Photos: Inside Kannada actor Chetan and activist Megha’s socially conscious wedding

Wedding

Chetan and Megha gave their wedding guests the Indian Constitution as a return gift.

Geetika Mantri

Kannada actor Chetan recently married his partner Megha, an activist, at an event that was as unconventional as it was progressive. The couple registered their marriage on February 1 at the sub-registrar’s office in Bengaluru, and the next day, had a reception at the Vinoba Bhave Ashram. And while their wedding was not the traditional “big, fat, Indian wedding” that sees shows of wealth and power, it was an extravaganza – one that showcased the grassroots and culture of Karnataka, Chetan says. Not only did the couple register their marriage under the Special Marriages Act, but their reception at the Ashram on February 2 saw around 3000 people in attendance. The duo took their “vows of values” led by transgender rights activist and Karnataka Rajyotsava Award recipient Akkai Padmashali, who was present along with her partner. Ask Chetan about his big day, and the excitement is apparent in his voice: “There were people from so many walks of life – actors, politicians, activists… We were not expecting so many people to turn up. But the fact that they did and in such large numbers from all over the state – it meant a lot to us. There was just a lot of love and affection. Nothing was stiff or formal.” Among the attendees were actor Puneeth Rajkumar and his Ashwini, politicians Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Dinesh Gundu Rao and H Anjaneya, to name a few. The cultural performances included dance performances by Lambani and the Siddi communities in Karnataka, philosophical and Sufi songs, and songs about the Constitution. In fact, the return gift to the attendees was a copy of the Constitution. “We wanted people to read the Constitution, to uphold and abide by its values, and to share our ideals of working towards an equal society,” Chetan says. It was their belief in constitutional values that made Chetan and Megha register their marriage under the Special Marriages Act too. “Neither of us believes in inequality or rituals. We wanted a marriage according to the Constitution,” explains Chetan. And as for their vows, the couple took three– a personal vow, a social vow, and a nature vow. Inspired by Babasaheb Ambedkar’s 22 vows, Periyar’s self-respect marriage, and other progressive practices of marriage such as those of the Kuvempu community in Karnataka, the vows the couple took were: “We both through our own free will & mutuality are taking these three vows of values to validate our marriage union. Personal Vow: We will live the ideals of love, respect, loyalty, honesty, & equality. We will respect & take care of both of our parents mutually to the best of our abilities. We will support one another through thick & thin as loving companions. Social Vow: We will work to remove discrimination in all forms and build an equitable & just society. Nature Vow: We will show compassion for all living beings including plants, birds, animals, and all nature.”    Even the Vinoba Bhave Ashram where the couple got married was a place chosen by Megha and Chetan because they had a connection with it. Since December 2019, the duo had been working with the children in the Ashram, most of whom are from marginalised communities. The couple bought all the children new beds, and helped paint the walls of the Ashram with images of people from marginalised communities, the working class, farmers, as well as birds and animals from nature. “When the children wake up to those paintings every day, we want them to feel proud of where they come from – their communities – and not feel inferior because they speak Kannada and not English,” Chetan says. He adds that he and Megha intend to maintain a long-term relationship with the Ashram and the children in the time to come as well, to support them and help them in whatever way they can. “We value a socially conscious lifestyle. In the end, Megha and I were really emotional and ecstatic that so many people joined us. We hope that they help us in eradicating discrimination, promoting equal opportunity – especially to women and Dalits – and upholding the Indian Constitution in the years to come,” Chetan says. 

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/394qvMG
via IFTTT

One person admitted to KIMS in Hubballi with suspected coronavirus infection

Coronavirus

As of Tuesday morning, over 20,000 suspected cases have been identified across the world, with a large number of them being from China.

Dr Nimeshika Jayachandran

Representative Image

A 39-year-old man from Karnataka's Hubbali has been admitted to Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in the district with a suspected coronavirus infection. Sandip Kelsangad, recently returned from China and complained of a fever, cough and fatigue. Given his travel history, he was admitted to the hospital and is being monitored by a team of experts. "His condition is currently stable but remains under observation. His samples have been collected and have been sent to NIV Pune for testing," stated Director of KIMS Hubbali, Ramalingappa Anteratani. As of Tuesday, 56 samples have been sent for testing out of which 39 have returned negative, including 10 samples which returned on Monday evening. 63 individuals who have recently travelled to coronavirus affected areas have been identified, of whom 58 have been placed under home isolation, 4 have left the country, and 1 was admitted to an isolation ward in a hospital. Four private hospitals have been identified by the Karnataka state government to quarantine any individuals suspected to possibly have contracted the virus. Samples of these individuals are being sent to one of two labs in Bengaluru at either Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) or a branch of the National Institute of Virology located near the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD). Three confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported from Kerala, following which officials from border districts of Mangaluru, Chamrajnagar, Kodagu, and Mysuru have been on high alert. Anyone suspected cases of a coronavirus infection must be reported to the State Surveillance Unit (SSU) Karnataka. "As there are 3 positive cases in Kerala the border districts of Mangaluru, Kodagu, Chamrajnagar and Mysore are on n-CoV surveillance and any suspected are advised to report immediately to State Surveillance Unit (SSU) Karnataka," reads a bulletin issued by Karanataka’s Department of Health and Family Welfare Services. There have been over 20,000 suspected cases reported of the coronavirus across the globe, with most of them being reported from Wuhan city in China’s Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak. As officials race to discover a vaccine or more optimal treatment against the virus, protective measures have been amped up in hospitals and airports across the world. Outside China, one individual from the Philippines succumbed to the virus. As there is no definitive treatment, emphasis has been stressed on prevention and protective measures. Washing hands frequently, using hand sanitizers and other modes of maintaining personal hygiene are important. Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing. Stay home if you are feeling unwell and go to a hospital if you feel that the symptoms are worsening. Officials have advised the use of an n95 mask instead of a usual protective face mask.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/31mPUhS
via IFTTT

After third case of coronavirus in Kerala, border districts of Karnataka on high alert

Health

Residents in Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Mysuru and Chamarajanagara have been asked to report any suspected case to the State Surveillance Unit (SSU).

TNM Staff

Kochi medical staff dispose waste

After three confirmed cases of coronavirus were reported in Kerala, the Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department has placed four border districts - Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Mysuru and Chamarajanagara - on high alert. "As there are 3 positive cases in Kerala the border districts of Mangaluru, Kodagu, Chamrajnagar and Mysore are on n-CoV surveillance and any suspected are advised to report immediately to State Surveillance Unit (SSU) Karnataka," read a bulletin by the state's Department of Health and Family Welfare Services. A third positive case of coronavirus was confirmed in Kanjangad in Kasaragod district of Kerala.  Kasaragod is next to Mangaluru in Karnataka. In Karnataka, 63 travellers from corona affected countries have been identified and 58 are under home isolation. 4 travellers have left the country, while 1 is admitted in hospital and kept in isolation. 56 samples were sent for testing out of which results of 39 samples came negative. "Those who have arrived from the corona affected countries should remain under strict home isolation for 28 days from the date of arrival in India, irrespective of whether they are symptomatic or asymptomatic," adds the bulletin. Since January 20, as many as 7965 travellers at the Bengaluru International Airport have been screened by a thermal scanner to detect fever. The Karnataka government has also identified four private hospitals where suspected persons with travel history are quarantined. Their blood and sputum samples will be sent to either a lab at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) or a branch of the National Institute of Virology located near the  Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD) for testing. Across the world, the coronavirus has been reported in 24 countries including India. Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in central China is the epicentre of the outbreak. At least 425 people were confirmed dead due to the virus which has also claimed the life of a man from Wuhan who was in the Philippines.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2RUZpBM
via IFTTT

‘Music can change minds’: Vasu Dixit on writing songs about social issues

Music

This Bengaluru-based folk-rock musician’s band Swarathma has composed songs about child sexual abuse, corruption and politics.

Neetha John

Vasu sings with his eyes closed throughout the performance. There’s a certain feel to watching him perform and listening to him sing - his voice penetrates into our touchy edges, like few good music does. Tarakka Bindige of Purandara Dasa, in the voice of this Bengaluru-based musician, feels like a strong beckoning to the inviting laps of a motherly Kannada. TNM caught up with him at Amrapali Jewels where he had alighted for a musical evening.  Vasu, with his music, began wafting into the hearts of the people with his unique folk-rock songs, ones that people identified as their own, owing to the regional language and the lyrics that struck the right chords within them. He is one who believes that “music is one that can reach out to people very deep inside.” He gives music to his words in the hope that they become a harbinger of change in the society.  Vasu Dixit, who has been a folk-rock professional for over 13 years now, is one of the most popular singers in the country. The band founded by him, Swarathma, is one that has been strumming to the rhythm of people’s hearts for over a decade now. Art for life’s sake Vasu believes in the notion of being a ‘responsible artist’. He thinks that music can be a catalyst for social reform. “I don’t think it’s a conscious decision,” he said. “It is part of my learning that music and art can be more than entertainment. Because music might not change everything at the minute you make a song. But it can definitely change the hearts and minds slowly - it will take its time - for that wave to seep in everywhere.”  Swarathma sings songs that are deeply rooted in the social scenarios hoping to send tunes of comfort, wisdom and joy to the people. Some of their songs deal with significant social issues such as - child sexual abuse (Ghum), media sensationalism (Aaj Ki Taaza Fikar), corruption in politics (Topiwalleh) etc.  “We did one show in Mysuru and we played a song which is about child sexual abuse,” he said. “And a mother wrote to us the next day saying - I have been thinking about how to talk to my children about sex education and telling them about good touch, bad touch and things. I didn’t have the courage but then I saw you guys singing about it. When you guys are singing about it in public, why can’t I talk to my children - and she said, that night after the show she went and spoke to her children. That’s the kind of change we are hoping to see.”  Growing up Vasu hails from Mysuru. “Mysuru is a place known for its culture, music, education and everything related to art - whether its fine arts, visual arts, performing art, all of it. Like any Mysuru middle-class family, I’d just been put into music from childhood,” he said. He began taking lessons in Carnatic music at the age of eight, but later lost interest it, he said.  It was later in college in 2002 that he took up music again by forming his own band, Swarathma with friends, who shared the same vigour for music.  Vasu’s older brother, Raghu Dixit is also a famous musician in the industry and the front runner of the popular folk band, the Raghu Dixit Project.  “He has always been encouraging me to be original on my own and not to do the same that he’s been doing because then there is no originality in that. In that way, he has really pushed me to have my own identity and my own music,” he said. Musical career Vasu also performs outside his band, under Vasu Dixit Collective. “There are songs that I’ve grown up listening to and wanting to do, which probably do not find the space in Swarathma," he said, while adding, “So, I thought I should explore some more. Within the band, there is a sense of this is what we are and this is what we can do." He sings in both Kannada and in Hindi, although there are lyricist friends who help him with Hindi if the need arises while writing a song. “Kannada is definitely closer to me. I’ve felt and listeners have also said that when I sing in Kannada, I sound more believable and it feels like I am meaning everything - not that I feel much different when I sing in Hindi. I am also trying to explore other languages as well,” he said.  Vasu is a postgraduate from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. When it comes to art, Vasu is an all-rounder. From fine arts to theatre to film production, Vasu is the complete package. “I see colours in music and I think of a structure for the music, which is also fluid and flowing. I am a very visual musician, I would say,” he said. He is acquainted with visuals just as much as he is with music. While performing, Vasu has a way of experimenting and playing with the visuals. His band dresses up in mystifying costumes to put up a hard-hitting show. “If you see the Indian performing arts, the costumes and the things you present with, has always been a part of it,” he said. “You can do Kathakali without make up also. Even if it is a half an hour performance, they sit for six hours of make-up and put everything on. The colour that they use depicts the character that they want to portray. And it has an impact on the audience,” he said.    

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/399ZN5r
via IFTTT

Over fears of unpaid debt, Bengaluru techie allegedly kills her mother

Crime

The accused, who also attacked her brother, is currently absconding.

TNM Staff

Representative Image

Bengaluru police are on the lookout for a 33-year-old software engineer who allegedly murdered her mother and attacked her brother, before fleeing. Amruta C, a resident of Bengaluru’s KR Puram (near Ramamurthy Nagar) reportedly bludgeoned her mother to death with a crowbar and attempted to attack and kill her brother before fleeing from the scene on Sunday. As per reports in TNIE, Amruta had told her mother and brother that she had received a job in Hyderabad and that the family should visit the city on a trip before moving there. At around 4 am on Sunday, Harish heard some noise as his sister was going through an almirah. When asked what she was doing, she claimed to be packing. Moments later, she came and allegedly stabbed him in the neck. At around 5am on Sunday, Amruta entered her mother C Nirmala’s room and killed her using the metal bar. She then reportedly went into her brother’s room and stabbed him in the neck using a kitchen knife. “I was sleeping when she barged in. When I asked her why she was doing this, Amruta said she owed Rs 15 lakh and debtors would defame the family. She said it was better to die than live like this,” 31-year-old Harish reportedly stated to the police. Amruta also said that the individuals she borrowed money from, were threatening to come to her house in order to collect the money. He had tried to grab his sister, but she ran away. Following this, Harish made a call to his aunt who lived in the vicinity, who came and rushed him to the hospital. Amruta works at a company in Mahadevapura while Harish works with a private company. The family was staying in a rented accommodation in Ramamurthy Nagar’s Akshaya Nagar 2nd block.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2GNZqkK
via IFTTT

‘I want her to come back’: Bidar student on her mother's arrest over an anti-CAA play

Controversy

Questioned thrice by police, 11-year-old Ayesha* has been living with their neighbour as her mother, a widow, is in prison over an anti-CAA school play.

Prajwal Bhat

Ayesha’s (name changed) hands quiver as she emerges from the make-shift ‘interrogation’ room at the Shaheen Primary and High School in Bidar district of Karnataka. A small area at the entrance to the school has been occupied by police officials for the past week to question students and teachers in the school about their role in a play staged two weeks ago. “I answered all their (police) questions but my mother was still arrested. I don’t know when she will be back,” says the 11-year-old student, breaking into tears. Her mother, Nazbunnisa, and a head-teacher in the school, Fareeda Begum, were arrested by police officials on January 30 on charges of sedition for staging a play which voiced dissent towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the new controversial citizenship law. Ayesha* has since been living with their neighbour as her mother is a widow and her close family members do not stay in Bidar.  “I have been staying with my neighbour since my mother was jailed. I have everything I need but I just want my mother to come back,” Ayesha chokes up while saying this and looks away from this reporter.  Students in the school were asked to read up on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and two other countrywide exercises, the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the National Population Register (NPR), and stage a play before an audience on January 21. A group of students from classes 4, 5, and 6 performed a play which they say was put together by them. But after an activist from the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) filed a complaint against the school management for allegedly ‘insulting’ Prime Minister Modi, police in Bidar charged the school management with sedition in an FIR registered at the Bidar New Town Police Station on January 26. Police officials led by Basaveshwara Hira, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Bidar, have since turned up at the Shaheen school four times to question students involved in the play.  “We were asked about how we practised, and I replied that we didn’t need to practise much since we just had to remember points,” says Ayesha.  “Then the police asked us whether hitting the Prime Minister with a chappal is right or wrong? We replied that it was wrong. Finally, I was asked if I would repeat what I said in the play, and I said no. But even though I truthfully answered their questions, my mother was arrested.” In the remand report filed over the two arrests, police accused the school and the two women of “trying to spread false information about CAA and NRC” and also “making minor children state that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must be hit with a chappal”. It was one particular dialogue in the play delivered by Ayesha which landed the school in trouble. In the dialogue, the girl says, “Hit them with a chappal if anyone asks for documents,” referencing Prime Minister Modi.  According to the remand application, a copy of which is with TNM, the girl told the police that her mother Nazbunnisa told her to make the statement about Prime Minister Modi. “The girl told the police during questioning that her mother Nazbunnisa told her to make the statement against Prime Minister Narendra Modi while she was practising the lines for the play at home,” the remand application claims. The child however says clearly that's not the case. This reporter visited the duo lodged in the Bidar District Prisons and Corrections Service. However, they refused to speak about their ordeal. They only said that over the last few days, hundreds of visitors had turned up at the prison, including AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi, but they were still confined to jail. Their bail hearing is yet to be heard in court since the judge is on leave.   Recalling the sequence of events which unfolded over the last two weeks, students and staff members in the school are at a loss to explain why police officials are continuously turning up at the school to question students. “Nazbunnisa already apologised to a television channel for that particular line in the play. But the police are continuously turning up at the school and are keeping students out of the classroom for hours. This is beyond the imagination of any reasonable person,” says Tauseef Madikeri, the school’s CEO.  Tauseef says that the police are repeatedly asking the same questions to the staff and students at the school — “Who scripted the play? Who told you to say these dialogues? Did a teacher teach this?”  “This is mental harassment of the students who are 9 or 10 years old and also of the parents. Some students who took part in the play have not turned up at school because of this. Is this because we are a minority institution?” asks Tauseef.   He further adds that the institution was established 31 years ago and is well-known in Karnataka. It has 40 centres across 8 states with over 16,000 students studying in them. As many as 327 students from the institute cleared the NEET exam for admission to MBBS courses last year. The institution was also conferred the Rajyotsava award in 2013 for its contribution in the field of education.  When Bidar Deputy Superintendent of Police Basaveshwara Hira was asked why it had become necessary to come back to the school for the fourth time, he said, "We are carrying out the investigation as per procedure and we cannot comment on it now. We are collecting information about the play and what the role of the staff and students were."  When asked whether sedition was even applicable in a case like this, the DSP said, “I cannot comment on it at the moment. The investigation is ongoing." The charge of sedition, which is based on a British-era law, has been used against those protesting against the CAA in a bid to declare their actions as anti-national. Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code defines sedition as any attempt to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection towards the lawful government. Yet, under explanations in the same law, it is pointed out that comments expressing “disapprobation of the measures of the Government with a view to obtain their alteration by lawful means” are not offences.  “The police are instilling fear in us by making arrests and repeatedly questioning students but we will fight the sedition charge filed against the school,” says Tauseef.   *Name changed Read: Cops turn up at Bidar school for fourth time, question kids over anti-CAA play

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/2RWcivF
via IFTTT

BJP serves show cause notice to Hegde as Cong demands sedition case against him

Politics

This comes after the MP had made controversial remarks about Gandhi at an event on Saturday.

PTI

The Congress on Monday demanded a sedition case against BJP MP Ananth Kumar Hegde for his swipe at Mahatma Gandhi, while a red-faced BJP initiated disciplinary proceedings by serving him a show cause notice seeking an explanation. A senior BJP leader said its top brass, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is "upset" with the sixth-term Lok Sabha MP, who was a minister in the first Modi government, and the Karnataka leader has been asked to take remedial measures, including tendering an apology. The party will take its next course of action after receiving his reply, he added. Hegde had questioned the freedom movement led by Gandhi, saying it was an "adjustment" with the British, remarks which triggered a huge political row. Freedom fighters who did not sacrifice anything made the country believe that it attained independence through 'Upavas Satyagrah', Gandhi's preferred mode of agitation, and became 'mahapurush' (great person), Hegde had said at an event in Bengaluru on Saturday. Hitting out at the BJP, the Congress demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At a party briefing, Congress senior spokesperson Anand Sharma said it was time for Modi to show whether his loyalty was with Gandhi or with his assassin Nathuram Godse. "They are disparaging the national movement. If the prime minister and the BJP government are sincere about the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi, we demand that the PM come to Parliament and clarify his position," Sharma said. "They are desperate for elections and only to get some votes, they are inflicting deep wounds on the soul of India," he said. Demanding Hegde's expulsion from the BJP, Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said Modi should apologise for Hegde's remarks and a sedition case should be lodged against the former Union minister. Karnataka BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel told PTI that the party's central leadership has served a show cause notice to Hegde as part of its disciplinary measure against him. A Union Minister from the BJP said that the top party brass, including Modi, is "unhappy and upset" with Hegde for his swipe at Gandhi, whose birth and death anniversaries have often been occasions for the saffron party under Modi to launch public campaigns over a variety of issues. With the BJP parliamentary party meeting slated for Tuesday, there is speculation in the party that Modi may touch on the issue in his address as he has often in the past expressed his displeasure over show of indiscipline by its members. Incidentally, this is not the first time a show cause notice has been issued to Hegde. He and Pragya Thakur were served show cause notices by the BJP leadership for their praise of Godse during the 2019 Lok Sabha poll campaign. While the then BJP national president Amit Shah had condemned their remarks and announced action against them, the party never made any official comment about the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings. However, the party had barred Thakur from attending its weekly parliamentary meeting during Parliament's last session after she praised Godse yet again. Both Hegde and Thakur were elected to Lok Sabha. Maharashtra's water resources minister and senior NCP leader Jayant Patil said Hegde had insulted the freedom movement with his remarks. Hegde is a sixth-term Lok Sabha MP and is known for his hardline Hindutva views and controversial comments. A minister in the first Modi government, he was forced to apologise after saying that the BJP dispensation was here to change the Constitution.

Body 2: 

from Karnataka https://ift.tt/37UTuSR
via IFTTT