The New Indian Express • 14th July 2021

This village in Karnataka demands its place in history for its bloodiest struggles against the Nizam

BIDAR: As the state government gears up to commemorate the Hyderabad-Karnataka Liberation Day on Saturday, September 17, one tiny village in Bidar stands out as a symbol of the movement. Sixty-eight years ago, Gorta witnessed one of the bloodiest struggles against the Nizam’s rule.

It was over a year after India’s Independence, on September 17, 1948, that Hyderabad state was liberated from Nizam’s rule and joined the Indian state.

Three months before the liberation, in May 1948, Gorta village,

The New Indian Express • 14th July 2021

Kaavi Kala gets a fresh coat of life

MANGALURU: For centuries, mankind has saved art, books, and other medium of expression from war, invasion and natural disasters. It was a way of preserving their cultural heritage.

In Karnataka’s Belur and Halebidu, ancient books, documents and monographs that carry the imprint of a culture, art, and performing arts were protected by people who fled from invaders and marauders.

Kaavi art which was brought to the south by people who migrated from the Sindh region centuries ago has has for lon

The New Indian Express • 14th July 2021

Bengaluru's 81-year-old pilot stays young among the clouds

BENGALURU: What’s the right age to start flying an aircraft and when should one stop flying? If you ask 81-year-old Air Vice Marshal Ajit Lamba (Retd), his reply will be: You start flying as early as you can (if not when you are born) and you stop flying the day you die.

He is the oldest pilot to fly in the history of Aero India, but he calls himself the youngest aviator. Lamba will display his skills at Yelahanka Air Force Station on Wednesday. He will be given two slots of six minutes to show

The New Indian Express • 14th July 2021

Mouthful of Music

MANGALURU/BENGALURU: ‘Mind boggling’, ‘awesome’ and ‘insane’ are just some of the adjectives used by fans to describe beatboxing events that pop up in the coastal city every now and then. And they are not exaggerating as beatboxing has become a fad among music lovers everywhere.

There are no official records of when and how beatboxing took shape. For instance, if one listens to British rock group Mungo Jerry’s 1970 song ‘In the summertime’, the musicians do a few beats using their vocal chords.

The New Indian Express • 14th July 2021

The last refuge of the hornbills

BENGALURU: Almost 20 years ago, Manoj Kumar, a forest official, narrated a tale of a family of hornbills at a nature camp. Two decades on, the story continues to reverberate in Dandeli region and has helped in creating awareness to protect the habitat of hornbills.

Today, the forests of Dandeli region are considered the last stronghold for this big and elusive bird species that are seen breeding in large numbers here.

Naturalists and state forest officials say with good protection measures,

The New Indian Express • 14th July 2021

Mangrove trail new addition to Coastal Karnataka travellers' delight

MANGALURU: Coastal Karnataka offers something for travellers of all kinds — temples, beaches, historical sites. Now the region is set to attract tourists with mangrove tourism.

The state government’s forest department in 2011 had started the ‘Green Wall’ project to restore mangroves from Ullal in Mangaluru to Mazali in Karwar, covering a distance of 306 km. The project was taken up with the aim to prevent sea erosion and reduce intensity of tsunamis. This is in fact the biggest mangrove forests

The New Indian Express • 14th July 2021

Teachers in Mysuru too get a lesson

MYSURU: For teachers, learning never ends. For a group of teachers in HD Kote, Mysuru, this process of learning is now done on a digital platform- WhatsApp.


The WhatsApp group ‘Vijnana Vedike’ (ViVek) comprises of Science and Maths teachers who post doubts, teaching material and also share ideas on subjects and methods of teaching.

The group started in 2014 with 20 teachers which has grown to 132 teachers from 96 different schools in HD Kote Taluk, including those school teachers from triba

The New Indian Express • 14th July 2021

Hubballi’s Green Man has a special gift for your birthday

HUBBALLI: Meeting Balachandra Danganavar will leave a lasting impression on anybody and you might also receive a special gift on your next birthday.The 42-year-old from Hubballi is on a mission to spread awareness on the environment and conservation in the Hubballi-Dharwad region for the past two years. And as part of his awareness campaign, he has been motivating residents to grow more trees, by presenting them hibiscus plants on their birthdays, anniversaries, and to celebrate achievements.

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