiences in the field of health regulation and medical tourism,” he said.

How public private partnerships could promote investment and take medical tourism to the next level is key, he added.

Dr Layla said, “Public private partnerships (PPP) are a very important concept in medical tourism in all the countries that have a robust health sector. In India, for example, it is the private sector which is partnering with the government to strengthen the infrastructure while the government is ensuring quality control, thus complementing each other. In the UAE we are very aware of this as more than 70 per cent of our hospitals are in the private sector. In Dubai, out of the 20 hospitals we have only four are government. Of the 2.700 health-care facilities in the emirate, only 17 are government. We want the private sector to collaborate with us, come forward with investments and take medical tourism to the next level.”

Dr Layla said that DHA’s health regulation department was in the process of creating a grading protocol for hospitals where hospitals would have hotel-like gradings beginning from five-star based on certain criteria.

“The most important criteria is that of quality health care. This will cover the quality of doctors and other health-care professionals at the hospital, the number of surgeries carried out, the incidence of surgical errors and the number of customer complaints. The next criteria was of ambience which will take into account patient care, the presence of a translator, food and nutrition facility to support the needs of the patient, among other things,” she said.

“The focus of medical tourism is good quality and reasonable pricing. The regulation department will work closely with the funding department to determine the prices that graded hospitals can charge and we will make sure we freeze those. If a hospital is found lowering its standards, it will not be able to increase its prices and that will create healthy competition among such facilities,” she said.

Dr Azad Moopen, Chairman and Managing Director of Aster and DM Healthcare, said his group was keen to take up PPP projects and added that the private sector needed to raise the bar on quality health care and make investments in good doctors to attract medical tourists.

His organisation, he said, was ready to work with DHA to bring those standards to the emirates.

“There are three main reasons why people around the world seek medical travel. They are looking for expertise that is available, the cost of the procedure and the turnaround time to carry out the procedure. If we can provide them with high-quality medical care at reasonable costs and within a short period of time, it will attract people from around the world.” He recommended that the private sector needed to focus on further increasing the number of hospitals, specialist medical centres, hospital beds, diagnostic centres and pharmacies, state-of-the-art surgical and trauma care facilities, wellness and cosmetic care centres along with introduction of cutting-edge medical technologies.

Dr Jameel Ahmad, Managing Director of Prime Healthcare Group, felt PPP was a welcome move, benefiting both the public and private sector. “We are ready for this kind of a collaboration as we tie in the concept of hospital and hospitality very well, being situated next to two major hotels and the Dubai airport. We are in a position to offer medical tourism packages in the area of orthopaedics, sports medicine, dentistry and cosmetic surgery,” he said.

source: http://www.gulfnews.com / Gulf News / Home> UAE> Health / by Suchitra Bajpai Chaudhry, Senior Reporter / October 22nd, 2014

Begum Akhtar’s legacy to be honoured by UP government

October 31, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leadersmpositiveone@gmail.com

Lucknow :

To mark the birth centenary of ghazal queen Begum Akhtar, Uttar Pradesh government has directed its cultural department to take forward its four proposals that stand to bring back Begum to our times.

The government will rename two roads after her — one in Lucknow and the other in Faizabad, her birthplace. An award in her name is set to be christened, while the house in Faizabad, where she was born, would be restored.

While the directive had come in over a month now, the house in Faizabad is yet to be acquired and converted into a museum of her relics. With the present owners of the house unwilling to part with the property, the district administration is focussing on an alternative land or building in Faizabad to replenish the musical genius of Mallika-e-Ghazal, said a senior officer.

The draft for the award in Begum’s memory has been set, ready to be sent to the cabinet, after which it will be finalized and given the green signal.

The road around her residence after marriage with Barrister Ishtiaq Ahmed Abbasi, on Fawn Brake Avenue in Lucknow and the one around her maternal home ‘Mushtari ka Makaan’ in Faizabad are the two proposed to be renamed after Begum Akhtar. The municipal corporations of the respective cities have been directed in this regard, awaiting the final work to be taken up, said joint director, culture department, Anuradha Goel.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / October 30th, 2014

Tipu’s watchtower under attack by visitors

October 29, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leadersmpositiveone@gmail.com

Mangalore :

It was meant to be a watchtower to contain enemies, but today the 224-year-old monument constructed by Tipu Sultan at Sultan Bathery is under attack from within: visitors scribbling messages on its walls and throwing garbage, including liquor bottles, all around.

The monument has fallen on hard times and been subject to vandalism as there’s no attendant to guard it. Besides, the Archaeological Survey of India’s foreman at Karkala visits the monument just once a fortnight.

The watchtower, constructed in 1784, is the favourite haunt of star-crossed lovers from the city and students of various colleges. The monument is 4km from the city and is located on the banks of the scenic Gurupur River where visitors can have the spectacular view of the Thannir Bavi and Bengre and the vast expanse of the Arabian Sea. Sultan Battery, the watch tower, is said to have been built to contain the entry of enemy battleships to the Gurupur river. The watchtower looks like a mini fortress with several musket holes for mounting guns all around.

While vulgar messages being scribbled by miscreants on the walls has been a problem for long, now many use the spot to binge. Beer bottles, cake wrappers, empty plastic bottles and bags lying around reveal what the monument is being used for in the absence of an attendant there.

ASI Karkala sub-circle foreman YB Bhajantri pleads helplessness. “The attendant posted there has been transferred to Barkur (Udupi district). The ASI gives Rs 4,500 per month for maintenance, which is hardly sufficient. I come once in 20 days, get labourers and clean up the monument structure and its surroundings,” he said.

He said rains had prevented him from visiting the monument recently and he has been informed of the grass growth and the rubbish strewn at the monument. He said that by this month-end he would get the place cleaned up again.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangalore / by Stanley Pinto, TNN / October 20th, 2014