What’s at stake in LS 2019 and why it deserves the hype: Kannada actor Chetan writes

Opinion

A society’s vulnerable sections, rather than the self-serving ones, must take primacy during the voting process.

Chetan Kumar

The ongoing elections in India is the most critical Lok Sabha polls in a generation. Yes, we’ve all heard such trite hyperbole each time our 900-million strong electorate goes to polls, it is like the concocted excitement one may witness before 543 high-profile UFC brawls. The 2019 voting season is witnessing political aspirants with entrenched ideologies being more disparate, more polarized than ever in recent memory. Hence, with the ‘idea of India’ at stake this time around, this Lok Sabha elections may actually be deserving of the ‘once-in-a-generation’ hype. Over the past five years, provocative questioning of one’s pro- and anti-national credentials has taken centre-stage, rendering our country’s institutions and holy scriptures, and even the Constitution, susceptible. The election will determine our nation’s trajectory - will we add fuel to the scorching fire of hate and division, or will we, by opposing this trend, inundate our lands with the cooling waters of harmony in plurality? Anyone who believes in preserving the foundations of our democracy must not only take out time to vote but ensure that their vote actually counts. Elections, in our stratified nation riddled with class, caste, gender, and a myriad of hierarchies, stand out as the sole moment in which we are all equal. A homeless nomadic woman in Yadagir has the same individual power on election day as the state's Home Minister. The revolutionary notion that every person merits a vote regardless of identity or educational background makes the Indian framework robust and our modern history vivacious. The war for freedom did not end in 1947. Instead, it merely shifted from colonial to democratic confines. To realise the equality and liberty enshrined in our Constitution, we must demand that the privileges many of us take for granted reaches every Indian, from the beaches of Nicobar to the heights of the Himalayas: housing for all; universal healthcare; free education up to graduate level; and a basic, liveable income. Candidates willing to prioritize the improvement of human life as true development should be the ones we send to Parliament, and not those whose only qualifications stem from their assets, influence or family backing. If such dreams are to materialize into ground reality, each individual must realize that binary political options both erode the very ethos of Indian democracy and leave the general public politically ‘lazy.’ In other words, the discourse today should not be relegated to the selection of one or the other potential PM candidates, like much of the mainstream media makes it out to be. Instead, the dialogue should be a more localized one where every citizen is well-informed to select an aspiring Member of Parliament (MP) who best represents the needs of the specific constituency. A quick glance at the list of candidates reveals that each MP constituency has several candidates to choose from (57 in Belagavi!), all occupying diverse positions on the political spectrum, with unique experiences and dreams. If we can’t find a good enough candidate to uphold the democratic values we treasure most, then perhaps enough time has not been spent searching and researching. A society’s vulnerable sections, rather than self-serving ones, must take primacy during the voting process. And that is especially true from the vantage of us, the English-speaking, upwardly-mobile, home-owning types. Those who have gained more from society have the moral responsibility to give back more as well.   Hence, instead of voting on ‘how would this candidate benefit me?’, it is time to vote based on ‘how this candidate would benefit the poor, marginalized, and weakest amongst us.’  Such a holistic vision would lay the building blocks for an egalitarian, model society. Election coverage in Karnataka over the past month or so has been disappointing and farcical, since substance has been completely stripped from the process. Take Mandya, for example. The two frontrunners are ideologically-vapid novices who have no social service experience, and an even weaker acuity of grassroots Mandya realities, let alone solutions. Unfortunately, their irrelevant attributes like kinship to known leaders, popular last names, silver-screen glamour, and financial backing have catapulted them into the contest to enter Parliament. What is even more shocking is that the mainstream media appears to deal with them both with kid gloves, throwing soft and irrelevant questions that cater to their mudslinging gusto rather than hard-hitting questions that help the citizens understand the candidates’ true intentions and vision.  Our democratic duties do not take a five-year hiatus on May 23, 2019, after the Lok Sabha results are announced. Instead, that date when power shifts non-violently, reminds us that our struggle to uphold the core principles of our democracy such as tolerance, diversity, secularism, and socialism is imperative and ongoing.  As John F. Kennedy once declared, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.’ The author is an activist and actor fighting for art, equality and social justice.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka http://bit.ly/2Ival5O
via IFTTT

The rise of Bengaluru’s artisanal bread makers

Food

Artisanal bread bakers in Bengaluru have seen order numbers almost double in the last year, and believe the trend is here to stay.

Prachi Sibal

Once every week, my phone buzzes frantically. Not a work call, not an emergency, but a WhatsApp group selling bread. Yet, it feels no less than a competition, and only a prized few get their hands on a freshly-baked artisanal loaf. It’s on a first-come, first-served basis and the quantities are limited, as they are dished out of a baking unit in Cooke Town in Bengaluru. Priced between Rs 170 to Rs 240 compared to Rs 40 for a supermarket loaf, what is making some Bengaluru residents splurge and change their bread habits? In 2015, Nitash Lalkaka of Patisserie Nitash started baking artisanal sourdough loaves. Crusty with air pockets, sourdough bread uses a live fermented starter which works as a replacement for commercial yeast. Tougher on the bite, it has a mild sour taste and uses no chemical bread improvers or preservatives. He continues to bake every day for regulars and announces baking plans on a group, which now has over 500 members. Others send out bake order forms, announcements or surreptitious menus with pictures. Placing an order won’t lead you to a traditional bakery, but rather to a basement baking unit or a home kitchen, heavy with the scent of fresh-out-of-the-oven crumbly bread. While craft bread itself isn’t new to Bengaluru, the city may be witnessing the start of a mini movement among bread enthusiasts. “While I wouldn’t call it a movement yet, it is certainly getting there,” says Pranav Ullal, who started Loafer and Co. in October 2018. Many bakers have seen an increase in order volumes in the past year, along with a greater interest in sourdough bread from customers. It’s said to be more easily digestible, with a lower glycemic index that doesn’t cause blood sugar spikes the way normal refined flour bread does. “We have seen a nearly 100% increase in our orders. We went from doing 40 loaves a week to 250 a week this year,” says Samruddhi Nayak, who started Krumb Kraft in 2016. Dealing in all things sourdough, Samruddhi claims there has been a considerable increase in sales at the B2B level too. Oven Spring, which began in 2016 as a culmination of Ponnanna MP’s self-taught breads in partnership with Pierre Gregoire, also clocks up to 300 loaves a week, up from the 100-150 it did last year. Fad or not? Whether it is the health benefits of natural bread without commercial yeast that makes it easily digestible or the texture and taste, sourdough is a clear winner among the varieties that home bakers have on offer. Sourdough bread is also available in whole wheat variants and those flavoured with everything from olives to chocolate. For the bakers, the growing interest in the sourdough bread they produce isn’t just a fad.   “While the health angle can’t be dismissed, one of the reasons sourdough works here is because of the texture. It is similar to our Indian breads -- tough and chewy and in fact works well with curries,” says Ponnanna. Pranav agrees, and says the bread has to taste good first, the health benefits come later. Selvan Thandapani of Sour House says that they specialise in naturally fermented breads and other fermented products like kefir, a fermented milk drink. He believes the rise in the number of sourdough bread bakers in town is feeding the trend in its own way. Hotels are restaurants too have been introducing sourdough and other artisanal breads on their menus, such as Toast and Tonic and The Smoke Co. Handmade in small batches often using locally-sourced grains, with as few as three ingredients, Bengaluru’s bread culture is growing. “The whole practice of making bread by hand and eliminating chemicals is gaining popularity,” says Anahita Girish of Loafer and Co. She first baked sourdough bread at Toast and Tonic before she took to it full time. Drawbacks of the business With choices aplenty and many new bakers, Nitash notes the rising interest in artisanal loaves is not be proportionate to the actual sales. Customers must also choose to spend four to six times the cost of an everyday loaf of bread. “I may have 500 members on a WhatsApp group, but only as few as a 130 buy regularly. Some buy a loaf to try and then don’t reorder. On the other hand, if I do put up dessert on sale, it has more takers,” he says, explaining that bread itself isn’t a viable business option for a baker. “Besides, sourdough bread is a bit of an acquired taste and it can’t really take the place of staple food,” he adds. And from a health perspective, enthusiasm for bread is often tied to changing diet trends, from whole wheat to gluten-free alternatives. “Bread has always taken a huge rap in the past for being unhealthy. And I hope that changes,” says Pranav, who uses millet flour and whole grains in his loaves, and recently introduced a whole wheat variant. In a nutshell Despite the prices, the numbers are indicative of a growing new industry. Besides a pretty loaf to take home, bakers are also teaching their craft to those who want to bake at home. Krumb Kraft organises regular courses and Sour House has recently started workshops. “We do an ‘Introduction to Sourdough’ workshop every month with six participants and they’ve all been sold out so far,” says Selvan Thandapani.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka http://bit.ly/2XucUsd
via IFTTT

BMRCL denies reports of crack in pillars near Bengaluru’s South End Circle Metro station

Transport

Media reports had said that two Metro pillars near South End Circle station in Bengaluru suffered structural issues back to back.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

On Friday, some media reports said that hours after a structural issue on a Metro pillar near South End Circle station in Bengaluru was fixed, another pillar with a similar issue was found. On Thursday night, officials from the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) were fixing a flaw found in the bearing pedestal at pillar number 67 near the South End Circle Metro station when they noticed a problem with pillar number 66 as well. However, the BMRL clarified that these are not cracks and that the flaw was due to the way the pillar was constructed in two layers. “BMRCL hereby clarifies that it is not a crack in the pillar. The bearing pedestal was constructed in two layers. On one of the faces of the bearing pedestal, the construction joint is visible. It is not a crack in the pedestal also,” read BMRCL’s official statement, clarifying the media coverage regarding the safety of metro structures and travelling passengers in Namma Metro. Furthermore, it added that this was part of its ‘regular maintenance’ procedure. “Routine inspections by a team of competent engineers as per schedule are carried at each pillar location in the prescribed manner, and maintenance action is taken in a systematic manner. During such routine inspection by BMRCL engineers, this joint surface crack visibility in bearing pedestals was noticed at pillar no 66 and 67. Action was taken and attended to the bearing pedestals at pillar no 67 on Thursday night,” it said, adding that the bearing pedestal at Pillar no 66 was attended to on Friday night. Earlier in December, a honeycomb formation was found in a pillar near the Trinity metro station. This has caused some delays in the purple line as officials set about fixing the issue. Trains, which were running 15 minutes late, cautioned when crossing the pillar in question near the Trinity Metro Station. Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy had initially asked for the services to be stopped altogether while the issue was being resolved but later retracted the statement once the problem was identified. At the time, a BMRCL official stated that the slider, or concrete slabs, supported by a pillar had moved from its original position and that the engineers were working on concretising and strengthening the slider. In order to support the slider temporarily while the work was going on, a metal jack had been placed next to the pillar. Workers were given three days to fix the issue.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka http://bit.ly/2vc8qua
via IFTTT

Two coaches of Mysuru-Bengaluru Kacheguda Express detach, no casualties reported

Accident

The coaches got detached from the rest of the train near Channasandra railway station, about 14 km away from KSR Bengaluru.

TNM Staff

Two 3AC coaches of the  Mysuru- KSR Bengaluru- Kacheguda Express got detached from the rest of the train near Channasandra railway station, about 14 km away from KSR Bengaluru. No injuries or casualties have been reported. The incident occurred on Friday night at around 7pm as per Western railway officials. Coaches B1 and B2 broke away from the rest of the coaches and the tank of the toilet in B1 caved in, causing the train to come to a grinding halt. Around 2000 passengers who were travelling in the train escaped without any injuries. As per one senior railway official, the train had slowed down as it approached the station, thereby preventing an accident. He further added that officials had rushed to the spot and replaced the detached coaches. According to reports, four major trains face delays because the Baiyappanahalli-Channasandra track is a single line. Of the departing trains, the Mysuru - KSR Kacheguda Express, the Karnataka Express, and the Udyan Express have been delayed. The Vijayawada Passenger will be arriving late as well. Earlier in November 2018, the Bengaluru-Tinsukia Express’ engine had detached from the rest of its 21 coaches and traveled for a little over a kilometre on its own. The incident took place in Alipurduar district of West Bengal. The train was detached from its engine while it was running at 50 kilometres per hour. The engine travelled for more than a kilometre while the rest of the train remained static. No injuries or casualties were reported. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka http://bit.ly/2KRUyQF
via IFTTT

The next e-cig battle: Should there be ads for vaping products?

from Health Care https://politi.co/2IwMClx
via IFTTT

‘Conspiracy to favour state govt’: BJP alleges mass removal of BJP voters in K’taka

Lok Sabha 2019

Senior BJP leader R Ashoka has alleged that more than 2 lakh eligible voters were deleted as part of a larger ‘conspiracy’ to favour the Congress-JD(S) government.

Soumya Chatterjee

The BJP in Bengaluru has written to the state’s Chief Electoral Officer alleging that officials responsible for maintaining electoral rolls have deliberately deleted eligible voters en masse to favour the ruling Congress-JD(S). The BJP has alleged that the deleted voters are mostly voters of the BJP. In its complaint, the BJP has demanded that the list of voters be updated to include eligible voters who missed out and re-polls be conducted so that they are given tender ballot papers to cast their votes. “The ruling party has influenced power and manipulative its action to see that the people belong to the educated class, the learned members in the society, who are voters of BJP are not allowed to vote. This is a severe blow by the coalition government to the innocent voters,” the BJP has said in its complaint to the Election Commission.   Speaking on the issue on Friday, senior BJP leader R Ashoka said the party is also exploring a legal recourse. “More than two lakh names have been deleted in Bengaluru comprising three parliamentary constituencies. It is a conspiracy by a section of top BBMP officials who were involved in electoral rolls revision. Names were deleted without any reason,” he told reporters. On Thursday, when 14 constituencies in Karnataka went to polls, it was reported that many voters in Bengaluru found their names missing from the electoral rolls, even in booths they have been voting for many years. The BJP has listed the polling booths and the number of the purported deleted voters in seven wards, calling it the 'tip of the iceberg'. In its complaint written on Thursday, the party said, “The officials have purposefully and deliberately have deleted without any reason just to render undue official favour of the ruling coalition party. Though the voters are very much residing in the very same address, purposefully their names have been deleted. This racket has curtailed the several voters their fundamental right to exercise the vote. This is nothing but the dereliction of duty by the concerned officials.” It added, “If strict action is not taken against such biased officials, we can't expect fair and free election from this election commission. We wonder how such illegality has occurred openly / randomly in the elections. The ruling party has influenced power and manipulative its action to see that the people belong to the educated class, the learned members in the society who are voters of BJP are not allowed to vote.” The party further alleged that the lack of action by Election Commission on similar issues highlighted during the Assembly polls in May 2018, has enabled them to openly support Congress. “Had the Election Commission taken stringent action at the inception, the officials would not have dared to take up such illegality. Therefore, the officials who have openly supported the Congress party by deleting the BJP voters are not entitled to be in service and not deserved to be continued as public servants. No leniency should be shown to such erring and biased officials,” the complaint added. Based on the BJP's complaint, CEO Sanjeev Kumar has asked BBMP Commissioner, who is the District Election Officer, to probe the matter.      

Body 2: 

from Karnataka http://bit.ly/2Gmiw0S
via IFTTT

Athletes from African-origin tribe living in K'taka to receive scientific sports training

Sport

The training will include a baseline physiological tests to determine the areas athletes can improve upon and a 15-day training camp in Manipal.

Prajwal Bhat

Athletes from the Siddis, a native African tribal community living in Karnataka, are set to receive scientific training from sports scientists to improve their performance. The training will be conducted by sports scientists from Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) in a programme that will also see sports science students visit the athletes to collect data and assess their performances. The training programme will be conducted as part of an agreement between MAHE and Bridges of Sport, a not-for-profit organisation that is working with schools in north Karnataka to train children from tribal communities in sports. This is the first time MAHE is collaborating to train athletes from tribal communities in collaboration with Bridges of Sports, a not-for-profit initiative that is working with schools in north Karnataka to train children from tribal communities in sports. Athletes who will be part of the programme include members of the Siddis living in the forested areas of Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka. Athletes from other tribal communities including Golla and Lambani communities will also be trained in the programme.   Read: Racing for a better future: The African-origin tribe in K’taka that’s turning to sports The training will include a baseline physiological tests to determine the areas athletes can improve upon and a 15-day training camp in Manipal by the Department of Exercise and Sports Sciences. "So far, we have done baseline physiological testing for the athletes. It is a basic test to check their performance and based on the tests, we decide the areas they can improve and what they can do to improve their athletic performance," explains Mayuri Joshi, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Exercise and Sports Sciences, MAHE. A performance training camp will also be conducted towards the end of May for the athletes. "We are planning to have a high performance camp for 15 days towards the end of May. They will have a training schedule and we will be helping them with strength training and conditioning", Mayuri adds.  This is not the first time steps are being taken to train members of the community in hopes of tapping into undiscovered athletic abilities of the Siddis. In 1987, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) under the leadership of then Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sport Margaret Alva started a scheme to train members of the Siddi community. Around 65 members of the community were initially chosen to be trained in athletic events as part of the 'Special Area Games Scheme'. The scheme was discontinued six years later and although further efforts were made to revive the scheme in the 2000s, it was criticised for its short-sightedness and lack of inclusiveness  Bridges of Sports is attempting to revive the efforts of training members of the Siddi community and have already begun training members of the Siddi community in and around Mundgod in Uttara Kannada. "While the initial training camp will be held in Manipal, sports science students will also visit Mundgod to assess the development of the athletes. We have coaches to train the athletes but we require inputs from sports scientists, something that is not given a lot of importance. The athletes will learn about injury management, periodical training and this will not just develop athletes but also develop coaches working with us," says Nitish Chiniwar, founder of Bridges of Sports.  Sports science students in Manipal will also travel to Uttara Kannada district to collect data and assess the performance of the athletes and there are also plans of introducing student internships to encourage this. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka http://bit.ly/2XsH2nY
via IFTTT