In this issue

Online Gaming: Aren't the winners, losers?

Fish Vends - No Longer A Fishy Tale

New vends are redefining the way fish is sold in the fish loving city of Mangaluru. M Raghuram tell us more

5 mins

Karnataka Gets Its First Chess Grand Master!

“It has taken me longer than I expected to secure the Grand Master rating mainly due to a lack of permanent sponsorship”, Karnataka’s first Chess Grand Master told R. Uday Kumar during a wide ranging chat in which he discussed his motivation, and displayed his determination to win more laurels for the state.

3 mins

Travel. Be A Great Leader- Here's How!

Travel is delightful. It relaxes, enriches the eye and the soul, and generally reinvigorates. That is something we all know. But it also provides us with invaluable business leadership skills, says Deepshikha Dhankhar

6 mins

Mahindra KUV100 NXT A New Ride For The Millennial

The facelifted Mahindra KUV100 has officially gone on sale in India. The refreshed model comes with about 40 new updates and features which is why the company has rechristened it ‘KUV100 NXT’. Karthick Annamalai examines the claim.

3 mins

The Bald Truth of hair transplant clinics

They are everywhere, like hair on a full head of hair! In newspapers. On websites. In advertisements, on banners and hoardings. Or, right around the corner where you live. Hair transplantation clinics with before-andafter photographs are everywhere! They nail the lie that bald is beautiful! It’s the bald and balding that rush in to these clinics where angels fear to tread! But is it safe? Is your life at risk when you undergo this procedure? Raina Paul finds out.

4 mins

My work is my business card, says Ramesh Aravind

The USP of Ramesh Aravind is his gregariousness, humility and humbleness. Affectionately called as a Kannada Kamal Hasan by his friends and well-wishers, Ramesh has reached the coveted mile stone of acting in a century of films in 25 years. The specialty of Ramesh Aravind is his immunity to any controversy or gossip in Sandalwood. He considers his journey that began 25 years ago as a beautiful and wonderful journey. He has played a variety of roles and taken up a variety of responsibilities in the film industry - acting, directing, script-writing and anchoring. He shares his sweet memories and the journey with Y Maheswara Reddy.

4 mins

The Cauvery dilemma

Both north and south Karnataka are in a tizzy over water. North Karnataka over the utilisation of waters of the Mahadayi River (see article on Page 24) and South Karnataka over the utilization of the Cauvery River. This is probably the result of a skewed discourse which is framed by the limited terms of water availability. It’s an I win you lose kind of discourse - water allocated to one state is the loss of another, and the water that reaches the sea is a waste. Is there a way to deal with these disputes other than the legal? Prabhu Mallikarjunan traces the history and outcome of the dispute and puts forth the farmer’s perspective.

6 mins

In contempt of the People's Court

Can the Government of the people, by the people and more importantly for the people, ignore the voice of the people in a democracy is the moot question this article throws up. Public consultation is important and there will always be dissenting voices. But when they are overwhelming, is the government justified in unilaterally overruling public sentiment?

9 mins

Playing the Piano Is Like Breathing for Me: Rhys Concessao

Rhys Concessao is a musical prodigy. At the age of 12, he is already a performer on the world’s best stages, from the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City to the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London and is the winner of multiple awards including the Most Distinguished Pianist Award and the Young Talent Encouragement award. He is also the Music Ambassador for the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, a very prestigious foundation in the musical world. Karnataka is proud of his achievements as his roots are in Mangaluru on the western coast of Karnataka. Here is Rhys answering a few questions for our readers about his musical journey put to him by Karnataka Today’s Allwyn Mascarenhas.

5 mins

Robin Mathews : Samajwadi Party candidates will enter Karnataka Vidhana Soudha in 2018

The party of Mulayam Singh Yadav, the strong man of Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party (SP) made its debut in Karnataka bagging one seat in the Assembly elections held in 2013. Robin Mathews heads the party in Karnataka and is hopeful of strengthening its base in the run up to the state’s assembly elections in 2018. He spoke to Y Maheswara Reddy about the state of the party and his plans to the make it the party of the state!

3 mins

Brooming is this Corporator's way of grooming!

M Suneel, corporator of ward no. 10, Vidyaranyapuram, in Mysuru, considers his ward his home. It’s not surprising then he makes an effort to clean it himself. He spends an hour every day doing this and is a shining example of service first, power next. Uday Kumar brings us this heartwarming story.

3 mins

Henry D'Silva's Konkani Film 'Nashibacho Khell' Breaks New Ground To Celebrate 400 Shows Within A Year

He may have suspected he had a hit on his hands, but little did he know that within the year it would reach 400 shows - It is slated to celebrate its 400th show within a year of its release in London. A proud moment for its producer, Henry D’Silva, a Mangalorean by birth and a Mumbaikar by domicile as it is for all Mangaloreans. Henry D’Silva spoke exclusively to Karnataka Today’s managing editor Brian Fernandes on his journey into the film industry.

6 mins

Raj Shetty's Debut Film Ondu Motteya Kathe Is A Golden Egg!

Raj Shetty is the man of moment. He has become a star with his debut film “Ondu Motteya Kathe” (the story of one egg) doing good business at box office. The lad from Mangaluru, who is bald in real life has made baldness cool with “Ondu Motteya Kathe”. He has not only acted as lead in the film, but has also has directed the film. Made on a tight budget, the film has actors from Mangaluru. Initially slated to be a short film, it was made into a feature film. Top celebrities like Puneeth Rajkumar, Ganesh, Rakshit Shetty and Prajwal have praised the film. In an exclusive interview with Vedhanth of Karnataka Today, Raj opens up: 

4 mins

Are Karnataka's Civil Servants Under Undue Pressure?

The mysterious death of Karnataka-cadre IAS Officer Anurag Tiwari in Lucknow has reignited discussions about the power and depth of the state bureaucracy’s alleged dark underbelly. Samantha Machado (Twitter: @ SamanthaMachado) explores

4 mins

Destigmatizing Sexual Therapy To Promote Sexual Health

Samiksha Jain, Sexual Health and Relationship Counsellor & Vidya Bhat – Happy Relationships describe the changing attitudes towards seeking sexual therapy derived from a study they have conducted. 

5 mins

Have A Whale Of A Time... Watching Whales!

Vidya Deshpande, our resolute travel correspondent says sighting this giant creature in the sea is an adrenalin-pumping experience you don’t want to miss on a trip to Sri Lanka.

3 mins

apd foundation bags u.n. habitat grant

city based not-for-profit organisation anti-pollution drive (apd) foundation has been granted with the prestigious ‘india youth fund award’ by un-habitat & narotam sekhsaria foundation.

3 mins

Religion Should Be Confined To Four Walls Of The House: KS Nissar Ahmed

This year’s Mysuru Dasara festivity, the pride of Karnataka’s cultural calendar, will go down in the annals of history as a unique one. Nissar Ahmed, poet laureate and a Muslim, will for the first time in the 400 year history of the Mysuru Dasara, inaugurate the festivity. R. Uday Kumar spoke to him soon after his name was announced by the Karnataka Government.

3 mins

Vijay Prakash, The Golden Voice Of Karnataka

Vijay Prakash is undoubtedly the number one male singer in Sandalwood today. Indeed, he is the only member of the You Tube 1 crore views club!. Vedanth has more on this hit singer of Sandalwood.

4 mins

Kodagu's First Agri Company - By Farmers, For Farmers

Selling branded agricultural products is now no longer the marketing preserve of MNC’s and huge Indian FMCG giants like Patanjali. Both the Central and State governments have, through their farmer welfare schemes, provided an enabling mechanism to the ordinary famer to build their own brands. Indresh Coovercolly has more.

3 mins

Karnataka's Safaikarmacharis - Still In The Trench With The Stench!

The Government of India had set a target date of 31st December, 2007 by which the obnoxious and inhuman practice of manual scavenging would be eradicated totally and formulated a National Action Plan to achieve this. Nine years later, the practice is still on in Karnataka and is not about to disappear.

6 mins

Awesome Threesome Build A 'Citadel' On The Coast

There are more young entrepreneurs in India today than ever before – for a variety of reasons. For one, Entrepreneurship is being encouraged by all stake holders – the government, the financial institutions, the universities and even employee unions – each for their own reasons. But this urge to venture into the unknown almost always stems from within and generally boils over, over a cup of coffee with a friend or family. Long before the government recognized the need to promote entrepreneurship, three individuals Ajith, Ram and Sandeep, childhood buddies who have stuck together for 35 years through thick and thin, which in itself is unusual given the strains life puts on the relationships, transformed their friendship into a successful professional partnership that has helped them build a fortress called, aptly, ‘Citadel’ in the real estate industry in Coastal Karnataka.

7 mins

Watch Your Spine Before The Stitch Takes Nine!

“India needs a comprehensive approach to healthcare and there is an immediate need to implement holistic policies. We have to take a cue from the US where a sizeable budget is allocated exclusively for the healthcare of the citizens.” This is what Dr. Umesh Srikantha, renowned neurosurgeon and Consultant Head of Spine Services at Aster CMI Hospital, Hebbal, Bengaluru has to say of India’s healthcare system. In an exclusive tete-etete with Karnataka Today’s Denzil Rithesh, Dr. Umesh disseminates his knowledge on spine health in the perspective of a layman apart from emphasizing on the need to conduct awareness camps on the all-pervasive spine related issues.

7 mins

Tipu Sultan's Armoury in a Historic Shift, Asia's First!

In what can be called a historic project in more ways than one, one of the eight armouries of Tipu Sultan will be physically shifted to another location to accommodate a new railway line. R. Uday Kumar has more…

3 mins

Sruthi Hariharan in Conversation

Sruthi Hariharan became a heroine in Sandalwood by accident. She is different from other heroines perhaps – When you meet her, her simplicity, humility and warmth stand out. Currently, the gregarious actress is basking in the success of her recent film Beautiful Manasugalu. She says that her aspiration was not to become an actress but to associate with an art form. To this end she began her career as an assistant choreographer with Imran Sardaria, but now she is the busiest actress in Sandalwood. Recently the beautiful and talented actress spoke to Y Maheswara Reddy. Here’s what she had to say.

4 mins

The Tata Hexa Test Drive

Tata was once the king of SUVs but after the advent of Mahindra and Mahindra’s Scorpio, things started unravelling for the prime mover in this segment. Tata Motors ended up as a fringe player in the SUV market, with the likes of Mahindra and Mahindra, Hyundai, Renault, Ford, Toyota and other multinationals drawing favourable ratings and customers. It now hopes to buck the trend with its new SUV, the Hexa. Karthick Annamalai of Vicky.in takes it on a test drive to test its strengths...

3 mins

'Chicks On Boards' - A Liberating Documentary

We have many internet and subway surfers but what about the real deal - the real sport of riding the surf? Women rarely participate in this sport due to various reasons, many of them historic. German movie maker, Dörthe Eickelberg, has stepped forward to showcase how women across the world are surfing the waves to break the glass ceiling, and cracking glass walls with their grit and determination! Karnataka Today’s Rajat Rao met her during the filming of her documentary ‘Chicks on Boards’ at Mulki last month and discussed this phenomenon with her…

5 mins

K Mathai: 27 Transfers In Nine Years Thereby Hangs A Tale

Karnataka Administrative Officer (KAS) officer K Mathai, known perhaps more famously as a whistleblower, is a rare breed of sincere and honest public servants. Mathai who joined KAS after taking voluntary retirement from the Indian Air Force (IAF) has created a record in the annals of the Karnataka Civil Service by filing a complaint with Lokayukta against four IAS officers E.V. Ramana Reddy, Ms (Dr) Kalpana Gopalan, Dr T K Anil Kumar and M. Lakshminarayana. In a brief interview, Mathai explains to Y Maheswara Reddy under what circumstances he was compelled to take this bold and rare initiative.

4 mins

Cooking Up A Rice Story?

None of the lab reports across the country have found plastic in rice samples. Bangalore researchers’ exhaustive analysis concluded the so-called plastic rice is not plastic after all; it’s just plain bad rice says Samantha Machado (Twitter: @ SamanthaMachado)

4 mins

Birds Of A Feather Come Together To Create A World Record

This Mysore aviary just set the Guinness world record for ‘most bird species in an aviary’. The man behind this amazing initiative is Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji. He is not only a collector of rare and exotic birds but also a healer who rescues endangered, injured and abandoned birds only to restore their health. R. Uday Kumar visited the aviary and filed this report. 

2 mins

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Karnataka Today Magazine Description:

Karnataka is a blessed land, rooted in tradition yet technologically advanced, colorful and culturally extravagant, cosmopolitan and congenial. For Kannadiga's spread across the globe, this is home, and they are always eager to connect.

Spearhead Publications Pvt. Ltd’s monthly English publication ‘Karnataka Today’ launched in November 2015, does just that, even as it consistently lives up to its tag line – “Independent; Impartial”.

Karnataka Today has something for everyone in Karnataka – from analysis of issues that affect society to business and technology, from culture to leisure and health to life style. Its superior all color print quality, aesthetic layout and most importantly, relevant, unbiased and extensive coverage of issues impacting India in general and Karnataka in particular has already caught the eyes of the reader.