Akiyal was born with a rare heart condition known as double outlet, right ventricle
Nine-month-old Akiyal with doctor Adil Sadiq (Photo: DC)
Bengaluru:
Nine-month-old Akiyal’s father Farhan, an engineer from the Maldives, is all praise for Facebook.
“It was very difficult for us to generate funds for our son’s operation,” he says. “We could do it only because of Facebook.” Akiyal was born with a rare heart condition known as double outlet, right ventricle (DORV), a condition in which the blood vessel that carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart, is located in the wrong place.
“It was a complex surgery in the sense that the child was born with one side of the heart not developed, undeveloped left pumping chamber and a large hole in the heart along with a blockage of the artery going to the lung. He required a complex repair job, which wasn;t being done in the Maldives,” says the child’s treating doctor, Adil Sadiq, Head Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Sakra World Hospital.
Farhan says, “It was not possible to get funds in the Maldives, so my family and I decided to go online and ask for help from the social media. We went ahead with creating a Facebook page for our son.” They started the Facebook page, ‘Help Akiyal — Save A Child’s Heart’.
“We promoted the page by paying five dollars, which implied that 20,000 Facebook users would see the page,” says Farhan. In no time, people across the world saw it and donations started pouring in. “The money that we used to promote the page time and again was less than 100 dollars, but we were able to raise Rs 8 lakh over the course of the year,” adds Farhan.
This digital media approach helped Farhan to get donations from anonymous altruists in Sri Lanka, Belgium, Maldives and even Bangalore. Those who could not donate sent Akiyal their earnest prayers and blessings. By the end of the year, the page had 4,388 likes and thousands of people had visited it.
“She is now fine and we would be taking her back home to Malidives in a few days,” says an elated Farhan.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC / by Joyeeta Chakravorty / May 25th, 2014
While India mulls over giving an appropriate tribute to the late former India President APJ Abdul Kalam and fights over his social media accounts, the UN has decided to name a satellite after the late scientist as a tribute to celebrate his vision.
Founded in 1999, CANEUS (CANada-Europe-US-ASia) serves to develop a common platform for space technology solutions for natural and man-made disaster management. The ‘GlobalSat for DRR’ is a UN-driven global initiative on sharing space technology for disaster risk reduction, Milind Pimprikar, chairman of CANEUS, told IANS.
The satellite will provide a common platform that will allow sharing of space and data segments, with an ability to serve individual nation’s disaster management and development needs, IANS reported.
Talking about the similarities between the satellite and Dr. Kalam, Pimprikar said, “In his ‘World Space Vision-2050’ Mr. Kalam had envisaged space faring nations joining hands to find solutions to mankind’s major problems such as natural disasters, energy and water scarcity, health-care education issues and weather prediction. Therefore we now plan to dedicate the UN GlobalSat initiative as a tribute to Late Dr. Abdul Kalam by renaming it ‘UN Kalam GlobalSat’.’
He hopes that the renaming will inspire new generations and scientists, and they’ll strive to work like Dr Kalam.
source: http://www.scoopwhoop.com / Scoop Whoop / Home / by Isha Jalan / August 08th, 2015
Sir C V Raman had planned to set up a scientific institute in 1959 on a four-acre land in Madras.
Sir Raman has clarified that he was not sent out of Mysore, but came from Calcutta to Bangalore in 1933, and received support from the Dewan for his scientific work.
Bengaluru:
A research institute – complete with a lab, a science museum, a science library, a lecture hall and office rooms – was late Nobel laureate Sir C.V. Raman’s idea of giving something back to Madras (Chennai), a city where he commenced his scientific career, and to make a “distinct contribution” to the scientific life of the city, but it has remained an unfulfilled dream.
Sir Raman planned the second institute in 1959, 11 years after establishing Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru, on a four-acre land parcel owned by him in Mylapore (Madras), where “scientific work of the highest standard could be carried on”. He estimated that the research institute could be built with a budget of a couple of lakhs of rupees and carry on work with a minimum recurring expenditure of Rs 2,000 a month. “My confidence in the usefulness of the proposed institute is indicated by my preparedness to find from other sources one half of the capital expenditure proposed and also to meet one half of the recurring expenditure necessary for the next five years. If the Government of Madras could see their way to make an equal contribution, the construction of the institute could be immediately taken up and proceeded with,” states the renowned physicist’s letter dated August 18, 1959, to the late C. Subramaniam, minister for finance education, Government of Madras, unearthed by Deccan Chronicle on the eve of National Science Day, observed on February 28 to mark the discovery of ‘Raman Effect.’
Subsequent correspondence between Mr Subramaniam and Sir Raman point at the state government’s willingness to support the proposed institute, but with a suggestion that the Nobel laureate write to the Union government for non-recurring expenditure of the project. “I may say, however, that subject to the condition that the assistance to be given by the Government of India, if any, will be taken into account in fixing the actual grant, this Government will be willing to meet a maximum of half the non-recurring cost of establishing the research institute and to make a suitable annual recurring grant for five years in the first instance,” reads the late Mr Subramaniam’s reply.
With the erstwhile Madras government listing several conditions as part of the grant-in-aid code for half grant towards construction of the institute and repeated suggestions for securing the Union government’s financial support, Sir Raman’s subsequent letter to Mr Subramaniam points at his reluctance to seek help from New Delhi. “My past experience and present knowledge of the attitude of the Central Government in matters concerning scientific research alike indicate that any application for a building grant made to that Government for the proposed institute would be met with a refusal. Not until the institute has been fully established and proved itself useful would the Central Government feel at all inclined to extend a helping hand to it,” mirrors his disinclination to write to the Centre.
Sources in RRI Trust said Sir Raman had adopted a similar stand vis-à-vis RRI and the Union government. “It was only after Sir Raman’s demise that the Union government offered aid to RRI, and the Trust invited his son Prof V Radhakrishnan to head RRI,” sources added.
Sir Raman came to the rescue of Dewan Ismail
Another set of letters, exchanged between Sir Raman and Sir Mirza Ismail, the Dewan of Mysore, in 1939, illustrates how the Nobel laureate rushed to support the latter in the wake of an article published in “The Hindu Outlook”, accusing the Dewan of favouring Muslims in appointments in Mysore state.
Sir Raman has clarified that he was not sent out of Mysore, but came from Calcutta to Bangalore in 1933, and received support from the Dewan for his scientific work.
“Throughout this period, I have received nothing but kindness and consideration from Sir Mirza Ismail on all occasions, and indeed I have had reason to feel most grateful for the fact that he has held the high office of Dewan of Msyore during these years,” reads Sir Raman’s letter in response to an article published by Krishna Lal Anand in “The Hindu Outlook” on September 14, 1939, with a headline “Muslim Dewan over Hindu state.”
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Lifestyle> Viral and Trending / by B R Srikanth, Deccan Chronicle / February 28th, 2017
A nine-year-old boy born with a rare spinal chord development defect got a new lease of life after doctors at a city hospital performed a first-of-its-kind procedure on him.
According to doctors at MaxCure Hospital, Nizar was brought in with complains of breathing difficulty. Investigation revealed that he had developed two swellings -one in the neck and the other in the chest – that were compressing his oesophagus (food pipe) and trachea (windpipe), causing breathlessness.
“While this kind of a spinal cord defect is common in the lower spine, it is very rare in the neck region (which was the case with the young boy). So far no such case has been successfully treated anywhere in the world,” claimed Dr Ratnakar, consultant neurosurgeon at MaxCure. He said Nizar had breathlessness since his childhood.
Doctors had to perform the surgery in three sittings, to address the complication.”This is a rare case because a thoracic (chest) component was different (it was a remnant of gut or extra gut) from the neck component, which accumulated fluid and was increasing in size and compressing important structures,” said Dr Krishna Prasad, the director and the chief cardio thoracic surgeon at the hospital.
He said, “Removal of this (swellings) could be fatal. We managed it with two-staged operations and drained the fluid completely without any damage to chest structures.”The total cost of the treatment was around Rs 10 lakh. While the hospital bore most of the expenses, Aarogyasri dispensed Rs 1.6 lakh towards the procedure.
source: http://www.timeofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Hyderabad News / TNN / February 16th, 2017
A number of graduates who received gold medal at the 12th convocation of King George’s Medical University on Sunday would prefer to work in government sector-academics or practice to help the under privileged.
“Millions die every year for lack of proper treatment of neurological disorders, so I look forward to help those in need,” said Imran Rizvi, who bagged the Dr A M Kar centenary Gold Medal for best performance in DM (Neurology).
Recipient of the highest honour, Mohammad Tabish too wants to work in his home district comprising villages of Muzaffarnagar. Resident of Basti, BDS topper Abhishek Kumar Gupta said he ultimately wanted to open a clinic in Basti and serve in his home town. Similarly, Chancellor’s gold and university honours medal winner Avinash D Gautam too wants to serve the poor.
Sharing the dream of going abroad, Harsha A H and Shiva Rajan wish to work for the welfare of the society. “I wish to make discoveries and invent technologies that would help treat patients,” said Harsha, who received the ‘Sursari Dayal Memorial Gold Medal’.
The gold medal in the name of Vice Chancellor Prof Ravi Kant was conferred on Himanshu Yadav who believes in healing patients, rather than treating them. “I want to put in whatever I have learnt till date in serving impecunious,” added Yadav.
One of the gold medallists said she took up medical studies only to relieve the poverty-stricken. Vikram Holla, who will soon be joining as an assistant professor in a government medical college, said, “I am ready to work with any organisation that works ethically, and prioritises needs of the under- privileged.”
There was a good number of passouts who wanted to work in the government sector but Madhusudan Patodia, recipient of Prof T C Goel Gold medal said he would like to work in a private hospital since they are technologically more advanced. Patodia’s field of specialisation is kidney transplant.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / TNN / January 30th, 2017
Shabuddin Shaik, research scholar, department of Zoology, Acharya Nagarjuna University, has been conferred with young scientist award by Dr. K.V Rao Scientific Society in the stream of biological sciences.
Mr. Shaik’s paper ‘Enigmatic Indian Cave Biodiversity,’ under the guidance of Professor Emeritus, Y. Ranga Reddy, won him the award, a citation and a cash award of Rs.10,000.
He received the award from the Director, National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram at the 16th Annual Science Awards function at B.M Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad on June 11.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Guntur – June 14th, 2016
The battery-operated kiosk, Sunny Splendor, is a boon to persons with disabilities. —Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P. | Photo Credit: G_P_Sampath Kumar
Three years ago, Umesh, a lorry driver, lost his legs in a road accident. To make ends meet, he decided to sell tea on a two-wheeler, but the new venture threw up many challenges.
Dejected but not defeated, he approached an automobile firm for help. The firm, along with a wheelchair manufacturer, came up with a design for a disabled-friendly mobile kiosk to help people with disabilities earn a livelihood as part of a CSR initiative. The company approached the Association of People with Disabilities (APD), which funded the project. By 2015-end, Umesh had a prototype of the mobile kiosk.
APD rolled out three such mobile kiosks in the city in December last year to enable people with locomotive impairment and cerebral palsy start a business. The kiosk or electric vehicle named Sunny Splendor can also be charged on solar power.
Calling it ‘office on wheels’, C.N. Gopinath, executive board member of APD, said: “It plays a pivotal role in creating a perfect livelihood option for the physically challenged, who at times are constrained by financial circumstances and lack of qualification.”
Mansoor Ahmed, one of the fund raisers of the project, said the kiosk is environment and disabled-friendly. “We replaced the steering wheel with a joystick and the tires have increased brake efficiency”.
“I want to start a cosmetics and beverages business and my target audience comprises those working in tech parks. With this vehicle, I can commute to different tech parks,” said Basheer Ahmed, who is affected by polio. For Mahesh, who has been repairing mobile phones from home, the vehicle will help him broaden his customer base. “I want to run the business outside a government office. I am also planning to buy a typewriter, so I can help officials in their work”.
Four kiosks in Bengaluru
There are four such kiosks in Bengaluru. Beneficiaries can approach APD if they wish to become entrepreneurs, and have to go through a selection process before they can get their own mobile kiosk.
APD charges 10 per cent of the ₹1 lakh that costs to make a unit. “We believe they have the right to stake a claim in our ventures. This would not be possible if we operated on a charity model, which is is why we accept 10 per cent monetary contribution from them, though we do not insist this from those who cannot afford,” Mr. Mansoor Ahmed added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Shilpa Ramaswamy / Bengaluru – January 03rd, 2016
Researchers hope the government will act to protect the cannon at Gulbarga Fort
Mohammed Ayazuddin Patel, Dr Rehaman Patel and Mohammed Ismail measuring the Bara Gazi Toph
The three researchers, Mohammed Ayazuddin Patel, the national award winner, artist and photographer, Dr Rehaman Patel, artist and researcher at Indo-Islamic Art, Kalaburagi, and Mohammed Ismail, Bahmani researcher and coin collector who recently discovered a cannon in a fort in Kalaburagi, which they say is the longest in the world, are worried over its preservation.
It was their visit to Gulbarga Fort in search of the name of the first Bahmani sultan, Alauddin Hasan Bahaman Shah among the Persian inscriptions on the Jama Masjid that led to its discovery. Speaking of the cannon to Bangalore Mirror, Mohammed Ayazuddin Patel said, “Since 2010, I have been researching on the subject. The existing world record is in the name of Tsar Cannon that is 17.5 feet long and was built in the 15th century in Russia. The cannon has been named in Guinness Book of World Records, when the fact remains that the top three longest cannons exist in India. It is a matter of pride for the people of Kalaburagi and the Hyderabad-Karnataka region that the longest cannon in the world is located in Bahmani Fort and was manufactured during the reign of Bahmani Empire in the 14th century. It is made of the alloy Panch dhatu.”
The cannon is known as Bara Gazi Toph and measures about 29 feet in length. Its circumference is 7.6 feet and diameter 2 feet. The barrel is 7-inch thick. In India, the largest recorded cannon is about 23 feet long and is located in Koulas Fort in Nizamabad district of Andhra Pradesh. Asaf Jah-1 (first Nizam) granted the Koulas Fort to the Rajput king Raja Kunwar Gopal Singh Gaur in 1724 AD for his bravery in the battle of Balapur and Shakkar Keda. The biggest cannon on wheels, built by Raja Mansingh, is in Jaipur and measures 20.6 feet in length.
“The Jaipur cannon weighs about 50 tonnes. We assume that the weight of the Kalaburagi cannon could be around 70-75 tonnes. While, the firing range of the Jaipur cannon is about 35 kilometres, that of Bara Gazi Toph could be 50-55 kilometres,” Ayazuddin Patel said.
The Bahmani monarchs, who ruled from the present Kalaburagi (Ahasnabad), stand out among other rulers for their contribution to the city. The founder Alauddin Hasan Bahaman Shah (1347-1422) made Gulbarga the capital and before his death he became the master of a vast empire. Even as they extended their territory, the rulers made significant contribution to the fields of art, architecture and literature.
The Bahmani sultanate was the first independent Islamic state of the Deccan in South India and one of the larger medieval Indian kingdoms. They ruled for 191 years (1347-1538 AD). Their other capital was Bidar.
The Gulbarga Fort was significantly expanded in 1347 by Alauddin Hasan Bahmani after he cut off ties with the Delhi sultanate. Islamic monuments such as mosques,
palaces, tombs, and other structures were also built later within the refurbished fort. The Jama Masjid built within the fort in 1367, is a unique structure of Persian architectural. It is fully enclosed, and has elegant domes and arched columns, which is unlike any other mosque in India.
The biggest challenge about historic monuments in the state is their protection, a fact not going to be any easy with the region being a backward area. “The Archaeologi-cal Survey of India and state archaeology department should take steps to protect the cannon at the Bahmani Fort and it should be included in the world record list. It should be fenced. The cannon is filled with sand and pebbles, so should be properly cleaned. Also, a signboard stating its details as the longest cannon in the world is a must. The fort and Jama Masjid must be declared heritage centres,” added Ayazuddin.
The team submitted a memorandum with their pleas to the district in-charge minister Sharan-prakash Patil, the deputy commissioner, regional commissioner, as well as the departments concerned.
GIGANTIC CANNONS OF THE WORLD
Jagadamba Bhavani Tope: Located at the historic Koulas Fort in Andhra Pradesh is believed to be the largest cannon in the world. The cannon (left), which is 23 feet in length and weighs 70 tonnes, is predominantly made of iron. It has a 16-inch calibre with an explosive head of 150 kg.
Jaivana: Recorded as the world’s largest cannon on wheels, Jaivana was manufactured during the reign of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II (1699–1743) at a foundry in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Jaivana’s barrel measures 20.19 feet in length and 11 inches in diameter. The 50-tonne cannon is mounted on four wheels. The rear wheels are mounted on roller pin bearings, to turn it 360° and fire in any direction. It was designed to fire a 50 kg cannon ball to a distance of 35 km. This cannon was never used in any battle as the Rajput rulers of Amber had friendly relations with the Mughals.
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> News> State / by Deepthi Sanjiv, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / December 28th, 2016
For any hardcore Harry Potter fan, the Sorting Hat, and the medieval wizard Godric Gryffindor is basic knowledge. Three entomologists, who stumbled upon a new species of spider have decided to pay tribute to the character by naming it after him. Though the arachnid bears resemblance to the ‘Sorting Hat’ of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, it would be hard to spot it if you are trekking in the Western Ghats.
Eriovixia gryffindori, is the new spider species discovered, details of which was published in the recent edition of Indian Journal of Arachnology.
The discovery of the arachnid was made at ‘Kans’ forestland of Central Western Ghats at Hosanagara taluk of Shivamogga district, by Javed Ahmed, Rajashree Khalap and Sumukha J N.
While Javed and Rajashree hail from Mumbai, Sumukha is from Shivamogga.
Describing the etymology of the spider, the scientists write that naming it after Gryffindor – after whom one of the four houses in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is named and who once owned the Sorting Hat – was, “An ode from the authors, for magic lost, and found, in an effort to draw attention to the fascinating, but oft overlooked world of invertebrates, and their secret lives.”
Prior to it, they express their fondness of J K Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series as a ‘wordsmith extraordinaire’.
“This uniquely shaped spider derives its name from the fabulous, sentient magical artifact, the sorting hat, owned by the (fictitious) medieval wizard Godric Gryffindor, one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and stemming from the powerful imagination of Ms. J K Rowling….” they wrote.
While the team found a female specimen of the Gryffindor spider, they are yet to describe the holotype of a typical male of the species. The paper notes that the particular species of spider is known to be distributed only from Shivamogga district, as of now.
The spider mimics dry foliage, making it ideal for it to reside almost undetected on the forest floor.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / December 13th, 2016
Soon after graduating from the National Institute of Design (NID), Syed Fawaz Ahmed and Nikhil Joshi started Digital Jalebi. One will wonder what the second name Jalebi is doing.
“It was Nikhil’s idea to name the company ‘Digital Jalebi’. Nikhil hails from Delhi where Jalebi is a famous sweet dish, and whenever Jalebi is prepared, it represents a joyful occasion like a festival, marriage or any other celebration. So, Jalebi represents a joy factor and whatever projects we do, it has a factor of joy in it. Hence, we thought the name would be appropriate. And also, the name was quite Indian. Hence, we kept the name as Digital Jalebi,” Ahmed tells DH.
The company, which embarked on its journey in September 2012, is engaged in designing interactive installations and software for spaces like museums, exhibitions and planetariums. With varied background of design, software engineering, electronics and multimedia, Digital Jalebi offers end-to-end delivery starting from research, conceptualisation and story-boarding; to content generation, graphic design, animation, 3D modelling; to development, fabrication and installation.
“The first project that we did was for Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum Bangalore. It was an exhibition based on the life of the great mathematician Srinivas Ramanujan. Digital Jalebi designed and developed the entire exhibition. That was our starting point,” Ahmed says.
“The journey has been exciting. We have learnt a lot of things. With every project we realise importance and need of good technology-aided design in India. Setting benchmark for quality has been a core pillar of Digital Jalebi’s belief, hence most of the clients who work with us, come back to us with more projects. We have made a place for ourselves in industry as a leading interactive studio,” he adds.
Till date, the firm has completed over 60 projects and its repeated customer base is around 20. In the next two years, Digital Jalebi plans to have an annual turnover of Rs 50 crore.
“Last year, our revenues were Rs 2 crore, and this year, we are touching around Rs 5 crore, and in the next two years, we are planning to scale up our operations and we are starting VRchef to get volume work from outside India, especially from the US and the UK. We are planning to start outsourcing model for VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality). Hence, we are trying to scale up operations in terms of space and the number of people,” Ahmed added.
When asked as to how different the firm is from others, Ahmed explains, “We describe ourselves as a new media installation company. We are neither a core game development company, nor a traditional software development company. We aren’t bound to a single stream like virtual reality or augmented reality. We try to tag ourselves to the bigger umbrella which is new media, and that covers all these things. Hence, we feel that our services are quite diverse.”
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Economy & Business / by Umesh M Avvannavar / DHNS – December 12th, 2016
