JSS Law college attracts students from world wide

JSS Law College, a professional autonomous college functioning under the aegis of JSS Mahavidyapeetha, was established in the year 1982 and is attracting students from all over the country and abroad. The college has been recognized by the Bar Council of India and is the first law college in the country to become autonomous.

In total, 517 students (268 men and 249 women) students are studying in the college in which 233 from Karnataka, and 161 from Non-Karnataka and 123 Students from 14 countries have enrolled in this college.

Among 123 students, about 47 students have come from Tanzania, 34 from Kenya, 14 from tibet, 16 from Afghanistan, 3 from Maldives. Apart this, students from Srilanka, Qatar, Somalia, Fiji, Switzerland, Iran, USA and Uganda are also studying here.


Philip 8th Sem (5 Years) student says, 'More than books JSS also have opportunity of developing talents in extra curriculum activities. The cost of living and school fees is affordable.'

'There is a great learning environment here. The system and level of interaction between lecturer and student is more of a personal level and this helps a student growing into a well versed individual. These are all the reasons why I joined JSS Law College,' says Esther Sidinyu and Radhika from Kenya.

College Principal Prof KS Suresh said that ' JSS Law College strives to create a community of committed professionals who are competent to solve legal and social problems; to promote justice, and be compassionate members of the society.'

Our motto is to develop professional judgment by academic exercises, engaging students with community and the academia at all levels of our work, including teaching, scholarship, public service and public policy, he added.

Course offered:
B.A.LL.B(Hons.)
B.B.A.L.L.B(Hons.)
LL.B(3 Years)
LL.M (2 Years)
Certificate Course : Cyber Law, Human Rights

Natural remedy for the cure of jaundice

The Sale of tender-coconut and sugarcane juice has gone up in city for past one month. The reason is increase in high temperature and other reason is these are the natural remedy for the cure of jaundice.

As there are no exclusive anti-viral drugs available neither in Ayurveda nor in Allopathy for the viral disease Jaundice, the recommended treatment normally followed is intake of fluids rich in carbohydrates.

District Health Officer Mallegowda said that around 280 patients diagnosed with Jaundice have been identified in the district and there is not any prescribed medication for jaundice. Patients are advised to take drinks rich in carbohydrates like tender-coconut and sugarcane juice.

Corporation Health Officer Nagaraj said that 'this viral fever has to subside on its own and there is no medication for this. By consuming food rich in carbohydrates liver function will improve. This also helps reduce tiredness, another common symptom of the disease.

Tender-coconut sellers are having a big bonanza this year. They are selling around 500-550 tender-coconuts daily, which was around 350-380 in last summer.

Sellers Chandru and Manchegowda who have been selling tender-coconut near KR Hospital say, 'there is a drastic increase in sale of tender-coconuts this year we are having good business.' As jaundice patients have been advised to drink tender-coconuts daily we are selling about 500 tender coconut.

Depending on their size they are sold from Rs 10 to Rs 15. Alongside, the demand for sugarcane juice has also increased. Sellers Raju, Nanjunda of Agrahara say, 'we are purchasing more cane this year. The demand has gone up twice. Many take the juice in parcels to their home.' The cane juice is sold from Rs 8 to Rs 12.

Practicing horse riding can be fun

Mysore being heritage and culture city, is popular for yoga, art and music. The another emerging has a hub of city is horse riding. To create passion among people about horse riding Mysore Amateur Riding School (MARS), a non-profit organisation has been working since November 2011 at the foot of Chamundi Hills.

MARS owns 11 horses, of which 10 are thorough-bred (race horses) and one popular Indian breed called as Kathiawari. Most of the horses which have been housed here are retired Mysore Race Club horses, which have won several races in their racing time.

Facilities provided here include a 80' x 360' oval riding track, longeing ring, 80' dia circular sand track, sand arena for performing minor jumps. Plans have been made to erect a Gazebo, to watch the riders. The club is open from 6.30 to 8.30 am and from 4.30 to 6.30 pm.

Interestingly people from different walks of life have become members of the horse club who include doctors like Dr MV Venu, Dr Namitha, Builders Ramana and Prakash, and Businessman PK Sreenivas.

Training is provided by two qualified instructors, Srikanta and Rachaiah who are retired Mounted Police Officers. It was their love for the horses that motivated them to continue work even after their retirement.

Dr Venu observed that 'Mysore being a heritage city there was a time when people here commuted only on horses. But with the advent of motor vehicles, today people have forgotten horse riding. Hence to promote horse riding amongst the general public and especially youngsters, MARS has been started.'

Prakash says, 'Horse riding is a good exercise as it strengthens core muscles and improves body posture. Riding a horse everyday for an hour, a person can burn good amount of calories.'

'Being avid horse lovers we enjoy showjumping, dressage (a competitive Equestrian sport) and cross country events, in addition to having lots of fun. At present only basic riding techniques are being taught to the new-comers. In the coming days we will introduce show jumping' the members said.

Learners will be taught the three natural gaits (Horse Gait is the manner in which a horse can move) - Walk, Trot and Canter. The other gait, Gallop, is mainly for racing. On Sundays, the advanced riders are taken to some top quality cross country riding around Chamundi hills.

Rishika and Aishwika students of St Joseph Central School says, 'we have lot of fun here riding horses. In the initial days we were scared to mount a horse, but now we can ride by ourselves.

Coaching Classes
The MARS will be conducting coaching classes in the month of April. Interested persons can contact Srikanta on 95388 81200 for details.

Sale of clay pots goes down

Being Mysore traditional city, in one side city is on the verge of losing Yelethoota, which is world famous for growing special variety of Mysore betel leaf, the another threat of extinction is decline in number of earthen pot makers and sellers.

At Kumbargeri and Paduvarhalli where more number of earthen pot makers and sellers were residing has come to extinct today. No pottery makers cab be seen here. Instead one can see the usual commercial establishments with shops and concrete residences all around.

Most of the potters who once did a roaring business and earned their livelihood by making and selling these pots, have completely stopped making pots, moving ahead with the times and are engaged in various others skills.

Though it was common in the bygone days to drink water stored in earthen pots (madake), this practice has stopped in this modern era of coolers and bottled refills. In spite of being Eco-friendly there is not much demand for these earthen pots.

There were around six-seven shops in Mandi Mohalla selling mud pots, but now it has come down to just 2 shops. As nobody in the city are making pots anymore, these few shops selling pots, bring them from nearby places like Arasikere, Keregavdu, Honganhalli, Malavalli, Nagamangala, KR Pet, Channapatna,Bannur and other surrounding places.

According to traders decline in the sale of earthen pots began more than a decade ago. Most of them don't want to give up the business as they have been selling it since the time of their ancestors and they do want their children to continue the same.

A pot seller Rajendra says, 'Our family is forcing me to sell fruits instead of pots. But I don't stop selling pots and in the meantime I also want my children to continue.' Rajendra, being a resident of Paduvarahalli, is doing this business since three decades.

At Nanjumalige two shops are selling earthen pots alongside various other house hold articles as they found the bitter truth that they can't survive by selling only earthen pots.

Sellers Radha and Venakatesh of Nanjumalige say, 'We cant depend only on earthen pot for livelihood. There is no business at all, so we are also into selling other household articles to survive.'

Farmer Queue up for Oyster Mushroom seeds

Mushroom being one of the largest commercial crop there is an ever growing demand across world for it and Mysore is no exception.

The demand for Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus spices) has gone up in city and Department of Horticulture, Mushroom Development Scheme, Kukkarahalli is also promoting farmers and residents by providing seeds for the cultivation of Oyster Mushroom.

Per month an average of 150 to 200 kg of Oyster Mushroom seeds are being sold here and farmers from Periyapatna, Tibetan Colony at Bylukuppe, Nisarga, Charmudi Ghat, Mangalore, T Narasipura, Chamarajanagar, Bannur, Gundlupet, Mandya are purchasing the seeds.

Horticulture Senior Assistant Director MS Raju says, mushrooms are rich in nutritious value and there is a good response for seeds and about 5-7 kg of seeds are sold per day. A cultivator can obtain about 1.5 kg of mushroom withing 20 days from 250 grams of seeds which costs Rs 10.

'Oyster Mushroom popularly known as Dhingri Mushroom are very popular for its diverse ability. This mushroom can be grown at a temperature of 20-30 degree Celsius on various agriculture waste materials such as unfermented paddy straw, com cobs, cotton waste, sugarcane bagasse, leaves, rice hulls and water hyacinths.

'If compare to other mushroom cultivation, Oyster Mushroom are very easy and at a short duration with less investment cultivator can obtain good returns. As this mushroom are less prone to disease and grows on wide range of agriculture waste is can create self employment for people specially residing in rural areas,' he said quoting cleanliness is one of the most importance factor in getting good mushroom crop.

Laboratory Nagarathna said, 'anyone at home can cultivate the mushroom easily on paddy straw and can harvest good mushroom within 20 days, by following some of the simple methods. About 2-3 harvests at an interval of 6-7 days can be harvested from per bag.'

Speaking about the makings of seeds, she said that Bijapur Jower will be boiled at certain temperature and later it will be mixed with chalk powder and will be sterilized for around three hours. Mother Culture will be mixed again and steam will be provided in certain temperature. Later, the seeds will be packed in polythene cover to foster fungus and will be sold after 15 days.

Training

As its suitable for rural areas and can create self employment, training will be provided for farmers, SHGs, private organisation about cultivation of mushroom and the unit needed. Interested to take part in training can contact 98458 00165.

This women aims to fulfills her husband dreams

Here is an woman without losing heart in life is fulfilling her husband dreams. Vijaya Sindhuvalli wife of noted theater personality late Sindhuvalli Ananthamurthy is the woman.

Being fond of theater, Ananthamurthy started Kala Suruchi Mini theatre at Kuvempunagar in 1985. After his demise, Vijaya Sindhuvalli without losing heart, launched various programme, specially for children.

The programmes like Kathe Kelona Banni, Nataka Vachana, Ranga Geethe, Sahithya Chavadi, dramas, seminars, theater workshops, music programmes, folk arts, harikathe, and various other programmes were launched.

The programme 'Kathe Kelona Banni' (Story telling for kids) which was started in February 3, 2007 has completed five years successfully, without any break attracting hundreds of children. The reason for introducing this programme is the increase in number of nuclear families, which has led to absence of grandparents in the family.



'In order to inculcate and imbibe human values and make children aware of tradition and culture of country, Kathe Kelona Banni programme was launched. So far, about 268 story has been narrated by scientists, advocates, teachers, litterateurs, police personnel, social workers, and other great personalities from various walks of life,' said Vijaya adding 'Women should not loose heart in any situation. Come forward and leave like a role model.'

The story telling for kids programme will be held on every Saturday from 4.30 pm to 5.30 pm. Stories based on current issues, historic, folklore, science, culture will be narrated to the students, said Dr HK Ramanathan, Suruchi Patron.

Children Seema, Jyothi say 'the story telling programme is very good and we enjoy lot. The way the stories are narrated takes us to imagination word and have lot of values.

Special Story
On account of completion of five years, Suruchi Rangamane has organised special `Kathe Kelona Banni' programme on March 10 at 4.30 pm at Suruchi Rangamane. This 268th programme will be aired by theater personality Subraya Bhat.

An heart rending story of a graduate student

Meet this mentally ill man, who has got depressed in life after seeing death of his girlfriend in front of his eyes, who died in spot. Hailing from Bombay, he has done his schooling in Kodaiknal and while doing his graduation in USA, he got depressed due to the accident of his girlfriend.

Four days ago, an NGO 'Wee Care' has rescued this 40-year-old mentally ill persons Dev Mooses Devrai, who was wandering in the road side of Ashoka road, speaking about his parents, girlfriends and about the financial cheating happened to him.

Wee Care founder B Manu says, 'after the incident of his girlfriend he has got mentally ill and American government has rehabilitated him for couple of months, then have reintegrated him to his parents in India. Later his parents have asked him to obtain Phd in Mysore University and provided him a small rented house to accommodate himself in a better way. '

'But due to memories of his girlfriends demise, made him to get addicted to drugs like ganja, alcohol and he became violent. Meantime his father, who was working as a manager in German press of central government also passed away. All this incidents had made him violent. He started troubling his mother and started wandering on roads nakedly, sleep on road side eat garbage from past four years.'

'He speaks and write English very well. When we rescued from the road side, he was carrying some books in his pocket and has written some wordings which cant be understand. Now after rehabilitation of 4 days he has changed a lot and works on computer like a expert, speaks about the universe like a professor,' he added. Manu says, more than 555 of these patients are to be found wandering in the city.

About Wee Care

'Wee Care', as the name expresses, its the NGO which is striving to save the road side destitute who are mentally ill and addicted patient's. The organisation was started under the guidelines of founder B Manu and Trustee Secretary Vinodh Bhojappa, in 2010. The NGO is running in a rented house at Chikkahalli on T Narasipura Road.

So far the organisation has adopted, rehabilitated and treated about 133 patients who are Mentally ill family dependent patients and addicted patients. The types of rehabilitation that are practice here are Social, Psychological, Cultural, physical and economic rehabilitation.

The types of Re-habilitations that are practice here are Social, Psychological, Cultural, pshysical and economic rehabilitations. Manu says, more than 555 of these patients are to be found wandering in the city and the motto of the organisation is to provide shelter for mental ill people and bring them to mainstream. The motto of the organisation is to provide shelter for mental ill people and bring them to mainstream.

Empowering women in a different way

Fifty six-year-old Shakuntala Venugopal has been striving relentlessly for the past 12 years to empower women in a different way, bringing a new ray of hope in the lives of hundreds of women. After completing Diploma in Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences, she has taken voluntarily retirement from her bank service and has started educating women in various issues.



Her way of empowerment is through personal counseling and advice. Women of all age groups, from teenagers to elderly, seek her advice on how to lead a peaceful and happy life.
Everyday around six to seven people visit her house seeking her counsel about their personal or family problems. Several married couples who had decided to seek divorce due to marital discord, have changed their decision after meeting Shakuntala.

She even visits schools and colleges giving free counseling to students failed in SSLC and PUC motivating them to come out of depression and face exams. She is often invited by Ladies Clubs and Akashavani to deliver talk on the subject of mind and health and various other women issues.

Every day in the morning she teaches Yoga for women and conducts Satsang and Chinthana on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Every Thursday accompanied with group of women she visits orphanage homes and holds talks with inmates and share their feelings. During Chintana programme, she not only advises women, but also encourages them to share their feelings. On every Full Moon Day she holds a get-together party exclusively for women and holds talks on current issues.

'After certain age women think there is no meaning in living. Women should become self-reliant not only in terms of earning but also by thinking of living life fully and powerfully without losing heart. At any point start your life with zero, don’t count age and past setbacks. Keep learning new things and expand your horizons. Always feel good about yourselves, which helps you to maintain good health,' she advices.

She quotes, Empowering housewives is the need of the hour, as compare to working women more number of housewives go into depression. Due to insecurity feeling they develop possessiveness, which lowers their self esteem resulting in health related issues. Most women indulge in gossips. I request every women who indulge in gossip to stop it and instead spend time productively in different ways', she adds.

67-year-old Yashodhamma who attends Chinthana pogramme regularly says, 'We eagerly look forward every week for Chinthana programme. She interacts with us for about three hours and provide solutions for most of our problems. I don't want to miss it."

'I know her for the past eight years. She is a wonderful woman and am very grateful to have her friendship. I have shared with her many things and have obtained solution for the problems,' says Hema housewife.

Empowering tribal women their motto

Under the banner, 'Girijana Mahila Federation' around 45 tribal women residing in HD Kote, are involved in empowering tribal women not only socially and economically but also in educating tribes.

Using the facilities provided by the Government, members of this society have taken up several income generation activities. They purchase daily needs from the local market and sell it to the people residing in tribal colonies after ascertaining their quality and price.

By creating awareness among women about the importance of savings and basic education, the members are taking initiatives to enroll more number of children to the Ashrama school nearby.

Members of Mahila Maramma Swasahaya Sangha situated at B Mathkere hamlet and Niveditha Mahila Swasahaya Sangha situated at Basavanagiri hamlet were in city on Sunday to take part in the 4th Tribal Youth Exchange Programme said that after enrolling into these Self Help Groups's their lifestyle changed drastically and are learning many new things.

Bhagyamma, President of Girijana Mahila Federation said that meetings are held every month with the tribal women where discussions are held on how to solve problems faced in the hamlets as well as in their own families.

Under Right to Information Act (RTI), with assistance of Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, the association members have collected details of various projects taken up by the government and have fought against the injustice in their implementation, said Bhagyamma and added, 'We collected details of Kanthana hamlet where low quality drainage work was going-on and forced the concerned person to rework the same project and do a better job.'

She said that they were successful in enforcing a ban on the sale of alcohol in some of their hamlets. The women keep a watch whether the benefits are reaching the appropriate people properly and also whether the ration is distributed regularly. She said that the motto of their organization is to educate women residing in the tribal areas and remote villages.

Now comes jewellery embedded with plant seeds !

Here is an architect who has blended his architect skills to sustain the dying art and has used his architectural skills for creating wonderful pieces of jewellery using seeds of plants. Hailing from Narendrapur in Kolkata, 48-year-old Lakshman Shah has created beautiful pieces of jewellery and ornaments like bracelet, bangles, earrings, necklaces, long chains, pendants and several others, by using plant seeds.

He has crafted jewels using seeds of Red Sandalwood Tree, Soapnut, Canna Indica, Jobtear, Paddy, Olive, Soya Bean and various others trees. He has mixed seeds of various sizes and colours to give a modern look to the ornaments, drawing immediate attention of the onlooker. Apart from retaining their natural colour and aroma, he has given natural look for the jewels.



"Around 2,500 years ago it was a common practice for the Queens in South India to wear jewels made of plants which symbolized their royal lineage. Though all plant seed cannot be used, I select seeds that have long life, strong with ethnic colours and appear smooth. Most of the seeds have good medicinal properties,' he said.

'I buy seeds from Forest Department at reasonable price. As the seeds are found in plenty in summer I book in advance according to my requirement for the entire year. According to the design, I select size of seeds and my wife also helps me to create jewelleries. The difficult is to make ornaments using paddy. By wearing these type of jeweleries one can be in contact with mother nature and there is a need to protect this dying art,' he said.


He relies on his skills to décor the jewels with new designs and shapes. Presently Lakshman is in Mysore to take part in the 'Craft of India' handicraft and handloom exhibition being held at JSS Urban Haat in Hebbal on account of Ugadi. The exhibition is open till February 18 between 10 am and 9 pm.

Mysore University takes up research on human infertility

Mysore University is the first in country, to conduct research on multifactorial problem such as infertility in human males from all corners such as anatomical, biochemical, cytogenetical, molecular and immunological aspects.

The Department of Studies in Zoology, University of Mysore , are conducting research on diseases and disorders having direct impact on human health infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss.

The research work is being conducted by eight research scholars from various stream of life sciences and have published papers on male infertility in national and International journals.




The students are collecting semen samples from Mediwave Institute of Medical Science, JSS Hospital and other private clinics. Samples are also collected by holding free health camp at regular intervals for individuals from all walks of life. Various tests are conducted free of charge during these health camps. The researchers perform does these tests and provide the report to the concerned doctors or the individuals themselves.

The team headed Dr Malini also conducting an investigation regarding fertility rates among the tribals of western ghats in comparison with the urban population. The initiative is funded under the Institute Of Excellence scheme by University Of Mysore.

The working multifactorial disorders is challenging as the root cause cannot be traced by employing simple diagnostic procedures and analysis. The etiology of the both male and female infertility is multifactorial and very scarce is known about the interplay of various factors affecting spermatogenesis. As men hesitate to provide semen for research purpose, it’s very difficult to carry out the tests recommended for research activities. Hence public must encourage this research activity by providing samples for social benefit, they feel.

At 75 years of age he climbs the hill, daily!

For this 75-year-old elderly citizen, climbing Chamundi Hills is like a regular morning walk. HS Jagannath, a resident of Vidyaranyampuram, is in his mid-seventies and has been climbing the hill daily, without missing a day, for the past 34 years.

He leaves his home at 4.45am in the morning, starts climbing the steps at 5.30am and is back home by 8 am, taking in all a little over 3 hours. He claims that by climbing 1100 steps of the the hill daily, he is healthy and fit, doesn't suffer from any ailments, in addition to inhaling fresh oxygen everyday.

He says climbing the hill is not difficult, provided one maintains a regular pace both while climbing or coming down.'Some people in their enthusiasm climb 100 steps without any stopping and relax for 10-15 minutes. That is not correct. While climbing don’t sit down in between. If your are tired, pause, take a deep breath and when heart beat comes to normal start climbing again. That way you can enjoy climbing tirelessly and maintain a good health as well.'

'I was suffering from high Blood Pressure along with being Diabetic. I then realized the importance of exercise and as the Hill was just 2.5 km away from my house, I thought of climbing the hill. After I began climbing the Hill daily my health returned to normal and I feel quite comfortable.'

'Some believe that by climbing hill frequently, one suffers from joint pains and also face other problems. It is the case only with few persons, not for everyone. For the rest, Hill climbing is a very good exercise,' he adds

'Also by simultaneously practicing Gymnastics and Yoga, one can build muscles and make nerves strong. By climbing Hills the blood circulation improves', he observes.

Advantages of climbing hills regularly are getting rid of respiratory problems, control blood pressure, reduce sugar,diminishing joint pains and improved resistance to diseases. He has also become a motivation to several middle aged men like SP Yogamurthy, Shivkumar, Basavanna, Pradeep, Vittal, Babu, Sundar, Chinnappa, Shankar, Kumar, Sundar, Govinda, Naveen and several others to climb the hill and are now accompanying him for the past 20-25 years.

They say 'We enjoy lot climbing hills together. While returning, we all assemble near Nandi, discuss current issues and crack some jokes, having lot of fun. We sometimes even sit with Swamiji Jamaunagiri and have spiritual talk for a while.

Holistic trip from Women

Here is a group of women who celebrate Maha Shivaratri in a quite different way. The women, who have named their team aptly as ‘Sneha Vrunda’, take out a trip every year on Maha Shivaratri Day from past 11 years and visit far and near places and will be back on next day morning. During their visit to temples they hold Bhajans in temples for 10-15 minutes in all the temples, what they have practices in group.

Womens Shakunthala, Gowri, Kavitha, Jayashree Bhat, Shamala, Hemalatha, Rajaeshwari, Vimala, Sudha, Geetha Montadka, Channamma, Jayashree Bhat, Balamba, Saraswathi, Gayatri, Pushpa, and many other women have never missed the chance to accompany together on Shivaratri Day and go for a trip. Even some of them who have settled in Bangalore, Chikkanayakana Halli to have never missed the chance to join here on the day.

So far they have paid visit to Kashi Vishweshwara at Baburayana Koppalu, Suttur,
Atmalingeshwar at Maddur, K Hemmanahalli Mahalingeshwara Temple, Shiva temple at Anandooru, Ardhalingeshwara, Agastheshwara, Gargeshwari, Ardhanareshwari in T Narasipura, Omkareshwara Temple, Shiva temples at Holalu, T Gangadeshwara at Srirangapatna, Nanjangud.

The holistic trip which began with the group of 8-10 members now has reached about 40 members. Every year a week early to Shivaratri festival this women conduct meeting and list out the temples to be visited. Later, they finalise the places and book vehicles.

Speaking to Express Shakunthala said that ‘ Every year we add a new temple to the list and based on the time we plan the temples to be visited. We began the travelling on Shivaratri Day and will be back on next day before 8 and we have never missed the visit to Sri Trinetreshwara Temple at Palace and Mahabaleshwara Temple atop Chamundi Hill and the Nandi.

Amba and Gowri says, ‘It’s a day we spend for ourselves. While travelling we conduct
Anthakshari, puzzles, quiz, bhajans and many other programme. Some of them bring their children too. The members are increasing year to year and we are forced to stop the sits around 30 and have asked remaining women to come in other vehicle.
Gowri says, earlier family members opposed stating its dangerous women travelling in groups in late nights. But still I convinced them and manage all my work mean times.

She flies from Switzerland to obtain PhD in Bharathanatya

Twenty Three year old Sarah Gasser has came from Switzerland not only to learn our traditional dance form Bharathanatya but also to obtain PhD in it. Sarah who is quite passionate about Bharathanatya flew to India and has completed her Bharathanatya practice in Seniors with distinction.

Presently she is doing her Masters in Bharathanatyam at Music University in Mysore and has completed her first semester. After completing her Master's, she wants to pursue further and get a PhD in Bharathanatya connected with spirituality. She is a disciple of Dr Chethana Radha Krishna of Gurudeva Academy of Fine Arts.

Hailing from a family with music background, her father Ueli is a Music teacher at a Music University in Switzerland while her mother Theresia was a Bharathanatya teacher. She developed a keen interest in Bharathanatya while at the tender age of four.

She says, 'As my mother was a dance teacher, I naturally developed interest to learn Bharathanatya. In the meantime though my mother gave up dancing, my interest didn't end. Later, I joined classes for Bharathanatya near Master Keshav, hailing from Mysore, who teaches Bharathanatya in Switzerland. I did my Rangapravesham in 2008 and it is the most memorable moment in my life,' she added.

'Bharathanatya is a very rich art form and is quite vast to understand. Even though I am learning Bharathanatya for the past several years, there is still too much to learn. I want to show the world how rich this Indian art form is. I will do my best to master it and will open a dance school in Switzerland. I am very clear about this,' she added.

'Offering my services working with physically challenged children, I have earned some money which is sufficient to bear the expenses incurred for learning Bharathanatya. I have traveled across all over India to a lot of places but it was Mysore that I liked most. I feel that I was extremely lucky that I got this opportunity to learn Bharathanatya in Mysore. I am beginning to feel Mysore as my home town,' she said.

'While, I have noticed that most girls give up Bharathanatya after their marriage, some practice just to make a name. I feel even a life time is not enough to study it,' she added.

Dr Chethana Radha Krishna said that 'Sarah is a very hard working student and dedicated girl. She has learnt all the basics and she can perform mudras as well as recite Sanskrit Shlokas with equal ease. She has even learnt to speak Kannada quite fluently.'

HD Kote Tribal women is BR Hills ZP member

Thanks for the 33 per cent of reservation for women, which has helped this 38-year-old tribal women Ketamma to enter politics. Hailing from HD Kote, Soliga Community tribe, Ketamma was never aware that she would become Zilla Panchayat
Member.

Like other girls of her community, after completion of 7th standard, she has entered forest for livelihood, accompanied with her parents. But her desire for serving for her community people has never left her.

As the days passed, due to the inspiration of her school teachers words and well wishers, she contested in Gram Panchayat elections and was elected as member in 2000. From there she has never turned back. From 2000-10 she has served as member and President of Taluk Panchayat and at present she is serving as Zilla Panchayat Member at BR Hills in Chamarajanagar.

The credit of providing water facility for nine villages in BR hills goes to Ketamma. She is creating awareness among tribals about forest rights and their reservation. Apart this, she has taken the initiative to provided title deeds
for about 1500 tribes.

She says, its her luck she got the chance to enter politics and thanked MP Dhruvanarayan for providing her the opportunity.

'I have used the facilities provided by government and have reached this position. Every tribe should be aware of their rights and to claim their rights. At present only about 30 per cent of tribes are aware of legal issues,' she said.

'We have obtained only 50 per cent of facilities from the government and we are deprived of basic facilities like health, education, and transportation facilities. Since I have come to power, have taken initiative to provide drinking water facility for nine villages, my next step is towards providing good roads and creating awareness among tribes about the importance of education,' she added.

She said that many schools have been opened to provide education for tribal, but due to lack of awareness among parents most of them are not sending their children to school and the children are deprived of education. She requested government to provide special grants under Tribal Sub-Plan for the welfare of tribes.

'I have a special attachment with mother nature. We the tribes are the one who are protecting forest from smugglers, accompanied with Forest Department,' says Ketamma with proud.